Patent Application
20100111457
The invention relates to a rolling bearing having a seal arrangement and having a sensor component which has a fastening flange, with the rolling bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring, between which are arranged rolling bodies, and in which the seal arrangement is provided with at least one seal element between the inner ring and outer ring.
It is generally known that rolling bearings for passenger motor vehicles or other vehicles can be fitted with a so-called encoder. An encoder has a sensor for measuring the rotational speed of a rotatable component, with the knowledge of which driving-stability-relevant signals for associated actuators can be generated in a control and regulating unit.
For example, DE 10 2004 026 199 A1 presents a rolling bearing arrangement with an encoder. The encoder is arranged on a bearing inner ring axially between a bearing outer ring and a radial flange for fastening a vehicle wheel. Here, the encoder is integrated in a seal arrangement which comprises a plurality of sealing lips in order to protect the rolling bearing from environmental influences. In said solution, it is difficult to retrofit a conventional bearing with an encoder. Furthermore, the proposed solution is of comparatively complex structural design, which undesirably increases production and assembly costs.
Furthermore, the utility model DE 87 07 880 U discloses a bearing whose seal is improved with the aim of preventing an accumulation of drain water in a gap region on the bearing outer ring. For this purpose, the outer ring is provided, in the region of a gap, with an inwardly inclined conical section on an outer lateral surface. In this way, drain water can flow out of the gap in the upper region of the outer ring when the outer ring is stationary, and can subsequently flow around the lateral surface of the outer ring under the force of gravity, and then drain down. A rotating inner ring promotes a centrifuging action. Said solution is intended to keep drain water away from the bearing interior, as a result of which the service life of the bearing is to be increased.
The object on which the invention is based is that of proposing a generic rolling bearing which permits simple retrofitting with a retrofittable encoder and which is well protected from environmental influences and therefore has a long service life.
The invention is based on the realization that retrofittable parts or attachment parts on a rolling bearing promote the formation of a so-called water sack. A water sack of said type is an undesired accumulation of liquid which usually forms between the outwardly pointing end side of the rolling bearing and that end side of the attachment part which points toward the rolling bearing. The formation of a water sack can be prevented by utilizing centrifugal forces if it is made possible for the liquid accumulation to flow out.
The invention therefore proceeds, according to the features of claim 1, from a rolling bearing having a seal arrangement and having a sensor component which has a fastening flange, with the rolling bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring, between which are arranged rolling bodies, and in which the seal arrangement is provided with at least one seal element between the inner ring and outer ring. It is also provided that the sensor component which has the fastening flange is designed as a retrofittable part, and that at least one water outflow opening is arranged in the region of the fastening flange.
Since, according to the invention, the sensor component which has the fastening flange is designed as a retrofittable or attachment part and water outflow openings are arranged in the region of the fastening flange, it is possible firstly for a structurally simple rolling bearing to be retrofitted with an encoder as a sensor component, and secondly for drain water to flow out, or be centrifuged out, through the water outlet openings. It is thus made possible for water which has entered into the region between the rolling bearing and the encoder to flow out, with a centrifugal force effect additionally promoting the outflow of water when the bearing ring is rotating.
By means of said design, it is achieved that no drain water can collect in the region of the fastening flange of the retrofittable part, in particular of an encoder flange.
According to one refinement of the invention, it is provided that the water outflow openings are arranged in the region of the rotatable bearing ring. In this way, the outflow opening is arranged relatively far outward, such that centrifugal forces act with the greatest intensity in the region of said water outflow openings. This promotes an outflow of water.
According to one preferred embodiment, the fastening flange can be fastened to the radial outer surface of the rotatable bearing ring, as a result of which it is relatively easily possible to retrofit or add an encoder to a rolling bearing. The retrofittable component is designed in particular as an encoder or as an MP encoder which is known per se.
A particularly simple and reliable fastening structure of the encoder is provided, according to a further embodiment of the invention, if the fastening flange has an annular-disk-shaped part with an encircling, axially extending collar web, such that the latter can be fastened to the rotatable bearing ring by means of an interference fit. Even though the encoder is fastened to the outside without additional fastening means, said encoder is held securely by means of a component which is simple and cheap to produce.
The sensor component may particularly preferably be an encoder, in particular an encoder component, and/or an electronic rotational speed sensor.
In order that water or any other liquid can flow out more effectively, it is advantageously provided that the fastening flange forms, with the seal arrangement, a radial air inlet gap which is connected to a radially inner ventilation opening and at least one radially outer water outflow opening. As a result of the ventilation opening, the formation of a vacuum is prevented in the flange region, that is to say the outflowing liquid can be replaced with air flowing in through the ventilation opening.
If the outer ring is the rotatable component of the rolling bearing, the invention provides that the at least one water outflow opening is arranged on the rotatable outer ring. In the case of a rotatable inner ring, said at least one outflow opening will be provided on the inner ring.
For the design of the openings according to the invention, several variants are possible.
One preferred variant consists in that a plurality of radial and/or axial grooves for an outlet of water are provided on the rotatable outer ring, which grooves are flow-connected to the at least one water outflow opening. In said embodiment, no additional outflow openings are required on the fastening flange of the retrofittable encoder, but the grooves are of substantially L-shaped design as viewed in longitudinal section through the rolling bearing, having a radial section, which adjoins the annular-disk-shaped part of the fastening flange, and having an axial section, which adjoins the encircling collar web of the fastening flange. Here, the collar web of the fastening flange is axially shorter than the axial section of the grooves, in such a way that an area of the grooves which is not covered by the collar web forms the at least one water outflow opening in each case. The grooves are very effective with regard to their function, and can be generated in a cost-neutral fashion during the forging process of the rotatable bearing ring.
In another variant of the invention, the water outflow openings, in particular outflow bores, are formed on the fastening flange. For this purpose, the sheet metal of the fastening flange is provided with bores in an additional machining step. The advantage of said solution is that no structural changes are necessary to the outer ring of an associated rolling bearing. The water outflow openings may be arranged or formed on the annular-disk-shaped part of the fastening flange and/or on the encircling annular collar web of the fastening flange.
In a further refinement of the rolling bearing according to the invention, it is provided that an annular-disk-shaped part of the fastening flange extends radially from the seal arrangement, with an inner edge of the annular-disk-shaped part being situated in a central region of the seal arrangement. In this way, air is practically sucked into the seal arrangement by the suction effect of the radially outflowing water, with drain water being effectively kept away from the seal arrangement, which leads to a long service life of the seal of the bearing.
The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of the appended drawing of an exemplary embodiment. In the drawing:
In the figures, identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols. The rolling bearing 1 illustrated in
In order to be able to electronically measure the rotational speed of a component which is mounted by means of the rolling bearing 1, for example for ABS, ASR and/or ESP purposes (ABS=anti-lock braking system, ASR=anti-slip regulation, ESP=electronic stability program regulation), a so-called encoder is arranged on the rolling bearing 1.
Said encoder comprises an encoder component 12 which has a fastening flange 11 and which is embodied as a sectored, ferromagnetic coating which can be detected by a measuring device. The fastening flange 11 consists of an annular-disk-shaped part 20 having an encircling collar web 14 which extends axially over a section of the outer ring 3.
According to the invention, the encoder component 12 which has the fastening flange 11 is designed as a retrofittable part or attachment part. Furthermore, according to the invention, water outflow openings 13 are arranged in the region of the fastening flange 11, which water outflow openings 13 prevent the formation of liquid accumulations between the fastening flange 11 and the seal 6.
As shown by the arrows in
The water outflow openings 13 are preferably arranged in the region of the rotatable bearing ring, in this case the outer ring 3, with the encoder 12 rotating with the outer ring 3. The fastening flange 11 is arranged on the outer side of the outer ring 3 and is designed as an annular-disk-shaped part with an encircling axial collar web 14, such that the latter can be plugged onto the outer ring 3 with an interference fit.
As shown in
In the variant illustrated in
In order that the ducts created by the grooves 17 and the fastening flange 11 are not completely covered radially at the outside by the fastening flange 11, the collar web 14 of the fastening flange 11 is axially shorter than the grooves 17 in the outer lateral surface of the outer ring 3. Those areas of the axial groove sections which are not covered by the collar web 14 therefore form the water outflow openings 13.
Alternatively or in addition to the grooves 17 which are open at their axial ends, the water outflow openings may be arranged or formed on the fastening flange 11 itself, as shown in
Said water outflow openings 18, 19 are punched or drilled into the fastening flange 11.
The water outflow openings 18 are formed, in
The invention is not restricted only to the examples shown. For example, instead of an encoder, it is also possible for some other retrofittable part or attachment part, in particular some other sensor component, to be provided. It is also possible for some other seal arrangement, some other encoder fastening solution or some other bearing design or rolling body design to be provided.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2007 001 963.9 | Jan 2007 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE2007/002293 | 12/19/2007 | WO | 00 | 7/10/2009 |
