Automatically tiltable small roller structure of slide bearing type

An automatically tiltable small roller structure of slide bearing support type, the structure comprising:

• a small roller including an elastic rubber cylinder and a sleeve integral with the inner periphery of said elastic rubber cylinder, said sleeve composed mainly of polytetrafluoroethylene;
• a shaft fitted in said small roller, said shaft being provided with an annular groove located at a middle point between the opposite ends of said roller, said shaft being provided with a pair of first tapered surface portions on the opposite sides of said groove and adjacent the opposite ends of the roller, with the diameter of the first tapered surface portion becoming greater toward the groove;
• a plurality of bearing balls fitted in said groove, said bearing balls being provided such that they are in rolling contact with the inner periphery of said small roller and the outer periphery of said shaft in said groove, said groove having a depth such that said bearing balls project slightly from said groove, so that a small gap is formed between the inner periphery of said roller and the outer periphery of said shaft, said gap allowing said roller to tilt relatively in the shaft at an angle in a range of 0.5.degree. to 5.degree.;
• and
• a pair of flanges provided at opposite ends of said shaft and having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of the small roller, said flange being provided with a second tapered surface portion on its end surface, said second tapered surface portion being formed at right angles to a generation line of the first tapered surface portion, whereby an inner periphery portion of the roller on one side of said bearing balls and another inner periphery portion of the roller on the other side of said balls can come into sliding contact with each of said first tapered surface portions of the shaft alternately, and end surfaces of said roller also come into sliding contact with said second tapered surface portion of the flange.

An automatically tiltable small roller structure of slide bearing type, the structure comprising:

• a small roller including an elastic rubber cylinder and a sleeve integral with the inner periphery of said elastic rubber cylinder, said sleeve being composed mainly of polytetrafluoroethylene and having an annular groove provided at a middle point between the opposite ends of said roller;
• a shaft fitted in said small roller, said shaft having a flange surface provided at each end of the shaft;
• and
• a plurality of bearing balls fitted in said groove, said bearing balls being provided such that they are in rolling contact with the inner periphery of said groove in said sleeve and with an outer periphery of said shaft, said groove having a depth such that the bearings project inwardly slightly from the groove, so that a slight gap is formed between the inner periphery of said small roller and the outer periphery of said shaft, so that an inner periphery portion of the roller on one side of said bearing balls and another inner periphery portion of said roller on the other side of said balls can come into sliding contact with the outer periphery of the shaft alternately, whereby the axes of the roller and the shaft are made slightly tiltable relative to each other by an angle of about 0.5.degree.-5.degree..