Active resistance dynamometer for wheel testing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9404834-B2
Application number	US-201314389362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 28, 2012
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A wheel testing system and method are provided that simulates realistically conditions likely to be encountered during operation of vehicle wheels, especially powered drive wheels and wheel-connected structures. The system may include an integral support frame designed to adjustably mount wheels or wheel-connected structures to be tested, a load motor drivingly connected to an inertial load, and an adjustable mounting sled configured to adjustably mount a test wheel or a wheel-connected structure with an hydraulic system actuatable to adjust the location of the test wheel relative to the inertial load to vary or fix the load on the test wheel desired. Speed of the test wheel can be varied or fixed by controlling the speed of the load motor. System measurement and data collection electronics measure a range of selected wheel parameters and gather data for transmission to a processor or non-transitory storage medium for processing and evaluation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustable active resistance dynamometer system for testing selected functional and operational parameters of vehicle wheels and wheel-connected or wheel-related structures and functions comprising:
a. an adjustably positionable sled with adjustable linearly movable mounting structures supporting a vehicle wheel, a wheel-connected structure, or a wheel-related structure in a selected test position;
b. a rotating variable load application element positioned to apply a fixed or variable load to said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure in said selected test position;
c. a variable drive load motor in fixed or variable speed driving relationship with said rotating variable load application element, wherein either or both of the rotating variable load application element and the variable drive load motor is actuatable to vary load and speed as required to test selected functional and operational parameters of said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure; and
d. a rectangular support frame positionable in a horizontal or a vertical orientation with a base member in contact with a supporting surface to operationally mount said adjustable positionable sled supporting said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure, said rotating variable load application element, and said variable drive load motor within said support frame.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said adjustably positionable sled is adjustably mounted within said support frame to slide linearly a selected distance along a longitudinal axis of said support frame to move said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure into and out of operational contact with said rotating variable load application element.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an adjustable wheel mounting member slidably mounted on said adjustably positionable sled and hydraulic positioning pins in operational contact with said wheel mounting member and actuatable to move said wheel mounting member into and out of fixed or varying load contact with said rotating variable load application element.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said rotating variable load application element comprises an inertial load with a drum configuration.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a geared drive system interposed between and drivingly connecting said variable drive load motor and said rotating variable load application element.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said geared drive system comprises a gear train mounted on said support frame and adjustably positioned between said variable drive load motor and said rotating variable load application element.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising electronic measurement elements positioned in measuring contact with said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure to obtain desired selected measurements relating to selected functional or operational parameters of said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein said desired selected measurements relate to one or more selected operational or functional parameters comprising power, current, voltage, frequency, torque, and speed.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein said vehicle wheel comprises a motor-powered drive wheel.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and said motor-powered drive wheel comprises an aircraft landing gear wheel powered by an onboard electric drive motor.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein said selected functional or operational parameters relate to traction control.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an adjustably positionable load mounting member supporting said rotating variable load application element slidably mounted within said support frame and adjustably positioned by hydraulic positioning pins in operational contact with said load mounting member and actuatable to move said load mounting member into and out of load contact with said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure adjustably mounted on said adjustably positionable sled.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein said adjustably positionable sled comprises a tiltable planar sled with a rectangular configuration or a tiltable curved sled adjustably movable to adjust the position of said vehicle wheel, said wheel-connected structure, or said wheel-related structure angularly or linearly with respect to a horizontal or vertical axis of said support frame.

14. A method for testing selected functional or operational parameters of a vehicle drive wheel powered by a drive motor or a component of the vehicle drive wheel, comprising:
a. providing, within an integral rectangular mounting frame orientable in a horizontal or vertical orientation, an adjustably positionable sled and adjustably mounting a vehicle drive wheel powered by a drive motor to be tested on said adjustably positionable sled;
b. mounting an actuatable rotating variable inertial load application element comprising a drum, mounting a load motor, and mounting a drive system drivingly connecting the load motor to the drum within said integral rectangular mounting frame;
c. activating the load motor to actuate the drum through the drive system to rotate the drum at a fixed or variable speed;
d. moving the adjustably positionable sled with the mounted vehicle drive wheel to be tested into a selected test position so that the vehicle drive wheel is in load applying contact with the drum and causing the vehicle drive wheel to rotate at the fixed or variable speed; and
e. further actuating either or both of the variable load application element and the drive system to vary load and speed as required to test selected functional and operational parameters of the vehicle drive wheel.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising operating said actuatable rotating variable inertial load application element as a generator, and returning power generated when said vehicle drive wheel is in load applying contact with said actuatable rotating variable inertial load application element and the generated power is available to be used to practice said method.

16. The system of claim 1 , further comprising, when said rectangular support frame is positioned in said horizontal orientation, said adjustable positionable sled, said rotating variable load application element, and said variable drive load motor are operationally supported within said rectangular support frame along a longest horizontal axis of said rectangular support frame.

17. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of adjustment pins on each of said adjustably positionable sled, said rotating variable load application element, said variable drive load motor, and said drive system and a corresponding plurality of adjustment pin receptacles on said support frame to adjustably support positions of one or more of said adjustably positionable sled, said rotating variable load application element, said variable drive load motor, and said drive system within said support frame.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising mounting an aircraft wheel and a wheel drive motor operational to power said aircraft wheel on said adjustably positionable sled, activating the load motor to actuate the drum to apply a selected load to said aircraft wheel and said wheel drive motor at the fixed or variab

Assignees

• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Edelson Jonathan Sidney
• Perkins Scott
• Sweet Robert M
• Cox Isaiah W

Classifications

• G01N3/00

  Investigating strength properties of solid materials by application of mechanical stress · CPC title

• G01L5/26

  for determining the characteristic of torque in relation to revolutions per unit of time · CPC title

• G01M17/013 Primary

  Wheels · CPC title

• G01M17/0074 Primary

  Details, e.g. roller construction, vehicle restraining devices · CPC title

• G01L5/28

  for testing brakes · CPC title