This application is the National Stage of PCT/DE2013/100390 filed on Nov. 19, 2013, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. ยง119 of German Application No. 20 2012 104 447.1 filed on Nov. 19, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The international application under PCT article 21(2) was not published in English.
The invention relates to a bearing unit for rotary anodes of X-ray tubes.
DE 30 41 558 A1, for example by way of
The invention is based on the object of producing a bearing unit for rotary anodes of this type of X-ray tubes that is particularly easy to assemble.
This object is achieved by a bearing unit having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.
The bearing unit according to the invention, having the features of patent claim 1, is configured in a compact manner and is composed of a modest number of parts which may be pre-assembled in order for the thus pre-assembled bearing unit to be able to be inserted in a manner which is easy to assemble into the corresponding receptacle in the X-ray tube.
On account of the implementation of the first bearing elements as angular ball bearings, it is made possible to a certain degree for the bearing unit to also absorb axial forces. Moreover, on account of the use of two angular ball bearings, complex shaft production is dispensed with. It is also possible for a comparatively cost-effective material (untempered steel, for example) to be used for the shaft.
The spacer elements make for a positionally secure location of the bearing elements on the shaft, wherein the inboard spacer element is in contact with the internal rings of the angular ball bearings and the outboard spacer element is in contact with the external rings of the angular ball bearing.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, one angular ball bearing or both angular ball bearings by way of the internal ring bear(s) on a step of the shaft and in the axial direction is/are thus fixed in a manner which is easy to assemble.
On account of the further bearing element being fastened by way of a tapered bracing element which, in particular, is form-fitting, or by way of a plastic deformation of the shaft, respectively, locking in place of the angular ball bearings and thus fixing of the entire bearing unit may take place in a manner which is easy to assemble, once the bearing elements have been attached to the shaft. These here are rapid and simple fixing possibilities which are more cost-effective than fixing solutions which are based on a screw-nut or similar.
In one advantageous embodiment the angular ball bearings are oriented so as to be mutually opposed, that is to say that the respective open sides of the angular ball bearings either face one another or face away from one another. In a particularly preferable way, the open shoulder of the angular ball bearing of the first bearing element is disposed in the direction of the flange-side end of the shaft and the open shoulder of the angular ball bearing of the further bearing element is disposed in the direction of that end of the shaft that is distant from the flange. On account thereof, a particularly advantageous bearing, in particular the absorption of axial forces from various axial directions, is enabled.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the spacer element which is disposed between the external rings and/or the internal rings of the bearing elements may be configured as split spacer elements. A split spacer element here is to be understood to be a spacer element which is composed of a plurality of separate parts (for example, a plurality of ring segments). In this way, for example, a first (for example, comparatively large) ring segment produced to a standard size may be used, and furthermore one spacer element or a plurality of spacer elements produced to the exact dimension may be used for filling in the desired spacing between the external rings and/or internal rings of the bearing elements.
The invention is explained in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments in the figures of the drawing, in which:
The bearing unit 1 illustrated in
The entire bearing unit 1 here may be inserted into a receptacle (not illustrated) of the X-ray tube, which is provided therefor, and locked in place there in the usual way (for example, by a screw connection).
The bearing unit 1, for receiving the shaft 2, has a first bearing element 4 and a further bearing element 5. The first bearing element 4 is formed by an angular ball bearing 6 which is attached on the shaft 2 and which has an internal ring 7 and an external ring 8. The second bearing element 5 is formed by an angular ball bearing 9 which is attached on the shaft 2 and which has an internal ring 10 and an external ring 11.
The open side of the angular ball bearing 6 is configured on the external ring 8 and is disposed in the direction of the flange-side end of the shaft 2. Two shoulders are configured on the internal ring 7, and that side of the angular ball bearing 6 that faces away from the flange 3 is likewise configured as a shoulder.
The open side of the angular ball bearing 9 is configured on the external ring 11 and is disposed in the direction of that end of the shaft 2 that is opposite the flange 3. Two shoulders are configured on the internal ring 10, and that side of the angular ball bearing 9 that faces the flange 3 is likewise configured as a shoulder on the external ring 11.
The internal rings 7 and 10 are spaced apart in a dimensionally exact manner by way of a spacer element 12. In a similar way, a further spacer element 13 is disposed between the external rings 8 and 11.
The angular ball bearing 6 by way of its internal ring 7 bears on a step of the shaft 2.
By way of the bracing element 14 which is attached on that end of the shaft that is distant from the flange the assembled bearing unit 1 is locked in place. The bracing element 14 is configured in a sleeve-shaped manner. In more precise terms, the bracing element 14 has the shape of a ring or of a hollow cylinder, respectively.
The bracing element 14 in the embodiment according to
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20 2012 104 447 U | Nov 2012 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/DE2013/100390 | 11/19/2013 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2014/075664 | 5/22/2014 | WO | A |
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30 41 558 | Jun 1982 | DE |
0 351 225 | Jan 1990 | EP |
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Entry |
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International Search Report of PCT/DE2013/100390, mailed Apr. 8, 2014. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160155599 A1 | Jun 2016 | US |