A vehicle wheel service apparatus that includes: a frame; a plurality of working tools, connected to the frame and movable to perform operations for mounting and/or demounting the tyre relative to the wheel rim; a shaft driven by an actuator rotationally about a longitudinal axis and connectable to the rim; a measuring system for generating vibration signals representing vibrations of the shaft produced by wheel imbalances; a control unit, connected to the measuring system to receive the vibration signals; a support device, connected to the frame and movable between an activated position, where it encircles the shaft while still allowing it to rotate, and a deactivated position, where it is spaced from the shaft; a connector, movable between a working position, where it mechanically connects the measuring system to the frame, and a rest position, where the measuring system is mechanically disengaged from the frame.

An assembly of a rotating component and a rotationally stationary component includes a first bearing portion located at the rotating component and rotatable therewith, and a second bearing portion located at the rotationally stationary component. The second bearing portion is supported at the rotationally stationary component and rotatably with the rotating component when in contact with the first bearing portion. The first bearing portion and the second bearing portion define a single point contact therebetween.

A method is disclosed for determining vibrational anomalies of a vehicle. An object is removably attached to a wheel of the vehicle in a manner that inhibits the object from coming off of the vehicle when the vehicle is in operation. The object includes one or more inertial measurement units (IMU's) mounted to the object and configured to measure parameters that are used for calculating the vibrational anomalies when the vehicle is in operation. Motion data captured by the one or more IMU's is collected. The collected motion data is processed to determine the presence of one or more vibrational anomalies of the vehicle. A recommended corrective action to be taken is determined when the result of the processed data indicates the presence of one or more vibrational anomalies of the vehicle.

A vehicle wheel imbalance measurement system having a rotationally driven spindle for receiving a vehicle wheel assembly, a motor drive for rotating the spindle and wheel assembly about an axis of rotation, and a set of force transducers for measuring imbalance forces generated by the rotating wheel assembly, and in particular, to a structure within the vehicle wheel imbalance measurement system for conveying a portion of the generated imbalance forces to be measured from the wheel assembly to a fixed ground.

A method and test stand for determining tire properties of a vehicle tire which is rotatably positioned on a rim via a wheel bearing. The interior of vehicle tire is pressurized by a fluid and the vehicle tire is applied with a wheel load. The vehicle tire is accelerated to a final speed in accordance with a pre-determinable speed ramp. The vehicle tire, in accordance with a tire speed, undergoes an oscillation excitation and reacts to the oscillation excitation with an oscillation. The method includes continuously capturing an effective tire force of the vehicle tire in the wheel bearing, due to the oscillation, and creating a data set which shows the tire force over the tire speed and tire frequency, by applying a timing signal of the speed ramp to a Fourier transformation.

A rotating body load measuring device (100) according to the present invention detects a force acting on a rotating body (30) that is formed in a columnar shape and rotates around a central axis (L60) of a shaft body (60) protruding from a center of an end face, in a state where a main load is applied to the rotating body (30) in a main load direction (P) that is one direction in a radial direction, and includes a load cell (70) having a measurement center (C70) and capable of measuring forces acting in at least three directions with the measurement center (C70) as a reference, in which the load cell (70) is disposed such that the measurement center (C70) and the central axis (L60) overlap when viewed in the main load direction (P), and is connected to the shaft body (60).

An imbalance measurement machine for determining tire imbalance has a hollow shaft rotatably driven relative to a fixed hollow axle. A tubular air feed for filling the tire with air is centered within and rotates with the shaft to rotate the tire for determining imbalance. An air hose is connected to a rotational coupling disposed at an air feed end that faces away from the tire. Force transducers between the axle and a machine bed measure forces that occur there during operation. The air hose is attached not only to the rotational coupling but also to the axle, at a distance from the rotational coupling. An alternative embodiment omits the rotational coupling and fills the tire in the resting state of the shaft, via the air hose and the non-rotating air feed. Subsequently, the air hose is separated from the air feed, and the tire retains the supplied air.

A method for balancing a vehicle wheel includes mounting a wheel to be balanced on a rotating shaft of a machine computerized for measuring imbalances, and selecting an optimum commercial balancing weight which, when positioned on a correction plane, minimizes residual imbalance on reference planes of the wheel where the balancing tolerance is considered. One compares the residual imbalance value at the reference planes with the prescribed balancing tolerance after subtracting a vector of the static imbalance generated by the optimum balancing weight. An indicator device is activated to indicate on the wheel the optimum axial position of a correction plane for a balancing weight where the residual imbalance at the reference planes is within tolerance.

A vehicle wheel buffing stand has a first side support frame and a second side support frame spaced from the first side support frame. A first roller extends between the first side support frame and the second side support frame and the first roller is operably connected to the first side support frame and the second side support frame. A second roller extends between the first side support frame and the second side support frame, and the second roller is operably connected to the first side support frame and the second side support frame. The second roller is spaced from the first roller. The stand is configured to receive a vehicle wheel wherein the first roller and the second roller are configured to engage the vehicle wheel and rotatably support the vehicle wheel wherein an operator can rotate the vehicle wheel via rotation of the first roller and the second roller and to prepare surfaces of the vehicle wheel in preparation for mounting a tire on the vehicle wheel.

A dynamic balancer includes an outer housing and a spindle assembly rotatably mounted to the outer housing. A frameless motor assembly is connected to selected components of the spindle assembly. A chucking assembly receives a locking member to capture a tire therebetween. The chucking assembly and the locking member are captured in the spindle assembly and rotated by the frameless motor assembly. A spring-biased return cylinder may be used with the dynamic balancer to assist in capturing and releasing the locking member with respect to the chucking assembly. An adjustable encoder assembly may be associated with the motor assembly to monitor a rotational position of the tire and/or spindle assembly.