Roller bearing for supporting a probing unit of a reality capture device with compensation for increase in preload

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12429093-B2
Application number	US-202318134481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2023
Priority date	Apr 14, 2022
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A reality capture device, particularly a reality capture device having a lightweight construction, being configured for generating a digital representation of an environment. The reality capture device comprises a probing unit with a pivoting component configured to be pivoted relative to a base part of the reality capture device in order to generate probing data of the environment. The pivoting component is mounted on the base part by a four-point roller bearing configured as wire race bearing. Applicability of a four-point roller bearing in the form of a wire race bearing for supporting the probing unit of the reality capture device is achieved by a specific design of the inner and/or outer race supporting the raceway wires in order to reduce unwanted pressure in the bearing, e.g. due to thermal behavior.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reality capture device, comprising a probing unit configured to generate probing data for generating a digital representation of an environment, wherein the probing unit comprises a pivoting component configured to be pivoted relative to a base part of the reality capture device in order to generate the probing data, for which the pivoting component is mounted on the base part by a four-point roller bearing in the form of a pivot bearing with an outer race and inner race being under a preload against each other and which mutually support each other by rolling bodies arranged between them, wherein:
the four-point roller bearing is configured as wire race bearing with the outer and inner race each hosting two raceway wires extending in a guide direction such that the rolling bodies can roll on the raceway wires to provide a pivoting of the inner race relative to the outer race about a pivot axis, each of the two raceway wires of a respective race being supported by a respective circumferential portion of the respective race, and
exactly one of the outer and inner race comprises recesses,
wherein an arrangement and dimensions of the recesses are tuned to provide for an elasticity of at least one of the circumferential portions along a pressing direction onto the raceway wire supported by the at least one of the circumferential portions, such that in case of an increased pressure along the pressing direction due to a relative thermal size change between the outer and inner race within a predefined operating range, the preload is maintained within a predefined tolerance range around a nominal preload.

2. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the recesses extend in an axial direction with respect to the pivot axis at least over an area occupied by the respective raceway wire in the axial direction.

3. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the recesses are arranged between the two raceway wires of the at least one of the outer and inner race and have a longitudinal extent parallel to the guide direction, wherein the recesses run parallel to the guide direction, wherein the recesses are arranged in parallel lines, wherein recesses of different parallel lines are arranged offset to one another in the guide direction.

4. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer and inner race are made of a high-performance material for lightweight construction, particularly a high-performance aluminum material for lightweight construction.

5. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the reality capture device has a lightweight construction designed for weight reduction.

6. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the pivoting component comprises a radiation source for generating a measuring beam for time-of-flight-based distance measurement, particularly a laser source.

7. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the reality capture device is embodied to be free of active temperature control for the four-point roller bearing, particularly wherein the reality capture device is embodied to be free of active temperature control.

8. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the pivoting component is configured to set an acquisition direction for generating the probing data by the probing unit relative to the reality capture device, particularly wherein the pivoting component comprises a beam outlet for a measuring beam for time-of-flight-based distance measurement, wherein the four-point roller bearing is embodied as a bearing with a single bearing ring, wherein the pivoting component is supported only by the four-point roller bearing on the base part.

9. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the probing unit is embodied as a laser scanner configured to carry out a scanning movement of a laser measurement beam, particularly relative to two rotation axes, and, based thereof, to generate light detection and ranging data for generating the digital representation of the environment.

10. The reality capture device according to claim 9 , wherein the laser scanner comprises a rotating body for deflecting the outgoing laser measurement beam and returning parts of the laser measurement beam, the rotating body being mounted on the pivoting component and being rotatable relative to the pivoting component, wherein the light detection and ranging data are generated by a continuous rotation of the pivoting component about the pivot axis and a continuous rotation of the rotating body relative to the pivoting component while the laser measurement beam is emitted via the rotating body.

11. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the reality capture device is specifically configured to be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle for indoor and outdoor flights or is embodied as an unmanned aerial vehicle for indoor and outdoor flights.

12. The reality capture device according to claim 1 , wherein the recesses are perpendicular to the guide direction.

13. A reality capture device, comprising a probing unit configured to generate probing data for generating a digital representation of an environment, wherein the probing unit comprises a pivoting component configured to be pivoted relative to a base part of the reality capture device in order to generate the probing data, for which the pivoting component is mounted on the base part by a four-point roller bearing in the form of a pivot bearing with an outer race and inner race being under a preload against each other and which mutually support each other by rolling bodies arranged between them, wherein:
the four-point roller bearing is configured as wire race bearing with the outer and inner race each hosting two raceway wires extending in a guide direction such that the rolling bodies can roll on the raceway wires to provide a pivoting of the inner race relative to the outer race about a pivot axis, each of the two raceway wires of a respective race being supported by a respective circumferential portion of the respective race, and
at least one of the outer and inner race comprises recesses,
wherein an arrangement and dimensions of the recesses are tuned to provide for an elasticity of at least one of the circumferential portions along a pressing direction onto the raceway wire supported by the at least one of the circumferential portions, such that in case of an increased pressure along the pressing direction due to a relative thermal size change between the outer and inner race within a predefined operating range, the preload is maintained within a predefined tolerance range around a nominal preload,
wherein the at least one of the circumferential portions comprises along the guide direction several individually deformable segments supporting the respective raceway wire, each of the individually deformable segments being elastically deformable in radial direction independently of the other individually deformable segments, the radial direction being related to pivoting about the pivot axis,
wherein the recesses are arranged at a plurality of locations in the guide direction and have an extent parallel to the pivot axis, wherein the recesses run parallel to the pivot axis, thereby providing lips spaced apart from one another in the guide direction, which lips can be elastically bent by forces applied thereto in the radial direction, thereby providing the individually deformable segments.

14. The reality capture device according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one of the outer and inner race comprises a groove extending in the guide direction on the sid

Assignees

• Leica Geosystems Ag

Inventors

• Steffen Roman
• Wozasek Matthias

Classifications

• F16C2233/00

  Monitoring condition, e.g. temperature, load, vibration · CPC title

• F16C19/06

  with a single row or balls · CPC title

• B64U2101/32

  for cartography or topography · CPC title

• B64U30/299

  Rotor guards (ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60) · CPC title

• B64U10/14

  with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters · CPC title