CLIAMS:1. A Axle Wheel end System comprising:
a brake assembly, and a wheel end apparatus, wherein said wheel end apparatus comprises:
a wheel hub assembly having a wheel hub unit; and
at least one oil slinger component coupled to said wheel hub unit, said oil slinger component characterized in that comprising a plurality of serrations to support generating signal using sensor for indicating a speed of a wheel Hub and/or to avoid entry of oil into said brake assembly.

2. The Axle Wheel end System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oil slinger component is provided for axle assembly of both anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and/or Non-anti-lock braking system (Non-ABS) version Axles.

3. The Axle Wheel end System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oil slinger component is manufactured by selecting at least one material, preferably a sheet metal of thickness in the range of 1.5-4.0mm, and thereby fabricated using at least one process preferably a forming process.

4. The Axle Wheel end System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oil slinger component is coupled onto said wheel hub unit using at least one integration process selected from lap joint or Spot welding or bolting or any combination thereof.

5. The Axle Wheel end System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said serration supports in generating a signal indicating speed by sensor to sense the speed of the wheel hub which is further communicated to an electronic control unit (ECU) of the Vehicle for brake functioning.

6. The Axle Wheel end System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oil slinger component is an integrated pole wheel slinger providing functionality of pole wheel and/or oil slinger.

7. An oil slinger component comprising:
around-shaped body having an outer periphery and an inner periphery, wherein said outer periphery includes plurality of aperture;
a central aperture enclosed within an edge formed at a first diameter, said inner periphery surrounding said central aperture at a second diameter, wherein said second diameter is greater than said first diameter;
a plurality of serrations separating said inner periphery and said edge, to support in generating signal indicating a speed of a wheel hub by sensor and/or to avoid entry of oil into a brake assembly during any issues in oil seals.

8. The oil slinger component as claimed in claim 7, further comprises at least one extended lip to prevent entry of oil into a brake assembly.

9. The oil slinger component as claimed in claim 7, is manufactured by selecting at least one material, preferably a sheet metal of thickness in the range of 1.5-4.0mm, and thereby fabricated using at least one process preferably a forming process.

10. A wheel end apparatus in a Axle Wheel end System comprising:
a wheel hub unit; and
an oil slinger component coupled to said wheel hub unit;
where in, said oil slinger component includes a plurality of serration to support in generating a signal indicating a speed of a wheel hub by sensor and/or to prevent entry of oil into a brake assembly during any issues in oil seal.

11. The wheel end apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said oil slinger component further comprises an extended lip to prevent entry of oil into a brake assembly.

12. The wheel end apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said oil slinger component is coupled onto said wheel hub unit using at least one integration process selected from lap joint or Spot welding or bolting or any combination thereof.

13. A method for fabricating an integrated pole wheel slinger, the method comprising:
selecting, at least one material, preferably a sheet metal of thickness in the range of 1.5-4.0mm;
blanking, by using at least one cutting process, preferably a shearing or stamping process, said sheet to a specific shape;
drawing, by using at least one process, preferably a forming process, said sheet to said specific shape;
fine blanking, by using at least one process, preferably stamping or material forming, plurality of teeth /serrations on said sheet to obtain said integrated pole wheel slinger, trimming, the sharp edges of said integrated pole wheel slinger.
,TagSPECI:TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to axle wheel end system (Drive / Steer / Non Steer / Non drive Axles) and more particularly to an oil slinger component in the Axle wheel end system for having provision of anti-lock braking system (ABS) and/or non-anti-lock braking system (Non-ABS).

BACKGROUND

[002] Axle Wheel end System, commonly used in a vehicle, is a rotary member that includes, but not limited to, brake assembly, an oil slinger component, and a wheel hub assembly. The Axle wheel end assembly that includes provision of anti-lock braking system (ABS) or a non-anti-lock braking system (Non-ABS) is well known in the art.

[003] In case of an anti-lock braking system (ABS), the Axle Wheel end System in addition to the above mentioned components, incorporates a wheel speed detecting apparatus to detect rotational speed of the wheel Hub. The wheel Hub speed is sensed so as to adjust the air / Hydraulic pressure for braking. The wheel Hub speed detecting component is popularly known as a pole wheel/tone ring / Abs ring.

[004] Typically, the pole wheel / Tone ring / Abs ring component is a rotary member attached to the rotating wheel Hub of the Axle assembly of an automobile and constitutes an encoder for detecting the rotational velocity together with a magnetic sensor attached to the fixed side. The pole wheel/tone ring is fitted on to the wheel hub and provided with multiple serrations / teeth's so that the magnetic sensor can sense the speed of the wheel Hub and send it to electronic control unit (ECU) for ABS functioning. However, this pole wheel/tone ring component may be present in case of a Non-ABS version Axles. An existing design of a pole wheel component is illustrated in figure 2(a).

[005] The oil slinger component in an Axle Wheel end System, as shown in figure 2(c), prevents the migration of oil along a rotating shaft, either after the oil has performed a lubricating function or to avoid the oil from reaching areas where oil is detrimental. When there is an issue in oil seal, grease, oil may leak through oil seals and can enter into brake assembly and thereby affecting brake function & it parts. Therefore the wheel end assembly system is provided with the oil slinger component so as to protect the brake assembly against the entry of oil.

[006] Conventionally, the oil slinger component is different for ABS version Axles and Non-ABS version Axles. Due to the absence of pole wheel component in Non-ABS version Axle, the oil slinger component is provided with an extended lip so as to avoid leakage of oil into the brake assembly. The conventional arrangement of an oil slinger onto a wheel hub for Non-ABS version is illustrated in figure 4. However, in ABS version Axle, the arrangement of pole wheel component and oil slinger component is of two piece design in which the pole wheel component is pressed on to a wheel hub unit and the oil slinger component is bolted onto the wheel hub unit separately. The conventional arrangement of pole wheel and oil slinger fitted onto a wheel hub for ABS version is illustrated in figure 3. Further the pole wheel/tone ring component is provided with holes so that in case oil gets leaked from the wheel end, oil can pass through these holes and thereby drains oil / grease, out of the wheel hub assembly with the help of the oil slingers, thereby avoiding the effect on the brake functionality.

[007] Due to two different types of oil slingers component for ABS and Non-ABS version Axles, there exists difficulties in handling inventory, procurement, mix-up and wrong supply, and high cost of manufacturing & also resulting in maintaining 2 standards for manufacturing, resulting in different tooling for part development & assembly ,which in turn will also affect productivity & cost.

[008] Thus, in view the above mentioned problems, there exists a dire need to minimize variants of the oil slinger component by communizing the oil slinger component for both ABS / Non Abs versions of Axle Assembly wheel end system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[009] The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented later.

[0010] The main object of the present invention is to overcome the hitherto drawbacks of the existing variants of the oil slinger component as mentioned above.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for standardizing an oil slinger component for both ABS and/or Non-ABS version of Axle Assembly wheel end system.

[0012] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for integrating pole wheel component into an oil slinger components.

[0013] Accordingly, in first aspect, the present invention provides an Axle Wheel end System comprising, a brake assembly, and a wheel end apparatus, wherein said a wheel end apparatus comprises: wheel hub assembly and at least one oil slinger component coupled to said wheel hub unit, said oil slinger component characterized by comprising a plurality of serration to provide signal indicating a speed of a wheel Hub and/or to avoid entry of oil into said brake assembly when there is an issue in oil seal performance.

[0014] In second aspect, the present invention provides an oil slinger component comprising:
A round-shaped body having an outer periphery and an inner periphery, wherein said outer periphery includes plurality of aperture;
a central aperture enclosed within an edge formed at a first diameter, said inner periphery surrounding said central aperture at a second diameter, wherein said second diameter is greater than said first diameter;
a plurality of serrations separating said inner periphery and said edge, to provide at signal indicating a speed of a wheel Hub and/or to avoid entry of oil into a brake assembly when there is an issue in oil seal.

[0015] In third aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus in a Axle Wheel end System comprising a wheel hub unit and an oil slinger component coupled to said wheel hub unit, wherein said oil slinger component includes a plurality of serration to provide signal indicating a speed of a wheel Hub and/or to avoid entry of oil into a brake assembly.

[0016] In fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method for fabricating an integrated pole wheel slinger, the method comprising:
§ selecting, at least one material, preferably a sheet metal of thickness in the range of 1.5-4.0mm;
§ blanking, by using at least one cutting process, preferably a shearing or stamping process, said sheet to a specific shape;
§ drawing, by using at least one process, preferably a forming process, said sheet to said specific shape;
§ Fine blanking, by using at least one process, preferably stamping/ metal forming, plurality of teeth /serrations on said sheet to obtain said integrated pole wheel slinger, Trimming, the sharp edges of said integrated pole wheel slinger.

[0017] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0018] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of axle assembly wheel end system with the related wheel end and ABS components, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0019] Figure 2(a) illustrates a design of a conventional pole wheel component used in Axle Assembly for provisioning ABS system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0020] Figure 2(b) illustrates a design of an existing wheel hub unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0021] Figure 2(c) illustrates a design of a conventional oil slinger component, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0022] Figure 4 illustrates an arrangement of oil slinger onto a wheel hub for Non-ABS version with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0023] Figure 3 illustrates an arrangement of pole wheel and oil slinger coupled onto wheel hub for ABS version with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0024] Figure 5 illustrates a new design of standardizing oil slinger component for both ABS and Non-ABS version Axles with an embodiment of the present subject matter
[0025] Figure 6 illustrates an arrangement of an integrated pole wheel oil Slinger component being coupled onto wheel hub unit with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0026] Figure 7 illustrates a technique for integrating pole wheel to oil slinger with an embodiment of the present subject matter

[0027] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0028] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.

[0029] Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0030] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0031] It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0032] By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide.

[0033] Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

[0034] It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

[0035] Referring now to figure 1 a schematic representation of Axle assembly wheel end system, wheel end apparatus and ABS components is illustrated. In one implementation, an axle housing is a stationary rigid member, over that the wheel hub assembly is mounted as shown in the figure. The wheel hub is a rotary member which rotates over the bearing mounted on the Axle Housing. The wheel hub may be grease / oil lubricated and Differential unit is oil lubricated.

[0036] Referring now to figure 5 a new design of an oil slinger component for both ABS and Non-ABS versions of Axle Assembly is illustrated. In one implementation, the oil slinger component is of sheet metal part and manufactured using a forming process. Initially, the sheet metal may be cut into blank, and will be formed to the required shape and then the serrations can be blanked on it. In conventional arrangement, the oil slinger component was of a sheet metal and pole wheel was a forging or a round piece and was turned to the specification along with serration. The present invention provides an integrated pole wheel slinger wherein the overall parts in a Axle Wheel end System for Axle Assembly reduced from 4 to 2.

[0037] Referring now to figure 6 an arrangement of an integrated pole wheel oil Slinger component being coupled to the wheel hub unit is illustrated. In one implementation a grove is provided in a wheel hub and oil slinger is pressed on to the wheel hub unit using a hydraulic press. The interference is designed to withstand the rotational torque and ensures oil slinger will be intact with wheel hub as shown in figure 6.

[0038] Referring now to figure 7 techniques for integrating pole to oil slinger is illustrated. In one implementation

[0039] In one implementation, in the new design of an oil slinger component, the pole wheel serrations may be directly blanked onto the oil slinger keeping all the technical requirements same as the conventional proven design. The oil slinger component is provided in anti-lock braking system (ABS) and/or Non-anti-lock braking system (Non-ABS) versions of Axle Assembly wheel end.

[0040] In one implementation, the oil slinger component may be manufactured by integrating a pole wheel component into the oil slinger. The plurality of serrations provided on the oil slinger will support for generation of a signal indicating speed by sensor to sense the speed of the wheel Hub which is further communicated to an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle for brake functioning.

[0041] In one implementation, the oil slinger component may be made of a sheet metal and manufactured using a forming process.

[0042] In one implementation, the pole wheel component may be integrated onto the oil slinger providing functionality of pole wheel and/or oil slinger.

[0043] In one implementation, oil slinger component is manufactured by selecting at least one material, preferably a sheet metal of thickness in the range of 1.5-4.0mm, and thereby fabricated using at least one process preferably a forming process.

[0044] In one implementation, the oil slinger component is coupled to the wheel hub unit using at least one integration process selected from lap joint or spot welding or bolting or any combination thereof.

[0045] In one implementation, a simple sheet metal formed oil slinger component can be used for both the versions of Axle assembly, which has extended lip for protecting oil as well pole wheel serrations are blanked in it.

[0046] Some of the advantages of the present invention are mentioned below:

1. By changing the pole wheel design from Forged to Sheet metal the Overall cost of the Axle Wheel end System is reduced,
2. By integrating Pole Wheel to Oil Slinger the numbers of components required for wheel end assembly on axles will be reduced.
3. Development lead time, inventory handling, mix-up, wrong supply will be reduced, and thereby increasing the productivity making effective by utilizing available resources.
4. Energy / Power required for heating (during forging process) will be reduced.

[0047] It may be understood by the person skilled in that art that, the coupling, joining, fitting of the two components mentioned the present invention may be achieved by any of the existing coupling techniques that may include but not limited to welding and the like.

[0048] Although a Axle Wheel end System with an integrated pole wheel oil slinger have been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the embodiments disclosed in the above section are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods or devices described. Rather, the specific features are disclosed as examples of implementations of a Axle Wheel end System with an integrated pole wheel oil slinger.