Universal wheel-fixation frame for electronic alignment sensor
AssigneeJackco Transnational Inc.
InventorJohn Huang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An alignment frame for affixing a sensor configured to measure one or more alignment angles to a wheel of a vehicle can include a pair of arms configured to contact a tire mounted on the wheel to support the alignment frame, a center base configured to receive a first bar, a second bar, and a third bar orthogonally aligned in a linear alignment such that the first bar is at ninety degrees from the horizontal axis defined by the second and the third bar, and a spacer positioned on each of the first, second, and third bars and configured to align the bars with a face of the rim so as to center the center base with respect to the rim of the wheel. The center base can receive a mounting portion of the sensor to center the sensor with the respect to the rim of the wheel.
Claims21
1-17. (canceled)
An alignment frame for affixing a sensor configured to measure one or more alignment angles of a vehicle to a wheel of the vehicle, the wheel having a tire on a rim, the frame comprising:
- an upper body coupled to a pair of arms, the arms configured to contact the tire mounted on the wheel to support the alignment frame, wherein the arms are configured to extend at least partially along a section width of the tire when mounted on the tire;
- a center base configured to receive a first bar, a second bar and third bar orthogonally aligned such that the second and third bars are in a linear alignment to define a horizontal axis of the alignment frame and such that the first bar is at ninety degrees from the horizontal axis defined by the second and third bar, the first bar thereby defining a vertical axis of the alignment frame;
- a spacer positioned on each of the first, second, and third bars, each spacer configured to align the first, second, and third bars with a face of the rim so as to center the center base with respect to the rim of the wheel;
- and
- wherein the center base defines a mounting bore configured to receive a mounting portion of the sensor to center the sensor with the respect to the rim of the wheel, thereby providing a reference for using the sensor to align a camber and caster angle of the wheel.
A vehicle wheel alignment system comprising:
- an electronic sensor including an inertial measurement unit configured to generate geospatial position data;
- an alignment frame configured to affix the electronic sensor to a vehicle wheel, the alignment frame including:
- a pair of arms configured to engage a tire of the vehicle wheel and extend at least partially along a section width of the tire,
- a center base defining a mounting bore configured to receive a mounting portion of the electronic sensor, and
- at least three bars extending from the center base with spacers positioned thereon, the spacers configured to contact a rim of the vehicle wheel to center the electronic sensor with respect to the vehicle wheel;
- and
- a computer system configured to wirelessly communicate with the electronic sensor to receive the geospatial position data and analyze the data to determine and display at least one of a camber angle or a caster angle of the vehicle wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.