BEARING STAND-OFF DEVICES

• US 20150026983A1
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Published: 01/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solus Industrial Innovations, LLC (Power Transmission Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Solus Industrial Innovations, LLC (Power Transmission Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eure, Tom, Phillips, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,555,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/898.06
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 13/00 Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 39/09 Arrangements of bearing or sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 19/02 Bolts or sleeves for positioning of machine parts, e.g. notched taper pins, fitting pins, sleeves, eccentric positioning rings
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 43/00 Washers or equivalent devices; Other devices for supporting bolt-heads or nuts circlips F16B21/18; for indicating tensile load F16B31/02; forming a whole with the bolt or nut F16B33/00; locking bolts or nuts by means of a fixed plate or ring, or washer-like resilient plates F16B39/10, F16B39/24
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 13/02 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2235/00 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/00 Rigid support of bearing units; Housings, e.g. caps, covers F16C23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/02 in the case of sliding-contact bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/045 with a radial flange to mount the housing
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 43/00 Assembling bearings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49679 Anti-friction bearing or component thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53104 Roller or ball bearing

Abstract

Various embodiments of stand-off devices and methods are disclosed. The stand-off device can space a bearing assembly apart from a support, such as a frame of a conveyor belt, thereby providing access between the bearing assembly and the frame, such as for cleaning fluid. Certain embodiments of the stand-off device include a first end and a second end, with the first end being receivable in a securing hole of the bearing assembly and the second end configured to protrude from the bearing assembly.

Claims

1. A method of retrofitting a bearing assembly that comprises a rotation unit and a bearing housing such that the bearing assembly is spaced apart from a frame of a processing system, the method comprising:

removing a fastener from a securing hole in the bearing housing;

removing the bearing housing from the frame;

obtaining a stand-off device comprising;

a first end having a first diameter and a first longitudinal distance;

a second end having a second diameter and a second longitudinal distance, the second diameter being greater than the first diameter and greater than the diameter of the securing hole;

a shoulder located between the first end and the second end; and

a port that extends longitudinally between the first end and the second end;

inserting the first end of the stand-off device into the securing hole in the bearing housing to form a housing stand-off assembly;

positioning the housing stand-off assembly relative to the frame such that the second end of the stand-off device is between the bearing housing and the frame, thereby spacing the bearing housing apart from the frame by about the second distance and facilitating access by cleaning fluid to substantially the entire surface area between the bearing housing and the frame;

inserting a fastener through the port in the stand-off device; and

securing the fastener, thereby securing the housing stand-off assembly with the frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame of the processing system comprises the frame of a conveyor system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

removing a shaft of the roller from the bearing assembly; and

journaling the same shaft in the bearing assembly after the housing stand-off assembly has been positioned relative to the frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises removing a sleeve from the securing hole in the bearing housing, the sleeve having an inside diameter that is about equal to a diameter of the port in the stand-off device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first end and the second end is generally cylindrical.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end and the second end are generally cylindrical.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotation unit comprises a ball bearing or roller bearing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotation unit comprises a bushing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the housing stand-off assembly relative to the frame also facilitates visual access to substantially the entire surface area between the bearing housing and the frame.

10. A method of installing a bearing housing on a conveyor frame such that the bearing housing is positioned a distance apart from the frame to facilitate a flow of cleaning fluid between the conveyor frame and a surface of the bearing housing that faces the conveyor frame, the method comprising:

obtaining a stand-off device that comprises;

a smaller diameter portion;

a larger diameter portion; and

a port extending through the smaller diameter portion and the larger diameter portion and configured to receive a fastener therethrough;

inserting the smaller diameter portion of the stand-off device into a channel in the bearing housing;

maintaining the larger diameter portion of the stand-off device outside of the bearing housing;

positioning the bearing housing such that the larger diameter portion of the stand-off device is between the bearing housing and the conveyor frame;

inserting a fastener through the port in the stand-off device; and

tightening the fastener, thereby securing the bearing housing with the conveyor frame, wherein at least a portion of the stand-off device is between the bearing housing and the conveyor frame.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises removing a sleeve from the channel in the bearing housing.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises abutting a shoulder of the stand-off device against the bearing housing, the shoulder being between the smaller diameter portion and the larger diameter portion.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the cleaning fluid can readily access at least about 95% of the surface area of the surface of the bearing housing that faces the conveyor frame.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising retaining the smaller diameter portion of the stand-off device in the channel in the bearing housing with magnetism.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining a second stand-off device; and

inserting a smaller diameter portion of the second stand-off device in the port of the stand-off device such that the smaller diameter portion of the second stand-off device is received in the larger diameter portion of the stand-off device,

wherein, when the bearing housing is secured with the conveyor frame, the bearing housing is positioned apart from the frame by a distance that is at least the sum of the longitudinal length of a larger diameter portion of the second stand-off device and the longitudinal length of the larger diameter portion of the stand-off device.

16. A method of obtaining a housing stand-off assembly, the method comprising:

obtaining a housing having a recess and a plurality of anchor holes, the recess configured to receive a rotation unit;

obtaining a plurality of stand-off devices, each comprising;

a nesting portion having a first diameter;

a spacing portion having a second diameter;

a shoulder positioned between the nesting and spacing portions; and

a port extending through the nesting and spacing portions and configured to receive a fastener therethrough;

installing the nesting portion of one of the plurality of stand-off devices into a respective one of the plurality of anchor holes of the bearing housing; and

engaging the shoulder with the housing.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising installing the spacing portion of the stand-off device against a conveyor frame, the bearing housing being spaced from the conveyor frame by a length of the spacing portion.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising installing a fastener through the port.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising removing a sleeve from the anchor hole before installing the nesting portion of the stand-off device into the anchor hole.

20. A kit for retrofitting a rotation point on a conveyor system comprising a conveyor and a frame, the rotation point with a housing and a rotation unit, the housing having a recess and an anchor hole, the rotation unit positioned in the recess in the housing and configured to receive a rotatable shaft, the kit comprising:

a stand-off device comprising;

a nesting portion having a first diameter, the first diameter being less than the diameter of the anchor hole of the bearing housing, thereby allowing the nesting portion to be received inside the anchor hole;

a spacing portion having a second diameter, the second diameter being greater than the diameter of the anchor hole, thereby maintaining the spacing portion outside the anchor hole when the nesting portion is received inside the anchor hole; and

a port extending through the nesting and spacing portions and configured to receive the fastener therethrough;

a fastener configured to pass through the anchor hole to engage the frame, the fastener having a length, not including a head of the bolt, that is greater than the sum of the length of the spacing portion of the stand-off device and the length of the anchor hole.

21. The kit of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of the stand-off devices and a plurality of the fasteners.

22. The kit of claim 20, further comprising a shaft having a length that is at least the sum of a lateral width of the conveyor at the rotation point and twice the length of the spacing portion of the stand-off device.

23. The kit of claim 20, further comprising a shaft extension that couples with the shaft to extend the length of the shaft.

24. The kit of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of the stand-off devices, the stand-off devices being configured to be serially stacked such that the nesting portion of a first of the plurality of the stand-off device can be received in the port in the spacing portion of a second of the plurality of the stand-off device.

25. The kit of claim 20, further comprising the housing and the rotation unit.

26. The kit of claim 25, wherein the rotation unit comprises ball bearings or roller bearings.

27. A stackable stand-off device for providing selectable spacing between a bearing assembly and a frame, the bearing assembly having a housing having an anchor hole, the stackable stand-off device comprising:

a nesting portion having an outside diameter, the outside diameter of the nesting portion being less than the diameter of the anchor hole of the housing, thereby allowing the nesting portion to be received in the anchor hole;

a spacing portion having an outside diameter, the outside diameter of the spacing portion being greater than the diameter of the anchor hole, thereby maintaining the spacing portion out of the anchor hole when the nesting portion is received in the anchor hole;

a shoulder positioned between the nesting portion and the spacing portion; and

a port extending through the nesting portion and the spacing portion, the port comprising;

a first section extending through the nesting portion;

a second section extending at least partly through the spacing portion, the second section having a longitudinal length that is greater than or equal to the longitudinal length of the nesting portion and having an inside diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the nesting portion, thereby enabling the second section to receive the nesting portion of another of the stackable stand-off devices; and

a transition between the first section and the second section.

28. The stackable stand-off device of claim 27, wherein the ratio of the outside diameter of the nesting portion to the outside diameter of the spacing portion is between about 0.5 and about 0.8.