Patent ID: 7523655

Claim:
A method of optically scanning the tread surface of a pneumatic tyre which for forming a vehicle wheel is mounted on a disc wheel, in which the vehicle wheel is rotated about a stationary axis, light beams are directed from a given position on to the tread surface of the pneumatic tyre and the directions of the light beams reflected at the surface of the tread are detected for determining the spacings of the impingement points of the light beams on the tread surface from a reference position, as measurement data, wherein the operation of scanning the tyre tread surface is carried out along a plurality of peripheral lines disposed in mutually juxtaposed relationship in the axial direction, wherein formed from the measurement data along the plurality of peripheral lines are the associated first and/or higher harmonics or an averaged first and/or higher harmonic, in rotary angle-related fashion, and wherein the pneumatic tyre is rotated with respect to the disc wheel about the wheel axis by an angle at which the mass of a static unbalance to be compensated or the masses of a dynamic unbalance to be compensated is or are minimised.