ANTI-FRICTION BEARING COMPRISING A DISCHARGING DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR THE DISCHARGE OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGES

Abstract

A roller bearing including a conduction apparatus and a method for conducting electrostatic charges at a roller bearing, the conduction apparatus including at least one elastic conductor having a first conductor section and a second conductor section for forming a contact assembly on the roller bearing, the first conductor section being mounted on a first bearing ring of the roller bearing and the second conductor section being mounted on a second bearing ring of the roller bearing, an electrically conductive connection being established between the first bearing ring and the second bearing ring. The conductor is supported at the first bearing ring, the first conductor section being inserted into at least a straight recess of the first bearing ring.

Claims

1. A roller bearing comprising a conduction apparatus, the conduction apparatus comprising at least one elastic conductor, the conductor having a first conductor section and a second conductor section for forming a contact assembly on the roller bearing, the first conductor section being mounted on a first bearing ring of the roller bearing and the second conductor section being mounted on a second bearing ring of the roller bearing, an electrically conductive connection being established between the first bearing ring and the second bearing ring by means of the conductor, wherein the conductor is supported at the first bearing ring, the first conductor section being inserted into at least a straight recess of the first bearing ring.

2. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed so as to conform with the conductor.

3. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the conductor is inserted into the recess in a force-fit, form-fit or substance-to-substance bonded manner.

4. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the conductor is realized as a carbon fiber assembly made of a braid of carbon fibers, the carbon fiber assembly being infiltrated with pyrolytic carbon.

5. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the first conductor section is formed by an end of the conductor, the second conductor section being formed by an opposite, free end of the conductor.

6. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the first conductor section comprises two partial sections on opposite ends of the conductor, the partial sections each being inserted in recesses of the first bearing ring, the second conductor section being formed between partial sections inserted in the recesses.

7. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the conductor is straight or curved.

8. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein a contact force is exerted on the second bearing ring by means of the conductor.

9. The roller bearing according to claim 8 wherein the contact force is caused by prestressing the conductor, the conductor being disposed on the bearing rings by producing the prestressing.

10. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the roller bearing is an axial bearing.

11. The roller bearing according to claim 10, wherein the conductor is essentially parallel to a bearing axis of the roller bearing.

12. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the roller bearing is a plain bearing, the first conductor section being an outer conductor section for establishing contact with an outer ring of the plain bearing and the second conductor section being an inner conductor section for establishing contact with an inner ring of the plain bearing, the conductor being supported at the outer ring or at the inner ring, the conductor being inserted in at least one recess of the outer ring or the inner ring by its first conductor section.

13. The roller bearing according to claim 12, wherein an outer periphery of the inner ring or an inner periphery of the outer ring is contacted by means of the second conductor section, the second conductor section being supported on a radial groove of the inner ring or the outer ring.

14. The roller bearing according to claim 12, wherein the conductor is tangential to the inner ring and/or secantial to the outer ring.

15. The roller bearing according to claim 12, wherein the recess is realized as a groove on at least a front face of the outer ring or the inner ring.

16. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the conduction apparatus comprises two or more conductors in a conductor assembly, the first conductor sections of the conductors each being inserted in recesses of the first bearing ring.

17. The roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein the conductor is identical and is disposed on the bearing rings in a rotationally symmetric manner with respect to a bearing axis of the roller bearing.

18. The roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein the conductor is disposed on the bearing rings in an axially symmetric manner with respect to a diameter of the bearing rings.

19. The roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein the conductors are disposed on the bearing rings in an axially symmetric manner with respect to a diameter of the bearing rings.

20. A method for conducting electrostatic charges at a roller bearing, the roller bearing comprising a conduction apparatus comprising at least one elastic conductor, the conductor being formed to have a first conductor section and a second conductor section for forming a contact assembly on the roller bearing, the first conductor section being mounted on a first bearing ring of the roller bearing and the second conductor section being mounted on a second bearing ring of the roller bearing, the conductor establishing an electrically conductive connection between the first bearing ring and the second bearing ring,.

Description

[0029] In the following, preferred embodiments of the disclosure are described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a roller bearing in a first embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a roller bearing in a second embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a roller bearing 10 in the form of a ball bearing 11, which comprises a first bearing ring 12 and a second bearing ring 13 and rolling elements 14 disposed between bearing rings 12, 13. First bearing ring 12 is an outer ring 15 of roller bearing 10; second bearing ring 13 is an inner ring 16 of roller bearing 10. Furthermore, roller bearing 10 comprises a conduction apparatus 17, which comprises two conductors 18 in a conductor assembly 19. Conductors 18 are formed as carbon fiber assemblies 20, which are infiltrated with pyrolytic carbon. Conductors 18 each have a first conductor section 21 and a second conductor section 22 for forming a contact assembly 23 on roller bearing 10. In this context, first conductor section 21 is formed by an end 24 of a conductor 18 in each case, end 24 being inserted into a straight recess 25 of first bearing ring 12. An opposite end 26 of conductor 18 forms second conductor section 22, end 26 of conductor 18 being placed in a radial groove 27 of the second bearing ring. Second conductor section 22 is disposed within groove 27 so as to be moveable, whereas first conductor section 21 is fixed in recess 25. This assembly of conductor section 21, 22 allows establishing an electrically conductive connection between bearing rings 12, 13 by means of conductor 18, whereby electrostatic charges can be conducted from roller bearing 10, without requiring additional installation space around roller bearing 10.

[0033] In contrast to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 shows a roller bearing 28 having a conduction apparatus 29 which comprises two conductors 30 in a conductor assembly 31, conductors 30 each being inserted into recesses 33 of a first bearing ring 34 of roller bearing 28 on opposite ends 32 of conductors 30. This enables forming a first conductor section 35 of each conductor 30 via two partial sections 36 on opposite ends 32 of conductor 30. A second conductor section 37 of conductor 30 is formed between partial sections 36 of conductor 30 in each instance. Second conductor section 37 is also placed in a groove 38 of a second bearing ring 39 of roller bearing 28. In this context, second conductor section 37 is disposed within groove 38 so as to be moveable, whereas partial sections 36 of first conductor section 35 is fixed in recesses 33.