A method for estimating the temperature of a stator coil of a magnetic suspension bearing of a rotor that is connected by connection wires to circuits for servo-controlling the position of the rotor includes the following steps: measuring the electric voltage at the terminals of the connection wires of the stator coil; measuring the intensity of the current passing through the stator coil; estimating the electric resistance of the stator coil and of the connection wires on the basis of an adaptive filter, the measured electric voltage and the intensity of the measured current; and estimating the temperature of the coil on the basis of the value of the estimated resistance.

A wheel support bearing assembly includes a wheel support bearing and a power unit. The power unit is that of an outer rotor design in which a stator is located at an outer periphery of the wheel support bearing and a rotor is located radially outward of the stator. A radial extension of the entire power unit is sized to be radially inward of a peripheral section of a brake rotor. An entirety of the power unit, excluding a mount part thereof to a hub flange, is sized to be situated in an axial range between the hub flange and a mount surface, on an inboard side of the wheel support bearing. The rotor includes an outer shell magnetic body, which is made from soft magnetic material and forms an outer shell of the power unit, and permanent magnets that are provided to the outer shell magnetic body.

A device monitors the operating temperature of at least one set of bearings in a plurality of sets of bearings. The at least one set of bearings is arranged between a shaft and a carrier. The carrier has at least one temperature sensor that senses the temperature of the at least one set of bearings and generates a signal representative of an operating temperature of the at least one set of bearings. The at least one temperature sensor is operatively electrically connected to at least one controller. The controller processes the signal from the temperature sensor, including determining the operating temperature of the respective at least one set of bearings and whether the operating temperature of the respective at least one set of bearings exceeds at least one threshold temperature. The controller memory holds a unique identifier associated with the at least one bearing set.

A bearing assembly with a consumer of electrical energy and at least one energy generating device, has a first component and a second component, which are arranged so as to be movable repetitively relative to one another. The energy generating device has at least one electrical conductor arranged in a loop shape and at least one permanent magnet, wherein the electrical conductor is arranged on the first component, and the permanent magnet is arranged on the second component.

A system is provided that may include a generator or alternator. A ceramic bearing assembly is within the alternator or generator. The ceramic bearing assembly may include one or more ceramic rolling elements formed of a ceramic material not including metal and disposed between a metallic inner race and an outer race of the ceramic bearing assembly.

Provided is a system for real-time condition diagnosis of a bearing module including a self-power generation module installed in an outer ring of a bearing to generate electricity using vibration generated from a micro whirling motion of the bearing, a behavior detection unit installed in the bearing to detect behavior information of the bearing in real time, a wireless transmission module connected to the behavior detection unit to transmit the real-time detected behavior information of the bearing to an external device, and a condition diagnosis unit that receives the behavior information of the bearing transmitted from the wireless transmission module and diagnoses condition of the bearing in real time, wherein the real-time behavior information of the behavior detection unit installed in the bearing is transmitted through the electricity obtained by the self-power generation module.

A bearing apparatus supports a rotating body with a bearing including an inner ring, an outer ring, and a rolling element. The bearing apparatus includes a power generator including a Peltier element variable in amount of power generation depending on a temperature difference between the inner ring and the outer ring caused in the bearing and an abnormality sensing apparatus that senses abnormality of the bearing based on the amount of power generation by the power generator. Preferably, the abnormality sensing apparatus senses abnormality of the bearing based on any of the amount of power generation by the power generator, a time derivative value of the amount of power generation, and following relation between the amount of power generation and another parameter. The bearing apparatus and a spacer in which abnormality of the bearing can accurately be sensed early are thus provided.

A sensorized rolling element for a bearing having inner and outer races and a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the inner and outer races and includes a rolling element body having an interior surface defining a cavity, the body being disposable between the inner race and the outer race. A wireless transmitter is disposed within the cavity of the rolling element body and a piezoelectric device is disposed within the cavity so as to contact the inner surface of the rolling element body. The piezoelectric device includes a body formed of piezoelectric material and at least two electrodes electrically coupling the piezoelectric body with the wireless transmitter. The piezoelectric device is configured to generate electrical charge for powering the transmitter when the rolling element body deflects under loading applied by the inner race and/or outer race and may also be used to detect loading on the rolling element body.

A sensor system for monitoring a device, the sensor system including a housing, a base configured to attach the sensor system to the device to be monitored, a sensor configured to obtain data related to at least one operating parameter of the device, and an integral energy harvesting device configured to provide at least a portion of the energy required to operate the sensor system.

A bearing device includes: a magnetic ring fixed to an inner ring; and a stator fixed to an outer ring so as to face magnetic ring. Magnetic ring and stator constitute a claw pole type generator. Stator includes a coil and a magnetic yoke surrounding coil. The magnetic yoke is configured by combining a first member and a second member that are magnetic bodies. First member and second member have an identical shape. Each of first member and second member has a plurality of second claws arranged in a comb shape. A plurality of first claws of first member and the plurality of second claws of second member are alternately arranged on a surface facing magnetic ring.