# US 10,119,885 B2 · Rolling bearing apparatus and detection method for abnormality in rolling bearing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,885 B2 - Document ID: US10119885B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/412,350 - Filed: 2017-01-23 - Published: 2017-07-27 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-01-27 - Assignees: Jtekt Corporation - Applicants: Jtekt Corporation - Inventors: Yoshimichi Higashiyama; Masami Naka; Tsukasa Sakazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119885B2 ## CPC - G01M 13/045: Acoustic or vibration analysis - F16C 19/527: {related to vibration and noise} - F16C 33/6659: {Details of supply of the liquid to the bearing, e.g. passages or nozzles} - F16C 33/6674: {related to the amount supplied, e.g. gaps to restrict flow of the liquid} - F16C 41/004: {Electro-dynamic machines, e.g. motors, generators, actuators} - H10N 30/302: {Sensors} - F16C 19/163: {with angular contact} - F16C 2233/00: Monitoring condition, e.g. temperature, load, vibration - F16C 2322/39: General buildup of machine tools, e.g. spindles, slides, actuators - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A rolling bearing apparatus includes a bearing main body having an outer ring that is a fixed ring and an inner ring that is a rotating ring, the outer ring and the inner ring being concentrically provided, and a plurality of rolling elements provided between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a control unit having a vibration detector attached to the outer ring and a calculation unit that calculates a value for vibration of the bearing main body and a rotation speed thereof based on a detection signal from the vibration detector. The calculation unit calculates the rotation speed based on frequency components of vibration obtained from the detection signal and the number of vibrations inherent in the bearing main body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rolling bearing apparatus comprising: a bearing main body having a fixed ring and a rotating ring that are concentrically provided and a plurality of rolling elements provided between the fixed ring and the rotating ring; a vibration detector attached to the fixed ring; and a control unit that includes a calculation unit for calculating value for vibration of the bearing main body, wherein: the vibration detector inputs a voltage signal, which serves as a detection signal corresponding to the vibration of the bearing main body, to the control unit, the calculation unit samples the input voltage signal to determine a waveform, and executes frequency analysis on the waveform to obtain frequency components, the calculation unit stores at least one number of excitations, the calculation unit obtains peak frequencies from the frequency components and divides each of the peak frequencies by the number of excitations to determine rotation speeds for the respective number of excitations, and the calculation unit compares the rotation speeds calculated for the respective number of excitations with one another, and the calculation unit determines that the respective rotation speed is the rotation speed of the bearing main body if the comparison is equal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first detection unit for detecting an abnormality based on an amplitude at a peak frequency obtained from the frequency components. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a second detection unit for detecting an area where the abnormality has occurred based on one of the peak frequencies, the one of the peak frequencies being indicative of the amplitude used by the first detection unit to detect the abnormality and the rotation speed calculated by the calculation unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the vibration detector generates power using the detection signal, and the rolling bearing apparatus further comprises a battery configured to store the power generated by the vibration detector. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the vibration detector generates power using the detection signal, and the rolling bearing apparatus further comprises a battery configured to store the power generated by the vibration detector. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a lubrication unit for lubricating the bearing main body, wherein the lubrication unit performs an operation of lubricating the bearing main body using the power fed from the battery as a power source. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a lubrication unit for lubricating the bearing main body, wherein the lubrication unit performs an operation of lubricating the bearing main body using the power fed from the battery as a power source. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the vibration detector generates power using the detection signal, and the rolling bearing apparatus further comprises a battery configured to store the power generated by the vibration detector. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a lubrication unit for lubricating the bearing main body, wherein the lubrication unit performs an operation of lubricating the bearing main body using the power fed from the battery as a power source. ### Claim 10 A detection method for detecting an abnormality in a rolling bearing, the detection method comprising: calculating a value for vibration of the rolling bearing and a rotation speed of the rolling bearing based on a detection signal from a vibration detector, the vibration detector being attached to a fixed ring that is concentrically provided in the rolling bearing together with a rotating ring; and detecting abnormality in the rolling bearing, wherein: calculating the value for vibration and the rotation speed includes calculating the rotation speed based on frequency components of the vibration and the number of vibrations inherent in the rolling bearing, and detecting the abnormality includes detecting the abnormality based on an amplitude at a peak frequency obtained from the frequency components. ### Claim 11 A rolling bearing apparatus comprising: a bearing main body having a fixed ring and a rotating ring that are concentrically provided and a plurality of rolling elements provided between the fixed ring and the rotating ring; a vibration detector attached to the fixed ring; and a calculation unit for calculating a value for vibration of the bearing main body, wherein: the vibration detector inputs a voltage signal, which serves as a detection signal corresponding to the vibration of the bearing main body, to the control unit, the calculation unit samples the input voltage signal to determine a waveform, and executes frequency analysis on the waveform to obtain frequency components, the calculation unit stores at least one number of excitations, the calculation unit rectifies the voltage signal received from the vibration detector to obtain a DC output and determines a range of rotation speeds from the voltage of the DC output, and the calculation unit divides each of the peak frequencies by one pre-stored number of excitations to determine rotations speeds and to determine one of the rotation speeds that corresponds to the range to be the rotation speed of the bearing main body. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a first detection unit for detecting an abnormality based on an amplitude at a peak frequency obtained from the frequency components. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: a second detection unit for detecting an area where the abnormality has occurred based on one of the peak frequencies, the one of the peak frequencies being indicative of the amplitude used by the first detection unit to detect the abnormality and the rotation speed calculated by the calculation unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein: the vibration detector generates power using the detection signal, and the rolling bearing apparatus further comprises a battery configured to store the power generated by the vibration detector. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: a lubrication unit for lubricating the bearing main body, wherein the lubrication unit performs an operation of lubricating the bearing main body using the power fed from the battery as a power source. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: the vibration detector generates power using the detection signal, and the rolling bearing apparatus further comprises a battery configured to store the power generated by the vibration detector. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: a lubrication unit for lubricating the bearing main body, wherein the lubrication unit performs an operation of lubricating the bearing main body using the power fed from the battery as a power source. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: the vibration detector generates power using the detection signal, and the rolling bearing apparatus further comprises a battery configured to store the power generated by the vibration detector. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The rolling bearing apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising: a lubrication unit for lubricating the bearing main body, wherein the lubrication unit performs an operation of lubricating the bearing main body using the power fed from the battery as a power source.