Apparatus for manufacture of vehicle wheels

Abstract

Apparatus for forming at least one mounting opening in a vehicle wheel that includes a circumferential array of locating jaws movable between an outer position and an inner position radially inward of the outer position in which the locating jaws engage the rim portion of the wheel positioned within the locating jaws. An upper die is reciprocable for forming at least one mounting opening on a first axis in the disc portion of a wheel engaged by the locating jaws. Position sensors are operatively coupled to the locating jaws for providing electrical sensor signals as a function of position of the locator jaws relative to the axis of the mounting openings formed in the wheel. The sensors are coupled to electronics for indicating position of the locator jaws relative to such axis. The electronics responsive to the several positions sensor signals include facility for computing the average axis of the bead seat locator jaws relative to the axis of the mounting-opening tooling based upon the locator jaw position signals from the several sensors. The average locator jaw axis position so measured may be compared to a desired bead seat locator jaw axis, which may be either concentric with or eccentric to the axis of the mounting-opening tooling. Any difference therebetween is displayed to an operator to facilitate adjustment of the individual locator jaws.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.