JP2011122656A - Retainer and ball bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retainer which can achieve reduction in torque and a ball bearing which employs the retainer. <P>SOLUTION: The retainer 15 is configured so that two annular retention plates 27A, 27B which have semi-spherical bulges 26 which are arranged circumferentially at predetermined distances are combined with each other. The retainer is formed with a ring-like pocket 30 which retains balls 16 at opposed semi-spherical bulges 26, 26. The retainer provides ball contact surface 31 and ball non-contact surface 32 on ball opposed surfaces of the pocket 30. The retainer forms on at least pocket axial central portion the ball contact surface 31 which is a pocket circumferential central portion of ball opposed surface. The ball non-contact surface 32 is composed of a recessed portion 34 which dents to a counter ball side and the recessed portion 34 is opening to at least one of pocket axial direction end. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cage and a ball bearing.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ball bearing (deep groove ball bearing) includes an outer ring 2 having an arcuate outer rolling surface 1 formed on the inner periphery, and an arcuate inner surface facing the outer rolling surface 1 on the outer periphery. An inner ring 4 on which a rolling surface 3 is formed, a cage 5 disposed between the inner ring 4 and the outer ring 2, and a plurality of balls Bo that are supported by the cage 5 so as to roll freely.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the cage 5 is formed by combining two annular holding plates 7, 7 having hemispherical bulging portions 6 disposed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. That is, each annular holding plate 7 includes the hemispherical bulging portion 6 disposed along the circumferential direction and a flat portion 8 between adjacent hemispherical bulging portions 6. In the combined state, the flat portions 8 and 8 are overlapped, and the flat portions 8 and 8 are connected via a fixing tool 9 such as a rivet. For this reason, each hemispherical bulge part 6 and 6 opposes, and the ring-shaped ball fitting part (pocket) 10 is formed.

  Conventionally, the lubrication state between the cage and the ball is improved (Patent Document 1), or the lubricating oil is actively supplied and discharged to improve the fluidity of the lubricating oil in the bearing. There are a thing (patent document 3) etc. which did not produce high frictional force or friction fluctuation between a pocket surface and a ball.

  In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an auxiliary concave portion is provided on the inner peripheral side of the pocket, and this auxiliary concave portion functions as a lubricant reservoir in which the lubricant stores oil. This improves the amount of lubricant retained in the pocket and improves the lubrication state between the cage and the ball.

  Moreover, the thing of the said patent document 2 has also formed the recessed part in the internal peripheral surface of a pocket. The recesses communicate with the bearing space side between the outer ring and the cage and the bearing space side between the inner ring and the cage to form a groove-shaped lubricating oil path.

  In Patent Document 3, a notch that does not come into contact with the ball is provided on the pocket surface of the cage, thereby preventing a high frictional force or frictional fluctuation.

JP 2003-13962 A JP 2006-342901 A JP-A-2-221715

  In recent years, bearings for automobiles have been required to reduce torque because of improved fuel efficiency and environmental problems. Of the torque generated in the bearing, the torque caused by the cage accounts for a large proportion of the shear resistance of oil (lubricant such as grease) by the steel ball (ball).

  And most of the shear resistance is resistance when shearing the oil film formed between the pocket inner diameter surface and the ball in the pocket. Also, when the pocket is made of a single curved surface that follows the ball shape, the lubricant tries to pass through a small gap between the ball and the inside of the cage pocket that covers the ball, causing resistance and torque. Is one of the factors that increase

  In the device described in Patent Document 1, the auxiliary recess becomes a lubricant reservoir, and the lubricant is stored in the auxiliary recess. Moreover, in the thing of patent document 2 and patent document 3, the resistance at the time of a lubricant passing a minute gap is not reduced. That is, in this type of bearing, it has been impossible to achieve both a reduction in resistance when the lubricant passes and a reduction in the amount of oil film sheared when the ball moves. For this reason, conventionally, even if a recess is formed on the inner diameter surface of the pocket, torque reduction cannot be achieved.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a cage capable of achieving torque reduction and a ball bearing using such a cage.

  The cage of the present invention is a combination of two annular holding plates having hemispherical bulging portions arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and the ball is placed at the opposing hemispherical bulging portions. A cage in which a ring-shaped pocket for holding is formed, wherein a ball contact surface and a ball non-contact surface are provided on a ball facing surface of the pocket, and at least a pocket axial direction at a central portion in the circumferential direction of the pocket of the ball facing surface The ball contact surface is formed at the center, and the non-ball contact surface is formed by a recess recessed toward the opposite side of the ball from the ball contact surface, and the recess opens at at least one pocket axial end. It is.

  According to the cage of the present invention, by providing the ball non-contact surface on the ball facing surface, a lubricant escape portion can be formed on the inside of the pocket. As a result, the resistance when the lubricant passes through the pocket can be reduced, and the amount of oil film formed between the ball and the pocket can be reduced. Moreover, since the concave portion constituting the ball non-contact surface is open at least at one end in the pocket axial direction, excess lubricant between the ball facing surface of the cage and the ball (hard ball) is discharged from this space. be able to. In addition, since the ball contact surface is provided in the central portion of the ball facing surface, the ball (hard sphere) can be stably held in the pocket central portion.

  The ball contact surface is formed in the pocket axial direction central portion of the pocket circumferential direction central portion of the ball facing surface, and the ball non-contact surface constituted by a concave portion recessed toward the opposite ball side is adjacent to the ball contact surface and at least a bearing. Some are provided on the end side in the pocket axial direction on the outer diameter side. By setting in this way, it becomes easy to discharge the lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball by centrifugal force.

  The ball contact surface is formed by an oval portion at the pocket circumferential direction center portion of the ball facing surface and reaches both ends of the pocket axial direction, and the ball non-contact surface is an arc shape provided on both sides of the pocket contact direction in the pocket circumferential direction. In addition to being constituted by recesses, both recesses may be open at both ends in the pocket axis direction. Also by setting in this way, the lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball can discharge excess lubricant from the bearing outer diameter side and the bearing inner diameter side.

  Even if it is made of metal and formed by press working, it may be made of metal and formed by casting, or may be formed by shaving. . Further, it may be made of resin and molded by injection molding. In addition, when it is formed by shaving, it may be made of metal or resin.

  The ball bearing of the present invention rolls between an outer ring having an outer rolling surface formed on the inner periphery, an inner ring having an inner rolling surface formed on the outer periphery, and an inner rolling surface and an outer rolling surface. A plurality of balls and the retainer disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring are provided.

  The ball bearing is preferably applied to a transmission.

  The cage of the present invention can reduce the resistance when the lubricant passes through the pocket, and can reduce the amount of oil film that shears when the ball moves, and the torque of the bearing (ball bearing) using this cage Can be reduced. In addition, excess lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball (hard sphere) can be discharged from this area, and the influence of the excess lubricant on the torque can be eliminated. Further, the ball (steel ball) can be stably held in the center of the pocket, and the ball can be prevented from rattling, and a high-quality product can be provided.

  Regardless of whether the ball non-contact surface is provided on the pocket axial direction end side or on both sides of the ball contact surface in the pocket circumferential direction, excess lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball is removed. The oil can be discharged, and the influence of excess oil on the torque can be stably eliminated.

  The overall shape is relatively simple, and it can be reliably formed regardless of whether it is made of metal or resin. Also, as a molding method, if it is made of metal, it can be molded by pressing or casting, and if it is made of resin, it can be molded by injection molding. It can be molded by the method, and the cost can be reduced.

  The torque of the bearing (ball bearing) using the cage can be reduced, and if the bearing using the cage is used in an automobile, the fuel efficiency can be improved and the environment can be operated friendly. That is, this bearing is optimal for automobile transmissions.

It is sectional drawing of the bearing using the holder | retainer which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the holder | retainer shown in the said FIG. It is the principal part expansion perspective view which looked at the pocket of the holder | retainer shown in the said FIG. 1 from the inner side. It is the principal part expansion perspective view which looked at the pocket of the holder | retainer shown in the said FIG. 1 from the outer side. It is a perspective view of the bearing using the holder | retainer which shows 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the principal part expansion perspective view which looked at the pocket of the holder | retainer shown in the said FIG. 5 from the inner side. It is the principal part expansion perspective view which looked at the pocket of the holder | retainer shown in the said FIG. 5 from the outer side. It is sectional drawing of the bearing using the conventional cage | basket. It is a perspective view of the conventional retainer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a bearing (deep groove ball bearing) using the cage (ball bearing cage) of the first embodiment. This ball bearing includes an outer ring 12 having an arc-shaped outer rolling surface 11 formed on the inner periphery, and an inner ring 14 having an arc-shaped inner rolling surface 13 opposed to the outer rolling surface 11 on the outer periphery. A plurality of balls 16 accommodated between the outer rolling surface 11 and the inner rolling surface 13 and a cage 15 according to the present invention that supports the balls 16 so as to roll freely.

  The outer ring 12, the inner ring 14, and the ball 16 are made of, for example, high carbon chrome bearing steel such as SUJ2, and the cage 15 is a pressed product of, for example, cold rolled steel (JIS standard SPCC) or the like. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the retainer 15 is formed by combining two annular retaining plates 27 </ b> A and 27 </ b> B having hemispherical bulging portions 26 disposed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. That is, each annular holding plate 27A, 27B includes a hemispherical bulging portion 26 disposed along the circumferential direction and a flat portion 28 between adjacent hemispherical bulging portions 26. In the combined state, the flat portions 28 and 28 are overlapped, and the flat portions 28 and 28 are connected via a fixing tool 29 such as a rivet. For this reason, each hemispherical bulge part 26 opposes, and the ring-shaped ball | bowl fitting part (pocket) 30 is formed.

  In the cage 15, a ball contact surface 31 and a ball non-contact surface 32 are provided on the ball facing surface of the pocket 30. That is, by forming a convex portion 33 projecting toward the anti-ball side on the anti-ball facing surface, a rectangular concave portion 34 that is recessed toward the anti-ball side from the ball contact surface 31 is provided on the ball facing surface. A non-contact surface 32 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the concave portion 34 as the ball non-contact surface 32 is provided on one end side of the pocket circumferential direction 34a and on both ends of the pocket peripheral direction portion 34a. It is a U-shaped recessed part which consists of a pair of edge part 34b, 34b extended inward. For this reason, the ball contact surface 31 includes an intermediate portion 31a disposed between the end portions 34b and 34b of the recess 34 and a pocket circumferential direction portion 31b on the other pocket axial direction end portion side.

  The concave portion 34 as the ball non-contact surface 32 is opened (opened) at one pocket axial end, and when the pair of annular holding plates 27A and 27B are combined, the concave portions 34 and 34 of the annular holding plates 27A and 27B are combined. Are arranged in the same direction in the pocket axis direction, that is, on the outer ring 12 side (bearing outer diameter side) so as to face each other (see FIG. 1).

  In the present invention, by providing the ball non-contact surface 32 on the ball facing surface, the resistance when the lubricant passes through the pocket can be reduced, and the ball 16 is formed between the ball 16 and the pocket 30. The amount of oil film that can be reduced. As a result, torque can be reduced. In addition, since the concave portion 34 constituting the ball non-contact surface 32 is open at least at one end in the pocket axial direction, excess lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball (steel ball) is discharged from this space. And the influence of the extra lubricant on the torque can be eliminated.

  Further, since the ball contact surface 31 is provided at the center of the ball facing surface, the ball (steel ball) 16 can be stably held in the center of the pocket. For this reason, rattling of the ball 16 can be prevented and a high-quality product can be provided.

  In this embodiment, since the ball non-contact surface 32 is provided on the end side in the pocket axial direction on the bearing outer diameter side, the lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball can be easily discharged from this space by centrifugal force. . For this reason, it is possible to stably eliminate the influence of the extra lubricant on the torque.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the cage. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ball contact surface 31 is the central portion in the pocket circumferential direction of the ball facing surface, and both ends in the pocket axial direction. It is formed by an oval part 40 that reaches. The ball non-contact surface 32 is constituted by a pair of arc-shaped concave portions 41 and 41 provided on both sides of the ball contact surface 31 in the pocket circumferential direction. Both concave portions 41, 41 are open at both ends in the pocket axial direction. In addition, the recessed part 41 is formed by forming the convex part 42 which protrudes in the antiball side on the antiball opposing surface.

  Even in this cage, by providing the ball non-contact surface 32, the resistance when the lubricant passes through the pocket can be reduced, and the amount of oil film sheared when the ball moves can be reduced. The torque of the bearing (ball bearing) using the cage can be reduced. Further, by providing the ball contact surface 31, it is possible to prevent the ball from rattling and to provide a high-quality product. Further, in this cage, the lubricant between the ball facing surface and the ball can discharge excess lubricant from the bearing outer diameter side and the bearing inner diameter side, and the influence on the extra torque can be eliminated. .

  By the way, the cage 15 is a metal cage by press working in each of the above embodiments, but may be molded by casting. Moreover, it may be by shaving or by electric discharge machining (including wire cutting). Here, the electric discharge machining is a machining method in which a part of the surface of the workpiece is removed by an arc discharge repeated at a short cycle between the electrode and the workpiece. Wire cutting is a kind of electric discharge machining, which is a method of applying a tension to a wire and processing a metal material using electric discharge.

  The cage 15 is not limited to a metal cage, and may be a synthetic resin molded product. As the resin material of the resin cage, those conventionally used for this type of cage, for example, polyphenylene sulfide resin (hereinafter referred to as PPS resin), polyamide 46 (PA46), and polyamide 66 (PA66) are used. . In particular, for those that require long-term heat resistance in the higher temperature range (for example, about 200 ° C. or higher) such as a bearing for an alternator of an automobile, polyimide resin (hereinafter referred to as PI resin), polyamideimide resin A material such as a PAI resin (hereinafter referred to as PAI resin) or a polyether ether ketone resin (hereinafter referred to as PEEK resin) can be used.

  This resin cage can be molded by, for example, injection molding. Moreover, even if it is a resin cage, you may shape | mold by a shaving process. Even if it is a resin-made cage, there exists an effect similar to a metal cage as shown in FIG.

  Thus, the cage according to the present invention can achieve both a resistance when the lubricant passes and a reduction in the amount of oil film to be sheared, and can reduce the torque. This cage for ball bearings If a bearing using is used in an automobile, it is possible to improve the fuel efficiency and to drive friendly to the environment. That is, this bearing is optimal for automobile transmissions.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. The shapes of the ball contact surface 31 and the ball non-contact surface 32 may be ball contact. The surface 31 is disposed at least in the central portion of the ball-opposing surface (the central portion in the pocket circumferential direction and the central portion in the pocket axial direction), and the ball non-contact surface 32 opens at one of the pocket axial ends. If it is, various things other than the example of a figure are employable.

  The size and depth of the ball non-contact surface 32 are variously changed in a range in which both the resistance when the lubricant passes and the reduction in the amount of oil film to be sheared can be achieved depending on the lubricant used. can do.

  In the bearing shown in FIG. 1, the ball non-contact surface 32 is opened on the outer ring 12 side, but conversely, the ball non-contact surface 32 may be opened on the inner ring 14 side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Outer rolling surface 12 Outer ring 13 Inner rolling surface 14 Inner ring 15 Cage 16 Ball 26 Hemispherical swelling part 27A, 27B Annular holding plate 30 Pocket 31 Ball contact surface 32 Ball non-contact surface 34 Recess 40 Oval part 41 Recess

Claims (9)

Two annular holding plates having hemispherical bulging portions arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction are combined, and a ring-shaped pocket for holding a ball at the opposing hemispherical bulging portions A cage formed,
A ball contact surface and a ball non-contact surface are provided on the ball facing surface of the pocket, and the ball contact surface is formed at the pocket circumferential direction central portion of the ball facing surface and at least in the pocket axial direction central portion, and the ball non-contact The retainer is characterized in that the surface is formed by a recess recessed toward the opposite side of the ball from the ball contact surface, and the recess opens at at least one pocket axial end.   The ball contact surface is formed in the pocket axial direction central portion of the pocket circumferential direction central portion of the ball facing surface, and the ball non-contact surface constituted by a concave portion recessed toward the opposite ball side is adjacent to the ball contact surface and at least a bearing. The cage according to claim 1, wherein the cage is provided on an end side in the pocket axial direction on the outer diameter side.   The ball contact surface is formed by an oval portion at the pocket circumferential direction center portion of the ball facing surface and reaches both ends of the pocket axial direction, and the ball non-contact surface is an arc shape provided on both sides of the pocket contact direction in the pocket circumferential direction. The retainer according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is configured by a recess, and both the recesses open to both ends in the pocket axis direction.   The retainer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the retainer is made of metal and formed by press working.   The cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cage is made of metal and is formed by casting.   The retainer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the retainer is molded by a shaving process.   The cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cage is made of resin and is formed by injection molding.   An outer ring having an outer raceway formed on the inner circumference, an inner ring having an inner raceway formed on the outer circumference, a plurality of balls rolling between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, and an inner ring A ball bearing comprising the cage according to claim 1 disposed between the outer ring and the outer ring. The ball bearing according to claim 8, wherein the ball bearing is applied to a transmission.

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