WO2000025034A1 - Nested track bearing - Google Patents
Nested track bearing Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2000025034A1 WO2000025034A1 PCT/US1999/021267 US9921267W WO0025034A1 WO 2000025034 A1 WO2000025034 A1 WO 2000025034A1 US 9921267 W US9921267 W US 9921267W WO 0025034 A1 WO0025034 A1 WO 0025034A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- bearing
- linear motion
- load bearing
- tracks
- load
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C29/00—Bearings for parts moving only linearly
- F16C29/04—Ball or roller bearings
- F16C29/06—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load
- F16C29/0676—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load with a bearing body or carriage almost fully embracing the guide rail or track, e.g. a circular sleeve with a longitudinal slot for the support posts of the rail
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C29/00—Bearings for parts moving only linearly
- F16C29/04—Ball or roller bearings
- F16C29/06—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load
- F16C29/068—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load with the bearing body fully encircling the guide rail or track
- F16C29/0683—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load with the bearing body fully encircling the guide rail or track the bearing body encircles a rail or rod of circular cross-section, i.e. the linear bearing is not suited to transmit torque
- F16C29/0685—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load with the bearing body fully encircling the guide rail or track the bearing body encircles a rail or rod of circular cross-section, i.e. the linear bearing is not suited to transmit torque with balls
- F16C29/069—Ball or roller bearings in which the rolling bodies circulate partly without carrying load with the bearing body fully encircling the guide rail or track the bearing body encircles a rail or rod of circular cross-section, i.e. the linear bearing is not suited to transmit torque with balls whereby discrete load bearing elements, e.g. discrete load bearing plates or discrete rods, are provided in a retainer and form the load bearing tracks
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C33/00—Parts of bearings; Special methods for making bearings or parts thereof
- F16C33/30—Parts of ball or roller bearings
- F16C33/58—Raceways; Race rings
Definitions
- the present invention relates to linear motion bearing assemblies and,
- the present invention is directed to improvements in linear motion bearing assemblies.
- the improvements relate to linear motion bearing assemblies of the type which support a carriage or pillow block for linear movement along a support member such as an elongated shaft, spline, and/or rail.
- bearing assemblies can either be of the open type or the closed type.
- Bearing assemblies contemplated by the present invention generally include an outer housing and a rolling element retainer dimensioned for insertion into the outer housing.
- the outer housing of bearing assemblies of the type contemplated by the present invention are typically in the form of a one piece hollow steel cylinder which serves to, inter alia, retain and protect the rolling element retainer and rolling elements. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,046,862 to Ng and 3,767,276 to Henn.
- the rolling element retainer typically defines a plurality of longitudinal planar faces each having at least one rolling element track in a loop configuration for containing and recirculating bearing rolling element.
- the rolling element tracks include
- the rolling element retainer is typically formed as a monolithic element with the rolling element tracks integrally incorporated therein.
- the load bearing structure may be in the form of integral elements formed on an inner radial surface of the outer housing. Typical bearing assemblies utilizing load bearing structure formed in the outer housing are shown, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,862 to Ng, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- load bearing plates may be utilized to transfer loads from the supporting shaft. These load bearing plates are longitudinally oriented in association with the rolling element retainer so as to engage at least those bearing rolling elements in direct contact with the support shaft or inner race.
- load bearing plates may also be configured to be axially self-aligning by providing structure which permits the plates to rock into and out of parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the rolling element retainer. See, for example, commonly owned U.S. Pat. No.
- Individual load bearing plates may be expanded transversely so as to engage bearing rolling elements in corresponding adjacent load bearing tracks.
- parallel grooves are formed in the underside of the plates to guide the bearing rolling elements while they are in the load bearing portion of the rolling element tracks. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,442 to Ng, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
- Ng discloses a linear motion bearing assembly having the load bearing portions of two adjacent race tracks adjacent to each other in an attempt to increase the load bearing capacity of the bearing.
- a need still exists for a bearing having an increased capability of concentrating load bearing tracks at a given orientation to thereby optimize and/or maximize the load performance of the bearing.
- a linear motion bearing having a nested rolling element track geometry which enables the load track location to be advantageously configured to maximize the load carrying capacity of the bearing at a given orientation.
- the advantages of the present invention may be applied to both open and closed type linear motion bearings, the open type linear motion bearings realize an additional advantage wherein the load bearing tracks may be oriented to maximize the bearing pull-off load capacity.
- a linear motion bearing assembly for movement along a shaft which includes rolling element retention structure having at least a portion of a plurality of nested open axial
- the linear motion bearing may be a closed or an open-type bearing.
- Each of the nested axial rolling element tracks in the linear motion bearing assembly includes at least two individual rolling element tracks.
- the load bearing portions of two adjacent nested rolling element tracks are adjacent to each other such that the load bearing plates are adjacent to each other to maximize the load bearing capacity of the bearing at a given orientation.
- the load bearing plates are preferably positioned adjacent an opening formed in the bearing.
- the load bearing plates are monolithically formed or are individual bearing plates configured and positioned over corresponding load bearing portions of the rolling element tracks.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a linear motion bearing assembly in an assembled configuration in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the linear motion bearing assembly of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a linear motion bearing assembly in an
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view in partial cross-section of the linear motion bearing assembly of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the linear motion bearing
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a monolithic ball retainer structure for use
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an open-type linear motion bearing assembly in an assembled configuration in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view in partial cross-section of the open-type linear motion bearing assembly of FIG. 8;
- FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the open-type linear motion bearing assembly of FIG. 8;
- FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 8;
- FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a linear motion bearing assembly
- FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a closed type linear motion bearing assembly having individual load bearing plates in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a closed type linear motion bearing assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 15 is a perspective of an open-type linear motion bearing assembly having a segmented ball retainer in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 15.
- bearing assembly 50 generally includes five rolling element retainer segments 54, load bearing plates 56, bearing rolling elements (not shown), five outer sleeve segments 60, which combine to form an outer housing, load ring 62 and end rings 64.
- the five rolling element retainer segments 54 combine to define a bore therethrough configured and dimensioned to receive a shaft.
- Each of the segments 54 has an outer radial surface and an inner radial surface.
- a nested rolling element track 70 is formed in each of the five segments 54.
- Each of the nested rolling element tracks includes two individual tracks, each having a load bearing portion 72, a return portion 74 and a pair of turnaround portions 76.
- the outer radial surface of segments 54 is preferably shaped to confirm to an inner radial surface of outer sleeve segments 60.
- protrusions 66 extend
- a longitudinal channel 80 extends through the inner radial surface of the load bearing portions 72 to permit bearing rolling elements 58 access to a shaft.
- a ramp 81 is formed at a junction of the load bearing portion 72 and the turnaround portions 76 of the nested rolling element tracks (i.e., at the ends of
- Retainer segments 54 may be molded from an appropriate engineering plastic using known materials and molding techniques. It is also within the scope of the present invention to fabricate the rolling element bearing segments from an engineering metal using known fabrication techniques.
- a plurality of bearing rolling elements are disposed in nested rolling element tracks 70, with those bearing rolling elements positioned in the load bearing tracks 72 extending at least partially into longitudinal bores 80 to contact a support shaft.
- the load bearing portions 72 of two adjacent sets of nested rolling element tracks 70 may be oriented in substantially parallel adjacent relation. This orientation facilitates enhanced load capacity capability and maximizes space utilization for a more compact and efficient bearing arrangement.
- a plurality of load bearing plates 56 are incorporated into the linear motion bearing assembly 50 and serve to receive load from the bearing rolling elements which are in contact with a shaft.
- Load bearing plates 56 are elongated along the longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly and include an outer radial surface and an inner radial surface.
- the outer radial surface is substantially arcuate having a curvature corresponding to the inner radial surface of outer sleeve segments 60.
- the inner radial surfaces of the load bearing plates 56 are advantageously provided with a plurality of axial grooves which serve as the upper surface of load bearing portions 72 of the nested rolling element tracks.
- Load ring 62 is illustrated in a C-ring configuration having an inner diameter corresponding in dimension to the outer diameter of the bearing plate 56 to effectively transfer the load from the bearing plate to a bearing housing bore, and fit into a circumferential channel 58 formed in the outer radial surface of outer sleeve segments 60 to form a single unit.
- End rings 64 are configured and dimensioned having slots 63 which engage arcutate tabs 65 extending from the ends of retainer segments 54. End rings 64 thereby enclose and protect the internal components of the bearing assembly while holding the retainer segments 54 in place. End rings 64 typically do not transmit load from a support shaft. Therefore, end rings 64 may be fabricated from less expensive and lighter engineering plastics such as, for example, polyurethane, polyester elastomer or nylon. It is also envisioned that various other seals and/or wiper structure may be incorporated into the bearing assembly to inhibit the ingress of dust, dirt or other contaminants. Referring now to FIGS. 3-7, there is shown a linear motion closed-type bearing assembly 150 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, bearing assembly 150 is illustrated mounted on a support shaft 152 for relative linear motion therewith. Although support shaft 152 is illustrated as a substantially
- FIGS. 4 and 5 progressively illustrate further details of the components of bearing assembly 150.
- Bearing assembly 150 generally includes ball retainer structure, shown generally at 154, load bearing plates 156, bearing balls 158, an outer housing sleeve 160, retention structure 162 and end seals 164.
- ball retainer structure 154 comprises a monolithic structure having a substantially square cross-section and defining an axial bore therethrough configured and dimensioned to receive shaft 152.
- Ball retainer structure 154 includes four planar faces, each having an outer radial surface 166 and an inner radial surface 168.
- a nested ball track 170 is formed in each of the four faces.
- Each of the nested ball tracks includes three individual tracks, each having a load bearing portion 172, a return portion 174 and a pair of turnaround portions 176.
- the outer radial surface 166 is preferably shaped to conform to an inner radial surface 178 of outer housing sleeve 160.
- a longitudinal channel 180 extends through the inner radial surface 168 of the load bearing portions 172 to permit bearing balls 158 access to shaft 152.
- a ramp 181 is formed at a junction of the load bearing portion 172 and the turnaround portions 176 of the nested
- Ball tracks (i.e., at the ends of longitudinal channel 180) for providing a transition between the load bearing portion and the turnaround portion.
- Both the load bearing portions 172 and the return portions 174 of the ball tracks of this embodiment of the present invention are substantially open to facilitate loading of the bearing balls 158 therein.
- Ball retainer structure 154 may be molded from an appropriate engineering plastic using known materials and molding techniques. It is also within the scope of the present invention to fabricate the ball bearing segments from an engineering metal using known fabrication techniques.
- a plurality of bearing balls 158 are disposed in nested ball tracks 170, with those bearing balls positioned in the load bearing tracks 172 extending at least partially into longitudinal bores 180 to contact support shaft 152. In this embodiment of the invention, as is discussed in further detail below with reference to FIG.
- load bearing portions 172 of two adjacent sets of nested ball tracks 170 are oriented in substantially parallel adjacent relation. This orientation facilitates enhanced load capacity capability and maximizes space utilization for a more compact and efficient ball bearing arrangement. It is also contemplated that roller elements may be utilized instead of bearing balls 158.
- a plurality of load bearing plates 156 are incorporated into the linear motion bearing assembly 150 and serve to receive load from the bearing balls 158 which are in contact with shaft 152.
- Load bearing plates 156 are elongated along the longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly and include an outer radial surface 182, an inner radial surface 184 and a pair of side wall surfaces 186.
- the outer radial surface 182 is substantially arcuate having a curvature corresponding to the inner radial surface 178 of outer housing sleeve 160.
- the inner radial surfaces 184 of the load bearing plates are advantageously provided with a plurality of axial grooves which serve as the upper surface of load bearing portions 172 of the nested ball tracks.
- the number of axial grooves in the inner radial surfaces 184 are determined by and correspond to the number of load bearing tracks in each of the adjacent nested ball tracks. It is also contemplated that side wall surfaces 186 of load bearing plates 156 have longitudinal grooves formed therein to guide bearing balls 158 as they move through the return portion 174 of the nested ball tracks.
- Retention structure 162 is illustrated in a C-ring configuration.
- End seals 164 are configured and dimensioned to engage outer housing sleeve 160 to thereby enclose and protect ball retaining structure 154 and the associated components.
- End seals 164 typically do not transmit load from the support shaft 152 to the outer housing sleeve 160. Therefore, end seals 164 may be fabricated from less expensive and lighter engineering plastics such as, for example, polyurethane, polyester, elastomer or nylon. It is also envisioned that various other seals and/or wiper structure may be incorporated into the bearing assembly to inhibit the ingress of dust, dirt or other contaminants.
- FIG. 7 a cross-sectional view of linear motion bearing 150 is shown to illustrate a preferred configuration of nested ball tracks 170. Although three individual tracks are illustrated within each nested ball track, the number of individual ball tracks may vary depending on the size and geometry of the bearing. Similarly, the number of nested ball tracks may vary depending on the size and geometry of the bearing.
- Support shaft 152 is centrally located within the linear motion bearing and
- the nested ball track configuration includes three load bearing tracks which are directly adjacent each other to maximize the load
- the load bearing portions 172 of two adjacent sets of nested ball tracks 170 are oriented in substantially parallel adjacent relation.
- six load bearing tracks are adjacent each other on each of an upper and lower portion of linear motion bearing 150, to thereby maximize the load carrying capability thereof in the vertical direction.
- the load bearing portions may be oriented for any anticipated vertical, horizontal, or combination thereof, load.
- Alternative embodiments associated with the components of a closed-type linear motion bearing are illustrated in FIGS. 12-14.
- the first difference between the embodiments of FIGS. 12-14 and the linear motion bearing assembly 150 illustrated in FIGS. 3-7 is the number of tracks within each of the nested race tracks.
- Each nested race track comprises two load bearing portions, two return portions and two sets of turnaround portions.
- a reduced number of tracks within the nest may be typical of a bearing having a smaller geometry, it also permits the incorporation of more than one nested track on each face of the ball retainer structure.
- the nested race track configuration having two load bearing portions and two return portions may be preferred since it is easier to control and incorporate self-aligning features such as crowned load bearing elements and sleeves (not shown). See, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 5,558,442, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is also contemplated that integral housing features may be utilized in order to avoid the need for an outer sleeve.
- FIG. 12 a cross-sectional view of a closed-type linear motion bearing assembly 190 is illustrated which generally includes ball retainer structure 192, load bearing plates 194 and 196, bearing balls 198, and outer housing sleeve 200.
- ball retainer structure 192 is made up of six individual retainer segments thus resulting in a hexagonal cross-section.
- the individual ball retainer segments are easily molded from an appropriate engineering plastic using known materials and molding techniques. It is also within the scope of the present invention to fabricate the ball retainer segments from an engineering metal using known fabrication techniques.
- Ball retainer structure 192 defines an axial bore therethrough configured and dimensioned to receive shaft 202.
- the ball retainer structure 192 includes six planar faces, each having an outer radial surface and an inner radial surface. Four of the six planar faces include nested ball tracks, while the remaining two faces include two conventional single axial ball tracks formed therein. Each ball track includes a load bearing portion, a return portion and a pair of turnarounds.
- FIG. 12 combines the use of conventional race track configurations with the nested race track geometry of the present invention to symmetrically orient a maximum number of load bearing tracks about a six sided ball retainer structure in a linear motion
- a linear motion bearing assembly 210 which generally includes ball retainer structure 212, load bearing plates 214, bearing balls 216 and outer housing sleeve 218.
- Bearing retainer structure 212 is illustrated as the segmented type described above with reference to FIG. 12, however, it is contemplated that it also may be monolithically formed.
- Ball retainer structure 212 has a substantially square cross-section and defines an axial bore therethrough configured and dimensioned to receive shaft 220.
- Ball retainer structure 212 includes four planar faces, each having an outer radial surface and an inner radial surface. Two nested ball tracks are formed in each of the four faces. Each nested ball track includes two individual tracks formed therein each having a load bearing portion, a return portion and a pair of turnarounds. The load bearing portions of two adjacent sets of nested ball tracks are advantageously oriented in substantially parallel adjacent relation.
- load bearing plates 214 are formed as individual bearing plates such that each load bearing track has an individual load bearing plate positioned axially thereon.
- a linear motion bearing assembly 220 is illustrated having a ball retainer structure 222 configured similar to ball retainer st cture 212 illustrated in FIG. 13.
- the embodiment of FIG. 14 illustrates load bearing plates 224 which are formed as monolithic units and are positioned above load bearing portions of adjacent nested ball tracks.
- FIGS. 8-11 there is shown an open-type linear motion bearing assembly 250 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- bearing assembly 250 is illustrated mounted on a support shaft 252 for relative linear motion therewith.
- support shaft 252 is illustrated as a spline shaft, one skilled in the art will appreciate that support members of other configurations are within the scope of the invention.
- FIGS. 9 and 10 progressively illustrate further details of the components of bearing assembly 250.
- Bearing assembly 250 generally includes ball retainer structure, shown generally at 254, load bearing plates 256, bearing balls 258, an outer housing sleeve 260, and plate retainer structure 262.
- ball retainer structure 254 comprises a monolithic structure having a substantially pentagonal cross-section (with the bottom side missing) and defining an axial bore therethrough configured and dimensioned to receive shaft 252, with an opening at the bottom to receive the spline of shaft 252.
- Ball retainer structure 254 includes four planar faces, each having an outer radial surface 266 and an inner radial surface 268.
- a nested ball track 270 is formed in each of the four faces.
- Each of the nested ball tracks includes two individual tracks, each having a load bearing portion 272, a return portion 274 and a pair of turnaround portions 276.
- the outer radial surface 266 ' is preferably shaped to conform to an inner radial surface 278 of outer housing sleeve 260.
- Ball retainer structure 254 may be molded from an appropriate engineering plastic using known materials and molding techniques. It is also within the scope of the present invention to fabricate the ball bearing segments from an engineering metal using known fabrication techniques.
- a plurality of bearing balls 258 are disposed in nested ball tracks 270, with those bearing balls positioned in the load bearing tracks 272 extending at least partially into longitudinal bores 280 to contact support shaft 252.
- the load bearing portions 272 of two adjacent sets of nested ball tracks 270 on the upper portion of the bearing are oriented in substantially parallel adjacent relation, and the load bearing portions of the nested ball tracks adjacent to the opening of the bearing are located
- roller elements may be utilized instead of bearing balls 258.
- a plurality of load bearing plates 256 are incorporated into the linear motion bearing assembly 250 and serve to receive load from the bearing balls 258 which are in contact with shaft 252.
- Load bearing plates 256 are elongated along the longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly and include an outer radial surface 282, an inner radial surface 284 and a pair of side wall surfaces 286.
- the outer radial surface 282 is substantially arcuate having a curvature which is related to the inner radial surface 278 of outer housing sleeve 260.
- the inner radial surface 284 of the load bearing plates is advantageously provided with a plurality of axial grooves which serve as the upper surface of load bearing portions 272 of the nested ball tracks.
- the number of axial grooves in the inner radial surfaces 284 are determined by and correspond to the number of load bearing tracks in each of the adjacent nested ball tracks. It is also contemplated that side wall surfaces 286 of load bearing plates 256 have longitudinal grooves formed therein to guide bearing balls 258 as they move through the return portion 274 of the nested ball tracks.
- Plate retainer structure 262 is illustrated in a C-ring configuration having an inner diameter conforming in dimension to the outer diameter of ball retainer structure 254.
- FIG. 11 a cross-sectional view of linear motion bearing 250 is shown to illustrate a preferred configuration of nested ball tracks 270. Although two tracks within the nested ball tracks are illustrated, the number of nested ball tracks may vary depending on the size and geometry of the bearing.
- Support shaft 252 is centrally located within the linear motion bearing and is in contact with the bearing balls 258 which access shaft 252 through longitudinal channel 280 extending through load bearing portions 272, as discussed above.
- Load bearing plates 256 are positioned along a longitudinal axis of the load bearing portions 272 such that the load is effectively transferred from outer housing sleeve 260 to load bearing plates 256 and through bearing balls 258 to support shaft 252.
- the nested ball track configuration includes two load bearing tracks which are directly adjacent each other on the upper portion of the bearing to maximize the load carrying capability of the bearing, and load bearing portions of the nested ball tracks adjacent to the opening of the bearing are located adjacent to the opening to maximize the pull-off load capacity. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG.
- FIGS. 15-16 An alternative embodiment associated with the components of an open- type linear motion bearing is illustrated in FIGS. 15-16. A difference between the embodiments of FIGS. 15-16 and the linear motion bearing assembly 250 illustrated in FIGS. 8-11 is that the ball retainer structure is of the segment type rather than a monolithic structure as described above.
- FIG. 16 a cross-sectional view of an open-type bearing assembly 290 is illustrated which generally includes ball retainer structure 292, load bearing plates 294, bearing balls 296, and outer housing sleeve or band 298.
- ball retainer structure 292 is made up of four individual retainer segments thus resulting in a pentagonal cross-section (with the bottom portion missing to form the open-type bearing).
- the individual ball retainer segments are easily molded out of an appropriate engineering polymer such as acetal or nylon using known materials and molding techniques. It is also within the scope of the present invention to fabricate the ball retainer segments from an engineering metal such as steel or brass using known fabrication techniques.
- Ball retainer structure 292 defines an axial bore therethrough configured and dimensioned to receive shaft 300, with an opening at the bottom to receive the spline of shaft 300.
- the ball retainer structure 292 includes four planar faces, each having an outer radial surface and an inner radial surface. Each of the four planar faces includes a nested ball track. Each ball track includes a load bearing portion, a return portion and a pair of turnarounds.
- the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16 includes load bearing plates on the upper portion of the bearing for maximum load bearing capacity and adjacent the opening in the bearing for maximum pull-of load capacity.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Bearings For Parts Moving Linearly (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU10920/00A AU1092000A (en) | 1998-10-27 | 1999-09-23 | Nested track bearing |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17969398A | 1998-10-27 | 1998-10-27 | |
US09/179,693 | 1998-10-27 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2000025034A1 true WO2000025034A1 (en) | 2000-05-04 |
WO2000025034A9 WO2000025034A9 (en) | 2000-09-28 |
Family
ID=22657590
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1999/021267 WO2000025034A1 (en) | 1998-10-27 | 1999-09-23 | Nested track bearing |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU1092000A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2000025034A1 (en) |
Cited By (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2009016001A1 (en) * | 2007-08-01 | 2009-02-05 | Schaeffler Kg | Linear ball bearing |
WO2012009621A1 (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2012-01-19 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion bearing with interlock structure |
WO2012009625A1 (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2012-01-19 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear bearing with nested bearing tracks |
WO2012009616A1 (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2012-01-19 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion bearing with plate retaining structure having a plurality of pieces |
WO2012009623A1 (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2012-01-19 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear bearing with improved outer housing sleeve |
US20130209009A1 (en) * | 2010-08-11 | 2013-08-15 | Alison Ng | Clam shell linear motion bearing assembly |
CN103562576A (en) * | 2011-06-01 | 2014-02-05 | 托马森工业(有限)公司 | Hybrid clam-shell linear bearing |
CN103154541B (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2016-11-30 | 托马森工业(有限)公司 | Linear bearing with nested supporting track |
GB2545059A (en) * | 2015-10-16 | 2017-06-07 | Schaeffler Technologies Ag | Lenear bushing and bearing assembly with such a linear bushing |
US9689426B2 (en) | 2010-07-15 | 2017-06-27 | Thomson Industries Inc. | Linear motion bearing with modular bearing segments |
WO2019013748A1 (en) * | 2017-07-10 | 2019-01-17 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Ball carriages |
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US3767276A (en) | 1971-10-18 | 1973-10-23 | Hein Universal Corp | Ball bearing assembly |
US4572591A (en) * | 1983-09-02 | 1986-02-25 | Skf Kugellagerfabriken Gmbh | Ball bearing arrangement for longitudinal movement on a shaft or the like |
US4989996A (en) * | 1989-03-31 | 1991-02-05 | Deutsche Star Gmbh | Linear ball bush |
US5046862A (en) | 1989-11-22 | 1991-09-10 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion ball bearing |
US5558442A (en) * | 1993-07-20 | 1996-09-24 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion bearing assembly |
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1999
- 1999-09-23 AU AU10920/00A patent/AU1092000A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1999-09-23 WO PCT/US1999/021267 patent/WO2000025034A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US3545826A (en) | 1969-05-07 | 1970-12-08 | John B Thomson | Compliant and self-alining ball bearing for linear motion |
US3767276A (en) | 1971-10-18 | 1973-10-23 | Hein Universal Corp | Ball bearing assembly |
US4572591A (en) * | 1983-09-02 | 1986-02-25 | Skf Kugellagerfabriken Gmbh | Ball bearing arrangement for longitudinal movement on a shaft or the like |
US4989996A (en) * | 1989-03-31 | 1991-02-05 | Deutsche Star Gmbh | Linear ball bush |
US5046862A (en) | 1989-11-22 | 1991-09-10 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion ball bearing |
US5558442A (en) * | 1993-07-20 | 1996-09-24 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion bearing assembly |
Cited By (25)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8317397B2 (en) | 2007-08-01 | 2012-11-27 | Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG | Linear ball bearing |
DE102007036113B4 (en) * | 2007-08-01 | 2018-05-09 | Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG | Linear ball bearings |
WO2009016001A1 (en) * | 2007-08-01 | 2009-02-05 | Schaeffler Kg | Linear ball bearing |
US9599154B2 (en) | 2010-07-15 | 2017-03-21 | Thomson Licensing, Inc. | Linear bearing with nested bearing tracks |
US8702309B2 (en) | 2010-07-15 | 2014-04-22 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion bearing with plate retaining structure having a plurality of pieces |
WO2012009616A1 (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2012-01-19 | Thomson Industries, Inc. | Linear motion bearing with plate retaining structure having a plurality of pieces |
CN103140691A (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2013-06-05 | 托马森工业(有限)公司 | Linear bearing with improved outer housing sleeve |
CN103154541A (en) * | 2010-07-15 | 2013-06-12 | 托马森工业(有限)公司 | Linear bearing with nested bearing tracks |
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US20130209009A1 (en) * | 2010-08-11 | 2013-08-15 | Alison Ng | Clam shell linear motion bearing assembly |
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CN103562576A (en) * | 2011-06-01 | 2014-02-05 | 托马森工业(有限)公司 | Hybrid clam-shell linear bearing |
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WO2019013748A1 (en) * | 2017-07-10 | 2019-01-17 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Ball carriages |
US10948013B2 (en) | 2017-07-10 | 2021-03-16 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Ball carriages |
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AU1092000A (en) | 2000-05-15 |
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