초록 ▼

Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus having active alignment determining means operatively mounted on the steerable and non-steerable wheels so as to be substantially insensitive to mechanical distortion of the vehicle wheels and operable in combination with wheel run out compensation means to produce

Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus having active alignment determining means operatively mounted on the steerable and non-steerable wheels so as to be substantially insensitive to mechanical distortion of the vehicle wheels and operable in combination with wheel run out compensation means to produce wheel alignment results of improved accuracy, and utilizing the improved arrangement of alignment apparatus for supplying information which can be used for computing the important angular relationship of the wheels to a vehicle reference.

대표청구항 ▼

In apparatus for determining the alignment positions of vehicle wheels in relation to a reference axis of the vehicle and to the thrust line of the non-steerable wheels, the improvement which comprises: (a) first alignment determining instruments carried by each of a set of steerable wheels so as to

In apparatus for determining the alignment positions of vehicle wheels in relation to a reference axis of the vehicle and to the thrust line of the non-steerable wheels, the improvement which comprises: (a) first alignment determining instruments carried by each of a set of steerable wheels so as to be in a substantially vertical plane containing the axis of rotation of said steerable wheels; (b) second alignment determining instruments carried by each of a set of non-steerable wheels so as to be in a substantially vertical plane containing the axis of rotation of said non-steerable wheels; (c) third alignment determining instruments supported from said steerable wheels in position to be in line-of-sight with each other transversely of the vehicle; (d) radiant energy beam projectors and beam sensors in each of said first, second and third alignment determining instruments in positions such that the radiant energy beams from first instruments are in the line-of-sight to be sensed by said beam sensors in second instruments, radiant energy beams from second instruments are in the line-of-sight to be sensed by said beam sensors in first instruments, said first and second instruments are arranged in cooperating pairs along opposite longitudinal sides of the vehicle so as to be spaced in the longitudinal direction between said steerable and non-steerable wheels; and (e) radiant energy beam projectors and beam sensors in said third alignment determining instruments in positions of cooperation transversely of the vehicle adjacent the steerable wheels, whereby said first and third instruments cooperate to generate signals determinative of the alignment positions of the steerable wheels relative to the vehicle reference axis and said second instruments cooperate with said first instruments to generate signals determinative of the thrust line effect of the non-steerable wheel on said steerable wheels.