US Patent 9859672 Electric machine and connecting unit for an electric machine

The present disclosure teaches an electric machine including a housing for receiving a rotor unit and a connecting unit. The rotor unit may rotate around an axis of rotation and have a rotor shaft and a first sliding surface. The connecting unit may include a carrier, a contact part, and a spring part. The carrier part may be made of an electrically conductive material and at least partially surround the rotor shaft and is firmly connected to the housing. The contact part may be made of an electrically conductive material, including a second sliding surface. The spring part may be made of an electrically conductive material, at least partially surrounding the rotor shaft. The spring part may be firmly connected to the carrier part and the contact part and press the contact part against the first sliding surface so the sliding surfaces form the electrically conductive sliding contact.