Linear motion ball bearing
AssigneeSKF Industrial Trading and Development Company, B.V.
InventorAlfred Hoffmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ball bearing wherein each holder has only one oval-shaped race and a plate-like bearing surface member formed as a gutter-like circulating bearing surface conforming to the oval shape with four ball holders situated in the housing such that the bearing surface members run obliquely outward toward one another so that the straight race sections for the balls absorbing the load at one edge and the other straight race sections at the other edge run essentially along the ribs of two rectangular parallelpipeds having different cross-sectional dimensions.
Claims19
In a linear motion ball bearing including a housing with a passage for a shaft having a generally rectangular cross-section having four parallel edges, in which housing are situated at least four ball holders, each of which consists of a plate-like member and a cage member arranged thereon, which between them form at least one oval-shaped raceway for a circulating row of balls, which raceway consists of two straight sections running parallel to one another and two curved sections connecting the ends of these straight sections, and the cage member has a slot-like opening such that the load-bearing balls travelling in at least one of the straight sections of the raceway project partially through this opening in order to come into contact with the shaft, the improvement wherein each plate-like member of each ball holder defines therein a channel-shaped circulating bearing surface, the four ball holders being situated in the housing such that the bearing surfaces run obliquely outward toward one another, so that the straight race sections for load-bearing balls at two adjacent edges of said shaft and the corresponding straight race sections for unloaded balls extend essentially along the ribs of two rectangular parllelepipeds having unlike cross-sectional dimensions.
In a linear motion ball bearing including a central shaft of generally rectangular cross-section, a housing at least partially surrounding said shaft, a plurality of endless raceways for balls formed between said shaft and said housing, and cage means for guiding the balls in each raceway, the improvement wherein (a) said shaft has two pairs of opposite walls whose intersections define parallel longitudinal edge areas, each defining a straight bearing surface operable as an inner race for loaded balls of one raceway, (b) said bearing further comprising a plate-like ball holder situated intermediate said housing and each of said inner races, each ball holder having formed therein a generally oval channel comprising two parallel straight sections and two curved sections connecting the ends of said straight sections, one of said straight sections operable as an outer race bearing surface adjacent and co-operating with each of said inner races, the other straight section of each channel being a return race for unloaded balls, (c) said oval channel in each of said ball holders defining a raceway plane which is oriented askew to said shaft walls, whereby the loaded races of two adjacent ball holders define sides of a first parallelogram, and the return races of said adjacent ball holders define sides of a second parallelogram, having width different from that of the first parallelogram.
In a linear motion ball bearing including a central shaft, a housing at least partially surrounding said shaft, a plurality of endless raceways for balls formed between said shaft and said housing, and cage means for guiding the balls in each raceway, the improvement wherein (a) said shaft defines thereon parallel longitudinal edge areas, each defining a straight bearing surface operable as an inner race for loaded balls of one raceway, (b) said bearing further comprising a plate-like ball holder situated intermediate said housing and each of said inner races, each ball holder having formed therein a generally oval channel comprising two parallel straight sections and two curved sections connecting the ends of said straight sections, one of said straight sections operable as an outer race bearing surface adjacent and co-operating with each of said inner races, the other straight section of each channel being a return race for unloaded balls, (c) said oval channel in each of said ball holders defining a raceway plane which is oriented generally perpendicular to a plane through the mid-points of load-bearing balls and through the line of contact of said balls with said inner race.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.