Rolling-element bearing unit for a motor vehicle wheel or a motorbike rocker arm
AssigneeAktiebolaget Skf
InventorsHenning Kern, Michael Emmert, Tom Schmitz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rolling-element bearing unit for use in a motor vehicle wheel or in a motorbike rocker arm includes outer and inner raceway elements and a set of rolling elements between the inner and outer raceway elements such that the inner and outer raceway elements are pivotable or rotatable relative to each other and also a lubricant reservoir body in the bearing interior for storing and dispensing a lubricant, the body including bridge elements extending between adjacent pairs of the rolling elements and a side ring connecting the bridge elements.
Claims14
A rolling-element bearing unit comprising:
- an outer raceway element,
- an inner raceway element,
- a set of rolling elements disposed between the inner and outer raceway elements such that the inner and outer raceway elements are pivotable or rotatable relative to each other, and
- a cage comprising:
- a first cage forming a lubricant reservoir for storing and dispensing a lubricant, the first cage including bridge elements extending between the rolling elements and at least one side ring connecting the bridge elements;
- and
- a second cage formed from metal or plastic, the first cage at least partially enclosing the second cage,
- wherein the inner bearing ring and the outer bearing ring define a space containing the plurality of rolling elements and the lubricant reservoir, a first seal acts between the inner bearing ring and the outer bearing ring to seal one side of the space and a second seal acts between the inner bearing ring and the outer bearing ring to seal a second side of the space wherein the first and second seal each, in combination with the lubricant reservoir, define an empty gap which extends from an outer surface of the inner bearing ring to an inner surface of the outer bearing ring, and
- wherein the cage occupies greater than 80% of the space that is not occupied by the plurality of rolling elements.
A rolling-element bearing unit comprising:
- an outer raceway element,
- an inner raceway element,
- a set of rolling elements disposed between the inner and outer raceway elements such that the inner and outer raceway elements are pivotable or rotatable relative to each other, and
- a cage comprising:
- a first cage forming a lubricant reservoir for storing and dispensing a lubricant, the first cage including bridge elements extending between the rolling elements and at least one side ring connecting the bridge elements,
- wherein the inner bearing ring and the outer bearing ring define a space containing the plurality of rolling elements and the lubricant reservoir, a first seal acts between the inner bearing ring and the outer bearing ring to seal one side of the space and a second seal acts between the inner bearing ring and the outer bearing ring to seal a second side of the space, and
- wherein the first cage occupies greater than 80% of the space that is not occupied by the plurality of rolling elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.