Integrated circuit image sensor for wheel alignment systems

• US 6,509,962 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Original Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Inventors: Burns, Leigh R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US09/566,247
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 356/139.09, 332/88, 385/14
• US Class Current: 356/139.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2755 using photoelectric detection means

Abstract

An improved image sensor for computer systems that use images to calculate vehicle wheel alignments which includes an integrated circuit having a detector array for receiving an image containing vehicle wheel alignment information, an image sensor controller for operating the detector array and directing input/output for external communications outside the circuit, and an internal bus for communications within the integrated circuit. The sensor communicates wheel alignment information contained in the image with the computer system across an interface bus.

Claims

1. In a wheel alignment system, the wheel alignment system having an image sensor, a system processor having logic and memory for calculating a vehicle wheel alignment, and a console, the image sensor receiving images and operably communicating the images to the system processor to calculate vehicle wheel alignments and the console displaying the wheel alignment information to a user, the wheel alignment system having an improvement in the image sensor wherein the improvement comprises:

an integrated circuit having a detector array for receiving the images containing vehicle wheel alignment information, an image sensor controller for operating the detector array and directing input/output for external communications outside the circuit, and an internal bus for communications within the integrated circuit.

2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the detector array is comprised of a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels being electronically isolated from neighboring pixels.

3. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 wherein the pixels in the detector array have means for resisting blooming.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit is a CMOS integrated circuit.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 4 wherein the integrated circuit has a single supply voltage.

6. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises an analog to digital converter, the converter communicating with the image sensor controller on the internal bus.

7. The improvement as set forth in claim 6 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a digital signal processor, the digital signal processor communicating with the image sensor controller on the internal bus.

8. The improvement as set forth in claim 7 wherein the digital signal processor has logic for identifying a region of interest and the integrated circuit further comprises the system processor.

9. The improvement as set forth in claim 6 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a digital signal processor that has logic for identifying a region of interest on the detector array and the image sensor controller has logic for limiting a read out to the region of interest.

10. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises ASIC image sensor logic for communicating with the system processor across an interface bus.

11. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit further comprises sub-array scanning of the detector array.

12. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the image sensor controller further comprises logic to access a region of interest on the detector array.

13. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the image sensor controller further comprises logic to read out data from a specified pixel address.

14. A method for reducing the time to process images used in a vehicle wheel alignment system, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one image containing vehicle wheel alignment information on a detector array;

identifying a region of interest on the detector array; and

calculating vehicle wheel alignment based on the information in the region of interest on the detector array using at least one image containing vehicle wheel alignment information.

15. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of reading out from the region of interest a plurality of images containing vehicle wheel alignment information, and processing the images to average the information in the region of interest.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein the step of identifying a region of interest further comprises defining each of the pixel addresses on the detector array and reading each pixel at its defined address.

17. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the step of sub-array scanning on the detector array.

18. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of processing a portion of the image and stopping image processing upon identification of the region of interest.

19. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of communicating the region of interest to an image sensor controller, limiting row and column scans of the detector array to the region of interest, reading out from the region of interest a plurality of images containing vehicle wheel alignment information, and averaging the images in the region of interest.

20. A user operated vehicle wheel alignment apparatus for calculating wheel alignment angles, comprising:

an integrated circuit image sensor having a detector array for receiving an image containing vehicle wheel alignment information, an image sensor controller for operating the detector array and directing input output for external communications outside the circuit, and an internal bus for communications within the integrated circuit;

a computer system for interfacing with the user of the wheel alignment apparatus;

means for calculating a vehicle wheel alignment from the image containing vehicle wheel alignment information; and

an interface bus between the integrated circuit image sensor and the computer system for communications therebetween, wheel alignment information contained in the image being transferred from the integrated circuit to the computer system over the interface bus.

21. The user operated wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein the means for calculating the vehicle wheel alignment comprises logic and memory in a processor on the integrated circuit.

22. The user operated wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein the means for calculating the vehicle wheel alignment comprises logic and memory in the computer system.

23. The user operated wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein the detector array further comprises a region of interest.

24. The user operated wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 23 wherein the image sensor controller further comprises a row decoder and a column decoder for reading out a plurality of images at the region of interest.

25. The user operated wheel alignment apparatus as set forth in claim 24 further comprising a processor for averaging the plurality of images read out from the region-of interest.