In automotive and electromechanical, a lot of rotations take place. There is a need for a device that will help support the transfer of signals and power from the rotating parts to the stationary parts. Do you know about slip rings? What about fiber optic rotary joints? How do fiber optic rotary joints work? Read below to know more and how they relate.
Machines and devices don’t transfer power alone. Due to the advanced technology, there is an increasing demand for them to transfer data without loss, damage, or distortion. That is where the fiber optic rotary comes in handy. Do you know what it is?
What Is a Fiber Optic Rotary Joint
The fiber optic joint is to fulfill the essential requirement of connectivity. Just as the slip ring transfers power and signal from moving parts to stationary ones, the RF rotary joint passes signal and massive data across rotating parts without any loss, damage, or mix-up.
Now you understand why you should compare and relate it with slip rings. The joints are to facilitate the transfer of data just as the electro slip ring does to electrical signals. The significant part of RF rotary joints is that they pass both analog and digital signals.
Types of Fibre Optic Rotary Joints
There are different fiber optic manufacturers in the market. However, each makes the RF rotary joint according to set standards and customer specifications. There are two ways to classify joints. You can have active or passive or have single or multiple channels. Let’s look at the first one.
Passive and Active Types
It is like analyzing analog and digital signals. They are different, carry specific functions, and that is why we shall look at them separately:
Active rotary joints: Active rotary joints contain a light source at one end of the rotary and an interphase or detector on the other side. When you look at it this way, you find that most electronics are integral to the active unit of the RF rotary joints.
Most of the active joints are designed to transfer electronic signals of a rotating body without using a mechanical slip ring to avoid the challenges of wear, data loss and isolation, and ground loop problems. So can one say they are a perfect substitute for a slip ring? The answer is yes!
Passive rotary joints: They are for passing optical signals rather than electrical signals. They provide a continuous fiber-optic connection between stationary and rotating parts. It can be looked at to be like passing analog signals.
The good part here is that passive rotary joints can be converted into existing ones by adding appropriate electronic and optical devices. So, which is another way can you categorize the RF rotary joints?
The Signal and RF joints
Here, you look at what the RF joint carries. Different manufacturers have different ways of making the joints, depending on the purpose. It can be:
- Single-channel RF rotary joint: The single-channel carries one single fiber channel. The fiber enters on either side, and optical signals are coupled using lenses, large-diameter fiber, or fiber bundles. It carries only one type of signal on it.
- Multi-channel RF rotary joint: Manufacture can give an option of building up an RF rotary joint with multiple channels. It carries different fiber or fiber bundles with different configurations. The channels can range from 2 to many others, depending on the manufacturer and customer specifications.
In addition to the classification introduction of fiber optic rotary joint, you can view other frequently asked questions on the product introduction page.
How Does A Fiber Optic Slip Ring Work
The RF rotary joint mates the rotor and stator. In situations where there is a quick need for the transfer of extensive data in an efficient, fast manner, the rotary joint provides connections between single and multiple channels of fiber cable, allowing a free working environment for the rotating part.
Just as the slip ring is to eliminate challenges in rotating parts, the RF rotary joint facilitates the movement of extensive data without any loss, wear, or distortion. So, what are the advantages of using Rotary joints in devices?
Benefits of RF Rotary Joints
Many industrial settings use rotary joints. With the increase in preciseness, reduction of data loss, and efficiency, many people are adopting the use of Fibre optic rotary joints. So what are the befits if using rotary joints?
- They are thinner than copper wires. When you compare to the copper wires in a slip ring, the fiber optic cables are smaller. That makes them the at to use in multi-channel connections and also to use in compact spaces.
- The FR rotary joints have a high signal-carrying capacity. That is what the joints are all about. Manufacturers make them meet the challenge of taking large amounts of data from the rotor to the stator without any loss, damage, or mixup of any kind.
- Make very low noise while working. Manufacturers use the best quality material to make rotary joints. That makes them rust-free and hence sound when it is working.
- The FR rotary joints withstand harsh weather conditions where you plan to use the joint matters a lot. The good thing is the RF joint is suitable for use in different weather conditions. That is because it can withstand harsh weather conditions. If it is a harsh environment with high temperature, you can choose a high temperature slip ring to replace it.
- The joint requires less power to transmit large volumes of data. There are no worries about the extreme use of force to transfer large amounts of data. That is because the fiber optic joint is made in a way that it can carry data swiftly, with no loss and damage.
- The RF joint is cost-effective. As a manufacturer, using the RF joint assures you less cost of production because the joint does not wear out due to corrosion hence less maintenance and less power bill to worry about.
Just slip rings are for electrical signals, the fiber optic rotary joint is used to transmit a large volume of data from moving parts to stationary parts. You can find them in the market depending on your specifications or find the standard once made by the manufacturer.
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