Device for mounting a bearing ring in a wheel pivot of an automotive vehicle.

Abstract

The invention relates to a mounting device for a bearing ring (2) in a cylindrical housing (30) the circumference of which is laterally delimited by a shoulder (31), characterized in that it comprises a body (1) intended to receive said ring and having, on one side, an internal peripheral rib (11) forming an axial stop for said ring and, on the opposite side, a series of deformable tangential tabs (12) intended to be folded, after mounting, onto the shoulder of said housing to fix said ring thereto. (Fig. 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Device for mounting a bearing ring in a wheel pivot of a motor vehicle

[0001] The invention relates, in general, to the field of bearings and is more particularly concerned with the mounting of these bearings on the wheel assemblies of motor vehicles.

[0002] It is known to assemble and lock cylindrical mechanical components using "circlips". Circlips are locking elements, in the form of flat, elastic rings, positioned in a groove previously formed on one of the components, thus creating a shoulder that allows the various components of the assembly to be locked and joined together.

[0003] In the automotive field, bearings are generally enclosed and retained on the wheel assemblies by means of a ring designed to prevent them from slipping. This ring is wedged between a thrust bearing located on its outer side and a circlip mounted on its inner side.

[0004] More specifically, the current bearing mounting solution consists of mounting them in a central housing formed in the wheel pivot by clamping the ring into it. The ring is then secured, on one side, by a shoulder formed in the pivot housing and, on the opposite side, by a circlip. However, this solution requires a preliminary operation on the pivot, machining an internal groove to accommodate and retain the circlip. This operation proves complex because it involves an internal area of ​​the pivot, resulting in a significant additional cost.

[0005] French patent application FR3135655A and French patent FR2962177B1 describe the use of circlips for mounting bearings in pivots. However, these circlips are necessarily positioned in grooves or slots formed on the pivots that receive the bearings, which therefore makes it impossible to eliminate them.

[0006] In this problematic context, the invention sought a technical solution allowing the mounting and locking of a bearing in a wheel pivot by means of an improved device not requiring the presence of any groove on this pivot.

[0007] This objective is achieved, according to a first aspect of the invention, by means of a device for mounting a bearing ring in a cylindrical housing whose perimeter is laterally delimited by a shoulder, characterized in that it comprises a body intended to receive said ring and having, on a first side, an internal peripheral rib forming an axial stop for said ring and, on the opposite side, a series of deformable tangential tabs intended to be folded down, after assembly, onto the shoulder of said housing to fix said ring thereto.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the mounting device of the invention, the side wall of the cylindrical body is provided with a longitudinal slot allowing its opening by elastic deformation for the introduction of said ring.

[0009] Another object of the invention is a method of mounting a bearing ring by means of a device as defined above in a wheel pivot of a motor vehicle having a cylindrical housing whose perimeter is delimited on a first side by a shoulder, characterized in that the body is opened to place said ring therein, the body with the ring is inserted through the second side into the housing of the pivot until the tabs protrude outside the first side, then said tabs are folded back behind the shoulder to fix the ring with the bearing in the housing of the pivot.

[0010] Yet another object of the invention is a wheel pivot of a motor vehicle comprising a central cylindrical housing the perimeter of which is delimited on a first side by a shoulder and intended to receive a bearing ring and a mounting device as defined above, characterized in that the inner diameter of the housing is greater than the outer diameter of the ring.

[0011] The invention provides that the difference between the inner diameter of the housing and the outer diameter of the ring corresponds substantially to the thickness of the body.

[0012] A final object of the invention is a motor vehicle equipped with at least one wheel pivot as defined above.

[0013] Thus, in its most general principle, the invention proposes to replace, in motor vehicles, the traditional circlips currently used for the mounting and locking of a ground connection assembly with a device whose structure does not require the presence, in this assembly, of a groove for receiving a circlip.

[0014] In particular, the invention relates to the mounting of a bearing ring in a wheel pivot of a motor vehicle by means of an improved device which alone ensures the locking of the ring in the pivot.

[0015] Consequently, the invention offers a significant cost saving by reducing the number of manufacturing operations for the pivot and, moreover, facilitates the bearing ring mounting process by eliminating the lengthy and laborious machining, mounting, and inspection operations of the pivot. Thus, the technical solution proposed by the invention constitutes a more economical alternative while guaranteeing the reliability of the bearing mounting.

[0016] Furthermore, the assembly method of the invention is designed to be reversible because the ring can be easily and quickly removed by lifting the legs to release the body with the ring which makes the task easier for maintenance teams.

[0017] The device and mounting method of the invention are not limited to an application to a wheel pivot. Indeed, the invention can be advantageously used for mounting a bearing ring in any cylindrical housing provided in a mechanical part and delimited, on one of its sides, by a peripheral shoulder.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying figures, for which:

[0019] [Fig. 1] is an exploded perspective view of a traditional mounting method of a bearing ring in a wheel pivot by means of a circlip.

[0020] [Fig.2] is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device of the invention for mounting a bearing ring in a wheel pivot.

[0021] [Fig.3] is a half cross-sectional view of the device of [Fig.2] for mounting a front bearing ring locking the lugs on the shoulder of the wheel pivot.

[0022] [Fig.4] is a half cross-sectional view of the device of [Fig.2] for mounting a bearing ring after locking the lugs onto the shoulder of the wheel pivot.

[0023] [Fig.5] is a side perspective view of the wheel pivot fitted with the device of [Fig.2] after mounting of the bearing ring.

[0024] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

[0025] Naturally, the embodiments of the mounting device of the invention schematically illustrated in the figures above and described below are given only by way of non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided for in the scope of the invention that different embodiments can be proposed and combined to create others.

[0026] The invention relates to the general field of ground connection assemblies and, in particular, wheel assemblies equipping motor vehicles and is more particularly concerned with devices for mounting the bearing ring in a wheel pivot integrated into such assemblies.

[0027] More specifically, the invention sought to develop a technical solution that is an alternative to circlips and adapted to the assembly of an assembly, as shown in [Fig. 1], comprising, in particular, a pivot 3 for a wheel assembly. This pivot 3 has a central housing 30 for receiving a bearing ring 2, which is locked in the traditional manner by a circlip 4 in the form of a ring. flat and elastic retained in an internal groove 30a. This housing 30 is delimited on the side opposite the groove 30a, by a peripheral shoulder 31 intended to prevent escape of the ring 2. The groove is generally made directly by machining the internal wall of the housing 30 during the manufacture of the pivot 3.

[0028] In order to simplify the making of the pivot and reduce its manufacturing cost, the invention aims to eliminate the presence of this groove and to replace the existing circlip with an improved device which reliably ensures the locking of the ring 2 in the housing 30.

[0029] To this end, the invention consists of proposing an improved mounting device, one embodiment of which is shown in figures 2 to 5. This device comprises a cylindrical body 1 intended to receive the bearing ring 2.

[0030] The lateral wall of the cylindrical body 1 is provided with a longitudinal slot 10 allowing the separation of this wall by elastic deformation to allow the introduction of the bearing ring 2.

[0031] The body 1 has, on a first side (the left side in [Fig.2]), an internal rib 11 extending peripherally and forming a stop to block the axial movement of the ring 2.

[0032] On the opposite side (the right side in [Fig.2]), the body 1 has a second shoulder 13 and a series of tabs 12 extending tangentially with respect to the lateral wall of the body 1, as illustrated in [Fig.3] before locking the body 1 in the pivot 3. These tabs 12 are deformable and are intended to be folded down onto the shoulder 31 of the housing 30 to lock the assembly of the body 1 with the ring 2 in the pivot 3, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

[0033] The mounting method for the bearing ring 2 is achieved using the device described above and carried out as described below. First, the body 1 is opened by pulling its side wall apart to accommodate the ring. Then, the body 1 with the ring 2 is inserted into the housing 30 of the pivot 3 on the side opposite the shoulder 31 until the tabs 12 protrude outwards on the opposite side, beyond this shoulder, as illustrated in [Fig. 3]. The tabs 12 are then folded back behind the shoulder 31 to secure and lock the assembly of the body 1 and the bearing ring 2 in the housing 30 of the pivot 3, as illustrated in [Fig. 5].

[0034] Because the traditional circlip is replaced by the mounting device of the invention, the presence of the groove 30a in the housing 30 of the pivot 3 is no longer necessary. However, the invention provides that, to ensure stable mechanical retention over time, the inner diameter of the housing 30 is greater than the outer diameter of the ring 2, and that the difference between these two diameters corresponds substantially to the thickness of the side wall of the body 1. In this configuration, the The fixing of the ring 2 in the pivot 3 is reinforced by a slight radial clamping between the inner wall of the housing 30 and the outer wall of the body 1.

[0035] The mounting of the bearing ring 2 in the pivot 3 is reversible. Disassembly can be carried out by separating the device of the invention. To this end, the tabs 12 are unfolded outwards (on the right side in the figures) to unlock the body 1, then an axial push is exerted on the ring 2 to slide the body 1 into the housing 30 until it is extracted from the opposite side (left side in the figures).

Claims

Demands

1. A mounting device for a bearing ring (2) in a cylindrical housing (30) the perimeter of which is laterally delimited by a shoulder (31), characterized in that it comprises a body (1) intended to receive said ring and carrying, on a first side, an internal peripheral rib (11) forming an axial stop for said ring and, on the opposite side, a series of deformable tangential tabs (12) intended to be folded down, after assembly, onto the shoulder of said housing to fix said ring thereto.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the side wall of the cylindrical body (1) is provided with a longitudinal slot (10) allowing its opening by elastic deformation for the introduction of said ring (2).

3. Method of mounting a bearing ring (2) by means of a device according to claim 1 or 2 in a wheel pivot (3) of a motor vehicle having a cylindrical housing (30) the perimeter of which is delimited on a first side by a shoulder (31), characterized in that the body (1) is opened to place said ring (2), the body with the ring is inserted through the second side into the housing of the pivot until the tabs (12) protrude outside the first side, then said tabs are folded back behind the shoulder (31) to fix the ring (2) with the bearing in the housing (30) of the pivot (3).

4. Motor vehicle wheel pivot (3) comprising a central cylindrical housing (30) the perimeter of which is delimited, on a first side, by a shoulder (31) and intended to receive a bearing ring (2) and a mounting device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner diameter of the housing (30) is greater than the outer diameter of the ring (2).

5. Wheel pivot according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the difference between the inner diameter of the housing (30) and the outer diameter of the ring (2) corresponds substantially to the thickness of the body (1).

6. Motor vehicle equipped with at least one wheel pivot (3) according to one of claims 4 or 5.

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