Method and apparatus for vehicle wheel balancer imbalance correction weight type selection

• US 7,617,726 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Original Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Inventors: Douglas, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US11/432,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20060254361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 734/62, 734/60, 734/87, 301/5.21, 301/5.22, 702/56
• US Class Current: 73/462
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/326 the body being a vehicle wheel

Abstract

A method of operation of a vehicle wheel balancer system for identifying an imbalance correction weight mode which an operator desires to utilize during an imbalance correction procedure without requiring the operator to manually input or select an imbalance correction weight mode prior to beginning the placement of the imbalance correction weights. The imbalance correction weight mode is determined from operator guided movements of one or more dataset arms which identify if an operator-selected imbalance correction weight placement plane is associated with a clip-on imbalance correction weight, an adhesive imbalance correction weight, or a patch-type imbalance correction weight.

Claims

1. A method for automatic selection of an imbalance correction weight mode for application of an imbalance correction weight onto a vehicle wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle wheel balancer system having at least one dataset arm, comprising:

moving the dataset arm from an initial rest position;

detecting a current position of the dataset arm; and

automatically selecting an imbalance correction weight mode for an imbalance correction weight calculation responsive to said detected current position of the dataset arm.

2. The method of claim 1 for imbalance correction weight mode selection further including the steps of:

moving a second dataset arm from an initial rest position;

detecting a current position of a second dataset arm relative to said vehicle wheel rim mounted to the vehicle wheel balancer system; and

wherein said step of automatically selecting is further responsive to said current position of said second dataset arm to automatically select said imbalance correction weight mode.

3. The method of claim 1 for imbalance correction weight mode selection wherein said imbalance correction weight mode is selected from a set including a clip-on imbalance correction weight mode, an adhesive imbalance correction weight mode, a patch imbalance correction weight mode, and a combination mode for a clip-on imbalance correction weight and an adhesive imbalance correction weight.

4. The method of claim 1 for imbalance correction weight mode selection wherein said imbalance correction weight mode is selected from a set including a static (single-plane) mode and a dynamic (two-plane) mode.

5. The method of claim 1 for imbalance correction weight mode selection wherein said imbalance correction weight mode is selected from a set including a clip-weight mode, a patch-weight mode, an adhesive-weight mode, and a mode utilizing a combination of clip-weights and adhesive-weights.

6. A improved vehicle wheel balancer system having a processing unit configured with a set of operating instructions and at least one dataset arm, the improvement comprising:

at least one sensor configured to communicate a signal representative of a current position of the dataset arm to the processing unit;

the processing unit configured with a set of operating instructions for automatically selecting an imbalance correction weight mode responsive to said signal representative of said current position of the dataset arm.

7. The improved vehicle wheel balancer system of claim 6 further including

at least one sensor configured to communicate a signal representative of a current position of a second dataset arm to the processing unit;

and

wherein the processing unit is further configured with a set of operating instructions for altering said selection of an imbalance correction weight mode responsive to said signal representative of said current position of said second dataset arm.

8. The improved vehicle wheel balancer system of claim 6 wherein said processing unit is further configured to select said imbalance correction weight mode from a set including a clip-on imbalance correction weight mode, an adhesive imbalance correction weight mode, a patch imbalance correction weight mode, and a combination mode for a clip-on imbalance correction weight and an adhesive imbalance correction weight.

9. The improved vehicle wheel balancer system of claim 6 wherein said processing unit is further configured to select said imbalance correction weight mode from a set including a static (single-plane) mode and a dynamic (two-plane) mode.

10. A method for automatically selecting a mode of operation for a vehicle wheel balancer system having at least one dataset arm, during an imbalance correction procedure for a vehicle wheel assembly mounted to the vehicle wheel balancer system and having identifiable inner and outer wheel rim planes, comprising:

detecting operator-directed movement of the dataset arm from a rest position;

automatically selecting an imbalance correction weight mode of operation in response to said detected operator-directed movement of said dataset arm from an initial rest position.

11. The method of claim 10 for automatically selecting a mode of operation for a vehicle wheel balancer system wherein said vehicle wheel balancer system includes an inner dataset arm and an outer dataset arm;

and

wherein said mode of operation is automatically selected as a first imbalance correction weight mode of operation in response to a detected movement of said inner dataset arm from an initial rest position, or as a second imbalance correction weight mode of operation in response to a detected movement of said outer dataset arm from an initial rest position.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein responsive to said automatic selection of said second mode of operation, further including the step of identifying to said vehicle wheel balancer system, at least one patch imbalance correction weight placement location on a vehicle wheel assembly using said outer dataset arm.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein responsive to said automatic selection of said second mode of operation, further including the step of automatically switching said vehicle wheel balancer system to said first imbalance correction weight mode of operation in response to a subsequent movement of the inner dataset arm from an initial rest position.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein responsive to said automatic selection of said first mode of operation, further including the step of automatically identifying an inner clip-on imbalance correction weight placement location on an inner rim lip of said wheel assembly.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein responsive to said identification of an inner clip-on imbalance correction weight placement location, further including the step of automatically identifying an outer clip-on imbalance correction weight placement location on an outer rim lip of said wheel assembly.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein responsive to identification of an inner clip-on imbalance correction weight placement location and to subsequent movement of either the inner dataset arm or the outer dataset arm towards an adhesive imbalance correction weight placement location on a surface of said wheel assembly between said inner and outer wheel rim planes, further including the step of switching to a third imbalance correction weight mode of operation.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein responsive to said switch to said third mode of operation, further including the step of identifying an outer adhesive imbalance correction weight placement location.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein responsive to said selection of said first mode of operation, and to subsequent movement of said inner dataset arm towards an adhesive imbalance correction weight placement location on a surface of said wheel assembly between said inner and outer wheel rim planes, further including the step of selecting a third imbalance correction weight mode of operation.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein responsive to said selection of said third mode of operation, further including the step of identifying inner and outer adhesive imbalance correction weight placement locations.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein responsive to said selection of said first mode of operation, and to subsequent movement of said outer dataset arm from said initial rest position, further including the step of automatically identifying both inner and outer clip-on imbalance correction weight placement locations on said vehicle wheel assembly mounted to said vehicle wheel balancer system.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein responsive to subsequent movement of said inner dataset arm towards an adhesive imbalance correction weight placement location on a surface of said wheel assembly between said inner and outer wheel rim planes, further including the step of automatically selecting a third imbalance correction weight mode of operation for said vehicle wheel balancer system.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein responsive to said selection of said third mode of operation, further including the step of identifying inner and outer adhesive imbalance correction weight placement locations on said surface of said wheel assembly between said inner and outer wheel rim lips.