Portable tire uniformity measurement system and method
First Claim
1. A portable test apparatus for measuring nonuniformity of a tire/wheel assembly in situ on a wheel bearing hub of a vehicle, comprisinga probe for monitoring deflections of a surface of the tire/wheel assembly during rotation of the tire/wheel assembly and producing a first output signal indicative of the surface deflections;
- a holder for holding the probe adjacent the surface of the tire/wheel assembly to be monitored for uniformity;
an indexing device for producing a second output signal indicative of the rotational position of the tire/wheel assembly during rotation thereof, the indexing device having an attachment mechanism for removable coupling to the tire/wheel assembly; and
an electronic processor for receiving and processing the first and second output signals from the probe and indexing device to provide an output indicative of at least one parameter representative of the nonuniformity of the tire/wheel assembly.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable test apparatus (and associated method) for measuring nonuniformity of a tire/wheel assembly in situ on a wheel bearing hub of a vehicle are characterized by a lightweight assembly of components including, in particular, a probe for monitoring deflections of a surface of the tire/wheel assembly during rotation of the tire/wheel assembly and producing an electrical output indicative of the surface deflections, and an indexing device for producing an electrical output indicative of the rotational position of the tire/wheel assembly during rotation thereof, the indexing device having an attachment mechanism for removable coupling to the tire/wheel assembly. A holder is provided for holding the probe adjacent the surface of the tire/wheel assembly to be monitored for uniformity, and an electronic processor is provided for receiving and processing the electrical outputs from the probe and indexing device to provide an output indicative of at least one parameter representative of the nonuniformity of the tire/wheel assembly.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A portable test apparatus for measuring nonuniformity of a tire/wheel assembly in situ on a wheel bearing hub of a vehicle, comprising
a probe for monitoring deflections of a surface of the tire/wheel assembly during rotation of the tire/wheel assembly and producing a first output signal indicative of the surface deflections; -
a holder for holding the probe adjacent the surface of the tire/wheel assembly to be monitored for uniformity; an indexing device for producing a second output signal indicative of the rotational position of the tire/wheel assembly during rotation thereof, the indexing device having an attachment mechanism for removable coupling to the tire/wheel assembly; and an electronic processor for receiving and processing the first and second output signals from the probe and indexing device to provide an output indicative of at least one parameter representative of the nonuniformity of the tire/wheel assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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17. A method for measuring nonuniformity of a rotary member, comprising the steps of:
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positioning a probe adjacent the surface of a rotary member to be monitored for uniformity, the probe being operative to monitor deflections of a surface of the rotary member during rotation of the rotary member and produce a first output signal indicative of the surface deflections; removably coupling an indexing device to the rotary member, the indexing device being operative to produce a second output signal indicative of the rotational position of the rotary member during rotation thereof; rotating the rotary member to cause the probe and indexing device to produce the first and second output signals thereof; and using an electronic processor to receive and process the first and second output signals produced by the probe and indexing device to provide an output indicative of at least one parameter representative of the nonuniformity of the rotary member. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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26. A portable test apparatus useful to measure nonuniformity of a rotary member, comprising:
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a probe for monitoring deflections of a surface of the rotary member during rotation of the rotary member and producing a first output signal indicative of the surface deflections; a holder for holding the probe adjacent the surface of the rotary member to be monitored for uniformity; and an indexing device for producing a second output signal indicative of the rotational position of the rotary member during rotation thereof, the indexing device having an attachment mechanism for removable coupling to the rotary member.
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Specification