Portable vehicle testing environment

• US 6,691,573 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2002
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Peters, Jeffrey, Shiloff, Robert, Silvagi, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/111,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20030221487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 734/62, 734/57, 734/87, 735/71, 735/93, 738/656
• US Class Current: 73/571
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/02 Details of balancing machines or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/225 for vehicle wheels in situ G01M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/24 Performing balancing on elastic shafts, e.g. for crankshafts
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/0072 the wheels of the vehicle co-operating with rotatable rolls G01M17/022, G01M17/045, G01M17/065 take precedence

Abstract

A mobile testing environment is adapted for detecting drive line system imbalances in an automotive vehicle and includes an enclosed trailer for providing insulation from ambient weather, temperature and noise. The trailer also has a hitch for attachment to a towing vehicle for transport. An angular position and speed sensor is adapted to generate a signal responsive to speed and angular position of a drive shaft. Vibration sensors are adapted to detect drive line vibration and generate a signal responsive thereto. A signal analyzer is adapted to receive signals generated by the angular position and speed sensor and the vibration sensors to calculate any imbalance in the drive line system and present counterbalance weight and position parameters for correcting any system imbalance. The angular sensor comprises a pair of perceptron cameras adapted to send a pair of signals to the signal analyzer.

Claims

1. A mobile environment adapted for detecting drive line system imbalances in an automotive vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

an enclosed trailer having a hitch for attachment to a towing vehicle for transporting said environment, said enclosed trailer having walls adapted to provide a controlled environment for conducting drive line system testing, whereby said controlled environment is substantially insulated from outside temperature and noise;

an angular position and speed sensor located at a position spaced from, but associated with, a drive shaft of a drive line system in a non-contacting relationship therewith, said sensor adapted to generate a signal responsive to speed and angular position of the drive shaft relative to a preselected reference point thereon;

at least one vibration sensor located at a position spaced from, but associated with, the drive line system in non-contacting relationship therewith, said at least one vibration sensor adapted to detect drive line vibration and generate a signal responsive thereto;

an angular sensor for detecting an angular alignment of the drive line system;

a signal analyzer adapted to receive signals generated by said angular position and speed sensor and said at least one vibration sensor and to calculate any imbalance in the drive line system and present counterbalance weight and position parameters for correcting any system imbalance;

wherein said angular sensor comprises a pair of perceptron cameras adapted to send a pair of signals to said signal analyzer to determine the angular alignment of the drive line system and calculate a corrective shim thickness between a center bearing and the automotive vehicle.

2. The environment of claim 1 wherein said enclosed trailer is generally rectangular and box shaped with a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, a bottom, a top, and a support surface disposed between said bottom and said top, said rear wall including a pivoting door which opens outward from said rear wall to allow an automotive vehicle to be inserted within said enclosed trailer.

3. The environment of claim 2 wherein said pivoting door is mounted to a lifting device such that when said pivoting door is open an inner surface of said pivoting door provides a substantially horizontal loading surface adapted to support an automotive vehicle, said lifting device adapted to lift the automotive vehicle vertically up until said loading surface is aligned with said support surface, thereby allowing the automotive vehicle to be moved from said loading surface onto said support surface.

4. The environment of claim 2 wherein said support surface includes a first chassis dynamometer mounted within said support surface and adapted to support the automotive vehicle while said first chassis dynamometer is operatively engaged by drive wheels of the automotive vehicle.

5. The environment of claim 1 wherein said support surface includes a second chassis dynamometer mounted within said support surface and adapted to support the automotive vehicle while said first chassis dynamometer is operatively engaged by front drive wheels of the automotive vehicle and said second chassis dynamometer is operatively engaged by rear drive wheels of the automotive vehicle, thereby allowing four-wheel drive vehicles to be tested within said environment.

6. The environment of claim 1 wherein said second chassis dynamometer is moveable along a longitudinal axis of said enclosed trailer to allow the distance between said first and second chassis dynamometers to be adjustable, thereby allowing said environment to be adapted to vehicles of varying length.

7. The environment of claim 1 wherein said second of said pair of chassis dynamometers is moveable such that said environment can accommodate vehicles having a wheel base from approximately 90 inches up to approximately 176 inches.

8. The environment of claim 1 wherein said enclosed trailer includes a control center for housing said signal analyzer, said control center being isolated from said controlled environment to allow an operator to facilitate testing of an automotive vehicle outside of the controlled environment.

9. The environment of claim 2 wherein said side walls of said enclosed trailer include extending sections adapted to telescope into said side walls and extend into said controlled environment when said environment is being transported and to extend outward from said side walls to enlarge the environment when testing is being conducted.

10. A method of detecting drive line system imbalances in an automotive vehicle, said method including:

providing a transportable environment which is adapted for detecting drive line system imbalances in an automotive vehicle;

transporting the environment to a location to test vehicles;

positioning an automotive vehicle within the transportable environment;

substantially sealing the environment to insulate the environment from outside weather, temperature and noise;

generating a signal in response to an angular position and speed of a drive shaft of the drive line system;

detecting vibration in the drive line system and generating a signal corresponding thereto;

determining an angular relationship of the driveline to the vehicle; and

calculating any imbalance in the drive line system based on the signals of the angular position and speed as well as the detected vibration and determining a corrective counterweight and position thereof to substantially eliminate any system imbalance.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said transportable environment comprises:

an enclosed trailer being generally rectangular and box shaped with a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, a bottom, a top, a first support surface disposed between the bottom and the top, a hitch for attachment to a towing vehicle and being adapted to provide a controlled environment for conducting drive line system testing, whereby the controlled environment is insulated from ambient temperature and noise;

an angular position and speed sensor located at a position spaced from, but associated with, a drive shaft of a drive line system in a non-contacting relationship therewith, the sensor being adapted to generate a signal responsive to speed and angular position of the drive shaft relative to a preselected reference point thereon;

at least one vibration sensor located at a position spaced from, but associated with, the drive line system in non-contacting relationship therewith, the at least one vibration sensor being adapted to detect drive line vibration and generate a signal responsive thereto;

an angular sensor for detecting an angular alignment of the drive line system;

a signal analyzer adapted to receive signals generated by the angular position and speed sensor and the at least one vibration sensor and to calculate any imbalance in the drive line system and present counterbalance weight and position parameters for correcting any system imbalance;

said angular sensor comprising a pair of perceptron cameras which are adapted to send a pair of signals to the signal analyzer to determine the angular alignment of the drive line system and calculate a corrective shim thickness between a center bearing and the automotive vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first support surface includes a first chassis dynamometer mounted within the support surface and being adapted to support the automotive vehicle, wherein positioning an automotive vehicle within the transportable environment includes operatively engaging said first chassis dynamometer with drive wheels of the automotive vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the support surface further includes a second chassis dynamometer mounted within the support surface and being adapted to support the automotive vehicle, wherein positioning an automotive vehicle within the transportable environment includes operatively engaging the first chassis dynamometer with front drive wheels of the automotive vehicle and operatively engaging the second chassis dynamometer with rear drive wheels of the automotive vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the second chassis dynamometer is moveable along a longitudinal axis of the enclosed trailer to allow the environment to be adapted to vehicles of varying length wherein operatively engaging the first chassis dynamometer with front wheels of the automotive vehicle and operatively engaging the second chassis dynamometer with rear wheels of the automotive vehicle includes determining a wheel base length of the vehicle to be tested and moving the second chassis dynamometer to the appropriate distance from the first chassis dynamometer such that when the front wheels of the automotive vehicle are positioned on the first chassis dynamometer the rear wheels of the automotive vehicle are positioned on the second chassis dynamometer.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein generating a signal in response to an angular position and speed of a drive shaft of the drive line system and detecting vibration in the drive line system and generating a signal corresponding thereto includes moving the angular position and speed sensor and the at least one vibration sensor from a first position below the support surface to a second position above the support surface and spaced from, but associated with a driveshaft of a driveline of the vehicle in a non-contacting relationship therewith.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the rear wall includes a pivoting door which opens outward from the rear wall to allow an automotive vehicle to be inserted within the enclosed trailer, wherein positioning an automotive vehicle within the transportable environment includes opening the pivoting door to allow the automotive vehicle to be inserted, and closing the pivoting door after the automotive vehicle has been inserted.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the pivoting door is mounted to a lifting device such that when the pivoting door is open an inner surface of the pivoting door provides a substantially horizontal loading surface adapted to support an automotive vehicle and the lifting device is adapted to lift the automotive vehicle vertically up wherein positioning an automotive vehicle within the transportable environment further includes lifting the pivoting door vertically until the loading surface is aligned with the support surface and moving the automotive vehicle from the loading surface onto the support surface within the environment.