Autonomous tire changing system and method therefor

A vehicle component balancing method for on vehicle balancing of one or more of a tire, a wheel, bearings, brake components, and vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the method comprising:

• providing a vehicle component balancing robot apparatus for on vehicle balancing of the one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components, and the vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the vehicle component balancing robot apparatus having a frame arranged so as to connect with the vehicle;
• resolving a predetermined location of a tire-wheel assembly of the vehicle relative to a reference frame of a robot by moving the robot relative to the frame in at least one degree of freedom, where the robot is connected to the frame and has the at least one degree of freedom;
• interfacing at least one end effector of the robot with the tire-wheel assembly;
• and
• moving, with the robot, the at least one end effector to other predetermined locations on a wheel rim of the tire-wheel assembly, determined based on resolution of the predetermined location of the tire-wheel assembly relative to a reference frame of the robot.

A vehicle component balancing robot apparatus for on vehicle balancing of one or more of a tire, a wheel, bearings, brake components, and vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame arranged so as to connect with the vehicle;
• and
• a robot connected to the frame at a proximal end of the robot, and the robot has a distal end, opposite the proximal end, the distal end being arranged so as to interface with a tire-wheel assembly of the vehicle;
• wherein the robot has an indexer that indexes the distal end between a retracted position and at least one extended position, wherein in the at least one extended position the distal end interfaces the tire-wheel assembly determining a rim location of the wheel rim of the tire wheel assembly and predetermined locations so as to effect a balancing solution of the one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components, and the vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle via robotic application of wheel balancing weights with the distal end.

A vehicle component balancing method for on vehicle balancing of one or more of a tire, a wheel, bearings, brake components, and vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the method comprising:

• providing a vehicle component balancing robot apparatus for on vehicle balancing of the one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components, and the vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the vehicle component balancing robot apparatus having a frame arranged so as to connect with the vehicle;
• and
• interfacing a distal end of a robot with a tire-wheel assembly of the vehicle, where the robot is connected to the frame at a proximal end of the robot, opposite the distal end;
• indexing, with an indexer of the robot, the distal end between a retracted position and at least one extended position, wherein in the at least one extended position the distal end interfaces the tire-wheel assembly determining a rim location of the wheel rim of the tire wheel assembly and predetermined locations so as to effect a balancing solution of the one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components, and the vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle via robotic application of wheel balancing weights with the distal end.