# US 2014/0150243 A1 · Wheel recutting > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150243 A1 - Document ID: US20140150243A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/836,912 - Filed: 2013-03-15 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-03 - Inventors: Marek Mamczur - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150243A1 ## CPC - B23B 5/28: for turning wheels or wheel sets or cranks thereon, i.e. wheel lathes - B23B 1/00: Methods for turning or working essentially requiring the use of turning-machines; Use of auxiliary equipment in connection with such methods - B23B 25/06: Measuring, gauging, or adjusting equipment on turning-machines for setting-on, feeding, controlling, or monitoring the cutting tools or work (measuring devices or gauges G01B) - B23Q 15/013: Control or regulation of feed movement (B23Q15/12 takes precedence) - G05B 19/401: characterised by control arrangements for measuring, e.g. calibration and initialisation, measuring workpiece for machining purposes (G05B19/19 takes precedence) - B23B 2215/08: Automobile wheels - G05B 2219/32228: Repair, rework of manufactured article - G05B 2219/37398: Thickness - G05B 2219/50214: Refurbish, refinish, reprofile, recondition, restore, rebuild profile - Y10T 29/49986: Subsequent to metal working - Y10T 82/10: Process of turning - Y10T 82/18: Lathe for wheel or axle - B23B: TURNING; BORING (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An apparatus for recutting the surface of a wheel is described. The apparatus comprises a rotatable mount, for holding and rotating the wheel about its axis, a surface profiler, configured to detect and output a surface elevation profile of a concentric ring at a current radial position on the surface of the wheel, a linear drive mechanism, configured to reposition the surface profiler radially with respect to the wheel, a radial profile generator, configured to calculate a cutting profile for the wheel based on the surface elevation profile for each concentric ring, a cutting tool, and cutting control circuitry, configured to control the position of the cutting tool with respect to the wheel to recut the surface of the wheel in accordance with the generated cutting profile. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for recutting the surface of a wheel, the apparatus comprising: a rotatable mount for holding and rotating the wheel about its axis; a surface profiler configured to detect and output a surface elevation profile of a concentric ring at a current radial position on the surface of the wheel; a linear drive mechanism configured to reposition the surface profiler radially with respect to the wheel, a cutting profile generator configured to calculate a cutting profile for the wheel based on the surface elevation profiles of at least some of the concentric rings; and cutting control circuitry configured to control the position of a cutting tool with respect to the wheel to recut the surface of the wheel in accordance with the generated cutting profile. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting tool moveable both radially with respect to the wheel and parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, and wherein the cutting control circuitry is configured to control the position of the cutting tool and the rotation of the wheel to recut the surface of the wheel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cutting tool and the surface profiler are co-mounted, and wherein the cutting control circuitry is configured to control the axial position of the cutting tool using the linear drive mechanism. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a 3D map generator, configured to generate and display to an operator a 3D representation of the surface of the wheel based on a set of surface elevation profiles of concentric rings at different radial positions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: an angular encoder, configured to detect and output a current angular position of the wheel with respect to a reference position, wherein the 3D map generator generates the 3D representation using the current angular positions output by the angular encoder. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the 3D map generator is configured to detect abnormalities in the surface of the wheel from the 3D representation, and to highlight any detected abnormalities to the operator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface profiler is a non-contact profiler. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the non-contact profiler is an optical device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the optical device is a laser. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable mount is configured to rotate the wheel at a constant angular velocity for all radii. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the constant angular velocity is selected in dependence on the maximum radius for surface elevation measurement and the sampling rate of the surface profiler. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable mount is configured to rotate the wheel at a variable angular velocity, the angular velocity being decreased incrementally as the linear drive mechanism increases the radial distance of the surface profiler from the centre of the wheel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the linear drive mechanism is configured: a. to incrementally reposition the surface profiler by a first radial distance following the completion of a surface elevation profile of each concentric ring; b. to incrementally reposition the surface profiler by a second radial distance smaller than the first radial distance at, near or around a radius at which a high frequency change between the surface elevation profiles of adjacent concentric rings occurs. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the linear drive mechanism is configured: c. to detect a high frequency change when the change in surface elevation on a radial line between a first surface elevation profile and a second surface elevation profile exceeds a first predetermined magnitude; d. to rewind the surface profiler position and incrementally reposition the surface profiler by the second radial distance from the radial position corresponding to the first surface elevation profile; e. to continue to incrementally reposition the surface profiler by the second amount until a change in the surface elevation between adjacent surface elevation profiles falls below a second predetermined magnitude, whereupon the linear drive mechanism reverts to incrementally repositioning the surface profiler by the first amount. ### Claim 15 A method of recutting the surface of a wheel, the method comprising the steps of: rotating the wheel about its axis; detecting and outputting a surface elevation profile of a concentric ring at each of a set of different radial positions on the surface of the wheel; calculating a cutting profile for the wheel based on the surface elevation profiles of at least some of the concentric rings; controlling the position of a cutting tool with respect to the wheel to recut the surface of the wheel in accordance with the generated cutting profile. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, further comprising: generating and displaying to an operator a 3D representation of the surface of the wheel based on a set of surface elevation profiles of concentric rings at different radial positions. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method according to claim 16, further comprising: detecting abnormalities in the surface of the wheel from the 3D representation, and highlighting any detected abnormalities to the operator. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein the surface elevation profile is generated by a laser. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A method according to claim 18, wherein the wheel is rotated at a constant angular velocity for all radii. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A method according to claim 19, wherein the constant angular velocity is selected in dependence on the maximum radius for surface elevation measurement and the sampling rate used to generate the surface elevation profile. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein the rotatable wheel is rotated at a variable angular velocity, the angular velocity being decreased incrementally for concentric rings further from the centre of the wheel. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, further comprising a. incrementally repositioning a surface profiler by a first radial distance following the completion of a surface elevation profile of each concentric ring; b. detecting a high frequency change between the surface elevation profiles of adjacent concentric rings, and if such a change is detected, to incrementally reposition the surface profiler by a second radial distance smaller than the first radial distance at, near or around the radius at which the high frequency change was detected. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) A method according to claim 22, further comprising: c. detecting a high frequency change when the change in surface elevation on a radial line between a first surface elevation profile and a second surface elevation profile exceeds a first predetermined magnitude; d. to rewind the surface profiler position and incrementally reposition the surface profiler by the second radial distance from the radial position corresponding to the first surface elevation profile; e. to continue to incrementally reposition the surface profiler by the second amount until a change in the surface elevation between adjacent surface elevation profiles falls below a second predetermined magnitude, and then reverting to incrementally repositioning the surface profiler by the first amount. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of applying a lacquer finish to the recut surface.