Non contact wheel alignment sensor and method
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
G01B-011/26
출원번호
US-0333708
(2011-12-21)
등록번호
US-8400624
(2013-03-19)
발명자
/ 주소
De Sloovere, Kris
Beghuin, Didier
Verhaert, Koen
출원인 / 주소
Burke E. Porter Machinery Company
대리인 / 주소
Gardner, Linn, Burkhart & Flory, LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
3인용 특허 :
56
초록▼
A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle comprises projecting a light plane onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line, receiving a reflected image of the reference illumination line with a photo electric device,
A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle comprises projecting a light plane onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line, receiving a reflected image of the reference illumination line with a photo electric device, and determining a reference distance from the reference illumination line to a noncontact wheel alignment sensor including the photo electric device. The method also includes projecting a plurality of light planes onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines, receiving a reflected image of at least some of the generally parallel illumination lines with the photo electric device, and identifying which generally parallel illumination lines are imaged at the receiving step using the reference distance, and determining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly based on the reflected image of the generally parallel illumination lines.
대표청구항▼
1. A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising: projecting a light plane onto a tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line on the tire of the tire and wheel assembly;receiving a reflected image of said
1. A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising: projecting a light plane onto a tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line on the tire of the tire and wheel assembly;receiving a reflected image of said reference illumination line from the tire with a photo electric device;determining a reference distance from said reference illumination line to a noncontact wheel alignment sensor including said photo electric device;projecting a plurality of light planes onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on the tire of the tire and wheel assembly;receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with said photo electric device;identifying which said generally parallel illumination lines are imaged at said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines step using said reference distance; anddetermining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly based on said reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said projecting a light plane onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line is performed by a light projector and said projecting a plurality of light planes onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines is performed by a separate light projector. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said photo electric device receives images of said generally parallel illumination lines reflected from the tire at an angle relative to the angle at which said plurality of light planes are projected. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein said photo electric device receives images of said reference illumination line reflected from the tire at an angle relative to the angle at which said reference illumination line is projected. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said projecting a plurality of light planes onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines comprises divergently projecting a plurality of light planes onto the tire and wheel assembly. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines step includes directing with a reflecting device said at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines at said photo electric device. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly comprises determining a plane representing the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising rotating said tire and wheel assembly and repeating said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with said photo electric device while said tire and wheel assembly is rotating. 9. A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising: providing a first sensor and a second sensor, said first sensor being positioned at a location spaced from said second sensor adjacent a wheel of a tire and wheel assembly, said first sensor and said second sensor each including a photo electric device;projecting a light plane from said first sensor onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line on a first tire portion;receiving a reflected image of said reference illumination line from said first tire portion with said photo electric device of said first sensor;determining a first reference distance from said reference illumination line on said first tire portion to said first sensor;projecting a plurality of light planes from said first sensor onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on said first tire portion;receiving a reflected image from said first tire portion of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with said photo electric device of said first sensor;identifying which said generally parallel illumination lines on said first tire portion are imaged at said receiving a reflected image from said first tire portion step using said first reference distance;projecting a light plane from said second sensor onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a reference illumination line on a second tire portion;receiving a reflected image of said reference illumination line from said second tire portion with said photo electric device of said second sensor;determining a second reference distance from said reference illumination line on said second tire portion to said second sensor;projecting a plurality of light planes from said second sensor onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on said second tire portion;receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines from said second tire portion with said photo electric device of said second sensor;identifying which said generally parallel illumination lines on said second tire portion are imaged at said receiving a reflected image from said second tire portion step using said second reference distance;determining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly based on said reflected images of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines from said first tire portion and said second tire portion. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said first sensor and said second sensor each include a pair of light projectors, and wherein for each said first sensor and said second sensor one of said light projectors projects said plurality of light planes forming said generally parallel illumination lines and the other of said light projectors projects said light plane forming said reference illumination line. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said projecting said plurality of light planes from said first sensor onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on said first tire portion comprises divergently projecting said plurality of light planes from said first sensor, and wherein said projecting said plurality of light planes from said second sensor onto the tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on said second tire portion comprises divergently projecting said plurality of light planes from said second sensor. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly comprises determining a plane representing the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly. 13. A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising: projecting light planes onto a tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines and an identifier on a tire of the tire and wheel assembly;receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with a photo electric device, with said light planes being projected onto the tire and wheel assembly at a non-parallel angular orientation relative to said photo electric device;identifying said generally parallel illumination lines imaged at said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines step based on said identifier; anddetermining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly based on said reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said identifier comprises an identifiable gap between two said generally parallel illumination lines. 15. The method of claim, wherein said identifier comprises forming one of said generally parallel illumination lines formed on the tire of the tire and wheel assembly with a width that is different than others of said generally parallel illumination lines. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein said determining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly comprises determining a plane representing the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said identifier comprises forming one of said generally parallel illumination lines on the tire of the tire and wheel assembly with a width that is greater than others of said generally parallel illumination lines. 18. The method of claim 13, wherein said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with a photo electric device comprises receiving a reflected image of at least three generally parallel illumination lines. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said projecting light planes onto a tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines comprises projecting more than three light planes onto a tire and wheel assembly to form more than three generally parallel illumination lines. 20. A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising: projecting a plurality of light planes onto a tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on a tire of the tire and wheel assembly including forming an identifiable gap between a pair of said generally parallel illumination lines;receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with a photo electric device, said photo electric device receiving images of said generally parallel illumination lines reflected from the tire including said pair of said generally parallel illumination lines forming said identifiable gap;resolving the identity of which said generally parallel illumination lines are imaged at said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines step based on said identifiable gap; anddetermining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly based on said reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines. 21. A method of determining alignment characteristics of a tire and wheel assembly mounted on a vehicle, said method comprising: projecting a plurality of light planes onto a tire and wheel assembly to form a plurality of generally parallel illumination lines on a tire of the tire and wheel assembly including forming one of said generally parallel illumination lines with a width that is different than others of said generally parallel illumination lines;receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines with a photo electric device, said photo electric device receiving images of said generally parallel illumination lines reflected from the tire including said generally parallel illumination line having a different width;resolving the identity of which said generally parallel illumination lines are imaged at said receiving a reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines step based on said generally parallel illumination line having a different width; anddetermining the orientation of the tire and wheel assembly based on said reflected image of at least some of said generally parallel illumination lines. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said generally parallel illumination line having a width that is different is thicker than others of said generally parallel illumination lines.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (56)
Podbielski, Sharon E.; Clothiaux, John D., Alignment device for rotating tire laser mapping machine.
Hechel Dennis L. (New Berlin WI) Niemetschek Raymond H. (Brookfield WI) Slocum Tobin (Waukesha WI) Kercheck Gary R. (Colgate WI) Crawford Michael C. (Milwaukee WI), Angle sensor with CCD.
Samuelsson Jonas (Rusthallaregatan 7 702 20 Orebro SEX) Issa Amin Nassif (Altsarbyn 115 795 90 Rattvik SEX), Device and method for the measuring of wheel angles.
Moradi Mohammad A. (W. Bloomfield MI) Rossman Michael D. (Canton MI) LaBell Larry (Grosse Ile MI) Holz Bonita (Dearborn MI), Driveline alignment apparatus and method.
Downing Elizabeth A. (Sunnyvale CA) Rogers Steven W. (Conway AR) Titsworth Raymond (Conway AR) Christian Donald J. (Fremont CA) Baird Michael L. (Los Altos CA), Light scanning system for measurement of orientation and physical features of a workpiece.
Longa Simone (Arcisate ITX) Castelnuovo Marco (Milano ITX), Method and apparatus for the optical measurement of an angle between positions of components relative to each other.
Fluegge Jerry H. (Manitou Beach MI) Kumar Prem R. (Ann Arbor MI) Mau Erich (Farmington Hills MI) Mazzella Michael C. (Fraser MI), Method and apparatus for wheel alignment audit.
Day Chia P. (Troy MI) Krause Kenneth W. (Rochester MI) Whitcomb Louis L. (Troy MI) Horn Berthold K. P. (Concord MA), Method and system for automatically determining the position and attitude of an object.
Young, Jr., Robert S.; Ball, Richard D.; Bishop, Mark S.; Digby, Marc C.; Hansen, Christopher P.; Hinkle, II, Clyde W.; Cannata, Philip E., Method and system for estimating sensor dark current drift and sensor/illumination non-uniformities.
Jean-Loup Rapidel FR; Jean-Thierry Lapreste FR; Gerard Rives FR; Michel Dhome FR; Jean-Marc Lavest FR, Optical installation and process for determining the relative positions of at least two objects in space.
Castagnoli, Norberto; Braghiroli, Francesco; Cagnolati, Fabrizio, Process for identifying a specific light signal used in a linear optical sensor of goniometer from among other potentially disturbing light signals.
Jackson, David A.; Glickman, Steven; Shroff, Hoshang D.; Bliven, Brian M.; Kling, III, Michael J., Self-calibrating 3D machine measuring system useful in motor vehicle wheel alignment.
Titsworth Raymond (Conway AR) Lipe J. Tom (Little Rock AR) Dale James L. (Conway AR) Monroe Hanford D. (Conway AR) Hill Jerry M. (North Little Rock AR), Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus and method.
Waldecker Thomas J. (Ypsilanti MI) Dewar Robert (Troy MI) Wybo David R. (Novi MI) Woroniec Richard (West Bloomfield Township ; Oakland County MI), Vehicle wheel alignment apparatus and method.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.