Machine element or mechanism – Mechanical movements – Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-19
2004-05-11
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Mechanical movements
Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary
C074S089230, C074S424710
Reexamination Certificate
active
06732600
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rotary bearing with a lubricant passage arrangement for supplying a lubricant both to engaging surfaces of a radially inner bearing part and a radially outer bearing part of a rotary bearing, and also to at least one further lubricating point.
The radially inner bearing part and the radially outer bearing part are rotatable relative to one another about an axis of the rotary bearing, and the lubricant passage arrangement includes at least one first lubricant passage with one end which opens into the inner peripheral surface of the radially outer bearing part and another end which is connectable with a lubricant supply, and a second lubricant passage which leads from the outer peripheral surface, of the radially inner bearing part leads to its inner peripheral surface and a ring chamber which is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the outer bearing part and the outer peripheral surface of the inner bearing part, with the first lubricant passage and the at least one second lubricant passage open in the ring chamber. Such a rotary bearing is disclosed for example in German patent document DE 195 19 770 A1.
A threaded spindle of a roller body threaded drive for a machine table is conventionally supported rotatably in a machine bed, and a threaded nut is fixedly connected with the machine table. When the machine table must move with a high speed along the threaded spindle, a correspondingly high rotary speed of the threaded spindle around its axis is required. The spindle rotary speed and thereby also a traveling speed of the machine table are however limited from above by the bending-critical rotary speed of the threaded spindle. For this reason at high machine table-traveling speeds frequently a construction with the fixedly arranged threaded spindle and rotatably arranged threaded unit is selected, as disclosed for example in the German patent document DE 195 19 770 A1.
In the embodiments shown in this patent the radially outer bearing part of the rotary bearing is formed as a special component fixedly connectable with the machine table, and furthermore the thread turns of the threaded nut of the threaded drive are provided on a radially inner peripheral surface of the radially inner bearing part. In other words the radially inner bearing part and the threaded part are formed of one piece with one another. As can be easily seen, for an orderly operation of the threaded drive disclosed in the document DE 195 19 770 A1 both lubrication of engaging surfaces between the radially outer and the radially inner bearing part is required, and also lubrication of the engaging surfaces between the threaded spindle and the threaded nut.
In order to provide the lubrication centrally from a stationary component which performs at least a rotary movement, the embodiments shown in the documents DE 195 19 770 A1 are united through a lubricant passage arrangement with a central lubricating supply point. A first lubricant passage extends from a central lubricant supply point with one end which opens at the inner peripheral surface of the radially outer bearing part in a ring chamber. The ring chamber is arranged between the radially outer and the radially inner bearing part and thereby can supply the engaging surfaces of both bearing parts with lubricant in a simple manner. For supplying the further lubricating point, namely the engaging points between the threaded nut and the threaded spindle, a second lubricant passage is provided which extends through the inner bearing part from its outer peripheral surface to its inner peripheral surface. The lubricant can be supplied from the radially inner end of this second lubricant passage in a simple manner to the engaging surface between the threaded nut and the threaded spindle.
In order to influence the lubricant distribution between the lubrication of the engaging surface of the rotary bearing and lubrication of the engaging surfaces between the threaded spindle and the threaded nut, the document DE 195 19 770 A1 discloses the embodiments shown in
FIGS. 10
,
11
, and
12
with throttle elements at the inner peripheral surface of the radially outer bearing part and/or the outer peripheral surface of the radially inner bearing part. Depending on the properties of the lubricant to be used (lubricant grease or lubricant oil of different viscosity), a differently designed inner and outer bearing parts must be provided. This significantly limits the applications of the individual rotary bearings or individual threaded drives with rotary bearing-supported threaded nut, or a plurality of such a rotary bearings or threaded drives with rotary bearing-supported threaded nuts are needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary bearing, in particular for a threaded drive with a rotary bearing-supported threaded nut, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary bearing, in particular for a threaded drive with a rotary bearing-supported threaded nut, which provides an efficient flexible adaptation of the rotary bearing or the threaded to the respective application conditions in particular the properties of the lubricant to be used.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a rotary bearing of the above mentioned general type, in which in the ring chamber a lubricant distributing element is arranged as a special component, which is in a lubricant-supply connection with the at least one first lubricant passage, wherein at least one first outflow path is provided in and/or on the lubricant distributing element to supply lubricant to the engaging surfaces of the rotary bearing and wherein at least one second outflow path is provided in and/or on the lubricant supplying element, in order to supply lubricant through the at least one second lubricant passage to the at least one further lubricating point.
In accordance with the present invention the radially inner and the radially outer bearing parts can be formed as standard components. They however have to limit a ring chamber, so that the lubricant distributing element can be arranged in it as a separate component.
The lubricant distributing element defines a lubricant supply path whose throughgoing resistance for the lubricant can be selected in dependence on the desired lubricant distribution. In order to provide adaptation to the corresponding application conditions, in particular to the lubricant to be used, in accordance with the present invention it is sufficient to arrange the corresponding lubricant distributing element in the ring chamber of the standard rotary bearing.
When it is stated here that the lubricant distributing element “defines” the outflow paths, these means that these outflow paths singly and alone are formed by the lubricant distributing element, in particular are formed on it, for example in form of conveying openings whose diameter throttles the lubricant throughflow. Alternatively, the throttling action which controls the lubricant distribution can be provided by outflow paths which are formed between the lubricant distributing element and the surrounding wall surfaces, in particular of the ring chamber. Finally, it is also possible that one of the outflow path is formed throttlingly in the above mentioned manner, while the other outflow path does not provide any throttling resistance to the lubricant throughflow, but the lubricant is supplied to a throttling lubricant passage formed in one of the bearing parts of the rotary bearing.
When before or after for example the expressions “lubricant passage” or “outflow path” are utilized, this does not have to be construed as a limitation of the claims, but instead serves just for simplification of the explanation. In particular components which rotate around the axis can be associated with a plurality of corresponding types of
Bucci David A.
Hansen Colby
Rexroth Star GmbH
Striker Michael J.
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