Patent ID: 7534046

Claim:
A wheel support bearing assembly to rotatably support a vehicle wheel relative to a vehicle body structure, comprising: an outer member having an inner peripheral surface formed with a plurality of circumferentially extending outer raceway surfaces; an inner member having circumferentially extending inner raceway surfaces defined therein in alignment with the outer raceway surfaces in the outer member; and rows of rolling elements operatively interposed between the outer raceway surfaces in the outer member and the inner raceway surfaces in the inner member, wherein the inner member includes a hub axle having a radially outwardly extending flange for securement of the vehicle wheel thereto and an inner race mounted on an inboard end of the hub axle, with the inner raceway surfaces in the inner member being defined in the inner race and the hub axle, respectively, wherein a to-be-detected member is provided on a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the inner member, which is between the raceway surfaces defined in the inner race and the hub axle, and sensors cooperable with the to-be-detected member are provided in the outer member in alignment with the to-be-detected member, the sensors being a rotation sensor and a displacement sensor, wherein the to-be-detected member is in the form of an annular member having a cylindrical wall with a magnetic encoder mounted thereon to detect rotation, the cylindrical wall being mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the inner race, and a flange protruding radially outwardly from the cylindrical wall, and wherein the displacement sensor detects a change of an axial gap between the flange of the to-be-detected member and the displacement sensor.