JP2522894Y2 - Rolling bearing unit with sensor - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A rolling bearing unit with a sensor according to the present invention is used, for example, to rotatably support a wheel of an automobile with respect to a suspension device and to detect a rotational speed of the wheel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wheel of an automobile is rotatably supported on a suspension device, and a rotational speed of the wheel is detected to control an antilock brake system (ABS) or a traction control system (TCS). Therefore, a rolling bearing unit with a sensor as described in, for example, JP-A-63-166601 is known.

The rolling bearing unit with a sensor described in the above publication is configured as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The inner ring equivalent member includes a hub 1 and an inner ring 2. The outer end of the hub 1 (the outer end is a portion which becomes the outer end in the width direction when mounted on an automobile, and is the left end in FIG. 3).
Is provided with a flange portion 3 for fixing wheels, and an inner raceway 4a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion. The inner race 2 has an inner raceway 4b on the outer peripheral surface, and is externally fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion of the hub 1.

A male screw portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner end portion of the hub 1 (the inner end portion is a portion which becomes the center end portion in the width direction when the hub 1 is mounted on an automobile, and the right end portion in FIG. 3). A nut 6 is screwed into 5. The nut 6 presses the inner end surface of the inner ring 2 with the engagement with the male screw portion 5,
The inner ring 2 is fixed at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the hub 1.

The outer ring-equivalent member 7 has a mounting portion 8 for supporting a suspension device (not shown) formed on an outer peripheral surface, and double-row outer ring raceways 9a and 9b formed on an inner peripheral surface. A plurality of rolling elements 10, 10 are provided between the outer raceways 9a, 9b and the inner raceways 4a, 4b, respectively.
The hub 1 is rotatably supported inside the outer ring-equivalent member 7 supported by the suspension device by the mounting portion 8.

[0006] The nut 6 is provided with an annular rotor portion 11, and an uneven portion 12 is formed on an inner surface of the rotor portion 11.
Is formed, the nut 6 has a function as a pulse rotor that generates a pulse as the hub 1 rotates. Further, a sensor 14 is fixed to the cover 13 fitted and fixed to the inner end opening of the outer ring equivalent member 7.
4 has an outer end face opposed to the uneven portion 12.

In the case of a rolling bearing unit with a sensor as described above, the wheel fixed to the flange 3 provided at the outer end of the hub 1 is rotatable with respect to the suspension device supporting the outer ring equivalent member 7. I can support it.

When the rotor 11 which is integral with the nut 6 screwed to the inner end of the hub 1 rotates with the rotation of the wheel, the output of the sensor 14 facing the concave / convex portion 12 changes. Since the frequency at which the output of the sensor 14 changes is proportional to the rotation speed of the wheel, if the output signal of the sensor 14 is input to a controller (not shown), the rotation speed of the wheel is obtained.
ABS and TCS can be controlled appropriately.

[0009]

By the way, in the conventional sensor-equipped rolling bearing unit constructed and operated as described above, the outer end of the cover 13 for supporting the sensor 14 with respect to the outer ring-equivalent member 7 is formed as follows. , Is tightly fitted to the inner end opening of the outer ring equivalent member 7. This is to prevent the cover 13 from accidentally dropping from the outer ring-equivalent member 7 due to vibrations generated during traveling of the vehicle or the like.

However, as described above, the outer ring equivalent member 7 and the cover 13 are tightly fitted to each other, so that both members 7, 1
When the two members 7 and 13 are forcibly separated by prying with a tool such as a screwdriver, the cover 13 is deformed and cannot be reused. For this reason, even if a failure such as a failure occurs in one of the rolling bearing portion and the sensor 14 (for use over a long period of time) after the vehicle is mounted on the vehicle, the failure-free portion is included. As a result, the entire rolling bearing unit with sensor has to be replaced. Such a situation not only causes a rise in repair costs but also is not preferable in terms of resource saving.

The rolling bearing unit with a sensor according to the present invention comprises:
It was conceived to address the problems as described above.

[0012]

The rolling bearing unit with a sensor according to the present invention has a member equivalent to an inner ring having an inner raceway, a member equivalent to an outer ring having an outer raceway, and the above-mentioned components. The vehicle includes a plurality of rolling elements provided between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, a cover fitted and fixed to an inner end opening end of the outer race-equivalent member, and a sensor supported by the cover.

Further, in the rolling bearing unit with the sensor according to the present invention, the cover is formed at an outer end portion thereof.
It has a support cylinder part whose inner diameter can be elastically contracted and a projection of any shape formed on the inner peripheral surface of the support cylinder part. The outer ring-equivalent member has a concave portion of an arbitrary shape on the outer peripheral surface of the inner end portion which can be fitted to the protrusion. The cover is supported and fixed to the outer ring-equivalent member by holding down the outer peripheral surface of the support cylinder with a holding ring in a state where the protrusion is fitted in the recess.

[0014]

With the rolling bearing unit with sensor of the present invention configured as described above, the wheel is rotatably supported with respect to the suspension device, and the rotational speed of the wheel fixed to the member corresponding to the inner ring is detected. The operation itself is the same as that of the above-mentioned conventional rolling bearing unit with sensor.

Further, in the rolling bearing unit with a sensor according to the present invention, when it is necessary to separate the outer ring-equivalent member and the cover for repair or the like, the separating operation is easily performed and the cover is damaged. Can be done without.

That is, when removing the cover from the outer ring-equivalent member, first, the holding ring is pulled out from the periphery of the support cylinder portion of the cover, and the support cylinder portion is elastically deformed outward so as to be elastically deformable. The engagement between the protrusion on the peripheral surface and the recess on the outer peripheral surface of the member corresponding to the outer ring is released.

[0017]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. A flange portion 3 for fixing a wheel is provided on an outer peripheral surface (left end portion in FIG. 1) of a hub 1 constituting an inner ring-equivalent member together with an inner ring 2 described below, and an inner raceway is provided on an outer peripheral surface of an intermediate portion. 4a and the step 26 are formed. On the outer peripheral surface of the hub 1, an inner race 2 having an inner raceway 4b formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof is also provided.
Is externally fitted and supported in a state where one end face (the left end face in FIG. 1) of the sheet is abutted against the step portion 26. However, inner ring raceway 4a
Is formed on an inner ring member (not shown) separate from the hub 1 instead of directly on the outer peripheral surface of the hub 1, and the inner ring member and the inner ring 2 are externally fitted and fixed to the hub 1. , May be an inner ring equivalent member.

Further, the inner ring 2 is fixed to a predetermined portion of the outer peripheral surface of the hub 1 by externally fitting a fixing ring 15 or fixing with a screw to a portion near the inner end (right end in FIG. 1) of the hub 1. doing. By forming an uneven portion 16 on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed ring 15, the fixed ring 15 has a function as a pulse rotor for detecting a rotational speed.

On the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring equivalent member 7, there is provided a mounting portion 8 for fixing the outer ring equivalent member 7 to a suspension device. Also, on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring-equivalent member 7, outer ring raceways 9a and 9b are respectively opposed to the inner ring raceways 4a and 4b.
b is formed. Then, a pair of inner raceways 4a, 4b
A plurality of rolling elements 10 and 10 are provided between the pair of outer raceways 9a and 9b, respectively, so that the hub 1 can rotate freely inside the outer race equivalent member 7.

Sealing members 17 are provided between the inner peripheral surfaces of the inner and outer ends of the outer ring-equivalent member 7 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the hub 1 and the inner ring 2, respectively. And between the hub 1 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner race 2 to close the openings at both inner and outer ends of the space in which the plurality of rolling elements 10 and 10 are provided.

On the other hand, an opening at the inner end (right end in FIG. 1) of the outer ring equivalent member 7 is closed by a cover 18. The cover 18 is formed in an annular shape as a whole in order to allow a part of the constant velocity joint to be freely inserted inside. The cover 18 is combined with a main portion 19 formed into an L-shaped cross section by pressing a metal plate. It is made of an elastic material such as resin, and is composed of a support cylinder portion 20 that is continuous outward from the outer end opening of the main portion 19. The sensor 14 for detecting the rotational speed is held inside the main part 19.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support cylinder portion 20 is inclined in a conical shape so that the diameter of the outer end portion is increased in the free state. In addition, slit-shaped cuts are formed at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the support tube portion 20, and when a holding ring 21 described below is put on the support tube portion 20, The diameter is elastically contractible. A male screw 22 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support cylinder 20.

The short cylindrical holding ring 21 made of metal has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the support cylinder 20 in the free state, and is screwed to the male screw 22 on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The female screw 23 is formed.

On the inner peripheral edge of the outer end opening of the support cylinder 20, a ridge 24, which is a kind of projection, is formed in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, on the outer peripheral surface of the inner end portion of the outer ring-equivalent member 7, a concave groove 25, which is a kind of a concave portion, and in which the ridge 24 can be fitted, is formed over the entire circumference.

When the cover 18 is mounted on the inner end opening of the outer ring-equivalent member 7, the support cylinder 20
Over the inner end of the outer ring-equivalent member 7 and the support cylinder 2
0 Ridge 24 on inner peripheral surface and concave groove 25 on outer peripheral surface of outer ring equivalent member 7
And. At this time, the holding ring 21 is detached from the periphery of the support cylinder 20. Then, with the female thread 23 on the inner peripheral surface of the retaining ring 21 and the male screw 22 on the outer peripheral surface of the support cylinder 20 screwed together with the ridge 24 and the concave groove 25 facing each other, the retaining ring 21 Is put on the support cylinder 20.

As a result, the inner diameter of the support cylinder 20 is elastically reduced, the ridges 24 and the concave grooves 25 are engaged with each other, and the cover 18 including the support cylinder 20 is attached to the outer ring member 7.
It is firmly attached and fixed to the inner end opening. In this state, the detecting portion of the rotation speed detecting sensor 14 held inside the main portion 19 faces the outer peripheral surface of the fixed ring 15.

The sensor-equipped rolling bearing unit of the present invention configured as described above rotatably supports the wheel with respect to the suspension device and detects the rotational speed of the wheel fixed to the flange portion 3 of the hub 1. The operation itself is substantially the same as that of the above-described conventional rolling bearing unit with sensor.

That is, when the fixed ring 15 externally fitted and fixed to the inner end of the hub 1 rotates with the rotation of the wheel, the sensor 14 facing the uneven portion 16 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed ring 15 is rotated. Output changes. Since the frequency at which the output of the sensor 14 changes is proportional to the rotation speed of the wheel, if the output signal of the sensor 14 is input to a controller (not shown),
By determining the rotation speed of the wheel, ABS and TCS can be appropriately controlled.

For repair or the like, outer ring equivalent member 7 and cover 1
When it becomes necessary to separate the support ring 8 from the support cylinder 20 by rotating the holding ring 21 based on the engagement of the male screw 22 and the female screw 23. . As a result, the inner diameter of the support tubular portion 20 is elastically expanded, and the ridge 24 comes out of the concave groove 25. If the cover 18 is separated from the outer ring member 7 in this state, the cover 18 can be removed from the outer ring member 7 without damaging the cover 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, the male screw 22 and the female screw 23 are screwed together in order to hold the holding ring 21 over the outer peripheral surface of the support cylinder 20. However, these male screw 22 and female screw 23 are omitted,
The holding ring 21 may simply be externally fitted to the support cylinder 20. In this case, in order to reliably prevent the retaining ring 21 from coming off, a small screw inserted through a through hole formed in the retaining ring 21 may be screwed into a screw hole formed in the support cylinder 20. good. Further, by providing an elastic engagement portion between the embossed projection and the concave portion between the inner peripheral surface of the retaining ring 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the support cylindrical portion 20, the retaining ring 21 is provided.
You can also try to stop the fall.

In addition to the above-described embodiment, the inner-ring-equivalent member is also provided on the outside of a cylindrical body having a flange portion for fixing wheels, for example.
It can also be configured by assembling two inner rings formed separately from this cylindrical body.

[0032]

The rolling bearing unit with sensor of the present invention is constructed and operates as described above, but the cover holding the sensor and the outer ring equivalent member can be easily separated without damaging the cover. Therefore, when one of the rolling bearing portion and the sensor fails, the part on the non-failed side can be reused, so that repair costs can be reduced and resources can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state where a cover and a holding ring are disassembled.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Description of sign]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hub 2 Inner ring 3 Flange part 4a Inner ring raceway 4b Inner ring raceway 5 Male screw part 6 Nut 7 Outer ring equivalent member 8 Attachment part 9a Outer ring raceway 9b Outer ring raceway 10 Rolling element 11 Rotor part 12 Irregular part 13 Cover 14 Sensor 15 Fixing ring 16 Irregularity Part 17 Sealing material 18 Cover 19 Main part 20 Support cylinder part 21 Press ring 22 Male screw 23 Female screw 24 Protrusion 25 Depressed groove 26 Step

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. An inner ring-equivalent member having an inner raceway, an outer race-equivalent member having an outer raceway, a plurality of rolling elements provided between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, and an inner end opening of the outer race-equivalent member. In a sensor-equipped rolling bearing unit including a cover fitted and fixed to an end and a sensor supported by the cover, the cover is formed at an outer end thereof,
A support cylinder having an inner diameter that is elastically contractible; and a protrusion formed on an inner peripheral surface of the support cylinder. The outer ring-equivalent member is fitted with the protrusion on an inner end outer peripheral surface thereof. It has a free recess,
A rolling bearing with a sensor, wherein the cover is supported and fixed to the outer ring-equivalent member by holding down the outer peripheral surface of the support cylindrical portion with a holding ring in a state where the protrusion is fitted in the recess. unit.