Target positioning device and target positioning method

Abstract

To provide a target positioning device and a target positioning method with which it is possible to improve the accuracy of positioning an aiming target.SOLUTION: A direct facing device is installed on a floor surface in the state of being in contact with outer side faces of front and rear wheels 101FR, 101FL, 101RR, 101RL of a vehicle 100 and has a pair of front and rear sandwiching pieces capable of sandwiching the wheels in the longitudinal direction. The pair of front and rear sandwiching pieces are capable of adjusting the sandwiching width of the front wheels while maintaining a constant distance from the front edges of a pair of left and right rod-like members to the center position of the pair of front and rear sandwiching pieces in the longitudinal direction. Front and rear attachments are installed on the floor surface in front and behind the direct facing device, and a pair of front and rear frames have a connection section which is connected to the front and rear ends of the direct facing device, and the width of the connection section is adjustable according to the widths of the front and rear ends of the direction facing device to be connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a target positioning device and a target positioning method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method of positioning a target fixed to a frame by applying a linear frame to the side surfaces of the front and rear tires on one side of the vehicle, installing the frame so as to be parallel to the side surfaces of the front and rear tires, and then adjusting the front and rear positions of the frame with a jig when aiming an in-vehicle device such as an external sensor.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of positioning a target connected via a connecting portion to a reference member by arranging the reference member extending in the left and right directions so that the front and rear positions thereof coincide with the wheel centers of the left and right front wheels, and the left and right positions thereof are on a line connecting the centers of the left and right tires and at a distance from the center line.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the former of the above prior arts, for positioning based on one side of the vehicle, the positioning accuracy deteriorates when there are deflections and tread differences between the front and rear tires. Further, since the front and rear positioning is performed by visual inspection by an operator, there is a risk of misalignment. In the latter case, since the operator visually positions the device both front-to-back and left-to-right, there is a risk of misalignment. The present invention has been made by focusing on the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a target positioning device and a target positioning method capable of improving the positioning accuracy of an aiming target.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The aiming target positioning device of the present invention includes a facing device and an attachment. The facing device is a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is installed on the floor surface in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle. The pair of left and right rod-shaped members has a pair of front and rear clamping pieces capable of clamping the front wheels in the front-rear direction. The pair of front and rear clamping pieces can adjust the clamping width of the front wheels while keeping the distance from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to the center position of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces constant in the front-rear direction. The attachment is for attaching a target, and includes front and rear attachments. The front and rear attachments are a pair of front and rear frame bodies extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and are installed on the floor surface in front of and behind the facing device. The pair of front and rear frame bodies has connecting portions connected to the left and right front end portions and the left and right rear end portions of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members, and the width of the connecting portions can be adjusted according to the widths of the left and right front end portions and the left and right rear end portions of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to be connected.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, in the present invention, since positioning by the operator's visual observation can be eliminated, the positioning accuracy of the aiming target can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] 〔Embodiment 1〕 FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state where the target positioning device 1 of Embodiment 1 is installed on the vehicle 100, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before the target positioning device 1 of Embodiment 1 is installed on the vehicle 100. The target positioning device 1 is a device for installing a target (aiming target) at a predetermined position with respect to the vehicle 100 for the aiming of in - vehicle devices (such as cameras and radars) mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0010] Hereinafter, for members provided in a pair on the left and right with respect to the vehicle 100, when distinguishing between the right - hand member and the left - hand member, subscripts R and L are attached to the end of each reference sign, but when not distinguishing, the subscripts R and L are omitted. Similarly, for members provided in a pair in the front and rear with respect to the vehicle 100, when distinguishing between the front - side member and the rear - side member, subscripts F and L are attached to the end of each reference sign, but when not distinguishing, the subscripts F and L are omitted.

[0011] The target positioning device 1 includes a facing device 2, a front - rear attachment 9, and a left - right attachment 10. The facing device 2 is a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 and is formed of an aluminum extrusion. The facing device 2 is installed on a horizontal floor surface 102 in a state of being in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle 100. That is, the right facing device 2R is in contact with the right front wheel 101FR and the right rear wheel 101RR, and the left facing device 2L is in contact with the left front wheel 101FL and the left rear wheel 101RL.

[0012] The facing device 2 has a pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 (a front clamping piece 4 and a rear clamping piece 5) capable of clamping the front wheel 101F in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the clamping piece 3 can adjust the longitudinal distance between the front clamping piece 4 and the rear clamping piece 5, that is, the clamping width of the front wheel 101F, by an operator rotating the handle 7 of the actuator 6. Note that the actuator 6 is designed to always keep the distance D from the front end of the facing device 2 to the center position of the clamping piece 3 constant in the longitudinal direction regardless of the clamping width of the clamping piece 3. Connecting pins 13 and 14 project upward from the front end portion and the rear end portion of the facing device 2.

[0013] The front and rear attachments 9 are a pair of front and rear frame bodies extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 and are formed by combining aluminum extrusions. The front and rear attachments 9 are installed on the floor surface 102 in front of and behind the facing device 2. A front and rear target board 8 laid on the floor surface 102 is attached to the front and rear attachments 9. In Embodiment 1, a target board for a camera is used as the front and rear target board 8. The front and rear target board 8 is provided with a plurality of targets 8a used when aiming the in-vehicle camera.

[0014] The front and rear attachment 9 is a rectangular frame body formed by connecting two substantially E-shaped frames 11 and 12 with their opening sides facing each other. The front and rear end faces of the facing device 2 are in contact with the front and rear facing device side frame 11. The target side frame 12 is movable relative to the front and rear facing device side frame 11 in the front and rear directions and can be fixed at any position. That is, since the front and rear attachment 9 can be expanded and contracted in the front and rear directions, the operator can adjust the distance from the vehicle 100 to the target 8a according to the vehicle type. At the tip of the target side frame 12, three connecting pins 15 to 17 arranged in the left and right directions protrude upward. By fitting the three connecting pins 15 to 17 into three connecting holes 18 to 20 formed in the front and rear target board 8, the front and rear target board 8 is positioned with respect to the front and rear attachment 9. The left and right connecting holes 18 and 20 are elongated holes, and the central connecting hole 19 is a circular hole.

[0015] The front and rear facing device side frame 11 has a pair of left and right tension bars (biasing members) 22 as a connecting portion 21 for connecting the front and rear attachment 9 to the front and rear facing device 2. The tension bar 22 is swingable about a support point 25 provided at the left and right center position of the front and rear facing device side frame 11. Connecting holes 23 and 24 into which the connecting pins 13 and 14 of the front and rear facing device 2 can be inserted are provided at the tip of the tension bar 22. The support point 25 is movable in the front and rear directions and can be fixed at any position. That is, since the widths of the left and right connecting holes 23 and 24 can be adjusted according to the widths of the left and right connecting pins 13 and 14, the operator can adjust the width of the connecting portion 21 according to the vehicle type. When the tension bar 22 is connected to the front and rear facing device 2, the front and rear facing device 2 is pulled in the axial direction of the tension bar 22 and is always biased in the direction of being closer to the inside of the vehicle 100 and the front and rear attachment 9 with which it is in contact.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the left and right attachments 10 are a pair of left and right frames extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100, and are formed of aluminum extrusions. The left and right attachments 10 are installed on the floor surface 102 outside the vehicle 100 with respect to the alignment device 2. Although not shown, the left and right attachments 10 are positioned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 by inserting connecting pins provided at the front and rear ends thereof into connecting holes formed in the alignment device side frame 11. A left and right target board 26 laid on the floor surface is attached to the left and right attachments 10. In the first embodiment, a target board for a camera is used as the left and right target board 26. A plurality of targets 26a used when aiming an in-vehicle camera are provided on the left and right target board 26. Three connecting pins 27 to 29 arranged in the longitudinal direction project upward from the left and right attachments 10. The left and right target board 26 is positioned with respect to the left and right attachments 10 by fitting the three connecting pins 27 to 29 into three connecting holes 30 to 32 formed in the left and right target board 26.

[0017] Next, a method for positioning the targets 8a and 26a by the target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 3, the left alignment device 2L is installed on the floor surface 102 in a state of being in contact with the outer surfaces of the left front wheel 101FL and the left rear wheel 101RL of the vehicle 100. Subsequently, the handle 7L of the left clamping piece 3L is rotated, and the left front wheel 101FL is clamped between the front clamping piece 4 and the rear clamping piece 5. The same is done for the right alignment device 2F. In the longitudinal direction, since the central position of the clamping piece 3 always coincides with the central positions of the front wheels 101FL and 101FR, the distance from the front axle center position to the front end of the alignment device 2 is always maintained at a constant value D. Thereby, the positioning in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be easily and accurately performed with reference to the front axle center position.

[0018] Next, as shown in Fig. 4, the front and rear attachments 9 are installed on the floor surface 102 in a state of being abutted against the front end and the rear end of the alignment device 2. Subsequently, the position of the support point 25 of the connecting portion 21 is adjusted according to the width of the facing device 2, and the left and right connecting pins 13 and 14 are inserted into the left and right connecting holes 23 and 24 to connect the front and rear attachments 9 to the facing device 2. As a result, since the facing device 2 is pulled in the direction of the center of the vehicle 100 and in the direction of being closer to the front and rear attachments 9, the front and rear attachments 9 are positioned parallel to the vehicle 100 and at the left and right center positions.

[0019] Finally, the front and rear target boards 8 are connected to the front and rear attachments 9, and the left and right target boards 26 are connected via the left and right attachments 10. After the positioning of the front and rear target boards 8 and the left and right target boards 26 is completed, a diagnostic device such as a PC is connected to the vehicle 100, and the targets 8a and 26a are recognized by the camera of the vehicle 100. In the aiming operation, it is confirmed whether the distances and the horizontal heights to the respective targets 8a and 26a match the numerical values written in the controller of the vehicle 100.

[0020] Next, the operation and effect of Embodiment 1 will be described. The target positioning device 1 of Embodiment 1 includes a facing device 2 and front and rear attachments 9. The facing device 2 is installed on the floor surface 102 in a state of being in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels 101F and 101R of the vehicle 100, and has a pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 capable of clamping the front wheel 101F in the front and rear directions. The pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 can adjust the clamping width of the front wheel 101F while keeping the distance from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to the center position of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 constant in the front and rear directions. The front and rear attachments 9 are installed on the floor surface 102 in front of and behind the facing device 2, and the pair of front and rear frame bodies have a connecting portion 21 connected to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the facing device 2. The width of the connecting portion 21 can be adjusted according to the widths of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the facing device 2 to be connected.

[0021] The operator can simply and accurately position the vehicle in the longitudinal direction with respect to the front axle center position by bringing the alignment device 2 into contact with the front and rear wheels 101F and 101R and clamping the front wheel 101F with the clamping pieces 3. Further, since the alignment device 2 locates using all the wheels 101 of the vehicle 100, the target 8a can be arranged at an accurate position. By simply butting the front and rear attachment 9 against the alignment device 2 and connecting the connecting holes 23 and 24 of the tension bar 22 to the connecting pins 13 and 14 of the alignment device 2, the center of the front and rear attachment 9 can be arranged centered on the vehicle and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0022] That is, in the target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment and the target positioning method using the same, when installing the aiming target 8a, visual alignment and measurement by the operator are unnecessary, so the positioning accuracy of the target 8a can be improved. Since visual inspection is unnecessary, the efficiency of repetitive work for the same vehicle type can be improved (improvement of production capacity). In addition, since the alignment device 2 has a left-right split structure, it can also be applied to vehicle types with different vehicle widths and vehicles with differences in front and rear treads. Further, since the front and rear attachment 9 can adjust the front-rear length (length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle), the optimal position of the target 8a can be set according to the vehicle type, improving versatility.

[0023] Conventionally, at dealers and repair factories, since the target is positioned according to the following procedure, it has taken time for equipment installation and measurement of actual measured values. (1) Mark the vehicle full-width position (all wheels) of the center of each axle on the floor surface and move the vehicle. (2) Measure the distance from the marked center position of the front wheel axle (left and right) to the center positions of the four targets, and input it into the control unit of the vehicle using a diagnostic device. (3) Measure the horizontal height between each target (seven locations) and the marked position using a laser marker, and input it into the control unit using a diagnostic device. On the other hand, in the target positioning method using the target positioning device 1 of Embodiment 1, since the position of the target 8a can be accurately arranged at the position set in the controller of the vehicle 100, the labor of measuring the actual value from the vehicle 100 to each target 8a and inputting it to the controller can be omitted, and incorrect input can be prevented.

[0024] The connecting portion 21 of Embodiment 1 has a tension bar 22 that biases the front end portion and the rear end portion of the facing device 2 in the center direction of the vehicle 100 in the left - right direction of the vehicle 100. As a result, since the facing device 2 is pulled in the center direction of the vehicle 100 and in a direction closer to the front - rear attachment 9, the operator can accurately arrange the front - rear attachment 9 in parallel with the vehicle 100 and at the left - right center position only by connecting the tension bar 22 to the facing device 2.

[0025] 〔Other Embodiments〕 As described above, the target positioning device and the positioning method of the present invention have been described based on the embodiments. However, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention are also included in the present invention. For example, when the in - vehicle radar is being aimed, as shown in FIG. 5, a device 30 for front - rear radar is connected to the front - rear attachment 9. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, a front - side target board 8F may be connected to the front - side attachment 9F, and a device 30R for rear - side radar may be connected to the rear - side attachment 9R. In Embodiment 1, the front - rear length of the front - rear attachment 9 is configured to be adjustable. However, front - rear attachments 9 having different lengths for each vehicle type may be prepared.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0026] 1 Target positioning device 2 Facing device 3 Clamping piece 4 Front - side clamping piece 5 Rear - side clamping piece 6 Actuator 7 Handle 8 Front - rear target board 8a Target 9 Front and Rear Attachment 10 Left and Right Attachment 11 Directly Opposite the Device Side Frame 12 Target Side Frame 13 - 17 Connecting Pin 18 - 20 Connecting Hole 21 Connecting Part 22 Tension Bar (Biasing Member) 23, 24 Connecting Hole 25 Support Point 26 Left and Right Target Boards 26a Target 27 - 29 Connecting Pin 30 Radar Equipment 30 - 32 Connecting Hole 100 Vehicle 101 Wheel

Claims

1. A target positioning device for installing a target for aiming of in-vehicle equipment, comprising an alignment device and an attachment, wherein the alignment device is a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is installed on the floor surface in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, the pair of left and right rod-shaped members have a pair of front and rear clamping pieces capable of clamping the front wheels in the longitudinal direction, the pair of front and rear clamping pieces can adjust the clamping width of the front wheels while keeping the distance from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to the central positions of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces constant in the longitudinal direction, the attachment is for attaching the target, and comprises front and rear attachments, the front and rear attachments are a pair of front and rear frames extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and are installed on the floor surface in front of and behind the alignment device, the pair of front and rear frames have connecting parts connected to the left and right front end parts and the left and right rear end parts of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members, the width of the connecting part can be adjusted according to the widths of the left and right front end parts and the left and right rear end parts of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to be connected, a target positioning device.

2. The target positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment comprises left and right attachments, the left and right attachments are a pair of left and right frames extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and are installed on the floor surface outside the alignment device of the vehicle, a target positioning device.

3. The target positioning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting part has a biasing member that biases the left and right front end parts and the left and right rear end parts in the central direction of the vehicle in the left-right direction of the vehicle, a target positioning device.

4. A method for positioning a target using a target positioning device for installing a target for aiming of in-vehicle equipment, wherein the target positioning device comprises an alignment device and an attachment, the alignment device is a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the pair of left and right rod-shaped members have a pair of front and rear clamping pieces capable of clamping the front wheels in the longitudinal direction, the pair of front and rear clamping pieces can adjust the clamping width of the front wheels while keeping the distance from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to the central positions of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces constant in the longitudinal direction, the attachment is for attaching the target, and comprises front and rear attachments, The front and rear attachments are a pair of front and rear frames extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle, The pair of front and rear frames have connecting portions connected to the left and right front ends and the left and right rear ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members, The width of the connecting portion is adjustable according to the widths of the left and right front ends and the left and right rear ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to be connected, Install the alignment device on the floor surface in a state of being in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, Clamp the front wheels of the vehicle with the pair of front and rear clamping pieces, Install the front and rear attachments on the floor surface in front of and behind the alignment device, Adjust the width of the connecting portion and connect the connecting portion to the left and right front ends and the left and right rear ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members, Attach the target to the front and rear attachments, Method for positioning a target.

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