ROLLING-RIVETED WHEEL BEARING ARRANGEMENT WITH A STEPPED INNER RING

Abstract

The invention relates to a wheel bearing arrangement of a vehicle axle, including a wheel bearing, which contains at least two rolling element rows, for supporting a wheel hub which can be driven by a drive element. The rolling elements of the wheel bearing are guided in races of a stationary outer ring, the rotating wheel hub, and a separate inner ring which is allocated to the wheel hub. In the assembled state, the wheel hub of the wheel bearing arrangement and the drive element are operatively connected via gearing. The inner ring has a radially stepped inner contour, said inner contour having two diameters which differ from one another, and are received in a complementarily designed receiving area of the wheel hub. The position of the inner ring is fixed on the end face by a rolling riveted collar of the wheel hub.

Claims

1. A wheel bearing arrangement of a vehicle axle, comprising a wheel bearing that includes at least two rolling element rows having rolling elements for supporting a wheel hub that is driven by a drive element or a wheel hub that is not driven, the rolling elements of the wheel bearing are guided in raceways of a stationary outer ring and a rotating wheel hub and a separate inner ring allocated to the wheel hub, and the drive element is in an active connection with the wheel hub by gearing, the inner ring has a radially stepped inner contour that has two inner diameters (D.sub.1, D.sub.2) that deviate from each other and fit in a complementarily shaped receptacle of the wheel hub and is further fixed in position on an end side by a rolling riveted collar of the wheel hub.

2. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inner ring is installed in an installed state with a smallest inner diameter (D.sub.2) oriented toward the rolling-riveted collar.

3. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inner ring forms a projection overlapping and axially extending the rolling-riveted collar and interacting with a seal.

4. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a cartridge seal between the outer ring and the axially extending projection of the inner ring.

5. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a radially oriented wall of the inner ring is guided up to an annular gap on an inner contour of the outer ring.

6. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a disk-shaped cover element that overlaps or covers the rolling-riveted collar of the wheel hub is mounted on the outer ring.

7. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the cover element has a receptacle for a sensor that interacts with an encoder that is arranged on the inner ring, which are parts of a device for measuring rotational movements of the wheel bearing.

8. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the wheel hub is connected to the drive element by positive-fit spur gearing or internal gearing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Other features of the invention are given from the following description of the drawings in which embodiments of the invention are shown. The illustrated embodiments show examples of solutions according to the invention that, however, represent no conclusive delineation of the invention. Shown herein are:

[0020] FIG. 1 a cutout of a wheel bearing arrangement, whose wheel bearing has an inner ring with two inner diameters that deviate from each other,

[0021] FIG. 2 a wheel bearing arrangement with an inner ring that encloses, deviating from FIG. 1, a radially oriented, extended wall,

[0022] FIG. 3 another wheel bearing arrangement that comprises an end-side cover element,

[0023] FIG. 4 a wheel bearing arrangement in which a seal is inserted between the inner ring and the outer ring of the wheel bearing, and

[0024] FIG. 5 a known prior art wheel bearing arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show, relative to the known wheel bearing arrangement 1 described in the introduction according to FIG. 5, alternative embodiments of wheel bearing arrangements 21a to 21d of a vehicle axle with a wheel bearing that contains at least two rolling element rows in connection with an inner ring 27a to 27d constructed according to the invention.

[0026] In FIG. 1, of a wheel bearing 22 of the wheel bearing arrangement 21a, only one of two axially spaced part rolling element rows is shown whose rolling elements 23 are guided on the outside in a raceway 24 of an outer ring 25 that is connected, preferably in a rotationally locked way, with a wheel carrier (not shown). On the inside, the rolling elements 23 are guided in a raceway 26 of an inner ring 27a that is constructed according to the invention. The inner ring 27a is adapted with a radially stepped inner contour 28 that has two inner diameters D.sub.1, D.sub.2 deviating from each other with a positive fit in a receptacle 29 of the wheel hub 30, wherein a position is secured by a rolling-riveted collar 31 of the wheel hub 30 supported on the inner ring 27a on the end side. In the installed state, the wheel bearing arrangement 21a is connected to a drive element (not shown) by spur gearing 32 with a positive fit. The inner ring 27a constructed according to the invention is installed with the smallest inner diameter D.sub.2 oriented toward the rolling-riveted collar 31. The local thick section on the inside on the inner contour 28 causes a stiffening and a protection against an expansion of the inner ring 27a during the rolling riveting for forming the rolling-riveted collar 31. On the other side, a desired improved spring capability of the inner ring 27a is set by a thin-walled or narrow or tapering contour of the inner ring 27a on the side facing away from the rolling-riveted collar 31.

[0027] In FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, wheel bearing arrangements 2 lb to 21d are shown that are largely comparable with the wheel bearing arrangement 21a according to FIG. 2. Here, the reference characters for components or parts that are identical or functionally identical with those of FIG. 1 match. The following descriptions are therefore largely restricted to different constructions that are essential for the invention.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows the wheel bearing arrangement 21b, whose inner ring 27b forms a radially extended wall 33 that is guided up to an annular gap 34 on an inner wall 35 of the outer ring 25. The wall 33 protects the wheel bearing 22, for example, from the ingress of coarse contaminating particles or can be used in connection with another seal (not shown) for forming a seal labyrinth. Furthermore, the wall 33 provides the ability to mount an encoder 36 that is, together with a sensor 37 shown in FIG. 3, part of a device that is designed for measuring the rotational movement of the wheel bearing 22.

[0029] The wheel bearing arrangement 21c according to FIG. 3 contains a cover element 38 that is mounted on the outer ring 25, in particular, with a material fit or by an interference fit, and extends on the inside up to the wheel hub 30 and here overlaps the rolling riveted collar 31. The cover element 38 that is preferably made from a metallic material, for example, stainless steel, is provided just for a non-driven wheel bearing or in a combination with a subsequent seal for a driven wheel bearing, in particular, for creating an effective sealing of the wheel bearing 22. In addition, the cover element 38 can be used as a carrier element in that this forms a receptacle 39 for the sensor 37 that is positioned axially at a close distance to the encoder 36 arranged on the inner ring 27c.

[0030] According to FIG. 4, the inner ring 27d of the wheel bearing arrangement 21d forms an axially extending projection 40 on the side pointing toward the rolling-riveted collar 31. The projection 40 enclosing the rolling-riveted collar 31 at a radial distance and also called a rim has, on the outside, a cylindrical lateral surface 41 on which, for example, an elastic sealing lip of a seal arranged on the inner wall 35 of the outer ring 25 is supported. As an alternative it is provided to insert a cartridge seal 42 in the area defined radially by the projection 40 and the inner wall 35, wherein, for example, a centrifugal disk of the cartridge seal 42 is fixed in position on the projections 40. A sealing element (not shown) connected to the drive element can also be fixed on the projection 40 as an alternative to or in addition to the cartridge seal 42. This additional seal designed, for example, as a sleeve seal, here connects the wheel hub 3 to an articulated socket of the drive element.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0031] 1 Wheel bearing arrangement

[0032] 2 Flange

[0033] 3 Wheel hub

[0034] 4 Inner ring

[0035] 5 Rolling element row

[0036] 6 Rolling element row

[0037] 9 Rolling-riveted collar

[0038] 11 End side

[0039] 21a to 21d Wheel bearing arrangement

[0040] 22 Wheel bearing

[0041] 23 Rolling element

[0042] 24 Raceway

[0043] 25 Outer ring

[0044] 26 Raceway

[0045] 27a to 27d Inner ring

[0046] 28 Inner contour

[0047] 29 Receptacle

[0048] 30 Wheel hub

[0049] 31 Rolling-riveted collar

[0050] 32 Spur gearing

[0051] 33 Wall

[0052] 34 Annular gap

[0053] 35 Inner wall

[0054] 36 Encoder

[0055] 37 Sensor

[0056] 38 Cover element

[0057] 39 Receptacle

[0058] 40 Projection

[0059] 41 Lateral surface

[0060] 42 Cartridge seal