JP4235101B2 - Wheel inspection device and wheel inspection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheel inspection device that measures and inspects a toe angle of a wheel of a vehicle to be inspected.

Conventionally, a technique is known in which a wheel is placed on a table that can be moved and rotated in a horizontal direction, and then both sides of the wheel are clamped by a roller or the like, and the toe angle or camber angle of the wheel is measured in this clamped state ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A 64-72027

  By the way, in the so-called run-out type wheel inspection device that measures the toe angle of a wheel while rotating the wheel on the table, the wheel is not moved in order to prevent lateral movement of the table due to the lateral force generated when the wheel rotates. A restraining mechanism for restraining the table after being clamped is required. However, it has been found that an accurate toe angle cannot be measured in a configuration in which the restraint mechanism is fixed to the equipment. As a result of the identification of this cause by the inventor of the present application, the present inventor has found that the table position may change when the table is constrained by the constraining mechanism, and that a load is applied to the suspension or the like during measurement. It was found that this is a major factor.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel inspection device capable of measuring an accurate toe angle.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a table on which wheels are placed;
A support base for movably supporting the table at least in the transverse direction,
Clamping means for clamping a wheel placed on the table under a situation where the table is installed on the support base and lateral movement of the table is allowed ;
Restraining means for restraining lateral movement of the table;
Measuring means for measuring at least a toe angle of a wheel under the table restraint by the restraining means,
The restraining means includes a first restraining means that is supported movably in the lateral direction with respect to the support base and engageable with the table; and a second restraining means for restraining the lateral movement of the first restraining means relative to the support base. Restraining means,
The restraining means restrains lateral movement of the first restraining means engaged with the table by the second restraining means, so that the table in the lateral direction at the table position after the wheel clamping by the clamping means. There is provided a wheel inspection device characterized by restraining the movement of the wheel.

In this aspect, the first constraining means is adapted to move laterally in association with lateral movement of the table may be engageable around the front of the lateral center of the table.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the step of guiding the wheels of the vehicle to be inspected on the table;
A clamping step of clamping the wheel placed on the table by clamping means;
A step of restraining lateral movement of the table by restraining means;
Measuring at least a toe angle of a wheel under the table restraint by the restraining means,
The restraint means restrains lateral movement of the table at the table position after the clamping step, and provides a wheel inspection method.

  According to the present invention, a wheel inspection device capable of measuring an accurate toe angle can be obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a top view showing a main part of an embodiment of a wheel inspection apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the wheel inspection device 10 is shown in a portion (front half portion) corresponding to the front wheel side of the vehicle to be inspected. The wheel inspection device 10 according to the present embodiment is installed in a wheel inspection facility, and may be embodied mainly as a toe tester for measuring and adjusting wheel alignment (toe-in) of a completed vehicle. The wheel inspection device 10 includes a case (support base) 20 corresponding to each wheel of the vehicle to be inspected. Each component (described later) necessary for wheel inspection is installed in the case 20, and a pair is formed corresponding to the left and right wheels of the vehicle to be inspected. The pair of cases 20 are linked by an equalizing panda 22 with a predetermined facility center line C / L as a reference. Accordingly, the pair of cases 20 are moved in synchronization with the equalizing panda 22 from the left and right with respect to the equipment center line C / L, and can cope with the difference in the tread of the vehicle. A similar pair of cases 20 is also provided on the rear wheel side.

  FIG. 2 is a top view showing the main part of the case 20 of the wheel inspection apparatus 10 shown in FIG. Although there are four cases 20 for one facility, the configuration of each case 20 may be substantially the same, and therefore, one case 20 will be described below.

  The case 20 is provided with a table 30 on which the wheels W of the vehicle to be inspected are placed. The table 30 may be a roller type table in which motor-driven rollers for rotating the wheels W are embedded. The table 30 is slidably supported on a guide member 13 fixed to the case 20, and the table 30 is rotatably supported by the guide member 13 via a ball bearing (not shown). Has been. Therefore, the table 30 is configured to be movable and rotatable in the lateral direction (direction perpendicular to the equipment center line C / L in the horizontal plane) with respect to the case 20.

  In the case 20, a pair of clamp heads 14 are installed on both sides of the table 30. The pair of clamp heads 14 are linked by a link 15 (indicated by a broken line in the figure) around a predetermined axis Y (in this example, a tread center Y) of the case 20. Accordingly, the pair of clamp heads 14 move in synchronization with the link 15 with respect to the tread center Y, and clamp (clamp) both side surfaces of the wheel W placed on the table 30 by rollers 14b or the like from both sides.

  The case 20 is provided with a measuring device (not shown) for measuring the toe angle and camber angle of the wheel W. The measuring device may be a sensor and an encoder that measure the toe angle and the camber angle by contacting the side surface of the wheel W, or measure the toe angle and the camber angle in a non-contact manner using a laser, an ultrasonic wave, or the like. It may be a sensor. When the measuring device is composed of a contact-type sensor, the movement of the sensor to the side surface of the wheel W (and the movement in the direction away from the side surface) is realized by a hydraulic pressure such as air as with the clamp head 14. It's okay.

  The wheel inspection apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a restraining mechanism 40 that restrains the lateral movement of the table 30 with respect to the case 20 (equipment). The restraint mechanism 40 includes a cam follower 44. The cam follower 44 is installed on the cam follower installation base 34. The cam follower installation base 34 is connected to the front portion of the table 30 and can move in the lateral direction integrally with the table 30. The cam follower installation base 34 is provided with a guide member 42 that slidably supports the cam follower 44. The guide member 42 may be a rod-like member extending in the horizontal direction in the horizontal plane, like the guide member 13.

  The cam follower 44 includes a pair of clamping members 44a. The pair of clamping members 44a are linked by a link (not shown) around a predetermined axis Z (table center Z in this example) of the table 30. Therefore, the pair of clamping members 44a move in synchronization with the left and right with respect to the table center Z, and clamp (clamp) the clamped member 36 of the table 30 from both lateral sides (see FIG. 4B). Note that the operation of the cam follower 44 may be realized using a hydraulic pressure such as air. The sandwiched member 36 has a protrusion that extends in alignment with the table center Z, and is fixed to the front portion of the table 30 with a bolt or the like. The cam follower installation base 34 and the sandwiched member 36 may be formed integrally with the table 30.

  The restraint mechanism 40 further includes a fixing means 46 that fixes the cam follower 44 to the equipment. The fixing means 46 is fixed to a part (for example, the case 20) fixed to the equipment and plays a role of holding the cam follower 44 in a state where the table 30 is clamped. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the fixing means 46 is constituted by a brake caliper that is hydraulically driven using air or the like. In this case, the brake caliper restrains the movement of the cam follower 44 by sandwiching a predetermined portion of the cam follower 44 and pressing it. Therefore, when the fixing means 46 is activated, the lateral movement of the table 30 relative to the equipment is completely restrained. Even if the fixing means 46 is in the activated state, the table 30 is allowed to move in the rotational direction.

  Next, an inspection operation realized by the wheel inspection device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The pair of cases 20 are adjusted and fixed in accordance with the tread of the vehicle to be inspected. First, as shown in FIG. 1, when entering the facility, the vehicle to be inspected is centered on the facility center line C / L by the tire guide 24 on the case 20 and the embedded roller 26 therebelow. Be guided to correspond. Therefore, normally, the wheel W is placed on the table 30 in a state where it is aligned with the tread center Y by the function of the tire guide 24 and the like. Here, the table 30 may be urged to a position where the table center Z coincides with the tread center Y as its normal position. Therefore, in this case, the table 30 is not substantially moved when the wheel W is clamped by the clamp head 14 in the next process, and the subsequent measurement process is executed without any problem.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3A, there is a case in which the wheel W is placed on the table 30 in a state of being displaced from the tread center Y due to some factor. As this factor, there are a case where the vehicle to be inspected enters the vehicle vigorously, a case where a gap between the width of the tire guide 24 and the wheel W is large, and a case where the centering of the tire guide 24 is shifted from the tread center Y. In this case, when the wheel W is clamped by the clamp head 14 in the next step, the wheel W shifted from the tread center Y is forcibly aligned with the tread center Y as shown in FIG. At this time, the table 30 to which the wheel W is grounded slides on the guide member 13 and moves in the lateral direction as the wheel W moves, as indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  When the table 30 moves when the wheel W is clamped by the clamp head 14 as described above, in the configuration in which the cam follower is fixed to the equipment, as shown in FIG. When the cam follower clamps the table 30, the table 30 is forcibly moved laterally and rotated (that is, the deviation of the table 30 from the tread center Y is forcibly returned). Due to the movement / rotation of the table 30, a load is applied to the suspension and steering mechanism of the vehicle to be inspected, and this state is continued during the measurement process.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the cam follower installation base 34 and the cam follower 44 are configured to move in the lateral direction in conjunction with the movement of the table 30 as described above. That is, the restraining mechanism 40 of the present embodiment is configured to restrain the table 30 at the table position after the wheels are clamped by the clamp head 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the cam follower 44 clamps the table 30 in the measurement process, the table 30 is not substantially moved or rotated. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the toe angle and the like can be measured in a state where no load is applied to the suspension and steering mechanism of the vehicle to be inspected, so that the measurement accuracy is improved.

  In the measurement process, after the cam follower 44 clamps the table 30, the fixing means 46 is activated (turned on), and the cam follower 44 is restrained by the fixing means 46. In this state, the wheel W is rotated by the roller of the table 30, and the toe angle and camber angle of the rotating wheel W are measured. At this time, a lateral force is generated by the rotation of the wheel W, but the table 30 does not move in the lateral direction by the operation of the fixing means 46. However, at this time, the movement of the table 30 other than in the lateral direction is still allowed by the action of the ball bearing, and the table 30 swings around the clamped member 36 (that is, the central portion of the front portion of the table 30) as a fulcrum. Can exercise and back and forth. The steps after the step of clamping the wheel W by the clamp head 14 (for example, clamping of the table 30 by the cam follower 44 and subsequent fixing of the cam follower 44 by the fixing means 46) are performed by an equipment control device (not shown). It may be performed automatically under control. When the measurement process is completed, the vehicle to be inspected is subjected to a correction operation such as a toe angle based on a measurement result such as a toe angle, and the entire inspection process is completed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the measurement result of the toe angle by the wheel inspection apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 (A) shows a measurement result by a configuration (see FIG. 4 (A)) in which a cam follower is fixed to equipment as a comparative example, and FIG. 5 (B) shows a wheel inspection device of the present embodiment. 10 shows the measurement result of the toe angle according to 10. Specifically, the same vehicle was moved into and out of the facility 30 times, and the toe angle was measured every time. FIG. 5 shows the toe angles of the left and right wheels at each measurement (N = 30).

  As shown in FIG. 5 (A), the measurement result by the comparative example has a large variation at each measurement time, whereas the measurement result by the wheel inspection device 10 of the present embodiment shows As shown in FIG. 5 (B), there is no significant variation at each measurement time. In consideration of the effect of this variation on the measurement accuracy, it was confirmed that the measurement accuracy was improved by about 50% compared to the comparative example, according to the wheel inspection device 10 of the present example.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the lateral movement of the table 30 is restricted by mechanical engagement by pinching by the cam follower 44, but it is realized by other mechanical engagement utilizing fitting or friction. May be. If the setting space for the fixing means 46 can be secured, the cam follower 44 may be set on the table 30 side, and the sandwiched member 36 may be set on the cam follower installation base 34 side. Further, the restraining of the cam follower 44 by the fixing means 46 may also be realized using electromagnetic force, liquid pressure, or the like in addition to mechanical engagement.

  The restraining mechanism 40 uses any structure / mechanism as long as it is configured to restrain the lateral movement of the table 30 at the displaced position when the table 30 is displaced from the tread center Y. There may be. For example, even if the cam follower installation base 34 is not configured to move in conjunction with the movement of the table 30 as in the above-described embodiment, the lateral movement of the table 30 is restrained without displacing the moved table 30. Any configuration can be used. In this case, the restraint of the table 30 (the sandwiched member 36) may be realized by using electromagnetic force, liquid pressure, or the like other than mechanical engagement.

  In the above-described embodiment, after the clamp head 14 clamps the wheel W, the clamp of the table 30 by the cam follower 44 and the subsequent restraint of the cam follower 44 by the fixing means 46 are realized. The clamp head 14 may clamp the wheel W in a state where the cam follower 44 clamps the table 30, and then the cam follower 44 may be restrained by the fixing means 46. In this case, when the table 30 moves when the clamp head 14 clamps the wheel W, the cam follower 44 only needs to be able to move together with the table 30 while the table 30 is clamped.

It is a top view which shows the principal part of one Example of the wheel inspection apparatus by this invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of case 20 of the wheel inspection apparatus 10 shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing in the test | inspection operation | movement implement | achieved by the wheel test | inspection apparatus 10 of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the behavior of the table 30 at the time of the table clamp by the cam follower 44 with a comparative example. It is a graph which shows the actual measurement result by the wheel inspection apparatus 10 of a present Example with a comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wheel inspection apparatus 14 Clamp head 20 Case 30 Table 34 Cam follower installation stand 36 Clamping member 44 Cam follower C / L Equipment center line Y Tread center Z Table center

Claims (3)

A table on which wheels are placed;
A support base for movably supporting the table at least in the transverse direction,
Clamping means for clamping the wheel placed on the table under a situation where the table is installed on the support base and lateral movement of the table is allowed ;
Restraining means for restraining lateral movement of the table;
Measuring means for measuring at least a toe angle of a wheel under the table restraint by the restraining means,
The restraining means includes a first restraining means that is supported movably in the lateral direction with respect to the support base and engageable with the table; and a second restraining means for restraining the lateral movement of the first restraining means relative to the support base. Restraining means,
The restraining means restrains lateral movement of the first restraining means engaged with the table by the second restraining means, so that the table in the lateral direction at the table position after the wheel clamping by the clamping means. A wheel inspection device characterized by restraining the movement of the wheel. Said first constraining means is adapted to move laterally in association with lateral movement of the table, is engageable to near the front of the lateral center portion of the table, wheel inspection of claim 1, wherein apparatus. On which is movably supported at least in the horizontal direction by the support base table, the steps of directing the wheels of the inspection target vehicle,
A clamping step of clamping a wheel placed on the table by a clamping means installed on the support base in a situation where lateral movement of the table is allowed ;
Lateral movement of the table, the first constraining means is movably supported engageable with said table in the transverse direction with respect to the support base, the lateral movement of the first constraining means relative to the support base Restraining by restraining means including second restraining means for restraining ;
Measuring at least a toe angle of a wheel under the table restraint by the restraining means,
The restraining means restrains lateral movement of the first restraining means engaged with the table by the second restraining means, so that the table in the lateral direction at the table position after the wheel clamping by the clamping means. A wheel inspection method characterized by restraining movement of the wheel.