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EP-4508341-B1 - ROTARY BEARING INTENDED TO BE POSITIONED BETWEEN A ROTARY MEMBER AND A GEARBOX SHAFT

EP4508341B1EP 4508341 B1EP4508341 B1EP 4508341B1EP-4508341-B1

Inventors

  • PANIAGUA, Adrian
  • NOULLET, Alexandre

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20230414

Claims (12)

  1. Rotation bearing (B) intended to be placed between a rotating member (40) of an engine and a primary shaft (50) of a gearbox, the rotation bearing consisting of at least two cylindrical rings (10, 20, 30, 35), with axis X, being in contact with each other among which - an inner ring (10) adapted to be mounted tight or sliding on the primary shaft. - an outer ring (20) adapted to be mounted tight in the rotating member, the rotation bearing (B) comprising at least a third ring (30, 35) housed at least partly in the outer ring, the at least one third ring (30, 35) forming a guide ring (35) configured for the entry of the primary shaft into the rotation bearing, - made of polymer particularly synthetic plastic, - said cylindrical rings (10, 20, 30, 35) being configured to align the primary shaft with the rotating member, by means of at least one ring (10, 20, 30, 35) configured to provide a degree of freedom and at least one ring (10, 20, 30, 35) made of a synthetic or composite material promoting sliding.
  2. Rotation bearing (B) according to claim 1, wherein a ring (10, 30, 35) preferably the inner one (10), is both made of synthetic or composite material and configured to provide at least one degree of freedom with another ring or with the primary shaft.
  3. Rotation bearing (B) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it comprises a number of cylindrical rings (10, 20, 30, 35) less than or equal to four.
  4. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the cylindrical rings preferably the inner one (10), is self-lubricated, and wherein the inner ring (10) is made of synthetic material or composite, preferably plastic.
  5. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cylindrical rings (10, 20, 30, 35) are all different in at least: material, density or hardness, shape, thickness (e1, e2, e3) and length (11, 12, 13).
  6. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner ring (10) forms a smooth ring called a bushing mounted sliding on the primary shaft, the outer diameter (D1', D1") of the inner ring (10) being preferably less than the inner diameter (D2') of the outer ring (20).
  7. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: - the inner ring (10) forms a pivoting ring, comprising a curved contact surface (110, 110') internal or external which is mounted with the primary shaft or with the outer ring, or - the inner ring (10) forms a spheroidal ring called a ball joint, comprising an external spherical contact surface (120) which is mounted with the outer ring.
  8. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer ring (20) is defined by at least: - a shape configured to fit into the rotating member and be in contact with it; - a material of metal sheet, of a hardness greater than that of the inner ring; - an interior volume within which extends at least one other ring (10, 30, 35), preferably all the other rings of the rotation bearing; and/or - axial or rotational blocking means intended to link at least one other ring (10), and preferably all the other rings, to the outer ring (20), the blocking means being for example made by a terminal face (23) of support against which an edge (13) of the inner ring comes to rest.
  9. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the outer ring (20) is defined by at least: - a cage shape, preferably flexible, surrounding the inner ring, - a central boss (210), preferably flexible, on which the inner ring rests, - clamping means (25) intended to be mounted on the edges of the inner ring, particularly within external notches (15) provided on the edges of the inner ring.
  10. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the at least one third ring is made of synthetic or composite material, preferably made by molding, particularly plastic or rubber, preferentially in a monoblock or bi-block form.
  11. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one third ring forms a damping ring (30) configured to dampen radial forces between the inner and outer rings, made of polymer particularly synthetic rubber or composite.
  12. Rotation bearing (B) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotation bearing consists of one to three molded rings, for example at least one of said molded rings being made by injection into the outer ring (20), the interior volume of said outer ring (20) then serving as a mold.

Description

The invention relates to the field of rotary bearings intended to be assembled between a gearbox and an internal combustion engine equipping a mobility device, and in particular a flywheel. It also relates to a method for assembling such a rotary bearing. In powertrains using an internal combustion engine and a gearbox, a gearbox input shaft works in conjunction with the internal combustion engine crankshaft, notably to align these two components along the same axis. The internal combustion engine and the gearbox exhibit phases where their respective rotational speeds differ, for example, when the driver engages the clutch to change gears or when a gear-shifting system engages the gearbox to change gears. To address this, it is known to equip this powertrain with a rotary bearing that, on the one hand, centers the gearbox input shaft on the internal combustion engine crankshaft and, on the other hand, allows for a rotational differential between these two components. Several types of bearings currently exist that provide this function of driving the gearbox's input shaft. The rotary bearing can be a "pilot" type bearing composed of either multiple rolling elements, such as a needle bearing or a ball bearing, sealed or not, or a single-piece ring, commonly called a plain bearing, made of a self-lubricating material such as bronze or copper. Rotary bearings, of the "pilot" type, have drawbacks: they are complex and expensive to manufacture because they involve the use of a large number of parts, and require additional lubrication. Their durability depends primarily on the presence of this additional lubrication throughout the product's service life. The robustness of this type of bearing is linked to its ability to prevent lubricant or grease loss, making its design complex, as it must be adapted and adjusted to the characteristics of the chosen lubrication (grease or lubricant reservoir) and its environment (operating conditions). Rotary bearings require the use of a seal in contact with the input shaft to prevent lubricant leaks that could contaminate the entire powertrain. The reliability of this bearing also depends on careful handling during installation, maintenance, or repair of the powertrain. Premature damage to this bearing can lead to excessive noise from the powertrain, as well as reduced functionality and performance. Repairing or replacing this type of bearing results in additional costs. When these bearings are advantageously of the one-piece type, the previously mentioned handling risks, as well as the risk of premature deterioration, are considerably reduced; however, the use of a one-piece ring results in a reduction of performance and functional characteristics of the primary shaft control function, which significantly reduces their use. These known monobloc type plain bearings currently on the market have technical limitations regarding the absorption of engine-gearbox misalignment, in addition to a coefficient of friction that is sometimes too high, which should be reduced. The document US 2003/012467 A1 discloses a rotary bearing with a conical section at the inner ring. This pursuit of performance, in the function of absorbing shaft misalignment, in controlling friction and using a limited number of parts, is the basis of the invention. The invention seeks to combine the advantages of two rotary bearing technologies (self-lubricating bearing and rolling bearing) into a single solution, offering a rotary bearing with a simplified design and a limited number of rings. The invention also aims to resolve all the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a simple, efficient, and economical solution. The invention proposes a rotary bearing intended to be placed between a rotating member of an engine and a primary shaft of a gearbox, the rotary bearing being made up of at least two cylindrical rings, of axis X, being in contact with each other, of which: an inner ring adapted to be mounted press-fit or sliding on the primary shaft, and an outer ring adapted to be mounted press-fit in the rotating member, said cylindrical rings being configured to align the primary shaft with the rotating member, by means of at least one ring configured to achieve a degree of freedom and at least one ring made of a synthetic or composite material promoting sliding. The invention proposes a rotary bearing intended to be placed between a rotating element of an engine and a primary shaft of a gearbox, the rotary bearing being made up of at least two cylindrical rings, with axis X, being in contact with each other, of which: an inner ring adapted to be press-fitted or sliding on the primary shaft, and an outer ring adapted to be press-fitted in the rotating element, the rotary bearing comprising at least a third ring housed at least partially in the outer ring, the at least a third ring forming a guide ring configured for the entry of the primary shaft into the rotary bearing, said cylindrical rings being configured t