Color vision vehicle wheel alignment system

• US 7,302,093 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Original Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Inventors: Voeller, David A., Strege, Timothy A., Dorrance, Daniel R., Golab, Thomas, Burns, Leigh R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Wenpeng
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ge; Yuzhen
• Application Number:
  US10/397,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/141, 332/03, 33 13- 17
• US Class Current: 382/162
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2755 using photoelectric detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/143 One or more cameras on each side of a vehicle in the main embodiment
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/30 Reference markings, reflector, scale or other passive device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods

Abstract

An improved computer controlled optical imaging vehicle wheel alignment system configured to obtain one or more color images of optical targets associated with a vehicle, and to process the color images to obtain vehicle wheel alignment measurements.

Claims

1. A vehicle wheel alignment apparatus for determining the alignment of one or more wheels of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

at least one optical target including at least one color reference mark disposed on a surface of a vehicle wheel assembly;

at least one camera disposed to generate at least one color image of said at least one optical target, said camera configured with an imaging element sensitive to detect a plurality of colors;

a computer operatively connected to said at least one camera, said computer configured to receive and process said at least one color image of said optical target to determine one or more optical target parameters; and

said computer configured to utilize said one or more optical target parameters to calculate one or more vehicle wheel alignment angles associated with said vehicle wheel assembly.

2. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus of claim 1 wherein said computer is configured to receive pixel data representative of said at least one color image, said pixel data including two or more color channels;

said computer further configured to process pixel data associated with at least one of said two or more color channels to determine one or more optical target parameters.

3. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus of claim 1 where said at least one camera is further configured to generate said at least one color image of said at least one optical target when said optical target is illuminated predominately by ambient light.

4. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said optical targets is identified by a different color reference mark.

5. The vehicle wheel alignment apparatus of claim 4 wherein said color optical reference mark is configured to provide target orientation information.

6. A method for determining the alignment of one or more wheels of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:

projecting at least one color optical target onto a wheel assembly of said motor vehicle;

obtaining at least one color image of a field of view including said at least one optical target, said at least one color image composed of a plurality of color channels, each color channel including data representative of an observed color level at each pixel location for said corresponding color;

identifying said at least one optical target in said at least one color image utilizing at least one color channel;

calculating a position and orientation of said identified optical target in said field of view utilizing at least one color channel; and

determining an alignment of said wheel assembly of said motor vehicle based upon said observed position and orientation of said identified optical target.

7. The method of claim 6 for determining the alignment of one or more wheels of a motor vehicle wherein the step of calculating a position and orientation of said identified optical target in said field of view further includes obtained at least one set of target reference points from each of said plurality of color channels.