A self-generating smart roller and bearing

Abstract

A self-generating intelligent roller and bearing are disclosed. The intelligent roller comprises a cylindrical roller with an axially extending central hole at its center. A signal processing unit, a power management unit, and a triboelectric nanogenerator unit are housed within the central hole. The signal processing unit collects and transmits signals from the roller; the power management unit receives and stores electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator unit and supplies power to the signal processing unit. The triboelectric nanogenerator unit includes a stator that rotates synchronously with the roller and a rotor that rotates relative to the stator. Triboelectric materials between the inner surface of the stator and the outer surface of the rotor generate electricity through frictional contact during the relative motion of the stator and rotor. An annular cavity is located around the center of the rotor and filled with a counterweight fluid with a volume smaller than the cavity's volume. Multiple intelligent rollers are installed within the bearing. Compared to existing self-generating bearings, this invention has a simpler overall structure and can meet the needs of monitoring the status of large bearings during low-speed, heavy-load operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of bearing monitoring and new energy technology, specifically relating to a self-generating intelligent roller and bearing. Background Technology

[0002] Bearings are indispensable standard components in machine tools, transportation vehicles, mining machinery, light industrial machinery, and generators, and are also the most vulnerable parts in transmission systems. Their health condition plays a crucial role in the safe operation of mechanical equipment. According to relevant statistics, 45% to 55% of failures in rotating machinery are caused by the failure of rolling bearings. Traditional bearing condition monitoring systems mainly measure bearing signals indirectly through bearing housings or other external structures. However, the distance between the sensor and the signal source is long, making them susceptible to noise, temperature, and other factors.

[0003] The main shaft bearings of large mechanical equipment bear the main load during the transportation of the equipment. The working conditions are usually quite harsh. Faced with huge loads and strong temperature rises, it is extremely difficult to carry out on-site maintenance or replacement in a given construction section. This requires real-time status monitoring of large main shaft bearings. Due to the difficulty of replacing parts, the bearing monitoring system needs to be self-powered, relying on the bearing's own energy to generate electricity to power the monitoring system.

[0004] In recent years, various forms of embedded monitoring systems and micro-generators based on shaft rotation have been proposed, effectively addressing issues related to system integration, measurement accuracy, and autonomous power supply. Currently, most rolling bearing monitoring systems directly or indirectly monitor key parameters such as raceway loads by drilling holes in the raceway or bearing outer ring. However, this destructive approach to bearing structure during condition monitoring disrupts the bearing's condition. Most self-powered bearing monitoring systems are based on electromagnetic induction and piezoelectric induction principles. However, electromagnetic power generation typically requires high speeds, while piezoelectric power generation has limited allowable bending deformation and is prone to breakage, which is the opposite of the low-speed, heavy-load operation of large bearings. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a self-generating intelligent roller and bearing. Compared with existing self-generating bearings, it has a simple overall structure, can collect the energy from the roller's rotation to generate electricity to power the bearing monitoring device, and has high scalability.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a self-generating intelligent roller, comprising a cylindrical roller with an axially extending central hole at its center. A signal processing unit, a power management unit, and a triboelectric nanogenerator unit are disposed within the central hole. The signal processing unit is used to collect and transmit signals from the roller; the power management unit is used to receive and store electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator unit and to supply power to the signal processing unit; the triboelectric nanogenerator unit is provided with a stator that can rotate synchronously with the roller and a rotor that rotates relative to the stator. The triboelectric material between the inner surface of the stator and the outer surface of the rotor generates electricity through frictional contact during the relative movement of the stator and the rotor. An annular cavity is provided around the center of the rotor, and the annular cavity is filled with a counterweight liquid with a volume smaller than the cavity volume.

[0007] The triboelectric nanogenerator unit is provided with a central shaft that rotates synchronously with the roller. One end of the central shaft is connected to the roller, and the other end is connected to the power management unit. The rotor is sleeved on the central shaft, and the rotor and the central shaft are arranged to rotate relative to each other.

[0008] A bushing is provided between the central shaft and the rotor. The bushing and the central shaft are interference-fitted, and there is a gap between the bushing and the rotor.

[0009] An inner liner is provided between the stator and the roller, and the center holes of the inner liner and the roller, as well as the inner liner and the stator, are all interference fits.

[0010] Both the stator and the rotor are cylindrical. The inner surface of the stator is provided with annular protrusions spaced along the axial direction, and the outer surface of the rotor is provided with hollow annular protrusions made of elastic material spaced along its axial direction. The hollow annular protrusions of the rotor and the annular protrusions of the stator are staggered and matched.

[0011] The triboelectric material includes an electrode array as self-generating electrode I and a flexible thin film array as self-generating electrode II, wherein self-generating electrode I and self-generating electrode II are in continuous contact through wires and corresponding electrodes of the power management unit.

[0012] The electrode array consists of a series of individual electrodes arranged between adjacent annular protrusions on the inner surface of the stator, and the flexible thin film array consists of a series of electronegative flexible thin films arranged on hollow annular protrusions on the outer surface of the rotor.

[0013] The power management unit includes a power distribution plate, an inner end cover, a power management module, and a power protection cover. The power protection cover and the inner end cover are connected to form an installation space for accommodating the power management module. The inner end cover is fixed to the inner wall of the central hole of the roller. The central shaft of the triboelectric nanogenerator unit, which is used to install the rotor, passes through the power distribution plate and is fixedly connected to the inner end cover. Two concentric annular conductive grooves are provided on the side of the inner end cover facing the triboelectric nanogenerator unit, which serve as power distribution plate electrode I and power distribution plate electrode II, respectively. Power distribution plate electrode I and power distribution plate electrode II are electrically connected to the self-generating electrode I and self-generating electrode II, respectively. Power distribution plate electrode I and power distribution plate electrode II are connected to the power management module through wires.

[0014] The signal processing unit includes a main controller and a sensor module. The main controller receives and processes sensor signals from the sensor module, converts them, and then transmits the signals wirelessly. The sensor module includes a strain sensor, a velocity-acceleration sensor, and a temperature sensor.

[0015] The present invention also proposes a bearing comprising a plurality of the above-described intelligent rollers, wherein the plurality of intelligent rollers are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. This application proposes a design scheme for an intelligent roller, which utilizes triboelectric nanogenerator technology to integrate a triboelectric nanogenerator unit, a power management unit, and a signal monitoring unit in the internal hole of the roller. The integration is high, and the collection and transmission of information such as bearing load and temperature are more direct without damaging the original bearing structure.

[0017] 2. The rollers in the main shaft bearings of large equipment have low self-rotation speed and heavy load. The triboelectric nano-power generation unit has good power generation effect under low frequency and irregular motion. The triboelectric nano-power generation unit absorbs the energy of the roller oscillation or rotation. It can generate electricity autonomously, monitor and wirelessly transmit bearing signals without external power source or battery, so as to further diagnose the bearing operating status.

[0018] 3. The flexible thin film structure has an elastic contact with the electrode, and the relative motion can change with the direction of the roller rotation. The running resistance is small, and various types of kinetic energy can be collected.

[0019] 4. During implementation, the proportion and type of counterweight liquid can be adjusted independently according to the actual scenario to make the natural frequency of the relative motion between the rotor and stator and the rotation frequency of the rollers compatible, so as to generate a higher amplitude power output.

[0020] 5. Each spindle bearing is equipped with three sets of intelligent rollers. The collected monitoring signals can be mutually verified. Based on high-frequency sampling algorithms and wireless transmission of monitoring signals, the current state of the bearing is intelligently analyzed through neural networks. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main units of the intelligent roller described in this invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the intelligent roller described in this invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the triboelectric nanogenerator unit in the smart roller described in this invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rotor structure in the triboelectric nanogenerator unit;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the stator structure in the triboelectric nanogenerator unit;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the power management unit in the intelligent roller of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the electrical distribution plate in the intelligent roller of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the intelligent roller arrangement in the bearing monitoring device of the present invention;

[0029] The diagram shows the following components: 1. Intelligent roller; 2. Signal processing unit; 201. Main controller; 202. Sensor module; 3. Power management unit; 301. Power protection cover; 302. Power management module; 303. Inner cover plate; 304. Power distribution plate; 4. Triboelectric nano-power generation unit; 401. Liner; 402. Stator; 403. Rotor; 404. Electrode array; 405. Bushing; 406. Shaft; 407. Outer cover plate; 408. Counterweight fluid; 409. Flexible thin film array; 5. Bearing body. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way.

[0031] Example 1: This example refers to the appendix. Figure 1-7 As shown, a self-generating intelligent roller is proposed. The intelligent roller 1 is a cylindrical roller in a large bearing, rotating around the inner ring of the bearing while also rotating on its own axis. The external dimensions of the intelligent roller 1 are the same as those of a regular roller, and the intelligent roller 1 has a central circular hole with a hollowness of 30%. Figure 1 As shown, a signal processing unit 2, a power management unit 3, and a triboelectric nanogenerator unit 4 are sequentially arranged along the axial direction inside the circular hole of the roller.

[0032] like Figure 2As shown, the signal processing unit 2 includes a main controller 201 and a sensor module 202. The main controller 201 receives and processes sensor signals from the sensor module 202, converts them, and then transmits the signals wirelessly. The sensor module 202 includes a strain sensor, a velocity-acceleration sensor, and a temperature sensor. The sensor module collects the roller signals and sends them to the main controller 201.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the power management unit 3 includes a power protection cover 301, a power management module 302, an inner cover plate 303, and a power distribution plate 304. Two concentric annular conductive grooves are provided on the side of the power distribution plate 304 facing the triboelectric nanogenerator unit 4. One annular conductive groove serves as power distribution plate electrode I 304-1, and the other annular conductive groove serves as power distribution plate electrode II 304-2. On the power distribution plate, the annular conductive grooves and the portion on the other side of the power distribution plate opposite to the annular conductive grooves are made of conductive material, while the remaining portion is made of insulating material; alternatively, the portion on the other side of the power distribution plate 304 corresponding to the annular conductive grooves has terminals conductively connected to the annular conductive grooves, and the remaining portion of the power distribution plate 304 is made of insulating material. The inner cover plate 303 is made of insulating material and has wires inside that connect to the power distribution plate 304. One side of the inner cover plate 303 is in contact with the power distribution plate 304, and the other side is connected to the power protection cover 301, forming a space to accommodate the power management module 302. The wires inside the inner cover plate 303 are connected to the power management module 302. The power management module 302 collects the electricity from the triboelectric nanogenerator unit 4, rectifies the AC power and stores it in the rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery leads out wires to power the signal processing unit 2.

[0034] The triboelectric nanogenerator unit 4 includes an inner liner 401, a stator 402, an electrode array 404, a rotor 403, a flexible thin film array 409, a bushing 405, a central shaft 406, an outer cover plate 407, and a counterweight liquid 408.

[0035] The inner liner 401 is cylindrical and fixed to the inner wall of the roller's central hole, with an interference fit. The stator 402 is a cylinder made of non-conductive insulating material such as plastic, and is installed on the inner liner 401 with an interference fit, thus ensuring that the stator 402 rotates synchronously with the roller. Multiple annular protrusions, integrally formed with the stator body, are spaced axially along the inner surface of the stator 402. These annular protrusions are solid structures. The electrode array 404 consists of multiple individual electrodes connected in series. Before installation, each individual electrode is made of rectangular conductive material. Individual electrodes are installed between adjacent annular protrusions of the stator 402. Multiple individual electrodes are connected in series by wires to form the electrode array 404, which serves as the self-generating electrode I. The self-generating electrode I is in continuous contact with the distribution plate electrode I 304-1 through wires.

[0036] The rotor 403 is made of non-conductive insulating materials such as plastic, and has an axially extending annular cavity inside. A certain amount of counterweight liquid 408 is filled in the cavity to match the natural frequency of the relative motion between the rotor 403 and the stator 402 with the rotation frequency of the rollers, thereby generating a higher amplitude power output. The volume of the counterweight liquid 408 is smaller than the volume of the annular cavity and can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. In this example, the counterweight liquid is filled to 1 / 3 of the cavity volume. The outer cylindrical surface of the rotor 403 has multiple hollow annular protrusions made of elastic material spaced along its axial direction. During the process of installing the rotor 403 into the stator 402, the hollow annular protrusion can be deformed by the stator 402, which facilitates the installation of the rotor 403. After the rotor 403 is installed, the hollow annular protrusion is located in the groove between adjacent annular protrusions of the stator 402, and the compression disappears. The hollow annular protrusion rebounds, forming a convex-concave fit between the rotor 403 and the stator 402. Furthermore, a certain gap is left between the outer cylindrical surface of the rotor 403 and the inner surface of the stator 402, so that the rotor 403 can rotate relative to the stator 402.

[0037] The flexible thin film array 409 includes multiple rectangular flexible films. The rectangular flexible films are pasted and fixed on the hollow annular protrusion on the outer cylindrical surface of the rotor 403 and are in elastic contact with a single electrode of the electrode array 404. The rectangular flexible films are made of insulating film material with strong electronegativity and are connected in series by wires to form the flexible thin film array 409, and serve as self-generating electrode II. The self-generating electrode II is in continuous contact with the distribution plate electrode II 304-2 through wires.

[0038] The central shaft 406 passes through the bushing 405 and the distribution plate 304. The two ends of the central shaft 406 are fixedly connected to the outer cover plate 407 and the inner cover plate 303 respectively by threaded connection. The outer cover plate 407 and the inner cover plate 303 are fixed to the inner wall of the central hole of the roller. The outer cover plate can also seal the central hole. The central shaft 406 and the bushing 405 are interference fit. There is a gap between the rotor 403 and the bushing 405 to allow the rotor 403 to rotate relative to the bushing 405, so that the rotor 403 and the bushing 405 can rotate relative to each other. When the rollers rotate, the inner cover plate 303 and the outer cover plate 407 drive the central shaft 406 and the bushing 405 to rotate synchronously. The stator 402 also rotates synchronously with the rollers. Since the inner diameter of the rotor 403 is larger than that of the bushing 405, part of the rotor 403 contacts the bushing 405 due to its own weight, while the other part has a gap with the bushing 405. The frictional force at the contact point between the bushing 405 and the rotor 403 drives the rotor 403 to rotate at a speed lower than that of the bushing 405. As a result, the rotor 403, the bushing 405, and the stator rotate relative to each other.

[0039] Because the flexible thin-film array 409 is in elastic contact with the electrode array 404 and the stator 402, and because the flexible thin-film array 409 is made of soft material with low operating resistance, the relative motion direction between the flexible thin-film array 409 and the electrode array 404 can be changed at any time. Since the internal cavity of the rotor 403 is filled with a counterweight liquid 408 whose volume is smaller than the cavity's volume, the rotor 403's weight distribution is uneven. When the rotor 403 rotates, the counterweight liquid 408 flows inside the rotor 403, further driving the rotor 403 to generate friction and relative motion with the stator 402.

[0040] When the roller drives the rotor 403, flexible thin film array 409, stator 402, and electrode array 404 to rotate, the flexible thin film array 409 and the electrode array 404 move relative to each other and rub against each other. Due to the large difference in friction polarity between the flexible thin film array and the electrode array, the relative motion causes the flexible thin film array to become negatively charged and the electrode array to become positively charged. There is a potential difference between the self-generated electrode I and the self-generated electrode II. Since the two ends are connected to the power management unit, there will be alternating current in the circuit.

[0041] Example 2: The present invention proposes a bearing, including intelligent rollers as described in Example 1, mounted on the bearing body. The intelligent rollers on the bearing body have the same external dimensions as other ordinary rollers, and multiple intelligent rollers are arranged at intervals along the circumference. In this example, three intelligent rollers are arranged, with an included angle of 120° between them.

[0042] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the specific implementation of the present invention with reference to the above embodiments. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention are within the protection scope of the pending claims.

Claims

1. A self-generating smart roller comprising a roller of a cylinder, characterized in that: The roller has an axially extending central hole, within which a signal processing unit, a power management unit, and a triboelectric nanogenerator unit are housed. The signal processing unit collects and transmits roller signals; the power management unit receives and stores electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator unit and supplies power to the signal processing unit; the triboelectric nanogenerator unit has a stator that rotates synchronously with the roller and a rotor that rotates relative to the stator. The triboelectric material between the inner surface of the stator and the outer surface of the rotor generates electricity through frictional contact during the relative motion of the stator and the rotor. The rotor has an annular cavity around its center, which is filled with a counterweight liquid with a volume smaller than the cavity's volume. Both the stator and the rotor are cylindrical. The inner surface of the stator is provided with annular protrusions spaced along the axial direction, and the outer surface of the rotor is provided with hollow annular protrusions made of elastic material spaced along its axial direction. The hollow annular protrusions of the rotor and the annular protrusions of the stator are staggered and matched. The triboelectric material includes an electrode array as self-generating electrode I and a flexible thin film array as self-generating electrode II, wherein the self-generating electrode I and the self-generating electrode II are in continuous contact through wires and corresponding electrodes of the power management unit. The electrode array is composed of a single electrode connected in series between adjacent annular protrusions on the inner surface of the stator, and the flexible thin film array is composed of a series of electronegative flexible thin films disposed on hollow annular protrusions on the outer surface of the rotor. The power management unit includes a power distribution plate, an inner end cover, a power management module, and a power protection cover. The power protection cover and the inner end cover are connected to form an installation space for accommodating the power management module. The inner end cover is fixed to the inner wall of the central hole of the roller. The central shaft of the triboelectric nanogenerator unit, which is used to install the rotor, passes through the power distribution plate and is fixedly connected to the inner end cover. Two concentric annular conductive grooves are provided on the side of the inner end cover facing the triboelectric nanogenerator unit, which serve as power distribution plate electrode I and power distribution plate electrode II, respectively. Power distribution plate electrode I and power distribution plate electrode II are electrically connected to the self-generating electrode I and self-generating electrode II, respectively. Power distribution plate electrode I and power distribution plate electrode II are connected to the power management module through wires.

2. A self-generating smart roller according to claim 1, wherein: The triboelectric nanogenerator unit is provided with a central shaft that rotates synchronously with the roller. One end of the central shaft is connected to the roller, and the other end is connected to the power management unit. The rotor is sleeved on the central shaft, and the rotor and the central shaft are arranged to rotate relative to each other.

3. A self-generating smart roller according to claim 2, wherein: A bushing is provided between the central shaft and the rotor. The bushing and the central shaft are interference-fitted, and there is a gap between the bushing and the rotor.

4. The self-generating intelligent roller according to claim 1, characterized in that: An inner liner is provided between the stator and the roller, and the center holes of the inner liner and the roller, as well as the inner liner and the stator, are all interference fits.

5. The self-generating intelligent roller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal processing unit includes a main controller and a sensor module. The main controller receives and processes sensor signals from the sensor module, converts them, and then transmits the signals wirelessly. The sensor module includes a strain sensor, a velocity-acceleration sensor, and a temperature sensor.

6. A bearing, characterized in that: It includes a plurality of smart rollers as described in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the plurality of smart rollers are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction.

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