Device for attachment to a wheel and wheel with such a device

• US 7,860,633 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AB SKF
• Original Assignee: AB SKF
• Inventors: Stubenrauch, Arno, Graf, Jens, Mol, Hendrik Anne, Bugden, Russell, Knoche, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US12/435,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 736/660, 701/69, 701/60, 735/93, 736/60, 736/69
• US Class Current: 701/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/045 Acoustic or vibration analysis

Abstract

A device for attachment to a motor vehicle wheel includes an arrangement which, during movement or driving of the motor vehicle, detects vibrations which occur, evaluates the vibrations for an incipient fault state of a wheel bearing of the vehicle wheel, and delivers a signal when the monitoring or evaluation yields or indicates the incipient fault state.

Claims

1. A vehicle wheel of a motor vehicle to which is attached a device, the wheel comprising a rim, a wheel bearing, and a plurality of lugs threadably engaged with threaded bolts so that the lugs are located on an outwardly facing side of the rim, and the device comprising a support mounted to the wheel of the motor vehicle, means provided on said support for detecting vibrations which occur during driving of the motor vehicle and for evaluating the vibrations for an incipient fault state of the wheel bearing, and a visual indicator outside the vehicle which provides a visible signal of the incipient fault state when the evaluation indicates the incipient fault state, the device being mounted on the outwardly facing side of the rim.

2. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the means is provided between two adjacent threaded bolts of the wheel.

3. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the device is secured to the wheel via at least one of the lugs and one of the threaded bolts.

4. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the support is provided with two spaced apart through holes, and the wheel comprises a wheel bearing flange from which extends two of the threaded bolts, the threaded bolts each passing through one of the through holes in the support.

5. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the means comprises an acceleration sensor which detects the vibrations.

6. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the means comprises a microcontroller unit which evaluates the vibrations for the incipient fault state of the greased roller bearing.

7. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the visual indicator comprises a light emitting diode which provides the signal when the evaluation indicates the incipient fault state of the greased roller bearing.

13. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a battery on the support.

8. A device adapted to be attached to a wheel of a motor vehicle which comprises a wheel bearing having a greased roller bearing, the device comprising a support adapted to be mounted to the outwardly facing side of a rim of the wheel, means provided on said support for detecting vibrations which occur during driving of the motor vehicle and for evaluating the vibrations for an incipient fault state of the greased roller bearing, and a visual indicator directly on the support which provides a visual signal of the incipient fault state when the evaluation indicates the incipient fault state.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the means is adapted to be provided between two adjacent threaded bolts of the wheel.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is adapted to be secured to the wheel via at least one lug and one of threaded bolt of the wheel.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein the support comprises two spaced apart holes adapted to receive respective threaded bolts of the wheel.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein the means for detecting vibrations comprise an acceleration sensor.

14. A vehicle wheel of a motor vehicle to which is attached a device, the wheel comprising a rim, a wheel bearing having a greased roller bearing, and a plurality of lugs threadably engaged with threaded bolts so that the lugs are located on an outwardly facing side of the rim, and the device comprising a support mounted to the wheel of the motor vehicle, means provided on said support for detecting vibrations which occur during driving of the motor vehicle and for evaluating the vibrations for an incipient fault state of the greased roller bearing, and a visual indicator outside the vehicle which provides a visible signal of the incipient fault state when the evaluation indicates the incipient fault state, the device being mounted on the outwardly facing side of the rim.