Wheel bearing arrangement comprising a radial-flange-side encoder

1. A wheel bearing arrangement, comprising:

a hub having a rotational axis and a radial flange mounted about the rotational axis;

at least one non-rotating outer ring; and

at least one encoder being fixed on the hub where the radial flange leads radially away from the hub,

wherein the encoder surrounds an annular section of the outer ring in a circumferential manner radially on an outside face of the outer ring without contact, and

wherein the encoder is surrounded radially, without contact, by a protective sleeve, the protective sleeve having a first hollow-cylindrical section and a second hollow-cylindrical section, the first hollow-cylindrical section being connected integrally to the second hollow-cylindrical section by an additional section providing a space between the first hollow-cylindrical section and the second hollow-cylindrical section with the encoder being positioned in the space between the first hollow-cylindrical section and the second hollow-cylindrical section, the first hollow-cylindrical section being a radially outer most member and the second hollow-cylindrical section being radially inward relative to the first hollow-cylindrical section, and the second hollow-cylindrical section being fixed axially on the outside face of the outer ring.

2. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the encoder engages over the annular section of the outer ring axially and in a same direction as the rotational axis of the wheel bearing arrangement.

3. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the encoder is fixed to the hub by a support of the encoder, the support extending radially between the radial flange and the outer ring.

4. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one inner ring of is seated on the hub.

5. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the encoder is connected to the inner ring.

6. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one raceway for at least one row of rolling bodies is formed directly on the hub.

7. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the encoder is connected to a surface of the hub.

8. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein projections of fastening bolts project from the radial flange axially in a direction of the side of the radial flange which faces the wheel bearing arrangement, and wherein an encoding section of the encoder, which communicates with at least one sensor, is spaced radially from the projections and does not axially overlap the projections.

9. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 8 , wherein one of the projections which lies closest radially to the rotational axis is at a greater spacing from the rotational axis than the encoder protrudes radially from the rotational axis.

10. A wheel bearing arrangement, comprising:

a hub having a rotational axis and a radial flange;

at least one non-rotating outer ring having an annular section;

at least one sealing element; and

one encoder, the encoder being fixed on the hub where the radial flange radially leads away from the hub,

wherein the encoder surrounds the annular section of the outer ring in a circumferential manner radially on an outside face of the outer ring without contact,

the encoder and the sealing element form a sealing operative connection,

wherein the sealing operative connection is at least one gap seal between the encoder and the sealing element, the gap seal having at least one first sealing gap which extends around the rotational axis, and

wherein the sealing element is a protective sleeve radially surrounding the encoder without contact, the protective sleeve having a first hollow-cylindrical section and a second hollow-cylindrical section, the first hollow-cylindrical section being connected integrally to the second hollow-cylindrical section by an additional section providing a space between the first hollow-cylindrical section and the second hollow-cylindrical section with the encoder being positioned in the space between the first hollow-cylindrical section and the second hollow-cylindrical section and the encoder extending axially along an entire length of the second hollow-cylindrical section, the first hollow-cylindrical section being a radially outer most member and the second hollow-cylindrical section being radially inward relative to the first hollow-cylindrical section, and the second hollow-cylindrical section being seated fixedly in an axial direction on the outside face of the annular section of the outer ring.

11. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 10 , wherein the at least one first sealing gap is smaller than 1 mm.

12. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 10 , wherein a smallest free distance between the protective sleeve and the encoder is formed by the at least one first sealing gap which extends around the rotational axis.

13. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 12 , further comprising a sealing operative connection between the protective sleeve and the radial flange.

14. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the sealing operative connection is the at least one gap seal and a sealing contact between the encoder and at least one first sealing lip, the wheel bearing arrangement being sealed in the sealing operative connection first at the radial flange between the encoder and the at least one sealing element by the at least one first sealing gap externally against environmental influences, and then subsequently by the at least one first sealing lip, which follows the at least one sealing gap in the sealing operative connection.

15. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 14 , wherein the at least one first sealing lip bears sealingly against a disk-shaped support of the encoder.

16. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 14 , wherein a sealing operative connection is formed by a second gap seal having at least one second sealing gap between the protective sleeve and the radial flange.

17. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 10 , wherein a disk section is angled away from the second hollow-cylindrical section, and an elastic seal, which has at least one first sealing lip that is fixed on the disk section, the at least one first sealing lip bearing sealingly against a disk-shaped support of the encoder.

18. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the seal has two first sealing lips.

19. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the seal has a second sealing lip, the second sealing lip being prestressed sealingly towards the rotational axis of the wheel bearing arrangement.

20. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 19 , wherein the second sealing lip bears sealingly, in a radial manner, against at least one inner ring of the wheel bearing arrangement.

21. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 19 , wherein the second sealing lip bears sealingly in a radial manner against a surface of the hub.

22. The wheel bearing arrangement of claim 19 , wherein an elastic third sealing lip is fixed on the protective sleeve, the third sealing lip bearing sealingly against the radial flange.