JP2017106609A - Rolling bearing unit for supporting wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure of a rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel, capable of securing electric power necessary for operating a sensor, reducing costs of a device as a whole, and reducing a throw-away part in changing a tire.SOLUTION: A connector 24 to be connected with a non-contact power supply coil and a sensor disposed on the outside of the rolling bearing unit 1 for supporting a wheel, a power controller 25 performing stabilization processing of the power, and a wireless communication unit 26 for wirelessly communicating with a computing unit at a vehicle body side, are arranged in the inside of a rolling bearing unit 1 for supporting the wheel. Thus the power is taken in from the non-contact power supply coil through a power input terminal 39 of the connector 24, is subjected to stabilization processing by the power controller 25, and then supplied to the sensor through a power output terminal 41. An output signal of the sensor is taken in through a signal input terminal 40, and is transmitted to the computing unit at the vehicle body side by the wireless communication unit 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel used for rotationally supporting a wheel of an automobile with respect to a suspension device.

  In order to improve motor performance and safety performance of automobiles, various control methods and control devices have been proposed. Since the movement of a car such as running, turning, and stopping can only be operated via the frictional force between the tire and the road surface (grip force, tire force), it is possible to detect the force (load) acting on the tire. Can greatly contribute to the improvement of performance related to motion control. For this reason, many techniques related to detecting the force acting on the tire have been proposed.

  Prior to the present invention, the applicant of the present invention has a function of supplying electric power to a sensor provided on a wheel (tire or wheel) and wirelessly communicating information acquired by the sensor to the vehicle body side. The configuration of the rolling bearing unit was first considered (unpublished prior application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-186307). In the prior application, a generator is built in the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit as means for supplying electric power to the sensor. In addition, the above-mentioned prior application further includes a wireless communication device for wirelessly transmitting the output signal of the sensor, thereby making it possible to eliminate the need for wiring work when assembling the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit. Yes. Patent Document 1 describes an invention in which a power generation function and a power feeding function are provided in a bearing unit to supply power to a sensor and perform wireless communication. Patent Document 2 describes an invention that uses non-contact power feeding without using a generator. The non-contact power supply is typically widely used in a measuring torque meter or the like as a means for supplying power to the rotating unit.

  However, when a generator and a non-contact power feeding device are incorporated in the wheel-supporting rolling bearing unit, securing space is an issue. In particular, in the case of a bearing unit for a drive wheel, a drive shaft is inserted into the center of the bearing unit, so that a space for arranging a generator or the like is limited. That is, a generator or non-contact power supply circuit of sufficient size (volume) that can secure the power required to operate the tires, wheels, various sensors and wireless communication circuits arranged inside the bearing unit is installed inside the bearing unit. There is a problem that it is difficult to place them in

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 describes an invention in which a device having a power generation function, a power storage function, and a wireless communication function is arranged inside a tire to detect a force acting on the tire. The inside of the tire and the vicinity of the wheel have more space than the inside of the bearing unit, and the arrangement of the generator and the like is easy. In particular, when using non-contact power supply, it is possible to perform non-contact power supply using a magnetic field by arranging a large-diameter coil inside the tire or in the vicinity of the inner diameter of the wheel rim, and between the tire and the road surface. A method of supplying power by electric field coupling can also be performed. However, when a plurality of sensors are provided on a tire or a wheel, it is not reasonable to provide each sensor with a device having a power generation / power feeding function, a power control function, and a wireless communication function. Further, when a device having these functions is disposed inside the tire, the devices having these various functions are disposed at the time of tire replacement, which is not preferable.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-278779 Japanese Patent No. 5085173 Japanese Patent No. 4627108

  In view of the circumstances as described above, the present invention can secure electric power necessary to operate various electronic devices such as sensors, reduce the cost of the entire apparatus, and is disposable even when replacing tires. The invention was invented to realize the structure of a rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel that can reduce the number of parts.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have incorporated only a power control function and a wireless communication function related to stabilization processing such as rectification and voltage adjustment inside a wheel bearing rolling bearing unit (hub bearing).・ I got the idea that the power supply function should be placed outside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit.
For example, only the power receiving coil constituting the non-contact power feeding device is arranged inside the tire, and all the devices having the power control function and the wireless communication function are arranged inside the wheel support rolling bearing unit. And while supplying the electric power which performed the stabilization process to the several sensor provided in the tire and the wheel vicinity from the apparatus inside a wheel bearing rolling bearing unit, these sensor information was collected and provided on the vehicle body side. Wireless communication is performed to the computing unit. With this configuration, the management of multiple sensors (power supply management, signal transmission management) can be consolidated into the wheel support rolling bearing unit, so each sensor has its own power generation and wireless communication functions. The cost can be reduced as compared with the case of making it. In addition, since functions other than power generation and power supply are integrated in the rolling bearing unit for supporting the wheel, the disposable part can be reduced even when the tire is replaced.

Specifically, the rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel of the present invention is for rotatably supporting a wheel (tire and wheel) with respect to a suspension device, and includes an outer diameter side bearing ring member and an inner diameter side bearing ring. A member and a plurality of rolling elements are provided.
Of these, the outer diameter side raceway member has an outer raceway on the inner peripheral surface.
The inner diameter side race ring member has an inner ring raceway on an outer peripheral surface.
The plurality of rolling elements are provided between the outer ring raceway and the inner ring raceway so as to roll freely.
Further, in the case of the rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel according to the present invention, either one of the outer diameter side ring member and the inner diameter side ring member is supported by the suspension device in use. It is a stationary side race ring member that is fixed and does not rotate, and the other race ring member is a rotation side race ring member that couples and fixes a wheel and rotates together with the wheel.
A power input terminal (contact) for inputting power (generated power, received power, etc., whether direct current or alternating current) from an external power source and a signal input terminal for inputting output signals of one or more sensors Then, the power input from the power input terminal (including the input power itself, one that has been subjected to stabilization processing, or one that has been charged in a battery, etc.) is supplied to the one or more sensors. A power output terminal for this purpose is provided directly or indirectly to the rotating side race ring member.
In carrying out the present invention, the power input terminal, the signal input terminal, and the power output terminal are combined into a connector provided at an axially outer end of the rotating side race ring member. Can be placed.
In the case of carrying out the present invention, the wheel support rolling bearing unit does not include a generator or a power supply device (including a non-contact power supply device), and these devices are used as an external power source to support a wheel support rolling bearing. It is arranged outside the unit (for example, inside the tire or near the wheel). Moreover, when implementing this invention, it does not ask | require in particular about the kind of generator used as an external power supply, an electric power feeder, an arrangement position, a fixing means, etc.

  When carrying out the present invention, for example, as in the invention described in claim 2, input power not subjected to stabilization processing (rectification processing, constant voltage processing, etc.) input via the power input terminal is applied. It is possible to directly or indirectly provide a power control circuit that performs a stabilization process and supplies desired electric power (power supply voltage) to various electronic devices such as sensors on the rotating side raceway member.

  When the present invention is implemented, for example, when the power input to the power input terminal is insufficient to operate the various electronic devices, the power (power supply voltage) of these various electronic devices is reduced. In order to maintain the supply, a battery for storing the power input from the power input terminal and a charge control circuit for charging the battery can be provided directly or indirectly on the rotating side race ring member. . Such a battery and a charge control circuit can be preferably used as an external power source when a generator whose power generation amount changes in accordance with the traveling speed of the vehicle, regardless of the traveling speed of the vehicle. If a non-contact power supply device that can supply power is used, it can be omitted (not used).

  When implementing the present invention, for example, as in the third aspect of the present invention, the output signal of the sensor is input, and an arithmetic unit (including a wireless communication circuit) disposed on the vehicle body side is input. A wireless communication device (circuit) for performing wireless communication can be provided directly or indirectly on the rotating wheel side race ring member.

According to the wheel support rolling bearing unit of the present invention configured as described above, electric power necessary to operate various electronic devices such as sensors can be secured, and the cost of the entire apparatus can be reduced, and the tire Even during replacement, the disposable parts can be reduced.
That is, in the case of the present invention, in order to operate various electronic devices such as sensors using electric power supplied from an external power source through a power input terminal, a generator or a non-contact power feeding device is provided inside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit. Thus, it is possible to prevent difficulty in securing electric power due to the fact that the installation space cannot be secured as in the case of providing the. In addition, power can be supplied to the sensor from the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit side, and output signals (information) of the sensor can be aggregated and sent to a computing unit on the vehicle body side. Cost can be reduced compared to the case where a communication function is provided. Furthermore, in the case of the present invention, an external power source (a generator, a power feeding device, etc.) is arranged outside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit, but is used for supplying power to the sensor and transmitting the sensor output signal to the vehicle body. Since it is performed on the side of the rolling bearing unit for supporting the wheel, it is possible to reduce the portion that is disposable when the tire is replaced.
Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the invention, since an external power supply that outputs electric power not subjected to stabilization processing can be used, the external power supply can be reduced in size and cost. According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to collectively output the sensor output signals input to the signal input terminal and wirelessly transmit them to the arithmetic unit on the vehicle body side. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide wiring (harness) for communicating signals between the wheel-supporting rolling bearing unit and the arithmetic unit on the vehicle body side.

Sectional drawing shown in the state which assembled | attached the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit of one example of embodiment of this invention to the wheel. Sectional drawing which similarly takes out and shows the rolling bearing unit for wheel support.

[Example of Embodiment]
An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The wheel support rolling bearing unit 1 of this example includes a tire 2 and a wheel 3 constituting a wheel as a driven wheel, and a rotor 5 constituting a disc brake device 4 as a braking device, and a knuckle 6 constituting a suspension device. A hub 8 that is an inner diameter side race ring member is rotated via a plurality of balls 9 on the inner diameter side of the outer ring 7 that is an outer diameter side race ring member. Supports freely.

The outer ring 7 has a substantially annular shape as a whole, and has double-row outer ring raceways 10a and 10b on the inner peripheral surface and a stationary flange 11 on the axially intermediate portion of the outer peripheral surface. The stationary flange 11 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes (screw holes or through holes) (not shown) penetrating in the axial direction.
In the present specification and claims, “inner” in the axial direction refers to the right side of FIGS. 1 and 2 which is the center side in the width direction of the vehicle when assembled to the vehicle. On the contrary, the left side of FIGS. 1 and 2 which is the outside in the width direction of the vehicle is referred to as “outside” in the axial direction.

The hub 8 is a combination of a hub body 12 and an inner ring 13, and has double-row inner ring raceways 14 a and 14 b on the outer peripheral surface, and is supported coaxially with the outer ring 7 on the inner diameter side of the outer ring 7. Yes. Specifically, the inner ring raceway 14a in the axially outer row is directly formed at the axially intermediate portion of the outer peripheral surface of the hub body 12, and the outer peripheral surface is formed on the small-diameter step portion 15 that is also formed near the axially inner end portion. The inner ring 13 formed with the inner ring raceway 14b in the inner row in the axial direction is externally fixed. The axial inner end surface of the inner ring 13 is held down by a caulking portion 16 formed by plastically deforming the axial inner end portion of the hub body 12 radially outward. A rotation-side flange 17 for supporting the wheel is provided at the axially outer end portion of the hub body 12 and projecting axially outwardly from the axially outer end opening of the outer ring 7. ing. The rotation side flange 17 is provided with a coupling hole (screw hole or through hole) 18 penetrating in the axial direction.
When carrying out the present invention, a male screw portion is formed in a portion of the hub body that protrudes inward in the axial direction from the portion where the inner ring is fitted and fixed, and a nut is screwed into the male screw portion. Further, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the inner ring is supported and fixed to the hub body by tightening.

  Particularly in the case of this example, a through-hole 19 penetrating in the axial direction is provided at the center of the hub body 12. The through-hole 19 is provided at the outer end side large diameter portion 20 provided at the axial outer end or intermediate portion, the small diameter portion 21 provided near the inner end of the axial intermediate portion, and the axial inner end portion. The inner end side large diameter portion 22 is formed. In the case of this example, a ring-shaped inward flange portion 23 that protrudes radially inwardly from the portion adjacent to both sides in the axial direction is entirely formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hub body 12 near the inner end portion in the axial direction. The through-hole 19 is divided into the outer end side large diameter part 20, the small diameter part 21, and the inner end side large diameter part 22 by forming over the circumference. Of these, the outer end side large-diameter portion 20 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal cross section in which the inner diameter dimension gradually increases toward the outer side in the axial direction. The inner diameter dimension is gradually increased toward the inner side in the axial direction, and the cross section is substantially trapezoidal. In the case of this example, as will be described later, a connector 24, a power controller 25, and a wireless communication device 26 are arranged in the through hole 19.

  Each of the balls 9 and 9 is a rear combination in a state where a plurality of balls 9 are held by the cages 27 and 27 between the outer ring raceways 10a and 10b and the inner ring raceways 14a and 14b. It is provided so as to be able to roll with a preload applied together with the contact angle of the mold. In the illustrated example, the diameter, pitch circle diameter, and contact angle are set to be the same between the balls 9 in both rows. However, when carrying out the present invention, the diameters of the balls in both rows need not necessarily be the same. For example, the diameter of the balls constituting the inner (axially inner) ball array is made larger than the diameter of the balls constituting the outer (axially outer) ball array, and the pitch circle of the outer ball array By making the diameter larger than the pitch circle diameter of the inner row of balls, it is possible to secure a larger volume of space in the outer end side large diameter portion.

  Further, in order to support and fix the outer ring 7 to the knuckle 6, a portion (knuckle side pilot part) provided on the inner side in the axial direction of the stationary side flange 11 of the outer ring 7 is formed on the knuckle 6. In addition to being inserted into the circular support hole 28, the axially inner side surface of the stationary flange 11 is brought into contact with the axially outer end surface of the knuckle 6. In this state, the outer ring 7 is supported and fixed to the knuckle 6 by a coupling member using the mounting hole of the stationary flange 11. Therefore, in the case of this example, the outer ring 7 corresponds to a stationary-side ring member described in the claims.

  On the other hand, the wheel 3 and the rotor 5 constituting the wheel are coupled and fixed to the rotation side flange 17. For this purpose, a pilot provided at the axially outer end of the hub body 12 in a rotor central hole provided in the central part of the rotor 5 and a wheel central hole provided in the central part of the wheel 3. Positioning cylinder portions 29 called portions are sequentially inserted (internally fitted). Thus, in a state where the wheel 3 and the rotor 5 are positioned in the radial direction, the coupling member 30 is used to connect the wheel 3 and the rotor 5 to the hub body 12 (rotation side flange 17). Fix fixed. Therefore, in the case of the present example, the hub 8 corresponds to the rotation-side bearing ring member recited in the claims.

  Further, in the case of the wheel supporting rolling bearing unit 1 of the present example, a seal ring 31 is installed between the axially outer end opening of the outer ring 7 and the outer peripheral surface of the axially intermediate portion of the hub body 12. At the same time, a bottomed cylindrical cover 32 is attached to the axially inner end opening of the outer ring 7. As a result, the grease sealed in the internal space 33 in which the balls 9 and 9 are installed is prevented from leaking into the external space, or foreign matter existing in the external space is prevented from entering the internal space 33. doing. The cover 32 is made of a resin excellent in radio wave permeability such as ABS resin or AS resin.

In the case of this example, the connector 24, the power controller 25, and the wireless communicator 26 are assembled to the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1 having the above-described configuration.
Of these, the connector 24 is for connecting an external power source (non-contact power supply coil 34) and wirings connected to a plurality of sensors (tire side and wheel side sensors 35, 36) installed on the wheel, The wheel 3 is positioned inside the wheel center hole in a state where the wheel 3 is coupled and fixed to the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1. Specifically, the connector 24 is provided inside the outer end side large-diameter portion 20 of the hub body 12 and is located on the outermost side in the axial direction of the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1. Yes. The connector 24 is configured in a substantially disc shape, and includes a connector part main body 37 provided in the center part and a mounting plate part 38 provided around the connector part main body 37. Of these, the mounting plate portion 38 is press-fitted and fixed (internally fitted) to the inner peripheral surface of the positioning cylinder portion 29 of the hub body 12. In addition, the connector body 37 receives power (regardless of received power, direct current, or alternating current) that has not been subjected to stabilization processing (rectification processing, constant voltage processing, etc.) from the non-contact power supply coil 34 that is an external power source. An input power input terminal (contact point) 39, a signal input terminal 40 for inputting the output signals of the sensors 35 and 36, and a power output terminal 41 for supplying power to the sensors 35 and 36 are provided. ing.

  The power controller 25 includes a power control circuit, a battery, and a charge control circuit, and is provided inside the outer end side large diameter portion 20 in the hub body 12. Specifically, the power controller 25 uses a plurality of bolts 42 and 42 on the inner side in the axial direction of the mounting plate portion 38 constituting the connector 24 while being electrically connected to the connector 24. And is supported and fixed. The power control circuit performs a stabilization process (rectification process, constant voltage process) on the power that has not been subjected to the stabilization process and is input to the power input terminal 39 that constitutes the connector 24, and performs a desired (constant) process. It generates power (power supply voltage). In addition, when the power input to the power input terminal 39 is insufficient to operate the various electronic devices such as the sensors 35 and 36 and the wireless communication device 26, the battery supplies power to the various electronic devices. It is provided in order to maintain the supply of (power supply voltage), and has a power storage function for storing the power input from the power input terminal 39. The charging control circuit controls charging / discharging of the battery according to the amount of power input from the power input terminal 39 and the remaining amount of the battery. In the case of this example, when the power input from the power input terminal 39 is insufficient to operate the various electronic devices, power is supplied from the battery to the various electronic devices. When there is a margin in the power input from the power input terminal 39, control is performed to charge the battery. In the case of this example, since the non-contact power feeding coil 34 is used as the external power source, unlike the case where the generator is used, the power input terminal 39 is connected regardless of the traveling speed of the vehicle. Since the electric power can be supplied (it is easy to supply sufficient electric power), the battery and the charge control circuit can be omitted.

  The wireless communicator 26 collects output signals of the sensors 35 and 36 connected to the signal input terminal 40 constituting the connector 24, and wirelessly communicates with the wireless communication circuit in the arithmetic unit 43 disposed on the vehicle body side. It is for performing transmission (in this example, transmission / reception), and includes a wireless communication circuit and an antenna. The wireless communication device 26 is disposed inside the inner end side large-diameter portion 22 of the hub body 12, and generates power (stabilized power supply) generated by the power controller (power control circuit) 25. ). For this reason, the wireless communication device 26 is electrically connected to the connector 24 and the power controller 25 by the wiring 44 inserted through the small diameter portion 21 in the axial direction. The wireless communication device 26 is supported and fixed by a plurality of bolts 45, 45 on the inner surface in the axial direction of the inward flange portion 23. In addition, the wireless communication device 26 of this example receives information (for example, information such as the traveling speed of the vehicle) transmitted from the computing unit 43 and controls the operation of the power controller 25 and the sensors 35 and 36. .

In the case of this example, a non-contact power feeding coil (power receiving coil) 34 constituting an electromagnetic induction type non-contact power feeding device, which is an external power source, is disposed inside the tire 2. Then, an alternating current is passed through a transmission coil (not shown) arranged on the vehicle body side, and a magnetic field is generated in the transmission coil, so that a current is induced in the non-contact power feeding coil 34 (power is sent in a non-contact manner). Yes. The non-contact power feeding coil 34 is connected to the power controller 25 via a wiring 46 and the power input terminal 39.
When implementing the present invention, the installation location of the non-contact power supply coil is not limited to the inside of the tire, and may be installed on the inner diameter side of the rim portion constituting the wheel. Moreover, when implementing this invention, you may utilize a generator, without using a non-contact electric power feeder.

  Further, in the case of this example, from the aspect of reducing the cost at the time of tire replacement, as shown in FIG. 1, among the sensors for measuring the state quantity of the tire 2, a wear sensor, a tire strain sensor, a temperature sensor. A tire side sensor 35 that measures a state quantity that cannot be measured unless directly installed on the tire 2 is installed directly in the tire 2. On the other hand, for the wheel side sensor 36 that measures a state quantity that can be measured without being installed on the tire 2, such as an air pressure sensor, a wheel strain sensor, and an acceleration sensor, the wheel 3 (in the illustrated example, It is installed on the rim. Each of the tire side sensor 35 and the wheel side sensor 36 is electrically connected to the signal input terminal 40 and the power output terminal 41 constituting the connector 24 by wiring not shown.

In the case of this example, as described above, high-frequency power is generated in the non-contact power feeding coil 34 disposed inside the tire 2 by passing an alternating current through a power transmission coil (not shown) disposed on the vehicle body side. Then, the connector 24 is configured through the wiring 46 arranged along the disk portion of the wheel 3 for the electric power not subjected to the stabilization processing (rectification processing, constant voltage processing) generated in the non-contact power supply coil 34. To the power input terminal 39 to be input. Thus, the power control circuit constituting the power controller 25 performs rectification processing to obtain DC power and constant voltage processing to obtain a desired power supply voltage (power).
In the case of this example, the charge control circuit that constitutes the power controller 25 monitors the value of input power (or rectified DC power) and the remaining amount of battery, and the input power is When it is sufficient to operate the various electronic devices such as the sensors 35 and 36 and the wireless communication device 26, DC power is supplied to the various electronic devices and the rest is charged to the battery. On the other hand, when the input power is insufficient to operate the various electronic devices, power (DC power) is supplied from the battery to the various electronic devices. Further, such control (processing) becomes unnecessary when the battery and the charge control circuit are omitted.

  The power subjected to stabilization processing by the power controller 25 is supplied from the power output terminal 41 constituting the connector 24 to the sensor 35 through a wiring (power supply wiring) (not shown) connected to the power output terminal 41. 36 and supplied to the wireless communication device 26 through the wiring 44 in the small diameter portion 21. Thereby, the sensors 35 and 36 detect state quantities of the tire 2 and the wheel 3 (for example, tire air pressure, strain, vertical force, acceleration, temperature, etc.).

  Thereafter, the output signals of the sensors 35 and 36 are sent to the signal input terminal 40 constituting the connector 24 through a wiring (signal wiring) (not shown), and then sent to the wireless communication device 26 through the wiring 44. Then, the output signals of the sensors 35 and 36 are collectively transmitted to the arithmetic unit 43 arranged on the vehicle body side through the cover 32 by the antenna constituting the wireless communication device 26. As a result, the computing unit 43 receives the state quantities of the tire 2 and the wheel 3 that are output signals of the sensors 35 and 36, and uses them for, for example, vehicle motion control. In the case of this example, the wireless communication device 26 (constituting antenna) is closely opposed in the axial direction to the bottom of the resin cover 32. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent a radio signal entering and exiting the antenna from being blocked by the cover 32.

According to the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1 of the present example having the above-described configuration, it is possible to secure electric power necessary for operating various electronic devices such as the sensors 35 and 36 and the wireless communication device 26, and the like. The cost of the entire device can be reduced, and the disposable parts can be reduced even when the tire is changed.
That is, in the case of this example, the non-contact power supply coil 34 is arranged inside the tire 2, the power controller 25 for performing power stabilization processing (rectification processing, constant voltage processing, etc.), and the vehicle body side All of the wireless communication devices 26 for wireless communication with the computing unit 43 are disposed inside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1. For this reason, in the case of this example, through the power input terminal 39 constituting the connector 24, electric power not subjected to stabilization processing is taken into the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1 from the non-contact power feeding device 34, After stabilization processing by the power controller 25, the power controller 25 is provided near the tire 2 and the wheel 3 existing outside the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1 through the power output terminal 41 constituting the connector 24. Stabilized power can be supplied to the plurality of sensors 35 and 36 provided. In addition, stabilized power can be supplied to the wireless communication device 26 disposed inside the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1. Thus, in the case of this example, various electronic devices such as the sensors 35 and 36 can be operated using the power supplied from the non-contact power feeding coil 34 which is an external power source through the power input terminal 39. For this reason, it is possible to prevent difficulty in securing electric power due to a problem in installation space as in the case where a generator and a non-contact power supply device are provided inside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1.

  In the case of this example, as described above, not only power can be supplied from the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1 side to the sensors 35 and 36, but also the output signals (information) of the sensors 35 and 36. Are fed into the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1 through the signal input terminal 40 constituting the connector 24, and these output signals are aggregated (collectively) and sent to the arithmetic unit 43 on the vehicle body side through the wireless communication device 26. I can do things. Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where the individual sensors 35 and 36 are provided with the power generation / wireless communication function.

  Furthermore, in the case of this example, the non-contact power supply coil 34 which is an external power source is disposed outside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1, but the power supply to the sensors 35 and 36 and the sensor output signal The transmission to the vehicle body side is performed using the power controller 25 and the wireless communication device 26 provided inside the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1. For this reason, the part which becomes disposable at the time of tire exchange can be reduced. That is, even when the tire 2 is replaced, the connector 24, the power controller 25, and the wireless communication device 26 provided in the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1 can be used as they are (tires). It is sufficient to replace only the tire side sensor 35 and the non-contact power supply coil 34 installed in 2). In the case of this example, a non-contact power supply coil 34 that outputs electric power not subjected to stabilization processing can be used as an external power source. For this reason, it is not necessary to separately combine a circuit for performing a stabilization process with respect to the non-contact power supply coil 34 in the tire 2, and the external power supply can be reduced in size and cost.

  In the case of this example, since the sensors 35 and 36 are installed not on the wheel-supporting rolling bearing unit 1 side but on the wheel (tire 2 and wheel 3) side, for example, acting on the tire 2 Even when the force to be detected is detected, it can be accurately detected regardless of the operating state of the disc brake device 4 (the operating state of the brake).

  Further, as described above, stabilized power can be supplied to the sensors 35 and 36 from the wheel-supporting rolling bearing unit 1 side through the power output terminal 41, and the output signals of the sensors 35 and 36 can be supplied. Can be wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication device 26 provided in the wheel support rolling bearing unit 1 to the computing unit 43. For this reason, when attaching the wheel-supporting rolling bearing unit 1 to the knuckle 6, it is not necessary to carry out a harness handling operation, and the assembly workability can be improved.

  Further, in the case of this example, even when tire rotation (change of tire position) is performed to prevent uneven wear, the mounting position of the wheel bearing rolling bearing unit 1 itself having a wireless communication function is changed. Therefore, it can be prevented that the signal received by the arithmetic unit 43 on the vehicle body side cannot be determined as to which tire signal.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the sensor is attached to the wheel (wheel and tire) has been described as an example. However, when the present invention is implemented, the sensor is attached to the wheel-supporting rolling bearing unit. Can also be attached. The number of sensors to be used is not particularly limited, and may be one or two or more, and the shape of the connector and the number of terminals are not limited to the structure shown in the embodiment. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although demonstrated about the case where the diameter and pitch circle diameter of the ball | bowl of both rows were mutually the same, for example, the diameter of the ball | bowl which comprises the ball | bowl row | line | column of an inner side (axial direction inner side) Is made larger than the diameter of the balls constituting the outer side (axially outer side) ball row, and the pitch circle diameter of the outer side ball row is made larger than the pitch circle diameter of the inner side ball row. It can also be adopted. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to secure a larger volume of space in the outer end side large diameter portion. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a driven wheel but also to a wheel support rolling bearing unit for a driving wheel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rolling bearing unit for wheel support 2 Tire 3 Wheel 4 Disc brake device 5 Rotor 6 Knuckle 7 Outer ring 8 Hub 9 Ball 10a, 10b Outer ring track 11 Stationary side flange 12 Hub body 13 Inner ring 14a, 14b Inner ring track 15 Small diameter step part 16 Caulking Part 17 Rotation side flange 18 Coupling hole 19 Through hole 20 Outer end side large diameter part 21 Small diameter part 22 Inner end side large diameter part 23 Inward flange part 24 Connector part 25 Power control circuit 26 Wireless communication device 27 Retainer 28 Support hole 29 Positioning cylinder part 30 Coupling member 31 Seal ring 32 Cover 33 Internal space 34 Non-contact power supply coil 35 Tire side sensor 36 Wheel side sensor 37 Connector part main body 38 Mounting plate part 39 Power input terminal 40 Signal input terminal 41 Power output terminal 42 Bolt 43 Operation unit 44 Wiring 45 Belt 46 wiring

Claims (3)

An outer diameter side race ring member having an outer ring raceway on the inner peripheral surface;
An inner diameter side race ring member having an inner ring raceway on the outer peripheral surface;
A plurality of rolling elements provided between the outer ring raceway and the inner ring raceway so as to freely roll,
Any one of the outer diameter side raceway member and the inner diameter side raceway member is a stationary side raceway member that is supported and fixed to a suspension device in a use state and does not rotate, and the other raceway. The wheel member is a rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel, which is a rotating side race wheel member that couples and fixes the wheel and rotates together with the wheel,
A power input terminal for inputting power from an external power source, a signal input terminal for inputting an output signal of the sensor, and a power output terminal for supplying power input from the power input terminal to the sensor A rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel, characterized in that the rolling bearing unit is provided on the rotating side race ring member.   The rotation-side bearing ring member is provided with a power control circuit that performs stabilization processing on the input power that has not been subjected to stabilization processing that is input via the power input terminal, and supplies a desired power supply voltage. The rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel according to claim 1.   The rotation side bearing ring member is provided with a wireless communication device that inputs an output signal of the sensor and performs wireless communication with an arithmetic unit disposed on a vehicle body side. A rolling bearing unit for supporting a wheel according to any one of the above.

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