Patent ID: 6950633

Claim:
A rotary contactless connector comprising: a rotary transformer composed of a rotor defining a rotary side and having a transformer rotary winding and an annular stator defining a stationary side and being concentric with the rotor and having a transformer stator winding; a plurality of rotating side elements, comprising at least one of rotating-side radio wave transmitting elements or rotating-side radio wave receiving elements, provided on the rotor; a plurality of stationary side elements, comprising at least one of stationary-side radio wave transmitting elements or stationary-side radio wave receiving elements, that are disposed for radio wave-based coupling with the rotating-side elements, and a switching circuit disposed on at least one of said stationary side and said rotary side, and being operative to switchably couple at least one of said plurality of rotating side elements to at least one of said plurality of stationary side elements, wherein electric power is supplied to the rotor through the rotary transformer to enable radio wave-based communication, wherein a plurality of said rotary side elements are arranged along a common circumferential locus and comprise only one of radio wave transmitting or light receiving elements, wherein an output of two radio wave emitting elements does not enter a range of one radio wave receiving element at the same time, and wherein one radio wave emitting element output enters the range of two radio wave receiving elements at the same time, whereby said switching device is controlled to provide continuous radio wave-based communication as said rotor is rotated.