WHEEL SPEED SENSOR FOR A UTILITY VEHICLE

Abstract

A wheel speed sensor for a utility vehicle, including: an active pulse sensor, a housing to at least partially enclose the active pulse sensor, and a protective cap to at least partially cover the housing; in which the wheel speed sensor has at least one component to adapt a temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensors so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A wheel speed sensor for a utility vehicle, comprising: an active pulse sensor, a housing to at least partially enclose the active pulse sensor, and a protective cap to at least partially cover the housing; wherein the wheel speed sensor has at least one component to adapt a temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensors so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment.

12. The wheel speed sensor of claim 11, wherein the wheel speed sensor has a region between the active pulse sensor and an environment of the wheel speed sensor, which region has a thermal insulation medium that has a lower thermal conductivity than a thermal conductivity of a material of the housing, as the component to adapt the temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensor so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment.

13. The wheel speed sensor of claim 12, wherein the wheel speed sensor has a closed cavity to enclose the thermal insulation medium therein.

14. The wheel speed sensor of claim 13, wherein the thermal insulation medium includes air.

15. The wheel speed sensor of claim 13, wherein the wheel speed sensor has multiple closed cavities.

16. The wheel speed sensor of claim 15, wherein the multiple closed cavities are arranged adjacent to one another.

17. The wheel speed sensor of claim 16, wherein the cavities have a honeycomb structure at least in regions.

18. The wheel speed sensor of claim 13, wherein the cavity is or the cavities are provided between an outer surface of the housing and an inner surface of the protective cap.

19. The wheel speed sensor of claim 11, wherein the active pulse sensor includes an AMR sensor as the component to adapt the temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensor so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment.

20. The wheel speed sensor of claim 19, wherein the AMR sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the wheel speed sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a juxtaposition of components of the wheel speed sensor according to the invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged illustration of a detail of an outer surface of a second component of the wheel speed sensor of FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of a first component of the wheel speed sensor having radial cable outlet, extrusion coated using the second component.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of the wheel speed sensor of FIG. 3 with installed protective cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a juxtaposition of components of the wheel speed sensor 1 of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The wheel speed sensor 1 is used in a utility vehicle (not shown). Alternatively, the wheel speed sensor 1 can also be used in other vehicles.

[0035] The wheel speed sensor 1 has an active pulse sensor 2 and a housing 3, which partially encloses the active pulse sensor 2.

[0036] The housing 3 has a first component 4 made of plastic and a second component 5 made of the same plastic, which is connected to the first component 4. Furthermore, the wheel speed sensor 1 has a protective cap 6, which partially covers the housing 3. In an alternative embodiment, the housing 3 of the wheel speed sensor 1 is completely covered. In FIG. 1, these parts are shown in an illustration arranged adjacent to one another. In the final form, the first component 4 having the active pulse sensor 2 is actually concentrically enclosed by the second component 5. The production takes place as follows: The first component 4 having preinstalled elements, namely the active pulse sensor 2, busbars 9, and a connecting cable 10, is extrusion coated using the same plastic from which the first component 4 was produced, whereby the second component 5 results, which quasi-envelops the first component 4. As shown in FIG. 1 at the right end of the first component 4, this component has a recess so as not to completely cover the active pulse sensor 2. Alternatively, this recess is not provided, and the active pulse sensor 2 is completely enclosed by the housing 3. In further alternative embodiments, all preinstalled elements are not provided, or the first component 4 is alternatively not extrusion coated, but rather, for example, a second component 5 consisting of multiple parts is slipped over the first component 4 and the parts are connected, for example, clipped to one another. Alternatively, the same plastic is not used.

[0037] The wheel speed sensor 1 has a region between the active pulse sensor 2 and an environment of the wheel speed sensor 1 having a thermal insulation material which has a lower thermal conductivity than a thermal conductivity of a material of the housing 3, and thus forms the component, using which the temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensor can be adapted so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment.

[0038] The region having the thermal insulation material has, as shown in more detail in FIG. 2—an enlarged illustration of a detail of an outer surface of the second component 5 of the wheel speed sensor 1 of FIG. 1—depressions 7, which are provided between the active pulse sensor 2 and an environment of the wheel speed sensor 1 and are open to the outside.

[0039] When the protective cap 6 is installed on the housing 3, multiple cavities are formed between the outer surface of the second component 5, thus the housing 3, and an inner surface of the protective cap 6 by the depressions 7. The wheel speed sensor 1 thus has multiple closed cavities, which are arranged adjacent to one another. In particular, the housing 3 has the cavities in a honeycomb structure, in which the cavities are arranged adjacent to one another in two directions and a smallest possible intermediate space is present between the cavities.

[0040] In alternative embodiments, the wheel speed sensor 1 does not have multiple, but only one cavity, which is configured so that the active pulse sensor 3 is insulated from high temperatures so that the temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensor 1 is adapted so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment. In further alternative embodiments, the housing 3 does not have a honeycomb structure, or the cavities are not arranged adjacent to one another. In other alternative embodiments, the cavities are also arranged between the outer surface of the housing 3 and the inner surface of the protective cap 6 or exclusively in the protective cap 6, or are not arranged between the outer surface of the housing 3 and the inner surface of the protective cap 6, but rather, for example, are provided completely inside the material of the protective cap 6 or of the second component 5 of the housing 3.

[0041] Air is enclosed in the cavities as a thermal insulation medium, which has a lower thermal conductivity than a thermal conductivity of the material of the housing 3, in particular of the second component 5. In alternative embodiments, another gas is enclosed in the cavities, or liquids or solids made of a material other than that of the housing 3.

[0042] The active pulse sensor 2 has an AMR Sensor as the component to adapt the temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensor so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in a high temperature environment.

[0043] The AMR sensor is configured to execute additional functionalities, namely a recognition of the rotational direction of one of the wheels, a measurement of an air gap between the pulse sensor and a pole wheel, a diagnostic functionality, for example, for magnetic parameters, a signal transmission with a parity bit, and a detection of a temperature of the wheel speed sensor. In alternative embodiments, only one or only a few of the functionalities are executed.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the first component 4 of the wheel speed sensor 1 having radial cable outlet 8, extrusion coated using the second component 5.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of the wheel speed sensor 1 having radial cable outlet having installed protective cap 6.

[0046] Furthermore, a utility vehicle has the wheel speed sensor 1. The additional functionalities of the active pulse sensor can be used in the utility vehicle field due to the provision of the wheel speed sensor 1 having the active pulse sensor and the component which adapts the temperature resistance capability of the wheel speed sensors so that the wheel speed sensor is usable in the high temperature environment.

[0047] All features represented in the description, the following claims, and the drawings can be essential to the invention both individually and also in any combination with one another.

THE LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS IS AS FOLLOWS

[0048] 1 wheel speed sensor

[0049] 2 active pulse sensor

[0050] 3 housing

[0051] 4 first component

[0052] 5 second component

[0053] 6 protective cap

[0054] 7 depression

[0055] 8 radial cable outlet

[0056] 9 busbar

[0057] 10 connecting cable