Wheel bearing arrangement for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974545-B2
Application number	US-201716346917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A wheel bearing arrangement for a motor vehicle, including a wheel support and a wheel hub which is rotatably mounted on the wheel support by a wheel bearing in order to secure a wheel and to which a shaft is rotationally fixed, wherein a wheel bearing seal sealingly lies, on the one hand, against an inner ring of the wheel bearing, said inner ring sitting on the wheel hub, and, on the other hand, against an outer ring of the wheel bearing, said outer ring being secured to the wheel support. It is provided here that a wheel bearing pre-seal is rotationally fixed to the shaft adjacently to the wheel bearing and engages by a seal protrusion in a pre-seal receiving area formed in at least some sections between the outer ring and the wheel support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wheel bearing arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a wheel support;
a wheel hub, which is rotatably mounted on the wheel support by a wheel bearing, fixed rotationally to a shaft, and provides an attachment to secure a wheel; and
a wheel bearing seal, which sealingly lies against an inner ring of the wheel bearing and against an outer ring of the wheel bearing, and which is bounded axially along a rotation axis of the wheel hub by the inner ring and the outer ring so as to not protrude axially beyond the wheel bearing,
wherein the inner ring sits on the shaft and the outer ring is secured to the wheel support,
wherein the wheel bearing arrangement further comprises a wheel bearing pre-seal separate from the wheel bearing seal,
wherein the wheel bearing pre-seal is rotationally fixed to the shaft adjacent to the wheel bearing and engages by a seal protrusion with a pre-seal receiving area,
wherein the pre-seal receiving area is formed in at least some sections between the outer ring and the wheel support,
wherein the seal protrusion of the wheel bearing pre-seal engages the pre-seal receiving area in a contactless manner.

2. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein, viewed in longitudinal section with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel hub, the wheel bearing pre-seal comprises a first arm engaging on the shaft and a second arm which forms the seal protrusion and is angled with respect to the first arm.

3. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein, peripherally with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel hub, the wheel bearing pre-seal continuously surrounds the shaft.

4. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the pre-seal receiving area is interrupted in a particular angular range about the rotation axis of the wheel hub for the formation of a drain channel.

5. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the outer ring is designed as asymmetric about the rotation axis of the wheel hub in a particular angular range to form a drain bevel.

6. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein, on the wheel bearing pre-seal, a peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring comprising at least one rotation angle encoder element is secured on the side of the wheel bearing pre-seal facing away from the wheel bearing.

7. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein, peripherally with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel hub, the wheel bearing pre-seal continuously surrounds the shaft.

8. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the pre-seal receiving area is interrupted in a particular angular range about the rotation axis of the wheel hub for the formation of a drain channel.

9. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the outer ring is designed as asymmetric about the rotation axis of the wheel hub in a particular angular range to form a drain bevel.

10. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein, on the wheel bearing pre-seal, a peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring comprising at least one rotation angle encoder element is secured on the side of the wheel bearing pre-seal facing away from the wheel bearing.

11. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-seal receiving area is interrupted in a particular angular range about the rotation axis of the wheel hub for the formation of a drain channel.

12. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 11 , wherein the outer ring is designed as asymmetric about the rotation axis of the wheel hub at least in the particular angular range to form a drain bevel.

13. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 12 , wherein, on the wheel bearing pre-seal, a peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring comprising at least one rotation angle encoder element is secured on the side of the wheel bearing pre-seal facing away from the wheel bearing.

14. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 11 , wherein, on the wheel bearing pre-seal, a peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring comprising at least one rotation angle encoder element is secured on the side of the wheel bearing pre-seal facing away from the wheel bearing.

15. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein, on the wheel bearing pre-seal, a peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring comprising at least one rotation angle encoder element is secured on the side of the wheel bearing pre-seal facing away from the wheel bearing.

16. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein a sensor device for detection of the at least one rotation angle encoder element is arranged adjacently to the peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring.

17. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 16 , wherein the sensor device is annular and forms a labyrinth seal together with the peripherally continuous rotation angle encoder ring.

18. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein, on the wheel bearing pre-seal, an additional seal is secured on the side of the wheel bearing pre-seal facing the wheel bearing,
wherein the additional seal is in sealing contact with the outer ring via a sealing element held between the wheel bearing seal and the outer ring.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Albl Johannes
• Frisch Michael

Classifications

• F16C33/805

  in addition to other sealings, e.g. dirt guards to protect sealings with sealing lips · CPC title

• B60B27/0005

  with ball bearings · CPC title

• F16C33/586

  outside the space between the races, e.g. end faces or bore of inner ring · CPC title

• F16C33/7879

  with a further sealing ring · CPC title

• F16C33/7886

  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 title