Bearing Assemblies for the Pinion Shaft of an Axle Differential
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The vehicle differential includes a housing (40) having at least one bearing seat (41) that is aligned along an axis. The housing also includes a counter bore having an internal thread. A bearing assembly (20) located in at least one bearing seat (41) supports a pinion shaft. The bearing assembly (20) comprises a bearing (38) and a lock member (62). The bearing (38) is located in at least one bearing seat (41) and around the pinion shaft. The bearing (38) includes an outer race (45), an inner race (46) and rolling elements (47). The outer race has a raceway (48) that is inclined with respect to the axis. The outer race (45) also has an external thread (49) on the narrow/thin section of the outer race, that is located around the outer race (45) and that is engaged with the internal thread (43) of the housing counter bore to set the bearing (38) along the axis. The external thread (49) may have at least one of an axial groove (60) and a radial slot (56) such that the axial groove (60) is positioned within the external thread (49) and the radial slot (56) is positioned within the external thread (49) and the outer race (45). Additionally, the outer race may contain no axial grooves nor radial slots. The lock member (62) may removably attach to at least one of the axial groove (60) and the radial slot (56) of the outer race (45) and removably attaches to the housing (40) whereby the lock member (62) prevents rotation of the outer race (45) within the bearing seat (41) of the housing (40). The lock member may also attach to the outer race by other methods.
31 Citations
51 Claims
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1-28. -28. (canceled)
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29. A bearing assembly for facilitating rotation about an axis, the bearing assembly comprising:
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a housing having an internal thread presented toward the axis and also having a slot providing a well-defined surface that is oriented generally radially with respect to the axis;
an outer race received in the housing, the outer race having an external thread that engages the internal thread of the housing, so that rotation of the outer race in the housing will change the axial position of the outer race in the housing; and
a lock member attached to the outer race so that it cannot rotate with respect to the outer race, the lock member having a tab that projects into the slot and that lies along the well-defined surface, so that the lock member and outer race remain fixed against rotation in the housing. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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30. A bearing assembly for facilitating rotation about an axis, the bearing assembly comprising:
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a first member in the form of a housing, the housing having an internal thread presented toward the axis;
a second member in the form of an outer race, the outer race being received in the housing, the outer race having an external thread that engages the internal thread of the housing, so that rotation of the outer race in the housing will change the axial position of the outer race in the housing, the outer race having a raceway that is presented inwardly toward the axis and is inclined with respect to the axis;
one of the members providing a well-defined surface that is oriented generally radially with respect to the axis; and
a lock member attached to the other member so that lock member cannot rotate with respect to the other member, the lock member providing an edge that lies along the well-defined surface of the one member, so that the lock member and other member cannot rotate with respect to the one member.
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42. In a vehicle differential including a housing having at least one bearing seat that is aligned along an axis, the housing includes a bore having an internal thread, a bearing assembly located in at least one bearing seat for supporting a pinion shaft, the bearing assembly, comprising:
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a bearing located in at least one bearing seat and located around the pinion shaft, the bearing having an outer race having a raceway that is inclined with respect to the axis, the outer race having an external thread on the narrow section end of the outer race, that is located around the outer race and that is engaged with the internal thread of the housing bore to set the bearing along the axis, an inner race having a raceway located around the shaft, the raceway being inclined with respect to the axis in the same direction as the raceway for the outer race, rolling elements located between and contacting the raceways; and
a lock member attached to the outer race and to the housing, the lock member including a body having a first end and a second end such that the first end attaches to the housing and the second end attaches to the outer race whereby the lock member prevents rotation of the outer race within the bearing seat of the housing. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
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46. A process for securing a bearing assembly having a housing with a bearing seat that is concentric about an axis, the housing having a bore which has an internal thread and the housing having a slot, such that the bearing assembly located on the bearing seat supports a shaft, the process comprising:
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inserting a bearing within the housing, the bearing comprising an outer race having a raceway that is inclined with respect to the axis, the outer race having an external thread on the narrow section end of the outer race, that is located around the outer race and that is engaged with the internal thread of the housing bore to set the bearing along the axis, the bearing further comprising an inner race having a raceway located around the shaft, the raceway being inclined with respect to the axis in the same direction as the raceway for the outer race and rolling elements located between and contacting the raceways;
rotating the outer race to engage the external thread and the internal thread until the bearing achieves a desired setting on the shaft; and
attaching a lock member to the outer race to prevent rotation of the outer race within the housing wherein the lock member has a tab that projects into the slot of the housing, whereby the lock member and outer race remain fixed against rotation in the housing. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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Specification