System adapted for diagnosing large numbers of automotive road vehilces

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM PROVIDED FOR RAPID, EFFICIENT, UNIFORM DIAGNOSES OF A PLURALITY OF IN LINE CLOSELY FOLLOWING, INDEPENDENTLY, INTERMITTENTLY MOVING AUTOMOTIVE ROAD VEHICLES TO DETERMINE AND IDENTIFY DEFICIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH THEREOF BY TESTING EACH SAID VEHICLE AT EACH OF A PLURALITY OF STATIONS AS SAID VEHICLE IS ROLLED IN NORMAL MANNER TO AND BEYOND EACH SAID STATION IN PROCEEDING TO A POINT OF EXIT, WHEREBY EACH VEHICLE WILL BE DIAGNOSED TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AND THE OVERALL EXTEND SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A MASTER RECORD OF ITS FAULTS AND THEREBY PERMIT ITS REPAIR AND CORRECTION AS DESIRED SUBSEQUENT TO DIAGNOSIS, COMPRISING A DIAGNOSTIC PASSAGEWAY HAVING AN ENTRANCE AND AN EXIT, CONSTRUCTIONAL MEANS SPACING SAID PLURALITY OF STATIONS ALONG SAID PASSAGEWAY THERBY ADAPTING SAME TO RECEIVE SAID LINE OF VEHICLES WITH ONE VEHICLE AT AT LEAST EACH OF A MAJORITY OF SAID STATIONS WITH WORKING SPACE BETWEEN SAID RESPECTIVE VEHICLES, MEANS DETERMINING THE WIDTH OF SAID PASSAGEWAY AT LEAST SUFFICIENTLY WIDE TO PERMIT LENGTHWISE TRANSIT OF SAID LINE OF VEHICLES AND SUFFICIENTLY NARROW TO REQUIRE SUBSTANTIALLY LENGTHWISE TRANSIT OF EACH SUCCESSIVE VEHICLE IN SAID LINE THROUGH EACH SUCCESSIVE STATION, DIAGNOSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT OPERATIVE AT EACH SAID STATION ADAPTED FOR A DIFFERENT DIAGNOSTIC TEST SEQUENTIALLY ON EACH RESPECTIVE VEHICLE IN SAID LINE WHEN SAID VEHICLES ARE ROLLED SUCCESSIVELY TO EACH SAID STAITON, DYNAMIC VEHICLE TESTING MEANS AT AT LEAST ONE OF SAID STATIONS IN ENERGY TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT SUCCESSIVELY WITH A ROTATING WHEEL OF EACH RESPECTIVE VEHICLE IN SAID LINE WHEN SAID VEHICLES ARE ROLLED SUCCESSIVELY TO SAID STATION, DIAGNOSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT OPERATIVE SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM DIFFERENT STATIONS ADAPTED FOR INITIATING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON AT LEAST ONE VEHICLE IN SAID LINE PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF A DIFFERENT DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON ANOTHER VEHICLE IN SAID LINE, DIAGNOSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT OPERATIVE FROM AT LEAST ONE SAID STATION ADAPTED TO PERFORM ON EACH SUCCESSIVE VEHICLE IN SAID DIAGNOSTIC LINE SEQUENTIALLY AT LEAST ONE TEST WHICH ENTAILS BOTH CONTROL OF SAID DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT OPERATIVE FROM SAID STATION AND CONTROL OF VEHICLE ENGINE OPERATION WHICH IS NORMALLY ACCOMPLISHED FROM THE VEHICLE DRIVER''S SEAT BY MEANS OF THE VEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH AND ENGINE ACCELERATOR, CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVE FROM SAID ONE STATION FOR CONTROLLING THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT OPERATION FROM SAID STATION, AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID CONTROL MEANS ADJACENT THE DRIVER''S SEAT WINDOW OF EACH RESPECTIVE VEHICLE IN SAID LINE WHEN SAID VEHICLE IS ROLLED INTO TEST POSITION AS AFORESAID AT SAID ONE STATION, SAID SUPPORT MEANS COMPRISINNG ANCHOR MEANS IN SUSBTANTIALLY FIXED POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID PASSAGEWAY, AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID CONTROL MEANS TO SAID ANCHOR MEANS FOR MOVEMENT THEREOF RELATIVE TO SAID ANCHOR MEANS SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE PLACEMENT OF SAID CONTROL MEANS ADJACENT DRIVER''S SEAT WINDOWS OF RESPECTIVE VEHICLES IN SAID LINE POSITIONED SUCCESSIVELY AT SAID ONE STATION. THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES SUPPORT MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID CONTROL MEANS AT A FIRST POSITION ADJACENT THE DRIVER''S SEAT WINDOW OF EACH RESPECTIVE VEHICLE IN SAID LINE WHEN SAID VEHICLE IS ROLLED INTO TEST POSITION AS AFORESAID AT SAID ONE STATION, SUPPORT MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID CONTROL MEANS AT A SECOND POSITION REMOTE FROM THE DRIVER''S SEAT WINDOW OF ALL VEHICLES IN SAID LINE, AND MEANS ADAPTED FOR MOVING SAID SUPPORT MEANS FROM EACH OF SAID POSITIONS TO THE OTHER POSITION, WHEREBY BOTH THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST EQUIPMENT OPERATION AND THE VEHICLE OPERATION FOR EACH SAID TEST OF THE KIND AFORESAID ON EACH VEHICLE IN SAID LINE SEQUENTIALLY CAN BE CONTROLLED FROM THE DRIVER''S SEAT WHEN THE DRIVER''S SEAT WINDOW IS OPEN THEREBY TO SHORTEN FURTHER DIAGNOSTIC TIME FOR EACH VEHICLE AND TO MAKE MORE RAPID AND EFFICIENT THE SEQUENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF LARGE MEMBERS OF VEHICLES.