JP2008267539A - Lubricant filling device and lubricant filling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide lubricant filling technology for stably filling a predetermined (adequate) amount of lubricant into a bearing irrespectively of the type of the lubricant and the filling amount. <P>SOLUTION: The lubricant filling device 2 is provided for filling the predetermined amount of lubricant into the bearing 10 which has bearing rings (an inner ring 12 and an outer ring 14) arranged opposing each other in a relatively rotatable manner, a plurality of rolling elements 16 rollingly incorporated between raceway grooves formed in the opposed faces of the bearing rings. It comprises rotating mechanisms (a rotating table 22 and a spindle 24) for relatively rotating the bearing rings, lubricant discharge mechanisms (a syringe 4, a nozzle 6 and a valve 8) for discharging the lubricant to the inside of the bearing, and rotating condition detecting mechanisms for detecting the rotating conditions of the bearing rings. The rotating condition detecting mechanisms (a load analyzing device 28 and a vibration analyzing device 56) detect the rotating conditions (loss torque and vibration property) of the bearing rings in the state in which the rotating mechanisms relatively rotate the bearing rings when the lubricant discharge mechanisms discharge the lubricant into the bearing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricant encapsulating apparatus and a lubricant encapsulating method capable of enclosing a predetermined amount of lubricant by jumping into a bearing regardless of the type of lubricant (for example, viscosity) or the amount of encapsulated lubricant. .

  Conventionally, various lubricant encapsulating techniques for encapsulating a lubricant (for example, oil, grease) inside a bearing are known. As an example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique in which a lubricant is brought into contact with the rolling element from the discharge port while the discharge port is sufficiently close to the rolling element. Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for transferring a lubricant by pressing a transfer pin holding a lubricant against a predetermined portion (for example, a ball) of a bearing. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 proposes a technique in which a lubricant is dropped between claws of a cage and the lubricant is placed on the cage and sealed. Furthermore, Patent Document 4 proposes a technique for encapsulating the lubricant by blowing it from the nozzle.

  By the way, in the technique of Patent Document 1, for example, depending on the type (for example, viscosity) of the lubricant, when the lubricant is brought into contact with the rolling element from the discharge port, the amount of lubricant remaining at the discharge port and the rolling element The amount of adhering lubricant is not constant, and the enclosed amount may vary within a certain range. Also in the technique of Patent Document 2, for example, depending on the type of lubricant (for example, viscosity), the amount of lubricant remaining attached to the transfer pin and the amount of lubricant transferred to the bearing are not constant, and are within a certain range. In some cases, the enclosed amount may vary. Furthermore, in the technique of Patent Document 3, for example, depending on the type of lubricant (for example, viscosity), the amount of lubricant dripping may vary within a certain range. Furthermore, in the technique of Patent Document 4, for example, depending on the type (for example, viscosity) of the lubricant, the direction in which the lubricant is skipped is not determined, and the amount of sealing may vary within a certain range.

  If the amount of the lubricant charged varies as described above, it becomes difficult to stably seal a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of the lubricant inside the bearing. In such a case, for example, the torque during rotation of the bearing (for example, during acceleration rotation or constant speed rotation) cannot be maintained constant, and as a result, it is difficult to maintain the rotational performance of the bearing constant over a long period of time. There is a risk of becoming. Such a problem becomes particularly noticeable when a small amount of lubricant is sealed.

Further, when excess lubricant exceeding a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) is sealed inside the bearing, a part of the lubricant may leak to the outside of the bearing or ooze out during rotation of the bearing. In this case, if the lubricant leaks or oozes out of the bearing in a usage state in which, for example, a swing arm of a hard disk drive (HDD) device is rotatably supported by the bearing, the inside of the HDD device is contaminated. .
JP 2000-193192 A JP 2004-286061 A JP 2003-156057 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-075897

  The present invention has been made to meet such demands, and its purpose is to stably encapsulate a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant inside the bearing regardless of the type of lubricant and the amount of encapsulation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lubricant encapsulation technique that can be applied.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention includes a plurality of raceways that are rotatably arranged between raceways that are arranged to face each other so as to be relatively rotatable, and raceway grooves that are respectively formed on opposing surfaces of the raceways. A lubricant enclosing device that encloses a predetermined amount of lubricant inside a bearing having rolling elements, a rotation mechanism for relatively rotating the raceway, and a lubricant discharging mechanism for discharging the lubricant toward the inside of the bearing And a rotation state detection mechanism for detecting the rotation state of the raceway. The rotation state detection mechanism is configured to cause the lubricant discharge mechanism to feed lubricant into the bearing in a state where the raceway is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism. The rotation state of the raceway at the time of discharge is detected.

  The present invention also provides a bearing comprising a bearing ring disposed so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and a plurality of rolling elements that are rotatably incorporated between raceway grooves respectively formed on opposing surfaces of the bearing ring. A method of encapsulating a predetermined amount of lubricant inside, in a state in which the bearing ring is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism, and when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing by the lubricant discharge mechanism, The rotation state is detected by a rotation state detection mechanism.

  In such an invention, the rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measuring unit that measures a change in loss torque of the bearing ring when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing while relatively rotating the bearing ring, and a measurement result of the load measuring unit. And a controller for controlling the lubricant discharge mechanism. In this case, when the measurement result of the load measurement unit satisfies a preset condition, the controller controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant.

  In the present invention, the rotation state detection mechanism detects the rotation state of the bearing ring of the bearing in which the lubricant is already sealed in a state in which the bearing ring is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism. In this case, the rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measurement unit that measures a loss torque of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated, and the load measurement unit is a raceway of the bearing in which the lubricant is already sealed. While measuring the loss torque of the raceway when the wheel is relatively rotated, it is determined whether or not the measurement result satisfies a preset condition, and based on the determination result that It is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount of lubricant is sealed in

  In the present invention, the rotation state detection mechanism includes a vibration measurement unit that measures a change in vibration characteristics of the raceway when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing while relatively rotating the raceway, and a measurement result of the vibration measurement unit. And a controller for controlling the lubricant discharge mechanism. In this case, the controller controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant when the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit satisfies a preset condition.

  In the present invention, the rotation state detection mechanism includes a vibration measurement unit that measures vibration characteristics of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated, and the vibration measurement unit is a bearing in which a lubricant is already enclosed. Measure the vibration characteristics of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated, determine whether the measurement result satisfies a preset condition, and based on the determination result It is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount of lubricant is sealed inside the bearing.

  The present invention is also a bearing in which a predetermined amount of lubricant is sealed by the lubricant sealing device and the lubricant sealing method, and the bearing rotatably supports the swing arm of the hard disk drive device. In this case, the bearing is a ball bearing in which balls are used as rolling elements, and the ball diameter is set to 1.2 mm or less. In addition, on the facing surface of the raceway, at least 1/3 of the area excluding each raceway groove is maintained in a dry state where no lubricant is present.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a lubricant encapsulation technique capable of stably encapsulating a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant in a bearing regardless of the type of lubricant and the amount of encapsulation. .

  Hereinafter, a lubricant enclosing apparatus and a lubricant enclosing method using the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, for example, an apparatus configuration for enclosing a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant with high accuracy with respect to a relatively small bearing that rotatably supports a swing arm of a hard disk drive device is assumed. In order to realize such an apparatus configuration, the “electromagnetic control type jet dispenser” of Saneitec Co., Ltd. is used.

  As an example of a device configuration using such a dispenser, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), a lubricant enclosure device 2 of the present embodiment includes a syringe 4 capable of containing a lubricant J under a predetermined pressure, A lubricant discharge mechanism is provided that includes at least one nozzle 6 provided in the syringe 4 and capable of discharging the lubricant J, and a valve 8 that is inserted into the syringe 4 and that can open and close the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6. Yes. According to such a lubricant discharge mechanism, the valve 8 is separated from the nozzle 6 at a predetermined timing, and the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 is opened, whereby a predetermined amount of the lubricant J is supplied from the tip opening 6t to the inside of the bearing 10. It can be thrown away and sealed.

  As the bearing 10, for example, a thrust bearing or a radial bearing can be applied. Here, a radial bearing is assumed as an example. The radial bearing 10 includes a raceway (an inner ring 12 and an outer ring 14) that are opposed to each other so as to be relatively rotatable, a plurality of rolling elements 16 that are rotatably incorporated between the inner and outer rings 12 and 14, And a cage 18 having a plurality of pockets 18p for rotatably holding the rolling elements 16 one by one. In this case, as the rolling element 16 incorporated in the bearing 10, for example, a ball or a roller can be applied. Here, for example, a ball bearing in which a ball having a ball diameter (diameter) of 1.2 mm or less is incorporated. Suppose.

  For example, a corrugated cage, a cage-shaped cage, a crown-shaped cage, or the like can be applied as the cage 18 that rotatably holds the rolling elements (balls) 16. Assume a vessel. The crown-shaped cage 18 is formed with a plurality of openings (not denoted by reference numerals) for inserting the rolling elements (balls) 16 in each pocket 18p, and a pair so as to partially cover each opening. The nail | claw part 18n protrudes in opposition, and the rolling element (ball) 16 inserted in the pocket 18p from the opening rotates without dropping in the state clamped in the pocket 18p by the pair of claw parts 18n. Held possible.

  With respect to such a bearing 10, the lubricant sealing device 2 has the tip opening 6 t of the nozzle 6 positioned vertically upward, and the lubricant J jumps from the tip opening 6 t vertically downward to the inside of the bearing 10. It comes to be enclosed in. More specifically, the valve 8 inserted and disposed in the syringe 4 is configured to be movable up and down in the directions of arrows S1 and S2, and is lowered in the direction of arrow S1 so that the valve tip 8t is seated in the nozzle 6. Thus, the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 can be closed by the valve tip 8t. At this time, the lubricant J accommodated in the syringe 4 is discharged from the tip opening 6t to the outside while maintaining a state in which the lubricant J is constantly pressed toward the tip opening 6t by the pressure applied in the syringe 4. There is no.

  In this state, when the valve 8 is raised in the arrow S2 direction at a predetermined timing and separated from the nozzle 6, the tip opening 6t is opened, so that the lubricant contained in the syringe 4 under a predetermined pressure After flowing into the gap between the valve tip 8t and the nozzle 6, J is discharged to the outside from the tip opening 6t. Subsequently, the valve 8 is lowered in the direction of the arrow S1 at a predetermined timing, and the valve tip 8t is seated in the nozzle 6 to close the tip opening 6t, thereby enclosing a predetermined amount of the lubricant J inside the bearing 10. Can be made.

  In such an enclosing operation, the lubricant J in the syringe 4 flows in a converged manner along the tapered nozzle 6, so that the pressure (hydraulic pressure) of the lubricant J in the vicinity of the tip opening 6t is further increased. For this reason, the lubricant J is discharged at a high speed from the tip opening 6t so that the lubricant J is released. Thus, since the lubricant J can be separated from the tip opening 6t by improving the speed of the lubricant J at a high speed, the amount of lubricant remaining on the tip opening 6t can be almost eliminated. it can. As a result, an amount of the lubricant J discharged from the tip opening 6t can be enclosed in the bearing 10 as it is. In other words, the discharge amount of the lubricant J discharged from the tip opening 6t can be matched with the amount of the lubricant J sealed in the bearing 10 with high accuracy and accuracy. As a result, the amount of the lubricant J enclosed in the bearing 10 can always be kept constant.

  Further, the amount of lubricant discharged from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 can be arbitrarily set according to the raising / lowering timing of the valve 8. For example, when a predetermined amount of the lubricant J is continuously discharged at a time, the valve 8 may be raised in the direction of the arrow S2 to open the tip opening 6t for a long time. On the other hand, when the predetermined amount of the lubricant J is intermittently discharged in a plurality of times, the valve 8 is lifted in the direction of the arrow S2 to set the state in which the tip opening 6t is opened short, The lifting / lowering operation 8 (opening / closing operation of the tip opening 6t) may be repeated a plurality of times. In any case, since a predetermined amount of the lubricant J can be released from the tip opening 6t toward the inside of the bearing 10 and sealed, the amount of the lubricant J sealed inside the bearing 10 is always kept constant. be able to.

  Note that when the lubricant J is discharged from the tip opening 6t, the gap between the valve tip 8t and the nozzle 6 in a state where the valve 8 is raised in the arrow S2 direction and separated from the nozzle 6 is, for example, the type of the lubricant J (Viscosity), and since it is arbitrarily set according to the use environment and purpose of use of the lubricant enclosure device 2, there is no particular numerical limitation here. In the drawing, both the valve tip 8t and the nozzle 6 are tapered along the same direction. The taper inclination angle is, for example, the type (viscosity) of the lubricant J or the lubricant sealing device. Since it is arbitrarily set according to the use environment and purpose of use 2, there is no particular numerical limitation here. Further, the opening diameter of the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 is arbitrarily set according to, for example, the type (viscosity) of the lubricant J, the use environment and the purpose of use of the lubricant enclosure device 2, and is particularly numerical here. There is no limitation.

  In addition, the lubricant enclosure device 2 is provided with an enclosure position detection sensor 20 capable of detecting the enclosure position of the lubricant J inside the bearing 10, whereby the lubricant J discharged from the tip opening 6 t of the nozzle 6 is provided. Can be accurately sealed toward the inside of the bearing 10. In this case, as the sealing position of the lubricant J, it is preferable to directly detect, for example, the lower position of the nozzle 6 or the tip opening 6t by the sealing position detection sensor 20. However, if the lower position of the nozzle 6 or the tip opening 6t cannot be directly detected due to the arrangement configuration of the peripheral devices or the restriction of the mounting space of the enclosure position detection sensor 20, it is necessary to detect another evenly arranged ball position. Thus, the enclosing position may be specified. Here, as an example, a configuration example in which the sealed position detection sensor 20 is arranged at a phase position shifted by two balls from the tip opening 6t is assumed.

  As the enclosure position detection sensor 20, for example, a commercially available CCD image sensor or a reflective photosensor may be applied to detect the enclosure position inside the bearing 10. As an example of such a detection method, as shown in FIG. 1A, the bearing 10 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R relative to the enclosing position detection sensor 20 to change the optical characteristics inside the bearing 10. To detect.

  For example, in a CCD image sensor, the internal configuration of the bearing 10 is captured as an optical image, and changes in the optical characteristics of the optical image are detected. Then, when the optical characteristics of the optical image coincide with the optical characteristics of the optical image at the sealed position measured in advance, it is detected that the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 is positioned facing the sealed position. At this time, a predetermined amount of the lubricant J is released from the front end opening 6t toward the sealing position and sealed. On the other hand, for example, in a reflection type photosensor, when light is emitted from a light emitting element, reflected light from the configuration inside the bearing 10 is received by the light receiving element, and the optical characteristics of the received light amount are detected. Then, when the optical characteristic of the received light amount coincides with the optical characteristic of the received light amount at the sealed position measured in advance, it is detected that the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 is positioned facing the sealed position. A predetermined amount of lubricant J is released and sealed from the front end opening 6t toward the position.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the lubricant enclosure device 2 of the present embodiment includes a rotation mechanism that relatively rotates the race rings (the inner ring 12 and the outer ring 14) in addition to the lubricant discharge mechanism described above. And a rotation state detection mechanism for detecting a rotation state of the raceway. Here, the rotating mechanism includes, for example, a rotating base 22 that rotatably supports the inner ring 12 and a spindle 24 that rotates the rotating base 22 at a predetermined speed. In this case, the rotation state of the outer ring 14 when the lubricant J is discharged into the bearing 10 by the above-described lubricant discharge mechanism in the state where the inner ring 12 is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism (the turntable 22, the spindle 24), It is detected by a rotation state detection mechanism.

  The rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measurement unit that measures a change in loss torque of the outer ring 14 when the lubricant J is discharged into the bearing 10 while rotating the inner ring 12 with respect to the outer ring 14, and a measurement result of the load measurement unit. And a controller 34 for controlling the lubricant discharge mechanism. Here, when the inner ring 12 is rotated, the rotational force at that time is transmitted to the outer ring 14 via a plurality of rolling elements (balls) 16 to try to rotate the outer ring 14. The turning torque is referred to as “loss torque of the outer ring 14”.

  The load measuring unit includes a load meter 26 that measures the loss torque of the outer ring 14 and a load analyzer 28 that performs a predetermined analysis process on the measurement value measured by the load meter 26. One end 30 a of the yarn 30 is fixed, and the other end 30 b is fixed to the outer ring 14. In this case, when the outer ring 14 is rotated by the rotation of the inner ring 12, the measuring thread 30 is pulled according to the torque at that time, and the tensile force at that time is measured by the load meter 26. At this time, in a state where the lubricant J is not discharged into the bearing, the loss torque of the outer ring 14 is a constant value. However, if the lubricant J is discharged by the lubricant discharge mechanism, the lubricant J enclosed in the bearing 10 is discharged. The loss torque changes according to the amount of sealing. Specifically, the loss torque increases as the amount of the lubricant J enclosed increases.

  However, since the change amount (that is, the increase amount) of the loss torque is very small, the measurement value output from the load meter 26 is also small. For this reason, the load measurement unit is provided with an amplifier 32, and the measurement value of the load meter 26 is amplified by the amplifier 32 and output to the load analyzer 28. As a result, the load analyzer 28 performs a highly accurate analysis process on the measurement value of the load cell 26.

  Further, the controller 34 controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant J when the measurement result of the load measurement unit satisfies a preset condition. Here, the measurement result of the load measurement unit is defined as an analysis result obtained by performing an analysis process on the measurement value of the load meter 26 in the load analyzer 28. In addition, the preset condition is that when a bearing for a sample (inner ring, outer ring, rolling element) is prepared and a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant is sealed inside the bearing, the inner ring is rotated. It is defined as a sample value obtained by measuring the loss torque due to the rotation of the outer ring.

  In this case, the amount of lubricant to be sealed in the sample bearing is set to an optimum amount according to, for example, the type and size of the bearing or the purpose of use and the use environment. For this reason, it is preferable to measure a sample value for each bearing in advance and store the measured value as a preset condition. For example, a built-in memory (not shown) of the load analyzer 28 or the controller 34 or another external memory can be applied as the storage location, but the built-in memory of the load analyzer 28 is assumed here as an example. To do.

Here, operation | movement of the lubricant enclosure device 2 of this Embodiment is demonstrated.
First, the spindle 24 is rotated in the direction of arrow R, and the inner ring 12 supported by the turntable 22 is rotated in the same direction at a constant speed. In this case, the rotational speed of the inner ring 12 is arbitrarily set depending on, for example, the type and size of the race rings (the inner ring 12 and the outer ring 14), the use purpose and the use environment of the ball bearing 10, and is not particularly limited here. . Then, while maintaining this state, the lubricant J is blown out (discharged) toward the inside of the bearing 10 by the lubricant discharge mechanism described above and sealed.

  Note that the discharge amount and discharge timing of the lubricant J are arbitrarily set according to the rotational speed of the inner ring 12 and the shapes and sizes of the inner and outer rings 12 and 14, for example, and are not particularly limited here. Further, with respect to the sealing position of the lubricant J, by aiming between the inner ring 12 and the outer ring 14, all the lubricant J that has jumped from the tip opening 6 t of the nozzle 6 is reliably sealed inside the bearing 10 without leakage. Can be made. In this case, between the inner ring 12 and the outer ring 14, a single surface of a plurality of rolling elements (balls) 16 and a side peripheral surface of a crown-shaped cage 18 that holds each rolling element (ball) 16 are exposed. However, it is preferable to discharge the lubricant J toward one of these surfaces.

  As an example, it is assumed here that the lubricant J is discharged toward one surface of each rolling element (ball) 16. In this case, in synchronization with the holding positions of the plurality of rolling elements (balls) 16, the lubricant J is discharged from the tip opening 6 t of the nozzle 6 and discharged. At this time, the holding position of each rolling element (ball) 16 is detected by the enclosed position detection sensor 20, and the lubricant J is intermittently released from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 in synchronization with the detection result. The lubricant J can be accurately encapsulated on one surface of each rolling element (ball) 16.

  As described above, when the lubricant J is intermittently released from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 and sealed in the bearing 10 while rotating the inner ring 12 at a constant speed in the direction of arrow R, the lubricant J is sealed. The loss torque changes according to the amount. That is, as the amount of the lubricant J enclosed increases, the loss torque increases, and the tensile force of the measurement yarn 30 increases accordingly. At this time, the load meter 26 measures a change (increase) in the tensile force in real time, and a change amount (increase amount) that is a measured value is amplified by the amplifier 32 and output to the load analyzer 28.

  In the load analyzer 28, a predetermined analysis process is performed on the measurement value of the load meter 26. Specifically, the measured value is compared with a preset condition (sample value), and when the condition is satisfied (that is, when the measured value reaches (matches) the sample value), that fact A signal is output from the load analyzer 28 to the controller 34. At this time, the controller 34 controls the lubricant discharge mechanism described above based on the output signal from the load analyzer 28 to stop the discharge of the lubricant J.

  By the way, the preset condition (sample value) is a measured value of loss torque in a state where a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing. In this case, when the measured value of the load cell 26 reaches (matches) the sample value (that is, when a preset condition is satisfied), a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing 10. It will be. Accordingly, in synchronization with this, by stopping the discharge of the lubricant J from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6, the ball bearing 10 in which a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of the lubricant J is sealed can be completed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the lubricant J is discharged so as to fly off from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6, so that the lubricant 10 can be disposed inside the bearing 10 regardless of the kind of the lubricant J or the amount of the encapsulated oil. A fixed amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J can be stably sealed. Thereby, the torque at the time of bearing rotation (for example, at the time of acceleration rotation and constant speed rotation) can be maintained constant. As a result, the ball bearing 10 capable of maintaining the rotational performance constant over a long period can be realized.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the lubricant J is encapsulated aiming at one surface of each rolling element (ball) 16, so that the lubricant J is opposed to the inner and outer rings 12, 14 at the time of enclosing (especially reference numerals). The lubricant J does not adhere to the surface of each of the rolling elements (balls) 16 and the pockets 18p of the crown-shaped cage 18 and the opposing surfaces of the inner and outer rings 12, 14 It adheres only to the formed raceway grooves (not shown). In this case, at least one third of the areas excluding the raceway grooves on the facing surfaces of the inner and outer rings 12 and 14 are maintained in a dry state where the lubricant J is not present. As a result, the lubricant J does not leak to the outside of the bearing or ooze out during rotation of the bearing.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it can be confirmed by the load measuring unit of the lubricant enclosure device 2 that a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of the lubricant J is enclosed in the bearing 10. In this case, the ball bearing 10 in which the lubricant J is sealed is set on the turntable 22, and the measuring thread 30 is passed over the outer ring 14 and the load meter 26. In this state, the inner ring 12 is rotated in the direction of arrow R at a constant speed, and the loss torque of the outer ring 14 is measured.

  At this time, in the load analyzer 28, whether or not the measurement value (measurement result) of the load cell 26 satisfies a preset condition (that is, whether or not the measurement value has reached (matched) the sample value). ) Is determined. And based on the determination result that it is satisfied, it can be confirmed that a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing 10. Thereby, it can be confirmed that the ball bearing 10 is highly reliable without causing the lubricant J to leak out or ooze out during the rotation of the bearing.

  Accordingly, the inside of the HDD device is not contaminated with the lubricant J in a use state in which, for example, the swing arm of the hard disk drive (HDD) device is rotatably supported by the ball bearing 10. In this case, the sealing performance of the lubricant J sealed in the bearing 10 can be improved by attaching sealing plates (for example, seals and shields) to both sides of the inner and outer rings 12 and 14 respectively. Further, by using the ball bearing 10 as a bearing that rotatably supports the swing arm of the HDD device, the swing arm can be rotated stably and smoothly over a long period of time.

  Here, for example, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the HDD device includes a spindle motor 38 for rotating the magnetic disk 36 and a magnetic head 40 for recording or reading information. The magnetic head 40 is attached to the tip of a swing arm 44 that is rotatably supported by a bearing device 42, and a voice coil 46 that rotates the swing arm 44 is provided at the base end. The swing arm 44 is rotatably supported on a base 48 of the HDD device via a bearing device 42.

  In such an HDD device, information is recorded on the magnetic disk 36 by rotating the swing arm 44 while the magnetic disk 36 is rotated and moving the magnetic head 40 parallel to the magnetic disk 36, or Information can be read from the magnetic disk 36.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, the ball bearing 10 in which a predetermined amount of the lubricant J is accurately sealed by the above-described lubricant sealing technique is incorporated in the bearing device 42. Specifically, in the bearing device 42, two ball bearings 10 are externally mounted on a shaft 50, and a swing arm 44 is attached to these ball bearings 10 via a sleeve 52. According to this, since the torque of the ball bearing 10 is always stable even in an HDD device in which the storage track pitch of the magnetic disk 36 is 200,000 TPI or more, a track with a very narrow width can be tracked with high accuracy and efficiency. It is possible to easily perform control.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the loss torque of the outer ring 14 is measured and the lubricant J is enclosed. However, as another embodiment, the vibration characteristic of the outer ring 14 is measured and the lubricant is measured. J may be encapsulated. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1B, the rotation state detection mechanism changes the vibration characteristics of the outer ring 14 when the lubricant J is discharged into the bearing 10 while rotating the inner ring 12 with respect to the outer ring 14. And a controller 60 for controlling the lubricant discharge mechanism based on the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit.

  The vibration measurement unit includes a vibration sensor 54 that measures the vibration characteristic (sound) of the outer ring 14 and a vibration analyzer 56 that performs a predetermined analysis process on the measurement value (measurement characteristic) measured by the vibration sensor 54. The vibration sensor 54 is provided with a slidable contact terminal 54 t that is slidably contacted with the outer ring 14. In this case, when the outer ring 14 is rotated by the rotation of the inner ring 12, the vibration of the outer ring 14 generated at that time is continuously transmitted to the sliding contact terminal 54t, and the vibration characteristics at that time are measured by the vibration sensor 54. At this time, in a state where the lubricant J is not discharged into the bearing, the vibration characteristic of the outer ring 14 becomes a constant value. However, when the lubricant J is discharged by the lubricant discharge mechanism, the lubricant J enclosed in the bearing 10 is discharged. The vibration characteristics change according to the amount of sealing. Specifically, as the amount of lubricant J enclosed increases, the vibration of the high frequency component of the outer ring 14 decreases, and as a result, the vibration characteristics change.

  However, since the change of the vibration characteristic is very small, the measurement value (measurement characteristic) output from the vibration sensor 54 is small. For this reason, the vibration measurement unit is provided with an amplifier 58, and the measurement value of the vibration sensor 54 is amplified by the amplifier 58 and output to the vibration analyzer 56. As a result, the vibration analysis device 56 performs a highly accurate analysis process on the measurement value of the vibration sensor 54.

  Further, when the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit satisfies a preset condition, the controller 60 controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant J. Here, the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit is defined as an analysis result obtained by subjecting the measurement value (measurement characteristic) of the vibration sensor 54 to analysis processing in the vibration analyzer 56. In addition, the preset condition is that when a bearing for a sample (inner ring, outer ring, rolling element) is prepared and a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant is sealed inside the bearing, the inner ring is rotated. It is defined as a sample value obtained by measuring vibration characteristics due to rotation of the outer ring.

  In this case, the amount of lubricant to be sealed in the sample bearing is set to an optimum amount according to, for example, the type and size of the bearing or the purpose of use and the use environment. For this reason, it is preferable to measure a sample value for each bearing in advance and store the measured value as a preset condition. As the storage location, for example, a built-in memory (not shown) of the vibration analysis device 56 or the controller 60, another external memory, or the like can be applied. Here, the built-in memory of the vibration analysis device 56 is assumed as an example. To do.

Here, operation | movement of the lubricant enclosure device 2 of other embodiment is demonstrated. In this operation description, the same parts as those in the apparatus of FIG.
In this case, if the lubricant J is intermittently released from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6 and sealed in the bearing 10 while rotating the inner ring 12 at a constant speed in the direction of arrow R, the amount of lubricant J enclosed Accordingly, the vibration characteristic of the outer ring 14 changes. That is, as the amount of the lubricant J enclosed increases, the vibration of the high frequency component of the outer ring 14 decreases, and the vibration characteristics change accordingly. At this time, the vibration sensor 54 measures the change in the vibration characteristic of the outer ring 14 in real time, and the change characteristic that is the measured value is amplified by the amplifier 58 and output to the vibration analyzer 56.

  In the vibration analyzer 56, a predetermined analysis process is performed on the measurement value (measurement characteristic) of the vibration sensor 54. Specifically, the measurement characteristic is compared with a preset condition (sample value), and when the condition is satisfied (i.e., when the measurement characteristic reaches the sample value (matches)), that fact A signal is output from the vibration analyzer 56 to the controller 60. At this time, the controller 60 controls the lubricant discharge mechanism described above based on the output signal from the vibration analyzer 56 to stop the discharge of the lubricant J.

  By the way, the preset condition (sample value) is a measured value of vibration characteristics in a state where a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing. In this case, when the measurement characteristic of the vibration sensor 54 reaches (matches) the sample value (that is, when a preset condition is satisfied), a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing 10. It will be. Accordingly, in synchronization with this, by stopping the discharge of the lubricant J from the tip opening 6t of the nozzle 6, the ball bearing 10 in which a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of the lubricant J is sealed can be completed.

  Further, according to another embodiment, it is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing 10 by the vibration measurement unit of the lubricant sealing device 2. In this case, the ball bearing 10 in which the lubricant J is sealed is set on the turntable 22, and the sliding contact terminal 54 t of the vibration sensor 54 is brought into sliding contact with the outer ring 14. In this state, the inner ring 12 is rotated in the direction of arrow R at a constant speed, and the vibration characteristics of the outer ring 14 are measured.

  At this time, the vibration analyzer 56 determines whether or not the measurement characteristic of the vibration sensor 54 satisfies a preset condition (that is, whether or not the measurement characteristic has reached (matched) the sample value). The And based on the determination result that it is satisfied, it can be confirmed that a predetermined amount (appropriate amount) of lubricant J is sealed inside the bearing 10. Thereby, it can be confirmed that the ball bearing 10 is highly reliable without causing the lubricant J to leak out or ooze out during the rotation of the bearing.

The other configuration and effects of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B are the same as those of the lubricant enclosure device 2 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. To do.
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments (FIGS. 1A and 1B), the technique for measuring the loss torque and vibration characteristics of the outer ring 14 and enclosing the lubricant J has been described. The enclosure setting of the lubricant J may be performed by measuring the number of rotations of the outer ring 14 during elliptical rotation.

In each of the above-described embodiments (FIGS. 1A and 1B), the lubricant enclosing device 2 including one nozzle 6 (tip opening 6t) is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a plurality of nozzles 6 (tip openings 6t) may be provided. In this case, the number of nozzles 6 may be equal to the number of rolling elements (balls) 16, for example, or may be more or less.
In addition, according to the usage environment and purpose of the lubricant enclosure device 2, the device 2 is heated, cooled, and kept warm so that the lubricant J in the syringe 4 is maintained at a certain characteristic (for example, viscosity). May be provided.

(a) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lubricant enclosure device according to an embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lubricant enclosure device according to another embodiment of the present invention. . (a) is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example in which a bearing encapsulating a predetermined amount of lubricant according to the present invention is applied to a swing arm of a hard disk drive device, and (b) is a diagram of the hard disk drive device of FIG. The top view and (c) are sectional views showing the example of composition of the bearing built in the swing arm of the figure (a).

Explanation of symbols

2 Lubricant enclosing device 4 Syringe 6 Nozzle 8 Valve 10 Bearing 12 Inner ring 14 Outer ring 16 Rolling element 22 Rotating table 24 Spindle 28 Load analyzer 56 Vibration analyzer J Lubricant

Claims (22)

A predetermined amount of lubrication is provided in a bearing having a bearing ring disposed so as to be rotatable relative to each other and a plurality of rolling elements that are rotatably incorporated between raceway grooves formed on opposing surfaces of the bearing ring. A lubricant enclosing device for encapsulating the agent,
A rotation mechanism for rotating the raceway relatively,
A lubricant discharge mechanism for discharging the lubricant toward the inside of the bearing;
A rotation state detection mechanism for detecting the rotation state of the raceway,
The rotation state detection mechanism detects a rotation state of the raceway when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing by the lubricant discharge mechanism in a state in which the raceway is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism. Enclosing device.   The rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measuring unit that measures a change in loss torque of the bearing ring when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing while relatively rotating the bearing ring, and a lubricant based on the measurement result of the load measuring unit. The lubricant enclosure device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller that controls the discharge mechanism.   3. The lubricant enclosure device according to claim 2, wherein when the measurement result of the load measurement unit satisfies a preset condition, the controller controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant. 4. .   2. The lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the rotation state detection mechanism detects a rotation state of the bearing ring of the bearing in which the lubricant is already sealed in a state in which the bearing ring is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism. Enclosing device. The rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measurement unit that measures the loss torque of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated.
The load measuring unit measures the loss torque of the bearing ring when the bearing ring in which the lubricant is already sealed is relatively rotated, and whether or not the measurement result satisfies a preset condition. 5. The lubricant encapsulating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein it is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount of lubricant is encapsulated inside the bearing based on the determination result that the condition is satisfied.   The rotation state detection mechanism includes a vibration measurement unit that measures changes in the vibration characteristics of the bearing ring when lubricant is discharged into the bearing while the bearing ring is relatively rotated, and a lubrication based on the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit. The lubricant sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller that controls the agent discharge mechanism.   7. The lubricant enclosing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant when the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit satisfies a preset condition. . The rotation state detection mechanism includes a vibration measurement unit that measures vibration characteristics of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated.
The vibration measurement unit measures the vibration characteristics of the bearing ring when the bearing ring already filled with the lubricant is relatively rotated, and whether the measurement result satisfies a preset condition. The lubricant enclosing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein it is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount of lubricant is encapsulated inside the bearing based on a determination result that the condition is satisfied.   A bearing in which a predetermined amount of lubricant is sealed in the lubricant sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bearing rotatably supports a swing arm of a hard disk drive device. Bearing.   The bearing according to claim 9, wherein the bearing is a ball bearing in which balls are used as rolling elements, and the ball diameter is set to 1.2 mm or less.   11. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one third of the region excluding each raceway groove is maintained in a dry state in which no lubricant is present on the facing surface of the raceway ring. bearing. A predetermined amount of lubrication is provided in a bearing having a bearing ring disposed so as to be rotatable relative to each other and a plurality of rolling elements that are rotatably incorporated between raceway grooves formed on opposing surfaces of the bearing ring. A method of encapsulating a lubricant,
Lubricant encapsulation, characterized in that the rotation state detection mechanism detects the rotation state of the raceway when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing by the lubricant discharge mechanism in a state where the raceway is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism Method.   The rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measuring unit that measures a change in loss torque of the bearing ring when the lubricant is discharged into the bearing while relatively rotating the bearing ring, and a lubricant based on the measurement result of the load measuring unit. The lubricant sealing method according to claim 12, further comprising a controller that controls the discharge mechanism.   14. The method of encapsulating a lubricant according to claim 13, wherein when the measurement result of the load measuring unit satisfies a preset condition, the controller controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant. .   The lubricant according to claim 12, wherein the rotation state detection mechanism detects a rotation state of the bearing ring of the bearing in which the lubricant is already sealed in a state in which the bearing ring is relatively rotated by the rotation mechanism. Encapsulation method. The rotation state detection mechanism includes a load measurement unit that measures the loss torque of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated.
The load measuring unit measures the loss torque of the bearing ring when the bearing ring in which the lubricant is already sealed is relatively rotated, and whether or not the measurement result satisfies a preset condition. 16. The method of encapsulating a lubricant according to claim 15, wherein it is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount of the lubricant is encapsulated inside the bearing based on the determination result that the condition is satisfied.   The rotation state detection mechanism includes a vibration measurement unit that measures changes in the vibration characteristics of the bearing ring when lubricant is discharged into the bearing while the bearing ring is relatively rotated, and a lubrication based on the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit. The lubricant sealing method according to claim 12, further comprising a controller that controls the agent discharge mechanism.   18. The method of encapsulating a lubricant according to claim 17, wherein when the measurement result of the vibration measurement unit satisfies a preset condition, the controller controls the lubricant discharge mechanism to stop the discharge of the lubricant. . The rotation state detection mechanism includes a vibration measurement unit that measures vibration characteristics of the raceway when the raceway is relatively rotated.
The vibration measurement unit measures the vibration characteristics of the bearing ring when the bearing ring already filled with the lubricant is relatively rotated, and whether the measurement result satisfies a preset condition. 16. The method of encapsulating a lubricant according to claim 15, wherein it is possible to confirm that a predetermined amount of the lubricant is encapsulated inside the bearing based on a determination result that it is satisfied.   A bearing in which a predetermined amount of lubricant is encapsulated by the lubricant encapsulating method according to claim 12, wherein the bearing rotatably supports a swing arm of a hard disk drive device. Bearing.   The bearing according to claim 20, wherein the bearing is a ball bearing in which balls are used as rolling elements, and the ball diameter is set to 1.2 mm or less.   The at least 1/3 area | region of the area | region except each track groove in the opposing surface of a bearing ring is maintained in the dry state which does not have a lubricant, The Claim 20 or 21 characterized by the above-mentioned. bearing.

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