Four-wheel alignment method and four-wheel alignment system

Abstract

To accurately determine the positional relationship between the measurement unit and the calibration unit. [Solution] The present invention relates to the vehicle technology and provides a four-wheel alignment method and a four-wheel alignment system, the four-wheel alignment system comprising at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit, the method comprising the steps of fixing at least two calibration units to the wheels of a vehicle under test and fixing at least one measuring unit to the same side of the vehicle under test to which the at least two calibration units are fixed; the step of the at least one measuring unit collecting images of the at least two calibration units to obtain a first image; and the step of the calculation unit receiving the first image and calculating four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of vehicle inspection, and particularly relates to a four-wheel alignment method and a four-wheel alignment system. [[ID=​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The steps include fixing at least two of the calibration units to the wheels of the vehicle under test, and fixing at least one of the measuring units to the same side of the vehicle under test on which at least two of the calibration units are fixed, The steps include: obtaining a first image by having at least one of the measurement units collect images from at least two of the calibration units, The calculation unit includes the step of receiving the first image and calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image.

[0005] The step of optionally having four calibration units and two measuring units, each of which includes two first cameras, a calibration component, and a second camera, wherein at least two of the calibration units are fixed to the wheels of the vehicle under test and at least one measuring unit is fixed to the same side of the vehicle under test to which at least two of the calibration units are fixed, The steps include fixing each of the four calibration units to the four wheels of the vehicle under test, The procedure includes the step of fixing the two measuring units to positions midway between the front and rear wheels on both sides of the vehicle under test, The step of obtaining a first image by having at least one of the measurement units collect images from at least two of the calibration units, The process includes the step of obtaining two first images by having two first cameras of the measurement unit, located on each side of the vehicle under test, collect images of calibration units fixed to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle under test, respectively, which are located on the same side as the measurement unit, The aforementioned four-wheel alignment method further includes: The process includes the step of each of the two measurement units collecting a second image of a calibration component in a measurement unit located on the other side of the vehicle being measured, The calculation unit receives the first image and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image, The calculation unit includes the step of receiving a first image and a second image collected by the two measurement units, and calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first image and second image.

[0006] The optional step of the calculation unit receiving first and second images collected by the two measurement units and calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first and second images is as follows: The calculation unit receives the first image and the second image collected by the two measurement units, The calculation unit performs the step of calculating a first positional relationship between the two measurement units from the received second image, The calculation unit includes the step of calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first image and the first positional relationship between the two measurement units.

[0007] The optional step of the calculation unit calculating a first positional relationship between the two measurement units from the received second image is: The steps include acquiring the second positional relationship between the calibration component and the second camera, the actual coordinate information of each calibration component, and the internal parameters of each second camera, which are pre-stored in the two measurement units, respectively. The method includes the step of calculating the first positional relationship from the second positional relationship stored in advance, each of the actual coordinate information, each of the internal parameters, and each of the second images.

[0008] Before the step of optionally collecting images of calibration units fixed to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle under test, respectively, on the same side as the measurement unit, to obtain two first images, further, The steps include fixing one marker in the shooting range of each of the first and second cameras, The steps include each of the first and second cameras acquiring a third image of the corresponding marker taken at different positions relative to the marker, and acquiring the three-dimensional coordinates of each of the calibration components, The method includes the step of determining a third positional relationship between each of the first and second cameras from each of the third images and the three-dimensional coordinates of each of the calibration components.

[0009] The step of optionally acquiring a second positional relationship between the calibration component and the second camera, which is pre-stored in the two measurement units, is: The steps include: acquiring attitude images of the calibration component at different positions of each opposing measurement unit, captured by the second camera in the two measurement units; and acquiring the three-dimensional coordinates of each calibration component at the different positions; The method includes the step of determining a second positional relationship between the calibration component in the two measurement units and the second camera from each of the aforementioned posture images and the three-dimensional coordinates corresponding to each of the aforementioned posture images.

[0010] Optionally, both of the measurement units include a control module, each of the measurement units is communicably connected to a terminal device, the calculation unit is a control module in the first measurement unit, the first measurement unit is one of the two measurement units, and the four-wheel alignment method further includes The control modules of the two measurement units each acquire a first image collected by their respective first cameras and a second image collected by their respective second cameras, The terminal device receives a first image and a second image from the control module of a measurement unit other than the first measurement unit, The terminal device transmits the received first image and second image to the control module of the first measurement unit, The control module of the first measurement unit includes the step of calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from a first image collected by the first camera of the first measurement unit, a second image collected by the second camera of the first measurement unit, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that have been received. The aforementioned four-wheel alignment method further includes: The first measurement unit's control module transmits the four-wheel alignment parameters to the terminal device, The procedure includes the step of the terminal device displaying the four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0011] The four-wheel alignment method further includes, optionally, a control module in each of the two measurement units, the control modules of the two measurement units are communicated to each other, the calculation unit is a control module in the target measurement unit, the target measurement unit is one of the two measurement units, and the four-wheel alignment method further includes, The two control modules of the measurement units each acquire a first image collected by their respective first cameras and a second image collected by their respective second cameras, The control module of the target measurement unit receives a first image and a second image from the control module of a measurement unit other than the target measurement unit. The control module of the target measurement unit includes the step of calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from a first image collected by the first camera of the target measurement unit, a second image collected by the second camera of the target measurement unit, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that have been received.

[0012] Optionally, each of the two measurement units includes a control module, each of the control modules of the two measurement units is communicatively connected to a terminal device, the calculation unit is the terminal device, and the four-wheel alignment method further includes, The control modules of the two measurement units respectively obtain the first image collected by each first camera and the second image collected by each second camera; The terminal device respectively receives the first image and the second image from the control modules of the two measurement units; The terminal device calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle to be measured from the received first image and second image, including: The four-wheel alignment method further includes: The terminal device displays the four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a four-wheel alignment system, including: At least two calibration units fixed to the wheels of the vehicle to be measured; At least one measurement unit including two first cameras, and the two first cameras are respectively used to collect the first image of the corresponding calibration unit; A calculation unit that receives the first image and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle to be measured from the first image.

[0014] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the four-wheel alignment method according to any one of the above first aspects is realized.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is executed in a four-wheel alignment system, a processing module can execute the four-wheel alignment method according to any one of the above first aspects.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] The embodiments of this application have the following beneficial effects compared to the prior art. The four-wheel alignment method provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied to a four-wheel alignment system, the four-wheel alignment system comprising at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit, the method comprising the steps of: fixing at least two calibration units to the wheels of a vehicle under test and fixing at least one measuring unit to the same side of the vehicle under test to which the at least two calibration units are fixed; the step of the at least one measuring unit collecting images of the at least two calibration units to obtain a first image; and the step of the calculation unit receiving the first image and calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image. The four-wheel alignment method provided by the present application, with respect to at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit included in the four-wheel alignment system, can accurately determine the positional relationship between the measuring unit and the calibration unit, and further obtain accurate four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0017] To further clarify the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the descriptions of the embodiments or the prior art are briefly introduced below. It goes without saying that the drawings in the following description are only a few embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these without performing any inventive work. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a four-wheel alignment system provided by one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a partial structural drawing of a four-wheel alignment system provided according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of the actual structure of a measuring unit provided according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a four-wheel alignment system provided by another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a four-wheel alignment method provided by one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a four-wheel alignment method provided by another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a four-wheel alignment method provided by another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] In the following description, specific system structures and technical details are provided for illustrative purposes, not limitation, to enable a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the present application can be realized even without these other detailed embodiments. In other forms, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatus, circuits, and methods are omitted to avoid less important details that would impede the description of the present application.

[0020] As used in the specification of this application and in the claims set forth herein, the term “including” should be understood to mean that the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or assemblies exist, but not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, assemblies and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] Furthermore, the term "and / or" as used in the specification of this application and the claims set forth below should be understood to refer to any combination of one or more of the related subjects and all possible combinations, including those combinations.

[0022] When used in the specification of this application and in the claims set forth below, the term “if” may be interpreted, depending on the context, as “if…” or “if…” or “in response to a decision” or “in response to a detection.” Similarly, the expression “if…” or “if…” “the described condition or event”” may be interpreted, depending on the context, as “if…” or “in response to a decision” or “in response to a detection of “the described condition or event”.”

[0023] Furthermore, in the description of the specification of this application and the claims presented below, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" are merely used for distinguishing and describing, and cannot be interpreted as indicating or suggesting relative importance.

[0024] When the specification of this application refers to "one embodiment" or "several embodiments," it means that one or more embodiments of this application include the specific features, structures, or characteristics described for that embodiment. Thus, expressions such as "in one embodiment," "in several embodiments," "in several other embodiments," and "in several other embodiments," which appear in multiple places in this specification, do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and unless otherwise specified, mean "one or more embodiments, but not all embodiments." The terms "includes," "have," and their variations both mean "including, but not limited to," unless otherwise specified.

[0025] In practical application, to obtain the four-wheel alignment parameters of a vehicle, users generally need to measure the parameters of each wheel of the vehicle using a dedicated processing module (such as a four-wheel alignment device). However, conventional processing modules include multiple measuring instruments, each using a different coordinate system, and different measuring instruments cannot determine their relative positions to each other. Therefore, conventional processing modules cannot accurately measure the various four-wheel parameters of a vehicle.

[0026] Thus, the embodiment of the present application provides a four-wheel alignment method in which the positional relationship between the measuring unit and the calibration unit can be accurately determined by at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit included in the four-wheel alignment system, and furthermore, accurate four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test can be obtained, improving the measurement accuracy of the four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0027] Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a four-wheel alignment system provided by one embodiment of the present application, the four-wheel alignment system 1 includes a calculation unit 10, at least two calibration units 20, and at least one measurement unit 30, wherein at least one measurement unit 30 includes two first cameras.

[0028] In the embodiments of the present invention, at least two calibration units 20 are fixed to the wheels of the vehicle under test.

[0029] At least one measurement unit 30 includes two first cameras, each of which is used to acquire a first image of the corresponding calibration unit 20.

[0030] The calculation unit 10 receives the first image described above and is used to calculate the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image.

[0031] As can be understood, one of the at least two calibration units 20 is used to fix the front wheel of the vehicle under test, the other of the at least two calibration units 20 is used to fix the rear wheel on the same side as the front wheel of the vehicle under test, and at least one measuring unit 30 is fixed between the front and rear wheels and is used to calibrate the positions of the at least two calibration units 20 on the same side of the vehicle under test.

[0032] For example, as shown in Figure 1, the same side mentioned above is the left side of the vehicle being measured.

[0033] Note that the same side may be the right side of the vehicle being measured.

[0034] Each calibration unit 20 corresponds to one first image.

[0035] Referring again to Figure 1, each calibration unit 20 includes a wheel clamp and a calibration plate. The wheel clamp is used to secure the vehicle's tire, and the calibration plate is photographed by the measurement unit 30 located on the same side as the calibration unit 20.

[0036] Therefore, the first image may include a calibration plate.

[0037] In some possible embodiments, the wheel clamp includes a first subclamp and a second subclamp to ensure that the tire is securely fixed. The first subclamp may be used to grip the upper side of the tire, and the second subclamp may be used to grip the lower side of the tire.

[0038] For illustrative purposes, refer to Figure 2, which is a diagram of the actual structure of a four-wheel alignment system provided by one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the calibration plate 22 is located in the middle of the wheel clamp 21, that is, between the first sub-clamp and the second sub-clamp.

[0039] In practical application, the four-wheel alignment parameters refer to the kingpin inclination angle, kingpin inclination, front wheel camber angle, and front wheel toe-in.

[0040] For illustrative purposes, refer to Figure 3, which is a diagram of the actual structure of a measuring unit provided according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the first camera 31 and the second camera 32 are facing each other in the measuring unit 30.

[0041] In this embodiment, each of the two first cameras is used to photograph the corresponding calibration unit 20 in order to obtain a first image.

[0042] As a result, referring to Figure 3, the webcams of the first camera 31 and the second camera 32 are positioned back-to-back so that the two first cameras can capture various corresponding calibration units 20.

[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, referring again to Figure 1, at least one measuring unit 30 may further include a second camera. The second camera is located between the two first cameras and is used to photograph a measuring unit on the other side of the vehicle being measured.

[0044] Specifically, the webcams of the two primary cameras are positioned back-to-back, and each primary camera is used to capture images of the calibration plates on two wheels on one side of the vehicle being measured, for example, images of the calibration plates on the left front wheel and the left rear wheel.

[0045] Thus, in another embodiment of the present application, refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a four-wheel alignment system provided by another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the four-wheel alignment system 1 may further include at least two calibration units 20 located on the other side and at least one measuring unit 30.

[0046] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 1, if the same side is the left side of the vehicle being measured, the other side may be the right side of the vehicle being measured.

[0047] Regarding the specific process of how the 4-wheel alignment system 1 calculates the 4-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test, you may refer to the following examples of methods, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0048] Referring to Figure 5, which is a flowchart of the implementation of a four-wheel alignment method provided by one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the four-wheel alignment method provided by one embodiment of the present invention may include steps S101 to S103, and is described in detail below. In S101, at least two of the calibration units are fixed to the wheels of the vehicle under test, and at least one of the measuring units is fixed to the same side of the vehicle under test to which at least two of the calibration units are fixed.

[0049] In practical applications, if a user needs to obtain the four-wheel alignment parameters of a vehicle under test, the user may send a parameter determination request to the four-wheel alignment system in order to improve the accuracy of the obtained four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0050] In the embodiments of the present invention, the detection of a parameter determination request by the four-wheel alignment system may also be equivalent to the detection of a pre-configured operation for a processing module. Here, the pre-configured operation may be based on actual needs, but is not limited thereto. Exemplaryly, the pre-configured operation may be a click on a pre-configured control associated with the four-wheel alignment system. Thus, when the four-wheel alignment system detects that a pre-configured control associated with it has been clicked, it has detected a pre-configured operation for the four-wheel alignment system, that is, it has detected a parameter determination request.

[0051] Before the four-wheel alignment system detects a parameter determination request, it may control the loading equipment to fix at least two calibration units to the wheels of the vehicle under test and at least one measurement unit to the same side of the vehicle under test to which at least two calibration units are fixed. The loading equipment may be a loading robot.

[0052] As you may understand, the measurer may perform the above fixing operation, and is not limited to this.

[0053] In S102, at least one of the measurement units collects images from at least two of the calibration units to obtain a first image.

[0054] In embodiments of the present invention, after fixing at least two calibration units and at least one measuring unit in corresponding positions, at least one measuring unit in the four-wheel alignment system may each collect images of at least two calibration units to obtain a first image of each of the at least two calibration units.

[0055] In some possible embodiments, referring to Figure 1, each calibration unit includes a calibration plate, so each first image of each calibration unit may be an image including the calibration plate in the corresponding calibration unit.

[0056] In S103, the calculation unit receives the first image and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image.

[0057] In embodiments of the present invention, the calculation unit may receive a first image from each calibration unit transmitted by at least one measurement unit.

[0058] Later, with respect to a first image of any of the calibration units, the calculation unit may determine a third positional relationship between any of the calibration units and at least one measurement unit from the first image.

[0059] The third positional relationship may also be represented by a rotation-translation matrix.

[0060] In one embodiment of the present invention, for a first image of any calibration unit, since the first image includes a calibration plate, the calculation unit may specifically determine a third positional relationship between any calibration unit and at least one measurement unit from the first image and the actual coordinate information of the calibration plate. Here, the actual coordinate information of the calibration plate specifically refers to the three-dimensional coordinates of the calibration plate in a preset first coordinate system. Here, the preset first coordinate system is a world coordinate system, which may be a world coordinate system configured with the setting position of the calibration plate as the origin, or a world coordinate system configured with the position of another point on any calibration unit as the origin.

[0061] In another embodiment of the present invention, since at least one measuring unit includes a first camera that photographs the calibration plate, the calculation unit may obtain a third positional relationship between any of the calibration units and at least one measuring unit based on the two-dimensional coordinates of the calibration plate in the image coordinate system corresponding to the first camera and the actual coordinate information (i.e., three-dimensional coordinates) of the calibration plate.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present invention, the calculation unit may determine the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the third positional relationship between any of the calibration units and at least one measurement unit.

[0063] Specifically, the calculation unit may obtain parameter information for each tire relative to the calibration unit fixed to each tire, and then the calculation unit may transform the parameter information from a third positional relationship corresponding to each calibration unit, thereby obtaining parameter information in the same coordinate system, i.e., the final four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0064] As can be seen from the above, the four-wheel alignment method provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied to a four-wheel alignment system, the four-wheel alignment system includes at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit, the method including the steps of fixing at least two calibration units to the wheels of the vehicle under test and fixing at least one measuring unit to the same side of the vehicle under test to which the at least two calibration units are fixed, the step of the at least one measuring unit collecting images of the at least two calibration units to obtain a first image, and the step of the calculation unit receiving the first image and calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image. The four-wheel alignment method provided by the present application, with at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit included in the four-wheel alignment system, can accurately determine the positional relationship between the measuring unit and the calibration unit, and further obtain accurate four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present application, since the vehicle under test generally includes four tires, the four-wheel alignment system may include four calibration units and two measuring units to further improve the accuracy of measuring the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test, each of the two measuring units including two first cameras, calibration components, and a second camera. For illustrative purposes, refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a four-wheel alignment system provided by another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the four-wheel alignment system 1 includes four calibration units 20 and two measuring units 30.

[0066] Referring to Figure 6, which is a flowchart of the implementation of a four-wheel alignment method provided by another embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 6, in the four-wheel alignment method provided by this embodiment, step S101 may specifically include steps S201 to S202, step S102 may specifically include step S203, and step S204 may be further included after step S203, and correspondingly step S103 may specifically include step S205, and further details are as follows. In S201, the four calibration units are fixed to each of the four wheels of the vehicle under test.

[0067] In S202, the two measurement units are fixed to positions midway between the front and rear wheels on both sides of the vehicle under test.

[0068] In S203, the two first cameras of the measurement unit, located on each side of the vehicle under test, collect images of calibration units fixed to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle under test, respectively, which are located on the same side as the measurement unit, thereby obtaining two first images.

[0069] In S204, the second cameras of the two measurement units each collect second images of the calibration components in the measurement unit located on the other side of the vehicle being measured.

[0070] In S205, the calculation unit receives the first and second images collected by the two measurement units, and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first and second images.

[0071] In this embodiment, the four-wheel alignment system may control the loading equipment to fix four calibration units to each of the four wheels of the vehicle under test, and two measurement units to positions midway between the front and rear wheels on both sides of the vehicle under test. The loading equipment may also be a loading robot. The above fixing operation may be performed by a human measurer, but is not limited to this embodiment.

[0072] As you can probably understand, one calibration unit is fixed to each tire of the vehicle being measured, and one measuring unit is fixed at an intermediate position between the front and rear wheels on the same side.

[0073] In this embodiment, for one side of the vehicle under test, two first cameras in the measurement unit on that side may collect images of calibration units fixed to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle under test, respectively, on the same side as the measurement unit, thereby obtaining a first image of each calibration unit on that side.

[0074] As a result, the measurement units located on each side of the vehicle under test may obtain two first images, i.e., two first images, from the two calibration units located on the same side.

[0075] Furthermore, a second camera in a measurement unit located on one side of the vehicle under test may collect a second image of a calibration component in a measurement unit located on the other side of the vehicle under test. Here, the calibration component may be a spherical object, a plate-shaped object with a circular surface, or any other, and is not limited thereto.

[0076] For example, referring to Figure 4, the second camera of the measurement unit located on the left may acquire a second image of the calibration component in the measurement unit located on the right, and the second camera of the measurement unit located on the right may acquire a second image of the calibration component in the measurement unit located on the left.

[0077] Later, the calculation unit may receive the two first and second images collected by the two measurement units and calculate the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the two received first and second images.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present invention, in order to improve the measurement accuracy of the four-wheel alignment parameters, the calculation unit may perform step S205 by steps S301 to S303 shown in Figure 7, and in detail, as follows. In S301, the first image and the second image collected by the two measurement units are received.

[0079] In S302, a first positional relationship between the two measurement units is calculated from the received second image.

[0080] In this embodiment, since the second image is an image containing calibration components in the measurement unit, the calculation unit may determine a first positional relationship between the two measurement units from the two received second images.

[0081] The first positional relationship may also be represented by a rotation-translation matrix.

[0082] In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiving unit may determine the above-mentioned first positional relationship based on the following steps, which are described in detail below. The second positional relationship between the calibration component and the second camera, the actual coordinate information of each calibration component, and the internal parameters of each second camera, which are pre-stored in the two measurement units, are acquired, respectively. The first positional relationship is calculated from the second positional relationship, the actual coordinate information, the internal parameters, and the second image, which are stored in advance.

[0083] The intrinsic parameters of the second camera, also known as the intrinsic parameter matrix, are attributes of the second camera itself and can be obtained by calibrating the second camera.

[0084] The second positional relationship between the calibration component in the two measurement units and the second camera specifically refers to the positional relationship between the calibration component and the second camera located in the same measurement unit. Here, the second positional relationship may also be represented by a rotation-translation matrix.

[0085] In some possible embodiments, the calculation unit may specifically acquire a second positional relationship between the calibration component in the two measurement units and the second camera based on the following steps, which are described in detail below. The second camera in each of the two measuring units captures attitude images including the calibration component at different positions of each opposing measuring unit, and the three-dimensional coordinates of each calibration component at the different positions are obtained. A second positional relationship between the calibration component in the two measurement units and the second camera is determined from each of the aforementioned posture images and the three-dimensional coordinates corresponding to each of the aforementioned posture images.

[0086] In this embodiment, for any of the measurement units, the calculation unit may acquire an orientation image of another measurement unit, including the calibration component at a different position, captured by a second camera in the other measurement unit, and acquire the three-dimensional coordinates of the calibration component at a different position in the other measurement unit.

[0087] Here, the three-dimensional coordinates of the calibration component specifically refer to the three-dimensional coordinates of the calibration component in a pre-set second coordinate system. Here, the pre-set second coordinate system is a world coordinate system, and this world coordinate system may be a world coordinate system configured with the setting position of the calibration component as the origin, or it may be a world coordinate system configured with the position of another point on the measurement unit where the calibration component is located as the origin.

[0088] In this embodiment, for each pose image captured by any of the measurement units, the calculation unit may determine the two-dimensional coordinates of the calibration component in each pose image in the image coordinate system corresponding to the second camera of any of the measurement units. Later, the calculation unit may obtain a fourth positional relationship between the second camera of any of the measurement units and the calibration component of another measurement unit based on the two-dimensional coordinates of the calibration component in the pose image in the image coordinate system corresponding to the second camera of any of the measurement units and the three-dimensional coordinates of the calibration component corresponding to each pose image. Here, the fourth positional relationship may be represented by a rotation-translation matrix.

[0089] Later, the calculation unit may determine a second positional relationship between a calibration component in the same measurement unit and the second camera, based on a fifth positional relationship between the second cameras in two pre-stored measurement units and a fourth positional relationship between the second camera in one of the measurement units and the calibration component in the other measurement unit.

[0090] In this embodiment, the calculation unit may, after obtaining a second positional relationship between the calibration components in the two measurement units and the second camera, calculate a first positional relationship from the second positional relationship, the actual coordinate information of each calibration component acquired, the internal parameters of each second camera, and each second image.

[0091] In S303, the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test are calculated from the received first image and the first positional relationship between the two measurement units.

[0092] In this embodiment, the calculation unit may determine the positional relationship between each measurement unit and the calibration unit on the same side from a first image of the calibration unit on the same side taken by the receiving measurement unit, and later the calculation unit may obtain parameter information for the calibration unit fixed to the tire on the same side, and later the calculation unit may obtain parameter information for the tire on the same side in the same coordinate system by converting the above parameter information from the positional relationship between the calibration units on the same side.

[0093] Alternatively, the calculation unit may obtain parameter information for the other tire located in the same coordinate system by converting the parameter information of the other tire received by the other measurement unit from the first positional relationship between the two measurement units.

[0094] This allows the calculation unit to obtain the four-wheel alignment parameters for each tire of the vehicle being measured.

[0095] As can be seen from the above, the four-wheel alignment method provided by this embodiment further improves the measurement accuracy of the four-wheel alignment parameters of each tire of the vehicle under test.

[0096] In another embodiment of the present invention, in order to determine the positional relationship between two first and second cameras in the same measuring unit and subsequently perform a coordinate transformation to obtain parameter information in the same coordinate system, the four-wheel alignment system may specifically perform the following steps, more specifically as follows: One marker is fixed in the shooting range of each of the first and second cameras. Each of the first and second cameras acquires a third image of the corresponding marker, taken at different positions relative to the marker, and then acquires the three-dimensional coordinates of each of the calibration components. A third positional relationship between each of the first and second cameras is determined from each of the third images and the three-dimensional coordinates of each of the calibration components.

[0097] In this embodiment, the four-wheel alignment system may control the stacking equipment to fix one marker within the shooting range of each of the first and second cameras. The stacking equipment may also be a stacking robot.

[0098] The marker may also be a spherical object.

[0099] As you can probably understand, one first camera corresponds to one marker, and the second camera corresponds to one marker.

[0100] Both the first and second cameras are located in the same measurement unit.

[0101] In this embodiment, the calculation unit may obtain a third positional relationship between each first camera and the second camera located in the same measurement unit, based on the two-dimensional coordinates in the image coordinate system of the camera corresponding to each marker (first camera, second camera, etc.) and the three-dimensional coordinates of each marker.

[0102] In another embodiment of the present invention, the calculation unit may be the control module in the first measurement unit, where both measurement units include a control module and each measurement unit is communicably connected to a terminal device. Here, the first measurement unit is one of the two measurement units. Thus, the four-wheel alignment method may be implemented based on the following steps, which are described in detail below. The control modules of the two measurement units acquire the first image collected by their respective first cameras and the second image collected by their respective second cameras, respectively. The terminal device receives the first image and the second image from the control module of a measurement unit other than the first measurement unit. The terminal device transmits the received first image and second image to the control module of the first measurement unit. The control module of the first measurement unit calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image collected by the first camera of the first measurement unit, the second image collected by the second camera of the first measurement unit, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that are received.

[0103] In this embodiment, the control module of a measurement unit other than the first measurement unit may, after acquiring the first image collected by its first camera and the second image collected by its second camera, transmit the collected first and second images to a terminal device.

[0104] Later, the terminal device may transmit the first and second images, which were collected by the other measurement units that received the data, to the control module of the first measurement unit.

[0105] As a result, the control module of the first measurement unit may calculate the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image collected by its first camera, the second image collected by its second camera, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement units that have been received.

[0106] In some possible embodiments, the control module of the first measurement unit may, after obtaining the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test, transmit said four-wheel alignment parameters to a terminal device. The terminal device may then display said four-wheel alignment parameters, so that any person possessing the terminal device can check the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test in a timely manner.

[0107] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the calculation unit may be a control module in the target measurement unit, where each of the two measurement units includes a control module, and the control modules of the two measurement units are communicated together. Here, the target measurement unit is one of the two measurement units. Thus, the four-wheel alignment method may be implemented based on the following steps, which are described in detail below. The control modules of the two measurement units acquire the first image collected by their respective first cameras and the second image collected by their respective second cameras, respectively. The control module of the target measurement unit receives the first image and the second image from the control module of a measurement unit other than the target measurement unit. The control module of the target measurement unit calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from the first image collected by the first camera of the target measurement unit, the second image collected by the second camera of the target measurement unit, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that are received.

[0108] In this embodiment, the control module of a measurement unit other than the target measurement unit may, after acquiring the first image collected by its first camera and the second image collected by its second camera, transmit the acquired first and second images to the target measurement unit, since the two measurement units are connected in a communicative manner.

[0109] Later, the control module of the measurement unit may calculate the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image collected by its first camera, the second image collected by its second camera, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that it receives.

[0110] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the calculation unit may be a terminal device, provided that each of the two measuring units includes a control module, and the control modules of the two measuring units are each communicatively connected to a terminal device. Thus, the four-wheel alignment method may be implemented based on the following steps, which are described in detail below. The control modules of the two measurement units acquire the first image collected by their respective first cameras and the second image collected by their respective second cameras, respectively. Each of the terminal devices receives the first image and the second image from the control modules of the two measurement units. The terminal device calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first image and second image.

[0111] In this embodiment, for any of the measurement units, the control module of the measurement unit may, after acquiring the first image collected by its first camera and the second image collected by its second camera, transmit the acquired first and second images to a terminal device.

[0112] As a result, the terminal device may acquire the first and second images transmitted by the two measurement units, respectively.

[0113] Later, the terminal device may calculate the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first and second images of the two acquired measurement units.

[0114] In some possible embodiments, the terminal device may display the four-wheel alignment parameters, thereby allowing the person possessing the terminal device to check the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle being measured in a timely manner.

[0115] In the above embodiment, the magnitude of the step numbers does not indicate the order of execution, and the execution order of each process is determined by its function and internal logic, and should be understood as not constituting any limitation on the process of implementing the embodiment of this application.

[0116] In the above embodiments, emphasis is placed on each embodiment, but for parts not described or explained in detail in a particular embodiment, you may refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0117] The embodiments described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not for limiting purposes. Although the present application is described in detail with reference to the embodiments described above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions described in each of the embodiments described above may still be modified, or some of their technical features may be replaced with equivalent ones. Even with such modifications or replacements, the essence of the technical solutions in question will not deviate from the intent and scope of the technical solutions in each of the embodiments of the present application, and all of them will be included within the scope of protection of the present application. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0118] 1 4-wheel alignment system, 10 calculation units, 20 calibration units, 21 wheel clamps, 22 calibration plates, 30 measurement units, 31 camera, 32 camera

Claims

1. A four-wheel alignment method applied to a four-wheel alignment system, wherein the four-wheel alignment system includes at least two calibration units, at least one measuring unit, and a calculation unit, and the four-wheel alignment method is The steps include fixing at least two of the calibration units to the wheels of the vehicle under test, and fixing at least one of the measuring units to the same side of the vehicle under test on which at least two of the calibration units are fixed, The steps include: obtaining a first image by having at least one of the measurement units collect images from at least two of the calibration units; A four-wheel alignment method characterized by comprising the step of: the calculation unit receiving the first image and calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image.

2. The calibration unit comprises four components, and the measuring unit comprises two components, each measuring unit comprising two first cameras, a calibration component, and a second camera, wherein at least two of the calibration units are fixed to the wheels of the vehicle under test, and at least one measuring unit is fixed to the same side of the vehicle under test on which at least two of the calibration units are fixed. The steps include fixing each of the four calibration units to the four wheels of the vehicle under test, The procedure includes the step of fixing the two measuring units to positions midway between the front and rear wheels on both sides of the vehicle under test, The step of obtaining a first image by having at least one of the measurement units collect images from at least two of the calibration units, The process includes the step of obtaining two first images by having two first cameras of the measurement unit, located on each side of the vehicle under test, collect images of calibration units fixed to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle under test, respectively, which are located on the same side as the measurement unit, The aforementioned four-wheel alignment method further, The process includes the step of each of the two measurement units collecting a second image of a calibration component in a measurement unit located on the other side of the vehicle being measured, The calculation unit receives the first image and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image. The four-wheel alignment method according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation unit receives a first image and a second image collected by the two measurement units, and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from the received first image and the second image.

3. The calculation unit receives the first and second images collected by the two measurement units, and calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first and second images. The calculation unit receives the first image and the second image collected by the two measurement units, The calculation unit performs the step of calculating a first positional relationship between the two measurement units from the received second image, The four-wheel alignment method according to claim 2, characterized in that the calculation unit calculates four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from the received first image and the first positional relationship between the two measurement units.

4. The calculation unit performs the step of calculating a first positional relationship between the two measurement units from the received second image, The steps include acquiring the second positional relationship between the calibration component and the second camera, the actual coordinate information of each calibration component, and the internal parameters of each second camera, which are pre-stored in the two measurement units, respectively. A four-wheel alignment method according to claim 3, characterized by comprising the step of calculating the first positional relationship from the second positional relationship stored in advance, the actual coordinate information for each, the internal parameter for each, and each of the second images.

5. Before the step of obtaining two first images by collecting images of calibration units fixed to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle under test, respectively, on the same side as the measurement unit, further, The steps include fixing one marker in the shooting range of each of the first and second cameras, The steps include each of the first and second cameras acquiring a third image of the corresponding marker taken at different positions relative to the marker, and acquiring the three-dimensional coordinates of each of the calibration components, A four-wheel alignment method according to claim 3, characterized by comprising the step of determining a third positional relationship between each of the first and second cameras from each of the third images and the three-dimensional coordinates of each of the calibration components.

6. The step of acquiring the second positional relationship between the calibration component and the second camera, which is pre-stored in the two measurement units, is: The steps include: acquiring orientation images of the calibration component at different positions of each opposing measurement unit, captured by the second camera in the two measurement units; and acquiring the three-dimensional coordinates of each calibration component at the different positions; A four-wheel alignment method according to claim 4, characterized by comprising the step of determining a second positional relationship between the calibration component in the two measuring units and the second camera from each of the aforementioned posture images and the three-dimensional coordinates corresponding to each of the aforementioned posture images.

7. Both of the measurement units include a control module, each of the measurement units is communicably connected to a terminal device, the calculation unit is the control module in the first measurement unit, the first measurement unit is one of the two measurement units, and the four-wheel alignment method further includes The control modules of the two measurement units each acquire a first image collected by their respective first cameras and a second image collected by their respective second cameras, The terminal device receives a first image and a second image from the control module of a measurement unit other than the first measurement unit, The terminal device transmits the received first image and second image to the control module of the first measurement unit, The control module of the first measurement unit includes the step of calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from a first image collected by the first camera of the first measurement unit, a second image collected by the second camera of the first measurement unit, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that have been received. The aforementioned four-wheel alignment method further, The first measurement unit's control module transmits the four-wheel alignment parameters to the terminal device, The four-wheel alignment method according to claim 2, characterized by comprising the step of the terminal device displaying the four-wheel alignment parameters.

8. Each of the two measurement units includes a control module, the control modules of the two measurement units are connected in a communicative manner, the calculation unit is the control module in the target measurement unit, the target measurement unit is one of the two measurement units, and the four-wheel alignment method further includes The control modules of the two measurement units each acquire a first image collected by their respective first cameras and a second image collected by their respective second cameras, The control module of the target measurement unit receives a first image and a second image from the control module of a measurement unit other than the target measurement unit. The four-wheel alignment method according to claim 2, characterized in that the control module of the target measurement unit calculates the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under measurement from a first image collected by the first camera of the target measurement unit, a second image collected by the second camera of the target measurement unit, and the first and second images collected by the other measurement unit that are received.

9. Each of the two measurement units includes a control module, and the control modules of the two measurement units are each communicatively connected to a terminal device, and the calculation unit is the terminal device, and the four-wheel alignment method further, The control modules of the two measurement units each acquire a first image collected by their respective first cameras and a second image collected by their respective second cameras, The terminal device each receives the first image and the second image from the control modules of the two measurement units, The terminal device includes the step of calculating the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the received first image and second image, The aforementioned four-wheel alignment method further, The four-wheel alignment method according to claim 2, characterized in that the terminal device displays the four-wheel alignment parameters.

10. At least two calibration units fixed to the wheels of the vehicle under test, A measurement unit comprising two first cameras, each of which is used to acquire a first image of the corresponding calibration unit, A four-wheel alignment system characterized by including a calculation unit used to receive a first image and calculate the four-wheel alignment parameters of the vehicle under test from the first image.

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