Appartus and method for adjusting vehicle toe alignment angles

• US 5,553,389 A
• Filed: 05/05/1994
• Issued: 09/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Original Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Inventors: Woolverton, Douglas E., Winslow, Matthew R., January, Daniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laufer, Pinchus M.
• Application Number:
  US08/239,592
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 356/139.09, 356/152.1, 356/155, 33/203.15, 33/203.16, 33/203.17, 33/203.18, 33/203.19, 33/203.2
• US Class Current: 33/203.18
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2755 using photoelectric detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/26 Algorithms, instructions, databases, computerized methods and graphical user interfaces employed by a user in conjunction with the wheel aligner
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/283 Beam projectors and related sensors

Abstract

Toe of a pair of wheels on the same axle is adjusted by first measuring the toe of a first wheel of the axle. A specification value for the toe of the first wheel is then subtracted from the measured value of toe for that wheel, and the difference is stored as a first toe comparison value. The toe of a second wheel on that axle is adjusted until the total toe of the wheels on that axle minus a specification value for total toe for the wheels on that axle equals the first toe comparison value. The toe of the first wheel is subsequently adjusted until the total toe of the wheels on the axle is substantially equal to the specification value for the total toe for the wheels on that axle. Apparatus which performs the method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting toe of a pair of wheels on the same axle, comprising the steps of:

measuring the, toe of a first wheel of said axle;

subtracting a specification value for the toe of said first wheel from the measured value of toe for said first wheel and storing the result as a first toe comparison value;

adjusting the toe of a second wheel on said axle of said vehicle until the total toe of said wheels on said axle minus a specification value for total toe for said wheels on said axle equals the first toe, comparison value;

subsequently adjusting the toe, of the first wheel until the total toe of said wheels on said axle is substantially equal to said specification value for the total toe for said wheels on said axle.

2. The method of adjusting toe, as set forth in claim 1 wherein the total toe is substantially continuously measured as the toe adjustments are made.

3. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 1 wherein the steering wheel is allowed to move during the adjustment of toe.

4. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 1 wherein the specification values are prestored in an electronic memory and the measuring and subtracting steps are performed electronically.

5. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of guiding a technician/user to make the toe adjustments using a visual display which displays to the technician/user the direction and magnitude of the required adjustments.

6. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 5 wherein the visual display is controlled to display to the technician/user a comparison of the first toe comparison value to the difference between the total toe measurement and the total toe specification value during the step of adjusting toe of the second wheel.

7. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 5 wherein the visual display is controlled to display to the technician/user a comparison of the total toe measurement to the total toe specification value during the step of adjusting toe of the first wheel.

8. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 5 wherein the visual display is controlled to change as the adjustment approaches completion to guide the technician/user with greater precision.

9. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 5 wherein the visual display is controlled to also indicate to the technician/user the tolerance for the particular adjustment being made.

10. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of recording any difference between the adjusted total toe and the first comparison value when the adjustment of toe of the second wheel is completed, said difference being a toe adjustment value, further including the step of adjusting the total toe specification value used during the adjustment of the toe of the first wheel by the toe adjustment value whereby after adjustment both wheels have substantially the same toe.

11. The method of adjusting toe as set forth in claim 5 wherein the visual display includes numeric indicia representative of the magnitude of the required adjustments.

12. Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus for guiding the adjustment of toe of a pair of wheels on the same axle of a vehicle, comprising:

sensor apparatus for measuring the toe of a first wheel on a first axle of a vehicle;

sensor apparatus for measuring the toe of a second wheel on said axle;

means for storing a specification value for the toe of the first wheel;

determining means responsive to the sensor apparatus and to the storing means for subtracting the specification value from the measured value of toe for the first wheel and for storing the result in the storing means as a first toe comparison value;

said storing means having stored therein a specification value for total toe for said axle of said vehicle, the total toe being the sum of the toe for said first wheel and for the second wheel on said axle;

said determining means being responsive to the sensor apparatus for the first wheel and to the sensor apparatus for the second wheel to compute total toe and to update the computation of total toe as additional measurements of the toe of the first wheel and the second wheel are made by the sensor apparatus, said determining means being further responsive to the stored specification of total toe to compute the difference between measured total toe and the total toe specification, said difference being updated by the determining means as additional toe measurements are made by the sensor apparatus;

means responsive to the determining means for visually guiding the adjustment of the toe of the second wheel to a point where the total toe of the first and second wheels minus the total toe specification value equals the first toe comparison value, the total toe minus the total toe specification value being adjusted total toe;

said determining means being responsive to the adjusted total toe falling within a predetermined tolerance of the first toe comparison value for controlling the visually guiding means to visually guide the adjustment of the toe of the first wheel until the adjusted total toe is substantially zero.

13. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 12 whereto the sensor apparatus substantially continuously measures toe of the respective wheels as the toe of each wheel is adjusted, the determining means being responsive to said substantially continuous measurements to update the determination of total toe substantially continuously.

14. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the means for visually guiding includes a visual display, the determining means being responsive to the measurements from the sensor apparatus to control the visual display to display to a technician/user the difference between adjusted total toe and the first comparison value during adjustment of the toe of the second wheel.

15. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the means for visually guiding includes a visual display, the determining means being responsive to the measurements from the sensor apparatus to control die visual display to display to a technician/user the adjusted total toe during adjustment of the first wheel.

16. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein the determining means is responsive to the adjusted total toe falling within a predetermined tolerance of the first comparison value to change the visual display as the adjustment approaches completion to guide the technician/user with greater precision.

17. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the determining means is responsive to any difference between the adjusted total toe and the first comparison value to adjust the total toe specification by said difference during adjustment of the toe of the first wheel such that the determining means controls the visually guiding means to guide the adjustment of the toe of the first wheel taking said difference into account.

18. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the visually guiding means includes a visual display having numeric indicia displayed thereon representative of the magnitude of the required adjustments.

19. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the visually guiding means includes a visual display having graphical indicia displayed thereon representative of the magnitude and direction of the required adjustments.

20. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein the determining means is responsive to the adjustment falling within a predetermined tolerance of the desired value to control the visual display to change the graphical indicia displayed.

21. Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein the storing means has stored therein predetermined tolerances for the adjustments, said determining means being responsive to the tolerances to vary the graphical indicia to correspond to the predetermined tolerance for the particular adjustment being displayed.