Apparatus and method for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment requirements

• US 4,381,548 A
• Filed: 08/18/1980
• Issued: 04/26/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Original Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Inventors: Grossman, James M., January, Daniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Krass, Errol A.
• Application Number:
  US06/178,747
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424, 364/425, 364/521, 364/525, 364/550, 364/551, 364/556, 364/559, 33/203.12, 33/203.18, 33/288, 33/335, 340/286 M, 356/155, 356/388, 356/392, 356/393, 356/399
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/315 for testing wheel alignment

Abstract

Apparatus for guiding the alignment adjustment on vehicle wheels in which a computer is used to receive vehicle alignment specifications and tolerances data for a known vehicle, and to receive actual alignment information from that known vehicle, these two sources of alignment data being conditioned such that on recall it can be displayed in visual format or through a system of light bars which are driven by the computer to display only differences between the known vehicle specifications and tolerance data and the actual alignment data. The display of alignment data and actual data is made available on a CRT screen, as well as being transmitted to a portable display for movement about a vehicle during alignment adjustment.

Claims

1. Apparatus for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment specifications and tolerances, the apparatus comprising:

(a) means for storing known alignment specification and tolerance data for a known vehicle;

(b) means connected into said alignment specification and tolerance storing means for supplying thereto known vehicle alignment specification and tolerance data;

(c) alignment adjustment display means for visually guiding the adjustments performed on the wheels of the known vehicle, said display means being connected into said storing means for receiving information therefrom;

(d) vehicle wheel alignment instruments carried by the vehicle wheels for generating signals representative of the wheel positions of such vehicle, each said instrument being connected into said storing means for feeding said wheel position signals thereto; and

(e) means in said apparatus for selecting specific alignment data generated by said instruments for comparison with similar known alignment data stored in said storing means, whereby said display means is activated to visually indicate the existence of differences between the specific alignment data generated by said instruments and corresponding similar known alignment data stored in said storing means.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for storing known alignment specifications and tolerances for a known vehicle is a digital computer.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for supplying known alignment specification and tolerance data into said storing means includes data input means.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said visual display means includes light bars having alignment tolerance lights flanked by misalignment indicating lights.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a second alignment adjustment display means for visually guiding the adjustments performed on the wheels of the known vehicle, said second alignment adjustment display means being connected into said storing means for receiving information therefrom.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said alignment adjustment display means is portable.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said alignment adjustment display means is a cathode ray tube.

8. Apparatus for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment requirements, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a computer for storing predetermined alignment specifications and tolerance data therefor;

(b) data input means connected into said computer for supplying said computer with alignment specification and tolerance data;

(c) an alignment adjustment display for visually guiding the adjustments performed on the vehicle wheels, said alignment adjustment display being connected into said computer;

(d) vehicle wheel alignment instruments carried by the vehicle wheels for generating signals representative of the wheel positions, each said instrument being connected into said computer; and

(e) means in said apparatus for selecting predetermined alignment data generated by said instruments for comparison with similar alignment data stored in said computer, whereby said display is activated to visually indicate the presence of differences between the alignment data generated by said instruments and the similar alignment data stored in said computer.

9. A method for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to alignment requirements for a specific vehicle, said method comprising:

(a) storing required alignment specification data corresponding to the desired wheel alignment data for the specific vehicle;

(b) generating actual wheel alignment data from the specific vehicle

(c) selecting specific actual alignment data from the specific vehicle for comparison with the stored required alignment data matching the selected specific actual alignment data; and

(d) visually displaying the existence of differences between selected specific actual alignment data and the stored required matching alignment data, such that the display of the differences guides the operator in performing adjustments required by the specific vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the adjustment of wheel alignment is verified upon visual display of substantial equality of actual wheel alignment data and stored required matching alignment data.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the display of the differences guiding the operator in performing adjustments is rendered available adjacent the location of the operator.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the visual display is presented simultaneously remote from and adjacent to the specific vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein absence of runout compensation in generating actual wheel alignment data inhibits the visual displaying of the existence of differences.

14. Apparatus for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment information respecting a vehicle under wheel alignment investigation, said apparatus comprising:

(a) computer means for storing wheel alignment parameters for the vehicle under investigation;

(b) wheel alignment instruments carried by the vehicle wheels for generating signals representative of wheel positions;

(c) connections between said instruments and said computer means for transmitting the wheel position information into said computer means; and

(d) means connected into said computer means for displaying the differences between stored alignment parameters and measured wheel position information for guiding the alignment adjustments on the vehicle wheels.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said means for displaying the differences between stored parameters and measured wheel position information comprises a cathode ray tube adjacent the vehicle.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said means for displaying the differences between stored parameters and measured wheel position information is a portable display.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said means for displaying the differences between stored parameters and measured wheel position information includes means for inhibiting presentation thereof in the absence of said alignment instruments being compensated for runout.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein the differences are displayed in bar graphs and the alignment parameters are presented individually in relation to deviations from the parameters stored in said computer means.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said bar graphs are a series of lights ranging from green which indicates attainment of the adjustment, through yellow to red which indicates degrees of deviation from the attainment of the adjustment.