Apparatus and method for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment requirements

Apparatus for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment requirements, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) a computer for storing predetermined alignment specifications and tolerance data therefor;
• (b) data input means connected into said computer for supplying said computer with alignment specification and tolerance data;
• (c) an alignment adjustment display for visually guiding the adjustments performed on the vehicle wheels, said alignment adjustment display being connected into said computer;
• (d) vehicle wheel alignment instruments carried by the vehicle wheels for generating signals representative of the wheel positions, each said instrument being connected into said computer;
• and
• (e) means in said apparatus for selecting predetermined alignment data generated by said instruments for comparison with similar alignment data stored in said computer, whereby said display is activated to visually indicate the presence of differences between the alignment data generated by said instruments and the similar alignment data stored in said computer.

A method for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to alignment requirements for a specific vehicle, said method comprising:

• (a) storing required alignment specification data corresponding to the desired wheel alignment data for the specific vehicle;
• (b) generating actual wheel alignment data from the specific vehicle
• (c) selecting specific actual alignment data from the specific vehicle for comparison with the stored required alignment data matching the selected specific actual alignment data;
• and
• (d) visually displaying the existence of differences between selected specific actual alignment data and the stored required matching alignment data, such that the display of the differences guides the operator in performing adjustments required by the specific vehicle.

Apparatus for guiding vehicle wheel alignment adjustments to known alignment information respecting a vehicle under wheel alignment investigation, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) computer means for storing wheel alignment parameters for the vehicle under investigation;
• (b) wheel alignment instruments carried by the vehicle wheels for generating signals representative of wheel positions;
• (c) connections between said instruments and said computer means for transmitting the wheel position information into said computer means;
• and
• (d) means connected into said computer means for displaying the differences between stored alignment parameters and measured wheel position information for guiding the alignment adjustments on the vehicle wheels.