Vehicle mounted bearing assembly

• US 7,018,106 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NTN Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Footland, Lenard A.
• Application Number:
  US10/317,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20030110860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 384/448, 384/446, 384/544, 324/174, 324/173
• US Class Current: 384/448
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/00 Hubs non-metallic B60B5/00; of high resiliency B60B9/00
• 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 19/187 with all four raceways integrated on parts other than race rings, e.g. fourth generation hubs
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/52 with devices affected by abnormal or undesired conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors in general B60B
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7886 mounted outside the gap between the inner and outer races, e.g. sealing rings mounted to an end face or outer surface of a race
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/7896 with two or more discrete sealings arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 41/004 Electro-dynamic machines, e.g. motors, generators, actuators
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 41/007 Encoders, e.g. parts with a plurality of alternating magnetic poles
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 41/008 Identification means, e.g. markings, RFID-tags; Data transfer means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/443 mounted in bearings bearings F16C

Abstract

To enhance a detecting capability for monitoring a bearing assembly and also to minimize complication of the structure resulting from increase in functionality, a vehicle mounted bearing assembly 51 includes inner and outer members 2 and 1 with rows of rolling elements 3 operatively interposed between the inner and outer members 2 and 1, and a rotation detecting sensor 4. A sensor output from the rotation detecting sensor 4 is digitalized by a digitalizing unit 101 and is subsequently transmitted wireless by a transmitting unit 105. One or both of status detecting sensors 52, 53 for detecting different statuses of the bearing assembly 51 other than rotation such as temperature and vibration occurring in the bearing assembly 51 may be additionally employed. A signal coordinating unit 104 may also be used for coordinating the respective sensor outputs from the rotation detecting sensor and the status detecting sensors to enable those sensor outputs to be transmitted wireless by the transmitting unit 105.

Claims

1. A vehicle mounted bearing assembly, operable to rotatably support a vehicle wheel relative to a vehicle body structure, which comprises:

an outer member having an inner peripheral surface formed with at least two axially spaced apart raceways;

an inner member positioned inside the outer member and having raceways defined therein in cooperative relation with and in alignment with the raceways in the outer member;

rows of rolling elements positioned within an annular space, delimited between the inner and outer members, and accommodated in part within the raceways in the outer member and in part within the raceways in the inner member;

a rotation detecting sensor for detecting a relative rotation between the outer and inner members;

at least one status detecting sensor for detecting a status of the bearing assembly other than the relative rotation that is detected by the rotation detecting sensor;

a transmitting device for transmitting wireless respective sensor outputs generated by the rotation detecting sensor and the status detecting sensor;

a first digitalizing device for digitalizing the sensor output from the rotation detecting sensor and a second digitalizing device for digitalizing the sensor output from the at least one status detecting sensor; and

a signal coordinating device for coordinating the respective sensor outputs from the rotation detecting sensor and the at least one status detecting sensor, which have been digitalized by the first and second digitalizing device, respectively, to enable those sensor outputs to be transmitted wireless by the transmitting device.

2. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle mounted bearing assembly is a wheel support bearing assembly including the outer member having the inner peripheral surface formed with the at least two axially spaced apart raceways, the inner member positioned inside the outer member and having the raceways defined therein in cooperative relation with and in alignment with the raceways in the outer member, and rows of the rolling elements positioned within the annular space, delimited between the inner and outer members, and accommodated in part within the raceways in the outer member and in part within the raceways in the inner member, and operable to rotatably support the vehicle wheel relative to the vehicle body structure.

3. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the status detecting sensor is one or both of temperature and vibration detecting sensors.

4. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal coordinating device is a data switching device for sequentially switching one of output signals from the first and second digitalizing device such that the signal coordinating device receives the output signals one at a time.

5. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first digitalizing device is operable to convert or encode the sensor output of the rotation detecting sensor, which has been digitalized thereby, into a digital data of a predetermined data format and then to output the digital data.

6. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotation detecting sensor is a device for generating a train of pulses and the sensor output of the rotation detecting sensor which has been digitalized by the first digitalizing device is a cycle data of the train of the pulses.

7. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting device is of a type capable of implementing spread spectrum communication.

8. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotation detecting sensor comprises an electric power generator.

9. The vehicle mounted bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting device is of a type utilizable as a mobile terminal connectable to a mobile communication network.

10. A vehicle mounted bearing assembly, operable to rotatably support a vehicle wheel relative to a vehicle body structure, which comprises:

an outer member having an inner peripheral surface formed with at least two axially spaced apart raceways;

an inner member positioned inside the outer member and having raceways defined therein in cooperative relation with and in alignment with the raceways in the outer member;

rows of rolling elements positioned within an annular space, delimited between the inner and outer members, and accommodated in part within the raceways in the outer member and in part within the raceways in the inner member;

a rotation detecting sensor for detecting a relative rotation between the outer and inner members;

at least one status detecting sensor for detecting a status of the bearing assembly other than the relative rotation that is detected by the rotation detecting sensor;

a transmitting device for transmitting wireless respective sensor outputs generated by the rotation detecting sensor and the status detecting sensor;

a first digitalizing device digitalizing the sensor output from the rotation detecting sensor; and

a second digitalizing device digitalizing the sensor output from the at least one status detecting sensor,

wherein the first digitalizing device generates a signal, representative of bits of the sensor output of the rotation detecting sensor, added with at least one redundant bit.