The present disclosure relates to the field of tapered roller bearings. Particularly,
the present disclosure relates to tapered roller bearings as sensor bearings.
BACKGROUND
5 The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is
not necessarily prior art.
Conventionally, a ball bearing is fitted with a magnetic encoder ring along with a
sensing unit in order to convert a normal ball bearing into a sensor ball bearing,
thereby facilitating determination of bearing characteristics while in operation.
10 However, for converting a normal tapered roller bearing into a sensor tapered
roller bearing, fitting a magnetic encoder ring to a tapered roller bearing in a
similar manner as in case of a ball bearing would complicate the configuration of
the tapered roller bearing in order to accommodate the magnetic encoder therein.
As a result, the manufacturing costs would increase. Further, if a magnetic
15 encoder ring is fitted in the tapered roller bearing, an external magnetic field can
hamper the accuracy in obtaining rotational characteristics of the rotating
component including speed of rotation, angular position and direction of rotation,
as the magnetic poles of the magnetic encoder ring may be damaged under the
influence of an external magnetic field.
20 There is therefore felt a need for a novel tapered roller bearing to alleviate the
aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment
herein satisfies, are as follows:
25 An object of the present disclosure is to provide a novel tapered roller bearing.
3
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a novel tapered roller
bearing having an inbuilt encoder and a sensing unit.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a novel tapered roller
bearing which has a simple yet compact configuration.
5 Still object of the present disclosure is to provide a novel tapered roller bearing
which has reduced number of components.
One object of the present disclosure is to provide a novel tapered roller bearing
which is immune to external magnetic field and impact forces.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a novel tapered roller
10 bearing with a sensing unit which provides signals for measuring rotational
parameters of the rotating equipment in which the tapered roller bearing is fitted,
including speed of rotation, direction of rotation and angular position of the
rotating equipment.
SUMMARY
15 The present disclosure envisages a sensor tapered roller bearing. The sensor
tapered roller bearing comprises an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of tapered
rollers rotatably arranged between the inner ring and the outer ring and a sensing
unit. The inner ring has a flange. A plurality of surface irregularities is configured
on the circumference of the flange. The outer ring is provided with an extension in
20 the direction of flange side of the inner ring. The sensing unit is attached to the
outer ring in proximity to the surface irregularities. The surface irregularities are
configured to facilitate generation of a corresponding change in voltage with the
help of the sensing unit for generating pulses on angular displacement of the inner
ring.
25 Preferably, the number of surface irregularities configured on the flange is
proportional to the required resolution.
In an embodiment, the surface irregularities are notches.
4
In another embodiment, the surface irregularities are protrusions.
In yet another embodiment, the surface irregularities are notches and protrusions
arranged alternatingly.
In an embodiment, the sensing unit includes a sensor mounted onto a printed
5 circuit board along with necessary electronic components. The sensing unit is
communicatively coupled to a control unit. The control unit is configured to
receive the signals generated by the sensor, and is further configured to generate
an analysed output as per the user requirement.
The control unit is configured to estimate at least one characteristic selected from
10 the group of speed of rotation, direction of rotation, angular position, or a
combination thereof, of the rotating component onto which said bearing is fitted.
Preferably, the sensing unit contains a magnetic sensor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A sensor tapered roller bearing, of the present disclosure, will now be described
15 with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of the sensor taper roller bearing of the
present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates an isometric view of an inner ring of the sensor taper roller
bearing of Figure 1; and
20 Figure 3 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the sensor taper roller bearing
with the control unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Sensor tapered roller bearing
102 – Sensing unit
5
104 – Inner ring
106 – Outer ring
107 – Extension
108 – Flange
5 110 – Irregularity
112 – Tapered roller
114 – Controller
116 – Power supply
118 – Control unit
10 120 – Sensor
122 – Apparatus
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to
the accompanying drawing.
15 Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the
present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details, are set forth,
relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete
understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the
person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be
20 construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, wellknown processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques
are not described in detail.
6
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of
explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered
to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the
forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well,
5 unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises,”
“comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and
therefore specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements, modules,
units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or
more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
10 When an element is referred to as being “mounted on,” “engaged to,” “connected
to,” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or
coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and
all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,”
15 and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships
between different elements as depicted from the figures.
A sensor tapered roller bearing 100 of the present disclosure will now be
described in detail with reference to Figure 1 through Figure 3.
The sensor tapered roller bearing 100 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the bearing 100’)
20 comprises an inner ring 104, an outer ring 106, a plurality of tapered rollers 112
and the sensing unit 102. The inner ring 104 is configured to rotate with a shaft,
while the outer ring 106 is configured to be stationary. The inner ring 104 has a
flange 108 configured specifically at the larger axial end thereof. A plurality of
surface irregularities 110 is configured equiangularly on the circumference of the
25 flange 108. The outer ring 106 is provided with an extension (107) in the direction
of the flange side of the inner ring 104. The tapered rollers are rotatably arranged
between the inner ring 104 and the outer ring 106 (as illustrated in Figure 1). The
sensing unit 102 is attached to the outer ring 106 in proximity to the surface
7
irregularities 110. The sensing unit 102 is configured to sense angular
displacement of the bearing 100.
Configuring the surface irregularities 110 on the flange 108 facilitates generation
of a corresponding change in voltage with the help of the sensing unit 102 in order
5 to generate pulses on rotation of the inner ring 104.
In an embodiment, the surface irregularities 110 are configured on the outer
circumferential edge of the flange 108 of the inner ring 104. In an embodiment,
the number of surface irregularities 110 varies as per the required resolution of the
bearing 100. In an embodiment, the surface irregularities 110 are provided on the
10 flange 108 of the inner ring 104 by machining.
The number of surface irregularities 110 configured on said flange 108 is
proportional to the required resolution.
In a preferred embodiment, the surface irregularities 110 have equiangular
separation. As illustrated in Figure 2, the surface irregularities 110 are notches.
15 Alternatively, the surface irregularities 110 are protrusions. In another
embodiment, surface irregularities 110 are notches and protrusions configured
alternatingly on the flange 108 of the inner ring 104.
The sensing unit 102 includes a sensor 120 mounted onto a printed circuit board
with necessary electronic components. The sensing unit is configured to sense the
20 state(s) of the bearing 100, and is further configured to generate signals based on
the state of the bearing 100. More specifically, the sensing unit is configured to
sense the notches on the inner ring 104 of the bearing 100. The sensing unit is
further configured to generate signals on detection of notches. In an embodiment,
the sensor 120 placed inside the sensing unit 102 is a magnetic sensor configured
25 to be activated by the density of the magnetic field generated. When the magnetic
field strength around the sensor varies in respect to the sensor’s pre-set threshold,
the sensor detects it and generates an output voltage. In an embodiment, the
sensor is a Hall effect sensor.
8
A control unit 118 is configured to receive signals from the sensing unit 102, and
is further configured to generate an analysed output as per user requirement. The
control unit 118 encapsulates a controller 114 and a power source 116, as
illustrated in Figure 3. The sensing unit 102 is further configured to derive power
5 from said power source 116.
Since, configuring the notches on the flange 108 causes generation of a change in
the magnetic field across the sensor 120, the need for attaching a magnetic
encoder ring to the bearing 100 is eliminated. Moreover, absence of magnetic
components makes the characteristics of the sensing unit 102 immune to any
10 external magnetic field, thereby producing more accurate results. As a result, the
configuration of the bearing 100 is maintained simple and further reduces the
manufacturing costs. Additionally, the chances of the notches being affected by
external forces such as impact force, are minimal.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of
15 illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual
components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular
embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a
departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to
be within the scope of the present disclosure.
20 TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages
including, but not limited to, the realization of a sensor tapered roller bearing,
which:
 has a simple yet compact configuration;
25  has reduced number of components; and
 is immune to external magnetic field and impact forces.
9
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof
are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following
description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques
are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The
5 examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways
in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of
skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples
should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general
10 nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge,
readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments
without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and
modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning
and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that
15 the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description
and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been
described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will
recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within
the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
20 The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or
more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment
of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in
this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the
25 disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters
form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field
relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this
application.
10
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions
or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values
higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or
quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the
5 specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and
component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many
embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred
embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and
10 other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the
disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein,
whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to
be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

WE CLAIM:

1. A sensor tapered roller bearing (100), said bearing (100) comprising:
 an inner ring (104) having a flange (108), said flange (108) having a
plurality of surface irregularities (110) configured on the
5 circumference thereof;
 an outer ring (106) provided with an extension (107) in the direction of
flange side of said inner ring (104);
 a plurality of tapered rollers rotatably arranged between said inner ring
(104) and said outer ring (106); and
10  a sensing unit (102) attached to said outer ring (106) in proximity to
said surface irregularities (110); and
wherein said surface irregularities (110) are configured to facilitate
generation of a corresponding change in voltage with the help of the
sensing unit (102) for generating pulses on angular displacement of said
15 inner ring (104).
2. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of surface
irregularities (110) configured on said flange (108) is proportional to the
required resolution.
3. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surface irregularities
20 (110) have equiangular separation.
4. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surface irregularities
(110) are notches.
5. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surface irregularities
(110) are protrusions.
25 6. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surface irregularities
(110) are notches and protrusions arranged alternatingly.
12
7. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensing unit (102)
includes a sensor (120) mounted onto a printed circuit board along with
necessary electronic components, said sensing unit (102) is
communicatively coupled to a control unit (118), said control unit (118) is
5 configured to receive said signals generated by said sensor (120), and is
further configured to generate an analysed output as per the user
requirement.
8. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control unit (118) is
configured to estimate at least one characteristic selected from the group
10 of speed of rotation, direction of rotation, angular position, or a
combination thereof, of the rotating component onto which said bearing
(100) is fitted.
9. The bearing (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said sensing unit (102)
contains a magnetic sensor.