It all depends on the right set of tires

The company Schönherr Elektronik from Flöha/Saxonia, one of the prominent companies in East Germany in the employment of sensor engineering, developed a measuring system for the company Radsystem GmbH, which consists of a CCD camera in connection with a small control system. This measuring system makes it possible to measure completely installed wheels during the manufacturing.

Description of process

In order to trace errors, the company Radsystem GmbH from Mosel measures all completely installed wheels with an Omron vision system. The evaluation of the data is made by a small downstream control system. In doing so it checks whether it deals with Golf- or Passat- wheels. Since it concerns a just in time production, wrongly supplied wheels can have fatal consequences and even lead to a volume stop at Volkswagen.

With the applied procedure all wheels in the transmitted light are looked at. That is, under the conveyer belt a surface lighting- several fluorescent lamps with a diffuser for even light distribution- are fastened. Over the conveyer belt, in a distance of about 800 mm, is the camera.

Pitch circle

Golf and Passat rims differ from pitch circle diameter however only just a few millimeters. This pitch circle diameter is even measured by the camera system. The special difficulty was that the wheels do not run by the camera system in a fixed position. Partly a very large angle misalignment develops.

The values determined with the camera system are made available by a small downstream control system. Over there the evaluation takes place. For wrong wheels at present an acoustic output signal for the operator is set. He has then the possibility of stopping the volume or however to remove the wrong wheel during current production.

The default, which wheels are manufactured, is made by simple pressing a key.

The solution specified above runs problem-free since August 2000. Two conveyer plants were equipped with it. The connection of the inexpensive camera system with a small control system leads to an extremely attractive price.