초록 ▼

An improved method, and apparatus for performing the method, is disclosed for measuring and correcting the individual toe of pairs of steerable and non-steerable wheels of a vehicle relative to a longitudinal centerline passing through the midpoints of the wheel pairs. The improved methods utilize a

An improved method, and apparatus for performing the method, is disclosed for measuring and correcting the individual toe of pairs of steerable and non-steerable wheels of a vehicle relative to a longitudinal centerline passing through the midpoints of the wheel pairs. The improved methods utilize aimable alignment heads which are alternately mounted on the non-steerable wheels and the steerable wheels and are sighted only once on targets on the other wheels thereby eliminating the need for resighting after each toe adjustment is made. Optical cross-toe paths of each head operate in a continuous mode and provide a running display of incremental toe angle adjustments of one wheel while the toe display value associated with the other wheel of the pair is frozen, which other wheel is not being adjusted for toe.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of measuring toe for wheels supporting a vehicle chassis wherein the wheels include at least one pair of non-steerable transversely opposed wheels, utilizing a pair of alignment heads adapted to be mounted on ones of said pair of wheels and providing a signal commensurate with the total toe

A method of measuring toe for wheels supporting a vehicle chassis wherein the wheels include at least one pair of non-steerable transversely opposed wheels, utilizing a pair of alignment heads adapted to be mounted on ones of said pair of wheels and providing a signal commensurate with the total toe angle of the wheels on which the heads are mounted, and an angle measuring system incorporated in each head including means defining an angular departure axis extending therefrom, comprising the steps of mounting an alignment head on each wheel of a non-steerable wheel pair, directing each of said axes at separate ones of a pair of points equidistant from a point on the centerline of the vehicle chassis, providing an electrical signal indicative of the angular departure of each departure axis from the plane of the non-steerable wheel on which the respective head is mounted, combining the angular departure signals with one half the total toe signal and displaying individual toe values for each of the non-steerable wheels, and providing an electrical command signal for one non-steerable wheel which causes subsequent total toe angle changes to be applied only to the toe display value of said one wheel whereby said one non-steerable wheel may be adjusted for toe and actual individual toe values continuously displayed without further reference to said departure axes.