US 11,731,455 B2
Sensorized suspension assembly for vehicles, including a wheel hub unit and a suspension upright or knuckle, and an associated method and wheel hub unit
Maurizio Bertola, Turin (IT); Marco Cambiano, Cumiana (IT); Igor Dorrestijn, Woerden (NL); Alessandro Galeazzi, Piscina (IT); and Carmelo Gulli, Turin (IT)
Assigned to AKTIEBOLAGET SKF
Filed by Aktiebolaget SKF, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed on Aug. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/820,586.
Application 17/820,586 is a continuation of application No. 17/113,761, filed on Dec. 7, 2020, granted, now 11,453,239.
Claims priority of application No. 102019000023355 (IT), filed on Dec. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0396092 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. B60B 27/00 (2006.01); F16C 19/52 (2006.01); F16C 33/58 (2006.01); F16C 41/00 (2006.01); G01L 5/00 (2006.01); F16C 19/18 (2006.01)
CPC B60B 27/0068 (2013.01) [B60B 27/0078 (2013.01); F16C 19/522 (2013.01); F16C 33/586 (2013.01); F16C 41/00 (2013.01); G01L 5/0019 (2013.01); B60G 2204/115 (2013.01); B60G 2206/50 (2013.01); F16C 19/184 (2013.01); F16C 2233/00 (2013.01); F16C 2326/02 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle suspension group, comprising a wheel hub unit, a suspension upright for the wheel hub unit, and a sensorized system for detecting mechanical stresses acting on the wheel hub unit; the wheel hub unit comprising:
a radially outer ring stationary in use,
a flanged hub arranged coaxial and radially on an inside of the radially outer ring and facing, when in use, an outside of a vehicle, and
a plurality of rolling bodies inserted within the outer ring to render the flanged hub rotatable with respect to the outer ring,
wherein the sensorized system comprises,
four flats arranged angularly and spaced from one another on a radially outer lateral cylindrical surface of the outer ring, each flat extending axially over at least one pair of annular rolling tracks for the rolling bodies made on a radially inner lateral surface of the outer ring and orientated in a circumferential direction transverse to an axis of symmetry (A) of a radially outer lateral cylindrical surface of the outer ring, wherein the flats are formed on the radially outer lateral cylindrical surface of the outer ring;
a deformation sensing module fixed integrally on each flat and extending axially along an axial length of each flat, each sensing module including at least a pair of deformation sensor arranged at a respective annular rolling track for the rolling bodies and orientated according to a circumferential direction, so as to extend along a circumferential profile of the annular rolling track; and
an electric circuit to pick up a signal related to each sensing module in order to detect, in use and in real-time, forces and torques applied on a tire of a wheel mounted on the wheel hub unit.
 
5. A wheel hub unit for a vehicle suspension group comprising a sensorized system for detecting the mechanical stresses acting on the wheel hub unit and a suspension upright, the wheel hub unit configured to couple with the suspension upright of the vehicle suspension group, the wheel hub unit comprising:
a rolling bearing comprising a stationary radially outer ring, a flanged hub disposed coaxial and radially on an inside of the radially outer ring and facing, when in use, towards an outside of the vehicle, and a plurality of rolling bodies inserted within the outer ring for rendering the flanged hub rotatable with respect to the outer ring,
wherein the sensorized system comprises:
four flats arranged angularly and spaced from each other on a radially outer lateral cylindrical surface of the outer ring, each flat extending axially over at least one annular rolling track for the rolling bodies made on a radially inner lateral surface of the outer ring and orientated in a circumferential direction transverse to an axis of symmetry (A) of the radially outer lateral cylindrical surface of the outer ring, wherein the flats are formed on the radially outer lateral cylindrical surface of the outer ring;
a deformation sensing module fixed integrally on each flat and extending axially along an axial length of each flat, each sensing module including at least one deformation sensor arranged at a respective annular rolling track for the rolling bodies and orientated circumferentially so as to extend along a circumferential profile of the annular rolling track; and
an electric circuit for picking up a signal related to each sensing module,
wherein a position of each deformation sensor corresponds to a position of a respective portion of a flat surface delimited by each flat, on which portions of the deformation sensors are fixed integrally, the portions of the flat surface arranged at a crossing of a line of contact angle of each of the at least one annular rolling tracks with respect to the flat surface delimited by each flattening.