A support structure having a vertical element supporting a set of cameras associated with a vehicle measurement or inspection system together with at least one target structure required for realignment or recalibration of onboard vehicle safety system sensors. A camera crossbeam carried by the support structure locates the set of cameras as required to view a vehicle undergoing measurement or inspection. The target structure is affixed to the vertical element of the support structure, at an elevation suitable for observation by at least one vehicle onboard sensors during a realignment or recalibration procedure. A set of rollers facilitates positioning of the target structure on a supporting floor surface during a realignment or recalibration procedure.

A system and process for aligning wheels of a three-wheel cycle include mounting targets to two wheels on an axle of the three-wheel cycle and positioning an alignment device relative to a single wheel of the three-wheel cycle to create a virtual axle and assess thrust angle. Once targets are in place, thrust angle is reduced to zero, and camber, caster, and toe measurements are taken and adjusted as needed to achieve three-wheel alignment.

Equipment for determining at least one value of at least one parameter characteristic of one or more vehicle component in the scope of a diagnostic, maintenance or monitoring operation, includes at least one time-of-flight sensor for acquiring information relative to the shape and size of the component, and a first processing unit operatively connected to the time-of-flight sensors for receiving acquired data from the latter, so as to be able to calculate the value assumed by the characteristic parameter. The time-of-flight sensor includes an emitter of waves incident on the component of the vehicle, a receiver of the incident waves reflected by the component, and a second processing unit suitable for measuring phase displacements sustained by the waves following the incidence on the component, and for calculating, on the basis of the phase displacements, the distance from the sensor of the points of the component on which the waves impact.

The present subject matter relates to a non-contact system to determine alignment of wheels of a vehicle. Such alignment has been achieved by the present invention by providing a method and apparatus for a wheel alignment system to take images on the tyre of the wheel and to align the wheel on the basis of images taken on the tyre.

A system and a method for performing adjustment operations on a motor vehicle, in particular during an axle measurement, having at least one camera for recording images of one or more vehicle detail(s), a data-processing unit for processing the images recorded by the camera, a memory, which includes documentation and/or image information about adjustment operations on motor vehicles, a playback device for displaying documentation and/or images and/or image information, and an axle-measuring device, which supplies data pertaining to the measuring of the motor vehicle to the data-processing unit.

A system and method of determining tire and wheel assembly alignment orientation for determining at least caster angle includes imaging a tire and wheel assembly mounted to a vehicle and suspension components of the vehicle associated with the tire and wheel assembly. Images are processed, including identifying a pivot feature for a steering component of the vehicle and identifying a circular feature of the tire and wheel assembly, with a rotational axis of the tire and wheel assembly being determined based on the identified circular feature, and a contrived line extending from the pivot feature and intersecting the rotational axis of the tire and wheel assembly is determined that represents the steering axis. Caster angle is then calculated from the angle the steering axis makes with the vertical direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle. An alignment sensor may be used to image the tire and wheel assembly and determine the rotational axis.

A wheel alignment system includes a side-to-side reference including an active reference pod and a passive reference pod disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle. The active reference pod includes a reference image sensor fixedly attached to a reference target, for mounting on a first side of the vehicle such that the reference image sensor produces image data including a perspective representation of the passive reference pod disposed on a second/opposite side of the vehicle. In operation, alignment cameras on the opposite sides of the vehicle capture perspective representations of targets mounted to vehicle wheels and of targets of the active and passive reference pods. A computer processes the image data to compute an alignment measurement of the vehicle based on a spatial relationship between the active reference pod and the passive reference pod determined according to the image data produced by the reference image sensor.

A vehicle detection system includes a support, machine vision modules, a failure sensor, and a controller. Each machine vision module includes image acquisition devices each including s an image acquisition sensor for obtaining related parameters of hardware to be detected of a vehicle. The failure sensor is used for acquiring position change information of the image acquisition sensor and outputting a motion parameter signal comprising the position change information. The controller is used for determining, according to the motion parameter signal, whether the position of the image acquisition sensor needs to be calibrated. In the using process of the vehicle detection system, the controller can determine in real time whether the position of the image acquisition sensor needs to be calibrated, so as to avoid a miscorrection caused by detecting and correcting the vehicle without precalibration after the measurement and calculation precision of the vehicle detection system is reduced.

A process for calibrating and evaluating a machine-vision vehicle wheel alignment system having front and rear imaging components associated with each of the left and right sides of a vehicle support structure. Each pair of imaging components defines a front and rear field of view, with a common overlapping region associated with each respective side of the vehicle support structure. Optical targets disposed within each of the overlapping field of view regions are observed by the imaging components to establish performance ratings for the system as a whole, for groups of components within the system, and for individual components within the system.

An apparatus for measuring the running gear of a motor vehicle includes: a left measuring unit for positioning on a left side of the motor vehicle, in such a way that a measurement target on a left front wheel and a measurement target on a left rear wheel of the motor vehicle can be sensed from the left measuring unit; a right measuring unit for positioning on a right side of the vehicle, in such a way that a measurement target on a right front wheel and a measurement target on a right rear wheel of the motor vehicle can be sensed from the right measuring unit; and an evaluation device embodied to identify the vehicle geometry data from images of the measurement targets of the front wheels and of the measurement targets of the rear wheels by way of a comparison with reference images of the measurement targets.