Rollers and roller bearings with cages

Abstract

A roller with a retainer (1) comprises a roller (2) and a retainer (3). Chamfered portions (23) are formed at both axial ends of the roller (2). The retainer (3) comprises a pair of annular portions (30), a plurality of columnar portions (33) and a pocket portion (40) for accommodating the roller. The pair of annular portions (30) comprises a flange portion (31) extending radially inward. When assembled to a raceway component (50), an axial dimension (L2) from a contact point (C) between an axial end portion (22) of the roller and the flange portion (31) to an axial end face (41) of the pocket portion is smaller than an axial dimension (L1) of the chamfered portion (23) of the roller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a roller with a cage and a roller bearing used in, for example, a transmission or the like. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a cage with a roller that can be assembled to a mating shaft with high accuracy, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-151944) is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which roller retaining claws projecting toward the pocket are provided at both ends of the inner diameter side portion of the column portion of the cage in order to minimize the inclination of the roller relative to the cage when assembling the cage to the mating shaft.

[0004] Prior Art Literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-151944 Summary of the invention

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] The cage of the roller with cage of Patent Document 1 can suppress the inclination of the roller relative to the cage. However, Patent Document 1 is a technology that focuses only on the inclination of the roller relative to the cage. When assembling the roller with cage to the other shaft, if the roller enters the inner diameter side of the end of the pocket, the roller is sandwiched between the other shaft and the end of the pocket, and there is a case where the roller with cage cannot be easily installed on the other shaft, which deteriorates the assembly performance.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a roller with a cage and a roller bearing capable of improving the ease of assembly to a raceway member (a counterpart shaft).

[0011] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0012] As a result of careful research conducted by the inventors, it was found that in order to improve the assemblability of the roller with a retainer relative to the raceway component, the focus was not on suppressing the inclination of the roller relative to the retainer, but on the contact state of the roller and the retainer when the roller is tilted. As a result, the roller with a retainer can be easily inserted into the raceway component, thereby completing the invention of the present application.

[0013] That is, a roller with a cage according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a roller and a cage for holding the roller, and the roller with a cage supports a raceway member having a raceway surface for the roller to roll on. In the roller with a cage, chamfered portions are formed at both axial ends of the roller, and the cage includes: a pair of annular portions arranged at intervals from each other in the axial direction; a plurality of columnar portions extending in the axial direction and connecting the pair of annular portions; and a pocket portion arranged between adjacent columnar portions and accommodating the roller, the pair of annular portions including a flange portion extending radially inward, and the axial dimension from the contact position between the axial end of the roller and the flange portion to the axial end face of the pocket portion when assembled to the raceway member is smaller than the axial dimension of the chamfered portion of the roller.

[0014] A roller bearing according to one aspect of the present invention includes a raceway ring and the above-described roller with cage.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a roller with a cage and a roller bearing that can improve the ease of assembly to a raceway member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing a roller with a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing a roller with a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a partial enlarged view of the roller.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the annular portion of the retainer.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a diagram for explaining a state where a raceway member is incorporated into a roller with a cage.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining a state before a raceway member is incorporated into a roller with a cage.

[0023] Figure 7 In the figure, (a) is a diagram for explaining the state in which the roller is tilted when the raceway member is installed in the roller with the cage, and (b) is Figure 7 A partial enlarged view of (a).

[0024] Figure 8 In the figure, (a) is a diagram for explaining the state in which the roller is tilted when the raceway member is installed in the conventional roller with a retainer, and (b) is Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of (a).

[0025] Fig. 9 In the drawings, (a) is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing a roller with a cage in which the flange portion is inclined axially inward, and (b) is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing a roller with a cage in which the flange portion is inclined axially outward. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

[0027] First, refer to Figure 1 to Figure 5 , the roller 1 with a cage in this embodiment is described. It should be noted that in the following description, the direction along the center axis of the cage 3 is called "axial direction", the direction orthogonal to the center axis is called "radial direction", and the circumferential direction around the center axis is called "circumferential direction".

[0028] The roller with cage 1 of the present embodiment is composed of a plurality of rollers 2 and a cage 3 for retaining the rollers 2 .

[0029] like Figure 5 As shown, the roller 1 with a retainer supports a raceway member (here, a shaft 50) having a raceway surface 51 for the roller 2 to roll on. The raceway member 50 is a member arranged radially inward of the roller 2. The roller 1 with a retainer is used, for example, in a transmission, and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft of the transmission becomes the raceway surface. Here, the roller 2 is a needle roller. That is, the roller 1 with a retainer of the present embodiment is a needle roller with a retainer. It should be noted that when the roller 1 with a retainer of the present embodiment is used as a pinion bearing of a planetary reducer, the raceway member 50 is the pinion shaft. Moreover, the raceway member 50 is not limited to the shaft, but may also be an inner ring.

[0030] The roller 2 has chamfered portions 23 formed at both axial ends thereof. Figure 3 As shown, the chamfered portion 23 is a fillet provided at the corner between the rolling surface 21, which is the outer peripheral surface of the roller 2, and the axial end 22 of the roller 2. Specifically, the chamfered portion 23 is a fillet. The axial dimension of the chamfered portion 23 is L1. The axial direction mentioned here is the length direction of the roller 2. When the roller 2 is tilted in the retainer 3, it refers to the direction of inclination accompanying the inclination of the roller 2. The rollers 2 are retained by the retainer 3 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. It should be noted that in Figure 2 , 5 In FIG. 1 , the roller 2 is indicated by a dotted line for easier understanding.

[0031] like Figure 1 , 2As shown, the retainer 3 has a pair of annular portions 30 arranged at intervals in the axial direction and a plurality of column portions 33 connecting the pair of annular portions 30 to each other. A pocket portion 40 for accommodating the roller 2 is provided between adjacent column portions 33. The pocket portion 40 is substantially rectangular in a plan view and extends in the axial direction. A plurality of pocket portions 40 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The rollers 2 are respectively accommodated in the pocket portions 40. It should be noted that the manufacturing method of the retainer 3 is not limited, and may be, for example, a welded retainer, a stamped retainer, a cut retainer, etc.

[0032] The column portion 33 of this embodiment includes: a column center portion 34 located relatively radially inward in the axial center region; a pair of column end portions 35 located relatively radially outward in the axial end regions; and a pair of column inclined portions 36 located between the column center portion 34 and the pair of column end portions 35 and extending radially inwardly from the column end portions 35 toward the column center portion 34. In particular, Figure 1 As shown, the pair of annular portions 30 and the column end portion 35 of the column portion 33 are connected via a constricted portion 11 that is thinner than the circumferential length of the column end portion 35 .

[0033] Especially Figure 2 As shown, the first and second roller anti-slip parts 34a and 35a for preventing the roller 2 from falling out to the radial inside / outside are provided on the wall surface of the column part 33 facing the pocket part 40. The first roller anti-slip part 34a is provided radially downward over the substantially entire axial area of ​​the column center part 34. The second roller anti-slip part 35a is provided radially outward over the substantially entire axial area of ​​the pair of column end parts 35.

[0034] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, the pair of annular portions 30 include a flange portion 31 extending radially inward and a protrusion 32 connected from the flange portion 31 to the column portion 33. The axial dimension from the inner diameter side end 31a of the flange portion 31 to the axial end face 41 of the pocket portion 40 (hereinafter referred to as the pocket end face 41) is L2. Here, the pocket end face 41 coincides with the boundary between the protrusion 32 of the annular portion 30 and the column end 35 of the column portion 33.

[0035] The axial dimension L2 from the inner diameter side end 31a of the flange portion 31 to the pocket end 41 is smaller than the axial dimension L1 of the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2. Specifically, the axial dimension L2 from the inner diameter side end 31a of the flange portion 31 to the pocket end 41 is preferably less than 1 / 2 of the axial dimension L1 of the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2. Thus, the shaft 50 can be easily inserted into the roller 1 with a cage.

[0036] Next, refer to Figure 6 to Figure 8 , the operation of assembling the roller 1 with a cage according to the present embodiment to the shaft 50 is described. Figure 6 to Figure 8 In the figure, the roller 2 is indicated by a dotted line also for the sake of ease of understanding.

[0037] First, if Figure 6 As shown, the roller 1 with a cage is aligned coaxially with the shaft 50 so that one end face of the cage 3 faces the other end face of the shaft 50. Next, the roller 1 with a cage is inserted into the shaft 50 so that the rolling surface 21 of the roller 2 abuts against the inner raceway surface 51 of the shaft 50. In this way, the roller 1 with a cage can be assembled to the shaft 50.

[0038] The contact state between the roller 2 and the cage 3 when the conventional roller 100 with the cage is assembled to the shaft 50 is as follows: Figure 8 (a) and Figure 8 As shown in (b). Figure 8 (a) and Figure 8 (b), the pair of annular portions 130 of the conventional roller 100 with a cage includes a flange portion 131 and a protrusion 32. In the conventional roller 100 with a cage, the axial dimension from the pocket end face 141 to the inner diameter side end 131a of the flange portion 131 is L3. In the roller 100 with a cage, the axial dimension L3 from the pocket end face 141 to the inner diameter side end 131a of the flange portion 131 is smaller than the axial dimension L1 of the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2 (L3>L1).

[0039] With such a structure, in the conventional roller 100 with a cage, the first contact point B between the pocket end surface 141 and the roller 2 is not the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2 but the rolling surface 21 of the roller 2. Figure 8 As shown in (b), the roller 2 contacts the pocket end face 41 at the rolling surface 21. Therefore, if the shaft 50 is to be inserted into the roller 100 with a cage, the roller 2 is sandwiched between the shaft 50 and the pocket end face 141 of the cage 3, and there is a possibility that the cage 3 is deformed or it is difficult to install the roller 100 with a cage into the shaft 50.

[0040] In contrast, the contact state between the roller 2 and the cage 3 when the roller 1 with cage of the present embodiment is assembled to the shaft 50 is as follows: Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 As shown in (b). Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 (b) In the roller 1 with a cage of the present embodiment, an axial dimension L2 from the inner diameter side end 31a of the flange portion 31 to the pocket end surface 41 is smaller than an axial dimension L1 of the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2 (L1>L2).

[0041] With such a structure, in the roller 1 with a cage of the present embodiment, when the roller 1 with a cage is inserted into the shaft 50, the first contact point A between the pocket end surface 41 and the roller 2 becomes the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2. Figure 7 As shown in (b), the roller 2 contacts the pocket end face 41 at the chamfered portion 23. Moreover, the flange portion 31 contacts the axial end 22 of the roller 2 at the second contact portion C. Thus, when the shaft 50 is inserted into the roller 1 with a cage, the roller 2 is sandwiched between the shaft 50 and the pocket end face 141 of the cage 3, but since the roller 2 contacts the first contact portion A at the chamfered portion 23, the roller 2 can easily evade to the outer diameter side. Therefore, the roller 1 with a cage can be easily inserted into the shaft 50, which can improve the assembly performance.

[0042] Here, assuming that the retainer is a stamped retainer obtained by forming a circular blank punched out from a plate material by a stamping process including a drawing process, the annular portion (the flange portion) is formed by bending. Furthermore, in the case where the retainer is a welded retainer, after forming a cross-sectional shape having a bent flange portion by roll forming a steel plate, a cylindrical retainer (annular portion) is formed through a pocket punching process, a bending process, a joining process, etc.

[0043] When the retainer 3 is a stamped retainer or a welded retainer, in the forming process of the flange portion, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , the flange portion 131A of the annular portion 130A is sometimes inclined axially inward (toward the column portion 33). Fig. 9 As shown in (b), the flange portion 131B of the annular portion 130B is sometimes inclined axially outward (toward the direction opposite to the column portion 33). Fig. 9 (a) and Fig. 9 In (b), in order to show the inclination of the flange portions 131A and 131B, a state in which the flange portions 131A and 131B are not inclined but extend horizontally in the radial direction is shown by a single-dot chain line.

[0044] Thus, in the roller 1A with a retainer having a retainer 3A in which the flange portion 131A is inclined axially inward, and the roller 1B with a retainer having a retainer 3B in which the flange portion 131B is inclined axially outward, if the axial dimension of the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2 is specified based on the axial dimension from the axial inner side surfaces 131aA, 131aB of the flange portions 131A, 131B to the pocket end surfaces 141A, 141B, the reference dimension will deviate, so that the ease of assembly into the other shaft (raceway member) 50 becomes insufficient. Therefore, in this embodiment, in both the roller 1A with a retainer and the roller 1B with a retainer, the axial dimension of the chamfered portion 23 of the roller 2 is specified based on the axial dimension from the contact point between the axial end 22 of the roller 2 and the flange portions 131A, 131B to the pocket end faces 141A, 141B when assembled to the raceway member 50.

[0045] It should be noted that, in the above-described embodiment, needle-shaped rollers are used as the rollers 2 accommodated in the pockets 40 , but the present invention is not limited thereto, and cylindrical rollers or rod-shaped rollers may be used.

[0046] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the axial dimension L2 is described as the dimension from the inner diameter side end 31a of the flange portion 31 to the pocket end 41, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the flange portion 31 is inclined inward or outward in the axial direction, as long as the axial dimension L2 is the dimension from the axial end 22 of the roller 2 to the second contact portion C ( Figure 7 The dimension from (b)) to the pocket end face 41 is sufficient.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the retainer 3 is a so-called M-type retainer having a pair of annular portions, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be, for example, a straight retainer in which the column portion 33 is not bent.

[0048] The roller 1 with a cage of the present embodiment further includes a raceway ring and can be provided as a roller bearing. Specifically, in addition to the roller 1 with a cage, it can be provided as a shell roller bearing or a solid bearing further including an outer ring.

[0049] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is disclosed by the claims rather than the above description, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0050] Explanation of symbols:

[0051] 1 roller with cage, 2 roller, 3 cage, 22 axial end, 23 chamfered portion, 30 annular portion, 31 flange portion, 31a inner diameter side end, 33 column portion, 40 pocket portion, 41 pocket end face (axial end face), 50 raceway member, C contact portion, L1, L2 axial dimensions.

Claims

1. A roller with a cage, comprising a roller and a cage for holding the roller, wherein the roller with the cage supports a raceway member having a raceway surface on which the roller rolls, wherein: Chamfered portions are formed at both axial ends of the roller. The retainer is a stamped retainer or a welded retainer, which has: a pair of annular portions arranged at intervals from each other in the axial direction; a plurality of column portions extending in the axial direction and connecting the pair of annular portions; and a pocket portion arranged between adjacent column portions and accommodating the rollers. The pair of annular portions include a flange portion extending radially inward, When assembled to the raceway member, an axial dimension from a contact point between an axial end portion of the roller and the flange portion to an axial end surface of the pocket portion is less than 1 / 2 of an axial dimension of the chamfered portion of the roller.

2. A roller bearing comprising: Outer ring; and The roller with cage as claimed in claim 1.

Images