Bearing apparatus for vehicle

• US 6,550,975 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shima, Koji, Shige, Yoshifumi, Okada, Makoto, Inoue, Masahiro, Aida, Koichi, Hojo, Seiji, Suzuki, Setsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Footland, Lenard A.
• Application Number:
  US10/011,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20020048419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 384/537, 384/544, 384/517, 384/589, 384/585
• US Class Current: 384/537
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/00 Hubs non-metallic B60B5/00; of high resiliency B60B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0005 with ball bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0026 of the radial type, e.g. splined key
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0042 characterised by the fixation of the homokinetic joint to the hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0084 caulking to fix inner race
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0094 one or more of the bearing races are formed by the hub
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/186 with three raceways provided integrally on parts other than race rings, e.g. third generation hubs
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/0635 the bore of the inner ring being of special non-cylindrical shape which co-operates with a complementary shape on the shaft, e.g. teeth, polygonal sections

Abstract

In a construction in which a double row rolling bearing and a constant velocity joint are mounted to a hub wheel, a fixing ring fixedly mounted to a vehicle-outer side opening of the hub wheel is sandwiched between a vehicle-outer side end face of an outer ring shaft of the constant velocity joint and a bolt integrally mounted to the shaft in the axial direction, thereby coupling the outer ring of the constant velocity joint to the hub wheel. In this case, a simple coupling operation only for mounting the bolt to the shaft suffices, and a pre-load that has been applied to the rolling bearing is maintained invariably.

Claims

1. A bearing apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a hub wheel having a hollow hole;

a rolling bearing mounted to an outer periphery of said hub wheel;

a constant velocity joint for connecting an input shaft to said hub wheel such that said input shaft can incline, said constant velocity joint having an outer ring including a cylindrical portion in which an inclination guide element with respect to said input shaft is accommodated and a shaft continuously formed on the cylindrical portion and fitted into said hollow hole of said hub wheel in a state in which said outer ring shaft is prevented from rotating in said hollow hole of said hub wheel in its circumferential direction;

a pressing member mounted to said outer ring shaft of said constant velocity joint; and

a fixing member whose outer diameter side is fixed to a predetermined position of said hub wheel on a vehicle-outer side and whose inner diameter side is smaller than said hollow hole of said hub wheel, wherein

said fixing member is sandwiched between said pressing member and a vehicle-outer side end face of said outer ring shaft in the axial direction so that said outer ring of said constant velocity joint is coupled to said hub wheel.

2. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

a vehicle-outer side opening of said hollow hole of said hub wheel is increased in diameter to form a diameter-increased portion,

said fixing member is fixed to in the diameter-increased portion of said hub wheel.

3. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said fixing member is a fixing ring having an outer diameter side fitted and fixed to said diameter-increased portion of said hub wheel by press-fitting,

a vehicle-outer side end of said outer ring shaft of said constant velocity joint has a screw hole,

said pressing member is a bolt threadedly engaged in said screw hole,

said fixing ring is sandwiched between said vehicle-outer side end face of said outer ring shaft and an inner end face of a head of said bolt threadedly engaged in said screw hole in its axial direction in a state in which said fixing ring is positioned at least in its axial direction.

4. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said fixing member is fixed to the diameter-increased portion of said hub wheel by press-fitting, this press-fit force is set greater than an axial load applied to the outer ring of said constant velocity joint in a direction of the vehicle-outer side.

5. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said fixing member is a fixing ring having an outer diameter side that can be fixed to said diameter-increased portion of said hub wheel by press-fitting,

the vehicle-outer side end of said outer ring shaft of said constant velocity joint has a small-diameter projection,

a male screw is provided on an outer periphery of said small-diameter projection,

said pressing member is a nut threadedly engaged with an outer periphery of said small-diameter projection,

said fixing ring is mounted to said small-diameter projection, and said nut is mounted to said small-diameter projection,

said fixing ring is sandwiched between said nut and the vehicle-outer side end face of said outer ring shaft by the threadedly engagement of said nut to said small-diameter projection so that said outer ring of said constant velocity joint is coupled to said hub wheel.

6. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein

said fixing ring includes a bottom having a through hole through which said small-diameter projection can be inserted in its axial direction and a cylindrical portion continuously formed on said bottom, said fixing ring is press-fitted into said diameter-increased portion in a state in which said bottom is directed into said diameter-increased portion, and said fixing ring is mounted to said small-diameter projection through said through hole.

7. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

said fixing ring is formed with a radially outward swelling portion formed on the cylindrical portion of said fixing ring on the vehicle-inner side,

said diameter-increased portion of said hub wheel is formed with a groove on the vehicle-inner side,

said swelling portion is engaged in said groove in a state in which said fixing ring is press-fitted into said diameter-increased portion so that said fixing ring is prevented from falling out to the vehicle-outer side.

8. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said hollow hole of said hub wheel is provided with a female spline, said outer ring shaft of said constant velocity joint is provided with a male spline,

said outer ring shaft is prevented from rotating in a circumferential direction with respect to said hub wheel by means of fitting of both said splines.

9. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

said spline fitting has a margin between biting teeth.

10. The bearing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

an shaft end of said hub wheel on the vehicle-inner side is bent and deformed radially outward, said shaft end is caulked on an outer end face of a vehicle-inner side inner ring of said rolling bearing and is formed as a caulked portion,

said cylindrical portion of said outer ring of said constant velocity joint is in no contact or in slight contact with said caulked portion of said hub wheel.