Wire Race Roller Bearing for Thermal Preload Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reality capture devices, particularly those mounted on robotic vehicles, face challenges with limited surveying time and sensor complexity due to their heavy and bulky construction, which leads to high power consumption and reduced mechanical and thermal stability.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight reality capture device using a four-point roller bearing with a wire race design, featuring individually deformable segments in the inner and outer races, maintains preload stability despite thermal changes, allowing a compact and stable pivoting mechanism for the probing unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a heavy and bulky construction is used for the reality capture device, then measurement accuracy and mechanical stability are improved, but weight increases leading to higher power consumption and reduced surveying time
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing races are segmented into multiple individually deformable segments that can independently adapt to thermal changes. This segmentation allows each segment to handle thermal expansion/contraction locally while maintaining overall bearing function, enabling lightweight construction without sacrificing measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the bearing segments by making them elastically deformable. This parameter change allows the segments to dynamically adjust to thermal conditions, maintaining measurement precision while enabling lightweight device construction suitable for mobile platforms.
2Weight of moving object
If a compact design is used to reduce weight, then weight and power consumption are reduced, but mechanical rigidity and thermal stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing segments are designed to be dynamically deformable rather than statically rigid. This allows the compact bearing structure to adapt its shape in response to thermal changes, maintaining mechanical stability despite the reduced size and weight of the overall device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material characteristics by combining rigid and elastic properties within the bearing segments. The segments exhibit both structural integrity for rigidity and elastic deformability for thermal adaptation, achieving both compactness and mechanical stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If traditional roller bearings are used, then mechanical stability is maintained, but thermal changes cause increase in preload leading to reduced measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of thermal expansion into a beneficial adaptive mechanism. The elastically deformable segments utilize thermal changes to adjust their configuration, compensating for preload variations and maintaining measurement accuracy despite temperature fluctuations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent explicitly utilizes thermal expansion principles by designing segments that can expand and contract elastically in response to temperature changes. This thermal adaptation mechanism prevents preload increases that would otherwise degrade measurement precision while maintaining mechanical stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a compact, lightweight design that extends surveying time and reduces power consumption while maintaining measurement accuracy and durability, suitable for robotic vehicles like UAVs.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the outer and inner race comprises recesses, in particular recesses which completely penetrate the respective race in the radial direction, the arrangement and dimensions of which are tuned to provide for an elasticity of at least one of the circumferential portions
Implementation Method 2
in case of an increased pressure along the pressing direction due to a relative thermal size change between the outer and inner race within a predefined operating range
Data Source
AI summary
A reality capture device, particularly a reality capture device having a lightweight construction, being configured for generating a digital representation of an environment. The reality capture device comprises a probing unit with a pivoting component configured to be pivoted relative to a base part of the reality capture device in order to generate probing data of the environment. The pivoting component is mounted on the base part by a four-point roller bearing configured as wire race bearing. Applicability of a four-point roller bearing in the form of a wire race bearing for supporting the probing unit of the reality capture device is achieved by a specific design of the inner and/or outer race supporting the raceway wires in order to reduce unwanted pressure in the bearing, e.g. due to thermal behavior.