IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0051804
(1979-06-25)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Van Blerk, Victor B.
- Curchod, Donald B.
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Allegretti, Newitt, Witcoff & McAndrews
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
12 인용 특허 :
4 |
초록
A wheel alignment system and method for determining the thrust line of a vehicle and employing the thrust line when positioning the steerable wheels of the vehicle to a plane parallel to the thrust line as well as during the determination of set-back between laterally spaced wheels.
대표청구항
▼
1. In a wheel alignment system for a vehicle of a type having a laterally spaced pair of unsteered wheels and a thrust line, a system for detecting the thrust line of the vehicle comprising, in combination: a pair of transducer support assemblies, each including an elongated means, carried from one
1. In a wheel alignment system for a vehicle of a type having a laterally spaced pair of unsteered wheels and a thrust line, a system for detecting the thrust line of the vehicle comprising, in combination: a pair of transducer support assemblies, each including an elongated means, carried from one end by and disposed to extend alongside an associated one of said unstered wheels to a position at a substantially common predetermined distance beyond the unsteered wheels; means defining a first straight line between a distal end of each of said pair of said elongated means; detecting means, in each of said transducer support assemblies, for establishing a second straight line normal to a mid-plane of each of said unsteered wheels and for establishing a measured angle at each of said unsteered wheels, each of said measured angles defined between said first straight line and said second straight line; and computing means for determining said thrust line of said vehicle by computing one-half of a sum of said measured angles. 2. In a wheel alignment system according to claim 1 in which said means for sensing said angles comprises a potentiometer carried by said elongated means, means yieldingly coupling the wipers of said potentiometers for moving said wipers to define an angle with respect to its associated elongated means, the sum of the movement of the wipers associated with said unsteered wheels from a position normal to said elongated means serving to define the total toe of said unsteered wheels. 3. In a wheel alignment system for a vehicle having a steerable wheel, an unsteerable wheel, and a thrust line, a system for disposing a plane of said steerable wheel to a position parallel to the thrust line of said vehicle, said system comprising, in combination: a first transducer support assembly carried by said steerable wheel and a second transducer support assembly carried by an unsteerable wheel disposed in tandem spaced relation with respect to said steerable wheel on a same side of said vehicle, each said assembly including an elongated means carried from one end by and disposed to extend alongside an associated wheel to a position beyond the wheel, means for defining the thrust line of the vehicle, each said transducer support assembly including first sensing means for measuring angles, means defining a straight line between said first angle sensing means in each of said first and second assemblies for establishing a reference line at an angle to the thrust line, a difference between (a) a first angle defined between said elongate means of said second assembly and said thrust line of said vehicle, and (b) a second angle measured by the sensing means of said second assembly and defined by said elongate means of said second assembly and said reference line, defining a correction angle between said reference line and an imaginary line parallel to said thrust line, the angle between said imaginary line and said thrust line being taken through said angle sensing means of said second assembly; second sensing means for measuring a changing angle between (a) said elongate means of said first assembly attached to said steerable wheel and (b) said reference line; and comparing means for detecting when said moving angle is substantially equal to said correction angle whereby whenever said changing angle corresponds to said correction angle, the plane of said steerable wheel will lie parallel to the direction of the thrust line for advantageously measuring caster and camber. 4. In a wheel alignment system according to claim 3 in which said means serving to define said thrust line of the vehicle comprises a third transducer support assembly also including an elongated means carried from one end by and disposed to extend alongside a second unsteerable wheel to a position at a given distance beyond the tire carried by the second unsteerable wheel, said elongated means carried by said first unsteerable wheel extending a distance substantially equal to said given distance, said second unsteerable wheel being disposed in laterally spaced relation to said first unsteerable wheel, means defining a straight line between the distal end of each of said elongate means carried by said laterally spaced unsteerable wheels for establishing angles at each of said first and second unsteerable wheels, said angles being defined between said straight line and a line which is normal to said elongated means at each of said first and second unsteerable wheels, means for sensing said angles, one-half the sum of said angles so detected with respect to the unsteered wheels serving to define the angle of said elongated means with respect to the thrust line of the vehicle. 5. In a wheel alignment system according to claim 3 in which said means for defining the thrust line as one-half the sum of the angles defined between said elongated means with respect to the straight ahead orientation of the non-steerable wheels carrying same. 6. In a wheel alignment system for a vehicle, a system for detecting set-back between laterally spaced wheels comprising, in combination: means for aligning said wheels parallel to the thrust line of the vehicle; only two transducer support assemblies, each including an elongated means of a predetermined length and having two ends, said elongated means being carried from one end by and disposed to extend alongside an associated one of the wheels to a position at a substantially common predetermined distance beyond the wheels, each said elongated means being spaced a known distance from a mid-plane of its associated wheel; means for defining a first straight line between the distal end of each of said pair of elongated means and disposed at each wheel at an angle to a line normal to the plane of the wheel and for defining a second straight line between each of said other ends of said elongated means; sensing means for determining a set-back angle defined by said first straight line and said second straight line; and computing means for multiplying a tangent of the set-back angle by a sum of the displacement between the mid-planes of the wheels and both said known distances to determine the set-back as a distance which the axis of rotation of one wheel must be moved to become coaxial of the other. 7. The method of defining an alignment of a wheel relative to a thrust line of a vehicle of a type including two laterally spaced unsteerable wheels comprising the steps of establishing a single position disposed in a plane parallel to and alongside each said unsteerable wheel; at points that are a common, predetermined distance beyond each of said wheels, establishing a straight line between said positions; detecting angle at each of said unsteerable wheels defined between said straight line and a first line normal to the plane of one of the unsteerable wheels and between said straight line and a second line normal to the plane of the other unsteerable wheel; and computing one-half a sum of the two detected angles to define the angle of the plane of each unsteerable wheel with respect to the thrust line of the vehicle. 8. A method of detecting set-back of one wheel with respect to another laterally spaced therefrom on a vehicle comprising the steps of disposing the mid-planes of the wheels in substantially parallel spaced relation with respect to the thrust line of the vehicle, establishing a straight line between common positions beyond each tire, sensing the angle defined between said straight line and a line normal to the plane of one of the wheels, converting the degrees of said angle as detected directly to inches to correspond substantially to the set-back in inches for full size vehicles having a mid-plane displacement between the wheels of the order of 50 inches. 9. A method of detecting set-back according to claim 8 including the step of multiplying the tangent of said detected angle by the sum of said mid-plane displacement and any displacement of said common positions with respect to the mid-plane of each wheel to compute the set-back displacement. 10. In a wheel alignment system for a vehicle of a type having laterally spaced pair of unsteered wheels, a system for detecting the thrust line of the vehicle comprising, in combination: means, associated with each of said unsteered wheels, for defining a position in a plane parallel to a mid-plane of the wheel and at the same predetermined distance beyond each of said unsteered wheels and for defining a straight line extending between said positions and for defining a line normal to the mid-plane of the wheel and for sensing an angle between said straight line and said line normal to the mid-plane; and computing means for computing one-half the sum of said angles so sensed to define the angle of said mid-plane with respect to the thrust line of the vehicle. 11. A system for determining the offset angle between the thrust line of a wheel system and the geometric center line of the chassis of the vehicle carrying the wheel system comprising, in combination; on both sides of the vehicle, means for sensing the angle between the plane of an unsteered wheel and a line extending between first and second positions respectively on the axis of rotation of associated unsteered and steered wheels, first and second positions being displaced a common distance from the mid-plane of said unsteered and steered wheels on the same side of the vehicle and computing means for comparing said angles as sensed on both sides of the vehicles to determine the difference therebetween, said difference defining said offset angle. 12. A system for determining the amount of displacement comprising means for determining the difference between said angles according to claim 11 and means for multiplying the average length of the displacement between the front and rear axles of the vehicle by the tangent of said difference.
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