LIQUID-LUBRICATED BEARING AND VEHICLE PINION SHAFT SUPPORT DEVICE

• US 20140187374A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: MURAKAMI, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,316,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 475/160
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/548 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2361/61 Toothed gear systems, e.g. support of pinion shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6659 Details of supply of the liquid to the bearing, e.g. passages or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6666 from an oil bath in the bearing housing, e.g. by an oil ring or centrifugal disc
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6674 related to the amount supplied, e.g. gaps to restrict flow of the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6681 Details of distribution or circulation inside the bearing, e.g. grooves on the cage or passages in the rolling elements
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7813 for tapered roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7893 mounted to a cage or integral therewith
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2048/423 characterised by bearing arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0471 Bearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0483 Axle or inter-axle differentials

Abstract

An outer lubricating liquid inflow passage that provides communication between an outside of a liquid-lubricated bearing and a rolling element arrangement chamber is formed between an outer ring and a cage, on the lubricating liquid inflow side. The outer lubricating liquid inflow passage has an annular axially extending outer passage portion that extends in the axial direction, and an annular radially extending outer passage portion. The radially extending outer passage portion communicates with a rolling element-side axial end portion of the axially extending outer passage portion. The radially extending outer passage portion extends from the axially extending outer passage portion to the rolling element arrangement chamber inward in the radial direction of the outer ring. A labyrinth is formed by the axially extending outer passage portion and the radially extending outer passage portion.

Claims

1. A liquid-lubricated bearing comprising:

an inner ring having a raceway surface formed in an outer peripheral face of the inner ring;

an outer ring disposed radially outward of the inner ring, and having a raceway surface formed in an inner peripheral face of the outer ring;

rolling elements disposed between the raceway surface of the inner ring and the raceway surface of the outer ring; and

a cage having pockets that accommodate the rolling elements, wherein

lubricating liquid flows through a space between the outer ring and the cage from one side in an axial direction of the liquid-lubricated bearing to the other side in the axial direction,

an outer lubricating liquid inflow passage that provides communication between an outside of the liquid-lubricated bearing and a rolling element arrangement chamber in which the rolling elements are arranged, is formed between the outer ring and the cage, on a lubricating liquid inflow side in the axial direction,

the outer lubricating liquid inflow passage has

an annular axially extending outer passage portion that extends in the axial direction, and

an annular radially extending outer passage portion that communicates with a rolling element-side axial end portion of the axially extending outer passage portion, and that extends from the axially extending outer passage portion to the rolling element arrangement chamber inward in a radial direction of the outer ring, and

a labyrinth is formed by the axially extending outer passage portion and the radially extending outer passage portion.

2. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 1, wherein:

an inner lubricating liquid inflow passage that provides communication between the outside and the rolling element arrangement chamber is formed between the inner ring and the cage, on the lubricating liquid inflow side in the axial direction,

the inner lubricating liquid inflow passage has

an annular axially extending inner passage portion that extends in the axial direction, and

an annular radially extending inner passage portion that communicates with a rolling element-side axial end portion of the axially extending inner passage portion, and that extends from the axially extending inner passage portion to the rolling element arrangement chamber outward in a radial direction of the inner ring, and

a labyrinth is formed by the axially extending inner passage portion and the radially extending inner passage portion.

3. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 1, wherein:

the cage has an upstream side annular portion located upstream of the rolling elements in a flow direction of the lubricating liquid and having a radially outward extending portion, and a plurality of cage bars that extend on a rolling element side from the upstream side annular portion and that are located at intervals in a circumferential direction of the upstream side annular portion;

the radially outward extending portion is located radially outward of a portion of the upstream side annular portion, to which cage bars are connected, and extends in the radial direction;

a lubricating liquid inflow-side axial end portion of the outer ring has a recess;

a lubricating liquid inflow-side axial end face of the outer ring has an outer ring side step portion;

the axially extending outer passage portion has a portion defined by an outer peripheral face of the radially outward extending portion and the inner peripheral face of the outer ring that faces the outer peripheral face of the radially outward extending portion in the radial direction; and

the radially extending outer passage portion has a portion defined by a rolling element-side axial end face of the radially outward extending portion and the outer ring side step portion.

4. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 2, wherein:

the cage has an upstream side annular portion located upstream of the rolling elements in a flow direction of the lubricating liquid and having a radially outward extending portion, and a plurality of cage bars that extend on a rolling element side from the upstream side annular portion and that are located at intervals in a circumferential direction of the upstream side annular portion;

the radially outward extending portion is located radially outward of a portion of the upstream side annular portion, to which cage bars are connected, and extends in the radial direction;

a lubricating liquid inflow-side axial end portion of the outer ring has a recess;

a lubricating liquid inflow-side axial end face of the outer ring has an outer ring side step portion;

the axially extending outer passage portion has a portion defined by an outer peripheral face of the radially outward extending portion and the inner peripheral face of the outer ring that faces the outer peripheral face of the radially outward extending portion in the radial direction; and

the radially extending outer passage portion has a portion defined by a rolling element-side axial end face of the radially outward extending portion and the outer ring side step portion.

5. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 1, wherein:

the cage has an upstream side annular portion located upstream of the rolling elements in a flow direction of the lubricating liquid, and a plurality of cage bars that extend on a rolling element side from the upstream side annular portion and that are located at intervals in a circumferential direction of the upstream side annular portion; and

an end face of the upstream side annular portion, the end face being on an opposite of the upstream side annular portion from the rolling elements in the axial direction, has an outer side guide face that guides the lubricating liquid in such a direction that the lubricating liquid flows away from the liquid-lubricated bearing.

6. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 2, wherein:

the cage has an upstream side annular portion located upstream of the rolling elements in a flow direction of the lubricating liquid, and a plurality of cage bars that extend on a rolling element side from the upstream side annular portion and that are located at intervals in a circumferential direction of the upstream side annular portion; and

an end face of the upstream side annular portion, the end face being on an opposite of the upstream side annular portion from the rolling elements in the axial direction, has an outer side guide face that guides the lubricating liquid in such a direction that the lubricating liquid flows away from the liquid-lubricated bearing.

7. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 3, wherein:

the cage has an end face of the upstream side annular portion, the end face being on an opposite of the upstream side annular portion from the rolling elements in the axial direction, has an outer side guide face that guides the lubricating liquid in such a direction that the lubricating liquid flows away from the liquid-lubricated bearing.

8. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 4, wherein:

the cage has an end face of the upstream side annular portion, the end face being on an opposite of the upstream side annular portion from the rolling elements in the axial direction, has an outer side guide face that guides the lubricating liquid in such a direction that the lubricating liquid flows away from the liquid-lubricated bearing.

9. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 1, wherein the cage is a single-piece member and made of an elastic material having such an elasticity that the cage is allowed to be fitted into the outer ring.

10. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 2, wherein the cage is a single-piece member and made of an elastic material having such an elasticity that the cage is allowed to be fitted into the outer ring.

11. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 3, wherein the cage is a single-piece member and made of an elastic material having such an elasticity that the cage is allowed to be fitted into the outer ring.

12. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 4, wherein the cage is a single-piece member and made of an elastic material having such an elasticity that the cage is allowed to be fitted into the outer ring.

13. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 5, wherein the cage is a single-piece member and made of an elastic material having such an elasticity that the cage is allowed to be fitted into the outer ring.

14. The liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 6, wherein the cage is a single-piece member and made of an elastic material having such an elasticity that the cage is allowed to be fitted into the outer ring.

15. A vehicle pinion shaft support device comprising:

a case;

a differential mechanism that is provided in the case, and that includes a ring gear;

a pinion shaft having a pinion gear meshed with the ring gear of the differential mechanism; and

the liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 1, by which the pinion shaft is rotatably supported.

16. A vehicle pinion shaft support device comprising:

a case;

a differential mechanism that is provided in the case, and that includes a ring gear;

a pinion shaft having a pinion gear meshed with the ring gear of the differential mechanism; and

the liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 2, by which the pinion shaft is rotatably supported.

17. A vehicle pinion shaft support device comprising:

a case;

a differential mechanism that is provided in the case, and that includes a ring gear;

a pinion shaft having a pinion gear meshed with the ring gear of the differential mechanism; and

the liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 3, by which the pinion shaft is rotatably supported.

18. A vehicle pinion shaft support device comprising:

a case;

a differential mechanism that is provided in the case, and that includes a ring gear;

a pinion shaft having a pinion gear meshed with the ring gear of the differential mechanism; and

the liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 4, by which the pinion shaft is rotatably supported.

19. A vehicle pinion shaft support device comprising:

a case;

a differential mechanism that is provided in the case, and that includes a ring gear;

a pinion shaft having a pinion gear meshed with the ring gear of the differential mechanism; and

the liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 5, by which the pinion shaft is rotatably supported.

20. A vehicle pinion shaft support device comprising:

a case;

a differential mechanism that is provided in the case, and that includes a ring gear;

a pinion shaft having a pinion gear meshed with the ring gear of the differential mechanism; and

the liquid-lubricated bearing according to claim 6, by which the pinion shaft is rotatably supported.