AU2005211528A1 - Needle bearing roller wheels - Google Patents

Description

P001 Section 29 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Needle bearing roller wheels The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: O NEEDLE BEARING ROLLER WHEELS N The present invention relates to improvements in roller wheels of the type a used to support sliding doors, windows or similar panels from either below, above or both for sliding or translational movement in the plane of the door, window or similar panel.

Roller wheels of the aforementioned kind typically comprise a wheel body (0 Ctypically of a suitable hard wearing moulded plastics material having a peripheral rolling track surface configured to engage a stationary track in use, the roller Cwheel further including a bearing, such as a ball or roller bearing having an inner and an outer race with the balls rollers operably disposed therebetween, and a inner shaft member such that the inner race of the bearing is supported on a shaft section of the inner shaft member and the outer race of the bearing is located within a bore of the wheel body.

The objective of the present invention is to increase the load carrying capacity of such roller wheels while enabling a decrease in the overall diameter of such assemblies and to also provide a novel method of manufacturing such assemblies.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a roller wheel including a wheel body with an internal bore having a first section with an axial length of uniform diameter, a needle bearing having an outer race and a plurality of needle bearing members, the outer race having an outer diameter and an axial length configured to locate within said first section of the internal bore of said wheel body, and a central shaft member having a first outer region engaging the needle bearing members of said needle bearing. Preferably, the roller wheel has a radially inwardly extending lip formation located at least one axial end of the first section of the internal bore of the wheel body, said lip formation permitting the outer race of the needle bearing to be pressed axially into engagement with the first section of the bore while inhibiting relative movement in an opposite direction.

Preferred features of the aforesaid roller wheel may be as defined in claims 3 to 14 inclusive annexed hereto, the subject matter of these claims being hereby included in the disclosure of this specification by this reference thereto.

In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, a method of conveniently manufacturing a roller wheel including a needle bearing is provided, 2 O the method including providing a wheel body with an internal bore having a first N section with an axial length of uniform diameter and a radially inwardly extending alip formation at at least one axial end of said first section of the internal bore, axially pressing a needle bearing assembly with an outer bearing race in a first direction past said lip formation so as to position said outer bearing race within said first section of the internal bore of the wheel body with said lip formation 00 Cinhibiting reverse axial movement opposite to said first direction, and positioning a central shaft member through said needle bearing assembly whereby needle bearing members of said needle bearing assembly operationally engage an outer shaft surface of said central shaft member. Conveniently, the central shaft member is positioned after the needle bearing has been assembled with the wheel body.

The configuration of a roller wheel as described above and the method of manufacturing same set out in the preceding paragraph, enables a needle bearing to be used in the structure of such roller wheel assemblies which provides, by its nature, greater load carrying capabilities while also reducing the diametric size of such roller wheel assemblies.

One preferred embodiment will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 is an exploded view of a roller wheel assembly according to one preferred embodiment of this invention; Fig 2 is an edge elevation view of an assembled version of the roller wheel assembly shown in Fig 1; Fig 3 is a side face elevation view of the roller wheel assembly shown in Fig 2 (from direction Ill); Fig 4 is a side elevation of one part of a central shaft used in the assembly of Figs 1 to 3; Fig 5 is a cross-section view of Fig 4 along line A-A; Figs 6 and 7 are end views of the shaft part shown in Fig 4 from opposed ends; Fig 8 is a side elevation of a second part of the central shaft used in the assembly of Figs 1 to 3; Fig 9 is one end view of the shaft part shown in Fig 8; Fig 10 is a face elevation view of a moulded wheel body used in the cl assembly of Figs 1 to 3; SFig 11 is a section view along line A-A of Fig 10; and Fig 12 is a detailed view of area B of Fig 11.

Referring to the annexed drawings, a roller wheel assembly 10 is shown including a wheel body 11, typically made of a moulded hard wearing plastics c material, a needle bearing 12 having an outer needle race 13 and a plurality of needle bearing members (not illustrated) held by the outer needle race 13, and a Scentral shaft 14 made up of a first shaft part 15 engageable with a second part 16. The wheel body 11 (see Fig 11) has a central rotational axis 17 and an outer Speripheral rolling track surface 18 of any desired configuration. The wheel body 11 has a central bore section 19 co-axial with the rotational axis 17 which is terminated at one end by radially inwardly extending flange 20 with an inner edge surface 21 cylindrically formed coaxially with the rotational axis 17. The central bore section 19 is terminated at its opposed end by a lip formation 22 with an outwardly facing surface 23 that is inclined to the axis 17 and forms a frustoconical surface with an inner edge 37 having a diameter less than that of the bore section 19. The configuration is such that the outer race 13 of the needle bearing 12 can be pressed axially past the frusto-conical surface 23 so as to be seated in the bore section 19 while the lip formation 22 inhibits movement of the outer race 13 in an opposite direction. The outer race 13 is also prevented from moving beyond the bore section 19 by engagement at the other end with the flange Thus the needle bearing 12 is operationally retained with the wheel body 11. It will of course be appreciated that the flange 20 might be replaced with a second lip formation similar to the lip formation 22. Such an arrangement would permit the bearing 12 to be pressed into the bore section 19 from either axial end.

The central shaft 14 is conveniently made in two parts 15 and 16, each of which has a stub spigot 24 at outer ends thereof adapted, in use, to be clipped or snap fitted into a recess in a support or the like. The shaft part 15 has an axially extending shaft section 25 terminating at a free end with a conical formation 26, a section 27 of substantially uniform diameter and a frusto-conical section 28 at or adjacent a peripheral flange 29 having an inclined outer edge surface 30 forming a frusto-conical shape. The second shaft part 16 has a blind bore 31 with a 0 section of uniform diameter 32, a conical recess 33 at its inner end and a frustoc conical surface 34 at its open mouth. The shaft part 16 also includes a radially Soutwardly extending flange 35 with a cylindrical outer edge surface 36 complementary in configuration and dimension to fit just within the edge 21 of the flange 20 on the wheel body 11. In the case where the flange 20 is replaced with a second lip formation 22, the flange 35 on the shaft part 16 might be configured 00 c similarly to the flange 29 on the first shaft part The angle of the shaft part end 26, the frusto-conical surface 28, and the C peripheral edge surface 30 are respectively complementary to the recess 33, and the surface 34 on the second shaft part 16, and to the outwardly facing surface 23 Sof the lip formation 22 on the wheel body 11. The shaft section 27 of uniform diameter (may be knurled) is configured to form an interference fit with the bore section 32 of the second shaft part 16 such that when the two parts are pressed together, they form a complete shaft 14 that in normal use stays as a unitary assembly. When assembled in this manner, the needle bearing members of the needle bearing 12 engage operationally on the cylindrical outer surface 38 of the second shaft part 16. In this manner the roller wheel assembly is constructed in an operationally effective manner, inexpensively and whereby increased load carrying capacity can be achieved with a decreased outer diametric size.

Claims (12)

1. 2. A roller wheel according to claim 1 wherein a radially inwardly extending lip c formation is located at at least one axial end of the first section of the internal bore of the wheel body, said lip formation permitting the outer race of the needle bearing to be pressed axially into engagement with the first section of the bore while inhibiting relative movement in an opposite direction.
2. 3. A roller wheel according to claim 2 wherein a said lip formation is located at either opposed ends of the first section of the bore.
3. 4. A roller wheel according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the or each said lip formation has an outwardly facing surface or surfaces forming an angle of between 200 and 400 (preferably 300) to the axis of the wheel body. A roller wheel according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the or each said lip formation is circumferentially continuous with the outwardly facing surface forming a frusto-conical surface.
4. 6. A roller wheel according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the or each said lip formation is discontinuous circumferentially.
5. 7. A roller wheel according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the lip formation has an inwardly facing surface conforming to the outer race of the needle bearing. S8. A roller wheel according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein one said lip formation exists and said central shaft includes a first radially outwardly extending a flange with a peripheral edge surface inclined to the axis at the same angle as said outwardly facing surface or surfaces of said lip formation whereby said peripheral edge surface and the outwardly facing surface or surfaces of the lip formation are located closely adjacent one another.
6. 9. A roller wheel according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein two axially spaced N said lip formations are provided, said central shaft having axially spaced radially Ooutwardly extending flanges each with a peripheral edge surface inclined to a rotational axis of the wheel body, the angle of inclination of said peripheral edge surfaces being the same as the outwardly facing surfaces of said lip formations whereby said peripheral edge surfaces and said outwardly facing surfaces of the lip formations are located closely adjacent one another. A roller wheel according to claim 8 wherein a second radially outwardly extending flange is provided axially spaced from said first flange, said second flange having a cylindrical peripheral edge surface cooperable with a similarly formed inwardly facing edge surface of a flange formation on said wheel body.
7. 11. A roller wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein said central shaft is formed in two parts, a first of said two parts having an axially extending shaft section and a second of said two parts having an axially extending bore whereby the shaft section is engageable in the bore with an interference fit with said two parts being held together and engaged by said interference fit.
8. 12. A roller wheel according to claim 11 wherein the shaft section terminates in a conical formation engageable with a complementary conical recess at a blind end of said bore in the second part of said central shaft.
9. 13. A roller wheel according to claim 11 or claim 12 wherein the shaft section has a frusto-conical formation distant from its free end, the frusto-conical formation on said shaft section being engageable with a complementary shaped frusto-conical shaped portion of the bore of said second section at or adjacent a mouth of said bore. 00 (Ni
10. 14. A roller wheel according to claim 13 wherein the shaft section of the first Spart of the central shaft has a shaft region between its free end and said frusto- conical section that is knurled and is adapted to interference fit with a region of c the bore of said second part of the central shaft.
11. 15. A method of manufacturing a roller wheel including a needle bearing, said method including providing a wheel body with an internal bore having a first section with an axial length of uniform diameter and a radially inwardly extending lip formation at at least one axial end of said first section of the internal bore, axially pressing a needle bearing assembly with an outer bearing race in a first direction past said lip formation so as to position said outer bearing race within said first section of the internal bore of the wheel body with said lip formation inhibiting reverse axial movement opposite to said first direction, and positioning a central shaft member through said needle bearing assembly whereby needle bearing members of said needle bearing assembly operationally engage an outer shaft surface of said central shaft member.
12. 16. A roller wheel substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 14th day of September 2005 ANTHONY INNOVATIONS PTY LTD WATERMARK PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA P24635AU00