Apparatus and method for detecting misoriented wheel assemblies

For use in cooperation with a wheel truing machine having a punch station and punch tooling for piercing lug holes in a wheel assembly, said wheel assembly having a valve stem hole extending therethrough at a predetermined location, a method for detecting misoriented wheels so as to prevent lug holes from being punched off location, comprising:

• transferring said wheel assembly into said punch station;
• raising said wheel assembly to said punch tooling;
• generating an infra-red light beam from a fiber optic photoelectric light source aligned on one side of said wheel assembly toward a fiber optic photoelectric target aligned on the opposite side of said wheel assembly, such that during proper wheel assembly orientation, said light beam passes through said valve stem hole and is received by said target;
• detecting whether said light beam is received by said target;
• generating a first electrical signal indicative of whether said light beam is received by said light detecting target;
• and
• providing control circuitry in electrical communication with said punch station operative to receive said first electrical signal and generate a corresponding second electrical signal to engage said punch tooling if said light beam is received and operative to generate an alarm signal and abort said punching operation if said light beam is not received.

A wheel truing machine for use in cooperation with a wheel assembly having at least one reference hole extending therethrough at a predetermined location, comprising:

• a punch station operative to receive said wheel assembly and having punch tooling;
• engagement means for engaging said punch tooling in mechanical contact with said wheel assembly;
• a light emitting source aligned on one side of said wheel assembly when said wheel assembly is received by said punch station, said light emitting source operative to emit a light beam;
• a light detecting target in electrical communication with said light emitting source and aligned on the opposite side of said wheel assembly when said wheel assembly is received by said punch station, such that when said light emitting source is engaged during proper wheel assembly orientation, said light beam passes through said reference hole and is detected by said target;
• and
• control circuitry in electrical communication with said light detecting target and said engagement means, said control circuitry operative to cause said stamping operations to be initiated if said light beam is received and operative to abort said stamping operations if said light beam is not received.

For use in cooperation with a wheel truing machine having a punch station and punch tooling for piercing lug holes in a wheel assembly, said wheel assembly having at least one reference hole extending therethrough at a predetermined location, an apparatus for detecting misoriented wheels so as to prevent lug holes from being punched off location, comprising:

• a light emitting source aligned on one side of said wheel assembly when said wheel assembly is received by said punch station, said light emitting source operative to emit a light beam;
• a light detecting target in electrical communication with said light emitting source and aligned on the opposite side of said wheel assembly when said wheel assembly is received by said punch station, such that when said light emitting source is engaged during proper wheel assembly orientation, said light beam passes through said reference hole and is detected by said target;
• and
• control circuitry in electrical communication with said light detecting target and said punch station, said control circuitry operative to engage said punch tooling so as to pierce said lug holes through said wheel assembly if said light beam is received and operative to abort said punching operation if said light beam is not received.