Bearings – Rotary bearing – Antifriction bearing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-08
2004-11-23
Hannon, Thomas R. (Department: 3682)
Bearings
Rotary bearing
Antifriction bearing
C384S589000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06821022
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a hub and brake rotor assembly for a vehicle wheel, of a type including a so-called first generation hub and bearing unit and a brake rotor, such as a disc or a drum, connected to the hub so as to be rotatable therewith, as specified in claim
1
.
An assembly of the type indicated above is described in U.S. patent application published under No. US 2002/0015545 A1, from which
FIG. 1
of the appended drawings was extracted.
In the description and in the claims which follow, terms such as “inner” or “outer”, “axial” or “radial” should be understood as referring to the condition fitted onto a motor vehicle.
With reference to
FIG. 1
, a first-generation hub and bearing unit for a vehicle wheel assembly includes a radially outer annular hub
10
and a bearing
11
. The hub
10
has an outer radial flange
12
, with a plurality of axial holes
13
formed therein for fixing a wheel to a vehicle, and an axial cylindrical seat with the bearing
11
mounted therein.
The bearing
11
includes two rings of rolling elements
15
a
and
15
b
, in this example taper rollers, interposed radially between a pair of radially inner rings or half-rings
16
a
and
16
b
and a radially outer ring
17
. The non-rotating inner rings
16
a
and
16
b
of the bearing
11
are locked against rotation onto the wheel shaft (not shown), while the outer ring
17
is housed in the cylindrical seat
14
in the hub for rotation therewith. The seat
14
extends between two radial surfaces
18
and
19
, facing inwardly and outwardly of the vehicle respectively.
The outer ring
17
of the bearing
11
includes a main, central annular portion
20
in which the raceways for the rolling elements
15
a
and
15
b
are formed. The outer ring
17
has an outer cylindrical surface
21
for fitting into the cylindrical seat
14
in the hub
10
. The dimensions of the cylindrical seat
14
and the cylindrical surface
21
are such that a certain amount of radial interference is involved, requiring the bearing to be force-fitted into the hub, and thereby improving the axial and circumferential locking of the outer ring of the bearing in the hub.
The outer cylindrical surface
21
extends over the entire axial dimension of the outer ring
17
and the axial width thereof is greater than that of the seat
14
. The two axially opposite ends of the main, central portion
20
of the outer ring
17
have respective annular formations
22
and
23
, formed by cold deformation, usually by rolling, in such a way that they project axially beyond the lateral surfaces
18
and
19
of the annular hub
10
and can be bent radially outwards against these opposite lateral surfaces in order to lock the ring
17
to the hub
10
.
In an alternative embodiment of a hub and bearing unit described in the aforesaid U.S. patent application, the outer ring
17
of the bearing
11
has only one tubular projection
22
which extends axially on the axially inward side of the ring, while the axially outward side has an axial shoulder bearing against the lateral surface
19
of the hub.
According to this prior art, a brake rotor (not shown in
FIG. 1
) is fitted on the hub
10
by bolts screwed into axial threaded holes
24
in the hub
10
.
The present invention also relates to a hub and brake rotor assembly in which the brake rotor is coupled to the hub by cold-deformation, by rolling for example. An assembly of this type is described in European Patent EP-B-0 783 980, from which
FIG. 2
of the appended drawings was extracted.
With reference to
FIG. 2
, in which components or elements identical or similar to those of
FIG. 1
have been given the same reference numerals, a hub and bearing assembly of the so-called second generation type includes an annular hub
10
with an external radial flange
12
with axial holes
13
for fixing a wheel
25
to the vehicle.
A brake rotor
26
, such as a disc or a drum, has an inner radial flange
27
, arranged in the same radial plane as the flange
12
of the hub
10
so as to be fixed directly to the periphery thereof. The brake rotor
26
is coupled for rotation with the hub
10
by radial interference between the two external cylindrical surfaces
12
a
and
27
a
on the radial flanges
12
and
27
respectively of the two elements, and is locked axially on the hub
10
between a shoulder
28
and a rolled edge
29
, formed at the axially outward and inward ends respectively of the surface
12
a
of the hub.
Equivalent embodiments (which are not illustrated here since they are easy to work out from the above description with reference to
FIG. 2
) provide for an additional rolled edge at the axially outer end of the cylindrical surface
12
a
of the flange
12
, instead of the shoulder
28
, or for the edge or edges to be rolled not on the hub flange
12
but on the flange
27
of the brake rotor. Furthermore, in order to improve the coupling between the hub
10
and the rotor
26
, another proposal is for a toothed coupling to be formed between the cylindrical surfaces
12
a
and
27
a
of the two elements.
The object of the invention is to provide a hub and brake rotor assembly which improves on the prior art, which can be manufactured at a lower cost, which is easy and rapid to assemble and which ensures improved and more reliable operation.
This object is fully achieved by providing a hub and brake rotor assembly as defined in claim
1
.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5988324 (1999-11-01), Bertetti et al.
patent: 6033032 (2000-03-01), Rutter
patent: 6145632 (2000-11-01), Rutter
patent: 6170919 (2001-01-01), Hofmann et al.
patent: 6322253 (2001-11-01), Picca
patent: 2002/0015545 (2002-02-01), Griseri et al.
patent: 0 783 980 (1996-11-01), None
patent: 0 851 140 (1998-07-01), None
patent: 2 810 382 (2001-12-01), None
Brunetti Marco
Griseri Andrea
Hannon Thomas R.
Merchant & Gould P.C.
SKF Industrie S.p.A.
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