Method and apparatus for determining geometrical dimensions of a vehicle wheel

• US 7,738,120 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Equipment S.r.l. (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Equipment S.r.l. (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Inventors: Braghiroli, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/182,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 3562371-2375, 356625-640
• US Class Current: 356/635
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/0554 optical, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/138 with rotary motion of tool or tyre support
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/027 using light, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet or holographic techniques

Abstract

A method and an apparatus of determining geometrical dimensions of a motor vehicle wheel (rim/tyre assembly) 1 by contact-less sensing, wherein the wheel is fixed on wheel receiving means 8 of a tyre changer, that at least one planar light beam 3 is emitted on to the wheel or at least a part of the wheel, wherein the light beam reflected at the impingement area is detected, and wherein the directions of the emitted and reflected light beams are evaluated for determining the shape and/or position of the respective impingement area 4 on the wheel 1.

Claims

1. A method of determining geometrical dimensions of a motor vehicle wheel (rim/tyre assembly) by contact-less sensing, wherein

the wheel is fixed on wheel receiving device;

at least one planar light beam is emitted on to the wheel or at least a part of the wheel;

the light beam is reflected at a stripe-shaped impingement area; and

the reflected beam is focused and projected on to a two-dimensional light sensitive image sensor surface at a stripe-shaped projected image area, wherein the image sensor surface is suitable to generate image signals which are proportional to the positions of a plurality of points of the projected image area; and

the direction of the emitted light beam and the sensor signals are evaluated for determining the shape and/or position of the stripe-shape impingement area on the wheel.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle wheel is fixed on wheel receiving means of a wheel balancer or of a tyre changer.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one light beam is directed on to the wheel or to the rim which rotated about a stationary axis.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one light beam is emitted on to wheel or on to the rim from one or more given positions.

5. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one annular surface around the wheel axis is sensed on the wheel or on the rim with the at least one light beam.

6. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one of the two rim beads is sensed with the light beam.

7. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the outer peripheral surface of the wheel or of the rim is sensed with the light beam.

8. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the spacings of the respective wheel parts or rim parts which are sensed by the light beam relative to a stationary reference are ascertained.

9. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the operation of determining the spacing is effected in accordance with a triangulation method.

10. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that respective emitted and reflected light beams associated to the at least plurality of impingement points of the stripe-shaped impingement area on the wheel surface are detected and the positions of the respective impingement points are determined.

11. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the planar light beam is emitted in a plane which is parallel to the wheel axis.

12. A method of fitting or removing a motor vehicle tyre in which, using a method according to claim 1 or 2, the rim contour along which at least one fitting or removal tool is guided during the fitting or removal operation is contact-lessly sensed and the movement of the fitting or removal tool is guided in dependence on the sensed contour without contact with the rim surface.

13. A method according to claim 12, characterised in that the movement of the at least one fitting or removal tool is controlled in dependence on the sensed position of at least one of the two rim beads and in dependence on the stored or sensed contour of the rim bed.

14. A method according to claim 12, characterised in that the movement on the at least one fitting or removal tool is controlled in dependence on the detected position of the outer peripheral edge of at least one of the two rim beads.

15. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vehicle wheel is fixed on a measuring shaft of a wheel balancer and at least one planar light beam is directed to the inner side of wheel and/or to the outer side of the wheel and or to tyre tread of the wheel.

32. Use of a method according to claim 1 or of an apparatus according to claim 16 for determining at least one of the parameters:

tyre runout, tread wear of the tyre, tyre conicity, tyre defects on the tread and/or on the side walls, rim defects on the outside and/on the inside of the rim and bead seat geometry on the rim, presence and/or position of at least one correcting weight, valve position.

16. An apparatus for determining geometrical dimensions of a vehicle wheel (1) comprising:

at least one light source (2) suitable for emitting a planar light beam (3) from a given position in at least one given direction on to a stripe-shape impingement area (4) of the wheel surface or a part of the wheel surface;

at least one detector (5) which is placed at a given position and suitable for detecting the light beam reflected from the stripe-shaped impingement area (4) on the wheel surface,

wherein the detector (5) includes a focusing input pupil (6) through which the reflected beam is projected to a two-dimensional light sensitive sensor surface (12) arranged in the focal plane of the input pupil (6) and producing image signals which are proportional to the location of a stripe-shaped projected image area of the reflected beam on the sensor surface (12); and

an evaluation arrangement (7) which is connected to the detector (5) and suitable for determining from the sensor signals the position and geometrical shape of the stripe-shape impingement area (4) on the wheel surface.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterised in that the light source (2) and the detector (5) are pivotable synchronously about a common axis and an electrical signal proportional to the respective pivot angle is fed to the evaluation arrangement (7) for emit a single light beam in a planar plane.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that the at least one light source (2) and the detector (5) are positioned stationary.

19. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that the evaluation arrangement (7) is suitable for determining positions of a plurality of points on the stripe-shaped impingement area (4) on the wheel surface from the directions of the light beam emitted by the light source (2) and the light beam reflected at the wheel surface by means of triangulation.

20. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that the wheel (1) is mounted on a wheel receiving device (8) rotatably about the wheel axis (11).

21. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that a rotary angle sensor (13) detects the respective rotary angle position of the wheel or the rim and supplies a corresponding electrical signal to the evaluation arrangement (7).

22. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the plane of the planar light beam (3) is approximately parallel to the rotation axis (11) of the wheel (1).

23. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that the spatial positions of the respectively sensed points of the stripe-shaped impingement area (4) on the wheel surface is determined with respect to a reference position.

24. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that for different wheel types geometrical features of the wheels are stored in a store (19) of the evaluation arrangement (7) or connected to the evaluation arrangement (7).

25. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that the light source (2) is a laser.

26. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterised in that the sensor surface (12) comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device.

27. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the detector (5) is a digital camera.

28. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, the light source (2) and the detector (5) are placed on a common support or in a common housing (13).

29. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the at least one light source (2) and the associated detector (5) are mounted on a wheel balancer (14).

30. Apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that one light source (2) and the associated detector (5) are placed to scan the inner side of the vehicle wheel (1) and/or one light source (2) and the associated detector(s) are placed to scan the outer side of the vehicle wheel (1), wherein the vehicle wheel (1) is fixed to a measuring shaft (15) of the wheel balancer (14).

31. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the wheel receiving device (8) to which the wheel (1) is to be fixed, is supported on a tyre changer (9) and that a control device (10) is connected to the evaluation arrangement (7) for evaluating the sensor signals, which control device (10) controls at least one fitting or removal tool in the fitting or removal operation in dependence on the sensor signals without contact with the rim surface.