Slip rings are connecting components that help to transmit electricity, gas, fluid and laser signal, etc. Except fiber optic rotary joints, other slip ring/ rotary joint kinds usually adopt physical contact to complete transmission. Physical contact means there is a certain life span of the component. That is to say, there is some limitation of slip ring as the rotary inductive solution. So, is there any other kinds of rotary transmission solution other than slip rings? The answer is yes. Wireless power transmission is also applied these days. Then, what are the advantages and disadvantages of wireless power transmission compared to slip rings？
In people’s daily life, what are the common products that adopt wireless power transmission? One example is the Barber’s pole that hang in front of a hair salon. Another one is the 3D hologram display fan. These two products have many LED light strips on the rotary part that needs power support. They are two typical devices that adopt wireless power transfer instead of rotary joints.
Barber's Pole
Of course, there are some manufactures that apply slip rings on the rotary Baber’s poles , since this kind of devices rotate in a relatively low speed and using slip rings to replace the wireless conductive module would not lead to dramatic cost rise. However, in the case of 3D hologram fan whose rotating speed reaches up to 600rpm while having to maintain a product life span up to 3000 hours, adopting slip rings that fit these requirements would be too expensive let alone specific customization is needed. Besides, electrical noise would also be a concern if the slip ring is adopted in a 3D hologram fan. As a result, the slip ring is not a favorable solution in this application. In the hologram fan displayer, to support power for the LED, wireless power transfer module is more practical and economical. Meanwhile this conductive solution also avoids other problems in high speed rotation and therefore guarantee longer life span of the device.
3D Hologram Display Fan
Does this mean wireless power transmission can totally take the place of slip rings as conductive solution? Without doubt, it’s impossible, because wireless conductive module only has advantages over rotary joints in low power appliances. Besides, there’s restriction of transfer distance of the wireless power transmission. In terms of high power transmission and complex electromagnetic environment, slip rings are much more competitive and reliable because they demonstrate great interference immunity. JINPAT has different types of rotary joints and slip rings that can answer the need of large power transmission and high rotating frequency devices.
JINPAT High Frequency Rotary Joint