INTERMEDIATE BEARING FOR A DRIVE SHAFT TRAIN

Abstract

An intermediate bearing for a drive shaft train of a motor vehicle has an elastic bearing body which has a bore and a supporting ring which is arranged in the bore and has a receiving space for receiving an anti-friction bearing. The receiving space defines a longitudinal axis, and two sealing washers which are spaced apart axially from one another and have in each case one central opening for receiving a drive component. The supporting ring is arranged between the two sealing washers. The sealing washers have in each case one groove which extends concentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis. The supporting ring engages into the two grooves of the sealing washers.

Claims

1. Intermediate bearing (6) for a drive shaft train of a motor vehicle, said intermediate bearing (6) comprising: an elastic bearing body (11), which has a bore (12), a supporting ring (13), which is arranged in the bore (12) and has a receiving space (14) for receiving a rolling bearing (15), wherein the receiving space (14) defines a longitudinal axis (X), and two sealing discs (16, 17), which are axially spaced apart from one another and have in each case a central opening (18) for receiving a drive component (19, 20), wherein the supporting ring (13) is arranged between the two sealing discs (16, 17), characterized in that the sealing discs (16, 17) have in each case one groove (25), which extends concentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis (X), wherein the supporting ring (13) engages into the two grooves (25) of the sealing discs (16, 17).

2. Intermediate bearing (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that the grooves (25) of the sealing discs (16, 17) are equally spaced apart radially with respect to the longitudinal axis (X).

3. Intermediate bearing (6) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the grooves (25) are delimited by a U-shaped angled section (26) of the respective sealing disc (16, 17).

4. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sealing discs (16, 17) are double-walled, at least in some sections, in the region of the grooves (25).

5. Intermediate bearing (6) according to claim 4, characterized in that a radial inner wall (27) of the respective sealing disc (16, 17) which forms the groove (25) is double-walled.

6. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sealing discs (16, 17), in each case on a radial outer wall (27) forming the groove (25), have a collar (22) which extends at least substantially radially, wherein the collars (22) of the sealing discs (16, 17) at least partially radially overlap the bearing body (11).

7. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sealing discs (16, 17) are designed identically.

8. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sealing discs (16, 17) are each made in one piece.

9. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sealing discs (16, 17) are stamped and bended parts made from sheet metal.

10. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the supporting ring (13) is designed cylindrically.

11. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the supporting ring (13) is a stamped and bended part made from sheet metal.

12. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the bearing body is designed as an elastomer ring (11).

13. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the intermediate bearing (6) further comprises a housing (7) with a housing space (8), wherein the bearing body (11) is arranged in the housing space (8).

14. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the housing (7) is of cup-shaped design.

15. Intermediate bearing (6) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that by means of the sealing discs (16, 17) a labyrinth seal for sealing the receiving space (14)is formed in the region of the grooves (25) and the supporting ring (13) engaging into the grooves (25).

Description

[0017] A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and described below. These show in:

[0018] FIG. 1 schematically a motor vehicle with a drive shaft train for driving the rear wheels having an intermediate bearing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 2 an enlarged partial illustration of the drive shaft train of FIG. 1 with the intermediate bearing in a partially cut view;

[0020] FIG. 3 the intermediate bearing in a partially cut view; and

[0021] FIG. 4 an enlarged view of the intermediate bearing in a sectional view.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a utility vehicle 1, in which the rear wheels are powered by the engine with the transmission 2. To transfer the torque from the transmission 2 onto a rear wheel differential 3, a drive shaft train is used. The drive shaft train comprises a first articulated shaft section 4 and a second articulated shaft section 5, which, here, is angled with respect to the first articulated shaft section 4. The two articulated shaft sections 4, 5 are connected to each other, wherein the first articulated shaft section 4, at its end remote from the transmission 2, is additionally mounted on the chassis of the utility vehicle 1 by way of an inventive intermediate bearing 6. Via the intermediate bearing 6, the first articulated shaft section 4 is rotationally mounted about a longitudinal axis, respectively an axis of rotation X.

[0023] In FIGS. 2 to 4, the intermediate bearing 6 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The intermediate bearing 6 comprises a housing 7, which in longitudinal section has a U-shaped design, and defines a housing space 8. On an inward-facing wall 9 of the housing 7, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, a plurality of retaining tabs 10 distributed in the circumferential direction of the U-shaped housing 7 are formed, two axially spaced retaining tabs 10 in each case forming a pair. In the housing space 8, a bearing body 11 in the form of an elastomer ring is attached between the retaining tabs 10 by clamping. The elastomer ring 11 comprises a central bore 12. In the central bore 12 of the elastomer ring 11, a supporting ring 13 is inserted. The supporting ring 13, produced as a stamped and bended part made from sheet metal, has a cylindrical form. The supporting ring 13 surrounds a cylindrical receiving space 14, which defines the longitudinal axis X. The receiving space 14 accommodates a rolling bearing 15 for mounting the first articulated shaft section 4.

[0024] For sealing the receiving space 14 and for shielding the rolling bearing 15 accommodated in the receiving space 14, two sealing discs 16, 17 are provided axially spaced apart from the others. The two identically designed sealing discs 16, 17 are in each case made in one piece and stamped and bended parts made from sheet metal. The sealing discs 16, each have a central opening 18, which is arranged concentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis X. A drive shaft 19 of the first articulated shaft section 4 engages the central opening 18 of the sealing disc 16, shown on the left of FIG. 2 and oriented towards the transmission 2. The drive shaft 19 and a shaft flange 20 which is pushed onto the drive shaft 19 engages the central opening 18 of the sealing disc 17, shown on the right of FIG. 2 and oriented towards the rear-wheel differential 3. Via the shaft flange 20, the drive shaft 19 is connected to a universal joint 21, which connects the first articulated shaft section 4 to another universal joint of the second articulated shaft section 5. The two sealing discs 16, 17 are connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the drive shaft 19 and/or the shaft flange 20 by means of a press fitting. On the radially inner side, the sealing discs 16, 17 have four recesses 30 distributed in the circumferential direction, to ensure that, especially during the mounting of the intermediate bearing on the drive shaft 19 or shaft flange 20 or during possible coating processes in which the drive shaft 19 hangs vertically, liquids can be drained out of the receiving space 14 of the intermediate bearing 6.

[0025] The design of the sealing or shielding is explained in more detail by reference to FIG. 4, in which for the sake of clarity the rolling bearing 15 is not shown. On the radially outer longitudinal end regions of the sealing discs 16, 17, collars 22 are formed, which overlap a radially inner region of the elastomer ring 9. At the longitudinal ends, the collars 22 are bent towards the outside, i.e. directed away from each other, so that an imaginary line through a bent longitudinal end 23 encloses an angle of approximately 70? with the longitudinal axis X. The bent longitudinal end 23 is joined to a portion 24 of the collar 22 which extends radially with respect to the longitudinal axis X. Radially further inward, the respective sealing disc 16, 17 has a groove 25 that extends concentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis X and that is radially equally spaced apart from the longitudinal axis X. The grooves 25 are delimited by an angled portion of the respective sealing disc 16, 17, wherein the collar 22 is joined to a radially outer wall 27 of the respective groove 25. The angled section 26 has a U-shaped design, so that the grooves 25 have a rectangular cross-section. A radially inner wall 28 of the angled portion 26 of the respective sealing disc 16, 17 is double-walled.

[0026] The supporting ring 13 is arranged between the two axially spaced sealing discs 16, 17. To seal the receiving space 14, the supporting ring 13 engages into the grooves 25 of the two sealing discs 16, 17. This provides a labyrinth seal which seals the receiving space 14 and the rolling bearing 15 being inserted into the receiving space 14, so that no water, dirt or the like can penetrate into the receiving space 14 from the outside. By means of the collars 22 it is also ensured that, for example, during the cleaning of the utility vehicle 1 using a water jet directed onto the intermediate bearing 6, water bounces off and, respectively, is deflected by the labyrinth seal formed in the region of the grooves 25 by the sealing discs 16, 17 and the supporting ring 13.

[0027] In use, the two sealing discs 16, 17 rotate about the longitudinal axis X together with the first articulated shaft section 4. By contrast, the supporting ring 13 being inserted in the elastomer ring 11 stands still, because the housing 7 is held on a vehicle chassis of the utility vehicle 1 in a non-rotationally manner via a retaining plate 29 spanning over both the U-shaped housing space 8 and the elastomer ring 11 being arranged in the housing space 7.

REFERENCE LIST

[0028] 1 utility vehicle

[0029] 2 transmission

[0030] 3 rear-wheel differential

[0031] 4 first articulated shaft section

[0032] 5 second articulated shaft section

[0033] 6 intermediate bearing

[0034] 7 housing

[0035] 8 housing space

[0036] 9 wall

[0037] 10 retaining tab

[0038] 11 elastomer ring

[0039] 12 bore

[0040] 13 supporting ring

[0041] 14 receiving space

[0042] 15 rolling bearing

[0043] 16 sealing disc

[0044] 17 sealing disc

[0045] 18 opening

[0046] 19 drive shaft

[0047] 20 shaft flange

[0048] 21 universal joint

[0049] 22 collar

[0050] 23 bent longitudinal end

[0051] 24 radial portion

[0052] 25 groove

[0053] 26 angled portion

[0054] 27 outer wall

[0055] 28 inner wall

[0056] 29 retaining plate

[0057] 30 recesses

[0058] X longitudinal axis