Wheel positioning measuring device

Abstract

The invention relates to a non-contact type wheel positioning and measuring device, which has a simple structure and can measure the toe-in angle and the camber angle with high accuracy. The device comprises a pair of laser sources used for horizontally emitting a beam of laser to the side of the wheel, the pair of laser sources are vertically arranged and separated from each other so as to form two vertical and mutually separated illuminating outline patterns; a pattern catching device which is arranged at the outer side of the laser sources and at a same face with the laser sources so as to catch the outline patterns which is taken as the measured images; an image processor which is used for determining and recording the midline position data of each illuminating outline pattern, the midline position data are images caught by the image catching device and comprise outlines, and each prior recorded image which comprises outline pattern, compared with the caught images, the selected recorded images which comprise the outline patterns have a certain degree of or higher relativity; and a calculating device which gains the position of the wheel through calculating the recorded midline position data.

Description

Background of the invention [0001] The invention relates to a vehicle wheel alignment measuring device which does not contact the wheel. [0002] The vehicle must have its wheel alignment adjusted within the proper range to drive and operate safely and stably. In general, the terms "toe" and "camber" are used to indicate wheel alignment. Toe indicates the angle of inclination of the wheel relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle when viewed directly from above. If the wheel is toe in, this angle is called "Toe angle". If the wheel is tilted outward, this angle is called "toe angle". Camber indicates the angle of inclination of the wheel at the contact point with respect to the vertical plane outward or inward when viewed from the front or rear. If the wheel Toe in, it is called "negative camber". If the wheel is toe out, it is called "positive camber". Checking whether the wheel alignment of the vehicle is adjusted in the proper range is usually done by measuring th...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, since the plane laser light is emitted obliquely instead of reaching the tire horizontally, multiple contour lines formed on the sidewall of the tire are integrally detected by a single image receiver, so the viewing angle is narrow, resulting in measurement accuracy not enough

[0009] The method of wheel alignment using the contour La in the above conventional measuring device requires processing (compensation), e.g. using a mean filter or similar, which may delay the processing speed

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