Vehicle alignment systems and methods are disclosed which operate based on a calculation of “drive direction,” or the direction in which a vehicle is moving. Since a vehicle can be assumed to be a rigid body, each wheel has the same drive direction. Consequently, an alignment parameter of one wheel can be compared to the same parameter of another wheel by equating their drive direction, eliminating the need for the aligner to “see” both sides of the vehicle at the same time. Embodiments include a system having one or more cameras on a fixture carrying a calibration element for an ADAS system, and one or more targets placed on the vehicle to measure the drive direction of the vehicle. The drive direction is assumed to be parallel to the vehicle thrust line and can be used as the line for orientation of the fixture to the vehicle.

System for diagnosing the wheel alignment of a vehicle includes a measuring device configured to measure a characteristic parameter of the wheel alignment, wherein the measuring device comprises a wireless communication device to remotely transmit a signal related to the characteristic parameter. The system further comprises a portable remote device, distinct and separate from the measuring device, having a wireless communication device to remotely receive the signal related to the measured characteristic parameter, and a control unit adapted to receive the related signal from the wireless communication device and to carry out a step of processing the signal to derive a value of the characteristic parameter. The portable remote device further has a screen to display a characteristic information representative of the value of the characteristic parameter, and a battery connected to the wireless communication device, to the control unit and to the screen to allow their respective operation.

A method of instance segmentation in an image and a system for instance segmentation of images. The method includes identifying, with a processor, a starting pixel associated with an object in an image, the image having a plurality of rows of pixels, the starting pixel located in a row of the plurality of rows; identifying, with the processor, at least one pixel located in an adjacent row to the row in which the starting pixel is located, the at least one pixel being part of the same object as the starting pixel; iterating the previous two identification steps using the at least one identified adjacent row pixel as a start pixel for the next iteration; and connecting, with the processor, the at least one identified adjacent row pixels to form polylines representing the object.

Methods and systems for in-service inspection of freight car axles are provided. A camber angle of a wheel attached to a target axle is measured at one or more points in a revolution of the wheel. A determination of whether a defect is present in the target axle is made based on the measured camber angle at the one or more points in the revolution of the wheel. A determination that a defect is present in the target axle is made when a camber angle of the wheel at one or more points in the revolution of the wheel exceeds a threshold, and/or a determination that a defect is not present is made when no camber angle of the wheel at any point in the revolution of the wheel exceeds the predetermined threshold. An alert is generated in response to determining that a defect is present.

A system and method for aligning a floor target relative to a vehicle, the floor target including a calibration pattern for observation by a vehicle safety system sensor during calibration. The system includes at least one optical projection system consisting of at least one optical projector having an orientable projection axis. The optical projection system is operatively controlled by a processor to orient said projection axis towards a selected location on the floor surface relative to the vehicle, and to activate the optical projected to illuminate a point, a line, or a boundary, against which the floor target is aligned.

A vehicle wheel alignment system has a plurality of cameras, each camera for viewing a respective target disposed at a respective wheel of the vehicle and capturing image data of the target as the wheel and target are continuously rotated a number of degrees of rotation without a pause. The image data is used to calculate a minimum number of poses of the target of at least one pose for every five degrees of rotation as the wheel and target are continuously rotated the number of degrees of rotation without a pause. At least one of the cameras comprises a data processor for performing the steps of preprocessing the image data, and calculating an alignment parameter for the vehicle based on the preprocessed image data.

A sensor calibration system includes a calibration tool with a vertical rail defining a first axis, and two carriage assemblies. One carriage assembly is supported by the vertical rail, movable along the first axis, and has a horizontal rail defining a second axis transverse to the first axis. Another carriage assembly is coupled to the horizontal rail, and has a transverse mounting bar with a plurality of target mounts, each target mount configured to releasably support a respective calibration target.

The invention relates to a method for maintenance of a vehicle, comprising—determining (S2, S8) the position, in a fixed coordinate system, of at least one first part (2011, 4, 3011) of a vehicle, —characterized by determining (S3) the identity of the vehicle, —retrieving (S4, S10), by means of the vehicle identity, spatial data indicating how a second part (202, 2011, 4) of the vehicle is spatially related to the first part (201), and—determining (S8, S11) the position, in the fixed coordinate system, of the second part (202, 2011, 4) based at least partly on the first part position and the spatial data.

A vehicle service system and method to determine spatial parameters of a vehicle, employing a display system under processor control, to display or project visible indicia onto surfaces in proximity to a vehicle undergoing a safety system service or inspection identifying one or more locations, relative to the determined vehicle centerline or thrust line, at which a calibration fixture, optical target, or simulated test drive imagery is visible for observation by a sensor onboard the vehicle.

A laser scanner determines the direction and distance of one or more targets by emitting two substantially parallel beams and receiving respective return beams. Components for handling the received beams are affixed to a monolithic block to ensure fixed relative placement. The direction of the target is determined using an optical encoder to reduce the timing window for interpolation to a fraction of the time it takes for the scanner to make a full revolution. A detection algorithm adapts detection thresholds for the different signatures of return signals depending on the distance to the target. Distance calculations are also adjusted for thermal expansion of the scanner components by including a temperature-variant thermometer output signal in the distance calculation algorithm. Target location and orientation information is used to adjust the location of ADAS calibration targets and perform the ADAS calibration process.