Sensing steering axis inclination and camber with an accelerometer
First Claim
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1. A method for measuring a wheel alignment angle, the method comprising:
- attaching to a wheel a measurement head including an accelerometer; and
measuring, with the accelerometer, a wheel angle with respect to gravity.
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Abstract
Methods and devices for measuring and calculating wheel alignment angles. Light weight and mechanically robust accelerometers in measurement heads are attached to a vehicle'"'"'s wheels during an alignment procedure. The output of the accelerometers may be compensated for effects of temperature or thermal hysteresis by memory lookup or a temperature based feedback control loop.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for measuring a wheel alignment angle, the method comprising:
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attaching to a wheel a measurement head including an accelerometer; and
measuring, with the accelerometer, a wheel angle with respect to gravity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for measuring a wheel alignment angle, the method comprising:
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attaching to a wheel a measurement head including an accelerometer;
operatively connecting a thermal sensor to the accelerometer;
measuring, with the accelerometer, an uncompensated wheel angle;
measuring, with the thermal sensor, a temperature to which the accelerometer is subjected; and
calculating a compensated wheel angle as a function of the uncompensated wheel angle and the measured temperature. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A measurement head for a wheel alignment system, the measurement head comprising:
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an accelerometer configured to measure an uncompensated wheel angle with respect to gravity;
a thermal sensor configured to measure a temperature to which the accelerometer is subjected; and
a compensator operatively coupled to the accelerometer and the thermal sensor and configured to calculate a compensated wheel angle as a function of the uncompensated wheel angle and the measured temperature. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A wheel alignment system comprising:
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a measurement head including an accelerometer configured to calculate a wheel angle with respect to gravity; and
a computing device operatively coupled to the measurement head and configured to receive the wheel angle and to compute a wheel alignment parameter based on the wheel angle. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification