JP3010782B2 - Lubricant supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying a lubricant to mechanical elements such as rolling bearings and gears,
The present invention relates to a lubricant supply device suitable for vacuum-depositing a lubricant in space or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a system for supplying lubricant to mechanical elements such as bearings and gears in an environment where maintenance is difficult such as in outer space, conventionally, a lubricant is applied to the mechanical elements on the ground and incorporated into a mechanism to be used. It is generally launched into space or placed in an operating environment, and the lubricant is consumed with the operation of the mechanism to be used. The entire mechanism to be used was disposable.

A new lubrication system has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-173499, in order to solve the problem of disposable, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of economy and the like.
The above-mentioned known example is applied to a bearing, a gear, a ball screw, and other various mechanical elements. A lubricant supply source and an abnormality sensor of the element are arranged near these elements, and the lubrication state of each element is deteriorated. By resupplying the lubricant,
The lubrication system, and thus the life of the mechanism to be used, is extended.

[0004]

The mechanical elements are generally required to be compact. However, in the above-mentioned known example, auxiliary devices such as a lubricant supply source are required in the vicinity of each element. Has limitations. That is, the above-mentioned known example does not examine the shape, structure, and the like of the lubricant supply source for realizing the compact device.

In view of the problems of the prior art such as the above-mentioned known examples, the present invention maintains and improves the vapor deposition performance of a lubricant supply mechanism, achieves a longer life and a more compact size, and furthermore, applies various mechanical elements. The purpose is to facilitate application.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention comprises a heater built in a wall of a lubricant container,
In addition, in order to maintain the performance of the vapor deposition mechanism, a porous material made of a thermally conductive material is buried in a lubricant to serve as a lubrication source, and the heat from the heater is satisfactorily conducted to the lubricant. Further, in order to reduce the required amount of the supplied lubricant and enhance the directivity, an evaporation hole for vapor deposition in the lubricant container is formed. Furthermore, in order to prolong the life of the lubricant supply device, the lubricant source impregnated with lubricant is separated into multiple parts, heaters corresponding to each are installed independently, and applicability to various machine elements In order to improve the lubrication, the lubricant supply device is made thin or made of a deformable material.

[0007]

By incorporating a thin heater inside the wall of the lubricant container, a space for the heater is not required, and a porous heat conductor comes into contact with the inside of the lubricant container. The heat transfer efficiency is improved as compared with a structure in which a heater is provided on the outer wall of the lubricant container. Since the evaporating agent evaporates from the holes provided in the lubricant container, the required amount of the evaporating agent is supplied to necessary portions with good directivity, and the total amount of lubrication is reduced. Thus, the size of the lubricant supply device can be reduced while maintaining the performance. In addition, the above-mentioned lubrication source is separated into a plurality of parts, each of which is independent and provided with a heater. By controlling each heater, a required minimum amount of lubricant is vapor-deposited with good responsiveness. The lubricant supply device can be made thin or flexible by applying a freely deformable material.
Application to various mechanical elements such as gears is facilitated.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention, a lubricant is impregnated in a porous or reticulated thermal conductor to form a lubrication source 1, and an electrically insulating container 2 comprises a lubrication source 1 and an inner wall of the container 2. Housed closely. A thin heater 3 is embedded inside the wall of the container 2.
The heater 3 is heated by flowing a current from the heater to the heater 3. Due to the close contact of the lubrication source 1 with the inner wall of the container 2, the heat of the thin heater 3 is efficiently transmitted to the lubricant 1. As the lubricant, a soft metal such as silver, lead, or gold, or a solid lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide is suitable. As a material of the container 2, ceramics such as alumina and silicon oxide can be used. Further, if the porous or reticulated thermal conductor is made of metal, the lubricant is surely and efficiently evaporated. According to the present embodiment, no installation space for the heater 3 is required,
Further, the lubrication source 1 and, consequently, the lubricant are efficiently subjected to heat conduction, so that the size and performance of the lubricant supply device can be reduced.
In addition, the above-mentioned lubricant supply device deposits an electrically insulating material on the surface of the porous or net-like heat conductive conductor impregnated with the solid lubricant, and transfers the metal used as the material of the heater 3 to the wall of the container 2. It can be manufactured by vapor-depositing in a linear pattern or the like in consideration of the formation of the evaporation holes 4 and further vapor-depositing an insulating material on the upper surface thereof. Various ceramics and the like are preferable as the electric insulating material, and a method such as CVD is suitable for vapor deposition of the electric insulating material or the metal material of the heater 3. Further, in the present embodiment, the evaporation hole 4 is formed in the container 2 in the direction in which the lubricant is deposited. The evaporation hole 4 allows the lubricant 1 heated as described above to evaporate and flow with high directivity.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the above-described embodiment of FIG. 1 is further reduced in thickness. In this embodiment, the heater 3 is not embedded in the entire wall of the container 2, that is, the vicinity of the evaporation hole 4 is removed from the position where the heater 3 is provided, and the heater 3 is not provided near the evaporation hole 4. Become. Here, particularly in a zero-gravity space, the surface tension of the molten lubricant 1 affects the flow of the lubricant 1, and the lubricant 1 flows out of the evaporation hole 4 to wet the outer wall of the container 2, or
In this embodiment, the above problem is solved.
This can be solved by disposing a heater 3 ′ covered with an insulating material near the evaporation hole 4. In the present embodiment, the lubricant supply device can be made more compact and thinner.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the above-described embodiment of FIG. 2 is modified. In this embodiment, a solid lubrication source is used as an alternative to the coating heater 3 'in order to prevent the lubricant 1 from flowing out of FIG. 1, a cut portion 1a is provided in the vicinity of the evaporation hole 4. Also by the formation of the cut portion 1a,
It is possible to prevent the molten lubricant from flowing out due to the surface tension or to prevent the evaporation holes 4 from being clogged, and the lubricant supply device can be reduced in size and thickness while maintaining good lubrication deposition performance. FIG.
Shows the appearance of the above embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a modification in which a plurality of evaporation holes 4 are formed on the surface of the container 2. According to this modified example, the lubricant evaporates efficiently over a wide range of the entire container 2.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the container 2 of FIG. 1 is an elongated cylindrical container. This embodiment has a shape suitable for insertion into a narrow gap or the like.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which the container 2 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is formed into a thin ring shape, and FIG. 8 shows an appearance of a circular embodiment.
In this embodiment, the plurality of vapor deposition holes 4 'are provided along the circumferential direction of the ring shape. As described above, the solid lubrication source 1 impregnated with the lubricant is heated by the heater provided inside the wall of the ring-shaped container 2, and the molten lubricant is heated by the ring-shaped container 2 is uniformly supplied in the circumferential direction. The number of the vapor deposition holes 4 'may be one. This embodiment is suitable for a ring-shaped workpiece or a rotating workpiece.

FIG. 9 shows a rolling bearing to which the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 is applied, and the rolling bearing is denoted by reference numeral 7. In the drawing, reference numeral 6 denotes a ring-shaped lubricant supply device, and the vapor deposition mechanism 6 is adjacent to the rolling element of the bearing 7. Further, a shield plate 8 is provided at a position opposite to the lubricant supply device 6,
The shield plate 8 does not allow the evaporated lubricant to be scattered to portions other than the important places. With this configuration, the lubricant is efficiently supplied to the rotary sliding portion of the bearing 7. Since the rolling element of the bearing 7 is rotating during the supply of the lubricant, the lubricant is uniformly deposited on the rolling element even if the number of the vapor deposition holes 4 'is one. Thus, the present bearing structure can stably supply the lubricant without requiring a large space around the bearing. FIG.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a bearing in which the lubricant supply device 6 and the shield plate 8 are integrated in the bearing 7. By integrating the lubricant supply device 6 and the bearing, the space can be further reduced, and the incorporation into the body mechanism can be facilitated.

FIG. 11 shows a sixth embodiment of the fifth embodiment.
In this embodiment, the lubrication source 1 is divided into a plurality of lubrication sources 1 ', and each lubrication source 1' is circumferentially arranged in a ring shape. Similarly, the heater 3 'is divided corresponding to the lubrication source 1', and each lubrication source 1 'is provided with one evaporation hole 4'. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the lubrication sources 1 'are individually heated and evaporated by the respective heaters 3' as required, so that the evaporation response of the lubrication sources is improved, and the solid lubricant is reduced to the minimum required amount. It will be deposited by controlling.

FIG. 12 shows an embodiment comprising a deformable solid lubricant 1 "and a deformable heater 3". In the embodiment, the solid lubricant 1 "and the heater 3" are different from those shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the insulating material 2 "is interposed and laminated separately. On the surface of the insulating material 2", a plurality of evaporation holes 4 "are scattered as described above. From 4 ", the lubricant can be evaporated. With the structure of the present embodiment, the lubricant supply device becomes a deformable lubricating sheet 10, which can be deformed as desired.

FIG. 14 shows an embodiment in which the above-described embodiment of FIG. 12 is modified. In this embodiment, the solid lubricant 1 "and the heater 3" are divided into a plurality of portions as shown in FIG. ing. In this embodiment, if necessary, the lubricant can be cut, for example, as shown by a cut portion in the drawing, and even if the lubricant is cut, the lubricant does not evaporate and leak from the cut portion. Available in the shape of As described above, according to the present embodiment, the shape of the lubricant supply device can be cut and deformed into an arbitrary shape, so that the application of the various mechanical elements to the sliding portion and the rotating portion is further facilitated. FIG. 15 shows an example of the lubricating sheet manufacturing method of the embodiment shown in FIG. In this manufacturing method, a plurality of recesses 2 are formed in a thin metal sheet 27.
4 is formed and punched to form an electrically insulating material, and a material 25 is deposited on both surfaces thereof. A solid lubrication source 26 in which a porous material is impregnated with a lubricant is formed, and is fitted to the plurality of recesses 24 after being adapted to the shape of the recesses 24. The upper surface thereof is formed with a thin metal sheet 2 previously formed with evaporation holes 4 ".
Cover with 7 '. Further, on the back surface of the depression 24, the heater 3 ″ is vapor-deposited, and further, the electric insulating material 28 is vapor-deposited to insulate the heater. Thus, the lubricating sheet shown in FIG. 14 can be manufactured. As the material of 27 and 27 ', for example, flexible aluminum or the like can be cited, and as the porous material of the solid lubrication source 26, a heat conductive metal such as aluminum is also suitable, and the material 25 is alumina, boron nitride or the like. Is good,
As the vapor deposition method, for example, CVD or the like is suitable.

FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which the above-mentioned FIG. 12 embodiment is modified. This embodiment is an example in which the above-mentioned separated lubrication source type is formed into the lubricating sheet shape of the above-mentioned seventh embodiment,
Reference numerals 1 "'and 1a"' in the drawing indicate different types of solid lubrication sources. On the back of each lubrication source there is provided an independent heater 3 "', whereby one or more of the lubrication sources are
Alternatively, different types of lubrication sources can be heated, so that the lubricant can be simultaneously or intermittently deposited on the mechanical elements. The present embodiment can function in the same manner as described above even if it has a hard plate shape. The evaporation holes may be left as they are, or may be sealed with a low melting point material to enhance the lubrication effect. That is, if the evaporation hole is sealed with a low melting point material, the evaporation hole does not open until heated by the heater,
The solid lubricant is shut off from the outside world, so that deterioration due to oxidation, spontaneous evaporation, etc. does not occur, and the effectiveness of the lubricant can be maintained for a long time. Further, the effectiveness of the lubricant is maintained for a long period of time even when applied under various gas environments.

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment when the vapor deposition sheet of FIG. 16 is operated. In this embodiment, the heater power supply 12 is individually connected to each of the separate heaters 3 ″ ′ and connected to the controller 13, and is controlled by the controller 13. One or more heaters 3 "" are heated sequentially or simultaneously, so that one or different kinds of lubricant can be supplied simultaneously or intermittently, and lubricant can be deposited according to the lubrication state of the machine element become.

FIG. 18 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a heater 3 "" is built in a container 2 ', and the container 2' also contains an insulating solid lubricant 14. The shape of the heater 3 "" may be linear, plate-like, or the like. In addition, MoS is used as the material of the insulating solid lubricant 14.
There is molybdenum disulfide or the like, and by injecting the insulating solid lubricant 14 into the container 2 ', the lubricant can be deposited without an electrical short circuit. Further, for example, a linear heater 15 is applied as the heater 3 "", and the outer peripheral portion of the linear heater 15 is covered with an insulating material 16 as shown in FIG. Will be available.
In this embodiment, the lubricant supply device can also be made compact.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of the present invention as an application example of the rolling bearing of FIG. In the embodiment, as described above, the thin ring-shaped lubricant supply device 6 is used.
However, it is integrally mounted on the rolling bearing, and the rolling bearing is fitted between the housing and the shaft. Also, the sensor means 18 is attached to the bearing,
Is connected to the controller 13 ', and the controller 13'
Is connected to a power supply 12 ', and the power supply 12' is electrically connected to a heater in the lubricant supply device. An abnormality in the lubrication state of the bearing is detected by the sensor means 18, and
Is transmitted to the controller 13 '. The controller 13 'controls the power supply 12' based on the output signal, and based on the control, the power supply 12 'supplies power to the heater in the lubricant supply device. According to the above configuration, since the lubricant is supplied according to the lubrication state of the bearing, the life of the bearing is significantly improved. In addition, as the sensor means 18,
An AE sensor (acoustic emission sensor), an acceleration sensor and the like are suitable.

FIG. 21 shows a Japanese Experimen which is a part of the space station and can be used as a host of the present invention.
tal Module (hereinafter referred to as JEM) (JEM
Will be launched into outer space in the future). This JE
M is a manipulator 2 for an experiment on the exposure table 21.
Two are equipped. The manipulator 22 is composed of a large manipulator and a small manipulator attached to the tip of the manipulator, and the manipulator 22 enables remote control of work. That is, the operator operates the manipulator 22 from inside the pressurizing unit 23 to operate the experiment apparatus on the exposure table. In order to ensure experiments and other operations, the manipulator 22 needs to operate smoothly and the required life of the manipulator system is as long as about 10 to 30 years. Gears and the like are required to have high reliability and long life, but the present invention can suitably meet such JEM requirements. FIG. 22 shows the embodiment of FIG. 20, that is, a state in which the lubricant supply device integrated with the bearing is attached to the joint of the manipulator of FIG. In the figure, 12 "
Is a power supply for heating the heater.
8 'detects an abnormality of the bearing and transmits an output signal, and the controller 13 "outputs an output signal from the sensor 18'.
Controls the power supply 12 ″. As described above, the present invention reduces the size of the lubricant supply device and makes it possible to repeatedly perform the lubricant deposition, thereby extending the life thereof.
Even if a lubrication deposition mechanism is added to the bearing, the size of the entire joint does not increase, and the life of the manipulator is greatly extended.

FIG. 23 shows the embodiment of FIG. 12 or FIG.
An embodiment in which the vapor deposition sheet of the embodiment is applied to a sliding bearing is shown, and FIG. 24 shows a cross section thereof. In this embodiment, the vapor deposition sheet 10 ′ is opposed to the surface of the shaft with a gap around the entire circumference or a part of the bearing housing 19. When the vapor deposition sheet can be deformed, the vapor deposition sheet can be freely deformed according to the shape of various mechanical elements, so that application to mechanical elements becomes easy.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the lubricant supply device is made compact, and the lubricant deposition can be repeated continuously, so that the service life of the lubricant supply device can be prolonged. It can be easily applied to a wide range of mechanical elements such as rolling bearings and plain bearings, and can be effectively applied to equipment under special environments such as the JEM space station for a long time. This has the effect of improving the service life of the space station, rolling bearings, sliding bearings and other mechanical elements.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the above embodiment is made thinner.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which the lubricant outflow preventing means of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is modified.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a modification in which the evaporation holes of the above embodiment are made porous.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which the above-mentioned FIG. 1 embodiment is formed into a ring shape.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a rolling bearing to which the embodiment of FIG. 7 is applied.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a shaft bearing in which the embodiment of FIG. 7 is integrated with a bearing.

11 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which a plurality of lubrication sources are used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; FIG. 11 (A) is a sectional view;
FIG. 12B is a sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an embodiment of the present invention in which the lubricant supply device is formed in a sheet shape.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the lubrication source and the heater of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 are divided.

15A and 15B are explanatory diagrams of a method of manufacturing the lubricating sheet of the above embodiment, FIG. 15A is an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD ′ of FIG. .

FIG. 16 shows a case where the lubrication source of the embodiment shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which shows the Example of this invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram of an embodiment of the present invention as an example of use of the embodiment of FIG. 12;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which a heater is inserted into a lubricant.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a modification of the heater in the embodiment of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an embodiment as an example of use of the rolling bearing of FIG. 10 of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a Japanese module for a space station as an example of an object of the present invention.

FIG. 22 to which the lubricant supply device of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a manipulator of the module of FIG.

FIG. 23 is a sectional view showing an embodiment in which the embodiment of FIG. 12 or the embodiment of FIG. 16 is applied to a sliding bearing.

24 is a sectional view taken along line C-C 'of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Lubrication source, 2 ... Container, 3 ... Heater, 4 ... Evaporation hole, 5 ...
Current terminal, 6: ring-shaped lubricant supply device, 7: rolling bearing, 8: shield plate, 10: lubrication sheet, 12: power supply,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Controller, 15 ... Linear heater, 16 ... Insulation material, 18 ... Sensor means, 19 ... Bearing housing, 21 ...
Exposure table, 22 ... Manipulator, 23 ... Pressurizing section, 24 ...
Recess, 26: solid lubrication source, 27: metal sheet, 28 ...
Electrical insulation.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor: Hideki Kimura 3-1-1, Sachimachi, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi, Ltd. Inside the Hitachi Plant (56) References JP-A-54-82548 (JP, A) JP-A-3-14912 (JP, A) JP-A-2-173499 (JP, A) JP-A-62-30100 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F16N 17 / 06 F16N 39/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A container having a built-in heater inside a wall of an insulating container, a container containing a lubricating source made of a solid lubricant, and at least one hole formed in said container. A lubricant supply device comprising: a source formed of a deformable material; and heating the heater to evaporate the solid lubricant and supply the solid lubricant from the hole. 2. The lubricant supply device according to claim 1, wherein
A lubricant, wherein the lubrication source is divided into a plurality of portions, at least one hole is provided in each of the portions of the container corresponding to the lubrication source, and a heater is provided corresponding to the lubrication source. Feeding device. 3. The lubricant supply device according to claim 1, wherein the container, the lubricant source, and the heater are formed in a sheet shape.