# US 11,077,529 B2 · Wheel alignment adjustment system

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,077,529 B2
- Document ID: US11077529B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/393,058
- Filed: 2019-04-24
- Published: 2019-12-05
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-01
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha; Shinmei Industry Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha; Shinmei Industry Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Koji Shimizu; Yohei Tanaka; Chiaki Yoshiwara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077529B2

## CPC

- B23P 19/10: Aligning parts to be fitted together
- B23P 19/06: Screw or nut setting or loosening machines
- B60S 5/00: Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles (vehicles adapted to carry a workshop for servicing or maintenance B60P3/14; servicing rail locomotives B61K)
- G01B 11/2755: {using photoelectric detection means}
- B23P 2700/50: Other automobile vehicle parts, i.e. manufactured in assembly lines
- B25J 9/1687: {Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement}
- G01B 2210/14: One or more cameras or other optical devices capable of acquiring a two-dimensional image
- B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q)
- B60S: SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})

## Abstract

A control device acquires a first two-dimensional position of a cam bolt and a locknut in a first direction based on a first actual image captured by a first camera, and based on the acquired first two-dimensional position, the control device moves an adjustment socket to a position where the adjustment socket is fittable to a head of the cam bolt and moves a tightening socket to a position where the tightening socket is fittable to the locknut. Then, the control device acquires a second two-dimensional position of the cam bolt and the locknut in a second direction based on a second actual image captured by a second camera, and corrects, based on the acquired second two-dimensional position, a position of the adjustment socket relative to the head of the cam bolt and a position of the tightening socket relative to the locknut.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wheel alignment adjustment system comprising:
an adjuster including an adjustment socket to be fitted to a head of a cam bolt passed through a bracket of a vehicle, the adjuster being configured to adjust wheel alignment by pivoting the cam bolt by the adjustment socket;
a tightener including a tightening socket to be fitted to a locknut threadedly engaged with the cam bolt, the tightener being configured to fix the cam bolt to the bracket by tightening the locknut by the tightening socket;
a support base configured to support the adjustment socket and the tightening socket such that the adjustment socket and the tightening socket are coaxially placed at a distance to face each other;
an actuator configured to change a posture and a position of the support base;
a first camera configured to capture a first actual image of at least one of the cam bolt and the locknut in a first direction;
a second camera configured to capture a second actual image of at least one of the cam bolt and the locknut in a second direction different from the first direction; and
a control device configured to control the first camera, the second camera, and the actuator, wherein:
the control device acquires a first two-dimensional position of at least one of the cam bolt and the locknut in the first direction based on the first actual image captured by the first camera, and based on the acquired first two-dimensional position, the control device moves the adjustment socket to a position where the adjustment socket is fittable to the head of the cam bolt and moves the tightening socket to a position where the tightening socket is fittable to the locknut; and
then, the control device acquires a second two-dimensional position of at least one of the cam bolt and the locknut in the second direction based on the second actual image captured by the second camera, and based on the acquired second two-dimensional position, the control device corrects a position of the adjustment socket relative to the head of the cam bolt and a position of the tightening socket relative to the locknut.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The wheel alignment adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein:
the cam bolt is placed laterally along a horizontal direction;
the first camera is provided in the support base so as to capture an image from one side in a radial direction of the cam bolt; and
the second camera is attached near the adjustment socket on the support base so as to capture an image from a side of a first end of the cam bolt in an axial direction of the cam bolt.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The wheel alignment adjustment system according to claim 2, wherein:
the control device is configured to:
acquire a first reference image of at least one of a reference cam bolt and a reference locknut of a reference vehicle in which wheel alignment is adjusted appropriately, the first reference image being captured by the first camera, and acquire a second reference image of at least one of the reference cam bolt and the reference locknut of the reference vehicle, the second reference image being captured by the second camera;
acquire the first actual image of the at least one of the cam bolt and the locknut of the vehicle targeted for wheel alignment adjustment captured by the first camera;
measure a first positional deviation of the first actual image from the first reference image and, based on the measured first positional deviation, set a first target position such that the adjustment socket is moved to the position where the adjustment socket is fittable to the head of the cam bolt and the tightening socket is moved to the position where the tightening socket is fittable to the locknut;
control the actuator to move the adjustment socket and the tightening socket to the first target position;
acquire the second actual image of the at least one of the cam bolt and the locknut of the vehicle targeted for wheel alignment adjustment captured by the second camera;
measure a second positional deviation of the second actual image from the second reference image and, based on the measured second positional deviation, set a second target position such that the position of the adjustment socket relative to the head of the cam bolt and the position of the tightening socket relative to the locknut are corrected;
control the actuator to move the adjustment socket and the tightening socket to the second target position; and
fit the adjustment socket to the head of the cam bolt and fit the tightening socket to the locknut.