VEHICLE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM WITH USER INTERFACE

• US 20100328060A1
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: KUNERT, Joel A., WALESA, Brian A., CHEN, Darwin Y., PULAPA, Rajani K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,413,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/462
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A vehicle measurement system that provides highly realistic guidance to perform a vehicle measurement procedure is described. An exemplary system includes a data storage device configured to store vehicle data for a plurality of vehicles. The vehicle data corresponding to each respective vehicle includes an image of the vehicle and information of predefined points on the vehicle to which emitters or targets should be attached for performing a vehicle measurement procedure. A user interface is provided to receive a user input identifying a vehicle under test. After the user identifies a vehicle under test, the system retrieves vehicle data corresponding to the vehicle under test from the data storage device; and displays the image of the vehicle under test on the display with the predefined points on the vehicle identified.

Claims

1. A vehicle measurement system comprising:

a data storage device configured to store vehicle data for a plurality of vehicles, wherein the vehicle data corresponding to each respective vehicle includes an image of the vehicle;

a user interface configured to receive a user input identifying a vehicle under test;

a display;

a data processor which, upon execution of instructions stored in the data storage device, controlling the system to;

retrieve vehicle data corresponding to the vehicle under test from the data storage device; and

display the image of the vehicle under test on the display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data includes information of predefined points on the vehicle to which emitters or targets may be attached for performing a vehicle measurement procedure, and the image of the vehicle is displayed with the predefined points identified.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the image is a non-line art graphic image of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data is a video image of the vehicle, a computer-generated image of the vehicle, or a photograph of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle data include a line art graphic of the vehicle; and

the data processor, upon execution of the instructions stored in the data storage device, further controls the system to concurrently display the image of the vehicle and the line art graphic of the vehicle on the display.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the image of the vehicle and the line art graphic are displayed in an overlay manner.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data processor, upon execution of the instructions stored in the data storage device, further controls the system to:

provide an opacity selection allowing a user to select a manner that the overlay image and line art graphic should be displayed; and

display the overlay image and line art graphic according to the opacity selection made by the user through the user interface.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein vehicle data include at least two line art graphics showing different degrees of details of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data include at least two images of the vehicle showing different degrees of details of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein a first portion of the vehicle is displayed in as the image of the vehicle and a second portion of the vehicle is displayed in the line art graphic.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data processor, upon execution of the instructions stored in the data storage device, further controls the system to:

provide a selection allowing a user to select the desirable first portion and the desirable second portion of the vehicle; and

display the vehicle according to the election made by the user through the user interface.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor, upon execution of the instructions stored in the data storage device, further controls the system to provide a selection allowing a user to magnify a portion of the displayed image or zoom in the displayed image.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors configured to sense signals emitted by the emitters or images of the targets attached to the predefined points of the vehicle;

wherein the data processor, upon execution of the instructions stored in the data storage device, further controls the system to;

receive the sensed signals or images from the sensors; and

determine spatial characteristics of the vehicle under test based on the received signals.

14. A vehicle measurement method for use in a vehicle measurement system, the system includes a user interface configured to receive a user input, a display and a data processor, the method comprising:

receiving an input from the user interface identifying a vehicle under test;

retrieve vehicle data corresponding to the vehicle under test, wherein the vehicle data corresponding to the vehicle under test include an image of the vehicle; and

displaying the image of the vehicle under test on the display.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle data includes information of predefined points on the vehicle to which emitters or targets may be attached for performing a vehicle measurement procedure using the vehicle measurement system, and the image of the vehicle is displayed with the predefined points identified.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the image is a non-line art graphic image of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle data is a video image of the vehicle, a computer-generated image of the vehicle, or a photograph of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the vehicle data include a line art graphic of the vehicle; and

the data processor, upon execution of the instructions stored in the data storage device, further controls the system to concurrently display the image of the vehicle and the line art graphic of the vehicle on the display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the image of the vehicle and the line art graphic are displayed in an overlay manner.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

providing an opacity selection allowing a user to select a manner that the overlay image and line art graphic should be displayed; and

displaying the overlay image and line art graphic according to the opacity selection made by the user through the user interface.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein vehicle data include at least two line art graphics showing different degrees of details of the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle data include at least two images of the vehicle showing different degrees of details of the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein a first portion of the vehicle is displayed in as the image of the vehicle and a second portion of the vehicle is displayed in the line art graphic.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

providing a selection allowing a user to select the desirable first portion and the desirable second portion of the vehicle; and

displaying the vehicle according to the selection made by the user through the user interface.

25. The method of claim 14 further providing a selection allowing a user to magnify a portion of the displayed image or zoom in the displayed image.