Methods and apparatus for facilitating a measurement taken from a vehicle wheel axis
AssigneeCooper Industries, Inc.
InventorsGeorge R. Schmidt, Jr., James P. Clarke, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In order to check a vehicle for sagged coil springs, vertical distances are measured between the axis of each wheel and a predetermined location on the vehicle body, e.g., the underside of the fender. Those measured distances are compared with established values for that vehicle make and model. To facilitate that measurement a tool is elastically bent and the ends of the tool are mounted by friction-fit against the inside periphery of a wheel rim. The bent tool forms a convex bulge, the apex of which is aligned with the wheel axis and is disposed in or near a vertical plane in which the measurement is to be made. A reference mark provided at the apex of the bulge facilitates a measurement with a ruled tape measure.
Claims16
A method of measuring a distance between a vehicle wheel axis and a preselected location, comprising the steps of:
- mounting ends of an elastically flexible tool to circumferentially spaced places on a rim of a vehicle wheel such that said tool is elastically flexed and forms a convex bulge extending away from the wheel, with a reference means disposed at an apex of said bulge being in alignment with the axis of said wheel, and
- measuring a distance between said preselected location and said reference means.
A tool mountable to a vehicle wheel for facilitating the measuring of a distance between a center axis of the wheel and a preselected location, said tool comprising an elastically flexible strip having rim-gripping means at respective ends thereof for frictionally gripping an inside periphery of a wheel rim, said tool when in a relaxed state, being larger than said rim, requiring that said strip be elastically bent to form a convex bulge in order to fit said rim-gripping means to said rim, said strip including reference means disposed at a midpoint thereof so as to be located at an apex of said bulge and in alignment with the center axis of said wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.