APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPLYING A PERSON WITH INFORMATION FOR STATICALLY ADJUSTING A MOTOR VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH WHEELS FITTED WITH TYRES

• US 20110131025A1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Corghi SpA (Nexion S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Corghi SpA (Nexion S.p.A.)
• Inventors: CORGHI, Giulio
• Application Number:
  US12/952,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/045 the body being a vehicle wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/013 Wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/06 Steering behaviour; Rolling behaviour

Abstract

An apparatus for supplying a person with information for statically adjusting wheels, or tyres, of a motor vehicle comprises: a data storage module defining a model of vehicle operation through a plurality of model parameters; a control module adapted to set a parameter for evaluating the on-road behaviour of the vehicle and to receive values of measurement parameter correlated with the on-road behaviour of the vehicle and measured on the vehicle wheels, in order to set values of model parameters defining a starting configuration of the model parameters; a processing module adapted to perform simulations of the on-road behaviour of the vehicle using said model, while varying the value of at least one of the model parameters in order to determine, according to the set evaluation parameter, a modified model parameter configuration corresponding to an on-road behaviour of the vehicle that is better than that corresponding to the starting configuration; a module for presenting to the person service information for adjusting the vehicle according to the given modified configuration of the model parameters.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying a tyre service person with information for statically adjusting wheels, or tyres, of a motor vehicle, comprises:

a data storage module with access to a database defining an operation model of a vehicle having a plurality of model parameters;

a control module adapted to

receive a value of at least one measurement parameter correlated with the on-road behaviour of the vehicle and measured in a static condition of the vehicle on at least one of the vehicle'"'"'s wheels,

set values of the model parameters according to the value measured for the measurement parameter in order to define a starting configuration of the model parameter values, and

set at least one evaluation parameter correlated with the model parameters and representative of the vehicle'"'"'s on-road behaviour;

a processing module adapted to perform one or more simulations of the on-road behaviour of the vehicle using said model, while varying the value of at least one of the model parameters correlated with a condition of the wheels adjustable by the tyre service person, in order to determine a modified configuration of model parameter values corresponding to an on-road behaviour of the vehicle that is better than the starting configuration, according to the at least one set evaluation parameter;

a module for presenting to the tyre service person service information for adjusting said condition of the wheels according to the given modified configuration.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing module is programmed to perform a plurality of simulations in order to determine the modified configuration of model parameter values by successive iterations.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control module is adapted to display to the person a list of evaluation parameters and to set said evaluation parameter according to a selection made by the person.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control module is adapted to display to the person a list containing at least one subset of the model parameters and to receive at least one of said parameters selected by the person from the list and wherein the processing module is programmed to modify or, alternatively, to keep unchanged the model parameters selected by the person during the simulations.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control module is adapted to receive from the person data useful for identifying the type of vehicle and for setting values of one or more model parameters according to the type of vehicle set, in order to define the starting configuration of the model parameter values.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presentation module is adapted to make available to the person the at least one simulation performed by the processing module.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing module is adapted to vary the value of at least one of the model parameters included in the following list:

wheel placement, tyre placement on the rims, matching of single tyres on the respective rims, wheel attitude, wheel conicity, and adjustment of brakes, shock absorbers and suspension springs.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement parameter is included in the following list:

wheel drift, wheel runout, radial force, residual imbalance.

9. A method for supplying a tyre service person with information for statically adjusting wheels, or tyres, of a motor vehicle, comprises the following steps:

preparing a database defining a vehicle operation model having a plurality of model parameters;

measuring a value of at least one measurement parameter correlated with the on-road behaviour of the vehicle and measured in a static condition of the vehicle on at least one of the wheels of the vehicle;

setting values of the model parameters according to the value measured for the measurement parameter in order to define a starting configuration of the model parameter values;

setting at least one evaluation parameter correlated with the model parameters and representative of the on-road behaviour of the vehicle;

simulating the on-road behaviour of the vehicle using said model, while varying the value of at least one of the model parameters correlated with a condition of the wheels adjustable by the tyre service person, in order to determine, according to the set evaluation parameter, a modified model parameter configuration corresponding to an on-road behaviour of the vehicle that is better than the starting configuration;

presenting to the tyre service person service information for adjusting said condition of the wheels according to the given modified configuration.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the simulation step is repeated for a plurality of times, varying the value of the at least one model parameter from one time to the other, in order to determine the modified configuration of model parameter values by successive iterations.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, for each of the simulations performed, a corresponding value is calculated for the set evaluation parameter.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the setting of the at least one evaluation parameter occurs in response to a selection the person makes from a list of predetermined evaluation parameters.

13. The method according to claim 9, comprising a step, preceding the simulation step, of presenting to the person a list containing at least one subset of the model parameters, to enable the person to select at least one of the parameters from the list, and to set it as variable or, alternatively, keep it constant in the simulation step to follow.

14. The method according to claim 9, comprising a step, preceding the simulation step, of presenting to the person information useful for identifying the type of vehicle in order to set values of one or more of the model parameters according to the type of vehicle identified.

15. The method according to claim 9, comprising a step of presenting to the person a visual representation of the at least one simulation.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one measurement parameter is measured on all the wheels of the vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the measuring step comprises at least one of the following steps:

capturing the profile of one of the wheels from a tyre changing machine;

capturing the profile of one of the wheels from a balancing machine;

capturing the imbalances of one of the wheels from a balancing machine;

capturing the forces applied by the wheel when it is turning and is locally subjected to a compressional force;

capturing the characteristic parameters of the attitude of the wheels of the vehicle.

in order to measure at least one measurement parameter from those in the following list;

wheel drift, wheel runout, radial force, residual imbalance.

18. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one simulation comprises varying the value of at least model parameter from those in the following list:

wheel placement, tyre placement on the rims, matching of single tyres on the respective rims, wheel attitude, wheel conicity, and adjustment of brakes, shock absorbers and suspension springs.

19. The method according to claim 9, comprising a step of storing the values measured for the at least one measurement parameter.