JP2017190813A - Rolling bearing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect such a state that an amount of foreign matter contained in lubricant of a rolling bearing adversely affects an actuation mechanism part, with a simpler structure.SOLUTION: A rolling bearing includes: a rolling body 3 arranged in a bearing space between an outer ring 1 and an inner ring 2; a toric seal member 40 attached to a bearing ring on a stationary side, and covering a lateral opening of the bearing space; a foreign matter capture part 86 provided at a lower part of the seal member; and a sensor part 90 provided in the foreign matter capture part 86 and configured to detect foreign matter contained in lubricant. The seal member 40 comprises a toric connection body formed by connecting a plurality of split seal members 40' split along a circumferential direction with connection pieces 80. The foreign matter capture part 86 is provided in the connection piece 80.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil-lubricated rolling bearing, and more particularly, to a rolling bearing unit having a function of capturing foreign matter contained in lubricating oil.

  Rolling bearings are incorporated in movable parts of transportation equipment, industrial machinery, and other various equipment. In such a device, there is an operation mechanism portion that requires lubrication in addition to the oil-lubricated rolling bearing, and the operation mechanism portion and the rolling bearing have a structure that is lubricated with a common oil. There is something. As an operation mechanism part, the meshing part of gears, the sliding contact part of members, etc. are mentioned, for example.

  For example, an oil pump or the like has a rolling bearing and an operating mechanism part inside the device. In particular, the oil pump has a function of feeding the internal lubricating oil toward another operating mechanism portion outside the device including the rolling bearing and the operating mechanism portion.

  Incidentally, foreign matter such as wear powder (iron powder or the like) may be generated from the bearing space of the rolling bearing. If the foreign matter enters the operating mechanism part in the middle of the lubricating oil circulation path, the durability of the device may be reduced due to the biting of the foreign matter. In some cases, it may lead to malfunction / failure / damage of the equipment.

  Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, when a foreign matter made of iron powder or the like is mixed in the lubricating oil flowing in the circulation path, the foreign matter is attracted to a magnet provided in the sensor, and the attracted foreign matter is accumulated. Thus, there is disclosed a method for detecting iron powder contamination of lubricating oil that issues an alarm when a metal casing and a magnet are electrically connected (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a filter for capturing foreign matter is provided on a seal ring that closes an end of a bearing space located between inner and outer rings of a rolling bearing.

JP 7-280180 A JP 2012-102767 A

  As described above, it is not preferable for foreign matter such as wear powder (iron powder or the like) generated from the rolling bearing to enter the operating mechanism portion in the middle of the lubricating oil circulation path. In particular, in a rolling bearing unit for an oil pump, a large peeling piece generated from the bearing is caused by an operating mechanism portion of the oil pump itself or other operating mechanism portions in a circulation path of lubricating oil sent out by the oil pump. It may cause malfunction, failure or damage to the parts. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent foreign matter from flowing out of the rolling bearing into the operating mechanism by installing a filter, and to detect foreign matter by installing a sensor.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the sensitivity of the sensor is too good, a foreign object of a size that should be removed by a filter as shown in Patent Document 2 is originally detected, and an alarm malfunctions. There is a problem that leads to. Since a large foreign matter is captured by the filter and does not enter the operating mechanism, the sensor does not necessarily need to detect foreign matter having a size larger than the mesh size of the filter. Rather, a warning is sent to the sensor that the operating mechanism may be adversely affected when the amount of foreign matter that can pass through the filter in the lubricating oil exceeds the specified amount. Is required.

  Furthermore, when a sensor like patent document 1 is installed in a rolling bearing, there also exists a problem that a structure will become complicated. It is desirable that the sensor for detecting the foreign matter mixed in the lubricating oil can be installed on the rolling bearing with a structure as simple as possible.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to accurately detect the amount of foreign matter contained in the lubricating oil when foreign matter such as wear powder (iron powder or the like) generated from the bearing of the rolling bearing unit is mixed in the lubricating oil. Furthermore, it is to make it possible to install a sensor for detecting a foreign object on a rolling bearing with a structure as simple as possible.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes an outer ring and an inner ring, a rolling element disposed in a bearing space between the outer ring and the inner ring, a stationary raceway ring of the outer ring or the inner ring, or An annular seal member that is attached to a member fixed to the stationary raceway ring and covers a side opening of the bearing space, a foreign matter catching portion provided below the seal member, and provided in the foreign matter catching portion And a sensor unit for detecting foreign matter contained in the lubricating oil.

  Here, the sealing member has a structure in which a plurality of divided sealing members divided along the circumferential direction are connected by a connecting piece to form an annular connecting body, and the foreign matter capturing part is provided on the connecting piece. Can be adopted.

  In addition, the sensor unit may employ a configuration that electrically detects adhesion of a foreign substance made of metal between a pair of electrodes.

  Furthermore, the said foreign material capture | acquisition part can employ | adopt the structure provided with the foreign material discharge port which penetrates the said bearing space side and the other side on the up-down direction on both sides of the said sealing member.

  A configuration in which the foreign matter catching part is an upward concave pocket can be adopted. In particular, the concave portion of the foreign matter catching portion is funnel-shaped, the foreign matter outlet is located in the funnel-shaped concave portion, and the pair of electrodes have different electrode intervals along the vertical direction in the concave portion. A configuration in which a plurality of sets are provided can be employed.

  The present invention includes an annular seal member that is attached to a stationary ring of a rolling bearing and covers a side opening of a bearing space, a foreign matter catching portion provided at a lower portion of the seal member, and a lubrication provided in the foreign matter catching portion. Since the sensor part which detects the foreign material contained in oil is provided, the foreign material contained in lubricating oil settles with the dead weight, and is accommodated in the foreign material capture part. For this reason, if the foreign substance settled down by the dead weight is detected by the sensor unit, the amount of the foreign substance contained in the lubricating oil can be accurately detected. In particular, for example, equipment that is used intermittently, such as equipment that operates at night and operates in the daytime, can effectively sink the target foreign matter while the rotation of the rolling bearing is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to detect foreign objects more accurately.

  Further, since the annular seal member is configured by connecting the plurality of divided seal members with the connecting piece and the foreign matter capturing part is provided on the connecting piece, the sensor for detecting the foreign matter can be installed on the rolling bearing with a simple structure.

1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a side view of a bearing unit including a plurality of rolling bearings, (b) is a longitudinal sectional view. (A) is a principal part top view of the rolling bearing provided with the sealing member, (b) is the perspective view. (A) is a side view of a rolling bearing provided with a seal member, and (b) is a front view. Exploded perspective view of seal member The coupling piece which connects division | segmentation sealing members is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view of (a), (c) is a right view of (a). (A) (b) is a principal part enlarged view which shows the connection part of division | segmentation seal members. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing which shows a foreign material capture part

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an oil pump device 10 including a bearing unit 20 to which a seal member 40 is attached.

  The oil pump device 10 includes a bearing unit 20 having a plurality of rolling bearings inside the device, and an operating mechanism 30 of the oil pump 60.

  The bearing unit 20 includes three rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23 that are oil-lubricated in parallel inside the housing 11. By these rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23, the shaft member 32 that communicates with the operating mechanism portion 30 of the oil pump 60 is supported by the fixed housing 11 so as to be rotatable about the axis.

  In each of the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23, a rolling element 3 is incorporated between the raceway surfaces 1 a and 2 a of the outer raceway ring 1 and the inner raceway ring 2. The rolling element 3 is held in the circumferential direction by a cage 4. Hereinafter, the outer race 1 is referred to as an outer race 1 and the inner race 2 is referred to as an inner race 2.

  The outer ring 1 is press-fitted into the inner diameter surface of the housing 11 and fixed to the housing 11 so as not to rotate relative to the housing 11. The inner ring 2 is press-fitted into the outer periphery of the shaft member 32 and is fixed to the shaft member 32 so as not to rotate relative to the shaft member 32.

  In this embodiment, as the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23, tapered roller bearings using tapered rollers are employed as the rolling elements 3, but rolling bearings other than tapered roller bearings may be employed. The parallel number of the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23 can be freely set according to the specifications of the apparatus.

  The operating mechanism 30 of the oil pump 60 includes a pump rotor (not shown) that sends lubricating oil to the circulation path by rotating relative to each other in the pump casing. The pump rotor is connected to the connection member 31 provided at the end of the shaft member 32, and is thus rotatable around the shaft of the shaft member 32. The driving force to the rotor is input by a separate route from a driving source (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 1, two rolling bearings 21, 22 near one side of the rolling mechanism 21, 22, 23 in parallel, that is, closer to the operating mechanism portion 30, have smaller diameter side end surfaces of the tapered rollers in the axial direction. Are arranged so as to be on the same side, that is, on the opposite side of the operating mechanism portion 30.

  The rolling bearings 23, 22, 23 arranged in parallel to each other in the axial direction, that is, the rolling bearing 23 farthest from the operating mechanism portion 30 is arranged so that the end surface on the small diameter side of the tapered roller is on the operating mechanism portion 30 side. ing. That is, the rolling bearings 21 and 22 and the rolling bearing 23 are disposed so that the small diameter side end surfaces of the tapered rollers are back to back. For this reason, the raceway surface 2a of the inner raceway ring 2 and the raceway surface 1a of the outer raceway ring 1 are two on one side of the three rows of rolling bearings 21, 22, 23 from the one side in the axial direction to the other side. The other side is provided so that the mutual distance increases from one side in the axial direction to the other side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, spacers 5, 6, 7 are arranged between the rolling bearings 21, 22, 23 adjacent in the axial direction.

  Between the two rolling bearings 21, 22 on the one side in the axial direction of the rolling bearings 21, 22, 23 that are arranged in parallel, a spacer 5 that is in contact with the end faces of the inner rings 2, 2 on both sides is provided on the inner diameter side. On the side, a spacer 6 is disposed that contacts the end faces of the outer rings 1 and 1 on both sides.

  In addition, between the two rolling bearings 22, 23 on the other axial side of the rolling bearings 21, 22, 23 arranged in parallel, a spacer that contacts the end surfaces of the inner rings 2, 2 on both sides is provided on the inner diameter side. A spacer 7 is disposed on the radial side so as to contact the end surfaces of the outer rings 1 and 1 on both sides. In FIG. 1, the inner diameter side spacer between the rolling bearings 22 and 23 is not shown, but along the circumferential direction of the rolling bearings 22 and 23, other than the opening on the outer diameter side of the lubricating oil circulation path 13 b. A spacer is arranged in the portion.

  Both ends of the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23 that are arranged in parallel are on the one side in the axial direction by the end face of the flange-shaped connection member 31 provided at the end of the shaft member 32, and on the other side in the axial direction, The end face is fixed so as not to move in the axial direction with respect to the shaft member 32. A preload is applied to each tapered roller bearing by fixing the connecting member 31 and the pressing member 8.

  The shaft member 32 supported by the housing 11 by the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23 is connected to an operating mechanism unit 30 that is a rotating member in the oil pump 60 corresponding to a pump body for sending out oil. The oil pump 60 has a function of sending the internal lubricating oil toward the other operating mechanism portion 70 located outside by driving. The delivered lubricating oil flows along the lubricating oil path to lubricate the operating mechanism 70 of each part, and then returns to the oil pump 60.

  In the oil pump 60, the operating mechanism 30 in the pump body and the bearing unit 20 that supports the shaft member 32 that communicates with the operating mechanism 30 are lubricated with a common lubricating oil. ing. The operating mechanism 30 on the oil pump 60 side and the bearing space on the bearing unit 20 side are the side opening D of the bearing space on one axial end side of the rolling bearing 21 on the one axial side, and the circulation path 12 of the lubricating oil. , 13 communicate with each other. The lubricating oil is also sent out to the operating mechanism 70 outside the pump.

  In this embodiment, the circulation path 13 includes an axial lubrication path 13a provided along the axial direction so as to be concentric with the axis of the shaft member 32 from the oil pump side, and an end of the lubrication path 13a. A radial lubrication path 13b that extends radially outward and opens on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 32 is provided. Since the radial lubrication path 13b opens to the annular space C sandwiched between the rolling bearings 22 and 23, the circulation path 13 passes through the annular space C on one side in the axial direction (left side in the figure). Is connected to the bearing spaces of the rolling bearings 21 and 22, and the other axial side (the right side in the figure) is connected to the bearing space of the rolling bearing 23.

  The lubricating oil that has passed through the bearing space of the rolling bearing 23 through the annular space C passes through the opening of the bearing space on the other end side in the axial direction of the rolling bearing 23 and the housing end provided on the other end side in the axial direction of the rolling bearing 23. Enter the subspace B. Thereafter, the oil returns to the operating mechanism 30 side of the oil pump 60 by the lubricating oil circulation path 12 formed in the portion near the outer diameter in the housing 11.

  The circulation path 12 includes a radial lubrication path 12b extending radially outward from the housing end space B, and an axial lubrication path 12a provided along the axial center direction of the shaft member 32 from the radial lubrication path 12b. Prepare.

  The lubricating oil that has passed through the annular space C and the bearing space of the rolling bearings 22, 21 passes through the side opening D of the bearing space on one end side in the axial direction of the rolling bearing 21, and is on the side of the operating mechanism 30 of the oil pump 60. Go back to.

  Thereby, the operation mechanism part 30 of the oil pump and the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23 of the bearing unit 20 are lubricated by the common lubricating oil.

  By the way, foreign matter such as wear powder (iron powder or the like) may be generated from the bearing space of the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23. It is not preferable for this foreign matter to enter the operating mechanism 30 of the oil pump 60 or another operating mechanism 70 in the circulation path outside the pump. Therefore, the seal member 40 (hereinafter, referred to as the side opening D of the bearing space on one axial end side of the rolling bearing 21 and the opening 12c on one axial end side of the circulation path 12, that is, the opening 12c of the axial lubrication path 12a). In the embodiment, since the annular seal member 40 is used, this is referred to as a seal ring 40).

  The seal ring 40 is attached to the housing 11 and the outer ring 1 so as to cover the side opening D of the bearing space on one end side in the axial direction of the rolling bearing 21 and the opening 12c on one end side in the axial direction of the circulation path 12. Since the side opening D of the bearing space on one end side in the axial direction of the rolling bearing 21 is formed in an annular shape along the raceway surfaces 1a and 2a of the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2, the seal ring 40 covering the ring D also forms an annular shape. It has become a thing.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seal ring 40 is in contact with the end face of the rolling bearing 21 and is housed in the housing 11 together with the other rolling bearings 22 and 23 and spacers 5, 6 and 7. The

  As shown in FIG. 4, the seal ring 40 has an end surface 41 in the cylinder axis direction that is a cylindrical portion 42 made of a cylindrical member that contacts the end surface of the outer ring 1, and an inner diameter side from one end portion in the cylinder axis direction of the cylinder portion 42. And a wall portion 43 that rises.

  A filter 46 is provided on the wall 43. The filter 46 prevents foreign substances from passing through the bearing space of the rolling bearings 21 and 22 by the assembly of the filter holes 46a including through holes, and allows the passage of lubricating oil. At this time, if the inner diameter of the filter hole 46a is small, the filter hole 46a is set to an appropriate size so as to allow passage of foreign matter to the extent that it does not affect even if it enters the operating mechanism 30 side.

  In this embodiment, the seal ring 40 is made of a molded product of synthetic resin. Further, the seal ring 40 forms an annular shape along the side opening D of the bearing space of the rolling bearing 21, and a plurality of divided seal members 40 ′ divided along the circumferential direction of the annular ring are connected pieces 80. It is the coupling body connected by the annular | circular shape by. The split seal members 40 ′ adjacent in the circumferential direction are connected by a connecting piece 80. The connecting piece 80 is also made of a synthetic resin molded product.

  The seal ring 40 is attached to the end of the rolling bearing 21 so that the connecting piece 80 is located at least in the lower part of the seal ring 40. In this embodiment, since the annular seal ring 40 is constituted by two divided seal members 40 ′ having a central angle of 180 °, the connecting piece 80 is located at two locations, the upper portion and the lower portion of the seal ring 40. ing. Here, the connecting pieces 80 are provided at the uppermost part and the lowermost part of the seal ring 40, respectively.

  Further, in this embodiment, the annular seal ring 40 is configured by dividing the seal ring 40 into two parts and using two divided seal members 40 ′ having a central angle of 180 °. However, the central angle is 180 °. It may be other than. For example, an annular seal ring 40 may be configured by using four divided seal members 40 ′ having a central angle of 90 °, or an annular shape by using six divided seal members 40 ′ having a central angle of 60 °. The seal ring 40 may be configured.

  In this embodiment, the seal ring 40 has a hole 46 a for the filter 46 in the wall 43 formed integrally with the main body of the seal ring 40, but the filter 46 in the wall 43 is attached to the seal ring 40. As a separate member from the member of the main body, the separate member may be fixed to the main body of the seal ring 40 by various means such as fitting and fixing, embedding and adhesion.

  As a material for the seal ring 40 and the connecting piece 80, other materials such as metal and rubber may be employed in addition to the resin. Even when the filter 46 is a separate member from the seal ring 40, other materials such as resin, metal, and rubber can be used as the material of the filter 46.

  Further, the connecting piece 80 is provided with an axial member 82 extending in the axial direction from the base portion 81 contacting the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 of the seal ring 40 toward the rolling bearing 21 side.

  The axial member 82 extends between the inner diameter surface of the housing 11 and the outer diameter surface of the outer ring 1 and extends toward the rolling bearing 21, and the axial member 82 engages with a bearing member such as a bearing ring or a spacer. Thus, the seal ring 40 is fixed to the housing 11 and the outer ring 1.

  In this embodiment, the axial member 82 extends from the one end side in the axial direction to the other end side through the circulation path 12, and the tip 82a of the axial member 82 has a tapered shape. For this reason, the insertion into the housing 11 is smooth. Further, an inner diameter side protruding portion 83 extending toward the inner diameter side is provided near the tip of the axial member 82.

  While the axial member 82 is in contact with the outer diameter surface of the outer ring 1, the inner diameter side protruding portion 83 enters a recess provided in the bearing ring or spacer of the bearing, thereby restricting movement of the seal ring 40 in the axial direction. The In this embodiment, the inner diameter side protruding portion 83 is configured to enter a recess 1 c formed between the outer ring 1 b of the rolling bearing 21 and the spacer 6. The concave portion 1c is constituted by one end side end surface 6a of the spacer 6 and a curved rounded portion or chamfered portion formed on the ridge line portion of the shoulder portion of the outer ring 1b of the rolling bearing 21.

  Also, the inner diameter side end of the wall portion 43 of the seal ring 40 is in sliding contact with the outer surface of the large collar of the inner ring 2 or opposed with a slight gap between the wall 43 and the inner ring 2. The labyrinth seal structure is formed. In the labyrinth seal structure, the lubricating oil is allowed to pass, but foreign substances contained in the lubricating oil are blocked. The clearance between the inner diameter side end of the wall 43 and the outer diameter surface of the large collar of the inner ring 2 is set to be the same as or smaller than the mesh size of the filter 46.

  Further, the opening 12c on one end side in the axial direction of the circulation path 12 is located on the outer diameter side of the side opening D of the bearing space of the rolling bearing 21 having an annular shape in a side view. In this embodiment, two axial lubrication paths 12a of the circulation path 12 are provided and have openings 12c at two positions with an interval of 180 ° along the circumferential direction. The number may be increased or decreased as necessary.

  The connecting piece 80 includes an outer diameter side protruding portion 84 that protrudes to the inside of the circulation path 12. The outer diameter side protruding portion 84 rises from the outer surface of the axial member 82 toward the outer diameter side, and includes a convex portion 84a, a concave portion 84b, and an oil passage hole 84c on the outer diameter surface. The convex portion 84a contacts the inner surface of the circulation path 12 to support the connecting piece 80, and the gap between the concave portion 84b and the inner surface of the circulation path 12 and the oil passage hole 84c are lubricated from the circulation path 12 to the outside of the bearing space. It becomes an oil passage. The clearance between the recess 84b and the inner surface of the circulation path 12 and the inner diameter of the oil passage hole 84c are set to be equal to or smaller than the mesh size of the filter 46. A plurality of through holes and slits may be provided in the outer diameter side protruding portion 84 to provide a filter for capturing foreign matter.

  Further, the width (the width in the circumferential direction of the rolling bearing) of the axial member 82 and the outer diameter side protruding portion 84 enters the circulation path 12 and is fixed without rattling. The same as the width of the rolling bearing in the circumferential direction). Thereby, the seal ring 40 is prevented from rotating with respect to the housing 11 and the outer ring 1. That is, the axial member 82 and the outer diameter side protruding portion 84 function as a detent means for the seal ring 40.

  As described above, the lubricating oil from the bearing spaces of the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23 is removed from the hole 46 a of the filter 46 provided in the seal ring 40, the hole or gap in the circulation path 12, or the inner diameter side of the wall 43. It flows out of the bearing space through the gap between the end and the outer diameter surface of the large collar of the inner ring 2. For this reason, large foreign matter (in particular, wear powder made of metal, especially peeling pieces, etc.) that affects the operation of the operating mechanism sections 30 and 70 does not enter the operating mechanism sections 30 and 70 side. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting piece 80 is provided with a pair of support portions 85 extending from the base portion 81 to both sides in the circumferential direction. The support portion 85 is a cylindrical surface member along the outer diameter surface of the seal ring 40. A locking projection 88 that protrudes toward the inner diameter side is provided at the tip of each support portion 85. The engaging protrusions 88 enter the engaging holes 48 provided at the end portions of the divided seal members 40 ′ adjacent in the circumferential direction, so that the connecting piece 80 is divided into the divided seal members 40 ′ adjacent in the circumferential direction. Connect the ends of each other. Thereby, the division | segmentation sealing member 40 'is comprised by the annular connection body.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the end portions of the split seal member 40 ′ are engaged with the key-like portions 47 a and 47 b provided on the wall portion 43 and facing each other, so that the connection is further strengthened. .

  In addition, a concave foreign matter catching portion 86 is provided on the inner surface of the connecting piece 80. The foreign matter catching portion 86 faces the notches 49 provided at the end portions of the divided seal members 40 ′ adjacent in the circumferential direction. For this reason, the foreign matter catching part 86 is opened in a concave shape toward the bearing space side which is the inner side of the sealing 40. That is, in the connecting piece 80 located at the lower part of the seal ring 40, the foreign matter catching portion 86 has an upward concave shape facing the bearing space side.

  Further, the foreign matter catching portion 86 includes a foreign matter discharge port 87 that vertically penetrates the inner diameter side and the outer diameter side, that is, the bearing space side and the outside of the bearing space on the opposite side, with the connecting piece 80 interposed therebetween. The foreign matter discharge port 87 can discharge foreign matter having a size smaller than the foreign matter capturing portion detection threshold set in the sensor unit 90 to the outside of the bearing space. That is, the inner diameter of the foreign substance discharge port 87 is set to be smaller than the minimum diameter of the foreign substance to be detected by the sensor unit 90.

  The foreign matter catching portion 86 is an upward concave pocket. In particular, in this embodiment, the concave portion of the foreign matter catching portion 86 has a funnel shape. The foreign matter discharge ports 87 are distributed throughout the funnel-shaped recess.

  In this embodiment, the outer ring 1 is a stationary side and the inner ring 2 is a rotating side. Due to the rotation of the inner ring 2, the opening D of the bearing space on one end side in the axial direction of the rolling bearing 21, the opening 12 c on one end side in the axial direction of the circulation path 12, the inner diameter side end of the wall 43, and the outer rib of the inner ring 2 The lubricating oil that has flowed out from the gap with the radial surface flows along the circumferential direction of the seal ring 40. Among the metal powders and metal pieces generated in the rolling bearings 21, 22, and 23, which are foreign matters contained in the lubricating oil, those having a large particle size are the filter 46, the gap in the opening 12 c of the circulation path 12, and the wall portion 43. Cannot pass through the gap between the inner diameter side end of the inner ring 2 and the outer diameter surface of the large collar of the inner ring 2, and is trapped and collected by those portions.

  Of the foreign matter contained in the lubricating oil, the foreign matter having a small particle size that is not captured by the filter 46 or each gap flows out of the bearing space as it is. If the foreign matter has a small particle size, even if the foreign matter reaches the operating mechanism sections 30 and 70, if it is a small amount, it cannot cause a problem. However, foreign matter with a small particle size contained in the lubricating oil. If the amount increases, if it is left as it is, it is expected that it will lead to problems in the future. For this reason, after the rotation of the inner ring 2 of the rolling bearing 21 is stopped, when a foreign substance having a small particle size settles down by its own weight and accumulates in the foreign substance capturing part 86, the sensor unit 90 determines the amount of the accumulated foreign substance. I try to detect it.

  Details of the sensor unit 90 provided in the foreign matter capturing unit 86 are shown in FIG. The sensor unit 90 electrically detects adhesion of a foreign substance made of metal between the pair of electrodes 91 and 92.

  As a foreign object made of metal of a size that cannot pass through the foreign substance discharge port 87 adheres between the pair of electrodes 91 and 92, the output detection device 94 connected from the pair of electrodes 91 and 92 through a cable is A change in the electrical output of the electric circuit can be detected by conduction through the foreign matter between the pair of electrodes, and the state (content) of the foreign matter made of metal contained in the lubricating oil can be detected. The cable connected to the pair of electrodes 91 and 92 is drawn out of the housing 11 through the sensor hole provided in the connecting piece 80 via the substrate 93, and the output detection device 94 connected to the cable is connected to the bearing. It is provided outside any part of the unit 20 or the bearing unit 20. In addition, the board | substrate 93 can be arrange | positioned in the location close | similar to the sensor part 90, for example, can be attached to the connection piece 80. FIG. The sensor hole can also serve as the foreign matter discharge port 87.

  A plurality of pairs of electrodes 91 and 92 having different distances between the electrodes 91 and 92 are provided in the concave portion of the foreign material capturing portion 86 along the vertical direction.

  In this embodiment, the inner surface of the foreign matter catching portion 86 has a funnel shape that narrows toward the outer diameter side. The plurality of pairs of electrodes 91 and 92 are set so that the distance between the electrodes 91 and 92 gradually decreases from the inner diameter side to the outer diameter side of the rolling bearing along the funnel-shaped inner surface. Yes. Therefore, it is possible to deal with foreign substances of various sizes, and it is possible to detect the amount of accumulated foreign substances. Here, the inner diameter of the foreign matter discharge port 87 becomes the lower limit dimension of the foreign matter to be detected by the sensor unit 90, that is, the foreign matter catching portion detection threshold value.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the foreign matter having a size that cannot pass through the foreign matter discharge port 87 stops at any portion between the inner surfaces of the funnel that gradually narrows in accordance with the size. , 92 can be short-circuited. That is, the sensor unit 90 can efficiently capture and detect a foreign substance having a size equal to or greater than the foreign substance capturing unit detection threshold, and can also detect the particle size of the detected foreign substance from the amount of change in electrical output.

  Further, the sensor unit 90 can also grasp the amount of foreign matter mixed in the lubricating oil. For example, in FIG. 7, two pairs of electrodes 91a, 92a; 91b, 92b are provided, and the second electrode electrode 91a, 92a, which is relatively far apart, is relatively close to the second electrode interval. When both of the pair of electrodes 91b and 92b are short-circuited by the foreign matter, it can be determined that the first rank has a large amount of foreign matter accumulated and a large amount of foreign matter mixed into the lubricating oil. Further, when the first pair of electrodes 91a and 92a having a relatively long electrode interval is not short-circuited, and the second pair of electrodes 91b and 92b having a relatively close electrode interval is short-circuited by a foreign substance, It can be determined that the second rank has a smaller amount of foreign matter.

  In this embodiment, the inner surface of the foreign material catching portion 86 has a funnel shape that narrows toward the outer diameter side of the rolling bearing. However, the inner surface shape of the foreign matter catching portion 86 may be, for example, a cylindrical shape. However, it is desirable that the inner surface of the foreign matter catching portion 86 provided at the lower portion of the seal ring 40 is concave upward.

  In this embodiment, the foreign matter catching portion 86 is provided on the inner surface of the connecting piece 80, but the foreign matter catching portion 86 provided at the lower portion of the seal ring 40 can also be provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 42 of the seal ring 40. . In particular, when the connecting piece 80 is not positioned below the seal ring 40, the foreign body capturing part 86 and the sensor part 90 can be provided in the cylindrical part 42 in this way. In addition to the split seal ring 40 using the split seal member 40 ′ and the connecting piece 80, also in the integral annular seal ring 40 that is not a split type, the cylindrical portion 42 of the seal ring 40 has A foreign matter catching part 86 and a sensor part 90 can be provided.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an electric sensor is employed as the sensor unit 90. However, in addition to this, for example, an optical sensor that detects the presence of a foreign object by light may be employed.

  In each of the embodiments described above, a sensor unit that detects adhesion of a foreign substance such as metal powder may be provided around the hole 46 a of the filter 46 provided in the seal ring 40. As the sensor unit, for example, it is possible to employ an electric sensor that detects the presence of a foreign substance by a change in electrical output when the foreign substance is short-circuited between the electrodes due to the presence of a foreign substance between a pair of electrodes. it can.

  For example, when a foreign object made of metal of a size that cannot pass through the hole 46a of the filter 46 adheres between the pair of electrodes, the output detection device connected through the cable from the pair of electrodes is connected between the pair of electrodes. The change in the electrical output of the electric circuit can be detected by the conduction through the foreign matter, and the state (content) of the foreign matter made of a metal contained in the lubricating oil can be detected. The cable connected to the pair of electrodes is drawn out of the housing 11 through the substrate, and an output detection device connected to the cable is provided in any part. A sensor hole for drawing the cable out of the seal ring 40 can be provided in the cylindrical portion 42 or the wall portion 43 of the seal ring 40.

  The seal member of the present invention can be applied to various rolling bearing units other than the embodiment. Further, the rolling bearing unit including the seal member can be applied to various devices other than the oil pump 60. In particular, the rolling bearing of the present invention requires various types of foreign materials such as wear powder (iron powder, etc.) generated from the rolling bearing to be prevented from entering the operating mechanism 70 in the middle of the lubricating oil circulation path. Applicable to equipment.

1 Outer ring (outer raceway)
2 Inner ring (inner race)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Rolling body 4 Cage 5, 6, 7 Spacer 8 Holding member 10 Oil pump apparatus 11 Housing 12, 13 Circulation path 20 Bearing unit 21, 22, 23 Rolling bearing 30 Actuation mechanism part 31 Connection member 32 Shaft member 40 Seal ring (Seal member)
40 'split seal member 46 filter 60 oil pump 70 actuating mechanism 80 connecting piece 81 base 82 axial member 83 inner diameter side protruding portion 84 outer diameter side protruding portion 85 support portion 86 foreign matter catching portion 87 foreign matter discharge port 90 sensor portion 91, 92 electrodes

Claims (6)

An outer ring and an inner ring,
A rolling element disposed in a bearing space between the outer ring and the inner ring;
An annular seal member that is attached to a stationary raceway of the outer ring or the inner race or a member fixed to the stationary raceway and covers a side opening of the bearing space;
A foreign matter catching portion provided at a lower portion of the seal member;
A sensor unit that is provided in the foreign matter capturing unit and detects foreign matter contained in the lubricating oil;
A rolling bearing unit comprising: The sealing member is an annular coupling body in which a plurality of divided sealing members divided along the circumferential direction are connected by a coupling piece,
The rolling bearing unit according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter catching portion is provided on the connecting piece. The rolling bearing unit according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit electrically detects adhesion of a foreign substance made of metal between a pair of electrodes. 4. The rolling bearing unit according to claim 3, wherein the foreign matter catching portion includes a foreign matter discharge port that vertically penetrates the bearing space side and the opposite side across the seal member. The rolling bearing unit according to claim 4, wherein the foreign matter catching portion is an upward concave pocket. The concave portion of the foreign matter capturing part is funnel-shaped,
The foreign matter outlet is located in a funnel-shaped recess,
The rolling bearing unit according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the pair of electrodes includes a plurality of sets having different electrode intervals along the vertical direction in the recess.

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