# US 10,865,834 B2 · Sealing structure with annular pocket and sealing device

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- Number: US 10,865,834 B2
- Document ID: US10865834B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/194,716
- Filed: 2018-11-19
- Published: 2019-04-18
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-18
- Assignees: Nok Corporation
- Applicants: Nok Corporation
- Inventors: Yusuke Kamiya; Hiroki Matsui; Shinya Omoto; Toru Nakashima; Hirotaka Mizuta
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865834B2

## CPC

- F16C 33/7876: {with sealing lips}
- F16C 19/186: {with three raceways provided integrally on parts other than race rings, e.g. third generation hubs}
- F16C 33/7826: {of the opposing surface cooperating with the seal, e.g. a shoulder surface of a bearing ring}
- F16C 33/805: {in addition to other sealings, e.g. dirt guards to protect sealings with sealing lips}
- F16J 15/3232: having two or more lips
- F16J 15/447: Labyrinth packings
- F16C 19/364: {with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone}
- F16C 33/76: of ball or roller bearings
- F16C 33/7879: {with a further sealing ring}
- F16C 2240/30: Angles, e.g. inclinations
- F16C 2326/02: Wheel hubs or castors
- F16C 2361/61: Toothed gear systems, e.g. support of pinion shafts
- F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16J: PISTONS {(specially adapted for dampers F16F9/32)}; CYLINDERS; SEALINGS

## Abstract

A sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device includes an annular pocket and a sealing device. The pocket is provided in a slinger, and the sealing device is attached to a housing of a differential device. The slinger is arranged on an output shaft of the differential device. A recessed part of the pocket is defined by an inner peripheral tubular portion, an outer peripheral tubular portion and a bottom portion of the slinger. The outer peripheral surface of the pocket is formed in the outer peripheral tubular portion of the slinger. The outer peripheral surface of the pocket increases in diameter toward the outside in an axis direction. A side lip of the sealing device extends in the outward direction, and an annular gap is formed between the side lip and the pocket.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device,
wherein the annular pocket has an outer peripheral surface having an annular shape around an axis and extending along the axis, forms a recessed part which has an annular shape around the axis and is recessed to one side in a direction of the axis, and is provided to a shaft member that penetrates through a through-hole of an attachment target portion to which the sealing device is attached, and is rotatable around the axis, or a functional member attached to the shaft member;
the sealing device includes a seal lip having an annular shape around the axis, and a side lip which has an annular shape around the axis and extends to the one side in the direction of the axis, and is attached to the through-hole of the attachment target portion to perform sealing between the shaft member or the functional member and the through-hole;
the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket increases in diameter toward the one side in the direction of the axis; and
in the sealing device attached to the attachment target portion, the seal lip is slidably in contact with the shaft member or the functional member directly or indirectly, and the side lip extends to the annular pocket to form an annular gap between the side lip and the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a slinger having an annular shape around the axis as the functional member, wherein
the annular pocket is provided to the slinger, and the slinger is a member having an annular shape around the axis, and is fitted and attached to the shaft member.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 2, wherein the slinger includes an inner peripheral tubular portion which is a cylindrical portion having an annular shape around the axis and extending along the axis, an outer peripheral tubular portion which is a cylindrical portion facing the inner peripheral tubular portion on an outer peripheral side, having an annular shape around the axis and extending along the axis, and a bottom portion which is a portion expanding between an end portion on the one side in the direction of the axis of the outer peripheral tubular portion and an end portion of the one side in the direction of the axis of the inner peripheral tubular portion, the recessed part is defined by the inner peripheral tubular portion, the outer peripheral tubular portion and the bottom portion, and the outer peripheral tubular portion has the outer peripheral surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 2, wherein the attachment target portion is a housing of a differential device, and the shaft member is an output shaft of the differential device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the annular pocket is provided to a hub of a hub bearing as the shaft member, and the attachment target portion is an outer ring of the hub bearing.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a slinger having an annular shape around the axis as the functional member, wherein the annular pocket is provided to the slinger, the shaft member is a hub of a hub bearing, the attachment target portion is an outer ring of the hub bearing, and the slinger is fitted to the hub.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 6, wherein the recessed part is formed in the slinger.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the annular pocket is provided to a flywheel as the functional member, and the shaft member is a crankshaft.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a disc-shaped plate member as the functional member, wherein the annular pocket is provided to the plate member, and the plate member is interposed between a crankshaft as the shaft member and a flywheel as the functional member to cover an end portion on one side in the direction of the axis of the crankshaft from an outer periphery side at the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket, thereby forming the recessed part.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 9, wherein the plate member has a disc portion which is a disc-shaped portion, an outer peripheral tubular portion which is a cylindrical portion extends from an end portion on the outer periphery side of the disc portion along the axis, and the outer peripheral surface is formed in the outer peripheral tubular portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the side lip forms the annular gap between the side lip and an end portion on another side in the direction of the axis of the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the side lip faces the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket to form the annular gap between the side lip and the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, wherein a diameter-increasing angle which is an angle of the diameter-increasing outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket with respect to the axis ranges from not less than 4° to not more than 18°.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 1, wherein a gap angle difference which is a difference between a diameter-increasing angle which is an angle of the diameter-increasing outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket with respect to the axis and an inclination angle which is an angle of the side lip with respect to the axis ranges from not less than 1.0° to not more than 11.0°.

### Claim 15

A sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device, wherein the annular pocket has an outer peripheral surface having an annular shape around an axis and extending along the axis, forms a recessed part which has an annular shape around the axis and is recessed to one side in a direction of the axis, and is provided to a shaft member that penetrates through a through-hole of an attachment target portion to which the sealing device is attached, and is rotatable around the axis, or a functional member attached to the shaft member;
the sealing device includes a seal lip having an annular shape around the axis, and a side lip which is has an annular shape around the axis and extends to the one side in the direction of the axis, and is attached to the through-hole of the attachment target portion to perform sealing between the shaft member or the functional member and the through-hole;
in the sealing device attached to the attachment target portion, the seal lip is slidably in contact with the shaft member or the functional member directly or indirectly, and the side lip extends to the annular pocket to form an annular gap between the side lip and the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket; and
the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket increases in diameter toward the one side in the direction of the axis, and includes at least one foreign matter discharge groove as a groove which extends from the one side to another side in the direction of the axis and is recessed in an outer peripheral direction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 15, wherein a bottom portion which is a portion on an outer peripheral side of the foreign matter discharge groove extends along the axis in a radial direction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 16, wherein the foreign matter discharge groove extends so that the bottom portion departs from the axis in the radial direction from the one side toward the other side in the direction of the axis.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 15, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket has a plurality of foreign matter discharge grooves at equiangular intervals in a circumferential direction.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 15, wherein the side lip forms the annular gap between the side lip and an end portion on the other side of the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 15, wherein the side lip faces the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket to form the annular gap between the side lip and the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 15, further comprising a torsional damper as the functional member to which the annular pocket is provided, wherein the torsional damper includes a hub, a mass body that has an annular shape around an axis and covers the hub on an outer periphery, and a damper elastic body that is arranged between the hub and the mass body to elastically connect the hub and the mass body, the hub is inserted into the through-hole of the attachment target portion, whereby the torsional damper is attached to one end of a shaft member, the hub includes a boss portion having an annular shape around the axis, a rim portion having an annular shape around the axis and positioned on an outer periphery of the boss portion, and a disc-shaped disc portion for connecting the boss portion and the rim portion, and the annular pocket is provided on an outer periphery side of the boss portion in the hub.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The sealing structure with an annular pocket and a sealing device according to claim 21, wherein the hub has an accessory ring member which is an annular member detachably attached to the boss portion of the hub, and the outer peripheral surface of the annular pocket is formed in the accessory ring member.