Autonomous tire and wheel balancer, method therefor and robotic automotive service system

Abstract

A vehicle component balancing robot apparatus, system and method for on vehicle balancing of one or more of a tire, a wheel, bearings, brake components, and vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle. The apparatus includes a frame arranged so as to connect with the vehicle. A robot of the apparatus moves relative to the frame, and is configured so that the move, relative to the frame, resolves a predetermined location of a tire-wheel assembly relative to a reference frame of the robot. The robot has at least one end effector arranged to interface the tire-wheel assembly and the robot moves the at least one end effector to other predetermined locations on a wheel rim of the tire-wheel assembly, determined based on resolution of the predetermined location of the tire-wheel assembly relative to the reference frame.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A vehicle component balancing method for on vehicle balancing of one or more of a tire, a wheel, bearings, brake components, and vehicle components of a vehicle that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the vehicle having a tire wheel assembly, the tire wheel assembly having an axis of rotation and being rotatable about the axis of rotation, the tire wheel assembly having locations thereon onto which one or more tire balancing weights are selectively affixed to balance the one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components and the vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the one or more tire balancing weights having a respective magnitude, wherein one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components and the vehicle components that impart vibrations of the vehicle generate one or more imbalance signals when the tire wheel assembly is rotated, the method comprising the steps of:
 effecting rotation of the tire wheel assembly about its axis of rotation;   providing one or more sensors to measure the one or more imbalance signals;   measuring the one or more imbalance signals with the one or more sensors;   determining, based on the measurements of the one or more sensors and the magnitude of the one or more tire balancing weights, the locations on the tire wheel assembly to affix the one or more tire balancing weights to balance the one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components and the vehicle components that impart vibrations to the vehicle; and   affixing the one or more tire balancing weights to the determined locations on the tire wheel assembly.   
     
     
         32 . A vehicle component balancing method as defined by  claim 31 , wherein the step of measuring the one or more imbalance signals with the one or more sensors is conducted during a gradient descent sequence. 
     
     
         33 . A vehicle component balancing method as defined by  claim 31 , which further comprises the step of:
 mounting the one or more sensors to the tire wheel assembly.   
     
     
         34 . A vehicle component balancing method as defined by  claim 31 , which further comprises the step of:
 mounting the one or more sensors to the suspension of the vehicle.   
     
     
         35 . A vehicle component balancing method as defined by  claim 31 , which further comprises the step of:
 providing a gantry system, the gantry system being mountable to the tire wheel assembly, wherein the one more sensors is mounted to the gantry system.   
     
     
         36 . A vehicle component balancing method as defined by  claim 31 , wherein
 the one or more sensors is a vision system.   
     
     
         37 . A vehicle component balancing method as defined by  claim 31 , wherein
 the one or more sensors is one or more of a single-axis accelerometer, a multi-axis accelerometer, a inertial measurement unit and a magnetometer.   
     
     
         38 . An instrumented tool for performing tire servicing operations, the instrumented tool being one or more of engageable with an end effector of a robotic system and mountable to a frame of the robotic system, the instrumented tool comprising:
 at least one actuator;   a carriage, the at least one carriage being mechanically coupled to a portion of the actuator and being moveable thereon between at least a first position and a second position;   a drive, the drive being mechanically engaged with the at least one actuator and effecting the movement of the carriage between the first position and the second position;   tooling mounted to the carriage; and   one or more sensors, the one or more sensors being mounted to one or more of the at least one actuator, the drive, the carriage and the tooling.   
     
     
         39 . An instrumented tool for performing tire servicing operations as defined by  claim 38 , wherein the actuator is a linear actuator. 
     
     
         40 . An instrumented tool for performing tire servicing operations as defined by  claim 38 , wherein the tooling is one of a tire bead breaker tool, a tire alignment tool, a wheel weight installation tool, a wheel weight dispenser, a wheel weight gripper, a valve core installation tool, a valve core removal tool, a wheel cleaning tool, a valve stem tool, a valve stem cap removal tool, a tire deflation tool, a tire mount/dismount tool, a lubrication tool, an inflation tool, a gripper system, a bead tool, a tire balancer, a tire balancing bead dispenser, a lug wrench and a wheel assembly grip. 
     
     
         41 . An instrumented tool for performing tire servicing operations as defined by  claim 38 , wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is one of a proximity sensor, a distance sensor, a load cell, a travel sensor and a limit sensor. 
     
     
         42 . A gripper system for manipulating a tire wheel assembly to perform tire servicing operations, the tire wheel assembly having an axis of rotation and being rotatable about the axis of rotation, the gripper system being one or more of engageable with an end effector of a robotic system and mountable to the robotic system, the gripper system comprising:
 one or more grippers that are engageable with at least a portion of the tire wheel assembly;   at least one actuator, the one or more grippers being mechanically coupled to a portion of the actuator; and   at least one drive, the at least one drive being mechanically engaged with the at least one actuator and effecting the movement of the one or more grippers in at least a first direction and a second direction, the first direction being towards the tire wheel assembly and the second position being away from the tire wheel assembly.   
     
     
         43 . A gripper system as defined by  claim 42 , wherein the gripper has an axis of rotation and is rotatable about the axis of rotation, wherein the gripper system further comprises:
 a rotational drive, the rotational drive being mechanically coupled to the gripper and effecting rotation of the gripper about its axis of rotation.   
     
     
         44 . A gripper system as defined by  claim 43 , wherein the rotational drive effects rotation of the gripper about its axis of rotation in a first direction and a second direction. 
     
     
         45 . A gripper system as defined by  claim 43 , wherein the rotation of the gripper about its axis of rotation effects rotation of the tire wheel assembly about its axis of rotation. 
     
     
         46 . A sensor system for vehicle balancing of one or more of a tire, a wheel, bearings, brake components, and vehicle components of a vehicle that impart vibrations to the vehicle, the vehicle having a tire wheel assembly, the tire wheel assembly having an axis of rotation and being rotatable about the axis of rotation, wherein one or more of the tire, the wheel, the bearings, the brake components and the vehicle components that impart vibrations of the vehicle generate one or more imbalance signals when the tire wheel assembly is rotated, the sensor system comprising:
 one or more sensors, the one or more sensors being mechanically coupled to the vehicle, wherein the one or more sensors receive the one or more imbalance signals and measure the one or more imbalance signals;   at least one data acquisition unit, the at least one data acquisition unit being in electrical communication with the one or more sensors; and   one or more of a gripper system and a roller system, the one or more of the gripper system and the roller system effecting rotation of the tire wheel assembly about its axis of rotation.   
     
     
         47 . A sensor system for vehicle balancing as defined by  claim 46 , wherein the one or more sensors is one or more of a single-axis accelerometer, a multi-axis accelerometer, a inertial measurement unit and a magnetometer. 
     
     
         48 . A sensor system for vehicle balancing as defined by  claim 46 , wherein the one or more sensors is a vision system. 
     
     
         49 . A sensor system for vehicle balancing as defined by  claim 46 , which further comprises a gantry system, the gantry system being mounted to the tire wheel assembly, wherein the one or more sensors is mounted to the gantry system. 
     
     
         50 . A sensor system for vehicle balancing as defined by  claim 46 , wherein the one or more sensors is situated within a tire pressure monitoring system assembly, which is mounted to a portion of the tire wheel assembly.