Apparatus and method for detecting rotational imbalance of vehicle roadwheels
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for detecting rotational imbalance of a roadwheel assembly of a vehicle having a sprung and unsprung mass, comprising:
- force measurement means for sensing a combined force exerted between the road upon which the vehicle is traveling and said sprung mass of said vehicle, said combined force including forces due to the sprung vehicle mass, road surface inputs and the rotational imbalance of said roadwheel assembly, said force measurement means comprising means for generating a combined force signal corresponding to said sensed combined force; and
processor means responsive to said combined force signal for determining the dynamic rotational balance condition of said roadwheel assembly.
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Abstract
An apparatus for detecting dynamic rotational imbalance of vehicle roadwheel assemblies includes a force measurement sensor for sensing a combined force exerted between the surface upon which the vehicle is traveling and the vehicle sprung mass and further includes a device for generating a combined force signal corresponding to the sensed combined force. The apparatus further includes processor responsive to the combined force signal for determining the dynamic rotational balance condition of the roadwheel assembly.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting rotational imbalance of a roadwheel assembly of a vehicle having a sprung and unsprung mass, comprising:
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force measurement means for sensing a combined force exerted between the road upon which the vehicle is traveling and said sprung mass of said vehicle, said combined force including forces due to the sprung vehicle mass, road surface inputs and the rotational imbalance of said roadwheel assembly, said force measurement means comprising means for generating a combined force signal corresponding to said sensed combined force; and processor means responsive to said combined force signal for determining the dynamic rotational balance condition of said roadwheel assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for measuring the rotational imbalance of a roadwheel assembly of a vehicle having a sprung and unsprung mass, comprising:
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force measurement means for sensing a combined force exerted between the road upon which the vehicle is traveling and said vehicle sprung mass, said combined force including forces due to the sprung vehicle mass, road surface inputs and the rotational imbalance of said roadwheel assembly, said force measurement means further comprising means for generating a combined force signal corresponding to said sensed force; means for measuring the forward velocity of said vehicle and for generating a signal corresponding to said velocity; and processor means, responsive to said combined force signal and to said velocity signal, for determining the dynamic rotational balance condition of said roadwheel, said processor means comprising; means for resolving said combined force signal into a base component and a variable component attributable to dynamic rotational imbalance of said roadwheel assembly; and means for calculating the magnitude of said variable component to a threshold value, with said comparator means further comprising means for providing an imbalance signal in the event that said variable component exceeds said threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A method for detecting dynamic imbalance of a roadwheel assembly of a vehicle having a sprung and unsprung mass, comprising:
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sensing a combined force exerted between the surface upon which the vehicle is traveling and the sprung vehicle mass, said combined force including forces due to the sprung vehicle mass, road surface inputs and the rotational imbalance of said roadwheel assembly; generating a combined force signal having a magnitude corresponding to said sensed combined force; resolving said combined force signal into a base component and a variable component attributable to dynamic rotational imbalance of said roadwheel assembly; comparing the magnitude of said variable force component to a threshold value; and providing an imbalance signal in the event that said variable force component exceeds said threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification