JP4697749B2 - Automobile wheel alignment measuring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring wheel alignment of an automobile.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle wheel alignment measurement device that measures wheel alignment based on the position and orientation of a predetermined measurement location set in advance on a wheel mounting portion provided on an axle of a vehicle is known (see Patent Document 1). . In the thing of patent document 1, the contact member contact | abutted from the downward direction to the wheel attachment part, the raising / lowering raising / lowering board which supports the said contact member integrally, and contact | abutted to the contact member via this raising / lowering board A cylinder for raising the wheel mounting portion is provided, and a sensor unit that moves up and down integrally with the lifting plate is provided on the cylinder. The sensor unit is composed of a plurality of sensors, and each sensor measures the attitude angle of the wheel mounting portion. According to this, since each sensor of a sensor unit opposes the measurement location of a wheel mounting part when a wheel mounting part is contact | abutted and supported by the contact member, a posture angle can be measured efficiently.

However, when the wheel mounting part comes into contact with the contact member and the cylinder raises the lifting plate, the lifting plate is distorted or tilted due to the load received from the wheel mounting part, and this distortion or tilt is further spread to the sensor unit. Is disadvantageous in that the attitude of each sensor with respect to the wheel mounting portion is deviated and the accuracy of measuring the attitude angle is lowered.
Japanese Patent No. 3881287 (FIG. 2)

  The present invention eliminates this inconvenience, and the present invention provides a vehicle wheel alignment capable of performing highly accurate measurement while suppressing the influence of the load received from the wheel mounting portion when measuring the attitude angle with respect to the wheel mounting portion. It aims at providing a measuring device.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a vehicle wheel alignment measuring device for measuring wheel alignment based on the position and orientation of a predetermined measurement location preset on a wheel mounting portion provided on an axle of the vehicle. And a holding means for positioning and holding the wheel mounting portion that is not mounted on the wheel in a state in which the change of the posture is allowed and the measurement location is exposed, and the wheel mounting portion is raised through the holding means. A wheel mounting portion raising means; and a posture angle measuring means for measuring a posture angle of the wheel mounting portion via the measurement point of the wheel mounting portion raised by the wheel mounting portion raising means, the posture angle measuring means. A sensor unit that faces the measurement location of the wheel mounting portion in a non-contact state, a connecting member that connects the sensor unit to the holding means via a ball joint, and the sensor unit. Tsu preparative vehicle length direction, and a support mechanism for movably supporting the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle height direction, is driven to the sensor unit via the connecting member to the lifting movement of the holding means by the wheel mount lifting means And a driven means.

In the wheel alignment measuring apparatus of the present invention, the sensor unit follows the movement in the vehicle length direction, the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle height direction of the wheel mounting portion on the holding means via the connecting member by adopting the above configuration. To do. In addition, when the wheel mounting portion is lifted by the wheel mounting portion lifting means holding means, even if the holding means receiving the load from the wheel mounting portion is distorted or inclined, the ball joint provided on the connecting member of the posture angle measuring means The bending absorbs distortion and inclination of the holding means, and the distortion and inclination do not affect the sensor unit. Thereby, the opposing attitude | position of the sensor unit with respect to the measurement location of a wheel attachment part can be maintained reliably, and the attitude | position angle with respect to a wheel attachment part can be measured with high precision. In addition, as said measurement location, a part of each component which comprises wheel attachment parts, such as the side surface of the brake device assembled | attached to the wheel attachment part, can be mentioned, for example.

  In addition, the sensor unit is connected to the holding means via the ball joint by the connecting member, and reliably follows the raising and lowering of the holding means by the wheel mounting portion raising means by the driven means. Thereby, the opposing position of the sensor unit with respect to the measurement location of the wheel mounting portion can be reliably maintained, and the attitude angle with respect to the wheel mounting portion can be measured with high accuracy.

  Therefore, according to the wheel alignment measuring apparatus of the present invention, when measuring the attitude angle with respect to the wheel mounting portion, it is possible to perform highly accurate measurement while suppressing the influence of the load received from the wheel mounting portion.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view showing a schematic configuration of an alignment measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing a holding state of a wheel mounting portion, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the main part of the sensor unit, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the action of the ball joint of the connecting member.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel alignment measuring device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided on a conveyance path of a vehicle body 2 in an assembly line of an automobile body 2 and is supported by a hanger 3 (shown by a virtual line). Is conveyed directly above the wheel alignment measuring device 1. The vehicle body 2 is assembled with a suspension device 4 (a part of which is shown in FIG. 3) upstream of the wheel alignment measuring device 1, and a steering position (not shown) is adjusted to a neutral position. A wheel mounting portion 5 for mounting a wheel is provided at each shaft end of the four axles connected to the suspension device 4. In the assembly line, wheels are not yet attached to the four wheel attachment portions 5, but the wheel simulation body 6 shown in FIG. It is attached to the attachment portion 5. The wheel simulated body 6 is composed of a first frame 7 and a second frame 8, the first frame 7 is connected to the wheel mounting portion 5, and the lower edge portion of the second frame 8 is in a grounded state in the same manner as the wheels. Become.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel alignment measuring device 1 hangs down from the vehicle body 2 supported by the vehicle body support means 9 and the vehicle body support means 9 that supports the vehicle body 2 by detaching the vehicle body 2 from the hanger 3. Wheel attachment part raising means 10 for raising the four wheel attachment parts 5 that are freely raised in the state, and alignment for detecting the displacement of the wheel attachment part 5 and measuring the posture angle (toe angle and camber angle) Measuring means 11 (attitude angle measuring means).

  The wheel attachment part raising means 10 is provided corresponding to each of the four wheel attachment parts 5 and is connected to the wheel simulation body 6 and supports the wheel attachment part 5 as shown in FIG. When the vehicle length direction is the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction is the left-right direction, the elevating table 13 that connects the support plate 12 movably in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the elevating device 14 that elevates the elevating table 13 And. The wheel simulation body 6 and the support plate 12 constitute the holding means of the present invention, and the wheel mounting portion 5 is positioned on the support plate 12 while being held by the wheel simulation body 6. .

  The elevating table 13 supports the support plate 12 via the first movable plate 15 and the second movable plate 16, and the first movable plate 15 is guided in the left-right direction by the rail 17 on the elevating table 13, The two movable plates 16 are guided in the front-rear direction by rails 18 on the first movable plate 15. The first movable plate 15 is moved in the left-right direction by a driving device 19 provided on the lifting table 13. Similarly, the second movable plate 16 is a driving device (not shown) provided on the first movable plate 15. Is moved back and forth.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the alignment measuring means 11 includes a columnar frame 20 erected adjacent to the wheel mounting portion raising means 10, a sensor unit 21 facing the wheel mounting portion 5, a sensor unit 21 and a columnar shape. A support mechanism 22 that is interposed between the frame 20 and supports the sensor unit 21 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the support mechanism 22 includes an elevating frame 24 (see FIG. 1) that is provided on the side wall of the columnar frame 20 and that can move up and down along a rail 23 that extends in the vertical direction, and a vertical wall of the elevating frame 24. And a slide frame 26 slidable along a rail 25 extending in the front-rear direction (vehicle length direction), and toward a wheel mounting portion 5 along a rail 27 provided on a side wall of the slide frame 26. Two advance / retreat frames (first advance / retreat frame 28 and second advance / retreat frame 29) that are slidable in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) are provided. The sensor unit 21 is connected to the leading edge of the first advance / retreat frame 28. The second advancing / retracting frame 29 is connected to the support plate 12 of the wheel mounting portion raising means 10 by a connecting arm 30 (connecting member), and the tip of the connecting arm 30 is interposed via a ball joint 31 which is a bendable structure. Are connected to the support plate 12.

  The columnar frame 20 is provided with an assist cylinder 32 (driven means) for causing the support mechanism 22 to follow up and down of the support plate 12 via the up and down frame 24. The second advancing / retracting frame 29 is rotated by a ball screw 33 for moving the first advancing / retracting frame 28 in accordance with the movement of the first movable plate 15 and a ball screw 33 corresponding to the amount of movement of the first movable plate 15. Drive motor 34 is provided. Note that the sliding frame 26 is slidable along the rail 25 of the elevating frame 24 to follow the movement of the second movable plate 16.

  In addition, the sensor unit 21 includes three laser sensors (a first sensor 35, a second sensor 36, and a third sensor 37) as shown in FIG. The first sensor 35, the second sensor 36, and the third sensor 37 face three points a, b, and c (measurement points) set on the disc surface of the brake disc 38 assembled to the wheel mounting portion 5, respectively. To do. The first sensor 35 measures the distance to point a of the brake disk 38, the second sensor 36 measures the distance to point b of the brake disk 38, and the third sensor 37 measures the distance to point c of the brake disk 38. Then, the vertical displacement between the point a and the central point between the points b and c is measured from the difference in distance measured by the first sensor 35, the second sensor 36, and the third sensor 37. Detect the camber angle. Further, the horizontal displacement between the point b and the point c is measured from the difference in distance measured by the second sensor 36 and the third sensor 37, and the toe angle is detected from this displacement. Since these three points a, b, and c (measurement points) are exposed through the open gaps between the frames 7 and 8 of the wheel simulation body 6, the toe angle by the sensor unit 21 is set. And the wheel simulation body 6 does not get in the way when measuring the camber angle. In addition, since the disc surface of the brake disc 38 is formed smoothly and with high accuracy, the measurement results of the toe angle and the camber angle are obtained by setting three points a, b, and c as measurement points on the disc surface. It can be obtained with extremely high accuracy.

  With the above configuration, the alignment measuring means 11 follows the height and the front / rear / left / right movement of the wheel mounting portion 5 on the support plate 12 via the connecting arm 30. Further, as exaggerated for convenience of explanation in FIG. 5, even if the support plate 12 receives a load from the wheel mounting portion 5 and the support plate 12 is distorted or inclined, the ball joint 31 is bent to cause the support plate 12 to be bent. It is possible to prevent the distortion and inclination from being absorbed and the distortion and inclination from spreading to the sensor unit 21. Therefore, when measuring the attitude angle with respect to the wheel mounting portion 5, it is possible to perform highly accurate measurement while suppressing the influence of the load received from the wheel mounting portion 5.

The explanatory side view showing the schematic structure of the wheel alignment measuring device of one embodiment of the present invention. An explanatory perspective view showing a holding state of a wheel attachment part. Explanatory drawing of the principal part of a wheel alignment measuring apparatus. Explanatory drawing which shows the principal part of a sensor unit. Explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of the ball joint of a connection member.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wheel alignment measuring apparatus, 5 ... Wheel attaching part, 6 ... Wheel simulation body (holding means), 10 ... Wheel attaching part raising means, 11 ... Alignment measuring means (attitude angle measuring means), 12 ... Support plate (holding means) , 21... Sensor unit, 30... Connecting arm (connecting member), 31... Ball joint, 32 .. assist cylinder (driven means), a, b, c.

Claims (1)

A vehicle wheel alignment measuring device that measures wheel alignment based on the position and orientation of a predetermined measurement location set in advance on a wheel mounting portion provided on an axle of the vehicle,
A holding means for positioning and holding the wheel mounting portion on which the wheel is not mounted in a state in which the change in posture is allowed and the measurement location is exposed;
Wheel attachment part raising means for raising the wheel attachment part via the holding means;
Posture angle measuring means for measuring the posture angle of the wheel mounting portion via the measurement point of the wheel mounting portion raised by the wheel mounting portion raising means,
The posture angle measuring means includes a sensor unit that faces the measurement location of the wheel mounting portion in a non-contact state, a connecting member that connects the sensor unit to the holding means via a ball joint, and the sensor unit that is connected to the vehicle length. A support mechanism that is movably supported in a direction, a vehicle width direction, and a vehicle height direction, and a follower that causes the sensor unit to follow the lifting and lowering movement of the holding means by the wheel mounting portion raising means. A vehicle wheel alignment measuring apparatus.

Images