JP2009174560A - Ball bearing for clutch-release bearing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball bearing for a clutch-release bearing device capable of efficiently restricting an excessive rise in the inner pressure while securing tight sealing performance, and capable of reducing the torque. <P>SOLUTION: In a ball bearing 12 of a clutch-release bearing device 1 mounted on a FR vehicle, an inner peripheral end of a front side seal member 17 of two seal members 17 and 18 for tightly sealing between an outer ring 14 and an inner ring 15 is brought in axial-contact with the outer end surface 25 of a flange part 20 provided by extending an engine side end of the inner ring 15 inward in the radial direction. The seal members 17 and 18 are respectively structured of nitrile rubber such as hydrogenerated nitrile rubber (H-NBR) and heat resistant nitrile rubber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball bearing of a clutch release bearing device incorporated in a clutch device of a vehicle including an automobile.

  The clutch release bearing device is used to transmit or cut power from the engine to the transmission by operating a clutch pedal in a manual vehicle (MT vehicle) or the like, and is interposed between the engine and the transmission. .

  When shutting off the power from the engine to the transmission, the clutch release bearing device is moved in the axial direction and the clutch disc is separated from the flywheel. The clutch release bearing device is pushed and pulled in this direction of axial movement. It can be roughly divided into types. The push type moves the engine axially when the power from the engine is cut off, and the pull type moves the transmission axially. Such a clutch release bearing device includes a ball bearing.

  When a deviation occurs between the engine-side shaft center and the transmission-side shaft center, the ball bearing moves in the radial direction in accordance with the deviation and automatically aligns both shaft centers.

  FIG. 5 illustrates a direct cylinder type (hydraulic push type) clutch release bearing device. The clutch release bearing device (hereinafter referred to as a bearing device) 101 includes a cylindrical outer main body 102, a fixed component 103, a piston 104, and a ball bearing (hereinafter referred to as a bearing) 112 for a clutch release bearing device as main parts. And

  The outer body 102 is attached and fixed to the casing 122 on the transmission side (right side in the drawing), and has a cavity 108 extending on the engine side (left side in the drawing). On the inner peripheral side of the cavity 108, an annular piston 104 and an annular fixed component 103 are arranged in this order.

  The fixed component 103 includes a guide tube 105 extending in the axial direction, and the engine side extends to the outside of the outer body 102. The piston 104 is arranged so as to be movable in the axial direction with respect to the fixed component 103, and is supported by a piston support tube 113 interposed between the piston 104 and the fixed component 103. A preload spring 121 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the piston 104. The preload spring 121 is configured to cooperate with the inner ring 114 of the bearing 112 and acts between the fixed component 103 and the piston 104 to apply a preload to the bearing 112 to the engine side.

  The outer body 102 has a concave groove 110 formed on an inner peripheral surface 109 thereof, and a radial edge 111 formed by extending a transmission side end portion of the guide tube 105 radially outward is fitted into the concave groove 110. Has been.

  The radial edge 111, the cavity 108, and the piston 104 constitute a hollow variable volume chamber 106. The variable volume chamber 106 is filled with a control fluid such as oil, and the inside of the cavity 108 is pressurized and depressurized by the control fluid. The variable volume chamber 106 is connected to a control hydraulic pressure generator (not shown).

  The main part of the bearing 112 includes an outer ring 114 and an inner ring 115 and a ball 116 interposed between the outer ring 114 and the inner ring 115. The engine-side end (the left side in the drawing) of the outer ring 114 extends radially inward to form a flange 119, and the engine-side end of the inner ring 115 extends radially inward to form a flange 120. . The outer ring collar 119 is always in contact with the diaphragm spring 130 by the preload spring 121.

  As shown in FIG. 6 which is an enlarged view of the bearing 112, the outer ring 114 and the inner ring 115 are sealed by two seal members (117, 118). The seal member (117, 118) Leakage of a lubricating component such as grease enclosed inside is prevented from leaking out and foreign matter is prevented from entering from outside (see Patent Document 1).

When power is transmitted from the engine to the transmission, the outer ring flange 119 of the bearing 112 and the diaphragm spring 130 are always in contact with each other, thereby causing the clutch disk (not shown) to be in close contact with the flywheel (not shown). This is possible by setting Further, when the power from the engine to the transmission is cut off, the control fluid in the variable volume chamber 106 is pressurized by the control hydraulic pressure generator, and the piston 104 is displaced to the engine side so that the volume of the variable volume chamber 106 increases. Is possible. In this case, since the bearing device 101 moves in the axial direction toward the engine and the outer ring flange portion 119 of the bearing 112 presses the diaphragm spring 130, the clutch disk (not shown) is pulled away from the flywheel (not shown), The power from the engine to the transmission is cut off.
JP 2006-189086 A

  Now, as shown in FIG. 6, the inner peripheral ends of the seal members (117, 118) of the bearing 112 shown in FIG. 5 are slidably brought into radial contact (radial contact) with the outer surface 124 of the inner ring 115. .

  In this case, for example, the seal member 117 on the engine side makes it difficult to release the internal pressure when the internal pressure of the bearing 112 increases because the outer surface 124 of the inner ring 115 and the seal member 117 are in contact with each other with high adhesion. Become. For this reason, the internal pressure of the bearing 112 rises excessively, and the seal member (117, 118) tends to come off the bearing 112 and jump out to the outside by the internal pressure. At this time, although the seal member 117 is regulated by the outer ring flange portion 119 and does not jump out to the outside, the seal member 118 may jump out to the outside because there is no restriction means like the outer ring flange portion 119. In addition, when the seal member 118 is detached from the bearing 112 and jumps to the outside, the lubricating component enclosed in the bearing 112 may leak to the outside.

  Further, when the inner peripheral end of the seal member 117 is brought into radial contact with the outer surface 124 of the inner ring 115, the sliding diameter of the seal member 117, that is, the distance from the axial center of the bearing device 101 to the inner peripheral end of the seal member 117. (Indicated by B in FIG. 5) becomes longer. Here, since the torque applied to the seal member 117 is expressed by the reaction force of the seal member 117 × the sliding diameter of the seal member 117, the torque applied to the seal member 117 is increased when the sliding diameter of the seal member 117 is long. growing. When the torque applied to the seal member 117 increases, the torque applied to the bearing 112 (the rolling resistance of the ball 116, the stirring resistance of the lubricating component such as grease, and the torque applied to the seal member 117 are combined to rotate the outer ring 114. Means power). In this case, the torque applied to the bearing 112 becomes larger than the contact pressure at the contact portion between the outer ring flange portion 119 and the diaphragm spring 130, and slip occurs at the contact portion between the outer ring flange portion 119 and the diaphragm spring 130. There is a fear. This becomes a cause of difficulty in smooth power transmission between the outer ring collar 119 and the diaphragm spring 130, and also leads to damage of the bearing 112.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to efficiently suppress an excessive increase in internal pressure while ensuring sealing performance, and for a clutch release bearing device capable of reducing torque. The object is to provide a ball bearing.

  A ball bearing for a clutch release bearing device of the present invention for solving the above problems is a ball bearing of a clutch release bearing device mounted on a vehicle and interposed between an engine and a transmission, and includes an outer ring and an inner ring, A ball interposed between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a seal member that seals between the outer ring and the inner ring, the outer peripheral end of the seal member being fixedly attached to the inner surface of the outer ring, and the inner peripheral end Is slidably axially contacted with the outer surface of the inner ring. Here, “axial contact” means axial contact.

  In this case, since the seal member comes into contact with the outer surface of the inner ring with lower adhesion than in the case of making radial contact (radial contact) with the outer surface of the inner ring, the seal member has a bearing temperature associated with the operation of the bearing device. Even if the bearing internal pressure rises excessively due to the rise, the contact state with the outer surface of the inner ring is released by the bearing internal pressure, so that the inside and outside of the bearing can be ventilated, and the bearing internal pressure does not rise excessively. Since the seal member is attached and fixed at its outer peripheral end to the inner surface of the outer ring, the seal member is unlikely to come out of the bearing and jump out to the outside due to an increase in bearing internal pressure.

  Further, the sliding diameter of the seal member, that is, the distance between the inner peripheral end of the seal member and the shaft center is shorter than when the inner diameter end of the seal member is brought into radial contact with the outer surface of the inner ring. Thereby, since the torque added to a sealing member is reduced, the torque added to a bearing can be reduced. Since the seal member is attached and fixed at its outer peripheral end to the inner surface of the outer ring, the seal member is unlikely to come out of the bearing and jump out to the outside due to an increase in bearing internal pressure.

  The seal member can, for example, bring the engine-side seal member into axial contact with the outer surface of the inner ring. This is effective when a space can be secured between the engine and the bearing. However, whether the transmission-side seal member is in axial contact with the outer surface of the inner ring or the engine-side and transmission-side seal members are in axial contact with the outer surface of the inner ring, the functions and effects of the present invention described above Can be obtained.

  The end of the inner ring may be extended radially inward to form a flange, and the seal member may be in axial contact with the outer end surface of the inner ring flange. In this case, since the seal member can be formed longer in the inner diameter direction than when the inner ring collar portion is not provided, the sliding diameter of the seal member can be made shorter than when the inner ring is not provided with the flange portion. Thereby, the torque applied to the seal member is reduced, and the torque applied to the bearing during operation of the bearing device can be greatly reduced. As a result, the operation of the bearing can be made smooth, and damage to the bearing can be prevented.

  In the present invention described so far, the engine-side end portion of the outer ring extends radially inward and is a push portion that cuts off the power transmission between the engine and the transmission by pressing against the diaphragm spring. It can be applied to a ball bearing of a type of clutch release bearing device. In this case, since the torque applied to the bearing when the bearing device is operated is reduced, the torque applied to the bearing does not become larger than the contact pressure at the contact portion between the outer ring collar portion and the diaphragm spring. Therefore, it is possible to prevent slippage at the contact portion between the outer ring collar portion of the bearing and the diaphragm spring. As a result, power transmission between the diaphragm spring and the bearing can be made smooth, and damage to the bearing can be prevented.

  The inner peripheral end of the seal member can be in axial contact with the side surface of the stepped portion formed on the outer surface of the inner ring.

  The seal member is preferably made of nitrile rubber such as hydrogenated nitrile rubber (H-NBR) or heat-resistant nitrile rubber. In this case, the seal member can be provided with water resistance and wear resistance.

  Since the ball bearing for the clutch release bearing device of the present invention has low adhesion at the contact portion between the seal member and the outer surface of the inner ring that are in axial contact with each other, even if the bearing internal pressure increases due to an increase in bearing temperature due to the operation of the bearing device. Since the axial contact between the seal member and the inner ring is released by the bearing internal pressure and the bearing can be ventilated inside and outside, an excessive increase in the bearing internal pressure can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the seal member from coming off the bearing and jumping out to the outside due to the bearing internal pressure, and accordingly, it is possible to prevent the lubricating component enclosed in the bearing from leaking to the outside. The seal member and the outer surface of the inner ring are always in an axial contact state when the bearing internal pressure is low, and the inside of the bearing is in a sealed state, so that the sealability of the bearing does not deteriorate.

  The ball bearing for the clutch release bearing device of the present invention shortens the sliding diameter of the seal member by bringing the seal member and the outer surface of the inner ring into axial contact. In this case, since the torque applied to the bearing during the operation of the bearing device can be reduced, the operation of the bearing can be performed smoothly, and damage to the bearing can be prevented.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the description overlapping with the prior art shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is simplified or omitted.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a direct cylinder type clutch release bearing device that is mounted on an FR vehicle and includes a ball bearing for a clutch release bearing device according to the present invention. The bearing device 1 includes a cylindrical outer main body 2, a fixed component 3, a piston 4, and a ball bearing 12 as main parts.

  The outer body 2 is attached and fixed to the casing 22 on the transmission side (right side in the drawing: hereinafter referred to as the rear side), and has a cavity 8 extending to the engine side (right side in the drawing: hereinafter referred to as the front side). On the inner peripheral side of the cavity 8, an annular piston 4 and an annular fixed part 3 are sequentially arranged so as to be axially movable.

  The fixed component 3 includes a guide tube 5 extending in the axial direction, and the engine side extends to the outside of the outer body 2. The piston 4 is disposed so as to be movable in the axial direction with respect to the fixed component 3, and is supported by a piston support tube 13 interposed between the piston 4 and the fixed component 3. A preload spring 21 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the piston 4. The preload spring 21 is configured to cooperate with the inner ring 14 of the bearing 12.

  The outer body 2 has a concave groove 10 formed on the inner peripheral surface 9 thereof, and a radial edge 11 formed by extending the rear side end of the guide tube 5 radially outward is fitted into the concave groove 10. Has been.

  The radial edge 11, the cavity 8, and the piston 4 constitute a hollow volume variable chamber 6, and a control fluid such as oil is sealed in the volume variable chamber 6. Is pressurized or depressurized. The variable volume chamber 6 is connected to a control hydraulic pressure generator (not shown).

  The main part of the bearing 12 includes an outer ring 14 and an inner ring 15, and a ball 16 interposed between the outer ring 14 and the inner ring 15. The front side end portion of the outer ring 14 extends radially inward to form a flange portion 19, and the front side end portion of the inner ring 15 extends radially inward to form a flange portion 20. Note that the flange portion 19 of the outer ring 14 is in a state of being in constant contact with the diaphragm spring 30 by the preload spring 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1 which is an enlarged view of the bearing 12, the outer ring 14 and the inner ring 15 are sealed by two seal members (17, 18), and the seal members (17, 18) Leakage of lubricating components such as grease enclosed inside is prevented from leaking out and foreign matter is prevented from entering from outside.

  Since the sealing members (17, 18) are made of nitrile rubber such as hydrogenated nitrile rubber (H-NBR) or heat-resistant rubber, they have water resistance and wear resistance. Further, the outer peripheral end portion of the seal member (17, 18) is attached and fixed to the inner surface 23 of the outer ring 14. For this reason, the seal members (17, 18) are unlikely to come off due to an increase in the internal pressure of the bearing 12 and jump out to the outside.

  In the seal members (17, 18), the inner peripheral end portion of the seal member 17 on the front side (left side in the drawing) is brought into axial contact with the outer end surface 25 of the flange portion 20 of the inner ring 15, and the seal on the rear side (right side in the drawing). The inner peripheral end of the member 18 is brought into radial contact with the outer surface 24 of the inner ring 15.

  In this case, the seal member 17 can be brought into contact with lower adhesion than in the case where the inner peripheral end portion thereof and the outer end face 25 of the inner ring collar portion 20 are brought into radial contact. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the bearing 12 rises due to the temperature rise of the bearing 12 due to the operation of the bearing device 1, the contact state between the inner peripheral end of the seal member 17 and the outer end face 25 of the inner ring flange 20 due to the internal pressure of the bearing 12. Therefore, the air can be vented inside and outside the bearing 12, thereby suppressing an excessive increase in the internal pressure of the bearing 12. For this reason, it can prevent that a sealing member (17, 18) remove | deviates from the bearing 12, and jumps outside, and it can prevent that the lubricating component enclosed inside the bearing 12 leaks outside in connection with this. .

  Further, when the inner peripheral end of the seal member 17 is brought into axial contact with the outer end surface 25 of the inner ring flange portion 20, the sliding diameter of the seal member 17, that is, the inner peripheral end of the seal member 17 and the axial center of the bearing device 1 is obtained. Can be made shorter (indicated by A in FIG. 2) than when the inner peripheral end of the seal member 17 is in radial contact with the outer surface 24 of the inner ring (indicated by B in FIG. 5). In this case, the torque applied to the bearing 12 during the operation of the bearing device 1 is reduced, and smooth power transmission between the bearing 12 and the diaphragm spring 30 becomes possible. This point will be explained in detail.

  As in the present embodiment, the front side end portion of the outer ring 14 extends on the inner side in the inner diameter direction, and the flange portion 19 interrupts power transmission between the engine and the transmission by pressing against the diaphragm spring 30. In the push-type clutch release bearing device 1, as described above, when the torque applied to the bearing 12 during operation of the bearing device 1 is reduced, the torque applied to the bearing 12 is reduced between the outer ring flange portion 19 and the diaphragm spring 30. Since the contact pressure does not become larger than the contact pressure at the contact portion, slippage hardly occurs at the contact portion between the flange portion 19 of the outer ring 2 and the diaphragm spring 30. Therefore, smooth power transmission between the bearing 12 and the diaphragm spring 30 is possible, and damage to the bearing 12 can be prevented.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a space can be secured between the engine (not shown) and the bearing 12, in the seal members (17, 18), the above-described seal member that can secure the space, that is, the front side. The inner peripheral end of the seal member 17 and the outer surface 24 of the inner ring 15 are brought into axial contact. For this reason, the operation | work which provides the structure (in this embodiment inner ring collar part 20) for making the seal member 17 contact axially with the inner ring 15 becomes easy.

  Since the outer end surface 25 of the inner ring flange portion 20 and the front seal member 17 are always in axial contact when the internal pressure of the bearing 12 is low, the sealability of the bearing 12 is reduced by this axial contact. There is nothing.

  FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, parts having the same portions and functions as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, which is an enlarged view of the bearing 12, a stepped portion 35 is formed at the inner end of the bearing on the outer end surface 25 of the flange portion 20 of the inner ring 15, and a side surface 36 of the stepped portion 35 is formed. The inner peripheral end of the front side sealing member 17 is brought into axial contact. Since the operation and effect at this time are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this is merely an example, and can be arbitrarily changed within the meaning and contents described in the claims.

  For example, in this embodiment, the seal member that is in axial contact with the outer surface 24 of the inner ring 15 is only the front-side seal member 17, but only the rear-side seal member 18 may be used. Both of the sealing members 18 may be used.

  Moreover, although description in a figure is abbreviate | omitted, this invention can also be applied also to the ball bearing for pull type clutch release bearing apparatuses.

It is an enlarged view of the ball bearing shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the ball bearing shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the clutch release bearing apparatus provided with the ball bearing for conventional clutch release bearing apparatuses. It is an enlarged view of the ball bearing shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Clutch release bearing device (direct cylinder type)
12 Ball bearing 14 Outer ring 15 Inner ring 16 Balls 17 and 18 Seal member 19 Outer ring flange 20 Inner ring flange 23 Outer ring inner surface 24 Inner ring outer surface 25 Outer end surface (inner ring flange)
35 Step 36 Side (Step)

Claims (6)

A ball bearing of a clutch release bearing device mounted on a vehicle and interposed between an engine and a transmission, wherein the outer ring and the inner ring, the ball interposed between the outer ring and the inner ring, and the outer ring and the inner ring A sealing member for sealing,
A ball bearing for a clutch release bearing device, wherein an outer peripheral end portion of the seal member is attached and fixed to an inner surface of the outer ring, and an inner peripheral end portion is slidably contacted with an outer surface of the inner ring.   The ball bearing for a clutch release bearing device according to claim 1, wherein the seal member on the engine side is in axial contact with the outer surface of the inner ring.   The clutch release bearing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an end of the inner ring extends radially inward to form a flange, and the seal member is in axial contact with an outer end surface of the inner ring flange. Ball bearing. The engine side end portion of the outer ring extends radially inward to form a flange portion that cuts off power transmission between the engine and the transmission by pressing against the diaphragm spring. The ball bearing for clutch release bearing apparatuses as described in any one of Claims.   The ball bearing for the clutch release bearing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a step portion is formed on an outer surface of the inner ring, and an inner peripheral end portion of the seal member is in axial contact with a side surface of the step portion. .   The ball bearing for a clutch release bearing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seal member is made of nitrile rubber.

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