Patent ID: 7384198

Claim:
A rolling bearing apparatus comprising: a roller bearing including a plurality of rolling elements held between an inner ring and an outer ring by a retainer, and grease sealed in said rolling bearing by a seal; a rotary body provided with said outer ring; and a shaft provided with said inner ring, wherein said rolling bearing apparatus is configured such that said rotary body and said shaft are connected together by a clutch mechanism, when said rotary body and said shaft are connected, said rolling bearing can be used on receiving a rotation load, while the relative rotation between said inner and outer rings is zero, wherein an initial radial clearance between said inner and outer rings is set such that a bearing effective clearance when said rolling bearing is incorporated between said rotary body and said shaft can provide a positive value; and wherein the positive value of the radial clearance is set such that the contact position of the rolling element with respect to the raceway surface of the inner ring is gradually shifted when the relative rotation between inner and outer rings is zero.