Electricity: transmission to vehicles – Collectors – Third-rail shoe
Patent
1990-12-12
1992-10-06
Werner, Frank E.
Electricity: transmission to vehicles
Collectors
Third-rail shoe
191 591, B60L 508, B60L 538
Patent
active
051523809
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a collector shoe for a collector of the type having an elongated carbon brush which is carried on a support member that extends over the length of the brush.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Collector shoes are typically designed with a carbon brush conductively connected to a profiled metal support so that electric current flows through the metal support The electrically conductive connection is produced through soldering or, in accordance with German patent publication DE-OS 24 05 910, via an electrically conductive adhesive layer with metallic particles imbedded therein. It is also known to attach leads to the carbon brush e.g., by soldering them onto the metal layer, or by inserting them into a recess in the carbon brush and covering them with a metal layer (German patent DE-PS 697 808, German patent DE-PS 34 05 674 and German utility model DE-GM 87 16 985), in such a way that the electric current partially flows through the leads and the metal layer, bypassing the support member. However, attaching the leads requires additional manufacturing steps, which increases manufacturing costs. Moreover, soldering the leads or clamping them in the recess can also result in production errors, which may adversely affect the uniformity of current flow over the length of the carbon brush.
From the abstract of JP 59-99901 a collector strip is known which is mounted to an insulated support made of carbon and glass fiber-reinforced plastic The collector strip lacks both a metallic layer or a longitudinally extending lead or similar element and the current is forced to flow within the strip itself to a connecting aluminum plate at the end of the strip. This results in a relatively high current resistance and generates substantial heat in the collector strip.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to construct a collector shoe of the aforementioned type which provides in a simple manner, a precisely dimensioned, uniform current path over the entire length of the collector shoe.
This is achieved in accordance with the present invention by galvanically applying a metal layer to the surface of the carbon brush which faces the support member, giving the metal layer a sufficient cross section so that it can conduct the entire electric current, and extending the galvanically applied metal layer past an end of the carbon brush so that the protruding portion of the metal layer can be used to form the required electric connection.
Embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail below with reference to the drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 1a show a front view and a longitudinal cross section of a collector shoe constructed according to the present invention;
FIGS. 2 and 2a show corresponding views of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional end view of a collector shoe constructed according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to FIGS. 1 and 1a, a copper layer 2 is galvanically applied or plated to the underside of a carbon brush 1. The cross section of the copper layer 2 is sufficient to conduct the entire current. The carbon brush and copper layer 2 are connected to a support 3 made preferably of a plastic material One especially advantageous manner of attaching the carbon brush to the support is by molding the support 3 of an uncured material directly onto carbon brush 1, or pressing a premolding support against the brush, and then curing the plastic to finish the support. When using plastic it is advantageous to use a fiber-reinforced plastic or a foamed plastic. The use of foamed plastic foam allows the carbon brush to be flexibly mounted on the support and it dampens the brush against vibrations.
An angled extension 3a is molded onto each end of support 3 which has a bore for receiving a fastener and which may be reinforced with a laminate 14 imbedded in the plastic. The galvanically applied copper layer 2 extend
REFERENCES:
patent: 949988 (1910-02-01), Mulvey
patent: 2098062 (1937-11-01), Palmer
patent: 2454579 (1948-11-01), Stauffer
patent: 2509021 (1950-05-01), Settle
patent: 2927230 (1960-03-01), Guarnier
patent: 3601645 (1971-08-01), Whiteheart
patent: 3818588 (1974-06-01), Bates
patent: 4146119 (1979-03-01), Ingersoll
Grabner Herbert
Hoell Johann
Hoffmann Peter
Reiser Klaus
Hoffmann & Co. Elektrokohle Gesellschaft mbH
Lowe Scott L.
Werner Frank E.
LandOfFree
Collector shoe for collector and process for producing it does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Collector shoe for collector and process for producing it, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Collector shoe for collector and process for producing it will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1183798