JP6614059B2 - Calibration device for measurement sensor in wheel alignment measurement device for four-wheeled vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a calibration device for a measurement sensor in a wheel alignment measurement device for a four-wheel vehicle.

  A wheel alignment measuring device for measuring and adjusting whether or not a toe angle (an angle with respect to the vehicle traveling direction) and a camber angle (an angle with respect to the vertical direction of the axle) of each wheel in a four-wheel vehicle is a predetermined value. Is widely used. There has also been proposed a calibration device for calibrating a measurement sensor provided in the wheel alignment measurement device.

  Patent Document 1 describes a calibration device for a wheel alignment measuring device for a four-wheeled vehicle. In the calibration device described therein, four types of measuring elements corresponding to four wheels of a four-wheeled vehicle are brought into contact with four master wheels of the calibration device so that the four types of measuring elements are simultaneously calibrated. Yes.

  Patent Document 2 describes another type of calibration device for a wheel alignment measuring device for a four-wheeled vehicle. In the calibration apparatus described therein, one calibrator having a calibration block serving as a measurement reference position of the measurement sensor is arranged corresponding to the four wheels of a four-wheel vehicle mounted on the wheel alignment measurement apparatus. It arrange | positions so that it may oppose any one of 4 types of measurement sensors, and the calibration is performed for every measurement sensor.

JP-A-6-21762 JP 2011-112574 A

  The calibration device described in Patent Document 1 is adapted to simultaneously calibrate four wheels of a four-wheel vehicle, that is, four measurement sensors (measuring elements) for two front wheels and two rear wheels. It is inevitable that the overall shape of the will become large. For this reason, a large space is required to store the calibration device. It is conceivable to install a gantry above the equipment and store the calibration device by lifting it to the gantry with a hoist. However, the cost to install the gantry and the work using the hoist are necessary, so the cost required for calibration work Will increase.

  In the calibration apparatus described in Patent Document 2, each of the four measurement sensors corresponding to the four wheels of a four-wheel vehicle is calibrated separately using a single calibrator. Weight reduction is possible. Therefore, it can be transported without using a hoist or the like, and the cost required for calibration can be reduced. However, calibration for each wheel, that is, calibration for each set of measurement sensors, requires a reference position setting operation for the measurement sensor of the calibrator for each of the four sets of measurement sensors. Therefore, it is inevitable that the calibration work becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, can be easily transported and can reduce the cost required for calibration work, can also simplify the layout work during calibration, and as a result, the accuracy of calibration is also improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a calibration device for a measurement sensor in a wheel alignment measurement device for a four-wheeled vehicle that can be secured.

  A calibration device according to the present invention is a calibration device for a measurement sensor used in a wheel alignment measurement device in which four types of measurement sensors for measuring wheel alignment are arranged at positions facing four wheels of a mounted four-wheel vehicle. The calibration device includes two calibrators provided at a position facing the measurement sensor and having a calibration block serving as a measurement reference position of the measurement sensor, and a frame member that supports the two calibrators. And a positioning means for positioning the frame member at a predetermined position of the foil alignment measuring device.

  In the calibration apparatus according to the present invention, the two calibrators may be calibrators corresponding to two measurement sensors corresponding to the right and left front and rear wheels of the mounted four-wheel vehicle. It may be a calibrator corresponding to two measurement sensors corresponding to the front two wheels or the rear two wheels of a four-wheel vehicle. In the calibration apparatus according to the former aspect, it is preferable that each calibrator includes a calibration block serving as a measurement reference position of the measurement sensor on both sides of the longitudinal center axis of the support frame.

  In the calibration apparatus according to the present invention, the form of the measurement sensor to be calibrated is arbitrary, and may be any conventionally known measurement sensor. A calibration block corresponding to the form of the measurement sensor is also used.

  The calibration device according to the present invention has a configuration in which two calibrators arranged corresponding to two measurement sensors corresponding to two wheels of a four-wheel vehicle are supported by a frame member, and corresponds to four wheels. Compared to a conventional calibration device in which four calibrators arranged corresponding to four types of measurement sensors are supported by a frame member, the size and weight can be reduced. Therefore, it is easy to handle and can be transported without using a hoist or the like, so that the cost required for calibration can be reduced. In addition, two measurement sensors can be calibrated at the same time, and compared with the case where each measurement sensor is calibrated separately, the arrangement work during calibration can be simplified, and high calibration accuracy can be achieved. Can be secured.

1 is a perspective view of a calibration apparatus according to a first embodiment. The front view of the calibration apparatus shown in FIG. The top view which shows the state which installed the calibration apparatus by 1st Embodiment in the wheel alignment measuring apparatus for four-wheeled vehicles. The front view which shows the state which installed the calibration apparatus by 1st Embodiment in the wheel alignment measuring apparatus for four-wheeled vehicles. The perspective view of the calibration apparatus by 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 6A is a plan view showing a wheel alignment measuring device for a four-wheel vehicle, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the measurement sensor. FIG. 7A is a front view for explaining a measurement reference position of the measurement sensor, and FIG. 7B is a right side view thereof. Schematic for demonstrating an example of the calibration block in a calibrator. Schematic explaining a calibration block used in the calibration apparatus shown in the embodiment. Schematic which shows the further another example of a calibration block.

  Embodiments of a calibration apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, an example of the foil alignment measuring apparatus 100 to be calibrated will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The wheel alignment measuring device 100 measures the wheel alignment of a four-wheel vehicle, and the base 100a is provided with roller tables T1 to T4 at locations corresponding to the four wheels of the four-wheel vehicle to be measured. It has been. Each of the roller tables T1 to T4 is provided with rollers 101 and 101, and a measurement sensor 110 including three sensors 111, 112, and 113 is provided in the vicinity of the roller tables T1 to T4.

  The rollers 101 are arranged with a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) and configured to be rotatable by a predetermined actuator. The three sensors 111, 112, and 113 that constitute the measurement sensor 110 are arranged at predetermined positions at positions outside the roller tables T <b> 1 to T <b> 4 in the wheel alignment measurement apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 6B, the three sensors 111, 112, and 113 are attached to the attachment member 114 formed in a substantially cross shape with a predetermined interval.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, each sensor 111, 112, 113 irradiates a laser toward the wheel A of the four-wheeled vehicle placed on the roller tables T1 to T4, and each sensor 111, 112, The distance between 113 and wheel A is measured. At this time, each sensor 111, 112, 113 calculates the camber angle, the toe angle, and the like of the wheel A by measuring how far the wheel A is from the reference position.

  In addition, the foil alignment measuring device 100 of this form is conventionally known as described in Patent Document 2, for example, and is used as a reference for the sensor 111 as shown in FIG. 7B, for example. When the position is “reference position P1”, the reference position of the sensor 112 is “reference position P2”, and the reference position of the sensor 113 is “reference position P3”, the reference positions P1, P2, and P3 are When the wheels 111 are measured by the sensors 111, 112, and 113, the camber angle and the toe angle are 0 °.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the wheel A is measured in a state where the reference position P2 of the sensor 112 is shifted to the left side by a predetermined interval, the wheel alignment measuring device 100 is based on the offset interval. Then, the alignment of the four-wheel vehicle is calculated (see the wheel A indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7A). In this case, although the camber angle of the wheel A is within the predetermined range, the camber angle may be out of the predetermined range in the measurement result. That is, since a difference occurs in the measurement result on the measurement sensor 110 side of the wheel alignment measurement device 100, the vehicle alignment may not be measured accurately. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically calibrate the measurement sensor 110 using an appropriate calibration device.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a calibration apparatus 1 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. The calibration apparatus 1 has a pair of left and right long bases 2 and 2 parallel to each other, and a long support frame 3 is moved up and down by the lifting means 10 on the bases 2 and 2. It is placed freely. The length of the support frame 3 is substantially equal to the length of the bases 2 and 2. Two calibrators 20 and 20 are fixed to the support frame 3 at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, and leveling means 40 are attached to both ends of the support frame 3. .

  The elevating means 10 is attached in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 3. The elevating means 10 has an L-shaped crank 4, and one end portion 5 of the L-shaped crank 4 is pivotally attached to the support frame 3. Wheels 6 are attached to the other end of the L-type crank 4. A screw 8 having a rotary handle 7 is screwed into a bent portion of the L-type crank 4, and a lower end of the screw 8 is in contact with the support frame 3. The wheels 6 and 6 are on the upper surfaces of the bases 2 and 2. Therefore, the support frame 3 can be moved in the vertical direction with respect to the bases 2 and 2 by operating the rotary handles 7 and 7 of the lifting means 10 and 10 provided at both ends of the support frame 3. Positioning pins 9 and 9 extending in the vertical direction are attached to positions outside the elevating means 10 and 10 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 3.

  A total of four leveling means 40 are attached to each side of the horizontal plate 3a provided at both ends of the support frame 3, two at a predetermined interval. As shown in FIG. 2, each leveling means 40 includes a grounding portion 41 and a screw portion 42 for changing the position of the grounding portion 41 in the vertical direction with respect to the horizontal plate 3a. The support frame 3 can be leveled by adjusting the height of the grounding portion 41 of the left and right leveling means 40.

  Note that the lengths L of the bases 2 and 2 and the support frame 3 that are parallel to each other are equal to the roller table T1 (T2) for the front wheel in the wheel alignment measuring device 100 that uses the calibration device 1, as shown in FIG. Longer than the distance between the outer sides of the roller table T3 (T4) for the rear wheel. Further, in this example, the lateral width S (see FIG. 2) of the bases 2 and 2 in the cross section in the short direction is narrower than the lateral width of the rollers 101 and 101 provided with the roller tables T1 to T4. The two calibrators 20 are attached to the support frame 3 at two locations as described above.

  A usage mode of the calibration apparatus 1 will be described. In the calibration process of the measurement sensor 110, the calibration device 1 is fixed on the wheel alignment measurement device 100 as shown in FIGS. Note that the foil alignment measuring device 100 may be the conventionally known foil alignment measuring device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In this example, the calibration device 1 is placed such that the bases 2 and 2 are placed on the right front wheel roller table T1 and the right rear wheel roller table T3.

  A pedestal 120 is attached to the outside of each roller table T1 to T4 of the base 100a, and the positioning pins 9 and 9 attached to both ends of the support frame 3 of the calibration device 1 are located at the center of each pedestal 120. A hole 121 to be inserted is provided. The positional relationship between the holes 121 and 121 and the positioning pins 9 and 9 is such that the two positioning pins 9 and 9 are inserted into the holes 121 and 121, respectively, and the longitudinal central axis of the support frame 3 of the calibration device 1. The positional relationship is such that P is equidistant from the measurement sensor 110 for the right front wheel attached to the wheel alignment measurement device 100 and the measurement sensor 110 for the right rear wheel.

  When the calibration device 1 is placed on the right front wheel roller table T1 and the right rear wheel roller table T3 in the wheel alignment measuring device 100 as described above, The calibrators 20 and 20 are fixed at positions on the support frame 3 that face the respective measurement sensors 110 and 110 corresponding to the roller table T1 and the roller table T3.

  The calibrator 20 may be a calibrator of a conventionally known form, but the calibrator 20 of this embodiment includes three calibration blocks 31, 32, and 33 serving as measurement reference positions of the measurement sensor 110. Two calibration blocks 31 and 33 are attached to both ends of the horizontal member 21 fixed to the upper surface side of the support frame 3, and one calibration block 32 extends from the center of the horizontal member 21. It is attached to a vertical member 22 that rises vertically. Further, calibration blocks 31 a, 32 a, and 33 a are similarly attached to the opposite surfaces of the horizontal member 21 and the vertical member 22 across the central axis P in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 3. Each calibration block 31, 32, 33, 31a, 32a, 33a has multi-stage measurement reference planes 34, 35, 36 as well shown in the calibration blocks 32, 32a of FIG.

  When the calibration device 1 is attached, the calibration device 1 is carried onto the wheel alignment measuring device 100 by laying a simple rail or by hand. The calibration apparatus 1 calibrates two (two types) of measurement sensors 110 and 110 at the same time, and can be reduced in size and weight as compared with the one that simultaneously calibrates the four types of measurement sensors 110, and handling thereof. Is easy.

  The calibration device 1 is set to a position where the support frame 3 is lifted from the bases 2 and 2 by operating the elevating means 10, and in this state, both ends of the pair of left and right long bases 2 and 2 are connected to the base. Place on 120,120. Then, after aligning the holes 121, 121 formed in the pedestals 120, 120 and the positioning pins 9, 9 attached to the support frame 3, the elevating means 10 is operated again so that the support frame 3 is mounted on the bases 2, 2 Drop towards Thereby, the positioning pins 9 and 9 are inserted into the holes 121 and 121 formed in the bases 120 and 120, and the calibration device 1 is positioned, that is, the calibrators 20 and 20 are positioned. In this state, the grounding portion 41 of the leveling means 40 is located on the pedestal 120.

  Next, the rotating handles 7 and 7 are operated so that the wheel 6 is slightly lifted from the bases 2 and 2 and the screw portions 42 and 42 of the left and right leveling means 40 and 40 are adjusted. Then, the support frame 3 is leveled. Check the level with a level attached to the support frame 3 of the calibrator.

  After the level is secured, for example, a laser signal is output from the measurement sensors 110 and 110, and the distances between the calibration blocks 31, 32, and 33 serving as the measurement reference planes of the opposing calibrators 20 and 20 are calculated, Calibration is performed on the measurement sensors 110 and 110 as required. This calibration process itself may be the same as a processing method in a conventionally known calibration apparatus.

  After performing calibration processing on the measurement sensors 110 and 110 on the right front wheel and right rear wheel side, the calibration device 1 is repositioned to a position corresponding to the measurement sensors 110 and 110 on the left front wheel and left rear wheel side. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the calibration device 1 is lifted by appropriate means, moved to the lower position in the drawing, that is, on the roller tables T2 and T4, and in the same manner as in the roller tables T1 and T3, The calibration device 1 is positioned. And the calibration process of the wheel alignment measuring device 100 is completed by performing the calibration process of the measurement sensors 110 and 110 corresponding to the roller tables T2 and T4.

  As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the three calibration blocks 31, 32, and 33, the calibrator 20 is also calibrated on the opposite surface across the central axis P in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 3. Since the blocks 31a, 32a and 33a are provided, it is possible to calibrate the measurement sensors 110 and 110 corresponding to the roller tables T2 and T4 by simply changing the position of the calibration device 1 in parallel. Calibration processing of the measurement sensors 110 and 110 can be performed quickly and with high accuracy. It is also possible to use a calibrator 20 having a configuration in which calibration blocks 31, 32, and 33 are provided only on one surface. In this case, the measurement sensors 110 and 110 corresponding to the roller tables T2 and T4 are used. In performing the calibration process, the calibration apparatus 1 is placed on the roller tables T2 and T4 after being inverted 180 degrees horizontally.

  FIG. 5 shows a calibration apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment. The calibration device 1 in the first embodiment calibrates two measurement sensors for measuring the wheel alignment of the front and rear wheels at the same time, whereas the calibration device 1a includes the front two wheels. Alternatively, two measurement sensors for measuring the wheel alignment of the rear two wheels are calibrated simultaneously.

  In the calibration apparatus 1a, the lengths of the bases 2 and 2 and the support frame 3 may be slightly longer than the lengths of the roller tables T1 to T4 in the front-rear direction. The pair of left and right bases 2 and 2 and the support frame 3 are arranged in parallel to each other with the same width as the interval between the roller tables T1 (or T3) and T2 (or T4), and two supports in parallel. The frames 3 and 3 are connected by horizontal members 3a and 3a. Elevating means 10 having an L-type crank 4 and positioning pins 8 is attached to both ends of the two support frames 3 and 3 in the same manner as the calibration device 1 in the first embodiment. And the calibrators 20a and 20a are being fixed to the center part of the longitudinal direction of each support frame 3 and 3. As shown in FIG. Here, the calibrator 20a may be a calibrator of a conventionally known form, but the calibrator 20a of this embodiment is at a position facing the three sensors 111, 112, 113 of the measurement sensor 110. Three calibration blocks 31, 32, 33 serving as measurement reference positions of the measurement sensor 110 are provided.

  In the calibration using the calibration device 1a, for example, after first performing calibration processing on two measurement sensors for measuring the wheel alignment of the front two wheels, the calibration device 1a is moved to the wheel alignment corresponding to the rear two wheels. The position is changed to a position opposite to the two measurement sensors for measurement, and the measurement sensor is calibrated. The calibration apparatus 1a of this embodiment also calibrates the two measurement sensors 110 and 110 at the same time, and can be reduced in size and weight as compared with the one that calibrates the four measurement sensors 110 at the same time, and its handling is easy. is there.

  Next, the shape of the calibration blocks 31, 32, 33 (31a, 32a, 33a) used in the calibrator 20 shown in the figure will be described focusing on the difference in shape from the conventional calibration block. FIG. 8 shows a calibration block 50 used in a conventional calibrator, and a mode when the zero point and the span are calibrated by using the calibration block 50. The conventional calibration block 50 has one reference surface 51. In the calibration process, for example, the position of the reference surface 51 in the Z-axis direction is different as in the 0 ° block 50a and the X ° block 50b. It was necessary to prepare. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the case of zero point calibration, two 0 ° blocks 50a are used. In the case of span calibration, as shown in FIG. 8B, one 0 ° block 50a is replaced with an X ° block 50b, and -X ° span calibration is further performed as shown in FIG. 8C. As shown in the figure, the other 0 ° block 50a is replaced with the X ° block 50b, and the previously replaced X ° block 50b is replaced with the 0 ° block 50a again to perform + X ° span calibration. Yes.

  As described above, the calibration block used in the above embodiment includes the multi-level (three levels in this example) reference planes 34, 35, and 36 having different distances in the Z-axis direction. Laser signals are output from the respective measurement sensors 110 and 110 to the calibration blocks 31 and 33, and the distance a between the measurement sensor 110 and the reference plane 34 of the calibration block 31 and the distance a between the measurement sensor 110 and the reference plane 34 of the calibration block 33 are displayed. When the zero point calibration is performed from the result, and the + Y span calibration is performed, the calibration blocks 31 and 33 are used as they are without changing, and the measurement sensor 110 and the reference plane 36 of the calibration block 31 And the distance a between the measurement sensor 110 and the reference surface 34 of the calibration block 33 are calculated, and + Y span calibration can be performed from the result. As described above, it is not necessary to replace the calibration block at the time of calibration, and the work can be simplified.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip shape of the reference planes 34a, 35a, 36a of the calibration block is not a flat surface but a curved surface having a peak, and the peak position is automatically detected by specifying a range, whereby the Y-axis position ( (Distance) can also be automatically calculated.

  As described above, the form of the measurement sensor to be calibrated by the calibration apparatus according to the present invention is arbitrary, and may be any conventionally known measurement sensor. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, it may be a single line type laser, one using a multiple line laser, or one using a striped pattern laser. In this case, a calibration block on the calibration device side corresponding to the form of the measurement sensor is used.

1 ... Calibration device,
2, 2, ... the base,
3 ... Support frame,
10 ... Lifting means,
4 ... L type crank,
5 ... One end of the L-shaped crank,
6 ... Wheel attached to the other end of the L-shaped crank,
7 ... Rotating handle,
8 ... Screw,
9 ... locating pin,
20 ... calibrator,
21 ... Horizontal member,
22 ... Vertical member,
31, 32, 33, 31a, 32a, 33a ... calibration block,
34, 35, 36 ... multi-stage measurement reference planes,
40. Leveling means,
100 ... foil alignment measuring device,
100a ... the base,
101 ... roller,
110: Measurement sensor,
111, 112, 113 ... sensors,
120 ... pedestal,
121 ... Hole into which the positioning pin is inserted,
T1-T4 ... Roller table.

Claims (4)

A measurement sensor calibration apparatus used in a wheel alignment measurement device in which four measurement sensors for measuring wheel alignment are arranged at positions facing four wheels of a mounted four-wheel vehicle,
The calibration apparatus includes two calibration devices that are arranged at positions facing the measurement sensor and that have a calibration block that serves as a measurement reference position of the measurement sensor; a frame member that supports the two calibration devices; A calibration device comprising positioning means for positioning the frame member at a predetermined position of the wheel alignment measuring device.   The two calibrators are calibrators disposed opposite to the two measurement sensors corresponding to the right and left front and rear wheels of the mounted four-wheel vehicle, and the two calibrators are The calibration device according to claim 1, wherein the calibration device is attached in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the support frame.   The two calibrators are calibrators arranged to face two measurement sensors corresponding to two front wheels or two rear wheels of a mounted four-wheel vehicle. The calibration device described in 1.   3. The calibration device according to claim 2, wherein each calibrator includes a calibration block that serves as a measurement reference position of the measurement sensor on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the support frame. apparatus.

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