US Patent 11493121 Gear systems having bearing flexure mounted thrust bearings

A gear system includes a gear assembly having a shaft that is at least partially disposed within a housing of the gear system. A thrust bearing has inner and outer races with the outer race coupled to the housing. A bearing flexure is disposed between the inner race of the thrust bearing and the shaft. The bearing flexure includes a cylindrical cage having at least one shaft journal ring and a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending fingers coupled thereto with the shaft journal ring coupled to the shaft. A cylindrical bearing journal has inner and outer surfaces with the outer surface coupled to the inner race of the thrust bearing. Each of a plurality of circumferentially distributed radially extending struts extends between one of the fingers and the inner surface of the cylindrical bearing journal. The bearing flexure has an axial stiffness that is greater than its radial stiffness.