Geometrical instruments – Gauge – Wheel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-14
2001-09-04
Fulton, Christopher W. (Department: 2859)
Geometrical instruments
Gauge
Wheel
C033S203000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282799
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatus for fastening a wheel-alignment sensor to a wheel-rim of a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Apparatus of this kind are widely known. They comprise a main body to which the wheel-alignment sensor is affixed at a predetermined reference direction to said main body. Three coplanar and substantially radial support arms are present on the main body, longitudinally adjusted spacers being mounted on the arms and the ends of which implement a three-point rest on the wheel rim being situated in a plane perpendicular to said relative direction. Means to keep the apparatus on the rim also are provided.
The wheel-alignment sensor held by such apparatus against a motor-vehicle wheel rim illustratively may be a spirit level and/or a laser sensor measuring a wheel's camber, track width, caster and the like.
In order to match the spacer to various rim diameters, it is known to fit the arms with elongated slots allowing clamping a spacer in various positions along the mounting arm to pass a tightening screw allowing clamping a spacer at various sites along the mounting arm. However this design incurs the drawback that because the support arms are fixed in their directions, the spacers cannot always be moved to come to rest between affixation screws of the vehicle wheel because, in different types of vehicles, these affixation screws are at different angular spacings, in other words, they will be present in different numbers. To allow measurement when there are different angular spacings, the state of the art has required keeping a supply of several affixation apparatus matched to different divisions, or numbers of, affixation screws.
U.S. Pat. 5,446,967 discloses an apparatus for fastening a wheel-alignment sensor to a wheel-rim of a motor vehicle which is based on a wholly different principle than the known ones cited above. In the apparatus of this U.S. patent, the arms are not support arms but adjusting rods mounted in radially displaceable manner in slots in the main body. Moreover the bases are not designed as spacers, rather they are affixation means to directly use one affixation screw or lug nut each for affixation to the wheel rim. It is critical for this known apparatus that there be four bases which must be screwed onto four affixation screws. The adjusting rods are radially tightened pairwise using opposite threads at a manually driven knurled disk, the main body is made symmetrical relative the wheel axis and furthermore inevitable play between the adjusting rods and the main body as well as between the adjusting rods and the bases pivotably affixed to them can be eliminated.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the invention is to create apparatus for affixing a wheel-alignment sensor on a motor-vehicle's wheel rim, where said sensor shall be matchable not only to different wheel diameters but also to different divisions or number of affixation screws, whereby the spacers always can be made to rest between the affixation screws of a rim. Moreover the apparatus shall be simple and economical in design and easy to handle.
The problem of the invention is solved in that at least one spacer shall be adjustable transversely to its mounting arm.
The basic concept of the invention is to match the position of the spacers to different divisions of wheel fastening nuts. This goal can be achieved already if only one of the spacers shall be transversely adjustable to its mounting arm because frequently two support arms can be made to rest on the rim between the affixation screws on account of the larger angular intervals when there are different spacings between said screws. In that case it suffices to transversely adjust the third spacer relative to its mounting arm in order to preclude it from hitting an affixation screw and instead to come to rest adjacently on the rim.
The basic concept of the invention can be reduced to practice in different ways. In one embodiment of the invention, the spacer is mounted on a pivot arm mounted to its mounting arm and pivotable about a pivot running parallel to the reference direction. By pivoting the pivot arm, the position of the spacer can be changed in simple manner transversely to its mounting arm and accordingly it can be changed along the conceptual graduated circle of affixation screws and be matched to the angular intervals between the particular affixation screws.
As already mentioned above, it may suffice if only one spacer shall be adjustable transversely to its mounting arm. Matchability however shall be enhanced if two of the spacers are adjustable transversely to their support arms. In that case the third mounting arm need not be adjustable.
In a variant of the embodiment of the invention of the spacer being mounted on a pivot arm at the mounting arm, said pivot arm comprises a rest surface perpendicular to the reference direction and resting against a surface perpendicular to the said reference direction, tightening means being provided to clamp the pivot arm on the mounting arm. Said rest surfaces always assure accurate alignment relative to the main body and hence also to the reference direction defined relative to it. At the same time this embodiment variant allows easy adjustment of the spacer along its mounting arm in that, in a further development of this embodiment, the tensioning means consist of tightening screws constituting the pivot and each passing through an elongated slot to enter a mounting arm and each being screwed into a threaded borehole in this pivot arm.
In a basically different practical implementation of the concept of the invention, one mounting arm is pivotable about an axis parallel to the reference direction. Pivoting the mounting arm entails a sideways displacement of the spacer mounted on said arm, as a result of which this spacer can be made to reliably rest next to a wheel nut on a wheel rim.
As is the case in the basic design described earlier, only one of the pivot arms need be pivotable in this latter embodiment. Matchability however shall be enhanced if two support arms pivoting about a pivot axis which is parallel to the reference direction shall be used. In especially advantageous manner, the two pivotable support arms shall be pivotable about a common axis. During the pivoting motion, the spacers affixed to said arms only move sideways, not in the direction of the arms, and as a result radial matching in the sense of adapting to different conceptual graduated circles of affixation screws shall not be required.
Appropriately the pivotable support arms are fork-shaped relative to their pivot bearings and shall closely enclose the disk-shaped main body. As a result they will be connected in a practically play-free manner to the main body to which they may furthermore be clamped to eliminate any play.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4185917 (1980-01-01), Alsina
patent: 4377038 (1983-03-01), Ragan
patent: 4407073 (1983-10-01), Nilsson et al.
patent: 4569140 (1986-02-01), Hobson
patent: 5446967 (1995-09-01), Gender
patent: GM7806047 (1979-09-01), None
patent: G8601561 (1986-04-01), None
patent: 3608424 (1987-09-01), None
patent: G8907578 (1989-10-01), None
International Preliminary Examination Report dated May 23, 2000 (11 pages) (No translation).
Fulton Christopher W.
Haweka Auswuchttechnik Horst Warkotsch GmbH
Shlesinger & Arkwright & Garvey LLP
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