Angle sensor with CCD
First Claim
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1. A system for measuring an angular relationship of wheels of a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a first head unit for attachment to a first wheel;
a second head unit for attachment to a second wheel;
a radiation source mounted on the first head unit for providing an image, the radiation source having a radiation emitting surface;
a linear CCD mounted on the second head unit having a plurality of linearly spaced pixel elements for receiving the image from the radiation source and providing a CCD output representative of the image;
means mounted on the second head unit and interposed in a plane between the radiation source and the linear CCD for defining an image of the radiation source upon the CCD;
a controller connected to the radiation source and the linear CCD for receiving CCD output and providing an output representative of an angle of a wheel of the vehicle; and
wherein at least one pixel element of the plurality of linearly spaced pixel elements receives radiation from the entire radiation emitting surface of the radiation source.
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Abstract
An automotive vehicle wheel alignment system uses a light source and a linear CCD to measure angles. A mask having a slit through which light from the light source is projected onto the surface of the linear CCD is interposed between the light source and the linear CCD. A microprocessor controls the light source and the linear CCD and uses an output from the linear CCD to calculate an angle between the light source and the linear CCD. The microprocessor uses a search algorithm to locate the center of the image projected on the linear CCD. Calibration data for the linear CCD is stored in an EEPROM.
72 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for measuring an angular relationship of wheels of a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a first head unit for attachment to a first wheel; a second head unit for attachment to a second wheel; a radiation source mounted on the first head unit for providing an image, the radiation source having a radiation emitting surface; a linear CCD mounted on the second head unit having a plurality of linearly spaced pixel elements for receiving the image from the radiation source and providing a CCD output representative of the image; means mounted on the second head unit and interposed in a plane between the radiation source and the linear CCD for defining an image of the radiation source upon the CCD; a controller connected to the radiation source and the linear CCD for receiving CCD output and providing an output representative of an angle of a wheel of the vehicle; and wherein at least one pixel element of the plurality of linearly spaced pixel elements receives radiation from the entire radiation emitting surface of the radiation source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for measuring an angular relationship of wheels of a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a first head unit for attachment to a first wheel; a second head unit for attachment to a second wheel; a radiation source mounted on the first head unit for providing an image, the radiation source having a radiation emitting surface; a CCD mounted on the second head unit having a plurality of pixel elements for receiving the image rom the radiation source and providing a CCD output representative of the image; means mounted on the second head unit and interposed in a plane between the radiation source and the CCD for defining an image of the radiation source upon the CCD; means for producing an output representative of an angle based upon which pixels are illuminated; and a controller connected to the radiation source and the CCD for receiving the output representative of an image and providing an output representative of an angle of a wheel of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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18. The system of claim 18 wherein the search means includes a search window having a search window width of between 2 and 40 pixel elements.
Specification