Intermediate bearing for supporting a divided line of drive shafts in a motor vehicle

Claim 2

Intermediate bearing for supporting a divided line of drive shafts between gear box and driving axle of a motor vehicle comprising a roller bearing having rollers, a cylindrical inner bearing ring pressable onto a lay shaft of the divided line of shafts, a pair of packing rings cooperating with said inner bearing ring for sealing said roller bearing, said pair of packing rings and said inner bearing ring being accommodated in a bearing holder ring, an elastic ring supporting said bearing holder ring in a bearing casing securable to a motor vehicle, said elastic ring being formed of elastomeric material so as to afford axial and angular movements of said bearing holder ring relative to said bearing casing, said elastic ring being in the shape of a tire having a substantially cylindrical main body enclosing said bearing holder ring and having at both axial ends thereof a respective ring of radially extending bracing projections prestressed by said bearing casing and an annular rib located between said rings of bracing projections and being radially spaced from said bearing casing.

Claim 3

Intermediate bearing according to claim 1 wherein a recess elongated in peripheral direction of said elastic ring is formed in each end face of said elastic ring at the foot of each of said bracing projections.

Claim 4

Intermediate bearing according to claim 1 wherein said bearing casing is open at the axial ends thereof and has a bore widening in diameter at said axial ends, the widening parts of said bore having a concave surface, said bracing projections having a substantially circular outer contour as viewed in axial section, part of the oUter face thereof extending toward the center of the bearing being braced, on the correspondingly concave surface of a respective widening bore part.

Claim 5

Intermediate bearing for supporting a divided line of drive shafts between gear box and driving axle of a motor vehicle comprising a roller bearing having rollers, a cylindrical inner bearing ring pressable onto a lay shaft of the divided line of shafts, a pair of packing rings cooperating with said inner bearing ring for sealing said roller bearing, said pair of packing rings and said inner bearing ring being accommodated in a bearing holder ring, an elastic ring supporting said bearing holder ring in a bearing casing securable to a motor vehicle, said elastic ring being formed of elastomeric material so as to afford axial and angular movements of said bearing holder ring relative to said bearing casing, said elastic ring being in the shape of a tire having a substantially cylindrical main body enclosing said bearing holder ring and having at both axial ends thereof a respective ring of radially extending bracing projections prestressed by said bearing casing and an annular ring located between said rings of bracing projections and being radially spaced from said bearing casing, said bearing holder ring having the structure of a cylindrical bushing, and including sheet metal rings press-fitted onto said bearing holder ring, said elastic ring being fitted with prestressing on said sheet metal rings, said sheet metal rings having radially projecting collars respectively received in an annular groove on the inner surface of said elastic ring and bearing on a side wall thereof.

Claim 6

Intermediate bearing for supporting a divided line of drive shafts between gear box and driving axle of a motor vehicle comprising a roller bearing having rollers, a cylindrical inner bearing ring pressable onto a lay shaft of the divided line of shafts, a pair of packing rings cooperating with said inner bearing ring for sealing said roller bearing, said pair of packing rings and said inner bearing ring being accommodated in a bearing holder ring, an elastic ring supporting said bearing holder ring in a bearing casing securable to a motor vehicle, said elastic ring being formed of elastomeric material so as to afford axial and angular movements of said bearing holder ring relative to said bearing casing, said elastic ring being in the shape of a tire having a substantially cylindrical main body enclosing said bearing holder ring and having at both axial ends thereof a respective ring of radially extending bracing projections prestressed by said bearing casing and an annular ring located between said rings of bracing projections and being radially spaced from said bearing casing, said bearing holder ring having the structure of a cylindrical bushing, and including sheet metal rings press-fitted onto said bearing holder ring, said elastic ring being fitted with prestressing on said sheet metal rings, said sheet metal rings having radially projecting collars respectively received in an annular groove on the inner surface of said elastic ring and bearing on a side wall thereof.

Claim 7

Intermediate bearing according to claim 4, wherein only one annular groove is located centrally on the inner surface of said elastic ring in the region of said annular rib, said radially projecting collars of both said sheet metal rings being in bearing engagement with the two sidewall surfaces of said groove.

Claim 8

Intermediate bearing according to claim 4, wherein said inner bearing ring has a working surface, part of which projects out of said roller bearing, said sheet metal rings being formed with axially outwardly extending cover flanges for covering said part of said working surface.

Claim 9

Intermediate bearing according to claim 4, wherein said elastic ring is formed at each axial end thereof with a radially inwardly projecting flange, said flanges being in bearing engagement with the end face of the respective adjacent sheet metal ring.