Patent Publication Number: US-2007098310-A1

Title: Oil-suspending and oil-retaining bearing

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention relates to an oil-suspending and oil-retaining bearing, which also is featured by suspending, storing and circulating lubricating oil so as to enhance the motor rotation efficiency and prolong the life cycle of motor.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Motor can be also named as the core of electronic products. The hunger for motor speed in modern technology seems to be endless. However, the increase of motor speed is often restrained by the lubrication of bearing. As a result, the search for better lubrication technique and the effective protection regarding the drainage of lubricating oil are the key while increasing the motor speed.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the motor fan has a rotor  10  and a stator  20 . A spindle  11  is disposed on top of the rotor  10 . The bearing  30  is held and positioned by a position ring  22  and a cap  23 . The spindle  11  of the rotor  10  centrally penetrating through the bore  31  and rotating therein is fastened by a snap ring  24  underneath the bearing  30  so as to prevent the rotor  10  from stripping.  
      Please also refer to  FIG. 2 . When the spindle  11  of the rotor  10  in the conventional motor structure is rotating, the lubricating oil contained inside the cap  23  seeps and diffuses to the wall of the shaft tube  21  and flows upwardly along the gap between the bearing  30  and the shaft tube  21  due to the agitation out of the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the spindle  11  and lastly drains from the gap between the positioning ring  22  and the shaft tube  21 . As the lubricating oil is the lubrication medium served for the rotation of the spindle  11  with respect to the bearing  30 , what the drainage of the lubricating oil affects most directly is the lower rotation efficiency of the spindle  11  and the attrition.  
      As a consequence, for sake of avoiding the attrition of the spindle, enhancing the rotation efficiency of the spindle and prolonging the operational duration of motor, a better lubrication technique particularly featured by suspending, storing and circulating the lubricating oil so as to completely resolve the aforementioned issues.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention provides an oil-suspending and oil-retaining bearing being multi-functional in suspending, storing and circulating oil so as to avoid the attrition of the spindle, enhance the rotation efficiency of the spindle and prolong the life cycle of the motor, wherein the motor structure includes a rotor disposed a spindle therein, and a stator centrally disposed a shaft tube accommodating a bearing therein, a bore is provided for the spindle of the rotor to centrally penetrate through the bearing and rotate therein, at least one end face of the bearing penetrated by the bore has an slotted ring disposed with absorbent material in advance, the end face of the bearing having the slotted ring contains a plurality of guiding slots, and the periphery of the bearing is also disposed a plurality of guiding slots.  
      As such, when lubricating oil seeps and diffuses to the wall of the shaft tube due to the agitation of the spindle, the rising lubricating oil is collected by the guiding slot and guided into the slotted ring. In addition to blocking and suspending the lubricating oil, the absorbent material in the slotted ring also absorbs and stores lubricating oil providing the timely absorption and circulation for the bearing so as to effectively prevent lubricating oil from draining and the spindle from being worn down. Hence, the rotation efficiency of the spindle is enhanced and the life cycle of the motor is prolonged. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view fully showing the cross section of the conventional structure;  
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged schematic view partially showing the conventional structure;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing the appearance of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional schematic view fully showing the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged schematic view partially showing the first preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional schematic view fully showing the second preferred embodiment; and  
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged schematic view partially showing the second preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The invention relates to an oil-suspending and oil-retaining bearing disposed an absorbent material and plural guiding slots thereon, wherein the guiding slots are featured by collecting the rising lubricating oil to attain the circulation effect, and the absorbent material suffices to suspend and storing lubricating oil.  
      Two preferred embodiments listed below are applied to depict the respective position of each part in the present invention;  
      Please refer to  FIG. 3  showing the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein a bearing  30  has a bore  31  axially penetrating the bearing  30 , an slotted ring is disposed on at least one end face of the bearing  30  penetrated by the bore  31 , and the slotted ring  32  in annular form is inserted with an absorbent material  33  intended to be the material absorbing and storing lubricating oil, e.g. oil absorbent or woolen felt. Besides, the end face of the slotted ring  32  has a plurality of radial guiding slots  34 , and the periphery of the bearing  30  has also a plurality of vertical guiding slots  35 .  
      Please also refer to  FIG. 4 . A fan motor comprises a rotor  10  disposed a spindle  11 , a stator  20  centrally disposed a shaft tube  21 , wherein the bearing  30  is inserted in the shaft tube  21 , one side of the bearing  30  disposed a slotted ring  32  faces upwardly, the bearing  30  is fastened and positioned by a positioning ring  22  and a cap  23  so that the spindle  11  of the rotor  10  penetrates the bore  31  of the bearing, rotates therein and is fastened by a snap ring  24  disposed underneath the bearing  30  beforehand to prevent the rotor  10  from stripping.  
      As also shown in  FIG. 5 , when the lubricating oil stored in the cap  23  seeps and diffuses to the wall of the shaft tube  21  due to the agitation out of the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the spindle  11  and rises up along the gap between the bearing  30  and the shaft tube  21 , the guiding slots  34 ,  35  are used to guide the lubricating oil into the space of the slotted ring  32  before the collected rising lubricating oil reaches the positioning ring  22 . In addition to blocking and suspending lubricating oil to drain from the gap of the positioning ring, the space of the slotted ring  32  is filled with the absorbent material  33  for absorbing and storing lubricating oil to provide the bearing the timely absorption and utilization repeatedly at the right moment, effectively preventing lubricating oil from draining.  
      Moreover, the present invention may take the forms of the following patterns.  
      As shown in  FIG. 6  showing the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the bearing  30  is disposed inside the shaft tube  21 , the end face having the slotted ring  32  faces downwardly.  
      Together with the illustration of  FIG. 7 , the guiding slots  34 ,  35  on the bearing  30  are equally featured by collecting the rising lubricating oil. Meanwhile, the absorbent material  33  located at the bottom side of the bearing  30  directly blocks the lubricating oil diffused from side the cap  23  so as to provide the bearing  30  the absorption and utilization repeatedly at the right moment. Disposed on both sides of the bearing the slotted ring  32  and the absorbent material  33 , such design allows to suspend and store more lubricating oil capacity, which is beneficial to the life cycle of the entire fan.  
      By means of the above-mentioned design, the present invention not only blocks and suspends the rising lubricating oil, but also provides the flow-guiding function for lubricating oil so that the absorbent material absorbs and stores the lubricating oil for repeated absorption and utilization by the bearing, effectively preventing the lubricating oil from draining, getting rid off the attrition between the spindle and the bearing and prolonging the life cycle of the motor. Therefore, the present invention not only has a novelty and a progressiveness, but also has an industry utility.  
      While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.