# US 11,306,774 B2 · Tapered roller bearing

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,306,774 B2
- Document ID: US11306774B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/979,041
- Filed: 2019-03-08
- Published: 2021-02-25
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2018-03-09
- Assignees: Nsk Ltd.
- Applicants: Nsk Ltd.
- Inventors: Makoto Zembutsu; Hiroaki Yamanaka; Tomoyuki Miyazaki; Hiroki Maejima
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306774B2

## CPC

- F16C 19/364: {with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone}
- F16C 19/26: with a single row of rollers
- F16C 33/1045: {Details of supply of the liquid to the bearing}
- F16C 33/1065: {Grooves on a bearing surface for distributing or collecting the liquid}
- F16C 33/4635: {made from plastic, e.g. injection moulded window cages}
- F16C 33/4682: {of the end walls, e.g. interaction with the end faces of the rollers}
- F16C 33/66: Special parts or details in view of lubrication
- F16C 33/6651: {in recesses or cavities provided in retainers, races or rolling elements}
- F16C 33/366: {Tapered rollers, i.e. rollers generally shaped as truncated cones}
- F16C 2240/30: Angles, e.g. inclinations
- F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS

## Abstract

A holder of a tapered roller bearing is made of a resin, has a first gap between an axially inner end surface of a small-diameter-side annular part and small-diameter-side end surfaces of tapered rollers, has a second gap between an axially inner end surface of a large-diameter-side annular part and large-diameter-side end surfaces of the tapered rollers, and is provided to be capable of moving within a prescribed range along the axial direction. The surface of the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part is rough, the large-diameter-side annular part is provided with one or more grooves which are oil-holding parts that hold the lubricating oil, and ends of the grooves are positioned to be capable of coming into contact with the tapered rollers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A tapered roller bearing, comprising:
an outer ring including an outer ring raceway surface on an inner circumferential surface, an inner ring including an inner ring raceway surface on an outer circumferential surface, a plurality of tapered rollers rotatably provided between the outer ring raceway surface and the inner ring raceway surface, and a holder for holding the plurality of tapered rollers at substantially equal intervals in a circumferential direction, wherein
the holder includes a large-diameter-side annular part, a small-diameter-side annular part coaxially arranged with the large-diameter-side annular part, a plurality of column parts provided at substantially equal intervals in a circumferential direction and axially connecting the large-diameter-side annular part and the small-diameter-side annular part, and a pocket formed between the column parts adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction to hold the tapered roller to be capable of rolling,
the holder is made of resin, includes a first gap between the axially inner end surface of the small-diameter-side annular part and the small-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller, includes a second gap between the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part and the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller, and is movable within a predetermined range along the axial direction,
among surfaces of the large-diameter-side annular part, at least the axially inner end surface is rough,
the large-diameter-side annular part is provided with an oil retaining part retaining a lubricating oil, and
when the holder is axially moved toward the small-diameter-side of the tapered roller, the oil retaining part comes into contact with the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller, and when the holder is axially moved toward the large-diameter-side of the tapered roller, the oil retaining part is separated away from the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller
the oil retaining part includes any one of one groove, a plurality of grooves, and a plurality of holes that has a fine shape configured to retain the lubricating oil by action of capillary force, and
the oil retaining part supplies the lubricating oil stored therein to the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller by the action of the capillary force with the large-diameter-side end surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein
an end of the groove or an end of the hole, which is contactable with the tapered roller, is arranged on the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part, in a projection plane of the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller on the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part, and
the groove or the hole supplies lubricating oil to the tapered roller from the end of the groove or the end of the hole that is connected with the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 2, wherein a corner between the groove capable of retaining the lubricating oil and the axially inner end surface of the large- diameter-side annular part has a sharp edge.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 2, wherein a groove bottom corner in a radial cross-section of the groove capable of retaining the lubricating oil is in an arc shape, and
the arc shape of the groove bottom corner includes a maximum arc portion of radius set to ¼ to ½ of a radial width of the groove.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 4, wherein a radius of the arc shape of the groove bottom corner in the radial cross-section of the groove is decreased from a center toward the end of the groove.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 2, wherein a depth of the end of the groove is smaller than a depth of a center of the groove.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 2, wherein a width of the groove end of the groove is smaller than a width of a center of the groove.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 2, wherein the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part is in a shape such that more than half of the ends of the grooves provided on the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part are contactable with the large-diameter side end surface of the tapered roller at the same time, in the projection plane of the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller on the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the holder has at least one of a structure in which an inner circumferential surface of the large-diameter-side annular part is radially guided by an outer circumferential surface of a large flange part of the inner ring, and a structure in which an inner circumferential surface of the small-diameter-side annular part is radially guided by an outer circumferential surface of a small flange part of the inner ring.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein an opening angle of a circumferential side surface of the column part configuring the pocket is set to 0 to 40 degrees.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part is in a concave spherical shape, and the large- diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller is in a convex spherical shape, and
when a radius of curvature of the concave spherical shape of the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part is SRy and a radius of curvature of the convex spherical shape of the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller is Ra, SRy=Ra±20% Ra is set.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part is in a concave shape along a circumferential direction or a radial direction, and the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller is in a convex spherical shape, and
when a radius of curvature of concave shape of the axially inner end surface of the large-diameter-side annular part along a circumferential direction or a radial direction is Rz, and a radius of curvature of convex spherical shape of the large-diameter-side end surface of the tapered roller is Ra, Rz=Ra±20% Ra is set.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the oil retaining part includes a stepped part capable of retaining lubricating oil.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is used under a lubricated environment where lubricating oil is intermittently supplied to inside of the bearing, or where there is an extremely small amount of lubricating oil in the bearing.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the axially inner end surface has a surface roughness of 3 μm to 20 μm in arithmetic mean roughness.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the axially inner end surface is rougher than a circumferential side surface of the column part.