WHEEL AND OTHER BEARING HUBS SAFETY RESTRAINT DEVICES, LOCKS AND VISUAL WARNING INDICATORS

• US 20070215032A1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John M. Ekman, Nels Melberg
• Original Assignee: John M. Ekman, Nels Melberg
• Inventors: Melberg, Nels, Ekman, John M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,547,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 116/218
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/525 related to temperature and heat, e.g. insulation
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/548 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors in general B60B
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/08 in rotary movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 5/62 the solid body being formed of compounded strips or plates, e.g. bimetallic strip

Abstract

Wheel and other bearing restraint jam nuts and early warning visual warning indicators for use with bearing hubs including driven and non-driven wheel bearing hubs wherein each jam nut is adapted to be received on either a threaded drive axle tube spindle or an axle spindle by use of a convention tool and such that the jam nut is of a size to obstruct wheel bearing hub separation in the event of a bearing failure and wherein a portion of the jam nut is engageable to force an indicator outwardly of the wheel bearing hub whenever the wheel bearing hub is not properly rotating about it'"'"'s axis of rotation to thereby provide a visual indication of a potential problem with the bearings or other components within the wheel or other bearing hub.

Claims

1. An early warning system for providing an indication of possible problems within a bearing hub assembly including a bearing hub defining a bearing cavity that is closed by a bearing hub cover and in which bearing cavity bearings are retained to permit rotation of the bearing hub relative to one of a support or driven member and wherein the bearings are retained in place by a nut and lock washer mounted to either the support or driven member, the early warning system including;

a warning device adapted to be mounted through the bearing hub cover and including an indication means having an inner end adapted to extend within the bearing hub and an outer end that is movable outwardly with respect to the bearing hub cover so as to be visually observable, an early warning jam nut adapted to be threaded to either the support or driven member so as to abut the lock washer, and said early warning jam nut having an outer peripheral surface adapted to engage said inner end of said indication means should the bearing hub not rotate properly about a rotational axis defined by the support or driven member thereby force said outer end of said indication means to extend outwardly from the bearing hub to thereby provide a warning of potential problems within the bearing hub.

2. The early warning system of claim 1 in which a diameter of said early warning jam nut is at least substantially equal to or greater than a diameter of a bore within the bearing cavity in which the bearings are seated.

3. The early warning system of claim 1 wherein said early warning jam nut is formed in a hat-shape having a central domed portion defining in inner threaded cavity and from which extends an annular flange defining said outer peripheral surface, and a socket opening formed in central face of said domed portion for receiving a tool that can be used to adjust said early warning jam nut relative to the support.

4. The early warning system of claim 3 wherein said early warning jam nut includes a plurality of spaced threaded openings that are spaced relative to one another around said annular flange such that at least one of said plurality of spaced threaded openings will align with one of a plurality of openings in the lock washer, and means receivable within said plurality of spaced threaded openings and of a size to extend into an align one of said plurality of openings in said lock washer.

5. The early warning system of claim 1 in which the early warning jam nut is formed as a ring member having inner threads adapted to engage threads of the driven member, a bar member, means for selectively securing said bar member across said ring member, and a tool receiving socket within said bar member for facilitating adjustment of said early warning jam nut relative to the drive spindle tube.

6. The early warning system of claim 5 wherein said early warning jam nut includes a plurality of spaced threaded openings that are spaced relative to one another around said ring member such that at least one of said plurality of spaced threaded openings will align with one of a plurality of openings in said lock washer, and means receivable within said plurality of spaced threaded openings of a size to extend into an aligned one of said plurality of openings in said lock washer.

7. The early warning system of claim 1 in which the early warning jam nut is formed as a ring member having inner threads adapted to engage threads of the support or driven member, and a pair of spaced tool receiving sockets within said ring member for facilitating adjustment of said early warning jam nut relative to the support or driven member.

8. An early warning system for providing an indication of possible problems within a wheel bearing hub assembly including a wheel bearing hub defining a wheel bearing cavity that is closed by a wheel bearing hub cover or axle cap and in which bearing cavity bearings are retained to permit rotation of the wheel bearing hub relative to one of a non driven axle spindle and a drive tube spindle of a driven axle and wherein the bearings are retained in place by a nut and lock washer mounted to either the axle spindle or drive tube spindle, the early warning system including;

a warning device adapted to be mounted through the wheel bearing hub cover and including an indication means having an inner end adapted to extend within the wheel bearing hub and an outer end that is movable outwardly with respect to the wheel bearing hub cover so as to be visually observable, an early warning jam nut adapted to be threaded to either the axle spindle or drive tube spindle so as to abut the lock washer, and said early warning jam nut having an outer peripheral surface adapted to engage said inner end of said indication means should the wheel bearing hub not rotate properly about a rotational axis defined by the axle spindle or drive tube spindle and thereby force said outer end of said indication means to extend outwardly from the wheel bearing hub to thereby provide a warning of potential problems within the wheel bearing hub.

9. The early warning system of claim 8 in which a diameter of said early warning jam nut is at least substantially equal to or greater than a diameter of a bore within the bearing cavity in which the bearings are seated.

10. The early warning system of claim 8 wherein said early warning jam nut is formed in a hat-shape having a central domed portion defining in inner threaded cavity and from which extends an annular flange defining said outer peripheral surface, and a socket opening formed in central face of said domed portion for receiving a tool that can be used to adjust said early warning jam nut relative to an axle spindle.

11. The early warning system of claim 10 wherein said early warning jam nut includes a plurality of spaced threaded openings that are spaced relative to one another around said annular flange such that at least one of said plurality of spaced threaded openings will align with one of a plurality of openings in the lock washer, and means receivable within said plurality of spaced threaded openings and of a size to extend into an align one of said plurality of openings in said lock washer.

12. The early warning system of claim 10 including a wheel bearing hub cover having a cylindrical housing having an inner end from which extends a generally annular flange having spaced openings therein for receiving bolts for securing the wheel bearing hub cover to the wheel bearing hub, said wheel bearing hub cover including an outer face that closes an outer end of said cylindrical housing, a threaded opening generally centrally of said outer face, a threaded plug cooperatively receivable within said threaded opening, and said threaded opening being of a size to permit a conventional ratch type tool to be inserted there through to engage said tool receiving socket.

13. The early warning system of claim 10 wherein said warning device further includes a temperature sensor mounted within said housing, said temperature sensor being adapted to sense temperatures within the bearing cavity and including means for providing a warning indication if temperatures with the bearing housing exceed a predetermined temperature.

14. The early warning system of claim 8 in which the early warning jam nut is formed as a ring member having inner threads adapted to engage threads of the drive tube spindle, a bar member, means for selectively securing said bar member across said ring member, and a tool receiving socket within said bar member for facilitating adjustment of said early warning jam nut relative to the drive spindle tube.

15. The early warning system of claim 14 wherein said early warning jam nut includes a plurality of spaced threaded openings that are spaced relative to one another around said ring member such that at least one of said plurality of spaced threaded openings will align with one of a plurality of openings in said lock washer, and means receivable within said plurality of spaced threaded openings of a size to extend into an aligned one of said plurality of openings in said lock washer.

16. The early warning system of claim 13 wherein said warning device further includes a temperature sensor mounted within said housing, said temperature sensor being adapted to sense temperatures within the bearing cavity and including means for providing a warning indication if temperatures with the bearing housing exceed a predetermined temperature.

17. The early warning system of claim 8 in which the early warning jam nut is formed as a ring member having inner threads adapted to engage threads of a non driven axle spindle or drive tube spindle, and a pair of spaced tool receiving sockets within said ring member for facilitating adjustment of said early warning jam nut relative to the drive spindle or drive tube spindle.

18. The early warning system of claim 8 wherein said warning device further includes a temperature sensor mounted within said housing, said temperature sensor being adapted to sense temperatures within the bearing cavity and including means for providing a warning indication if temperatures with the bearing housing exceed a predetermined temperature.

19. In a wheel bearing hub assembly including a wheel bearing hub defining a wheel bearing cavity that is closed by a wheel bearing hub cover or axle cap and in which bearing cavity bearings are retained to permit rotation of the wheel bearing hub relative to one of a non driven axle spindle and a drive tube spindle of a driven axle and wherein the bearings are retained in place by a nut and lock washer mounted to either the axle spindle or drive tube spindle, an improvement including an early warning jam nut adapted to be threaded to either the axle spindle or drive tube spindle so as to abut the lock washer, said early warning jam nut having a least one tool receiving socket associated therewith, and a diameter of said early warning jam nut is at least substantially equal to or greater than a diameter of a bore within the bearing cavity in which the bearings are seated.

20. The early warning system of claim 19 wherein said early warning jam nut is formed in a hat-shape having a central domed portion defining in inner threaded cavity and from which extends an annular flange defining an outer peripheral surface, and said at least one tool receiving socket being formed in a central face of said domed portion for receiving a tool that can be used to adjust said early warning jam nut relative to an axle spindle.

21. The early warning system of claim 20 wherein said early warning jam nut includes a plurality of spaced threaded openings that are spaced relative to one another around said annular flange such that at least one of said plurality of spaced threaded openings will align with one of a plurality of openings in the lock washer, and means receivable within said plurality of spaced threaded openings and of a size to extend into an align one of said plurality of openings in said lock washer.

22. The early warning system of claim 19 in which the early warning jam nut is formed as a ring member having inner threads adapted to engage threads of a drive tube spindle, a bar member, means for selectively securing said bar member across said ring member, and said at least one tool receiving socket being formed within said bar member for facilitating adjustment of said early warning jam nut relative to the drive spindle tube.

23. The early warning system of claim 22 wherein said early warning jam nut includes a plurality of spaced threaded openings that are spaced relative to one another around said ring member such that at least one of said plurality of spaced threaded openings will align with one of a plurality of openings in said lock washer, and means receivable within said plurality of spaced threaded openings of a size to extend into an aligned one of said plurality of openings in said lock washer.