Snap-fit ball bearing cage

1. A snap-fit ball bearing cage, comprising:

a first ring-half:

supported for rotation around an axis of rotation; and,

including a plurality of first curved surfaces;

a second ring-half including:

a plurality of second curved surfaces; and,

a plurality of first protrusions non-rotatably connecting the second ring-half to the first ring-half, each first protrusion, included in the plurality of first protrusions, forming a portion of a radially outer perimeter of the second ring-half or each first protrusion, included in the plurality of first protrusions, forming a portion of a radially inner perimeter of the second ring-half; and,

a plurality of balls, wherein:

the plurality of first curved surfaces and the plurality of second curved surfaces define a plurality of openings;

the plurality of balls is disposed in the plurality of openings;

each first curved surface, included in the plurality of first curved surfaces, is a mirror image of a second curved surface included in the plurality of second curved surfaces;

the first ring-half includes a radially inner perimeter with a plurality of first surface segments;

the radially inner perimeter of the second ring-half includes a plurality of second surface segments;

the plurality of first surface segments and the plurality of second surface segments define a plurality of recesses extending radially outwardly; and,

each ball, included in the plurality of balls, is disposed in a recess included in the plurality of recesses extending radially outwardly.

2. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

each first protrusion forms the portion of the radially outer perimeter of the second ring-half; and,

the second ring-half includes a plurality of second protrusions non-rotatably connecting the second ring-half to the first ring-half, each second protrusion, included in the plurality of second protrusions, forming the portion of the radially inner perimeter of the second ring-half.

3. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

each first curved surface and the second curved surface define an opening included in the plurality of openings; and,

each first curved surface is a mirror image of the second curved surface with respect to a hypothetical circular arc centered on the axis of rotation and passing through the opening.

4. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes a plurality of shoulders; and,

each first protrusion has a snap-fit with a shoulder included in the plurality of shoulders.

5. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes a plurality of second protrusions non-rotatably connecting the first ring-half to the second ring-half; and,

each second protrusion, included in the plurality of second protrusions, forms a portion of a radially outer perimeter of the first ring-half; or,

each second protrusion, included in the plurality of second protrusions, forms a portion of a radially inner perimeter of the first ring-half.

6. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 5 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes a plurality of first shoulders;

the second ring-half includes a plurality of second shoulders;

each first protrusion has a compression fit with a first shoulder included in the plurality of first shoulders; and,

each second protrusion has a compression fit with a second shoulder included in the plurality of second shoulders.

7. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

the first ring-half has a first maximum extent in a radial direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and the second ring-half has a second maximum extent, equal to the first maximum extent, in the radial direction; or,

each first curved surface has a first maximum extent in a circumferential direction around the axis of rotation, and the second curved surface has a second maximum extent, equal to the first maximum extent, in the circumferential direction.

8. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes a radially outer perimeter including a plurality of first surface segments;

the radially outer perimeter of the second ring-half includes a plurality of second surface segments;

the plurality of first surface segments and the plurality of second surface segments define a plurality of recesses extending radially inwardly; and,

each ball, included in the plurality of balls, is disposed in a recess included in the plurality of recesses extending radially inwardly.

9. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 8 , wherein:

each first protrusion forms the portion of the radially outer perimeter of the second ring-half;

the first ring-half includes a plurality of second protrusions; and,

the plurality of first protrusions and the plurality of second protrusions define, in a circumferential direction, around the axis of rotation, the plurality of recesses extending radially inwardly.

10. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

each first protrusion forms the portion of the radially inner perimeter of the second ring-half;

the first ring-half includes a plurality of second protrusions; and,

the plurality of first protrusions and the plurality of second protrusions define, in a circumferential direction, around the axis of rotation, the plurality of recesses extending radially inwardly.

11. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of first protrusions is integral to the second ring-half;

the first ring-half includes a plurality of second protrusions non-rotatably connecting the first ring-half to the second ring-half;

each second protrusion, included in the plurality of second protrusions, forms a portion of a radially outer perimeter of the first ring-half, or each second protrusion, included in the plurality of second protrusions, forms a portion of a radially inner perimeter of the first ring-half; and,

the plurality of second protrusions is integral to the first ring-half.

12. A snap-fit ball bearing cage, comprising:

a first ring-half supported for rotation around an axis of rotation and including:

a first plurality of protrusions integral to the first ring-half and extending radially outwardly; and,

a first plurality of surface segments facing at least partly radially outwardly;

a second ring-half including:

a second plurality of protrusions integral to the second ring-half, non-rotatably connecting the second ring-half to the first ring-half, and extending radially outwardly; and,

a second plurality of surface segments facing at least partly radially outwardly; and,

a plurality of balls, wherein:

the first ring-half and the second ring-half define a plurality of openings;

each ball, included in the plurality of balls, is disposed in an opening included in the plurality of openings;

the first plurality of surface segments and the second plurality of surface segments define, in a radial direction, a plurality of radially inwardly extending recesses; and,

the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions bracket, in a circumferential direction around the axis of rotation, the plurality of radially inwardly extending recesses.

13. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 12 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes:

a third plurality of protrusions integral to the first ring-half and extending radially inwardly; and,

a third plurality of surface segments facing at least partly radially inwardly;

the second ring-half includes:

a fourth plurality of protrusions integral to the second ring-half, non-rotatably connecting the second ring-half to the first ring-half, and extending radially inwardly; and,

a fourth plurality of surface segments facing at least partly radially inwardly;

the third plurality of surface segments and the fourth plurality of surface segments define, in a radial direction, a plurality of radially outwardly extending recesses; and,

the third plurality of protrusions and the fourth plurality of protrusions bracket, in the circumferential direction, the plurality of radially outwardly extending recesses.

14. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 13 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes a radially outermost surface including the first plurality of protrusions and the first plurality of surface segments;

the second ring-half includes a radially outermost surface including the second plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of surface segments;

the first ring-half includes a radially innermost surface including the third plurality of protrusions and the third plurality of surface segments; and,

the second ring-half includes a radially innermost surface including the fourth plurality of protrusions and the fourth plurality of surface segments.

15. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 12 , wherein:

the first ring-half includes a plurality of first curved surfaces;

the second ring-half includes a plurality of second curved surfaces;

the plurality of first curved surfaces and the plurality of second curved surfaces define the plurality of openings;

the first ring-half has a first maximum extent in a radial direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation;

the second ring-half has a second maximum extent in the radial direction; and,

the first maximum extent is equal to the second maximum extent, or each first curved surface, included in the plurality of first curved surfaces, is symmetrical with respect to a second curved surface, included in the plurality of second curved surfaces.

16. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 12 , further comprising:

a plurality of radially inwardly extending recesses; and,

a plurality of radially outwardly extending recesses, wherein:

the first ring-half includes a first curved surface;

the second ring-half includes a second curved surfaces

the first curved surfaces and the second curved surfaces bracket an opening included in the plurality of openings;

the first curved surface includes a first edge defining a portion of a radially inwardly extending recess, included in the plurality of radially inwardly extending recesses;

the first curved surface includes a second edge defining a portion of a radially outwardly extending recess, included in the plurality of radially outwardly extending recesses;

the second curved surface includes a first edge defining the portion of the radially inwardly extending recess; and,

the second curved surface includes a second edge defining the portion of the radially outwardly extending recess.

17. A snap-fit ball bearing cage, comprising:

a first ring-half supported for rotation around an axis of rotation and including:

a plurality of first curved surfaces, each first curved surface having a first maximum extent in a circumferential direction around the axis of rotation; and,

a plurality of first shoulders;

a second ring-half including:

a plurality of second curved surfaces, each second curved surface having a second maximum extent, equal to the first maximum extent, in the circumferential direction; and,

a plurality of first protrusions non-rotatably connecting the second ring-half to the first ring-half and forming a portion of a radially outermost surface of the second ring-half or forming a portion of a radially innermost surface of the second ring-half, each first protrusion including a distal end with a compression fit with a first shoulder included in the plurality of first shoulders; and,

a plurality of balls, each ball located in an opening defined by a first curved surface, included in the plurality of first curved surfaces and by a second curved surface included in the plurality of second curved surfaces, wherein:

the first ring-half includes a radially outermost surface including a plurality of first surface segments;

the radially outermost surface of the second ring-half includes a plurality of second surface segments;

the plurality of first surface segments and the plurality of second surface segments define a plurality of recesses extending radially inwardly; and,

each ball included in the plurality of balls is disposed in a recess included in the plurality of recesses extending radially inwardly.

18. The snap-fit ball bearing cage of claim 17 , wherein:

the second ring-half includes a plurality of second shoulders; and,

the first ring-half includes a plurality of second protrusions non-rotatably connecting the first ring-half to the second ring-half and forming a portion of a radially outermost surface of the first ring-half or forming a portion of a radially innermost surface of the first ring-half, each second protrusion, included in the plurality of second protrusions, including a distal end with a compression fit with a second shoulder included in the plurality of second shoulders.