Patent ID: 7507029

Claim:
A tapered roller bearing assembly for supporting a vehicle wheel, comprising: an outer member having an inner peripheral surface formed with a plurality of tapered rolling faces with their reduced diameter end sides being close to each other; an inner member having a corresponding number of tapered rolling faces confronting the tapered rolling faces in the outer member; and a corresponding number of rows of tapered rollers interposed between the tapered rolling faces in the inner member and the tapered rolling faces in the outer member, respectively, wherein the inner member includes a hub axle having an outer periphery formed with a hub flange defined therein at a location adjacent an outboard end of the hub axle, and a single row inner race mounted externally on an inboard end of the hub axle, the hub axle and the single row inner race are formed with respective rolling faces which form the plurality of rolling faces, the single row inner race has a large collar defined therein at a location adjacent an inboard end thereof, a collar ring is mounted on a portion of the outer periphery of the hub axle adjacent the hub flange for engagement with a large diameter end of each of the tapered rollers of the outboard row, the hub axle comprises a collar ring mounting area of a cylindrical configuration defined in a portion of the hub axle on an inboard side of the hub flange and an arcuately sectioned surface area continued from the collar ring mounting area to a side face of the hub flange, the collar ring includes a cylindrical inner peripheral surface area held in contact with the collar ring mounting area, an end face held in abutment with the side face of the hub flange, and a non-contact inner peripheral surface area defined between the end face to the cylindrical inner peripheral surface area and held in non-contact relation with the arcuately sectioned surface area, an outer peripheral surface of the collar ring is formed as a stepped cylindrical outer peripheral surface having a large diameter portion on one side adjacent the hub flange and a reduced diameter portion on the other side, the large diameter portion of the collar ring radially confronts the inner peripheral surface of the outer member to form an annular gap therebetween, and a sealing member fitted to an inner peripheral surface of the outer member slidably contacts with either of the reduced diameter portion or with a sealing contact ring optionally mounted on the reduced diameter portion.