A rolling bearing arrangement having a first and a second raceway element, and rolling bodies being arranged between the two raceway elements so that the two raceway elements are rotatable against each other in the manner of a rolling bearing, a space between the raceway elements in which the rolling bodies are rolling off comprising a lubricating grease, at least one sensor element for sensing temperature, at a specific point of the rolling bearing, particularly in the space, and for sensing speed of the rolling bearing and a unit receiving the sensed temperature and speed, calculating from the profiles of the sensed temperature over time and from the speed over time via a calculated energy imposed on the grease a used and/or remaining period of the grease life-time.

A rolling bearing unit provided with a radially outer ring having an assembly groove, two radially inner rings, two series of rolling elements interposed between the radially outer ring and the radially inner rings and defining between them a first internal grease reservoir. The groove is arranged in an axially intermediate position with respect to the two radially inner rings and a grease dispensing device is housed inside the groove of the radially outer ring and is in turn provided with a second grease reservoir formed inside the radially outer ring and communicating with the first reservoir via the groove. A permeable retaining wall housed is inside the groove so as to retain the grease inside the second reservoir and allow it to flow out towards the first reservoir during operation of the bearing unit, dispensing it in a controlled manner.

A wind turbine has a bearing housing, a rolling element bearing within the bearing housing and a space within the bearing housing for containing grease for lubricating the rolling element bearing. A shaft is rotatably supported by the rolling element bearing. A pressure sensor in fluid communication with the space measures the pressure of grease in the space within the bearing housing.

A bearing lubricator for lubricating a plurality of device bearings in a device includes a solitary monitored bearing and at least one unmonitored bearing. The bearing lubricator includes a reservoir configured to contain lubricant, a plurality of conduits connecting the reservoir to the plurality of bearing, and a mechanism connected to the reservoir for advancing the lubricant from the reservoir to the plurality of device bearings when actuated. The bearing lubricator further includes a solitary sensor for sensing a variable of the monitored bearing and a controller. The controller stores a triggering value of the variable of the monitored bearing. The mechanism advances a substantially identical quantity of the lubricant from the reservoir to each of the plurality of bearings when a signal indicative of the variable is advanced to the controller and when that signal indicates the triggering value of the variable has been met.

A guide carriage (1) of a linear guide includes a circulation channel (8) for rolling bodies (2), which is formed from a load section (3), two deflection sections (5) and a return section (4). A valve (16) arranged in a lubricant channel (10) to prevent the back flow of lubricant from the circulation channel (8) is arranged at a supply point (13) for supplying lubricating agent to one of the deflection sections (5), and the deflection section (5) is delimited by a deflection shell (9) located in an end piece (7). The valve (16) is formed integrally with at least one of the elements deflection shell (9) and end piece (7).

According to the method of the invention, a lubricant is supplied incrementally to a rotary bearing while the bearing is in operation rotating at a rotational speed. The lubricant is supplied in consecutive steps so that at each step a portion of a prescribed amount of lubricant is supplied, followed each time by an ultrasound measurement. A first ultrasound measurement is performed before the first supply step, and starting from the second supply step, each measurement result is compared at least to the previous result, in order to evaluate the bearing condition and decide on that basis whether to continue the sequence or not. Stopping the sequence is decided when the lubrication of the bearing is assessed as successful, a lubrication failure or over-lubrication. The invention is equally related to a system for lubricating one or more bearings, applying the method of the invention to each of said bearings.

A bearing assembly comprising a rolling element bearing having a first row of rolling elements arranged in a first bearing cavity between a first inner raceway and a first outer raceway of the bearing, and having a second row of rolling elements arranged in a second bearing cavity between a second inner raceway and a second outer raceway of the bearing. The assembly further comprises an annular grease cartridge arranged between the first and second rows of rolling elements. The annular grease cartridge is at least partly formed from a honeycomb structure having axially extending passageways filled with a grease lubricant, wherein at least some of passageways are open towards the first and second bearing cavities.

A bearing assembly comprises a rolling element bearing having an inner ring, an outer ring and a set of rolling elements arranged in a bearing cavity between the inner and outer rings. A first grease is provided in the bearing cavity, which has a first thermal bleed rate at a specific reference temperature. The bearing assembly further comprises a grease cartridge, arranged at an axial side of the bearing cavity, whereby the cartridge has axially extending passageways that open into the bearing cavity, and whereby at least some of the passageways are filled with a second grease. The second grease has a second thermal bleed rate at the specific reference temperature which is lower than that of the first grease.

A bearing lubricator for lubricating a lubricated bearing is provided. The bearing lubricator includes a reservoir configured to contain lubricant, a bearing lubricator for lubricating a lubricated bearing, a conduit connected to the reservoir and to the bearing; and mechanism and a controller. The mechanism is operably connected to at least one of reservoir and the conduit. The mechanism is adapted to advance the lubricant from the reservoir to the conduit when actuated. The controller stores a triggering value of a parameter. The controller is further adapted to actuate the mechanism when a signal indicative of the triggering value is advanced toward the controller. The bearing lubricator also includes a sensor operably connected to the controller. The sensor is adapted to measure a parameter of a measured bearing and to send a signal to the controller indicative of the value of the parameter.

A bearing system includes a bearing housing configured to house a bearing and enclosing a free volume for receiving a lubricant, a bearing, a pump configured to pump lubricant into the free volume, a shaft in an opening in the housing rotatably supported by the bearing, an exclusion seal between the shaft opening and the shaft that is repeatably and non-destructively shiftable from a sealing state in which it substantially prevents lubricant from leaving the free volume and a release state in which it allows lubricant to escape between the exclusion seal and the shaft. The exclusion seal is caused to shift by increasing and decreasing a pressure in the bearing housing, and the system includes a controller configured to repeatedly shift the exclusion seal by raising and lowering the pressure in the free volume to continuously maintain a lubricating film between the exclusion seal and the shaft.