Hunter Engineering Company

Stephen F Brauer

Nicholas J Colarelli, Iii

Timothy A Strege

James R Gender

A vehicle alignment system for inspecting and adjusting alignment of the suspension of numerous different vehicle models includes manually operable switches for selecting a particular vehicle model, a CD-ROM for storing a number of digital photographs depicting actual wear and adjustment points of different actual vehicle models, a display for displaying digital photographs, and a controller which responds to the selection of a particular vehicle model for providing, if available, at least one of the stored digital photographs for that particular vehicle model to the display for display. A method of operating alignment apparatus for inspecting the suspensions of numerous different vehicle models includes selecting a particular vehicle model to be inspected, displaying as a digital image a digital photograph of at least one actual wear or adjustment point of the actual vehicle model selected, and displaying on the digital image visual indicia of a plurality of predetermined inspection points for that portion of the suspension of the selected vehicle model. A method of operating alignment apparatus for adjusting the suspensions of numerous different vehicle models includes selecting a particular vehicle model having a suspension to be adjusted, displaying a digital photograph of the portion of the suspension of the vehicle model under test which may require adjustment, displaying adjustment instructions on the digital photograph, and following the displayed adjustment instructions to adjust the suspension if necessary.

Vehicle alignment system and method incorporating digital photograph

Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus includes a storage device for storing vehicle wheel alignment angle specifications, wheel alignment sensors, and ride height sensors. A controller is responsive to the acquired wheel alignment angle data and to the measured ride height for determining whether, taking into consideration the vehicle ride height, a measured wheel alignment angle falls within specifications. Apparatus for diagnosing vehicle wheel alignment and suspension problems also includes a jack for vertically moving the body of the vehicle with respect to the wheels to temporarily change the ride height of the vehicle. The controller is responsive to changes in measured wheel alignment angles with changes in measured ride height to diagnose vehicle alignment and suspension problems.

Wheel alignment and diagnostic apparatus utilizing ride height

A wobble run-out compensation system includes a compensation plate mountable with respect to a vehicle wheel. First and second manually operable adjusting members allow for independently adjusting the orientation of the compensation plate in first and second orthogonal planes, an adjustment in one plane not affecting the orientation of the plate in the other plane. The orientation of the compensation plate in each of the first and second planes is electronically sensed and substantially continuously displayed on an electronic display as that orientation is being adjusted so that the user is able to observe changes on the electronic display in the orientation of the compensation plate as manual adjustments are made.

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Ladue, MO, United States of America

Stephen F Brauer