Wheel bearing device

Details Wheel bearing device Wheel bearing device

2000-09-08

2002-06-18

Footland, Lenard A. (Department: 3682)

Bearings

Rotary bearing

Antifriction bearing

Reexamination Certificate

active

06406186

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel bearing device (hub bearing) used in automobiles, etc., particularly to a wheel bearing device having unitarily built therein a wheel speed detection means for an ABS (antilock brake system).
2. Prior Art
A wheel bearing device, as shown in
FIG. 6
, comprises a hub ring
1
, an inner ring
2
, a double row of rolling bodies
3
, and an outer ring
4
. The outer peripheral surface of the hub ring
1
is formed with a wheel attaching flange
1
a
for fixing a wheel at the outboard end, and a first raceway surface
5
a
in the intermediate region. The inboard end of the hub ring
1
is formed with a small-diametered stepped portion
1
b
having a reduced outer diameter, and the inner ring
2
formed with a second raceway surface
5
b
on its outer peripheral surface is fitted on the small-diametered stepped portion
1
b.
The inner peripheral surface of an outer ring
4
is formed with a double row of raceway surfaces
6
opposed to the first and second raceway surfaces
5
a
and
5
b,
and a double row of rolling bodies
3
are installed between the first and second raceway surfaces
5
a,
5
b
and the double row of raceway surfaces
6
. The outer ring
4
is fixed to an unillustrated suspension device through a flange
4
a
formed on the outer peripheral surface.
As for a design in which a wheel speed detecting means for ABS is built in this wheel bearing device, there is known an arrangement wherein, as shown in the same figure, a pulser ring
7
serving as a pulse generator is installed between the first and second raceway surfaces
5
a
and
5
b
on the outer peripheral surface of the hub ring
1
and a sensor
8
serving as a pulse detector extends through the outer ring
4
to be opposed to the pulser ring
7
.
When the assembly of the wheel bearing device is to be assembled in a car body, normally, of the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring
4
, the inboard side of the flange
4
a
is inserted in the inner peripheral surface of an attaching member (knuckle) extending from a suspension device. However, in the case where the flange
4
a
is deviated to the outboard side of the outer ring
4
, as shown, the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring is covered by the knuckle in many axial regions, so that as it stands the ABS sensor
8
interferes with the knuckle, making the insertion impossible. Therefore, the attached position of the ABS sensor
8
has to be reconsidered, but it is not easy to secure a space for attachment, particularly it is considerably difficult to arrange the sensor
8
in the bearing inner space (the space between the double row of rolling bodies
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a wheel bearing device that makes it possible to install an ABS sensor even if the flange of the outer ring is deviated to the outboard side
A wheel bearing device according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a rotor having a double row of raceway surfaces and adapted to have a wheel fixed thereto, a stator having a double row of raceway surfaces and a flange for fixing to an attaching member on the car body side, and a double row of rolling bodies interposed between the respective raceway surfaces of the rotor and stator, the wheel being rotatably supported on the car body, wherein installed between said double row of raceway surfaces of the rotor is a sensed part, and a sensor opposed to said sensed part is held by a holding member held between said flange of the stator and said attaching member.
According to the invention, even when the flange of the stator is deviated to the outboard side, a wheel rpm detection means can be added to the wheel bearing device; particularly, it can be easily disposed in the bearing inner space, which is advantageous for the operating stability of the sensor. Further, the wheel bearing device may be unitized (modularized) in a form that includes the attaching members on the car body side and the operability in assembling the wheel bearing device in the car body is improved. Specifically, since the holding member is thus interposed between the flange of the stator and the attaching member, such as a knuckle, to hold the sensor, then the sensor can be easily disposed in the bearing inner space even if the flange of the stator is in a position deviated to the outboard side. Since the bearing inner space is a sealed space whose opposite ends are sealed, the sensed part and the sensor can be protected from dust, salt water, stones, etc., and stabilized detection of speed becomes possible. Further, the wheel bearing device can be unitized in a form that includes the attaching member, and the operability in assembling the wheel bearing device and attaching it to the car body is improved.
The rotor may include, for example, a hub ring and an inner ring fitted in the hub ring. In this case, one of the double row of raceway surfaces of the rotor may be formed in the hub ring and the other in the inner ring.
Further, the rotor may include a hub ring and the outer joint member of a constant velocity joint connected to the hub ring. This arrangement is suitable as a wheel bearing device for driving wheels. In this case, one of the double row of raceway surfaces of the rotor may be formed in the hub ring and the other in the outer joint member of the constant velocity joint.
The hub ring and the outer joint member may be fitted together and crimped by at least locally expanding or contracting the diameter of the fitting portions, thereby preventing them from loosening so that they can be reliably joined together.
The flange of the stator, holding member, and the attaching member disposed on the car body side are joined together as by bolts. In this case, if the holding member is made of resin and the periphery of the bolt hole is made of metal, then weight reduction can be attained and even when the knuckle is made of aluminum alloy, the presence of the resin in the interface between the steel and the aluminum prevents the steel members (the stator, etc.) from rusting due to the difference in ionization tendency.
The present invention has for its another object the provision of a wheel bearing device that dispenses with the bolting of the outer ring to the knuckle, reduces the number of parts, the number of man-hours of assembly, and the number of man-hours needed to process the outer ring, and readily realizes light weight and size compaction.
A wheel bearing device according to another embodiment of the invention comprises a fixed member attached to a car body, an outer member fitted in the fixed member and formed with a double row of raceway surfaces on its inner periphery, an inner member formed with a double row of raceway surfaces on its outer peripheral surface opposed to the raceway surfaces of the outer member and having a wheel attaching flange, a double row of rolling bodies interposed between the raceway surfaces of the outer and inner members, the wheel being rotatably supported by the car body, the wheel bearing device being characterized in that an speed detecting sensor is fitted in a hole formed to extend radially through the fixed and outer members and is opposed to a sensed part disposed between the raceway surfaces of the inner member.
In the wheel bearing device, the speed detecting sensor is fitted in the hole formed to extend radially through the fixed and outer members and is opposed to a sensed part disposed between the raceway surfaces of the inner member; this eliminates the need for forming a car body attaching flange on the outer periphery of the outer member and bolting it to the knuckle, making it possible to realize light weight and cost reduction by an amount corresponding to at least the bolts, making it easier to attain light weight and cost reduction since there is no need to form the flange, allowing unitization (modularization), cutting down on the operation of attachment to the car body. Thus, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, the number of man-hours

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