TRIPOD ROLLER AND TRIPOD JOINT

Abstract

A tripod roller is used in a tripod joint having a joint outer part and a joint inner part with three supporting pins. The tripod roller is placed on at least one of the three supporting pins. The tripod roller includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and may include an intermediate ring. The inner ring is placed on a supporting pin. An outer surface of the outer ring bears against the joint outer part. At least one interface between the sliding pin, the inner ring, the intermediate ring, if present, and the outer ring forms a sliding bearing.

Claims

1. A tripod roller for placing onto a supporting pin of a tripod joint, the tripod joint comprising a joint outer part and a joint inner part with three supporting pins, the tripod roller comprising: an outer ring which extends about an axis of rotation and is configured to be movable on the joint outer part by way of its radially outwardly directed outer surface; and an inner element which is arranged radially within the outer ring and is configured to be placed on one of the supporting pins by way of a radially inwardly directed inner surface; and wherein the tripod roller has at least one sliding surface of a sliding bearing for rotation of the outer ring about the axis of rotation relative to the supporting pin.

2. The tripod roller of claim 1, wherein the inner surface is the at least one sliding surface which, to form the sliding bearing, can be placed onto a second sliding surface on the supporting pin.

3. The tripod roller claim 1, wherein the outer ring has a radially inwardly directed first sliding surface of the sliding bearing, and the inner element has a radially outwardly directed second sliding surface of the sliding bearing on which the first sliding surface is seated.

4. The tripod roller of claim 1, wherein the inner element comprises: an inner ring which has the inner surface; and an intermediate ring which is arranged radially between inner ring and outer ring; and wherein two sliding surfaces on the outer ring and intermediate ring form the sliding bearing.

5. The tripod roller of claim 4, wherein the intermediate ring is rotationally fixed with respect to the inner ring.

6. The tripod roller of claim 4, wherein the intermediate ring has at least one holding element for limiting a relative movement of the intermediate ring with respect to the outer ring.

7. The tripod roller of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sliding surfaces of the tripod roller contains a low-friction plastic or a ceramic or a bronze.

8. (canceled)

9. A tripod joint comprising: a joint outer part a joint inner part with three supporting pins, wherein a tripod roller is placed onto each of the supporting pins, at least one of the tripod rollers being a tripod roller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer ring of the tripod roller is applied so as to be movable on the joint outer part by way of its outer surface, and the inner element is placed on the supporting pin of the tripod joint by way of its inner surface, and the sliding bearing allows rotation of the outer ring about the axis of rotation relative to the supporting pin.

10. The tripod joint of claim 9, wherein the inner surface of the tripod roller comprises a first sliding surface of the sliding bearing, and wherein a second sliding surface of the sliding bearing is formed on the supporting pin, onto which second sliding surface the tripod roller is placed by way of its first sliding surface.

11. The tripod roller of claim 1, wherein the inner element comprises: an inner ring which has the inner surface; and an intermediate ring which is arranged radially between inner ring and outer ring; and wherein two sliding surfaces on the intermediate ring and inner ring form the sliding bearing.

12. The tripod roller of claim 11, wherein the intermediate ring is rotationally fixed with respect to the outer ring.

13. The tripod roller of claim 11, wherein the intermediate ring has at least one holding element for limiting a relative movement of the intermediate ring with respect to the inner ring.

14. A tripod joint comprising: a joint outer part; a joint inner part with three supporting pins; an outer ring extending about an axis of rotation and having a radially outwardly directed outer surface movable on the joint outer part; and an inner element arranged radially within the outer ring and placed on one of the supporting pins by way of a radially inwardly directed inner surface; and wherein inner element has at least one sliding surface of a sliding bearing for rotation of the outer ring about the axis of rotation relative to the one of the supporting pins.

15. The tripod joint of claim 14, wherein the inner surface is the at least one sliding surface and a surface of the one of the supporting pins is another sliding surface of the sliding bearing.

16. The tripod joint of claim 14, wherein the outer ring has a radially inwardly directed first sliding surface of the sliding bearing, and the inner element has a radially outwardly directed second sliding surface of the sliding bearing on which the first sliding surface is seated.

17. The tripod joint of claim 14, wherein the inner element comprises: an inner ring which has the inner surface; and an intermediate ring which is arranged radially between inner ring and outer ring.

18. The tripod joint of claim 17 wherein: two sliding surfaces on the outer ring and intermediate ring respectively form the sliding bearing, and the intermediate ring is rotationally fixed with respect to the inner ring.

19. The tripod joint of claim 17 wherein: two sliding surfaces on the inner ring and intermediate ring respectively form the sliding bearing, and the intermediate ring is rotationally fixed with respect to the outer ring.

20. The tripod joint of claim 17, wherein the intermediate ring has at least one holding element for limiting a relative movement of the intermediate ring with respect to the inner ring or the outer ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Further features, effects and advantages will emerge from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment and from the FIGURES, in which, in a schematic basic diagram:

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a detail of a tripod joint with tripod roller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration showing, in a merely symbolically indicated manner, a tripod joint 2 having a joint outer part 4 and a joint inner part 6. The tripod joint 2 has a total of three supporting pins 8, a tripod roller 10 being arranged on each of the supporting pins 8. Only one of the three supporting pins 8 and tripod rollers 10 is illustrated in the FIGURE. The tripod roller 10 comprises an outer ring 12 which extends about an axis of rotation 14 or has such an axis of rotation. The tripod roller 10 is applied so as to be movable on the joint outer part 4 by way of its radially outwardly directed outer surface 16, that is to say, during a corresponding movement of the joint, said tripod roller rolls on a track (not explained in more detail) on the joint outer part 4.

[0032] An inner element 18 of the tripod roller 10 is arranged radially (with respect to the axis of rotation 14) within the outer ring 12. The inner element 18 is placed on the supporting pin 8 by way of a radially inwardly directed inner surface 20. In the example, the tripod roller 10 has at least one of five sliding surfaces 22a through 22e. The first sliding surface 22a and the second sliding surface 22b form a first sliding bearing 24a. The sliding surface 22a is thus a radially inwardly directed first sliding surface of the sliding bearing 24a. The inner element 18 has the associated second sliding surface 22b, which is directed radially outward of the sliding bearing 24a. The first sliding surface 22a is seated on the second sliding surface 22b. The sliding bearing 24a is thus formed between outer ring 12 and inner element 18.

[0033] In the example, the inner element 18 comprises an inner ring 26, which has the inner surface 20, and an intermediate ring 28 which is arranged radially between inner ring 26 and outer ring 12. The sliding bearing 24a is thus formed in concrete terms by the first sliding surface 22a on the outer ring 12 and the second sliding surface 22b on the intermediate ring 28. The sliding bearing 24a is thus formed between outer ring 12 and intermediate ring 28.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally, the first sliding surface 22c and the second sliding surface 22d form a sliding bearing 24b. The sliding bearing 24b is formed by the first sliding surface 22c on the intermediate ring 28 and the second sliding surface 22d on the inner ring 26. The sliding bearing 24b is formed between intermediate ring 28 and inner ring 26. The intermediate ring 28 is thus a sliding ring here. The sliding bearing 24b is formed within the inner element 18.

[0035] In an alternative embodiment, the inner element 18 is configured in one piece as an individual ring. The sliding bearing 24b can then not be realized.

[0036] In an alternative or additional embodiment, the inner surface 20 likewise comprises a first sliding surface 22e. To form a further sliding bearing 24c, said first sliding surface 22e is placed onto a second sliding surface 22f on the supporting pin 8. The sliding bearing 24c is here thus formed between the inner element 18 and the supporting pin 8 and arises only when the tripod roller is mounted as intended on the supporting pin 8.

[0037] All three sliding bearings 24a through 24c serve for the outer ring 12 to be mounted relative to the supporting pin 8 so as to be rotatable about the axis of rotation 14.

[0038] In alternative embodiments, either the sliding bearing 24a or the sliding bearing 24b is dispensed with, with the result that the intermediate ring 28 is rotationally fixed with respect to the inner ring 26 or the outer ring 12 relative to the axis of rotation 14.

[0039] A holding element 30, here a holding ring (not explained in further detail) inserted into the outer ring 12, limits a relative movement of the intermediate 28, inner ring 26 and outer ring 12 with respect to one another in the axial direction of the axis of rotation 14. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the holding element 30 is provided on the intermediate ring 28.

[0040] The sliding surfaces 22a though 22e contain a low-friction plastic or a ceramic or a bronze.

[0041] The tripod roller 10 is constructed in such a way that a rolling bearing (not shown) is actually provided at the location of the intermediate ring 28. However, without changing this construction, the rolling bearing is replaced by the intermediate ring 28 illustrated. A corresponding procedure can also be adopted if, in an alternative embodiment, the inner element 18 is configured in one piece as an individual ring. The tripod roller is then constructed as outer ring 12 with a radially inner rolling bearing, the rolling bearing being provided between outer ring 12 and supporting pin 8. However, the rolling bearing is replaced by the inner element 18. The tripod joint 2 and the tripod roller 10 then have one or both of the sliding bearings 24a and 24c.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0042] 2 Tripod joint [0043] 4 Joint outer part [0044] 6 Joint inner part [0045] 8 Supporting pin [0046] 10 Tripod roller [0047] 12 Outer ring [0048] 14 Axis of rotation [0049] 16 Outer surface [0050] 18 Inner element [0051] 20 Inner surface [0052] 22a-f Sliding surface [0053] 24a-c Sliding bearing [0054] 26 Inner ring [0055] 28 Intermediate ring [0056] 30 Holding element