Bearing seal with data sensor and an internal reinforcement having an insulating film and a conductive track disposed thereon
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a bearing assembly with a data sensor and, more particularly, to a seal with a sensor element for mounting on a fixed ring of a bearing. 
     French Patent No. 2,574,501 describes a bearing seal and a bearing in which the sensor device consists of a support plate carrying a contact assembly to which the sensor and the feeder terminals are connected. 
     When the sensor device carries a Hall-effect probe, the sensor element has a reduced size. However, the Hall-effect element is sensitive and must be protected, jointly with its connections, by a housing that increases the space required by the sensor device. Such a housing cannot be mounted on bearings having an internal diameter of the inner ring of less than 20 mm or having an insufficient radial separation between the respective flanks of the stationary ring and the rotating ring. 
     French Patent No. 2,655,735 describes a sensor device consisting of a flexible circular film that carries a conducting circuit. Such a sensor device must be mounted on a bearing with a predetermined diameter. Moreover, it is known that the resolution of the signal delivered by the sensor device depends on the arrangement of the conducting circuit and consequently on the dimension of the bearing. 
     The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present devices and methods. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the invention, this is accomplished by providing a seal with a data sensor for mounting on a stationary ring of a bearing in proximity to an encoder element carried by a rotating ring of the bearing. The seal includes an internal reinforcement, an insulating film mounted on the reinforcement, and a conductive track supported by the insulating film. A sensor element is in contact with the insulating film and the conductive tracks. Constitutive material of the seal covers at least a portion of the reinforcement and the insulating film. 
     The foregoing and other aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a ball bearing equipped with a seal according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seal of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a different portion of the seal of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variation of the seal of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a part of the reinforcement of the seal according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views illustrating a part of the reinforcement of the seal according to other embodiments of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the reinforcement of the seal of one embodiment of the present invention along the line IX--IX of FIG. 8; and 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views illustrating two additional embodiments of a bearing equipped with a seal according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a stationary outer ring 1 and a rotating inner ring 2 that have bearing races in contact with rolling elements 3. The rotating inner ring 2 has an encoding element 5 consisting, for example, of a ring mounted so that it passes in front of a data sensor element 6 carried by a seal 7 with internal reinforcement 8. The seal 7 is carried by the stationary outer fixed ring 1 and has a sealing lip 9 that is in contact with the ring 2. 
     According to the invention, the sensor element 6 is in contact with insulating film 11 glued or deposited on one side of the reinforcement 8. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the part of the reinforcement 8 to which the film 11 is attached. The external surface of the film 11 supports conductive tracks 12 whose extremities are respectively connected to the sensor element 6, that is not covered with any additional housing and consists of an electronic Hall effect probe and electronic components, and to connection terminals 13. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the reinforcement 8 in which each sensor element consists of a set of probes 6,6&#39; that are individually connected by conductive tracks 12 to the connection terminals 13 to increase the resolution of the signal or to give data regarding the direction of rotation. 
     The connection terminals 13 allow the connection of a feeder cable 14. For this purpose, the reinforcement 8 has a cut window 17 located in the proximity of the insulating film 11 which allows the passage of the feeder cable 14 through the reinforcement and connection of the feeder cable 14 to the terminals 13. 
     FIG. 3 shows that connection pins 18, that pass through the window 17, may be provided for the connection of a connector or a set of sockets adjacent to the end of the sheath of cable 14. The connection pins 18 can be uncovered or coated locally by the constitutive material of the seal in the form of a lateral sleeve 28, carried by one side of the seal as shown in phantom in FIG. 3, or they can be connected by soldering them to the cable 14. Alternatively, the connection pins 18 may be partially protected by a projection 25, against which a connector can be braced. 
     FIG. 4 shows that the cable 14 passes through the window 17, and that it may be connected by soldering point 16 to the conductive tracks 12. The assembly formed by the reinforcement 8, the film 11, the sensor 6, the tracks 12, the cable 14 and the soldering points 16 may be compound-filled by the constitutive elastomer of the seal. 
     According to the embodiment of the reinforcement shown in FIG. 5 or 7, the window 17 is covered by the film 11. According to the example of a reinforcement illustrated in FIG. 6, the window 17 is shifted circumferentially with respect to the film 11. 
     FIGS. 8 and 9 describe an alternative embodiment of the reinforcement 8 in which an axial extension of the conductive tracks 12 is obtained at the level of a blade terminal 20 contiguous with the edge of the window 17. The blade terminal 20 is shaped to match the cut of the window and is covered by the insulating film 11 that supports the tracks 12. The blade terminal 20 in this way fulfills the function of a connection means. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate seals whose reinforcement 8 includes a fixed wing 21, that is mounted on the stationary outer ring 1 and positioned toward the interior of the bearing, and a movable wing 22, that is mounted on the rotating inner ring 2 and positioned toward the interior of the bearing. Film 11 extends along the reinforcement 21 and along a blade terminal, such as 20, or along an edge 23 of said reinforcement. The film 11 is covered according to the different embodiments of the reinforcement by the constitutive material of the seal, but the constitutive material does not extend along the external edge 23 or along the blade terminal 20 for the purpose of facilitating the connection with a cable. 
     Without exceeding the scope of the invention it is clear that the sensor element 6 can be formed of two Hall-effect components for the purpose of increasing the resolution of the signal. Additional components such as resistors or diodes allow the completion of the processing of this signal. 
     The present invention provides a bearing assembly whose data sensor is protected by the constitutive material of the seal without a separate housing requiring additional space. 
     According to the invention, the sensor element is in contact with an insulating film that supports conductive tracks and electronic components mounted jointly on the reinforcement of the seal and covered by the constitutive material of the seal. The seal, so manufactured, provides effective protection for the sensitive Hall-effect sensor element and allows simplified manufacturing because the coating of the sensitive element and of the connection means can be provided during the manufacture of the seal.