Roller for a pod joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11193530-B2
Application number	US-201716071088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 5, 2016
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

A roller bearing for a pod joint comprising an inner race, an outer ring assembly, a race that runs along a bell section and is disposed on the outer surface of the outer ring assembly, a plurality of rolling elements, wherein the plurality of rolling elements are disposed between the inner race and the outer ring assembly and are formed as rollers, and a cage assembly, wherein the rolling elements are disposed in the cage assembly, wherein the cage assembly is formed as a central cage, wherein the rollers pass through the central cage in a middle area, and the running areas thereof project outward from both sides of the central cage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A roller bearing for a pod joint, comprising:
an inner race;
an outer ring assembly;
a race that runs along a bell section coupled to a gearbox output, and is disposed on an outer surface of the outer ring assembly;
a plurality of rolling elements, wherein the rolling elements are disposed between the inner race and the outer ring assembly and are formed as rollers; and
a cage assembly, wherein the rolling elements are disposed in the cage assembly, wherein the cage assembly is formed as a central cage, wherein the rollers pass through the central cage in a middle area, and running areas thereof project outward from both sides of the central cage.

2. The roller bearing of claim 1 , wherein the inner race is formed on an inner ring assembly for receiving a journal of a shaft stump section.

3. The roller bearing of claim 2 , wherein the central cage is formed as a circumferential web that has receivers for the rollers.

4. The roller bearing of claim 3 , wherein the central cage has at least one separation.

5. The roller bearing of claim 4 , wherein the central cage is formed as a segmented cage and has more than one separation.

6. The roller bearing of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rolling elements are formed as needles.

7. The roller bearing of claim 1 , wherein the outer ring assembly has a circumferential race groove for the rolling elements.

8. The roller bearing of claim 1 , wherein at least one lateral securing ring is disposed in the outer ring assembly, and secures the rolling elements in an axial direction.

9. The roller bearing of claim 1 , wherein the roller bearing includes an inner ring assembly that has a single piece design, and an outer race for the rolling elements in the outer ring assembly.

10. A roller bearing comprising:
a roller bearing axis with an axis of rotation;
an inner race;
an outer race;
a cage device; and
one or more rolling elements, wherein the rolling elements are arranged between an inner ring assembly and an outer ring assembly, and the rolling elements are arranged in the cage device and the rolling elements are guided in a central region by the cage device and protrude from both sides of the central region in running regions, wherein the roller bearing is disposed in a drive train of a vehicle between a gearbox output and an intermediate shaft.

11. The roller bearing of claim 10 , wherein the intermediate shaft is a drive train shaft.

12. A pod joint comprising:
a bell section that is coupled to a gearbox output and provides a race for one or more roller bearings, wherein the one or more roller bearings include:
an inner ring assembly for holding a journal of a shaft stump section;
an outer ring assembly;
a raceway for running on the bell section that is arranged on an outside of the outer ring assembly;
a cage device; and
a plurality of rolling elements, wherein the rolling elements are arranged between the inner ring assembly and the outer ring assembly, and the plurality of rolling elements are arranged in the cage device and the rolling elements are guided in a central region by the cage device and protrude from both sides of the cage device in running regions.

13. The pod joint of claim 12 , wherein the inner ring assembly includes a hollow cylindrical receiver for a journal.

14. The pod joint of claim 12 , wherein the cage device includes receivers that open radially inward and are parallel to a roller bearing axis.

15. The pod joint of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of rolling elements are configured to roll over an outer race of the inner ring assembly and an inner race of the outer ring assembly.

16. The pod joint of claim 12 , wherein the cage device is configured to separate the rolling elements over a roller bearing axis in a circumferential direction.

17. The pod joint of claim 12 , wherein the roller bearing further includes one or more lateral securing rings placed in circumferential annular grooves formed in the outer ring assembly.

18. The pod joint of claim 17 , wherein an outer race of the outer ring assembly includes a hollow cylindrical design and extends to the lateral securing rings via an extension.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Mehul Xavier
• Walliser Christophe
• Dietrich Jean-Philippe

Classifications

• F16C33/4694

  Single-split roller or needle cages · CPC title

• F16C33/498

  made from plastic, e.g. injection moulded comb cages · CPC title

• F16C33/583

  Details of specific parts of races · CPC title

• F16D3/221 Primary

  the rolling members being located in sockets in one of the coupling parts · CPC title

• F16C19/46

  with one row or needles · CPC title