Balance shaft assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280384-B2
Application number	US-201917269119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2019
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A balance shaft is proposed that includes: i) an unbalance shaft having an unbalance section and an adjacent bearing pin having a cylindrical partial circumference which is oriented towards the shaft imbalance; ii) a bearing ring which surrounds the bearing pin and bears against the cylindrical partial circumference and delimits a free space with a bearing pin back radially opposite thereto; and, iii) a clamping element which is clamped in the free space and clamps the bearing ring radially against the cylindrical partial circumference. The clamping element is intended to secure the bearing ring against axial sliding on both sides on the bearing pin, and the clamping element is connected in an axially interlocking manner to the unbalance shaft on one side and to the bearing ring on the other side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A balance shaft assembly, comprising:
an unbalance shaft having an unbalance section and a bearing journal arranged adjacent to the unbalance section, the bearing journal having a cylindrical partial circumference oriented towards an imbalance side of the unbalance shaft;
a bearing ring surrounding the bearing journal and bearing against the cylindrical partial circumference, the bearing ring defining a free space with a bearing journal back, and the bearing journal back arranged radially opposite the cylindrical partial circumference; and
a clamping element disposed in the free space and configured to clamp the bearing ring radially against the cylindrical partial circumference; and
the clamping element having a radial projection configured to engage a hole of the bearing ring so that the clamping element axially secures the bearing ring.

2. The balance shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hole is arranged transverse to a shaft axis of rotation.

3. The balance shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radial projection of the clamping element circumferentially secures the bearing ring.

4. The balance shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radial projection is arranged within a circumferential region of the bearing ring arranged radially opposite the cylindrical partial circumference.

5. A balance shaft assembly, comprising:
an unbalance shaft having an unbalance section and a bearing journal arranged adjacent to the unbalance section, the bearing journal having a cylindrical partial circumference oriented towards an imbalance side of the unbalance shaft;
a bearing ring surrounding the bearing journal and bearing against the cylindrical partial circumference, the bearing ring defining a free space with a bearing journal back, and the bearing journal back arranged radially opposite the cylindrical partial circumference; and
a clamping element disposed in the free space and configured to clamp the bearing ring radially against the cylindrical partial circumference; and
the clamping element configured with an axial stop for each axial side of the bearing ring so as to prevent axial sliding of the bearing ring relative to the bearing journal; and
wherein the clamping element is connected via an axial interlocking configured between the unbalance shaft and the clamping element.

6. The balance shaft assembly of claim 5 , wherein the cylindrical partial circumference is radially recessed with respect to the unbalance section.

7. The balance shaft assembly of claim 6 , wherein the axial interlocking between the clamping element and the unbalance shaft is formed by a groove in the bearing journal back, the groove having groove walls configured to enclose axial end faces of the clamping element.

8. The balance shaft of assembly claim 5 , wherein each axial stop is formed by a radially outward projection arranged on the clamping element, each of the radially outward projections enclosing one of the end faces of the bearing ring.

9. A balance shaft assembly, comprising:
an unbalance shaft having an unbalance section and a bearing journal arranged adjacently to the unbalance section, the bearing journal having a cylindrical partial circumference oriented towards an imbalance side of the unbalance shaft;
a bearing ring surrounding the bearing journal and bearing against the cylindrical partial circumference, the bearing ring defining a free space with a bearing journal back, and the bearing journal back arranged radially opposite the cylindrical partial circumference; and
a clamping element disposed in the free space, the clamping element configured to: i) clamp the bearing ring against the cylindrical partial circumference, and ii) axially secure the bearing ring; and
movement of the clamping element in both axial directions is limited by at least one radial projection extending from the bearing journal back, the at least one radial projection configured to axially abut with the clamping element.

10. The balance shaft assembly of claim 9 , wherein the bearing journal back further comprises a radial groove, and the radial groove forms the at least one radial projection.

11. The balance shaft assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one radial projection comprises a first and a second radial projection formed by a respective first and second walls of the radial groove, each of the first and second walls enclosing an axial end face of the clamping element.

12. The balance shaft assembly of claim 9 , wherein the clamping element further comprises radially outward projections configured to axially secure the bearing ring.

13. The balance shaft assembly of claim 12 , wherein the radially outward projections of the clamping element are configured as snap hooks configured to elastically deform in a radially inward direction during installation of the clamping element in the free space.

14. The balance shaft assembly of claim 9 , wherein the clamping element further comprises a first elastically deformable projection arranged on a first end of the clamping element and a second elastically deformable projection arranged on a second end of the clamping element.

15. The balance shaft assembly of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the first or second elastically deformable projections are configured to deflect radially inward when the clamping element is clipped in between the bearing journal back and the bearing ring.

16. The balance shaft assembly of claim 15 , wherein the first and second elastically deformable projections are snap hooks configured to axially enclose each respective axial end of the bearing ring.

17. The balance shaft assembly of claim 15 , wherein:
as the clamping element is being clipped in between the bearing journal back and the bearing ring:
in a first orientation of the clamping element, the first elastically deformable projection is configured to deflect radially inward when the first end of the clamping element engages a first axial end of the bearing ring; and
in a second orientation of the clamping element, the second elastically deformable projection is configured to deflect radially inward when the second end of the clamping element engages the first axial end of the bearing ring.

18. The balance shaft assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
in the first orientation of the clamping element, the first elastically deformable projection is configured to deflect radially outward when the first axial end of the bearing ring abuts with the second elastically deformable projection; and
in the second orientation of the clamping element, the second elastically deformable projection is configured to deflect radially outward when the first axial end of the bearing ring abuts with the first elastically deformable projection.

19. The balance shaft assembly of claim 18 , wherein:
in the first orientation of the clamping element, when the first elastically deformable projection deflects radially outward, the first elastically deformable projection encloses a second axial end of the bearing ring; and
in the second orientation of the clamping element, when the second elastically deformable projection deflects radially outward, the second elastically deformable projection encloses the second axial end of the bearing ring.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Hussenether Thomas
• Geyer Norbert
• Schreyer Hannes
• Faria Christof

Classifications

• F16F15/267 Primary

  characterised by bearing support of balancer shafts; Lubrication arrangements · CPC title

• F16C3/20 Primary

  Shape of crankshafts or eccentric-shafts having regard to balancing · CPC title

• F16C2226/70

  with complementary interlocking parts · CPC title

• F16C2226/74

  with snap-fit, e.g. by clips · CPC title

• F16C35/073

  between shaft and inner race ring · CPC title