Countershaft Partial Bearing Surface Raceway Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing balancer shafts for single or multi-cylinder engines face challenges in achieving lightweight construction while maintaining precision and resilience, particularly in the design of bearing points where the raceway connection is limited and requires improved positioning and attachment methods.
Innovation Solution
The balancer shaft incorporates a receiving area with contact surfaces for precise positioning and attachment of the raceway, allowing for non-positive and positive connections, including material connections, which enables a reduced volume and secure fixing of the raceway, and can be configured for various geometries and contours, using methods like welding, press fits, and flanging to ensure secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the bearing point is designed with a partially formed peripheral surface to reduce rotating masses, then weight is reduced, but the precision and reliability of the bearing connection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing point is segmented into a partial bearing surface (for weight reduction) and a separate receiving area with contact surfaces (for precision positioning). The race is divided into a bearing portion that contacts the partial peripheral surface and a connection portion that engages with the receiving area, allowing the two functions to be independently optimized.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving area with contact surfaces acts as an intermediary element between the reduced peripheral surface and the race. It provides the necessary positioning and connection functions that would otherwise require a full peripheral surface, enabling weight reduction while maintaining connection precision.
2Weight of moving object
If the race is securely attached to the bearing point with reduced volume, then lightweight construction is intensified, but the complexity of attachment methods increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving area is designed with multiple contact surfaces that can accommodate various attachment methods (non-positive connection, positive connection, material connection) through the same structural feature. This universal design allows selection of the most appropriate attachment method without requiring different bearing point geometries, reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows changing the attachment method parameters (from non-positive to positive to material connections) while keeping the receiving area geometry constant. This enables optimization of the attachment approach without modifying the bearing point structure, simplifying the overall design process.
3Weight of moving object
If the peripheral surface is reduced to enable race attachment, then weight is reduced, but the holding force and support capability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The holding force is transferred from relying solely on the peripheral surface area to utilizing the receiving area with contact surfaces. The race is positioned and secured in a different dimensional space (the receiving area cavity) rather than depending on the extent of the peripheral surface, allowing weight reduction while maintaining holding capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the race and bearing point combines multiple connection types (non-positive, positive, and material connections) to create a composite attachment system. This composite approach distributes the holding force requirements across different connection mechanisms, compensating for the reduced peripheral surface area.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6b
Figure 7a~9
AI summary
The invention relates to a countershaft for a single or multiple cylinder motor having at least one unbalanced weight section (21, 22; 23, 24) and at least one bearing point (16, 17) that is allocated to the at least one unbalanced weight section (21, 22; 23, 24), wherein the bearing point (16, 17) has a radial circumferential surface (18) that extends only partially over a circumference of the bearing point (16, 17) so that a centrifugal force resulting from rotation of the countershaft (11) lies within a region of the bearing point (16, 17) that is formed by the circumferential surface (18) extending partially over the circumference of the bearing point (16, 17) and having a ring (25) that surrounds the partially extended circumferential surface (18) of the bearing point (16, 17) and is connected by a force and/or form and/or material fitting connection to the bearing point (16, 17), wherein the circumferential surface (18) of the bearing point (16, 17) has a receptacle region (33) for receiving the ring (25) and at least one axial outer edge region or at least one ring-shaped region of the ring (25) is connected at least to one contact surface (37) of the receptacle region (33) in a force and/or form and/or material fitting manner.