Bearing with cage

Abstract

To provide a bearing with a cage that can improve sealing performance of a labyrinth seal and prevent grease leakage better.SOLUTION: A bearing with a cage includes: an outer ring 110; an inner ring 120; a rolling element 130 that rolls between the outer ring and the inner ring; and a resin, crown-shaped cage for holding the rolling element. The crown-shaped cage 140 includes: a plurality of base parts 142 extending in an axial direction between the outer ring and the inner ring; a pocket 146 formed between neighboring base parts and holding the rolling element; an annular part 148 connecting ends of the plurality of base parts; flanges 150a, 150b extending from the annular part toward the outer ring and the inner ring, and forming a labyrinth seal between the outer ring and the inner ring; and inclined ribs 160 formed on surfaces of the flanges on the pocket sides and inclined in a direction away from the base parts into a rotation direction of the cage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bearing with a retainer having a resin crown retainer.

Background Art

[0002] There is a bearing that can rotate only in one direction (one-way bearing). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses "a one-way clutch built-in rolling bearing that shares an inner ring and an outer ring and includes a bearing portion and a one-way clutch portion, and the bearing portion includes a plurality of rolling elements and a retainer for holding the rolling elements".

[0003] The one-way clutch built-in rolling bearing of Patent Document 1 is characterized in that "the retainer forms a minute labyrinth between the inner ring and the outer ring to constitute a seal, the one-way clutch portion includes a plurality of wedge elements and a retainer for holding the wedge elements, the retainer for the wedge elements engages with either a circumferential groove provided in one of the inner and outer rings or the retainer of the bearing portion, and either one of the inner and outer diameter portions forms a labyrinth with either one of the inner and outer rings, or the inner and outer diameter portions form labyrinths with the inner and outer rings, respectively".

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a bearing, grease is retained to maintain lubricity between the outer ring, inner ring, and rolling elements, and a seal may be used to seal the grease in the bearing. In contrast, in the rolling bearing incorporating a one-way clutch of Patent Document 1, "the cage forms a minute labyrinth between the inner and outer rings to constitute a seal." According to Patent Document 1, with such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate the need for a separately provided seal, achieve miniaturization, and impart a seal function similar to that of a sealed bearing.

[0006] However, when a labyrinth (hereinafter referred to as a labyrinth seal) is formed as in Patent Document 1, although miniaturization can be achieved, the seal performance still does not reach that of a configuration with a separately provided seal. Therefore, there was room for further improvement in the technology of Patent Document 1.

[0007] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a bearing with a cage that can improve the seal performance in a labyrinth seal and more preferably prevent grease leakage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a bearing with a cage according to the present invention is a bearing with a cage including an outer ring, an inner ring, rolling elements that roll between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a resin crown-shaped cage that holds the rolling elements, wherein the crown-shaped cage includes a plurality of bases that extend axially between the outer ring and the inner ring, pockets that are formed between adjacent bases and hold the rolling elements, an annular portion that connects the ends of the plurality of bases, a flange that extends from the annular portion toward the outer ring and the inner ring and constitutes a labyrinth seal between the outer ring and the inner ring, and inclined ribs that are formed on the surface of the flange on the pocket side and incline in a direction away from the base in the rotational direction of the cage.

[0009] It is preferable to include extension ribs that extend along the edge of the flange from the front end of the cage in the rotational direction of the inclined ribs.

[0010] The above inclined rib may be higher toward the edge of the flange.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the sealing performance in the labyrinth seal, and it is possible to provide a bearing with a cage that can more preferably prevent grease leakage.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a bearing with a cage (hereinafter referred to as bearing 100) according to the present embodiment. Note that since FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the annular bearing 100, only one rolling element 130 is shown, but actually the bearing 100 has a plurality of rolling elements 130.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the bearing 100 of the present embodiment is a one-way bearing (a bearing incorporated in a device that rotates only in one direction, such as a one-way clutch). The bearing 100 includes an outer ring 110, an inner ring 120, a plurality of rolling elements 130 that roll between the outer ring 110 and the inner ring 120, and a resin crown-shaped cage (hereinafter referred to as the cage 140) that holds the rolling elements 130.

[0016] Steps 114 and 124 are respectively formed on the end faces of the bearing 100, that is, the end face 112 of the outer ring 110 and the end face 122 of the inner ring 120. In the present embodiment, the cage 140 is disposed on these steps 114 and 124.

[0017] Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the cage 140 of Fig. 1. The cage 140 shown in Fig. 2 is made of a resin such as nylon (polyamide synthetic resin) or ABS, and has a plurality of base portions 142, a plurality of claw portions 144, a plurality of pockets 146, and an annular portion 148.

[0018] The base portion 142 extends in the axial direction D1 of the bearing 100 between the outer ring 110 and the inner ring 120, and a claw portion 144 is formed at the tip. A pocket 146 for holding the rolling element 130 is formed between adjacent base portions 142, and the claw portion 144 prevents the rolling element 130 from detaching from the pocket 146. In addition, the ends of the plurality of base portions 142 are connected by the annular portion 148.

[0019] As a feature of the bearing of the present embodiment, the cage 140 has flanges 150a and 150b and inclined ribs 160 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the flange 150a is a portion extending in the radial direction D2 from the annular portion 148 toward the outer ring 110. The flange 150b is a portion extending in the radial direction D2 from the annular portion 148 toward the inner ring 120. Thereby, the cross section of the cage 140 has a T shape.

[0020] According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, a labyrinth seal is formed between the flanges 150a and 150b, and the stepped surfaces 114a of the outer ring 110 and the stepped surfaces 124a of the inner ring 120. Also, a labyrinth seal is formed between the end surfaces on the outer ring 110 side of the flange 150a, the end surfaces on the inner ring 120 side of the flange 150b, and the steps 114 of the outer ring 110 and the steps 124 of the inner ring 120. Thereby, sealing performance can be imparted to the bearing 100.

[0021] The inclined rib 160 is a portion formed on the surfaces of the flanges 150a and 150b on the pocket 146 side, that is, "the surface 152a facing the stepped surface 114a of the outer ring 110 and the surface 152b facing the stepped surface 124a of the inner ring 120". The inclined rib 160 is inclined in a direction away from the base 142 as it goes in the rotational direction D3 of the cage 140.

[0022] According to the above configuration, when the cage 140 rotates in the rotational direction D3 as the bearing 100 rotates, a flow in the direction D4 opposite to the rotational direction D3 of the cage 140 occurs in the flanges 150a and 150b and thus in the labyrinth seal formed by them. Thereby, when the grease tries to flow out of the bearing 100, it is pushed back into the bearing 100 by the flow in the direction D4, and leakage of the grease is suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the sealing performance of the labyrinth seal formed by the outer ring 110, the inner ring 120, and the flanges 150a and 150b.

[0023] FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining another example of the cage of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, for the components common to the cage 140 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the description will be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals.

[0024] The cage 140a illustrated in FIG. 3 further has extending ribs 162 in addition to the inclined ribs 160 described above. The extending ribs 162 extend from the "front end portion in the rotational direction of the cage 140a" of the inclined ribs 160 along the edges of the flanges 150a and 150b. According to such a configuration, the grease that attempts to flow out from the bearing 100 can be captured by the extending ribs 162 and flowed toward the inclined ribs 160. Therefore, grease leakage can be further suppressed, and the sealing performance of the labyrinth seal can be further improved.

[0025] Also, the inclined ribs 160 of the cage 140 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 had a uniform height with respect to the flanges 150a and 150b. In contrast, the inclined ribs 164 of the cage 140b illustrated in FIG. 4 are designed such that the height increases as it goes from the pocket 146 toward the edges of the flanges 150a and 150b (the height decreases as it goes toward the pocket 146). According to such a configuration, since an effect of pushing the grease back toward the pocket 146 side can be obtained, it is possible to suitably suppress the leakage of grease from the bearing 100.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cage 140b illustrated in FIG. 4. Here, as described above, when the height of the inclined ribs 164 of the cage 140b is increased as it goes toward the edges of the flanges 150a and 150b, there is a possibility that the inclined ribs 164 may come into contact with the stepped surface 114a of the outer ring 110 or the stepped surface 124a of the inner ring.

[0027] Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 5(a), the height of the inclined ribs 164 is designed such that the tip 164a of the inclined ribs 164 is arranged at a position separated from the stepped surface 114a of the outer ring 110 and the stepped surface 124a of the inner ring 120 (so that the height is such that they do not come into contact). According to such a configuration, contact between the stepped surface 114a of the outer ring 110 or the stepped surface 124a of the inner ring 120 and the inclined ribs 164 can be suitably prevented.

[0028] Also, in the example shown in Fig. 5(b), by machining a flat surface 164b at the tip of the inclined rib 164, contact between the stepped surface 114a of the outer ring 110 and the stepped surface 124a of the inner ring 120 and the inclined rib 164 is prevented. In addition, in the example shown in Fig. 5(c), grooves 114b and 124b that avoid the tip 164a of the inclined rib are formed on the stepped surface 114a of the outer ring 110 and the stepped surface 124a of the inner ring 120, respectively. As a result, the tip 164a of the inclined rib 164 is disposed inside the grooves 114b and 124b, thereby preventing their contact. Also, since the flow path length of the labyrinth seal can be increased, the sealing performance can be improved.

[0029] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that those also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0030] The present invention can be used as a bearing with a cage including a resin crown-shaped cage.

Explanation of Signs

[0031] D1... Axial direction, D2... Radial direction, D3... Rotational direction, 100... Bearing, 110... Outer ring, 112... End face, 114... Step, 120... Inner ring, 122... End face, 124... Step, 130... Rolling element, 140... Cage, 140a... Cage, 140b... Cage, 142... Base, 144... Claw portion, 146... Pocket, 148... Annular portion, 150a... Flange, 150b... Flange, 152a... Surface, 152b... Surface, 160... Inclined rib, 162... Extension rib, 164... Inclined rib

Claims

1. A bearing with a cage, comprising an outer ring, an inner ring, rolling elements that roll between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a resin crown-shaped cage that holds the rolling elements, wherein the crown-shaped cage has a plurality of bases extending axially between the outer ring and the inner ring, pockets formed between adjacent bases for holding the rolling elements, an annular portion connecting ends of the plurality of bases, flanges extending from the annular portion toward the outer ring and the inner ring and forming a labyrinth seal between the outer ring and the inner ring, inclined ribs formed on a surface of the flange on the pocket side and inclined in a direction away from the base in the rotational direction of the cage, and is characterized by comprising the above.

2. The bearing with a cage according to claim 1, further comprising an extension rib extending along an edge of the flange from an end of the inclined rib on the front side in the rotational direction of the cage.

3. The bearing with a cage according to claim 1, wherein the height of the inclined rib increases toward an edge of the flange.

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