Self-calibrating 3D machine measuring system useful in motor vehicle wheel alignment
US6731382B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 14, 2001 |
| Grant date | May 4, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 14, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B2210/303
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Techniques are disclosed for providing a system that has a plurality of devices in which the position of a device of the plurality of devices relative to another device of the plurality of devices is self-calibrated. In one embodiment, the system is a five-camera aligner for use in aligning motor vehicle wheels. In this embodiment, the aligner includes a first camera pod having two alignment cameras and a calibration camera, and a second camera pod having another two alignment cameras and a calibration target. Because the aligner has four alignment cameras and a calibration camera, the aligner is often referred to as a five-camera aligner. For illustration purposes, the first camera pod is herein referred to as the left camera pod and the second camera pod is herein referred to as the right camera pod. In one embodiment, the left camera pod is placed to the left of the aligner, and the right camera pod is placed to the right of the aligner. The two alignment cameras of the left camera pod focus at the two left wheels of the vehicle under alignment, while the two alignment cameras of the right camera pod focus at the two right wheels of the same vehicle. In addition, the calibration…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.