Patent ID: 7011451

Claim:
A wheel bearing assembly comprising: a bearing comprising rolling elements and an outer member disposed around said rolling elements, said outer member of said bearing being configured to be fitted in a cylindrical inner surface of a fixed member; a rotary member configured to be rotatably supported in the fixed member through said bearing and configured to be mounted to a vehicle wheel; and a rotational speed sensor unit comprising a sensor comprising a sensor body and a sensor element embedded in said sensor body, said sensor body including a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical outer surface and a cylindrical inner surface, said sensor being configured to be fitted in the fixed member such that said cylindrical outer surface of said cylindrical portion is in contact with and supported by the cylindrical inner surface of the fixed member at an inboard side of said bearing said sensor body further including a radially inwardly extending protrusion protruding radially inwardly from said cylindrical portion, and said sensor element being embedded in said radially inwardly extending protrusion of said sensor body, an encoder mounted on said rotary member, and a sensor seal having a cylindrical outer surface and fitted in said sensor such that said cylindrical outer surface of said sensor seal is in contact with and supported by said cylindrical inner surface of said cylindrical portion, thereby sealing a gap between the fixed member and said rotary member, said sensor seal comprising a seal lip kept in sliding contact with said rotary member.