JP2006276007A - Wheel alignment method and wheel for measurement - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately measure a positional relationship between the main body of a car body and a wheel by measuring the positional relationship between the center of the width direction of the car body and the wheel, as a part of wheel alignment. <P>SOLUTION: In the wheel alignment method, the center line of the width direction of the car body mounted with the measured wheel is set in a car body center setting process, and the distance between the center plane for dividing the car body which passing the center line into two and a predetermined position of the wheel is measured directly or indirectly in a measuring process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel alignment method.

Wheel alignment measures the mounting state of a vehicle wheel, and is generally configured by measuring toe-in, camber angle, caster angle, kingpin angle, and the like. The measurement of the wheel alignment is usually performed by attaching a measuring instrument to the wheel and measuring the inclination of the measuring instrument as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 5 below. Moreover, the method shown by the following patent document 5 measures the attached measuring instrument optically, and can aim at reduction of an effort and improvement of a measurement system.
JP-A 63-165705 JP 63-24101 A JP-A-6-294648 JP 2000-221115 A JP-A-4-232410

By the way, in the conventional wheel alignment, the measurement at the mounting position of each wheel is performed, and the relationship between the center of the vehicle body and the wheel is not measured, and such a measurement cannot be performed. .
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to measure the positional relationship between the center of a vehicle body and a wheel as part of wheel alignment.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration.
The invention according to claim 1 is a vehicle body center setting step for setting a center line in the width direction of a vehicle body to which a wheel to be measured is attached; a center plane that bisects the vehicle body passing through the center line; A wheel alignment method including a measurement step of directly or indirectly measuring a distance to a position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the wheel alignment method includes a vehicle body correction step of correcting a distortion of the vehicle body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the wheel alignment method, in the vehicle body center setting step, the suspension arm of the vehicle body is mounted on a base body having a flat surface on the upper surface and having a center line in the width direction. The center line of the base body is centered in the width direction of the vehicle body by the vehicle body fixing step of fixing the vehicle body parallel to the plane so that the four places are symmetrical with respect to the center line of the base body. Set as a line. In addition, even if there is a hole or a step, the plane of the upper surface of the base is sufficient if it has a plane portion that serves as a reference for fixing the vehicle body.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the wheel alignment method according to the third aspect of the invention, the measuring step includes the step of measuring the vehicle body fixed on the base body so as to have a predetermined distance from the center line of the base body. A reference column fixing step for fixing the column body vertically at four surrounding positions, and a reference yarn tensioning step for stretching the yarn to the same height as the center position of the wheel between the column bodies located on the side surface of the vehicle body And a wheel point measuring step for measuring a distance between the yarn and a predetermined position of the wheel. The reference column fixing step can be performed before the vehicle body fixing step.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the wheel alignment method according to the third or fourth aspect, the absorber further has a length when the vehicle body of the absorber fixed to the wheel to be measured is installed on the ground. A dummy absorber fixing step of exchanging and fixing the rod body with the absorber is provided.

The invention according to claim 6 is the wheel alignment method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the wheel has a plane parallel to the hub of the vehicle body on the outside, and the wheel point. A measurement wheel in which a mark is drawn at a predetermined position measured in a measurement process, and the height of the mark from the plane coincides with the height of the center of the wheel in a state where the vehicle body is fixed to the base body. It is attached to the vehicle body as described above.
The invention according to claim 7 is a measuring wheel having a plane parallel to the hub of the vehicle body on the outside, and a mark is drawn at a predetermined position to be measured on the plane.

The invention according to claim 8 is the wheel alignment method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the vehicle body center setting step, four positions where the suspension arm of the vehicle body fixed at a predetermined position is attached are optically detected. The center line in the width direction of the vehicle body fixed is set by measuring automatically. Optical measurement is a measurement method that uses light. Specifically, the distance and state are measured by analyzing the time, angle, attenuation rate, etc., reflected by applying light to the object. Examples thereof include a method and a method of measuring a distance and a state by attaching a target whose state is known in advance to the target and analyzing image data obtained by capturing the target.
The invention according to claim 9 is the wheel alignment method according to claim 8, wherein the measurement step optically measures the positions of a plurality of targets fixed to the wheel, and the positions of the targets, The distance between the center plane that bisects the vehicle body passing through the center line and the predetermined position of the wheel is indirectly measured based on the set position of the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body.

In the first aspect of the invention, the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body is set, and the distance of a predetermined point on the wheel with respect to the center line is measured. Therefore, the relationship between the center of the vehicle body and the wheel can be measured. it can.
The invention according to claim 2 is more accurate by correcting the distortion of the vehicle body so that the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body is more appropriate and measuring the relationship between the wheel and the vehicle body based on this. Measurement can be performed.

In the invention according to claim 3, since the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body is clearly shown on the base body with reference to the four places where the suspension arm is attached, the center line of the wheel and the vehicle body Can be measured.
In the invention according to claim 4, four column bodies are set up at equal distances from the center line of the base body, which is the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body, and between these two column bodies located on both sides of the vehicle body Since the distance between the wheel to be measured and the thread is measured by tensioning each thread, the distance between the wheel and the vehicle body center line can be easily measured indirectly.
The invention according to claim 5 replaces and fixes the rod body having a length when the vehicle body of the absorber fixed to the wheel to be measured by the vehicle body is installed on the ground, The position of the wheel can be made closer during traveling, and wheel alignment can be performed in a state close to actual traveling.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform measurement easily and quickly at the time of measurement by using a wheel in which a mark is drawn at a predetermined position to be measured.
In the invention according to claim 7, when a mark is drawn at a predetermined position to be measured, when the wheel is fixed to the hub and the wheel alignment is performed, the measurement can be performed more easily and quickly. By having a plane parallel to the hub, it is possible to easily and quickly measure angles.

In the invention according to claim 8, since the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body is optically set on the basis of the four places where the suspension arms are attached, labor is reduced, and the vehicle width direction in the vehicle body direction is accurately reduced. A center line can be set.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the relationship between the wheel and the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body is optically measured, the labor is reduced and accurate measurement is possible.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a corrector 10 serving as a base body used in the wheel alignment method according to the present embodiment. The correction machine 10 has a reference flat surface 11 on the upper surface, and a reference line and a reference point as an installation reference with the vehicle body are drawn. The correction machine 10 has a rectangular shape in plan view and has a center line in the width direction.
First, a vehicle body is fixed on the correction machine 10 as a vehicle body fixing process. Specifically, the vehicle body is placed on the correction machine so that a reference line or a reference point matches a predetermined portion of the vehicle body. Thereby, since the center of the width direction of a vehicle body and the center of a correction machine correspond, the center of a correction machine can be set as a center of the width direction of a vehicle body. Then, the vehicle body is lifted and fixed parallel to the four positions where the suspension arm of the vehicle body is attached using a jack. FIG. 2 is a bottom view schematically showing the attachment position P of the suspension arm of the vehicle body B. FIG. Such a suspension arm mounting position P exists in any vehicle, and here, it is assumed that this mounting position is provided symmetrically at the center of the vehicle body. Thereafter, a vehicle body correction process for correcting the vehicle body distortion is performed.
Next, as a dummy absorber fixing step, the absorber support, which is a rod body having a length when the vehicle body is installed on the ground, is fixed by replacing the absorber with the absorber. To do. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the absorber support 50. The absorber support 50 is attached in place of the suspension attached to the vehicle body. The absorber support 50 is composed of a rod-shaped main body 51 and a disk body provided with a bolt hole that is rotatably fixed by a ball joint at the upper end of the main body 51. And a hub fixing portion 53 fixed to the back side of the hub, which is constituted by two plate-like bodies fixed by welding to the lower end of the hub. The length of the absorber support 50 is determined by calculating the length of the absorber when the vehicle body is installed on the ground from the weight of the vehicle body and the original elastic force of the absorber.

  Thereafter, the measuring wheel is fixed to the hub of the vehicle body as a dummy wheel fixing step. FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the measuring wheel 20, and FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the measuring wheel 20. The measuring wheel 20 is a disk-shaped body having an average wheel outer diameter, and is a disk-shaped hub fixing portion 22 fixed to a hub of an automobile. It is formed from a ring-shaped measuring surface 21 formed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of a disk-shaped body formed so as to be parallel, and a shallow mortar-shaped spoke surface 23 connecting the measuring surface 21 and the hub fixing portion. The hub fixing portion 22 is provided with a bolt hole 22a for connecting to the hub. In addition, the measurement surface 21 includes a line segment positioned on the measurement surface of two straight lines orthogonal to each other on the extension line of the axle when attached to the hub in the plane where the measurement surface exists, and the line segment. A measurement point 21a configured as an intersection with a line segment that intersects at a right angle at the center position is depicted. When fixing the measuring wheel 20 to the hub, a line connecting a pair of opposing measuring points 21 a is set to be perpendicular to the plane 11 of the correction machine 10. By doing in this way, the line which connected other one set of measuring points 21a becomes parallel to the plane of correction machine 10.

When the wheel fixing step is completed, a reference column fixing step for fixing the reference column 30 to the correction machine 10 is performed. FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the reference column 30. The reference column 30 is a rectangular parallelepiped column, and a scale 31 is drawn on the side surface at intervals of 1 mm and a numerical value of the height from the lower end for each fixed interval of the scale. The reference pillars are fixed at four locations around the vehicle body so as to be perpendicular to the plane 11 of the corrector 10 and symmetrical from the center position of the corrector.
Thereafter, a reference yarn tensioning process is performed in which a reference yarn is stretched between the reference columns 30. The reference yarn serving as a reference is stretched so as to connect the four corners located outside the four reference columns 30 fixed to the correction machine 10. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the reference yarn 40 is stretched. The reference yarn 40 is stretched so as to be at the same height as the measurement points 21 a arranged in parallel to the plane 11 of the correction machine 10 of the measuring wheel 20.
Finally, a measurement process is performed. Specifically, regarding the four measuring wheels 20, as shown in FIG. 8, distances D1 and D2 between the reference yarn 40 and the two measuring points 21a arranged in parallel to the plane 11 of the correcting machine 10 of the measuring wheel 20 are shown. Measure with a ruler. Thereby, not only the toe-in of the left and right wheels can be measured, but also the deviation of the left and right wheels from the center of the vehicle body can be measured. After that, as shown in FIG. 9, the camber angle is measured by aligning the digital angle meter A with two measurement points 21a arranged vertically on the measuring wheel 20, and the steering angle is measured with a turning radius gauge. Perform alignment.
In this way, by measuring the relationship between the reference yarn stretched at the same distance from the center position of the vehicle body with respect to the four positions where the suspension arm is attached to the vehicle body and the measurement wheel, Can be measured.

  Although the measurement wheel is used in the above-described embodiment, the measurement can be performed using a general wheel if it is acceptable that the accuracy is somewhat lowered. Further, from the viewpoint of measuring the relationship between the wheel and the center position of the vehicle body, the measurement points do not have to be two points as in the above embodiment, and may be the center point of the wheel.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a measurement state of the wheel alignment method according to the second embodiment. This wheel alignment uses "V3D2URUTORA", a wheel alignment tester from John Bean. This wheel alignment tester attaches a target consisting of a substantially square plate, in which a plurality of white circular holes are arranged in a matrix, to the wheel surface and the ground approximately perpendicularly, and images this from the front. This is a device that can measure the state of the wheel by calculating the position and angle of the wheel relative to the camera from the size, distortion, and positional relationship. In addition, this device determines the tip position of a rod (hereinafter referred to as “tester rod”) having a target made of a plate having a plurality of holes at the rear end from the size, distortion, and positional relationship of the holes of the target. Since it can be calculated, the relative position of the tester bar with respect to the camera inside the vehicle body can be known by imaging the target by bringing the tip of the tester bar into contact with the vehicle body.

In the wheel alignment method according to the second embodiment, first, the vehicle body to be measured is placed on the lift B with the wheels attached. Here, when the vehicle body is distorted, a vehicle body correction process for correcting the vehicle body distortion is performed. In this state, the target A1 for measurement is attached to all the wheels. Next, the lift B is moved to raise the vehicle body to a position where the lower surface of the vehicle body can be worked. In this state, the camera A2 images the target A1, and the position and angle of the wheel with respect to the camera A2 are calculated from the target A1.
Next, the tip of the tester bar A3 is sequentially brought into contact with each of the four locations where the suspension arm of the vehicle body is attached from the lower surface of the vehicle body, and the target of the tester bar A3 is imaged by the camera A2, and the suspension arm of the vehicle body Calculate the position of the four places where is attached. In addition, since the suspension arm is attached to these four places, the tip of the tester bar A3 may not be directly contacted. In such a case, the tip of the tester bar A3 is attached to a predetermined part of the suspension arm attachment part. May be brought into contact with each other. Thereby, the attachment position of the suspension arm can be calculated relatively. By this measurement, a straight line connecting the center point between the mounting positions of the suspension arms of the front wheels and the center point of the mounting position of the suspension arms of the rear wheels can be set as the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body.
A plane that bisects the vehicle body on the set vertical plane passing through the center line in the width direction of the vehicle body can be calculated, and the distance between this plane and the position of an arbitrary point on the wheel can also be calculated. Therefore, the distance between the plane that bisects the vehicle body passing through the center in the width direction of the vehicle body and the predetermined point of the wheel can be obtained by calculation.
By the above measurement, not only the wheel toe-in, camber angle, caster angle and kingpin angle can be obtained, but also the positional relationship between a predetermined point of the wheel and the center in the width direction of the vehicle body can be measured.

3 is a perspective view showing a base body according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a bottom view which shows typically the attachment position of the suspension arm of a vehicle body. It is a perspective view which shows the absorber support body which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a measurement wheel according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a measurement wheel according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a reference column according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view showing the state where the standard thread was stretched. It is a top view which shows the measurement position of a reference | standard thread | yarn and the wheel for a measurement. It is a front view which shows the measurement state of the camber angle by the wheel for a measurement. It is a perspective view which shows the measurement state of the wheel alignment which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Base body 11 Plane 20 Measuring wheel 21 Measuring surface 21a Measuring point 30 Reference pillar 40 Reference thread 50 Absorber support

Claims (9)

A vehicle body center setting step for setting a center line in the width direction of the vehicle body to which the wheel to be measured is attached,
A wheel alignment method comprising: a measuring step of directly or indirectly measuring a distance between a center plane that bisects a vehicle body passing through the center line and a predetermined position of the wheel.   The wheel alignment method according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle body correction step of correcting a distortion of the vehicle body in the wheel alignment method. The vehicle body center setting step includes:
Four locations where the suspension arm of the vehicle body is mounted on a base body having a flat surface on the upper surface and having a center line in the width direction are symmetrical with respect to the center line of the base body. The wheel alignment method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a center line of the base body is set as a center line in a width direction of the vehicle body by a vehicle body fixing step of fixing the vehicle body parallel to the plane. The measurement step includes
A reference column fixing step of fixing the column body vertically at four locations around the vehicle body fixed on the base body so as to have a predetermined distance from the center line of the base body;
A reference yarn tensioning step of passing a yarn to the same height as the center position of the wheel between the pillars located on the side surface of the vehicle body,
A wheel point measuring step for measuring a distance between the yarn and a predetermined position of the wheel;
The wheel alignment method of Claim 3 which has these. In the wheel alignment method, further,
5. A dummy absorber fixing step of replacing a rod having a length when the vehicle body is installed on the ground with an absorber fixed to a wheel to be measured by the vehicle body, by replacing the absorber with the absorber. The wheel alignment method described.   The wheel is a measuring wheel having a plane parallel to the hub of the vehicle body on the outside, and a mark is drawn at a predetermined position measured in the wheel point measuring step, and the vehicle body is the base body The wheel alignment method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the wheel alignment method is attached to the vehicle body so that a height of the mark from the plane coincides with a height of a center of the wheel in a fixed state.   A measuring wheel having a plane parallel to the hub of the vehicle body on the outside, and a mark is drawn at a predetermined position to be measured on the plane. The vehicle body center setting step includes:
3. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein a center line in the width direction of the vehicle body is fixed by optically measuring four positions where the suspension arm of the vehicle body fixed at a predetermined position is attached. Alignment method. The measurement step includes
The position of the target fixed to the wheel is optically measured, and the vehicle body passing through the center line is divided into two based on the position of the target and the position of the set center line in the width direction of the vehicle body. The wheel alignment method according to claim 8, wherein a distance between a center plane and a predetermined position of the wheel is indirectly measured.

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