Bearing

Abstract

To provide a bearing which is compact along an axial direction, and preferably withstands a large load.SOLUTION: The present disclosure provides a bearing comprising an upper housing having a radial upper flange with an upper recess, a lower housing having a radial lower flange with a lower recess, an upper ring disposed in the upper recess and having an upper raceway, a lower ring disposed in the lower recess and having a lower raceway, and rolling elements disposed between the upper raceway and the lower raceway. The present disclosure adopts an unconventional bearing design, which not only realizes a compact bearing structure in the axial direction without sacrificing the load-bearing capacity of the bearing, but also provides a more optimal load-bearing performance along the axial and radial directions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to bearings. [Background technology]

[0002] Bearings are widely used in a variety of devices and equipment, and the structure and performance of bearings vary significantly depending on the scenario in which the bearings are used.

[0003] Vehicle suspensions play an important role in the performance and comfort of a vehicle. A vehicle suspension comprises several components, such as bearings, mounted on the air springs of the vehicle suspension. The bearings have a special configuration with upper and lower housings nested axially (the axial direction being generally perpendicular to the normal orientation of the vehicle) and a means for facilitating relative rotation between the two housings.

[0004] As the automobile industry develops rapidly, comfort and space are becoming more of a concern than ever before, which requires the miniaturization of many vehicle components, and therefore the art also requires the axial compactness of bearings for air springs.

[0005] One prior art solution uses a sliding piece to achieve relative rotation between the upper and lower housings. The sliding piece has a rectangular interface and is an annular structure, usually made of plastic, that slides between the upper and lower housings. However, while this solution reduces the axial height, it suffers from high friction torque, low stiffness, and insufficient load-bearing capacity, making it difficult to meet the requirements of air springs for bearings in automotive suspensions. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a bearing that is axially compact while preferably being able to withstand high loads. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the above problems and requirements, the present disclosure proposes a novel technical solution, which solves the above problems and provides other technical effects by adopting the following technical features:

[0008] The present disclosure provides a bearing including an upper housing having a radially upper flange with an upper recess, a lower housing having a radially lower flange with a lower recess, an upper ring disposed in the upper recess and having an upper raceway, a lower ring disposed in the lower recess and having a lower raceway, and rolling elements disposed between the upper and lower raceways.

[0009] Preferably, the rolling elements are spheres, and the spheres are in symmetrical two-point contact with the upper raceway surface with respect to an axis passing through the center of the sphere along the axial direction, and in symmetrical two-point contact with the lower raceway surface with respect to an axis passing through the center of the sphere along the axial direction, and preferably the two contact points between the spheres and the upper raceway surface are symmetrical with the two contact points between the spheres and the lower raceway surface with respect to a plane passing through the center of the sphere and perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0010] Preferably, the included angle between the connecting lines connecting the center of the sphere and the two tangent points of the sphere to the upper orbital surface is 90°±30°, and / or the included angle between the connecting lines connecting the center of the sphere and the two tangent points of the sphere to the lower orbital surface is 90°±30°.

[0011] Preferably, the two surfaces of the upper raceway that contact the sphere are formed as curved surfaces, and the angle between the tangent planes passing through the contact points on the two curved surfaces is 90°±30°, or the two surfaces of the upper raceway that contact the sphere are formed as flat surfaces, and the angle between the flat surfaces is 90°±30°.

[0012] Preferably, the two surfaces of the lower raceway that contact the sphere are formed as curved surfaces, and the angle between the tangent planes passing through the contact points on the two curved surfaces is 90°±30°, or the two surfaces of the lower raceway that contact the sphere are formed as flat surfaces, and the angle between the flat surfaces is 90°±30°.

[0013] Preferably, the ratio of the diameter of the sphere to the height between the upper surface of the upper housing and the lower surface of the lower housing is 1:5 to 2:3.

[0014] Preferably, the upper ring is a metal ring and the upper housing is made of a plastic material and fixedly connected to the upper ring, and / or the lower ring is a metal ring and the lower housing is made of a plastic material and fixedly connected to the lower ring.

[0015] Preferably, the upper housing further comprises an axial portion having a protrusion and the lower housing further comprises an axial portion having a recess, whereby, in the assembled state of the bearing, the protrusion is disposed in the recess to inhibit relative movement between the upper and lower housings; alternatively, the upper housing further comprises an axial portion having a recess and the lower housing further comprises an axial portion having a protrusion, whereby, in the assembled state of the bearing, the protrusion is disposed in the recess to inhibit relative movement between the upper and lower housings along the axial direction.

[0016] Preferably, the upper radial flange further comprises an annular upper wall extending axially downward, and the lower radial flange further comprises an annular lower wall extending axially upward, the annular lower wall being located radially inward relative to the upper annular wall, or the annular lower wall being located radially outward relative to the upper annular wall.

[0017] Preferably, the bearing further comprises a seal disposed between the annular upper wall and the annular lower wall, the seal being fixed to one of the annular upper wall and the annular lower wall and comprising at least one sealing lip extending towards and contacting the other of the annular upper wall and the annular lower wall.

[0018] The present disclosure employs an unconventional bearing design that not only achieves an axially compact bearing structure without sacrificing bearing load capacity, but also provides more optimal load-bearing performance along the axial and radial directions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a bearing according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rolling element and raceway design according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another sealing structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between contact angle and included angle in a simplified diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of specific embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same parts. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only a part, but not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0021] Possible implementations within the scope of protection of this disclosure may have fewer components than the illustrated embodiment, or may have other, different, differently arranged, or differently connected components not shown. Furthermore, two or more components in the figures may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown may be implemented as multiple separate components.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Terms such as "first," "second," and the like used in the specification and claims of this disclosure do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are used only to distinguish between different components. When the number of components is not stated, the number of components may be one or more. Similarly, terms such as "a," "the," and "said" do not necessarily denote quantitative limitations. Terms such as "comprise" or "comprise" mean that the element or item preceding the term includes the elements or items listed thereafter and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or items. Terms such as "installed," "configured," or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical installation, configuration, and connection, but may include electrical installation, configuration, and connection, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to denote relative orientation relationships when the device is in use or as illustrated. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0023] For ease of description, the direction of the bearing's axis of rotation is referred to herein as the axial direction, and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is referred to as the radial direction. The term "inward" means toward the inside of the bearing, and conversely, the term "outward" means toward the outside of the bearing. Furthermore, bearings typically include multiple rolling elements, and even when not modified by "multiple," a rolling element should be understood as multiple rolling elements rather than singular. Additionally, in different embodiments, the same reference numerals are used to refer to components having the same or similar structure and function.

[0024] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0025] Figure 1 shows a bearing according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is an enlarged view of portion A of Figure 1. The bearing comprises an upper housing 1 having a radially extending upper flange 11 with an upper recess 12, a lower housing 2 having a radially extending lower flange 21 with a lower recess 22, an upper ring 3 disposed in the upper recess 12 and having an upper raceway 31, a lower ring 4 disposed in the lower recess 22 and having a lower raceway 41, and rolling elements 5 disposed between the upper raceway 31 and the lower raceway 41. In the orientation of the figures, it should be understood that the radial direction is horizontal and the axial direction is vertical.

[0026] In this bearing configuration, the upper and lower rings are embedded in the respective upper and lower housings, thereby effectively reducing the overall axial height of the bearing, while rolling elements are disposed between the upper and lower rings to achieve rotation between the upper and lower housings. Compared to the prior art, friction torque is reduced and stiffness is increased, thereby significantly improving the capacity to withstand axial and radial loads while achieving an axially compact configuration.

[0027] The preferred embodiment shown uses spheres as rolling elements, but it should be understood that according to other preferred embodiments not shown, rollers or needles or other suitable types of rolling elements may be provided between the upper and lower rings.

[0028] As shown in the figure, when the rolling elements 5 are spheres (e.g., steel balls), two contact points are formed with the upper raceway surface 31, the two contact points being symmetrical with respect to an axis passing through the center of the sphere along the axial direction, and two contact points are also formed with the lower raceway surface 41, the two contact points being symmetrical with respect to an axis passing through the center of the sphere along the axial direction. More preferably, the two contact points between the spheres and the upper raceway surface 31 and the two contact points between the spheres and the lower raceway surface 41 may be symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through the center of the sphere and perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0029] As a result, the spherical-type rolling elements form symmetrical four-point contact with the upper and lower raceways, which further enhances the axial and radial load-bearing capacity of the bearing, optimizes the forces applied to the rolling elements, improves bearing stability, and extends the life of the bearing.

[0030] More preferably, referring to Figure 3, the included angle (also called contact angle) between connecting lines L1, L2 (shown by dotted lines in Figure 3) connecting the center of the sphere and the two contact points of the sphere with the upper raceway surface 31 may be 90°±30°. Similarly, the included angle between connecting lines (not shown) connecting the center of the sphere and the two contact points of the sphere with the lower raceway surface 41 may be 90°±30°. Such an optimal design of the contact angle ensures that the sphere is subjected to a stable force and can withstand high loads during bearing operation.

[0031] More preferably, referring to Figure 3, the two surfaces of the upper raceway surface 31 that contact the sphere may be formed as curved surfaces, and the included angle (also called the containment angle) between tangent planes P1 and P2 (shown as dotted lines in Figure 3) that pass through the contact points on the two curved surfaces may be 90°±30°. Alternatively, in other embodiments not shown, the two surfaces of the upper raceway surface 31 that contact the sphere may be formed as flat surfaces, and the included angle between the two flat surfaces may be 90°±30°.

[0032] 3, the two surfaces of the lower raceway 41 that contact the sphere may be formed as curved surfaces, and the angle between tangent planes (not shown) passing through the tangent points on the two curved surfaces may be 90°±30°. Alternatively, in other embodiments not shown, the two surfaces of the lower raceway 41 that contact the sphere may be formed as flat surfaces, and the angle between the two planes may be 90°±30°.

[0033] Referring to the simplified diagram of FIG. 5, typically, the sum of contact angle A and included angle B is 180°, and according to a preferred embodiment, contact angle A and included angle B may both be 90°.

[0034] By designing the included angle of the upper and lower raceways, the holding and accommodation performance of the upper and lower raceways for the rolling elements is optimized, and the rolling elements are reliably held stably and in an optimal state of motion during the operation of the bearing.

[0035] Preferably, to further reduce the axial height of the bearing, the present disclosure also proposes dimensional optimization of the spherical-type rolling elements. For example, the ratio of the diameter of the sphere to the height between the upper surface 13 of the upper housing 1 and the lower surface 23 of the lower housing 2 is 1:5 to 2:3, preferably 1:2. For example, in a typical application, the height may be 6.2 to 6.5 cm, and the diameter of the sphere may be 3 cm or less.

[0036] Generally, bearing designs using rolling elements generally require more axial space. To achieve a compact layout without sacrificing load capacity, the present disclosure further introduces a "mini-sphere" design to meet the compact space requirement. At the same time, due to the adoption of the above-mentioned optimized raceway and four-point contact design, the present disclosure can further achieve low friction torque, high rigidity, and high load capacity.

[0037] Additionally, the upper and lower housings and the upper and lower rings may be selected and designed depending on the scenario in which the bearing is to be applied.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper ring 3 may be a metal ring (such as a steel ring), the upper housing 1 may be made of a plastic material and fixedly connected to the upper ring 3, and / or the lower ring 4 may be a metal ring (such as a steel ring), and the lower housing 2 may be made of a plastic material and fixedly connected to the lower ring 4, thereby further ensuring the strength of the bearing while reducing the weight of the bearing.

[0039] For example, the fixed connection may be achieved by any suitable means, such as interference fitting, gluing, welding, riveting, etc. According to a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower rings may be made of a metal material, and then upper and lower housings of a plastic material may be assembled to the upper and lower rings, respectively, by injection molding to achieve a more stable connection.

[0040] 2, the upper housing 1 preferably further comprises an axial portion 14 having a protrusion 15, and the lower housing 2 preferably further comprises an axial portion 24 having a recess 25, whereby, in an assembled state of the bearing, the protrusion 15 is disposed within the recess 25 to inhibit relative movement between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 along the axial direction and prevent the upper and lower housings from being separated. It will be appreciated that the protrusion 15 and the recess 25 may take any suitable form, for example, the protrusion 15 may be a continuous annular flange surrounding the axial portion 14 or discrete individual protrusions, and the recess 25 may correspondingly be a continuous annular groove surrounding the axial portion 24 or discrete individual cavities.

[0041] According to another preferred embodiment not shown, the axial portion of the upper housing 1 may have a recess and the axial portion of the lower housing 2 may have a protrusion, whereby in the assembled state of the bearing the protrusion is also located in the recess and inhibits relative movement between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 along the axial direction.

[0042] 4, the radial upper flange 11 may also have an annular upper wall 16 extending axially downward, and the radial lower flange 21 may also have an annular lower wall 26 extending axially upward. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the annular lower wall 26 may be located radially inward of the annular upper wall 16. Alternatively, in a preferred embodiment not shown, the annular lower wall 26 may be located radially outward of the annular upper wall 16.

[0043] More preferably, the bearing also includes a seal 6 disposed between the annular upper wall 16 and the annular lower wall 26. The seal 6 is fixed to one of the annular upper wall 16 and the annular lower wall 26, and in the illustrated embodiment, the seal 6 may be molded together with the annular lower wall 26 by injection molding.

[0044] The seal 6 may also have at least one sealing lip 61 that extends toward and contacts the other of the annular upper wall 16 and the annular lower wall 26. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 2, the seal 6 includes one sealing lip, and in the embodiment of Figure 4, the seal 6 includes two sealing lips. Thus, more sealing lips can be provided as needed.

[0045] Although the above illustrates an embodiment that uses a contact seal between the upper and lower housings, a contactless seal between the upper and lower housings can be used if desired.

[0046] To improve sealing performance, as shown in FIG. 2, an annular flange 17 may be provided on the inside of the upper housing, and an annular groove 27 may be provided on the inside of the lower housing, whereby the annular flange 17 extends into the annular groove 27 to form a labyrinth sealing structure that prevents contaminants from entering the inside of the bearing.

[0047] In summary, the present disclosure employs an unconventional bearing design that not only achieves an axially compact bearing structure without sacrificing bearing load capacity, but also provides more optimal load-bearing performance along the axial and radial directions.

[0048] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to preferred embodiments.Those skilled in the art can understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the above specific embodiments without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and various technical features and structures proposed in the present disclosure can be combined in various ways without exceeding the scope of protection of the present disclosure, which is determined by the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Upper housing 2 Lower housing 3 Upper ring 4 Lower Ring 5. Rolling Elements 6 Seals 11 Radial upper housing 12 Upper recess 13 Top side 14 Axial section 15 Protrusions 16 Annular upper wall 17 Annular flange 21 Radial Lower Housing 22 Lower recess 23 Bottom side 24 Axial section 25 hollow 26 Annular lower wall 27 Annular groove 31 Upper raceway surface 41 Lower raceway surface 61 Sealing lip L1, L2 connection lines P1, P2 tangent plane

Claims

1. an upper housing (1) having a radial upper flange (11) with an upper recess (12); a lower housing (2) having a radially extending lower flange (21) with a lower recess (22); an upper ring (3) disposed in the upper recess (12) and having an upper raceway surface (31); a lower ring (4) disposed in the lower recess (22) and having a lower raceway surface (41); a rolling element (5) disposed between the upper raceway surface (31) and the lower raceway surface (41); A bearing comprising:

2. 2. The bearing according to claim 1, wherein the rolling elements (5) are spheres, which are in symmetrical two-point contact with the upper raceway surface (31) with respect to an axis passing through the center of the sphere along the axial direction, and which are in symmetrical two-point contact with the lower raceway surface (41) with respect to an axis passing through the center of the sphere along the axial direction, and preferably the two contact points between the spheres and the upper raceway surface (31) are symmetrical to the two contact points between the spheres and the lower raceway surface (41) with respect to a plane passing through the center of the sphere and perpendicular to the axial direction.

3. the included angle between the connecting lines (L1, L2) connecting the center of the sphere and the two tangent points of the sphere to the upper track surface (31) is 90°±30°; and / or The angle between the connecting lines (L1, L2) connecting the center of the sphere and the two tangent points of the sphere to the lower raceway surface (41) is 90°±30°.

3. The bearing according to claim 2, characterized in that:

4. The two surfaces of the upper raceway surface (31) that contact the sphere are formed as curved surfaces, and the included angle between tangent planes (P1, P2) that pass through the contact points on the two curved surfaces is 90°±30°; or The two surfaces of the upper raceway surface (31) that contact the sphere are formed as flat surfaces, and the included angle between the flat surfaces is 90°±30°.

3. The bearing according to claim 2, characterized in that:

5. The two surfaces of the lower raceway (41) that contact the sphere are formed as curved surfaces, and the included angle between the tangent planes passing through the contact points on the two curved surfaces is 90°±30°; or The two surfaces of the lower raceway surface (41) that contact the sphere are formed as flat surfaces, and the included angle between the flat surfaces is 90°±30°.

3. The bearing according to claim 2, characterized in that:

6. 3. The bearing according to claim 2, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the sphere to the height between the upper surface (13) of the upper housing (1) and the lower surface (23) of the lower housing (2) is between 1:5 and 2:

3.

7. the upper ring (3) is a metal ring and the upper housing (1) is made of a plastic material and is fixedly connected to the upper ring (3); and / or The lower ring (4) is a metal ring, and the lower housing (2) is made of a plastic material and is fixedly connected to the lower ring (4).

2. The bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that:

8. the upper housing (1) further comprises an axial portion (14) having a protrusion (15) and the lower housing (2) further comprises an axial portion (24) having a recess (25), whereby, in the assembled state of the bearing, the protrusion (15) is located in the recess (25) to restrict relative movement between the upper housing (1) and the lower housing (2); or The upper housing (1) further comprises an axial portion having a recess, and the lower housing (2) further comprises an axial portion having a protrusion, whereby, in an assembled state of the bearing, the protrusion is disposed within the recess to inhibit relative movement between the upper housing (1) and the lower housing (2) along the axial direction.

8. Bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that

9. 8. A bearing according to claim 1, wherein the upper radial flange (11) further comprises an annular upper wall (16) extending axially downwards, and the lower radial flange (21) further comprises an annular lower wall (26) extending axially upwards, the annular lower wall (26) being located radially inward relative to the upper annular wall (16), or the annular lower wall (26) being located radially outward relative to the upper annular wall (16).

10. 10. The bearing of claim 9, further comprising a seal (6) disposed between the annular upper wall (16) and the annular lower wall (26), the seal (6) being fixed to one of the annular upper wall (16) and the annular lower wall (26) and comprising at least one sealing lip (61) extending toward and in contact with the other of the annular upper wall (16) and the annular lower wall (26).

Images