Bearing assembly with temperature sensor

• US 20020051593A1
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Communications Corporation (Axway Software SA), NTN Corporation, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Inventors: Oka, Ryutaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,018,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 384/448
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/386 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/525 related to temperature and heat, e.g. insulation
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/10 Railway vehicles in general B61
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/583 Details of specific parts of races
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7813 for tapered roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7886 mounted outside the gap between the inner and outer races, e.g. sealing rings mounted to an end face or outer surface of a race
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7889 mounted to an inner race and extending toward the outer race
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3296 Arrangements for monitoring the condition or operation of elastic sealings F16J15/326 takes precedence; Arrangements for control of elastic sealings, e.g. of their geometry or stiffness

Abstract

To provide a bearing assembly having a temperature sensor built therein, in which the accuracy of detection of the abnormal temperature is increased, the number of component parts is reduced and the productivity can be increased, a rolling bearing assembly 1 includes a sealing member 7 secured to a stationary bearing ring and a temperature sensor 13 is secured to the sealing member 7. The stationary bearing ring is an inner race 2 if the bearing assembly 1 is of an outer race rotating type. The sealing member 7 is made up of a core metal 9 and an elastic member 10 made of a rubber or resin. The temperature sensor 13 is fixed to the core metal 9 of the sealing member 7 either by means of an insert molding of the elastic member 10 or soldering after forming the sealing member 7. The temperature sensor 13 is in the form of a chip-type laminar thermistor.

Claims

1. A rolling bearing assembly having a temperature sensor built therein, which bearing assembly comprises:

stationary and rotary bearing rings one positioned inside the other;

a sealing member secured to the stationary bearing ring; and

the temperature sensor secured to the sealing member for measuring a temperature inside the bearing assembly.

2. The rolling bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing member includes a core metal fitted to the stationary bearing ring, and an elastic member made of a rubber or resin and integrated together with the core metal and wherein the temperature sensor is secured to the core metal in contact therewith.

3. The rolling bearing assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the core metal includes a cylindrical portion mounted on a peripheral surface of the stationary bearing ring which confronts the rotary bearing ring, a flange portion engaged to at least one annular end face of the stationary bearing ring, and a slant portion bent from an inner end of the cylindrical portion so as to extend diagonally radially therefrom and wherein the temperature sensor is disposed within a space delimited by and between the cylindrical portion and the slant portion.

4. The rolling bearing assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the temperature sensor is fixed to the sealing member by means of an integral molding of the elastic member with the core metal.

5. The rolling bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is a chip-type laminar thermistor.