Patent ID: 7416070

Claim:
A clutch operator for a disconnectable clutch, the clutch operator comprising: a housing; a self-adjusting release bearing supported on the housing, the release bearing being a rolling-contact bearing comprising: an outer bearing ring; a rotating inner bearing ring radially inward of and rotatable with respect to the outer bearing ring, and rolling bodies guided between the outer bearing ring and the rotating inner bearing ring; an adjusting ring radially inward of the inner bearing ring, the adjusting ring comprising a radially oriented annular flange positioned and configured to support a spring element connected to the disconnectable clutch; a sliding element fitted in a supporting region of the adjusting ring and on the inner bearing ring between the inner bearing ring and the adjusting ring, the sliding element comprising complementary spherical-cap segments operable for arranging the release bearing to be pivotable; and a noise-reducing and wear-reducing coating on the radially oriented annular flange, wherein the coating of the annular flange includes a thermoplastic with a highly heat-resistant polyamide comprising at least one member of a group including polyamide 46 (PA 46), semiaromatic polyamides, polyphthalamide (PPA), polyhexamethylene terephthalamide (PA6T), and copolymers thereof with polyhexamethylene isophthalamide (PA6T/6I), and at least one member of a group including polyhexamethylene adipamide (PA6t/66, PA6T/6I/66) and polymethylpentamethylene terephthalamide (PA6T/MPMDT) with friction-reducing, wear-reducing and strength-enhancing additives.