Target positioning device and target positioning method
The target positioning device addresses accuracy issues in conventional methods by using adjustable clamping and connecting mechanisms to ensure precise wheel contact, enhancing installation efficiency and versatility.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023221267
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-27
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-19
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-12-27
AI Technical Summary
Conventional target positioning methods suffer from reduced accuracy due to tire deflection and tread differences, and rely on visual inspection, leading to potential positional deviations.
A target positioning device comprising a facing device with adjustable clamping pieces and attachments that contact the vehicle's wheels, allowing precise positioning without visual measurement, using actuators and adjustable connecting portions to maintain consistent distances and orientations.
Improves positioning accuracy by eliminating the need for visual inspection, enabling efficient and versatile installation across various vehicle types with enhanced precision and reduced installation time.
Smart Images

Figure 0007603138000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a target positioning device and a target positioning method. [Background technology]
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for positioning a target fixed to a frame by placing a straight frame on the side of the front or rear tire on either the left or right side and installing the frame so that it is parallel to the side of the front or rear tire, and then adjusting the front-to-rear position of the frame with a jig when aiming on-board equipment such as an external sensor.
[0003] Patent Document 2 also discloses a method for positioning a target connected to the reference member via a connection part, by positioning the reference member so that the reference member extending left and right has left and right reference points, the front-to-rear positions of which coincide with the wheel centers of the left and right front wheels, and the left and right positions of which are on a line connecting the centers of the left and right tires and at an equal distance from the center line. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-139669 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2021-142842 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] However, in the former of the above conventional techniques, since the positioning is based on one side of the vehicle, the positioning accuracy deteriorates when there is a degree of deflection or a difference in tread between the front and rear tires. In addition, since the front and rear positions are determined visually by the worker, there is a risk of misalignment. In the latter case, since the front-to-back and left-to-right positioning is performed by the worker's visual inspection, there is a risk of misalignment occurring. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a target positioning device and a target positioning method that can improve the positioning accuracy of an aiming target. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The aiming target positioning device of the present invention comprises a confronting device and an attachment, the confronting device being a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle and 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 having a pair of front and rear clamping pieces capable of clamping the front wheel in the fore-aft direction, the pair of front and rear clamping pieces being capable of adjusting the clamping width of the front wheel while keeping constant the distance in the fore-aft direction from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to the center positions of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces, the attachment to which the target is attached and comprising front and rear attachments, the front and rear attachments being a pair of front and rear frame bodies extending in the left and right direction of the vehicle and installed on the floor surface in front of and behind the confronting device, the pair of front and rear frame bodies having connecting parts which are 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 parts being 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. Effect of the Invention
[0007] Therefore, in the present invention, since positioning by visual inspection by an operator can be eliminated, the positioning accuracy of the aiming target can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment is installed on a vehicle 100. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a state before a target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment is installed on a vehicle 100. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of the left side of a vehicle 100, illustrating a method for installing a confronting device 2 of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view showing a method of installing the front and rear attachments 9 of the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which radar equipment 30 is connected to the front and rear attachments 9. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which a front target board 8F is connected to a front attachment 9F and a rear radar device 30R is connected to a rear attachment 9R. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] [Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment is installed on a vehicle 100, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before the target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment is installed on the vehicle 100. The target positioning device 1 is a device for setting a target (aiming target) at a predetermined position with respect to the vehicle 100 for the purpose of aiming an in-vehicle device (camera, radar, etc.) mounted on the vehicle 100.
[0010] Hereinafter, for a pair of left and right members provided on the vehicle 100, when it is necessary to distinguish between the right and left members, the suffixes R and L are added to the end of the respective reference numerals, but when no distinction is made, the suffixes R and L are omitted. Similarly, for a pair of front and rear members provided on the vehicle 100, when it is necessary to distinguish between the front and rear members, the suffixes F and L are added to the end of the respective reference numerals, but when no distinction is made, the suffixes F and L are omitted.
[0011] The target positioning device 1 includes a facing device 2, front and rear attachments 9, and left and right attachments 10. The confronting devices 2 are a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, and are formed from extruded aluminum. The confronting devices 2 are installed on a horizontal floor surface 102 in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle 100. In other words, the right-side confronting device 2R contacts the right front wheel 101FR and the right rear wheel 101RR, and the left-side confronting device 2L contacts the left front wheel 101FL and the left rear wheel 101RL.
[0012] The confronting device 2 has a pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 (front clamping piece 4 and rear clamping piece 5) capable of clamping the front wheel 101F in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 3, the clamping piece 3 can adjust the front-rear distance between the front clamping piece 4 and the rear clamping piece 5, i.e., the clamping width of the front wheel 101F, by an operator rotating a handle 7 of an actuator 6. The actuator 6 is designed to always keep the distance D from the front end of the confronting device 2 to the center position of the clamping piece 3 constant in the front-rear direction, regardless of the clamping width of the clamping piece 3. Connecting pins 13, 14 protrude upward from the front and rear ends of the confronting 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 a floor surface 102 in front of and behind the confronting device 2. The front and rear attachments 9 are attached with front and rear target boards 8 laid on the floor surface 102. In the first embodiment, a camera target board is used as the front and rear target boards 8. The front and rear target boards 8 are provided with a plurality of targets 8a used when aiming the vehicle-mounted camera.
[0014] The front and rear attachment 9 is a rectangular frame body formed by connecting two approximately E-shaped frames 11, 12 with their opening sides facing each other. The confronting device side frame 11 abuts against the front and rear end faces of the confronting device 2. The target side frame 12 is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the confronting device side frame 11 and can be fixed at any position. In other words, since the front and rear attachment 9 is extendable in the front-rear direction, the worker can adjust the distance from the vehicle 100 to the target 8a depending on the vehicle type. Three connecting pins 15-17 lined up in the left-right direction protrude upward from the tip of the target side frame 12. The front and rear target board 8 is positioned relative to the front and rear attachment 9 by fitting the three connecting pins 15-17 into three connecting holes 18-20 formed in the front and rear target board 8. The left and right connecting holes 18, 20 are elongated holes, and the central connecting hole 19 is a circular hole.
[0015] The confronting device side frame 11 has a pair of left and right tension bars (urging members) 22 as a connecting portion 21 for connecting the front and rear attachments 9 to the confronting device 2. The tension bar 22 can swing around a support point 25 provided at the left and right central position of the confronting device side frame 11. At the tip of the tension bar 22, connecting holes 23, 24 into which the connecting pins 13, 14 of the confronting device 2 can be inserted are provided. The support point 25 is movable in the front and rear direction and can be fixed at any position. In other words, since the width of the left and right connecting holes 23, 24 can be adjusted according to the width of the left and right connecting pins 13, 14, the worker can adjust the width of the connecting portion 21 according to the vehicle type. When the tension bar 22 is connected to the confronting device 2, the confronting device 2 is pulled in the axial direction of the tension bar 22 and is always urged in a direction closer to the inside of the vehicle 100 and to the front and rear attachments 9 that are in contact with it.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the left and right attachments 10 are a pair of left and right frame bodies extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100, and are molded from an aluminum extrusion material. The left and right attachments 10 are installed on a floor surface 102 on the outside of the vehicle 100 with respect to the confronting device 2. Although not shown, the left and right attachments 10 are positioned parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 by inserting connecting pins provided at the front end and rear end of the left and right attachments 10 into connecting holes formed in the confronting device side frame 11. The left and right attachments 10 are attached with left and right target boards 26 laid on the floor surface. In the first embodiment, a camera target board is used as the left and right target boards 26. The left and right target boards 26 are provided with a plurality of targets 26a used when aiming the vehicle-mounted camera. The left and right attachments 10 have three connecting pins 27 to 29 arranged in the front-rear direction protruding upward. The left and right target boards are positioned relative to the left and right attachments by fitting the three connecting pins 27 to 29 into the three connecting holes 30 to 32 formed in the left and right target boards .
[0017] Next, a method for positioning the targets 8a and 26a using the target positioning device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the left side facing device 2L is placed on the floor surface 102 in a state of contact with the outer surfaces of the left front wheel 101FL and the left rear wheel 101RL of the vehicle 100. Next, the handle 7L of the left clamping piece 3L is rotated so that the front clamping piece 4 and the rear clamping piece 5 clamp the left front wheel 101FL. Do the same for the right-side facing device 2F. In the fore-and-aft direction, the center position of the clamping piece 3 always coincides with the center position of the front wheels 101FL, 101FR, so the distance from the center position of the front axle to the front end of the facing device 2 is always maintained at a constant value D. This makes it possible to easily and accurately perform positioning in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle using the center position of the front axle as a reference.
[0018] Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the front and rear attachments 9 are placed on the floor surface 102 in a state in which they abut against the front and rear ends of the confronting device 2. Next, the position of the support point 25 of the connecting part 21 is adjusted according to the width of the confronting device 2, and the left and right connecting pins 13, 14 are inserted into the left and right connecting holes 23, 24 to connect the front and rear attachments 9 to the confronting device 2. As a result, the confronting device 2 is pulled toward the center of the vehicle 100 and in a direction in which it comes into closer contact with the front and rear attachments 9, so that the front and rear attachments 9 are positioned parallel to the vehicle 100 and in the left and right central position.
[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, 26a are recognized by the camera of the vehicle 100. In the aiming operation, it is confirmed whether the distance and horizontal height to each of the targets 8a and 26a match the values written in the controller of the vehicle 100.
[0020] Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be described. The target positioning device 1 of embodiment 1 includes a confronting device 2 and front and rear attachments 9. The confronting device 2 is installed on a floor surface 102 in contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels 101F, 101R of a vehicle 100, and has a pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 that can clamp the front wheel 101F in the fore-aft direction, and the pair of front and rear clamping pieces 3 can adjust the clamping width of the front wheel 101F while keeping constant the distance in the fore-aft direction 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. The front and rear attachments 9 are installed on the floor surface 102 in front of and behind the confronting device 2, and the pair of front and rear frame bodies have connecting portions 21 that are connected to the front end and rear end of the confronting device 2, and the width of the connecting portions 21 can be adjusted according to the width of the front end and the rear end of the confronting device 2 to be connected.
[0021] An operator can easily and accurately perform positioning in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle based on the center position of the front axle by simply bringing the confronting device 2 into contact with the front and rear wheels 101F, 101R and clamping the front wheel 101F with the clamping pieces 3. Furthermore, since the confronting device 2 performs positioning using all the wheels 101 of the vehicle 100, the target 8a can be positioned accurately. By simply butting the front and rear attachments 9 against the confronting device 2 and connecting the connecting holes 23, 24 of the tension bar 22 to the connecting pins 13, 14 of the confronting device 2, the center of the front and rear attachments 9 can be positioned at the center of the vehicle and perpendicular to the front-rear 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, since visual alignment and measurement by an operator is not required when setting the target 8a for aiming, the positioning accuracy of the target 8a can be improved. Since visual inspection is not required, the efficiency of repeated work on the same vehicle model can be improved (improved production capacity). In addition, since the confrontation device 2 has a left and right split structure, it can be used for vehicles with different vehicle widths and vehicles with different front and rear treads. Furthermore, since the front and rear attachments 9 can adjust their front and rear lengths (length in the front and rear direction of the vehicle), the target 8a can be set at an optimal position according to the vehicle model, improving versatility.
[0023] Conventionally, dealers and repair shops have positioned targets using the following procedure, which requires time to set up the equipment and measure actual values. (1) Mark the vehicle's overall width position (all wheels) of the center of each axle on the floor and move the vehicle. (2) Measure the distance from the marked front axle center (left and right) to the center of the four targets, and enter the distance into the vehicle's control unit using diagnostic equipment. (3) Use a laser level to measure the horizontal height of each target (7 locations) and the marked positions, and enter the measurements into the control unit using diagnostic equipment. In contrast, in the target positioning method using the target position device 1 of embodiment 1, the position of the target 8a can be accurately positioned to the position set in the controller of the vehicle 100, thereby eliminating the need to measure actual values from the vehicle 100 to each target 8a and input them into the controller, and preventing erroneous input.
[0024] The connecting portion 21 of the first embodiment has a tension bar 22 that biases the front and rear ends of the confronting device 2 toward the center of the vehicle in the left-right direction of the vehicle 100. As a result, the confronting device 2 is pulled toward the center of the vehicle 100 and in a direction that brings the confronting device 2 into closer contact with the front and rear attachments 9. Therefore, by simply connecting the tension bar 22 to the confronting device 2, the worker can accurately position the front and rear attachments 9 parallel to the vehicle 100 and in the center position on the left and right.
[0025] Other Embodiments The above describes the target positioning device and positioning method of the present invention based on the embodiments. However, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the invention are also included in the present invention. For example, when aiming an on-vehicle radar, the front and rear radar devices 30 are connected to the front and rear attachments 9 as shown in Fig. 5. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 6, the front target board 8F may be connected to the front attachment 9F, and the rear radar device 30R may be connected to the rear attachment 9R. In the first embodiment, the length of the front and rear attachments 9 in the front-rear direction is adjustable. However, front and rear attachments 9 of different lengths may be prepared for each vehicle model. [Explanation of symbols]
[0026] 1 Target positioning device 2. Orientation device 3 Clamping piece 4 Front clamping piece 5 Rear clamping piece 6 Actuators 7 Handle 8 Front and Rear Target Boards 8a Target 9 Front and rear attachments 10 Left and right attachments 11 Frame on the opposite side of the device 12 Target side frame 13-17 Connecting pin 18-20 Connection hole 21 Connecting part 22 Tension bar (urging member) 23,24 Connection holes 25 support points 26 Left and Right Target Boards 26a Target 27-29 Connecting pin 30 Radar Equipment 30-32 Connection hole 100 vehicles 101 Wheels
Claims
1. A target positioning device for setting a target for aiming an in-vehicle device, comprising: Equipped with a facing device and attachment, The confronting device is a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is installed on a floor surface in a state of contact with outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, The pair of left and right rod-shaped members each have a pair of front and rear clamping pieces capable of clamping the front wheel in the front-rear direction, the pair of front and rear clamping pieces are capable of adjusting a clamping width of the front wheel while maintaining a constant distance in the front-rear direction from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to a center position of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces, The attachment is provided with a front and rear attachment to which the target is attached, 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 each have a connecting portion connected to a left and right front end portion and a left and right rear end portion 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 end portions and the widths of the left and right rear end portions of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to be connected. Target positioning device.
2. 2. The target positioning apparatus of claim 1, The attachment includes a left and right attachment, The left and right attachments are a pair of left and right frame bodies extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and are installed on a floor surface of the vehicle outer than the facing device. Target positioning device.
3. 3. A target positioning device according to claim 1, further comprising: The connecting portion has a biasing member that biases the left and right front end portions and the left and right rear end portions toward a center of the vehicle in a left-right direction of the vehicle. Target positioning device.
4. A method for positioning a target using a target positioning device for setting a target for aiming an in-vehicle device, comprising the steps of: The target positioning device includes: Equipped with a facing device and attachment, The confronting device is a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, The pair of left and right rod-shaped members each have a pair of front and rear clamping pieces capable of clamping the front wheel in the front-rear direction, the pair of front and rear clamping pieces are capable of adjusting a clamping width of the front wheel while maintaining a constant distance in the front-rear direction from the front ends of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to a center position of the pair of front and rear clamping pieces, The attachment is provided with a front and rear attachment to which the target is attached, The front and rear attachments are a pair of front and rear frame bodies extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the pair of front and rear frame bodies each have a connecting portion connected to a left and right front end portion and a left and right rear end portion of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members, a width of the connecting portion is adjustable according to a width of the left and right front end portions and a width of the left and right rear end portions of the pair of left and right rod-shaped members to be connected, The confrontation device is installed on a floor surface in a state of contact with the outer surfaces of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, The pair of front and rear clamping pieces clamp the front wheels of the vehicle, The front and rear attachments are installed on the floor surface in front of and behind the facing device, adjusting a width of the connecting portion, and connecting the connecting portion 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; Attaching the target to the front and rear attachments; How to position the target.
Citation Information
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