Machine component and monitoring system

By placing a temperature sensor on the outer surface of a mechanical component's housing to detect temperature changes related to bearing stress, the solution simplifies configuration and enhances the speed of abnormality detection in mechanical components with bearings.

JP2025076675APending Publication Date: 2025-05-16NSK LTD +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023188436
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-11-02
Publication Date
2025-05-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing mechanical components with bearings face challenges in simplifying configuration and speeding up the detection of abnormalities, due to the complexity of housing sensors and transmitters within the housing.

Method used

A mechanical component with a housing, a bearing that rotatably supports a shaft member, and a temperature sensor located on the outer surface of the housing, overlapping with the portion experiencing maximum stress from the bearing. This configuration simplifies the internal housing setup and enables early detection of bearing abnormalities by monitoring temperature changes.

Benefits of technology

The proposed solution allows for the speedy detection of bearing abnormalities by positioning the temperature sensor to detect temperature increases early, thus simplifying the mechanical component configuration and enhancing monitoring system efficiency.

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Abstract

To achieve simplification of a structure and detect an abnormality at an earlier stage in a machine component having a bearing.SOLUTION: A machine component 40 includes: a housing 41; a bearing 42 which is disposed in the housing 41 and supports a shaft member 31 in a manner that the shaft member 31 can rotate relative to the housing 41; and a temperature sensor 43b which is disposed on an outer surface of the housing 41 and detects a temperature of the housing 41. When the housing 41 is viewed along an axial direction of the bearing 42, the temperature sensor 43b overlaps a portion where stress generated by a force acting from the bearing 42 in the housing 41 becomes maximum.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to machine components and monitoring systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a bearing unit for a conveyor as an example of a mechanical component. The mechanical component in Patent Document 1 includes a housing, a bearing arranged in the housing, a sensor for detecting the condition of the bearing, and a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting information detected by the sensor.

[0003] The bearing, the sensor, and the transmitter are disposed in a housing. The sensor is, for example, a temperature sensor, and detects the temperature of the bearing. If the condition of the bearing changes, the temperature of the bearing increases, and an abnormality in the bearing may occur. The mechanical component of Patent Document 1 can contribute to detecting an abnormality in the bearing based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-11312 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The mechanical component of Patent Document 1 further includes a cover that covers the sensor and the transmitter in the housing, and a seal member for preventing dust and the like from entering between the housing and the cover. As described above, the mechanical component of Patent Document 1 has an increased number of parts due to the presence of the sensor and the like in the housing, making it difficult to configure the mechanical component simply. In addition, for mechanical components having bearings, there is a demand for early detection of abnormalities in the bearings.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to simplify the configuration of a mechanical component having a bearing and a monitoring system including the mechanical component, and to quickly detect abnormalities in the bearing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A mechanical component according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a housing, a bearing disposed in the housing and rotatably supporting an axial member relative to the housing, and a temperature sensor disposed on an outer surface of the housing and detecting a temperature of the housing, wherein when the housing is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing, the temperature sensor overlaps with a portion of the housing where the stress generated by the force acting from the bearing is greatest.

[0008] According to this, the temperature sensor is disposed on the outer surface of the housing. Therefore, the configuration inside the housing and the configuration of the mechanical component can be simplified. Furthermore, in the bearing, when a state change progresses due to a load from the shaft member, the temperature of the portion where the state change progresses rises. The heat of the bearing is transferred to the housing. The temperature of the portion of the housing in contact with the portion of the bearing where the state change progresses rises earlier than other portions of the housing. Furthermore, the portion of the housing in contact with the portion of the bearing where the state change progresses corresponds to the portion where the stress generated by the force acting from the bearing is maximum. Therefore, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor rises earlier in response to the temperature rise of the bearing and the temperature rise of the housing. Therefore, the mechanical component can contribute to early detection of an abnormality in the bearing by the detected temperature of the temperature sensor.

[0009] Furthermore, in a mechanical component according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the axis of the bearing is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity when the housing is attached to the mounting member, and when the housing is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing with the housing attached to the mounting member, the temperature sensor is located below the axis of the bearing in the direction of gravity.

[0010] According to this, the portion of the housing that is located below the axis of the bearing in the direction of gravity corresponds to the portion where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing is greatest. Therefore, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor reliably rises early in response to temperature increases in the bearing and the housing. This contributes to reliably detecting an abnormality in the bearing early on based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

[0011] In addition, a mechanical component according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an RFID tag that is integrated with the temperature sensor and transmits the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to a reader / writer.

[0012] This allows the mechanical part to output the temperature detected by the temperature sensor with a simple configuration.

[0013] A monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a mechanical device including a plurality of the above-described mechanical components, the reader / writer, and a terminal device electrically connected to the reader / writer and configured to store the detected temperature of the temperature sensor.

[0014] According to this, the reader / writer acquires the temperatures detected by the temperature sensors from multiple mechanical components in a short time. Therefore, the terminal device can easily acquire the temperatures detected by the multiple temperature sensors via the reader / writer. Therefore, even when the monitoring system has multiple mechanical components, it can quickly detect abnormalities in the bearings with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the mechanical component. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanical component taken along line III-III shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the temperature detection device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the temperature detection device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an RFID tag. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device in a mechanical component according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device in a mechanical component according to a second modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device in a mechanical component according to a third modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device in a mechanical component according to a fourth modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The components of each embodiment and each modified example described below can be appropriately combined. In addition, some components may not be used.

[0017] <Surveillance System 1> 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system 1. The monitoring system 1 is a system that monitors a mechanical component 40 that includes a bearing 42, which will be described later. The monitoring system 1 includes a mechanical device 2, a reader / writer 3, and a terminal device 4. Note that the monitoring system 1 may include multiple mechanical devices 2.

[0018] The machine 2 is a roller conveyor that transports industrial products along a transport direction W. The machine 2 includes a pair of support tables 10 and a number of roller devices 20. The support tables 10 correspond to the "receiving member." In this embodiment, the number of roller devices 20 is 10, but it goes without saying that the number is not limited to this number.

[0019] The pair of support bases 10 support a plurality of roller devices 20. The pair of support bases 10 are shaped like rectangular parallelepipeds extending along the conveying direction W.

[0020] The roller device 20 includes a roller member 30 and a pair of mechanical components 40 .

[0021] The roller member 30 includes a shaft member 31 and a roller 32. The shaft member 31 has a cylindrical shape extending along a central axis.

[0022] The rollers 32 are cylindrical and disposed on the circumferential surface of the shaft member 31, and rotate integrally with the shaft member 31. Both ends of the shaft member 31 are exposed from the rollers 32.

[0023] The pair of mechanical parts 40 support the roller member 30 so as to be rotatable relative to one another. Specifically, the pair of mechanical parts 40 support both ends of the shaft member 31 so as to be rotatable relative to one another. The mechanical parts 40 are plummer blocks. The mechanical parts 40 include a bearing 42, which will be described later, and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag 43a, which is integral with a temperature sensor 43b. The mechanical parts 40 will be described in detail later.

[0024] The pair of mechanical parts 40 are fixed to the pair of support bases 10 using, for example, fixing bolts, so that the multiple roller devices 20 are supported by the pair of support bases 10. The multiple roller devices 20 are arranged such that the central axes of the shaft members 31 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the conveying direction W.

[0025] The reader / writer 3 performs wireless communication with an RFID tag 43a provided on the mechanical component 40. The reader / writer 3 is portable by a user. The reader / writer 3 is electrically connected to a terminal device 4 by wire or wirelessly.

[0026] A user operates the reader / writer 3, and the reader / writer 3 transmits a carrier wave to the RFID tag 43a. In response, the RFID tag 43a transmits the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b (hereinafter referred to as the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b) to the reader / writer 3. The reader / writer 3 obtains the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b and transmits it to the terminal device 4.

[0027] The reader / writer 3 can simultaneously perform wireless communication with multiple RFID tags 43a. Therefore, the reader / writer 3 can obtain the temperatures detected by the multiple temperature sensors 43b in a relatively short time. The reader / writer 3 transmits the temperatures detected by the multiple temperature sensors 43b to the terminal device 4.

[0028] The terminal device 4 is a computer, and includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an internal storage unit, an input interface, and an output interface. The CPU, ROM, RAM, and internal storage unit are connected via an internal bus. Programs such as BIOS are stored in the ROM. The internal storage unit is, for example, a HDD (Hard disk drive) or flash memory, and stores an operating system program and application programs. The CPU realizes various functions by executing programs stored in the ROM or the internal storage unit while using the RAM as a work area.

[0029] The terminal device 4 acquires the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b from the reader / writer 3. The terminal device 4 detects an abnormality in the bearing 42 before a failure occurs in the bearing 42 in the mechanical component 40, based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b.

[0030] An abnormality in the bearing 42 occurs when a change in the state of the bearing 42 (for example, aging) progresses due to the load acting from the shaft member 31. If the abnormality in the bearing 42 is overlooked, the bearing 42 will break down, and the mechanical part 40 will break down. In other words, the terminal device 4 detects an abnormality in the bearing 42 that occurs before the bearing 42 breaks down.

[0031] As the state change of the bearing 42 progresses, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b rises (details will be described later). If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the terminal device 4 determines that there is an abnormality in the bearing 42. Based on the determination result of the terminal device 4, the user investigates the mechanical part 40 determined to have an abnormality.

[0032] By periodically checking the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b using the terminal device 4, the user can discover an abnormality in the bearing 42 at an early stage.

[0033] As described above, according to this embodiment, the monitoring system 1 comprises a mechanical device 2 including a plurality of mechanical components 40, a reader / writer 3, and a terminal device 4 electrically connected to the reader / writer 3 and storing the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b. According to this, the reader / writer 3 acquires the detected temperatures of the temperature sensors 43b from the multiple mechanical components 40 in a comparatively short time. Therefore, the terminal device 4 can easily acquire the detected temperatures of the multiple temperature sensors 43b via the reader / writer 3. Therefore, even when the monitoring system 1 includes multiple mechanical components 40, it is possible to quickly detect an abnormality in the bearing 42 with a simple configuration.

[0034] <Machine Part 40> In the following description, the Z direction shown in the drawing is the up-down direction of the mechanical component 40, the X direction is the left-right direction of the mechanical component 40, and the Y direction is the front-rear direction of the mechanical component 40. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are perpendicular to each other. Note that the X, Y, and Z directions are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to these directions.

[0035] Fig. 2 is a front view of the mechanical component 40. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanical component 40 taken along line III-III shown in Fig. 2. The mechanical component 40 includes a housing 41, a bearing 42, and a temperature detection device 43.

[0036] The housing 41 has a main body portion 41a and a flange portion 41b integrally therewith. The main body portion 41a has a first through hole 41a1 through which the shaft member 31 passes.

[0037] The flange portions 41b are located on both sides of the main body portion 41a in the X direction. The flange portions 41b have second through holes 41b1 through which bolts for attaching the mechanical component 40 to the support base 10 pass.

[0038] Additionally, the lower surface (the surface on the -Z side) of the housing 41 corresponds to the mounting surface F1 that comes into contact with the support base 10. The mounting surface F1 is flat. The mounting surface F1 is perpendicular to the Z direction. When the mechanical component 40 is attached to the support base 10, the Z direction is approximately parallel to the direction of gravity. Therefore, when the mechanical component 40 is attached to the support base 10, the mounting surface F1 is approximately perpendicular to the direction of gravity and faces downward in the direction of gravity.

[0039] The bearing 42 is disposed in the housing 41 and supports the shaft member 31 rotatably relative to the housing 41. The axis Ax of the bearing 42 extends along the Y direction. That is, the axis Ax of the bearing 42 is approximately perpendicular to the direction of gravity when the housing 41 is attached to the support base 10. Note that in this specification, the axis Ax being inclined with respect to the direction of gravity includes the axis Ax being perpendicular to the direction of gravity. The axis Ax of the bearing 42 is approximately parallel to the central axis of the shaft member 31.

[0040] The bearing 42 is a ball bearing. However, the bearing 42 may be a roller bearing. The bearing 42 is disposed in the first through hole 41a1. The bearing 42 includes an outer ring 42a, an inner ring 42b, and a plurality of balls 42c.

[0041] The outer ring 42a fits into an annular groove 41a2 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first through hole 41a1. The outer ring 42a is fixed to the housing 41. The inner ring 42b is located inside the outer ring 42a. The shaft member 31 is fixed to the inner ring 42b so as to be rotatable integrally therewith. A plurality of balls 42c are disposed between the outer ring 42a and the inner ring 42b.

[0042] When the shaft member 31 rotates relative to the housing 41, the inner ring 42b rotates relative to the outer ring 42a. At this time, the plurality of balls 42c roll relative to the outer ring 42a and the inner ring 42b.

[0043] The temperature detector 43 is disposed on the outer surface of the housing 41 and detects the temperature of the housing 41. The temperature detector 43 is disposed on the front surface F2 (the surface on the +Y side) of the outer surface of the housing 41. When the housing 41 is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing 42 with the housing 41 attached to the support base 10, the temperature detector 43 is located below the axis Ax of the bearing 42 in the direction of gravity. The axial direction of the bearing 42 is the direction in which the axis Ax extends.

[0044] In the state where the housing 41 is attached to the support base 10 as described above, the attachment surface F1 of the housing 41 is substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity and faces downward in the direction of gravity. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the temperature detection device 43 is located in an arrangement region R1 on the -Z side of the axis Ax of the bearing 42 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41. The arrangement region R1 corresponds to an area of ​​the front surface F2 of the housing 41 in FIG. 2 where a range H1 between the attachment surface F1 and a virtual line L that passes through the axis Ax of the bearing 42 and is parallel to the X direction, and a range H2 of the bearing 42 in the X direction overlap. In this embodiment, the temperature detection device 43 is located in a partial region R2 on the -Z side of the outer circumferential surface of the bearing 42 in the Z direction, of the arrangement region R1.

[0045] Furthermore, when the housing 41 is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing 42 with the housing 41 attached to the support base 10, at least the temperature sensor 43b, described later, of the temperature detection device 43 needs to overlap with the placement area R1 (or partial area R2).

[0046] Fig. 4 is a plan view of the temperature detecting device 43. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the temperature detecting device 43 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an RFID tag 43a.

[0047] The temperature detection device 43 includes an RFID tag 43a, a temperature sensor 43b, a cover member 43c, and an adhesive member 43d. The RFID tag 43a is integral with the temperature sensor 43b.

[0048] The RFID tag 43a is a passive RFID tag. The RFID tag 43a includes a substrate 43a1 shown in FIG. 5. The substrate of the substrate 43a1 may be a resin substrate, a ceramic substrate, a plastic substrate, or the like. The conductive portion of the substrate 43a1 is formed by metal plating the surface of the substrate. The conductive portion may be formed of a conductive foil. The conductive portion may be formed by screen printing, inkjet printing, or the like using a polymer-type conductive ink. The substrate 43a1 is provided with a temperature sensor 43b, an antenna 43e shown in FIG. 6, and a control circuit 43f.

[0049] The temperature sensor 43b detects the temperature of the housing 41. That is, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b corresponds to the detected temperature of the temperature detection device 43.

[0050] 5, the temperature sensor 43b is disposed on the main surface 43a2 of the substrate 43a1. When the temperature detection device 43 is disposed in the housing 41, the temperature sensor 43b faces the outer surface (front surface F2) of the housing 41. There is a space between the temperature sensor 43b and the outer surface of the housing 41. This prevents vibrations of the mechanical component 40 from being transmitted to the temperature sensor 43b, thereby preventing damage to the temperature sensor 43b.

[0051] The control circuit 43f shown in FIG. 6 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 43b and the antenna 43e. The antenna 43e receives a carrier wave from the reader / writer 3. A known structure is applied to the antenna 43e. For example, the structure of an inverted F antenna described in Japanese Patent No. 4990858 can be applied to the antenna 43e. In this case, the antenna 43e can communicate even when the temperature detection device 43 is attached to the surface of a metal member. The control circuit 43f is driven by power generated by the carrier wave.

[0052] The control circuit 43f acquires the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b and stores it in the memory area 43f1. The control circuit 43f transmits the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b stored in the memory area 43f1 to the reader / writer 3 via the antenna 43e.

[0053] Furthermore, the control circuit 43f transmits identification information (e.g., an identification number) for identifying the mechanical component 40 in association with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b to the reader / writer 3. The identification information is stored in advance in the memory area 43f1 by the reader / writer 3. The terminal device 4 stores the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b in association with the identification information. Thus, the terminal device 4 can identify the mechanical component 40 for which it has been determined that the bearing 42 has an abnormality.

[0054] The control circuit 43f may be an IC chip equipped with the temperature sensor 43b. In this case, the control circuit 43f is integrated with the temperature sensor 43b. This allows the RFID tag 43a to be miniaturized.

[0055] 5 protects the RFID tag 43a. The cover member 43c is flat and includes an arrangement surface 43c1. The arrangement surface 43c1 is flat. The arrangement surface 43c1 has a recess 43c2 in which the RFID tag 43a is arranged. In a plan view of the cover member 43c, the recess 43c2 is located in the center of the cover member 43c.

[0056] In addition, when the RFID tag 43a is placed in the recess 43c2, the placement surface 43c1 of the cover member 43c and the main surface 43a2 of the substrate 43a1 are on the same plane. In other words, when the RFID tag 43a is placed in the recess 43c2, the placement surface 43c1 is located all around the main surface 43a2 of the substrate 43a1. The placement surface 43c1 of the cover member 43c and the main surface 43a2 of the substrate 43a1 may be on different planes. In addition, when the RFID tag 43a is placed in the recess 43c2, the temperature sensor 43b protrudes from the placement surface 43c1.

[0057] The material of the cover member 43c is a thermoplastic resin. Specifically, the material of the cover member 43c is a nylon resin having waterproof and oil resistance. Therefore, the cover member 43c has waterproof and oil resistance. The fact that the cover member 43c has waterproof and oil resistance means that the change in the properties of the cover member 43c caused by water and oil and grease used in the mechanical component 40 during the use of the mechanical component 40 is suppressed, and no problems occur in the operation of the temperature sensor 43b and the RFID tag 43a.

[0058] The adhesive member 43d is disposed on the arrangement surface 43c1 of the cover member 43c, and adheres the RFID tag 43a and the cover member 43c to the outer surface (front surface F2) of the housing 41. The adhesive member 43d is also disposed on the main surface 43a2 of the substrate 43a1. The adhesive member 43d has a third through hole 43d1 inside which the temperature sensor 43b is located. As a result, the temperature sensor 43b faces the outer surface of the housing 41 with a space therebetween. In addition, the third through hole 43d1 can reduce the space between the temperature sensor 43b and the outer surface of the housing 41. Therefore, the temperature sensor 43b can detect the temperature of the housing 41 with high accuracy.

[0059] The adhesive member 43d is a double-sided tape. The adhesive member 43d is waterproof. The adhesive member 43d is a so-called waterproof tape. The fact that the adhesive member 43d is waterproof means that changes in the properties of the adhesive member 43d caused by water during the use of the mechanical component 40 are suppressed, and no problems occur in the operation of the temperature sensor 43b and the RFID tag 43a.

[0060] Moreover, the adhesive member 43d is disposed around the entire periphery of the RFID tag 43a on the arrangement surface 43c1 of the cover member 43c, thereby ensuring watertightness between the cover member 43c and the outer surface of the housing 41, and preventing water from adhering to the temperature sensor 43b and the RFID tag 43a.

[0061] Next, the operation of the mechanical component 40 when an abnormality occurs in the bearing 42 will be described.

[0062] 1 conveys an industrial product, a load is applied to the bearing 42 from the shaft member 31 in the downward direction in the direction of gravity. The load from the shaft member 31 generates frictional forces between the balls 42c and the inner ring 42b and between the balls 42c and the outer ring 42a. If the frictional forces cause the condition of the bearing 42 to change, abnormalities such as damage to the bearing 42 may occur. If the abnormality in the bearing 42 progresses, a failure such as seizure of the bearing 42 may occur.

[0063] Furthermore, as the change in state of the bearing 42 due to the frictional force progresses, the temperature of the bearing 42 increases. The part of the bearing 42 where the temperature is maximum is the same as the part where the frictional force is maximum, i.e., the part where the load from the shaft member 31 is maximum.

[0064] The load of the shaft member 31 is transmitted to the housing 41 via the bearing 42. The part of the housing 41 where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum corresponds to the part in contact with the part of the bearing 42 where the load acting from the shaft member 31 is maximum.

[0065] Moreover, the heat of the bearing 42 is transferred to the housing 41. The part of the housing 41 where the temperature is maximum corresponds to the part in contact with the part of the bearing 42 where the temperature of the bearing 42 is maximum.

[0066] As described above, the portion of the bearing 42 where the temperature is maximum is the same as the portion where the load from the shaft member 31 is maximum. Therefore, the portion of the housing 41 where the temperature is maximum is the same as the portion where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum. Therefore, the temperature of the portion of the housing 41 where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum rises earlier than the temperatures of other portions.

[0067] In this embodiment, a load in the downward direction of gravity (toward the -Z side along the Z direction) acts on the bearing 42 from the shaft member 31. Therefore, in the housing 41, a portion on the -Z side of the axis Ax is where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum.

[0068] As described above, the temperature detection device 43 is located in the arrangement region R1 on the -Z side of the axis Ax of the bearing 42 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41. In other words, when the housing 41 is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing 42, the temperature detection device 43 overlaps with a portion of the housing 41 where the stress generated by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum.

[0069] Therefore, when the temperature of the bearing 42 and the housing 41 rise due to the load from the shaft member 31, the detected temperature of the temperature detection device 43 rises early in response to the rise in temperature of the housing 41 because the temperature detection device 43 is located in the above-mentioned arrangement area R1.

[0070] As described above, the temperature detected by the temperature detector 43 is stored in the terminal device 4 via the reader / writer 3. Furthermore, when the temperature detected by the temperature detector 43 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the terminal device 4 determines that there is an abnormality in the bearing 42. Therefore, by positioning the temperature detector 43 in the above-described arrangement region R1, an abnormality in the bearing 42 can be detected early.

[0071] As described above, according to this embodiment, the mechanical component 40 includes the housing 41, the bearing 42 that is disposed in the housing 41 and supports the shaft member 31 rotatably relative to the housing 41, and the temperature sensor 43b that is disposed on the outer surface of the housing 41 and detects the temperature of the housing 41. When the housing 41 is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing 42, the temperature sensor 43b overlaps with a portion of the housing 41 where the stress generated by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum. According to this, the temperature sensor 43b is disposed on the outer surface of the housing 41. Therefore, the configuration inside the housing 41 and the configuration of the mechanical component 40 can be simplified. In addition, when the load from the shaft member 31 causes the bearing 42 to change in state, the temperature rises in the portion where the state change is progressing. The heat of the bearing 42 is transferred to the housing 41. The temperature of the portion of the housing 41 that contacts the portion of the bearing 42 where the state change is progressing rises earlier than other portions of the housing 41. In addition, the portion of the housing 41 that contacts the portion of the bearing 42 where the state change is progressing corresponds to the portion where the stress generated by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum. Therefore, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b rises earlier in response to the temperature rise of the bearing 42 and the temperature rise of the housing 41. Therefore, the mechanical component 40 can contribute to early detection of an abnormality in the bearing 42 by the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b.

[0072] Furthermore, the axis Ax of the bearing 42 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity when the housing 41 is attached to the support base 10. When the housing 41 is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing 42 with the housing 41 attached to the support base 10, the temperature sensor 43b is located below the axis Ax of the bearing 42 in the direction of gravity. According to this, the portion of the housing 41 located below the axis Ax of the bearing 42 in the gravity direction corresponds to the portion where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum. Therefore, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b reliably rises early when the temperature of the bearing 42 increases. Therefore, the mechanical component 40 can reliably contribute to early detection of an abnormality in the bearing 42 by the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 43b.

[0073] The mechanical part 40 also includes an RFID tag 43a that is integrated with a temperature sensor 43b and transmits the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b to the reader / writer 3. This allows the mechanical component 40 to output the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43b with a simple configuration.

[0074] Next, a monitoring system 1 and a mechanical component 40 according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, focusing mainly on the differences from the monitoring system 1 and the mechanical component 40 of the above-described embodiment.

[0075] For example, the mechanical device 2 is not limited to a roller conveyor. The mechanical device 2 may be any device that includes a plurality of mechanical components 40 each including a bearing 42.

[0076] Furthermore, the mechanical component 40 is not limited to a plummer block. The mechanical component 40 may be any component that includes a bearing 42.

[0077] The RFID tag 43a may be an active RFID tag, in which case the RFID tag 43a further includes a power source.

[0078] The adhesive member 43d may have elasticity. In this case, the adhesive member 43d has, for example, an elastic sheet-like base material and adhesive layers disposed on both sides of the base material. The base material is formed of, for example, a foamed resin such as foamed polyethylene. When the mechanical device 2 is operating, the elasticity of the adhesive member 43d can suppress vibrations transmitted from the housing 41 to the temperature sensor 43b and the RFID tag 43a.

[0079] The adhesive member 43d may be a hardened adhesive (for example, an epoxy adhesive) or may be a butyl tape that is waterproof and oil-resistant.

[0080] Moreover, the temperature detector 43 does not necessarily have to include the adhesive member 43d. In this case, the temperature detector 43 is fixed to the housing 41 by, for example, a bolt.

[0081] Furthermore, the cover member 43c may be shaped to cover a part of the main surface 43a2 of the substrate 43a1 with the temperature sensor 43b exposed.

[0082] Furthermore, the arrangement region R1 may be located at a position other than the -Z side of the axis Ax of the bearing 42 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41. As described above, when the housing 41 is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing 42, the temperature sensor 43b overlaps with a portion of the housing 41 where the stress caused by the force acting from the bearing 42 is maximum. For example, the position of the arrangement region R1 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41 differs depending on the posture of the mechanical component 40 attached to the support base 10. For example, when the mechanical component 40 is attached to the support base 10 and the attachment surface F1 is perpendicular to the direction of gravity and faces upward in the direction of gravity, the arrangement region R1 is located at a position on the +Z side of the axis Ax of the bearing 42 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41. Furthermore, the position of the arrangement region R1 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41 differs depending on the direction of the load acting from the shaft member 31 on the bearing 42. For example, when the direction of the load acting on the bearing 42 from the shaft member 31 is from the -X side to the +X side along the X direction, the arrangement region R1 is located on the +X side of the axis Ax of the bearing 42 on the front surface F2 of the housing 41, regardless of the attitude of the mechanical component 40. Note that the mechanical component 40 may be attached to the support base 10 in a state in which the axis Ax of the bearing 42 extends along the direction of gravity.

[0083] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device 43 in a mechanical component 40 according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] The mechanical component 40 according to the first modified example further includes a heat conductive paste 143g. The heat conductive paste 143g is, for example, a silicon-based heat conductive grease. Needless to say, the heat conductive paste 143g is not limited to a silicon-based paste, and may be any paste-like paste. The heat conductive paste 143g may be a thermosetting resin (for example, an epoxy resin) containing particles of Ag or the like having a relatively high thermal conductivity.

[0085] The thermally conductive paste 143g is filled into the third through hole 43d1 in a state in which the temperature detection device 43 is disposed in the housing 41. As a result, the temperature sensor 43b and the housing 41 are thermally connected via the thermally conductive paste 143g.

[0086] In the mechanical component 40 according to the first modified example, heat from the housing 41 is more efficiently transferred to the temperature sensor 43b via the thermally conductive paste 143g than in the mechanical component 40 according to the above embodiment.

[0087] 8 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device 43 in a mechanical component 40 according to a second modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. In this second modified example, the adhesive member 243d does not have a third through hole 43d1. The adhesive member 243d covers the entire RFID tag 43a. As a result, the temperature sensor 43b is covered by the adhesive member 243d. As a result, the temperature sensor 43b and the housing 41 are thermally connected via the adhesive member 243d.

[0088] In the mechanical component 40 according to the second modified example, heat from the housing 41 is transferred more efficiently to the temperature sensor 43b via the adhesive member 243d than in the mechanical component 40 according to the above embodiment. The adhesive member 243d may contain particles of Ag or the like having a relatively high thermal conductivity. In this case, heat from the housing 41 is transferred more efficiently to the temperature sensor 43b via the adhesive member 243d.

[0089] 9 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device 43 in a mechanical component 40 according to a third modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. In this third modified example, the housing 41 has a recess 341a3 in which the temperature sensor 43b fits. The shape of the recess 341a3 is not particularly limited as long as it can accommodate the temperature sensor 43b. The shape of the recess 341a3 is preferably such that the temperature sensor 43b is in close proximity to the recess 341a3 without contacting the recess 341a3 even during operation of the mechanical component 40. The above-mentioned thermally conductive paste 143g may be filled in the recess 341a3.

[0090] 9, the adhesive member 43d is omitted. In the third modified example, the adhesive member 43d may be, for example, a cured cyanoacrylate adhesive. In this case, the thickness of the adhesive member 43d can be reduced.

[0091] In the mechanical component 40 of the third modified example, the temperature sensor 43b is located inside the recess 341a3, so that the temperature sensor 43b can detect the temperature of the housing 41 with higher accuracy.

[0092] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature detection device 444 in a mechanical component 40 according to a fourth modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The temperature detection device 444 of the fourth modified example does not include an RFID tag 43a and a cover member 43c. The temperature detection device 444 of the fourth modified example includes a substrate 444a, a temperature sensor 444b, and an adhesive member 444c. The temperature sensor 444b is disposed on a main surface 444a1 of the substrate 444a. The substrate 444a includes a terminal that outputs a detected temperature of the temperature sensor 444b.

[0093] In this case, the monitoring system 1 does not include the reader / writer 3, and the terminal device 4 acquires the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 444b by electrically connecting to the terminal of the board 444a. The board 444a may include a display unit that displays the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 444b. In this case, the user may check the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 444b on the display unit and input it to the terminal device 4.

[0094] The adhesive member 444c adheres the substrate 444a to the housing 41. The adhesive member 444c is, for example, a double-sided tape. The temperature detection device 444 may include a cover member that protects the substrate 444a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1. Surveillance System 2 Mechanical equipment 3 Reader / Writer 4 Terminal Equipment 10 Support stand (attached member) 31 Shaft member 40 Machine Parts 41 Housing 42 Bearings 43a RFID tag 43b Temperature Sensor Ax Bearing axis

Claims

1. Housing and a bearing disposed in the housing and configured to rotatably support the shaft member relative to the housing; a temperature sensor disposed on an outer surface of the housing to detect a temperature of the housing; When the housing is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing, the temperature sensor overlaps with a portion of the housing where a stress generated by a force acting from the bearing is maximum. Mechanical parts.

2. an axis of the bearing is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity when the housing is attached to a mounting member; When the housing is attached to the support member and the housing is viewed along the axial direction of the bearing, the temperature sensor is located below the axis of the bearing in the direction of gravity. The machine part according to claim 1 .

3. an RFID tag that is integrated with the temperature sensor and transmits the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to a reader / writer; The machine part according to claim 1 .

4. A mechanical device including a plurality of the mechanical components according to claim 3; The reader / writer; a terminal device electrically connected to the reader / writer and configured to store the temperature detected by the temperature sensor; Surveillance system.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Conveyor device bearing unit with malfunction detection function and conveyor equipment

    JP2013011312A