JPH0411815B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Technical Field The present invention relates to a wheel inspection device for inspecting the inclination of wheels mounted on a vehicle, and various devices suitable for use in the wheel inspection device. In particular, the present invention relates to a roller clamp type wheel inspection device that inspects the inclination of the wheel by clamping both sides of the wheel with rollers, and various devices suitable for application thereto.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, inspection devices have been used to inspect the mounting state of wheels mounted on vehicles such as automobiles. Wheels attached to vehicles such as automobiles include
Various conditions are set, and in particular, so-called inclination degrees such as toe angle, camber angle, caster, etc. are set in relation to the running characteristics. These degrees of inclination may be inspected as part of a vehicle inspection after the vehicle is manufactured and before being shipped to the market, or may be inspected when the vehicle is repaired, such as when replacing wheels. In order for a vehicle to have good running performance, it is important that the inclination of the wheels is set accurately.

By the way, as a conventional technique, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 51-83301 discloses a technique for measuring the toe angle and/or camber angle of a wheel while keeping the wheel in a rotating state.
There is a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-49701. However, in these conventional techniques, the wheel is supported on a pair of rollers and rotated, but the side surfaces of the wheel are not supported or a contact roller is brought into rolling contact with only one outer surface. It is difficult to make accurate measurements because it is a device that measures the wheels and is not a device that clamps the left and right sides of the wheel. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application No. 1982-1092235 and Japanese Patent Application No. 1982, which were filed by the same applicant as the present applicant, have been developed as a technique for supporting wheels on a floating table and clamping the wheels from the left and right sides.
No. 59-9502 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-41913, the techniques proposed in these applications include
Sliders are used to clamp the wheels on both sides, and rollers are not used to clamp the wheels on both sides.

Purpose The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art as described above, and makes it possible to measure and inspect the characteristics of wheels with high precision, and in particular, to measure and inspect the characteristics of wheels. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheel inspection device that is not affected by conditions and has a relatively simple configuration, and various devices suitable for application thereto.

Configuration The wheel inspection device of the present invention has various features or configurations, and each feature or configuration can constitute a separate invention, or some of them can be combined. It is also possible to construct yet another invention. According to a first feature of the present invention, a floating table having a flat mounting surface is provided, and it is possible to place the wheel to be inspected on the floating table. A wheel placed on a floating table is clamped with an appropriate number of rollers on both sides, and while the wheel is clamped, the relative inclination angle of the wheel with respect to a predetermined reference line is measured. To detect. In a preferred embodiment, the wheel is clamped by at least two rollers in rolling contact with each side of the wheel. In this case, the floating table is preferably provided so as to be freely movable approximately horizontally and freely rotatable within the horizontal plane.

According to a second feature of the present invention, there is provided a clamping device for clamping a wheel with contacts from both sides,
In this case, the contacts arranged on both sides of the wheel are arranged asymmetrically. Preferably, a pair of contacts are provided on each side of the wheel, and when the wheels are clamped by being pressed from both sides of the wheel from the left and right, the left and right contacts are arranged so that they contact the wheel asymmetrically. . For example, the left and right contacts are arranged at different angular positions in the rotational direction of the wheel. In a preferred embodiment, a pair of contacts that are in contact with one side of the wheel are contacted with a pair of contacts that are in contact with the other side of the wheel at positions shifted from each other with respect to the rotational direction of the wheel. shall be. By doing so, it becomes possible to clamp the wheel more stably. In particular, since the contacts are preferably brought into contact with the tire part rather than the rim part of the wheel, by shifting the left and right contacts with respect to the rotational direction of the wheel and making them contact the left and right side surfaces of the wheel, the wheel can be clamped extremely stably.

Note that when the left and right side surfaces of the wheel are asymmetrically clamped with a plurality of contacts, rollers are preferably used as the contacts. In this case, the rollers are arranged so as to be in rolling contact with the side surfaces of the wheels so as to rotate along the rotational direction of the wheels. In addition, as the contactor, it is also possible to use a slider or the like that is slidable along a predetermined axial direction in addition to a roller. Furthermore, it is also possible in this case for the wheels to be placed on a floating table with a flat resting surface, or on a plurality, typically a pair, of rotatable horizontal support rollers. It is also possible. In the latter configuration, the wheels are placed on the support rollers, so it is possible to clamp the wheels in a rotatable state. However, in this case, it is still necessary to use a roller as the contactor. In addition, since it is possible to rotate the wheel with rollers clamping both sides of the wheel, it is possible to inspect not only the inclination of the wheel but also the dynamic characteristics such as the amount of left and right deflection of the wheel. Become. In this case, it is also possible to incorporate a motor inside the support roller and drive and rotate the support roller, thereby rotating the wheels supported on it.On the other hand, it is also possible to install a motor installed externally through a coupling. It is also possible to detachably connect the support roller to the support roller, drive and rotate the support roller, and rotate the wheels supported on it.Furthermore, the support roller can be provided so as to be freely rotatable, and the support roller can be freely rotated so that the support roller can be detachably connected to the support roller. It is also possible to rotate the wheels supported on the support rollers by allowing the wheels to run on their own.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a camber angle detection device is provided. That is, at least one upper contact that can contact the upper part of one side of the wheel, and at least one upper contact that can contact the lower part of the side
an arm equipped with the upper contact and the lower contact; the arm is rotatably supported, and the upper contact and the lower contact are moved toward and away from the side surface; An angle detecting device is provided, the angle detecting device having a support means capable of supporting the arm, and an angle detecting means for detecting an angular displacement of the arm from a predetermined reference line. In this case, in a preferred embodiment, the angle to be detected is the camber angle. Therefore, the arm extends in a substantially vertical direction, that is, parallel to the side surface of the wheel and substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Therefore, when the upper and lower contacts are pressed against the side surface of the wheel, preferably the outer side surface, the angle that the arm makes with the vertical axis is the camber angle of the wheel.

In the camber angle detection device having such a configuration, a roller is preferably used as the contactor that comes into contact with the side surface of the wheel. In this case, each roller is arranged so as to rotate in rolling contact with the side surface of the wheel. In addition, the upper contactor is composed of one roller,
It is preferable that the upper roller is rotatably attached to the tip of the arm so that it can roll into contact with the side surface of the wheel. Further, the lower contactor may be composed of two rollers, and these two lower rollers may be arranged at a predetermined angle apart from each other along the rotational direction of the side surface of the wheel. In such a configuration, one upper roller and two lower rollers come into contact with the side surface of the wheel at three points. Furthermore, the rotation shaft of the support means that rotatably supports the arm is positioned between the upper roller and the lower roller in a predetermined positional relationship. Preferably, the vertical distance between the contact point between the upper roller and the wheel side surface and the rotation axis is approximately three times the vertical distance between the contact point between the lower roller and the wheel side surface and the rotation axis. It is desirable to place it in With this configuration, the three rollers, the upper roller and the lower roller, can be automatically brought into contact with the wheel side simply by moving these rollers closer toward the wheel side. Ru. Furthermore, the lower roller can also be used as a toe detection roller that clamps the wheel from both sides and detects the toe angle of the wheel. Furthermore, when using rollers as contacts, it is possible to measure the camber angle with the wheel in rotation, and therefore instead of supporting the wheel on a floating table with a flat mounting surface. According to yet another feature of the present invention, a high degree of freedom in configuration and arrangement facilitates design, and the angular displacement of the rotating shaft can be accurately detected. A possible angular displacement detection device is provided. That is, the angular displacement detection device according to the present invention detects the angular displacement of a rotating shaft rotatably supported by a frame, and has a first gear fixed to the rotating shaft. A bracket is rotatably mounted on the frame, and an angle detector such as a rotary encoder is fixed onto the bracket.
A second gear is fixed to the rotation shaft of the angle detector. Further, the bracket is given elastic rotational behavior by an elastic member so as to rotate in a predetermined direction, and therefore, the first gear and the second gear always maintain an elastic meshing state. are doing. In a preferred embodiment, a spring is tensioned between the bracket and the frame to provide the desired pivoting behavior of the bracket. With this configuration, the degree of freedom in designing the angular displacement detection device is dramatically improved, and since it is not affected by backlash due to the use of gears, angular displacement can always be detected accurately. It is possible to do this. Preferably, the angular displacement detection device measures the inclination of the wheel, such as the toe angle and camber angle.

Embodiments Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3 show the overall configuration of a wheel inspection system 1 for a four-wheeled vehicle constructed based on one embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated wheel inspection system 1 has a frame 2 having a generally rectangular shape, and a wheel inspection device 10 constructed on the frame 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(10fr, 10fl, 10br, 10bl) are arranged in four places on the left, right, front and back. Therefore, when a four-wheeled vehicle such as a car to be inspected is lifted up into the present inspection system 1 by the pair of inclined tables 3, 3 and positioned at a predetermined position, each wheel W is placed in the corresponding wheel inspection position. located within the device 10. For convenience of explanation,
In FIG. 1, the left end of the frame 2 will be referred to as the front end, and the right end and rear end.

On the left and right sides of the left front end of frame 2,
A pair of guide rails 2a are respectively provided.
The base 4 can be moved freely on these guide rails 2a.
Therefore, the base 4 is movable within a predetermined distance along the guide rail 2a in the longitudinal axis direction of the frame 2, that is, in the front-back direction.
The base 4 is operatively connected to a handle 4a attached to the front end of the frame 2, and by rotating the handle 4a clockwise or counterclockwise, the base 4 can be moved relative to the frame 2. It moves toward its front or rear end. A pair of wheel inspection devices 10fr and 10fl are provided on the base 4, and these wheel inspection devices 10fr and 10fl are also installed on the base 4.
A front equalizer 5 is provided which operatively connects the front equalizer 5 with respect to lateral positioning. Therefore,
By moving the base 4 in the longitudinal direction relative to the frame 2, the front pair of wheel inspection devices 10fr and 10fl can be replaced with the rear pair of wheel inspection devices 10br mounted on the frame 2. and 10
It is possible to adjust the positional relationship relative to bl. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the distance L between the front and rear wheel inspection devices to a desired value to match the distance between the wheel bases of the vehicle to be inspected. The base 4 can be locked to claim 2 by a locking means not shown.

The equalizer 5 includes a front center rotation axis 5a that determines the left and right center positions in the front part, a rotation arm 5b that is rotatably provided around the center rotation axis 5a, and each end of the rotation arm 5b. It has connection levers 5cr and 5cl that are rotatably connected. Respective connection levers 5cr and 5cl
are rotatably connected to L-shaped arms 11a fixed to base plates, which will be described later, provided in the corresponding left and right wheel inspection devices 10fr and 10fl, respectively. Similarly, a pair of rear wheel inspection devices 10br and 10bl mounted on the frame 2 are operatively connected for position control in the left-right direction by a rear equalizer 6 also mounted on the frame 2. There is. The rear equalizer 6 also includes a rear center rotation shaft 6a that determines the left and right center position in the rear portion, and a rotation arm 6b that is rotatably provided around the center rotation shaft 6a.
It has connection levers 6cr and 6cl rotatably connected to each end of the rotating arm 6b. And the connecting levers 6cr and 6cl, respectively, are
Corresponding left and right wheel inspection devices 10br and 10, respectively
It is rotatably connected to an L-shaped arm 11a fixed to a base plate (described later) provided inside bl. Therefore, the central axis 5a of the front equalizer 5 and the central axis 6a of the rear equalizer 60
A straight line connecting these lines is the center line of the inspection system 1 in the longitudinal direction or the longitudinal direction, and defines the reference line G of the system 1. Since the base 4 is moved in the front-back direction along this reference line G, even if the base 4 is moved along the guide rail 2a, this reference line G
remains unchanged.

As shown in FIG. 1, each wheel inspection device 10 is
It has an inner roller assembly 16 and an outer roller assembly 17, and these assemblies 16 and 17 are provided so as to be movable toward and away from each other along a predetermined linear path and rotatable around a predetermined central axis. ing. In the illustrated example, the inner roller assembly 16 is provided with a pair of toe angle detection rollers 20ti, 20ti, while the outer roller assembly 17 is provided with a pair of toe angle detection rollers 20to, 20to and a camber angle detection roller 20c. is provided. Assembly 1
Since the inner toe angle detection roller 20ti and the outer toe angle detection roller 20to can be moved closer to each other, the inner toe angle detection roller 20ti and the outer toe angle detection roller 20to can be moved closer to each other. Then, the inner roller 20ti and the outer roller to contact both sides of the wheel W to clamp the wheel W. Therefore, it is possible to detect the toe angle of the wheel W by detecting the angle with the reference line G while the wheel W is clamped from both sides in this manner. Further, the outer roller assembly 17 is provided with a camber angle detection roller 20c, and when the outer toe angle detection roller 20to is brought into contact with the outer side surface of the wheel W, this camber angle detection roller 20c is also attached to the outer side of the wheel W. It makes it possible to detect the camber angle of the wheel W by being in contact with the side surface.

In addition, left and right inner and outer toe detection rollers 20ti
When the wheels W and 20to are pressed against both sides of the wheel W, the center of the wheel W is aligned with the geometric center position which is the central axis of the wheel inspection device 10. Furthermore, since the left and right wheel inspection devices 10fr and 10fl or 10br and 10bl are secured such that their respective geometric centers are located symmetrically from the center points 5a and 6a of the equalizer 5 or 6, the left and right wheels are The left and right wheels W aligned with the respective center positions of the inspection device 10 are positioned symmetrically with respect to the reference line G of the system 1.

Furthermore, in the system 1 shown in FIG. 1, each wheel inspection device 10 includes a floating table 3.
2 is provided, and floating table 3
A flat mounting surface is formed on the upper part of the floating tail 32, and the corresponding wheel W is mounted on the mounting surface of the floating tail 32. As will be described in detail later, the floating table 32 is held so as to be freely movable substantially horizontally within a predetermined range and freely rotatable within a horizontal plane. Therefore, when the wheels W placed on the floating table 32 are clamped from both sides by the inner and outer rollers 20ti and 20to, the wheels W are freely rotated along with the floating table 32 in the front, rear, left, right, and horizontal rotation directions. This makes it possible to move and position the wheels W.

Wheel inspection system 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3
The detailed structure of the wheel inspection device 10 used in the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the wheel inspection device 10 roughly includes the following:
Inner roller assembly 16 and outer roller assembly 17
, a connecting mechanism for operatively connecting these assemblies 16 and 17, and a floating table 32. In the illustrated wheel inspection device 10, the inner roller assembly 16 includes an inner sliding body 16a that is slidably provided in the longitudinal axis direction of the balance plate 14, and an inner roller assembly 16 that is installed upright at the end of the inner sliding body 16a. The inner support 16b has an inner support 16b, and an inner roller holder 16c is fixed to the top of the inner support 16b.

This inner roller holder 16c freely rotatably holds a pair of inner rollers 20ti, 20ti for toe angle detection. As is clear from FIG. 4, these pair of inner rollers 20ti, 20ti are arranged so as to be in rolling contact with the lower part of the inner side surface of the wheel W, preferably the lower part of the inner side surface of the tire. The rotational axes of the rollers 20ti, 20ti define a predetermined angle θ ₁ , and in the preferred embodiment, the intersection point is set to approximately coincide with the center of rotation of the wheel W. As shown in FIG. 4, the roller 20ti is freely rotatably held by a rotating shaft 22 fixed to a roller holder 16c via a pair of bearings 22, 22.

On the other hand, the outer roller assembly 17 includes an outer sliding body 17a which is also slidably held in the longitudinal axis direction of the balance plate 14, and this outer sliding body 1.
Outer support 17 erected at the outer end of 7a
b, a horizontal bracket 17c fixed to the top of the outer support 17b, and this horizontal bracket 17c.
A pair of outer rollers 20to, 20to for toe angle detection are attached to each inclined bracket 37 via a respective roller holder 37a. The structure of the outer roller assembly 17 above the horizontal bracket 17c is shown in FIGS. 7 to 9.

The outer rollers 20to, 20to are the inner roller 20
ti and 20ti are spaced apart from each other in the left and right direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the reference line G of the system 1, and these outer rollers 20to and 20to
The tire is arranged in rolling contact with the lower part of the outer side of the tire, preferably with the lower part of the outer side of the tire. Further, these outer rollers 20to, 20to are also inclined so that their respective rotation axes intersect at a predetermined angle θ ₂ , and in the preferred embodiment, the intersection of the rotation axes is approximately at the wheel W. , that is, the intersection of the rotation axes of the inner rollers 20ti and 20ti. It should be noted here that in the illustrated example, the inner rollers 20ti, 20
The intersection angle θ ₁ of the rotation axis of ti and the outer roller 20to, 2
The intersection angle θ ₂ of the rotation axis 0to is different, and in particular, in the illustrated example, it is set to θ ₁ <θ ₂ . In this way, the inner roller 20ti and the outer roller 20
It has been found that it is possible to stably clamp the wheel W by arranging the to and asymmetrically with respect to the wheel W. In particular, these rollers 20ti and 20to are arranged to clamp the tire of the wheel W from both sides, so the rollers 20ti and 20to, which clamp both sides of the tire in this way, are arranged offset from each other to press against the tire. By doing so, it becomes possible to stabilize the clamped state of the wheel W. In the illustrated example, _the intersection angle θ ₁ of the rotation axis of the inner roller 20ti is set smaller than the intersection angle θ ₂ of the rotation axis of the outer roller 20to; may be set larger than θ ₂ . Furthermore, in the case of the illustrated example, a pair of rollers are provided on each of the inner and outer sides, but the number of rollers on both the inner and outer sides can be set to an arbitrary number. However, in any case, it is desirable to arrange the rollers at positions shifted from each other on the inside and outside of the wheel W. However, when a plurality of inner rollers 20ti and a plurality of outer rollers 20to are provided as in the illustrated example,
It is desirable that the corresponding rollers are arranged approximately symmetrically in the front-rear direction of the rotation axis of the wheel W.

As is clear from FIGS. 5 and 6, a pair of guide rails 2b, 2b are fixed to the frame 2. These guide rails 2b, 2b
extend perpendicularly to the central reference line G of the inspection system 1, that is, in parallel in the left-right direction, and are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the direction along the reference line G. A substantially rectangular base plate 11 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction along the pair of guide rails 2b, 2b. As is clear from FIG. 6, an L-shaped arm 11a is fixed to this base plate 11, and this arm 11a is
As mentioned above, it is connected to the corresponding equalizer 5 or 6 of the inspection system.

A central shaft 13 is rotatably provided in the center of the base plate 11 via a pair of bearings 12, 12 with its axis of rotation perpendicular. The rotation axis of this central shaft 13 is the main wheel inspection device 10.
The rotation axis of each center shaft 13 in the left and right wheel inspection device 10 is connected to the reference line G of the system 1 via the corresponding equalizer 5 or 6 in the inspection system 1. It is always located in a symmetrical position.
Furthermore, as will be described later, the wheels W are
The center of the wheel W in the clamped state coincides with the rotation axis of the central shaft 13. An elongated balance plate 14 is disposed at a predetermined height from the base plate 11 and is rotatable around the central shaft 13 in a substantially horizontal plane. It is desirable that the center position of this balance plate 14 corresponds to the rotation axis of the central shaft 13. A pair of guide rails 14a, 14a are arranged in a straight line on the upper surface of the balance plate 14, spaced apart from each other in the left and right directions.
Corresponding inner and outer sliding bodies 16a and 17a are slidably mounted on the top, respectively. Therefore, the inner and outer roller assemblies 16 and 17 are
It is movable along the longitudinal direction of the balance plate 14 along guide rails 14a, 14a laid on the balance plate 14. In this case, since the balance plate 14 is rotatable about the central shaft 13, the direction of movement of the roller assemblies 16 and 17 is relative to the balance plate 14.
is defined by the positional relationship around the central shaft 13, and is not necessarily perpendicular to the reference line G of the system 1.

Further, a link mechanism 15 is provided that operatively connects the inner sliding body 16a and the outer sliding body 17a. The link mechanism 15 includes a rotary lever 15a that is rotatably mounted around the central shaft 13 around the rotation axis of the central shaft 13, and a pair of connecting levers 15b that are pivotally attached to both ends of the rotary lever 15a. , 15b, and these connecting levers 15b, 15b are rotatably connected to corresponding inner and outer sliding bodies 16a and 17a, respectively. Therefore, the positional relationships of the inner and outer sliding bodies 16a and 17a with respect to the rotational axis of the central shaft 13 are always maintained in symmetrical positions in the longitudinal axis direction of the balance plate 14 with respect to the rotational axis of the central shaft 13.

The present wheel inspection device 10 further includes a cylinder device 1
8, the cylinder device 18 has a cylinder part 18b and a rod 18a that can move forward and backward from the cylinder part 18b, and the base part 18c of the cylinder part 18b is connected to the outer sliding body 17a,
In addition, the tip 18d of the rod 18a is connected to the inner sliding body 1.
6a. Therefore, the cylinder device 1
8, the rod 18a advances or retreats, thereby causing the inner sliding body 16a and the outer sliding body 17a to mutually move toward or away from each other along the longitudinal axis direction of the balance plate 14. do. In this case, as described above, the inner sliding body 16a and the outer sliding body 17a are connected to the link mechanism 1.
5, the inner sliding body 16a and the outer sliding body 17a are connected to each other by the central shaft 13.
The balance plate 14 is always maintained at a symmetrical position in the longitudinal axis direction with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel inspection device 10, that is, the geometric center of the wheel inspection device 10. In this way, by operating the cylinder device 18, the rod 1
8a into the cylinder portion 18b, the inner sliding body 16a and the outer sliding body 17a are brought close to each other, and therefore the inner roller 20ti and the outer roller 20to held by them are brought close to each other, and It is possible to clamp the wheels W located between them from both sides.

As mentioned above, the central shaft 13 is rotatably supported by the base plate 11 around a predetermined vertical axis, and at the lower end of the central shaft 13 is a disk 23 to which a sector gear 23a is fixed.
is fixed. On the other hand, a shaft 11b is erected at a predetermined position on the base plate 11, and a bracket 25 is rotatably mounted around the shaft 11b via a pair of bearings 24, 24. Therefore, the bracket 25 is rotatable around the shaft 11b at a position spaced upwardly from the base plate 11. and,
An angle detector (preferably a rotary encoder) 26 is fixedly mounted on the bracket 25. Furthermore, a gear 26 is provided on the rotation axis of the angle detector 26.
a is fixed, and this gear 26a meshes with the sector gear 23a described above. Therefore, the angular displacement of the central shaft 13 on the base plate 11 is the same as that of the disk 23, the sector gear 23a,
It can be detected by the angle detector 26 via the gear 26a. Furthermore, a spring 27 is tensioned and extends between a predetermined location of the bracket 25 and a predetermined location of the base plate 11, which causes the bracket 25 to rotate clockwise around the shaft 11b in FIG. Gives movement. Therefore, this spring 27
Due to the return force of the gear 26a, the sector gear 23a
It is possible to always maintain a state of meshing in the same direction. For this purpose, the center shaft 1, which is the object to be measured,
3 and the detector 26 are connected through gear meshing, but it is possible to always accurately detect the angular displacement of the central shaft 13 without being affected by the backlash of the gears. Furthermore, in this way, it is not necessary to connect the detector 26 directly to the central shaft 13, which is the object to be measured.
It becomes possible to limit the length in the vertical direction, and furthermore, it becomes possible to improve the degree of freedom in layout design such as arrangement of each component. In the illustrated example, the detector 26 is arranged separately from the central shaft 13, but in another embodiment, the detector 26 may be directly attached to the central shaft 13. It is. Note that this angle detector 26 is for detecting the angular displacement of the central shaft 13, which means that when the cylinder device 18 is operated and the wheel W is clamped from both sides by the rollers 20, the angle of the wheel W is The rollers 20 are positioned according to the direction or inclination so that the balance plate 14 is moved through the roller assemblies 16 and 17
is rotated, and thus the central shaft 13 fixed to the balance plate 14 is rotated, and the angular displacement of the central shaft 13 at this time is detected. Therefore, the angle detector 26 in the illustrated example is
It is used to detect the toe angle.

Furthermore, the present wheel inspection device 10 has a support plate 30 fixedly provided to the frame 2, and the support plate 30 is located above the aforementioned central shaft 13 and various components around it. has been done. A floating plate 3 is mounted on the support plate 30 via a plurality of balls 31.
2 are arranged. floating plate 3
The upper surface of 2 defines a flat mounting surface on which it is possible to place the wheel W to be inspected. Note that the floating plate 31 is freely movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the support plate 30 that is integral with the frame 2, and is freely rotatable in the horizontal plane. Note that a retainer may be provided to maintain the ball 31 in a predetermined position.

Next, the camber angle detection device used in the inspection system 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. In the illustrated example, this camber angle detection device is constructed integrally with the aforementioned outer roller assembly 17,
It should be noted in particular that it is mounted on the horizontal bracket 17c. Figures 7 to 9
As shown in the figure, a pair of side walls 35, 35 are provided upright on the upper surface of the horizontal bracket 17c, separated from each other by a predetermined distance. A sensor shaft 36 is provided therein. Note that the sensor shaft 36 is rotatably supported by these side walls 35, 35 via a pair of bearings 36a, 36a. Further, a pair of inclined brackets 37, 37 are integrally fixed to both ends of the sensor shaft 36, and each inclined bracket 37 has a
The outer rollers 20to, 20to for toe angle detection are rotatably held at a predetermined angle via respective roller holders 37a. On the other hand, a sensor arm 38 is integrally fixed to the center of the sensor shaft 36 and extends substantially vertically upward. A roller 20c for detecting a camber angle is provided at the tip of the sensor arm 38 via a roller holder 38a. In addition, the roller 20c is
The roller holder 38a is rotatably held around the rotating shaft 21, which is positioned substantially vertically, via a rotating shaft 21 fixed to the roller holder 38a and a pair of bearings 21,21. That is, in the configuration of the illustrated example, a pair of outer rollers 20to, 20to for toe angle detection are in rolling contact with the lower part of the tire of the wheel W, and a roller 20c for camber angle detection is in rolling contact with the upper part of the tire of the wheel W.
means sensor shaft 36, tilting bracket 3
7 and a sensor arm 38, which have an integral construction. In the illustrated example, the vertical distance between the rotation axis of the sensor shaft 36 and the contact point where the camber angle detection roller 20c contacts the tire of the wheel W is defined as the rotation axis of the sensor shaft 36 and the toe angle detection roller 20c. It is desirable to set the distance to about three times the vertical distance between the contact point where the roller 20to contacts the tire of the wheel W. By arranging the rollers in this manner, each roller is well balanced and the contact with the wheel W is stabilized.

Another shaft 40 extends horizontally between the pair of side walls 35, 35, and has a pair of bearings 40a,
It is rotatably provided via 40a. A bracket 41 is fixed to approximately the center of the shaft 40, and an angle detector 42, which is preferably a rotary encoder, is fixed to the bracket 41. A gear 42 is attached to the rotation axis of the angle detector 42.
a is fixedly provided. On the other hand, a bracket 43 is fixed to the sensor shaft 36, and a sector gear 43a is fixed to the tip of the bracket 43. The sector gear 43a is maintained in mesh with the gear 42a of the angle detector 42 described above. Therefore, the rotational displacement of the sensor shaft 36 can be detected by the angle detector 42. In this case as well, since the angle detector 42 is not directly attached to the sensor shaft 36 which is the object to be detected, the layout design is significantly reduced. Further, a spring 44 is tensioned between the bracket 41 and the horizontal bracket 17c, so that the bracket 41 is attached to the shaft 4.
A rotational habit is given around 0 in a specific direction. That is, the restoring force of the spring 44 maintains the meshing state between the sector gear 43a and the gear 42a in a predetermined direction at all times, making it possible to eliminate the influence of backlash of the gears.

On the other hand, a support 17d is installed upright at the base end of the horizontal bracket 17c, and a spring 39 is installed between the tip of this support and a predetermined location near the base end of the sensor arm 38. It is stretched. This spring 39 is designed to allow the tip of the sensor arm 38 to tilt slightly outward and remain stationary when it is in an inactive state. When entering the system 1, if the side of the vehicle body is located at the tip of the sensor arm 38 or the detection roller 20,
This is to prevent interference with c. Note that if the sensor arm 38 itself is balanced so that it can automatically assume such a position in the inactive state, the spring 39 can be removed if desired.

FIG. 10 shows an example in which the present wheel inspection system 1 is connected to a display device. In the wheel inspection system 1, a frame 2 is installed on the ground surface or the floor of an inspection area, and a pair of lamps 3, 3 are arranged at the front and rear of the frame, so that the vehicle to be inspected can be inserted into the inspection system 1 from one direction. After entering the vehicle and completing the inspection, it is possible to exit from the other end. Wheel inspection devices 10 are arranged at four locations on the frame 2, front, rear, left, and right, and each location is located at a floating table 32.
are representatively shown. Incidentally, as described above, the pair of floating tables 32 at the front are arranged on the movable base 4. Each wheel inspection device 1
0 is connected via a cable 45 to a processing device 46 having a CPU, etc., where the angle information etc. collected from each wheel inspection device 10 is appropriately processed and the processing results are displayed on a CRT display device 47. Display on screen. If desired, it is also possible to connect a printer or the like to this processing device to obtain a hard copy output. Furthermore, it is also possible to connect a keyboard or other input device to input the identification number of the vehicle to be inspected. In this manner, the wheel inspection device of the present invention allows wheels to be inspected quickly and accurately through substantially complete automation.

11 to 13 are schematic diagrams for explaining the operating principle of the wheel inspection system 1 having the configuration described above. Next, referring to these screens, the wheel inspection system 1 will be explained. The operation will be briefly explained. As shown in FIG. 11, this wheel inspection system 1 is equipped with a front equalizer 5 and a rear equalizer 6, and a straight line connecting the center axes of each of them is a virtual center reference line G of this system 1. It is defined. As mentioned above, the pair of wheel inspection devices 10fr and 10fr for the front wheels are interlocked in their movement in the left-right direction, that is, in the lateral direction perpendicular to the reference line G, by the front equalizer 5, and therefore move in the lateral direction perpendicular to the reference line G. It is always located in a symmetrical position with respect to the left and right sides. This means that a pair of wheel inspection devices 1 for the rear wheels are operatively connected by a rear equalizer 6.
The same can be said for 0br and 10bl.
That is, the distance C between the center shaft 13 of the wheel inspection device 10fl for the left front wheel and the reference line G is always the same as the distance D between the center shaft 13 of the wheel inspection device 10fr for the right front wheel and the reference line. will be maintained. still,
As will be described later, when the wheels are clamped, the sum C+D of distances C and D is equal to the tread Tf of the vehicle under inspection, that is, the distance between the centers of both front wheels. The same thing can be said about the rear wheels; the distances E and F from the center shafts 13, 13 of the left and right wheel inspection devices 10bl and 10br, respectively, to the reference line G are equal, and the sum of them, E+F, is the distance of the rear wheels. It is equal to the rear wheel tread which is the distance between the wheel centers.

On the other hand, in each wheel inspection device 10, an inner roller 20ti and an outer roller 20to are provided to be movable symmetrically in a radial direction with respect to a central shaft 13 rotatably supported at the center of a base plate 11. . Note that these rollers 20ti and 20to can also rotate together with this central shaft 13 around its rotation axis. Furthermore, the 11th
The figure shows a state in which the central shaft 13 is not rotated, and in this case, the inner roller 20ti and the outer roller 20to are arranged parallel to the reference line G. Therefore, each wheel inspection device 1
0, the inner roller 20ti and the outer roller 2
0to are always located symmetrically in the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis of the central shaft 13, and the central shafts 13, 13 of each pair of left and right wheel inspection devices 10 for front wheels and rear wheels are It is always positioned laterally symmetrically with respect to the reference line G, that is, bilaterally symmetrically.

FIG. 12 shows the wheel inspection system 1 in a standby state immediately after a vehicle V to be inspected enters the system. In this case, if the center line H of the vehicle entered is defined as the straight line connecting the center of the front wheel tread and the center of the rear wheel tread, then immediately after the vehicle enters the vehicle, the center line H of the inspection system 1 is not necessarily the same as the center line G of the inspection system 1. It does not necessarily match. In this case, in the state shown in FIG. 12, in each wheel inspection device 10, the inner roller 20ti and the outer roller 20to are located apart from each other, so that it is easy to install the vehicle inside each wheel inspection device 10. It is possible to position the corresponding wheels W of V. After the vehicle V has entered the vehicle, the system 1 is operated to check the inner and outer rollers 20ti and 20to in each wheel inspection device 10.
are moved close to each other and the corresponding wheels W are clamped from both sides. Then, since each wheel W is placed on the floating table 32,
When clamped by the rollers 20, the wheels W are moved so that the center position of each wheel W is aligned with the position of the central shaft 13 of the corresponding wheel inspection device 10,
Moreover, since such lateral movement of the wheels W is linked by the equalizer 5 or 6, the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels are respectively positioned at symmetrical positions with respect to the reference line G. . FIG. 13 shows the state in which it is positioned in this manner (that is, the state in which G=H). In addition, in FIG. 13, each wheel W is shown parallel to the reference G,
Particularly in the case of front wheels, since a toe angle is usually set for each wheel, the wheels W form a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the reference line G. In such a state, by detecting various characteristics of the wheel, such as inclination angles such as toe angle and camber angle, extremely accurate detection can be quickly performed.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic perspective view of a wheel inspection device 10' constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The construction of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is similar in many respects to the previously described embodiment of wheel inspection device 10, and therefore like components have been given like reference numerals. The difference in this embodiment is that a sensor arm 38 is rotatably provided around a sensor shaft 36, and a cylinder device 49 is further provided connected to the sensor arm 38. That is, in the embodiment described above, the pair of rollers 20to for toe angle detection and the roller 20c for camber angle detection are held in an integral roller assembly, and these three rollers 20to,
20c was configured to automatically come into contact with the side surface of the wheel W. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the operations of the roller 20c for detecting the camber angle and the roller 20to for detecting the toe angle are separated, and the roller 20 for detecting the camber angle is operated by the cylinder device 37.
The structure is such that the position is independently controlled by In the case of the illustrated example, a horizontal lever 48 that is rotatable with the sensor shaft 36 and can be carried on the horizontal bracket 17c is provided, and a cylinder device 49 is provided between the tip of the lever 48 and the sensor arm 38, with both ends pivotably supported. has been extended.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show an embodiment in which the wheel inspection device 10 described above is improved to a wheel rotation type. In the embodiment of the wheel inspection device 10 described above, the wheels W to be inspected are placed on the floating table 32 having a flat placement surface, so the inspection of the wheels W is performed by keeping the wheels W in a stationary state;
That is, it is performed in a non-rotating state. On the other hand, in the wheel apparatus shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a pair of support rollers are used instead of the floating table 32, and the wheels W are supported on the pair of support rollers. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to inspect the wheel W while it is being rotated.

That is, the configuration of the wheel rotating type wheel inspection device of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is basically the same as the configuration of the wheel stationary type wheel inspection device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Although similar, in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, instead of using a floating table 32 with a flat mounting surface, a support comprising a pair of support rollers 52, 52 is used. The difference is that a roller assembly is used. The other configurations are exactly the same. Figure 15 and 1
In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, a pair of opposing protrusions 2c, 2c are formed from the frame 2, and a roller block 51 is provided on these protrusions 2c, 2c via a ball assembly 50. The ball assembly 50 includes a plurality of balls 50a and a retainer 50b that maintains the balls 50a in a predetermined arrangement relationship. Therefore, the roller block 50 is supported by these balls 50a so that it is freely movable in the horizontal direction within a predetermined range and is freely rotatable within a predetermined range in a horizontal plane. ing.

The roller block 51 has a roughly rectangular shape,
The central portion is carved to form a recess or a through hole, in which a pair of support rollers 52, 52 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance apart. For example, each support roller 52 is rotatably supported at its end by a bearing 51a. In the illustrated example, an armature 52 is disposed inside each support roller 52, and therefore, each support roller 52 has a motor structure in which the armature 52a is a rotor and the armature 52a is a stator. . Therefore, by exciting this motor, the support roller 52 is rotated in a predetermined direction, and therefore it is possible to rotate the wheel W supported thereon in a predetermined direction.
In this case, as described above, by configuring the contactor that comes into contact with the wheel W to detect the toe angle and the camber angle with the roller 20, there is no inconvenience when performing an inspection with the wheel W rotated in this way. will never occur. In this way, when testing is performed with the wheels W rotating, it is possible to test the dynamic characteristics of the wheels W, and it is possible to perform the test in a state similar to the running state of the vehicle. In addition, it is also possible to inspect the amount of runout of the wheels W and the steering angle.

In addition, in the above-mentioned wheel rotation type embodiment,
The armature 52a is built into the support roller 52 to drive and rotate the support roller 52, but as a further modification, the support roller 52 can freely rotate without having the armature 52a built into the support roller 52. It is also possible to have a configuration in which the rotational driving force is transmitted from an external driving source, such as a motor, through a coupling. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide the support roller 52 in a freely rotatable state and to drive and rotate the wheels W by starting the engine of the vehicle to be inspected. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 can be realized by simply replacing the parts that support the wheels W in the devices of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 9. , it is possible to increase the functionality of the device very easily.

Effects As detailed above, in the present invention, it is possible to inspect the characteristics of wheels of automobiles, etc., particularly the inclination angles such as toe angle and camber angle, extremely quickly and accurately. Furthermore, the wheel inspection device of the present invention has an extremely simple configuration, is easy to manufacture, and is inexpensive. Furthermore, by simply replacing only a part of the device, it is possible to create a static testing device that tests wheels in a non-rotating state or a dynamic testing device that tests wheels in a rotating state. In particular, in one example of this device, the basic configuration is to perform inspection by clamping the wheel from both sides with rollers, so it is possible to easily convert such a configuration. Furthermore, when inspecting the characteristics of a wheel by clamping both sides of the wheel, the contact elements that contact the left and right side surfaces of the wheel are configured to contact the side surfaces of the wheel at asymmetrical positions, thereby making the wheel even more stable. It becomes possible to clamp in a stable state. Furthermore, by using a roller assembly in which three rollers are arranged in an appropriate arrangement, it is possible to automatically and simultaneously detect not only the toe angle but also the camber angle. In addition, when measuring the angular displacement of the rotating shaft, an angle detector such as a rotary encoder is not directly attached to the rotating shaft, but is indirectly detected through the meshing of gears. It becomes possible to improve the degree of freedom in the layout of the device.

Although the aspects of specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention should not be limited only to these specific examples, and various modifications may be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. Of course, modifications are possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 are a schematic plan view, a schematic side view, and a schematic front view, respectively, showing a wheel inspection system 1 constructed based on an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are a wheel inspection system 1. A schematic cross-sectional front view, a schematic cross-sectional side view, and a schematic plan view showing the detailed configuration of the wheel inspection device 10 for inspecting individual wheels used in the system 1, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are wheel inspection A schematic side view, a schematic front view, and a schematic plan view showing the detailed configuration of the camber angle inspection device provided in the device 10, and FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the wheel inspection system 1 connected to a display device. Figures 11 to 13 are wheel inspection system 1.
Schematic diagrams useful for explaining the operating principle of
Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment in which a cylinder device is used to control the movement of the camber sensor arm, and Figs. 15 and 16 show the static inspection device of Figs. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional front view and a schematic cross-sectional side view, respectively, showing the configuration of a dynamic inspection device capable of inspecting a rotating state. (Explanation of symbols), 1: Wheel inspection system, 2:
Frame, 4: Base, 5, 6: Equalizer, 1
0: Wheel inspection device, 11: Base plate, 1
3: Central shaft, 15: Link mechanism (equalizer), 16: Inner roller assembly, 17: Outer roller assembly, 20ti: Inner roller for toe detection, 2
0to: Outer roller for toe detection, 20c: Roller for camber detection, 26: Rotary encoder, 3
2: Floating table, 52: Support roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A clamp device that clamps a wheel from both sides in order to inspect the wheel, which includes a support means for supporting the wheel to be inspected, and both left and right sides of the wheel supported on the support means. A clamping device comprising left and right contacts that clamp from both sides, the left and right contacts being brought into contact with both left and right side surfaces of the wheel asymmetrically. 2. The clamp device according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the left and right contacts are provided on one side. 3. The clamping device according to claim 2, wherein two of the left and right contacts are provided on each side. 4. The clamping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supporting means is a floating table having a flat mounting surface. 5. A clamping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support means is at least two rotatably supported support rollers. 6. According to any one of claims 1 to 5, the left and right contacts are moved so as to maintain symmetry with respect to a predetermined point with respect to movement in the left and right direction. clamping device. 7. A clamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the contactor contacts a wheel tire. 8. The clamp device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the contactor is a roller.