JPH0447448Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] <Technical field> The present invention relates to a bearing lubrication mechanism.

<Prior Art> Generally, a bearing such as a sliding bearing is used to support a shaft member that is rotated in a predetermined direction. In order to reduce the frictional force between the shaft member and the bearing, a lubricant such as grease is interposed between the two.

However, in the conventional art, the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member and the inner circumferential surface of the bearing are both cylindrical, and the gap between them is small, resulting in the following problems to be solved. That is, the amount of lubricant interposed between the shaft member and the bearing is limited, and therefore the lubricant is consumed in a relatively short period of time, causing wear and the like. Further, the lubricant tends to leak out of the bearing due to movement or vibration of the shaft member or the bearing, and when such a phenomenon occurs, it causes premature wear and seizure.

<Purpose of the invention> The present invention was made in view of the above facts, and its main purpose is to be able to secure a sufficient amount of lubricant between the shaft member and the bearing, and to further reduce the amount of lubricant. It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent lubrication mechanism capable of preventing the lubricant from protruding outside the bearing.

<Summary of the invention> According to the invention, there is provided a bearing and a shaft member supported by the bearing so as to be rotated in a predetermined direction relative to the bearing, and the inner circumferential surface of the bearing includes: A groove extending from one end to the other in the axial direction is formed, and a lubricant recovery member is disposed within the groove to provide a reservoir recess for storing lubricant. Both ends in the direction contact the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member, and further extend from the both ends toward the center in the axial direction in a direction of relative rotation of the shaft member and in a direction away from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member. A bearing lubrication mechanism is provided.

<Preferred Specific Example of the Invention> Hereinafter, a specific example of the bearing lubrication mechanism according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

For example, in FIGS. 1 to 3 showing a portion of a conveyance roller and its vicinity in an electrostatic copying machine, a shaft member designated by number 2 is rotatably supported by a bearing 4 such as a sliding bearing. Such shaft member 2
For example, a plurality of rollers (not shown) are mounted at intervals in the axial direction. Further, the bearing 4 is mounted, for example, on a vertical substrate (not shown).

In a specific example, a reservoir recess for the lubricant is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bearing 4. To explain further,
In the illustrated example, a groove 6 extending from one end to the other is formed in a part of the inner peripheral surface of the bearing 4, and recesses 8 are further formed at both ends of the groove 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the width of each recess 8 is preferably smaller than the width of the groove 6. In a specific example, a lubricant recovery member 10 is disposed within a groove 6 having a rectangular longitudinal cross-sectional shape, and a reservoir recess 12 is defined by a portion of the bearing 4 that defines the groove 6 and the lubricant recovery member 10. ing. The lubricant recovery member 10 is
For example, it can be constructed from a plate-shaped member made of a synthetic resin material or a copper-based metal material, and locking protrusions 14 are integrally provided at both ends thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, this lubricant recovery member 10 is assembled into a bearing 4 by locking locking protrusions 14 provided at both ends into recesses 8 provided at both ends of a groove 6 of the bearing 4. By installing in this way, the groove 6 of the lubricant recovery member 10
Separation from the system is reliably prevented.

In the specific example, the shaft member 2 is rotated relative to the bearing 4 in the direction indicated by arrow 16 (thus, the shaft member 2 is rotated relative to the bearing 4 which is substantially stationary.
is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 16, or the bearing 4 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 16 with respect to the shaft member 2 which is substantially stationary.
6), and it is therefore preferred in this connection that the lubricant recovery member 10 is configured as follows. That is, both ends of the lubricant recovery member 10 are connected to the grooves 6.
The central portion 10a of the groove portion 6 is located on the downstream side of the groove portion 6 in the direction indicated by the arrow 16, and extends linearly from both ends thereof toward the central portion 10a. is preferred.

The reservoir recess 12 as described above is preferably provided at a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the bearing 4 that contacts the upper end of the shaft member 2 when the shaft member 2 is rotated relative to the bearing 4. It is preferable that the collecting member 10 is disposed such that both ends of the collecting member 10 are in contact with substantially the uppermost portion of the shaft member 2, and some gap is created between the central portion 10a and the shaft member 2 ( Second
figure). In other words, the lubricant recovery member 10 has both ends in the axial direction in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member 2, and further extends from both ends toward the center in the axial direction in the relative rotational direction of the shaft member 2 and in the relative rotation direction of the shaft member 2. It is preferable to dispose it so as to extend in a direction away from the outer circumferential surface.

In such a lubrication mechanism, a lubricant such as grease is accommodated in a reservoir recess 12 defined on the inner circumferential surface of the bearing 4. Therefore, by setting the volume of the reservoir recess 12 to a desired size, a sufficient amount of lubricant can be secured. In the specific example, since the reservoir recess 12 is located above the shaft member 2, the lubricant in the reservoir recess 12 is supplied to the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member 2 through the opening, and particularly to the lower end of the central portion 10a of the lubricant collecting member 10 and the shaft. It is supplied between the shaft member 2 and the bearing 4 by passing between the outer circumferential surface of the member 2 and the shaft member 2 . The thus supplied lubricant is transferred in the direction shown by the arrow 16 by rotating the shaft member 2 in the direction shown by the arrow 16. Then, when the shaft member 2 is transported substantially around the outer periphery to the lubricant recovery member 10, the first
As can be understood from the figure, in the reservoir recess 12,
The lubricant recovery member 10 defining the upstream side edge as seen in the rotational direction of the shaft member 2 shown by the arrow 16 acts on the lubricant, particularly both ends that contact the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member 2. In this way, since the lubricant recovery member 10 extends from both ends toward the center portion 10a in a substantially dogleg shape and is inclined in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow 16 of the shaft member 2, the lubricant on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member 2 is removed. is the dashed arrow 1
8 (FIG. 1), the lubricant collection member 10 is caused to drift from both ends toward the center portion 10a,
Therefore, the lubricant supplied from the substantially central portion of the reservoir recess 12 is recovered again to the approximately central portion of the reservoir recess 12 by the action of the lubricant recovery member 10. Thus,
The action of the lubricant recovery member 10 prevents the lubricant from leaking out of the bearing 4, and provides good lubrication over a long period of time.

When replenishing the lubricant, the lubricant is transferred to the replenishment recess 20 (a portion defining the groove 6 of the bearing 4 and the lubricant collection member 10) located on the opposite side of the reservoir recess 12 with the lubricant collection member 10 as the boundary. It is sufficient to supply the liquid to the recess 20) which is defined by the above-mentioned conditions and which is open at both ends. In this way, the supplied lubricant is transferred to the lubricant recovery member 10 by the rotation of the shaft member 2, and is collected inward from both ends by the action of the lubricant recovery member 10, and is thus collected approximately at the center of the reservoir recess 12. supplied to the department. Therefore, in the specific example of the lubrication mechanism, lubricant can be easily replenished.

In the specific example, since the shaft member 2 is configured to rotate relative to the bearing 4 in the direction shown by the arrow 16, both ends of the lubricant recovery member 10 are placed on the upper side in FIG. The lubricant recovery member 10 is arranged so that the portion 10a is located on the lower side in FIG.
In FIG. 1, the reservoir recess 12 is defined on the upper side, but on the contrary, when the shaft member 2 is rotated relative to the bearing 4 in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow 16, , with both ends of the lubricant recovery member 10 facing downward in FIG.
may be positioned on the upper side in FIG. 1, and a reservoir recess may be defined on the lower side in FIG. 1 of the lubricant recovery member 10.

Furthermore, in order to make the above-described effect of the lubricant recovery member 10 even more effective, the lubricant recovery member 1
Preferably, a biasing means (not shown) such as a leaf spring biasing the shaft member 2 toward the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member 2 is provided.

Although specific examples of the lubrication mechanism configured according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific examples, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. be.

For example, in the illustrated example, one side edge that defines the opening of the reservoir recess (if the reservoir recess is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bearing, the side edge located on the downstream side in the relative rotational direction of the shaft member) is sloped in a straight line from both ends to the center; however, the desired effect is achieved by slanting at least both ends of the one side edge of the reservoir recess as required. be done.

The effects achieved by the present invention described above are summarized as follows.

(1) In the present invention, a lubricant collection member is provided in a groove provided on the inner circumferential surface of the bearing, thereby providing a reservoir recess for storing lubricant. Both ends in the axial direction are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member, and are arranged so as to extend from both ends toward the center in the axial direction in the direction of relative rotation of the shaft member and in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member. .

As a result, the amount of lubricant accumulated between the shaft member and the bearing can be significantly increased compared to the conventional bearing in which oil grooves are simply formed on the inner surface of the bearing. Therefore, even when rotating at high speeds or under relatively large loads, there is no risk of running out of oil or
Or, since it does not cause burn-in etc.
Excellent lubrication function can be sufficiently ensured.

(2) As mentioned above, both ends of the lubricant recovery member in the axial direction contact the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member, and the lubricant recovery member contacts the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member in the relative rotational direction of the shaft member from both ends toward the center in the axial direction. It is arranged so as to extend in a direction away from.

As a result, the lubricant is effectively prevented from leaking out from the bearing. Therefore, waste of lubricant is prevented and good lubrication effect can be obtained over a long period of time. Note that since a replenishment recess is formed on the opposite side of the lubricant reservoir recess formed by the lubricant recovery member, the lubricant can be easily replenished using this replenishment recess.

(3) If the locking protrusions formed at both ends of the lubricant collection member are configured to lock in the recesses formed at both ends of the groove, the lubricant collection member can be reliably removed from the groove. The above-mentioned functions can be stably obtained.

(4) When a biasing means for biasing the lubricant recovery member toward the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member is provided, the lubricant can be recovered more effectively into the reservoir recess.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a bearing equipped with a first specific example of a lubrication mechanism according to the present invention and its vicinity. Second
The figure is a right side view showing the bearing shown in FIG. 1 and its vicinity. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 1. 2... Shaft member, 4... Bearing, 6... Groove, 10
... Lubricant recovery member, 12 ... Reservoir recess.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A bearing, and a shaft member supported by the bearing so as to be rotated in a predetermined direction relative to the bearing, the inner circumferential surface of the bearing having an axial direction. A groove extending from one end to the other end is formed, and a lubricant recovery member is disposed within the groove to provide a reservoir recess for storing lubricant, and the lubricant recovery member is arranged at both axial ends thereof. is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member, and further extends from both ends toward the center in the axial direction in the direction of relative rotation of the shaft member and in a direction away from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member. A bearing lubrication mechanism characterized by: 2. A recess is formed at both ends of the groove of the bearing, and a locking protrusion is provided at both ends of the lubricant recovery member to be locked in the recess. The bearing lubrication mechanism according to item 1. 3. The bearing lubrication mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided with biasing means for biasing the lubricant recovery member toward the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member.