Intelligent bearing oil supplementing device based on piezoelectric material driving

Abstract

An intelligent bearing oil replenisher driven by piezoelectric materials belongs to the field of mechatronics engineering technology. The bottom of the oil replenisher's outer shell has a groove structure for connecting a dual-crystal piezoelectric plate, an equal-arm lever, a long-arm lever, a connecting rod, a rotating base, a guide ring, and a slide rail. The blades of the rotating impeller are inserted into the middle of a fixed base. The compartment of the fixed base is filled with flexible oil storage material, and piezoelectric sensors are attached to the side walls of the compartment. A top cover encloses the above structure between the outer shell and the top cover. This invention combines the innovative design of piezoelectric materials and their transmission mechanism with the physical properties of flexible oil storage materials that allow for the absorption and release of lubricating oil. It can realize the recovery and replenishment of lubricating oil lost from the bearing, extending the bearing's service life and operational stability. The device uses piezoelectric sensing technology to sense the amount of lubricating oil stored, and the lubricating oil level provides feedback on the residual lubricating oil in the bearing raceway, thus achieving intelligent sensing and control of rolling bearing lubrication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mechanical and electronic engineering technology, specifically relating to an intelligent bearing oil replenisher that uses piezoelectric materials to drive flexible oil storage materials to release lubricating oil, thereby actively replenishing lubricating oil into the bearing. Background Technology

[0002] Rolling bearings are crucial components in industrial applications and essential parts of various instruments. Lubrication between their rolling elements and raceways is critical for their proper operation. During high-speed rotation, the lubricating oil within the raceway is affected by the rolling pressure of the rolling elements, causing it to flow and accumulate to both sides of the raceway. This leads to oil loss from the bearing raceway, preventing sufficient contact with the rolling elements and hindering its proper lubrication function, thus affecting the bearing's normal operation. This invention provides an intelligent bearing oil replenisher based on piezoelectric materials driving a flexible oil storage material to release lubricating oil. It can actively replenish oil to the bearing raceway, improving the bearing's operating condition. This device can be widely applied in the operating environments of rolling bearings, primarily in high-end rolling bearing applications such as robot joints, high-speed machine tools, and aerospace. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, and in response to the problem that existing bearings have difficulty controlling the return of lubricating oil from both sides of the raceway to the raceway to fully lubricate the rolling elements, this invention provides a smart bearing oil replenisher design that uses piezoelectric materials to drive a flexible oil storage material to release lubricating oil.

[0004] A smart bearing oil replenisher driven by piezoelectric materials is disclosed. The oil replenisher includes a housing, a top cover, a bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet, an equal-arm lever, a long-arm lever, a connecting rod, a fixed base, a rotating base, a rotating impeller, a flexible oil storage material, a piezoelectric sensor, a flow guide ring, and a slide rail. The bottom of the housing has a groove structure for connecting the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet, the equal-arm lever, the long-arm lever, the connecting rod, the rotating base, the flow guide ring, and the slide rail. The blades of the rotating impeller are inserted in the middle of the fixed base. The compartment of the fixed base is filled with flexible oil storage material, and the piezoelectric sensor is attached to the side wall of the compartment. The top cover is placed on top of the fixed base to enclose the above structure between the housing and the top cover.

[0005] Furthermore, a slide rail is embedded in the inner surface of the housing to form a spiral guide rail. A slot is opened at the bottom of the housing to fix one end of the dual crystal piezoelectric sheet and contact the other end with the equal-arm lever. The equal-arm lever is connected to the long-arm lever. The other end of the long-arm lever is connected to the connecting rod shaft. The other end of the connecting rod is connected to the rotating base shaft. The bottom of the housing has an opening, an arc-shaped groove, and a trapezoidal groove surface. The opening is used to fix the shaft of the equal-arm lever and the long-arm lever. The trapezoidal groove surface is used to fix the range of motion of the long-arm lever. The arc-shaped groove is used to determine the rotation range of the rotating base.

[0006] Furthermore, the blades of the rotating impeller are placed in the compartment of the fixed base, and the blades are coaxially distributed with the ribs of the fixed base. In the unacted state, the blades are close to the ribs and coaxial with the ribs. In the actuated state, the blades will rotate around the axis, and the blades of the rotating impeller will also push the blades of the guide ring to rotate together. The outer surface of the guide ring has protrusions that connect to the guide rail formed by the outer shell and the slide rail. The guide ring is controlled by the guide rail and will move upward when rotating, so that the guide plate of the guide ring extends out of the top cover surface. The guide plate of the guide ring has small wedge-shaped grooves engraved on its inclined surface for guiding the flow of lubricating oil.

[0007] Furthermore, the side of the fixed base that does not contact the blades of the rotating impeller is in close contact with the piezoelectric sensor, so that the piezoelectric sensor is squeezed by the flexible oil storage material filled with lubricating oil.

[0008] Furthermore, the flexible oil storage material is polyurethane sponge, polydimethylsiloxane sponge, etc., characterized in that the material is flexible and porous, capable of absorbing lubricating oil and releasing lubricating oil under compression conditions.

[0009] Furthermore, the oil replenisher mainly consists of a shell and a top cover as its main external structure. The top cover has two conical grooves on its surface, each consisting of two inclined surfaces. One side of the conical groove is formed by the inclined surface of the guide plate of the guide ring. The inclined surface of the guide plate of the guide ring has small wedge-shaped grooves engraved on it. These wedge-shaped grooves can utilize the surface tension of the lubricating oil to promote its flow, absorption, and discharge. The bottom of the conical grooves is open, and the top cover of the oil replenisher contacts the two sides of the bearing. Lubricating oil flowing from the raceway flows into the device through these two grooves and is absorbed by the flexible oil storage material inside the device. The shell of the oil replenisher is mainly used to control the position of the transmission components. A slide rail is embedded on its inner surface. The slide rail and the texture on the bottom of the shell form a threaded guide rail for controlling the movement of the guide ring. The bottom of the shell has holes and grooves for fixing and moving the transmission components.

[0010] Furthermore, one end of the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet is fixed to the edge of the outer shell, while the other end moves freely. When opposite electric fields are applied to its two sides, it bends to one side. When it bends to one side, it drives and compresses the equal-arm lever. The other side of the equal-arm lever is connected to the short lever end of the long lever. The equal-arm lever drives the long lever end of the long lever to move a large distance, thus amplifying the displacement. This further causes the connecting rod connected to the long lever end to move. One side of the connecting rod is connected to the long lever, and the other end is connected to the rotating base. Through the connecting rod, the long lever, and the equal-arm lever, the small displacement of the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet is amplified and transmitted to the rotating base. The bottom of the rotating base has a groove, which allows it to rotate only within a certain range. The rotating base is connected to the rotating impeller through a raised tooth structure, and drives it to rotate together.

[0011] Furthermore, the blades of the rotating impeller are inserted into a fixed base. The fixed base contains 12 fixed compartments evenly distributed via ribs. Each compartment contains a flexible oil-storing material of the same size. The flexible oil-storing material absorbs lubricating oil, expands, and presses against a piezoelectric sensor attached to the ribs, generating an electrical signal. After reading the electrical signal, it is determined whether an electric field should be applied to both sides of the dual-crystal piezoelectric element. When an electric field is applied to both sides of the dual-crystal piezoelectric element, the element bends and, under the action of a series of transmission devices including equal-arm levers, long-arm levers, and connecting rods, drives the rotating base, rotating impeller, and guide ring to rotate. When the rotating impeller starts to rotate, it drives the blades inserted into the fixed base to rotate as well. The ribs of the fixed base remain stationary, causing the blades to squeeze the flexible oil storage material, expelling the lubricating oil within. Simultaneously, the rotating impeller also drives the guide ring to rotate. The outer surface of the guide ring has protrusions that connect to the guide rail, which is a combination of the outer shell and the slide rail. The guide rail is threaded at a certain upward angle. During rotation, the guide ring moves upward under the control of the guide rail, causing the guide plate on the guide ring to extend out of the top surface of the top cover. The guide plate has wedge-shaped patterns on its surface, which can guide the lubricating oil using the surface tension and capillary action. When the extruded lubricating oil is sprayed out through the slit of the top cover, it flows into the raceway under the guidance of the guide plate on the guide ring, achieving active oil supply lubrication.

[0012] This invention uses a bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet as the driving element of the device. Through a series of lever transmission devices, its deformation is amplified into the rotational displacement of the pressure device. The rotation of the pressure device compresses the flexible oil storage material, causing the lubricating oil inside the flexible oil storage material to flow out. The flowing lubricating oil passes through a grid under compression and is sprayed out from the grid under the action of liquid pressure. Guided by the guide ring, it flows back to the raceway to replenish the oil supply.

[0013] Working principle:

[0014] This invention consists of three basic parts, each employing a different mechanical principle.

[0015] 1. Driving Principle: The driving component of this invention is mainly composed of a dual-crystal piezoelectric sheet. The dual-crystal piezoelectric sheet consists of three layers: the top and bottom layers are thin PZT piezoelectric sheets, and a thin metal sheet is sandwiched in the middle. Electrodes are attached to both the upper and lower surfaces of the dual-crystal piezoelectric sheet, and the electrodes on the upper and lower surfaces are connected. During operation, the two poles of the power supply are connected to the middle metal layer and the electrodes on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, so that the top and bottom PZT piezoelectric sheets are in electric fields in different directions. According to the piezoelectric effect, the two piezoelectric sheets will produce opposite deformations, one elongating and the other contracting, causing the dual-crystal piezoelectric sheet to bend towards the contraction side, forming displacement. This displacement is the source of the drive.

[0016] 2. Transmission Principle: One end of the equal-arm lever contacts the bicrystalline piezoelectric element, converting its bending displacement into an equal and opposite displacement. This displacement is then amplified by a longer lever connected to the equal-arm lever, approximately four times larger, and transmitted to the rotating base via a connecting rod. The connecting rod, the longer lever, and the rotating base are all axially connected, allowing for relatively free movement. Most of the displacement of the longer lever is converted into tangential displacement by the connecting rod. The rotating base is coaxial with the bearing; when it receives a tangential thrust from the connecting rod, it converts the displacement into rotation. The rotation of the rotating base drives the rotating impeller and guide ring. Thus, the process of amplifying, transmitting, and converting the minute displacement of the bicrystalline piezoelectric element is achieved, transforming linear displacement into rotation.

[0017] 3. Operating Principle: The fixed base is secured by the outer shell and has 12 ribs that divide the device into 12 compartments. Taking one compartment as an example, a flexible oil storage material is placed inside. This flexible oil storage material absorbs and stores lubricating oil. When it absorbs lubricating oil, it expands and generates pressure in all directions. A piezoelectric sensor is placed between the right rib and the flexible oil storage material. When the flexible oil storage material absorbs lubricating oil, it generates pressure on the piezoelectric sensor. According to the piezoelectric effect, the piezoelectric sensor generates an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is proportional to the pressure. The magnitude of the electrical signal can be used to infer the oil storage status of the flexible oil storage material and the amount of lubricating oil remaining in the bearing raceway. When the electrical signal reaches a certain value, the device is activated, causing the rotating impeller to start rotating. The blades of the rotating impeller are placed in the compartment, sandwiched between the left rib and the flexible oil storage material. When the blades start rotating, they, together with the right rib, squeeze the flexible oil storage material and squeeze out the stored lubricating oil. To ensure smooth flow of lubricating oil into the raceway, a guide ring is installed on the device. The inner surface of the device's outer casing has an upward-facing spiral groove that contacts the guide ring. When the guide ring is rotated by the rotating base, it moves upward along the spiral groove, extending the guide plate of the guide ring beyond the top cover. The inclined surface of the guide plate is engraved with numerous wedge-shaped grooves to guide the lubricating oil back to the raceway. This achieves intelligent control and active oil supply functions.

[0018] Innovation and advantages:

[0019] The innovativeness and advantages of this invention are as follows:

[0020] 1. Solve the problem of insufficient lubricating oil supply in the original installation location of the rolling bearing, without the need to add an additional oil supply line and occupy space.

[0021] 2. By combining the innovative design of piezoelectric materials and their transmission mechanisms with the physical properties of flexible oil storage materials that allow for the absorption and release of lubricating oil, it is possible to recover and replenish the lubricating oil lost from the bearing, thereby extending the bearing's service life and operational stability.

[0022] 3. The device uses piezoelectric sensing technology to sense the amount of lubricating oil in the bearing raceway, and uses the lubricating oil level to provide feedback on the amount of lubricating oil remaining in the bearing raceway, thereby achieving indirect intelligent sensing and control of the lubrication status of the rolling bearing. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall appearance of the device.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure after removing the top cover and part of the flexible oil storage material.

[0025] Figure 3 This diagram shows the distribution of the sliding grooves at the bottom of the outer casing and the mating diagram of the transmission components.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a fixed chassis structure.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the flow guide ring structure.

[0028] In the diagram, 1 is the outer casing, 2 is the top cover, 3 is the dual-crystal piezoelectric sheet, 4 is the equal-arm lever, 5 is the long-arm lever, 6 is the connecting rod, 7 is the fixed base, 8 is the rotating base, 9 is the rotating impeller, 10 is the flexible oil storage material, 11 is the piezoelectric sensor, 12 is the flow guide ring, and 13 is the slide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The top cover (2) of the oil replenisher described in this invention is tightly attached to the side of the bearing, so that the two grooves on the top cover (2) are aligned with the two narrow slits of the bearing raceway and the cage. After determining the position, the device is fixed to the bearing. It can be used on one side or both sides. When the bearing rotates, the lubricating oil in the raceway is affected by the rolling pressure of the rolling elements and flows and accumulates on both sides of the raceway. Finally, under the action of the surface structure of the inclined groove of the top cover (2), it flows into the device and is absorbed by the flexible oil storage material (10) in the device. After the bearing has been running for a period of time, the lubricating oil in the raceway gradually flows out, the lubrication effect gradually deteriorates, and the operating state of the bearing deteriorates. At this time, after the flexible oil storage material (10) has absorbed enough lubricating oil, it will expand and squeeze the piezoelectric sensor (11) on the side. After expanding to a certain extent, the pressure reaches a certain value, so that the electrical signal of the piezoelectric sensor (11) reaches the maximum value. When this maximum value is detected, it automatically... The power supply of the active connection device applies an electric field to the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet (3), causing the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet (3) to bend to one side and squeeze to drive the equal-arm lever (4) to rotate. Then the long-arm lever (5) connected to the equal-arm lever (4) will rotate together, and the long-arm lever (5) will push the connecting rod (6), causing the rotating base (8), rotating impeller (9), and guide ring (12) connected to the connecting rod (6) to rotate around the axis together. When the rotating impeller (9) rotates, it will squeeze the flexible oil storage material (10) placed in the compartment of the fixed base (7), squeezing out the lubricating oil stored in the flexible oil storage material (10). At the same time, when the guide ring (12) rotates, it will rise along the spiral slide rail, extending the guide plate out of the top cover (2). The lubricating oil squeezed out by the rotating impeller (9) flows out from the top cover (2) and flows back to the raceway along the guide plate to replenish the oil in the raceway and improve the bearing operation.

Claims

1. A smart bearing oiler driven by piezoelectric materials, characterized in that, The oil replenisher includes a housing, a top cover, a dual-crystal piezoelectric element, an equal-arm lever, a long-arm lever, a connecting rod, a fixed base, a rotating base, a rotating impeller, a flexible oil storage material, a piezoelectric sensor, a flow guide ring, and a slide rail. The bottom of the housing has a groove structure for connecting the dual-crystal piezoelectric element, the equal-arm lever, the long-arm lever, the connecting rod, the rotating base, the flow guide ring, and the slide rail. The blades of the rotating impeller are inserted into the middle of the fixed base. The compartment of the fixed base is filled with flexible oil storage material, and the piezoelectric sensor is attached to the side wall of the compartment. The top cover covers the fixed base, sealing the above structure between the housing and the top cover.

2. The intelligent bearing oiler based on piezoelectric material drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner surface of the housing is embedded with a slide rail to form a spiral guide rail. A slot is opened at the bottom of the housing to fix one end of the dual crystal piezoelectric sheet and the other end to contact the equal-arm lever. The equal-arm lever is connected to the long-arm lever. The other end of the long-arm lever is connected to the connecting rod shaft. The other end of the connecting rod is connected to the rotating base shaft. The bottom of the housing has an opening, an arc groove, and a trapezoidal groove surface. The opening is used to fix the shafts of the equal-arm lever and the long-arm lever. The trapezoidal groove surface is used to fix the range of motion of the long-arm lever. The arc groove is used to determine the rotation range of the rotating base.

3. The intelligent bearing oiler based on piezoelectric material drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blades of the rotating impeller are placed in the compartment of the fixed base, and the blades are coaxially distributed with the ribs of the fixed base. In the unacted state, the blades are close to the ribs and coaxial with the ribs. In the actuated state, the blades rotate around the axis, and the blades of the rotating impeller will also push the guide ring baffle to rotate together. The outer surface of the guide ring has protrusions that connect to the guide rail formed by the outer shell and the slide rail. The guide ring is controlled by the guide rail and will move upward when rotating, so that the guide plate of the guide ring extends out of the top cover surface. The guide plate of the guide ring has small wedge-shaped grooves engraved on its inclined surface for guiding the flow of lubricating oil.

4. The intelligent bearing oiler based on piezoelectric material drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side of the fixed base that does not contact the blades of the rotating impeller is in close contact with the piezoelectric sensor, so that the piezoelectric sensor is squeezed by the flexible oil storage material filled with lubricating oil.

5. The intelligent bearing oiler based on piezoelectric material drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible oil storage material is a polyurethane sponge or a polydimethylsiloxane sponge. It is characterized by being flexible and porous, capable of absorbing lubricating oil and releasing lubricating oil under compression.

6. The intelligent bearing oiler driven by piezoelectric materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oil replenisher mainly consists of a shell and a top cover. The top cover has two conical grooves, each composed of two inclined surfaces. One side of the conical groove is formed by the inclined surface of the guide plate of the guide ring. The inclined surface of the guide plate of the guide ring has small wedge-shaped grooves. These wedge-shaped grooves utilize the surface tension of the lubricating oil to promote its flow, absorption, and discharge. The bottom of the conical grooves is open, and the top cover of the oil replenisher contacts the two sides of the bearing. Lubricating oil flowing from the raceway flows into the device through these two grooves and is absorbed by the flexible oil storage material inside the device. The outer shell of the oil replenisher is mainly used to control the position of the transmission components. A slide rail is embedded on its inner surface. The slide rail and the texture on the bottom of the outer shell form a threaded guide rail for controlling the movement of the guide ring. The bottom of the outer shell has holes and grooves for fixing and moving the transmission components.

7. The intelligent bearing oiler based on piezoelectric material drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet is fixed to the edge of the outer shell, while the other end moves freely. When opposite electric fields are applied to its two sides, it bends to one side. When it bends to one side, it drives and compresses the equal-arm lever. The other side of the equal-arm lever is connected to the short lever end of the long lever. The equal-arm lever drives the long lever end of the long lever to move a large distance, thus amplifying the displacement. This further causes the connecting rod connected to the long lever end to move. One side of the connecting rod is connected to the long lever, and the other end is connected to the rotating base. Through the connecting rod, the long lever, and the equal-arm lever, the small displacement of the bicrystalline piezoelectric sheet is amplified and transmitted to the rotating base. The bottom of the rotating base has a groove, which allows the rotating base to rotate only within a certain range. The rotating base is connected to the rotating impeller through a raised tooth structure, and drives it to rotate together.

8. The intelligent bearing oiler based on piezoelectric material drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blades of the rotating impeller are inserted into a fixed base. Twelve fixed compartments are evenly distributed within the fixed base via ribs. Each compartment contains a flexible oil-storing material of the same size. The flexible oil-storing material absorbs lubricating oil, expands, and presses against a piezoelectric sensor attached to the ribs, generating an electrical signal. After reading the electrical signal, it is determined whether an electric field should be applied to both sides of the dual-crystal piezoelectric element. When an electric field is applied, the dual-crystal piezoelectric element bends and, under the action of a series of transmission devices including equal-arm levers, long-arm levers, and connecting rods, drives the rotating base, rotating impeller, and guide ring to rotate. When the rotating impeller starts to rotate, it drives the blades inserted into the fixed base to rotate as well. The ribs are fixed in place, causing the blades to squeeze the flexible oil storage material, squeezing out the lubricating oil inside. At the same time, the rotating impeller also drives the guide ring to rotate. The outer surface of the guide ring has protrusions that connect to the guide rail, which is a combination of the outer shell and the slide rail. The guide rail is threaded at a certain angle upward. During the rotation, the guide ring moves upward under the control of the guide rail, thus extending the guide plate on the guide ring out of the top cover. The guide plate has wedge-shaped patterns on its surface, which can guide the lubricating oil using the surface tension and capillary action. When the squeezed lubricating oil is sprayed out through the slit of the top cover, the lubricating oil will flow into the raceway under the guidance of the guide plate of the guide ring, and flow back into the raceway to achieve active oil supply lubrication.

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