Snap-on Inc.

Darwin Y Chen

David A Jackson

Brian K Gray

Ronald D Swayne

Rodney Harrell

Bryan C Minor

Joel A Kunert

Steven W Rogers

George Michael Gill

Robert J D'Agostino

Eric R Sellers

Sean P Lecrone

Larry D Klotz

Jonathan A Sperry

Adam C Brown

Eric F Bryan

Rajani K Pulapa

Brian A Walesa

Steve W Rogers

Brian Walesa

Bryan K Gray

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

Vehicle wheel alignment methods and systems

A portable vehicle alignment system is provided having two base tower assemblies, each having a pedestal, a columnar tower removably attachable to the top of the pedestal, and a camera pod movable along a length of the tower; and a data processor with a wireless communication device for processing image data from the camera pods. Each camera pod includes a camera for capturing image data of a target mounted on a vehicle, and a communication device for wirelessly communicating with the data processor. One pod has a calibration target and the other pod has a calibration camera for capturing images of the calibration target. The pedestals each have a manually-operated clamp for removably fixedly attaching the tower to the pedestal in one of a plurality of positions such that the orientation of the camera pod to the pedestal is angularly adjustable, allowing horizontal rotation of the camera pod.

Self-calibrating multi-camera alignment system

A position measurement apparatus and methodology is provided. Embodiments include a probe including an acoustic signal source, an optical signal source, and a probe processor for driving the signal sources such that the signals of the acoustic source and the optical source have a known temporal relationship to each other. A receiver receives the optical and acoustic signals, and a processor communicates with and controls the probe and the receiver, and processes data from the receiver. The acoustic signal source is a sinusoidally varying acoustic energy source, and the acoustic signal received by the receiver comprises a sinusoidal signal. The processor correlates the received sinusoidal signal to a mathematical reference sinusoidal signal, and determines a specific cycle and a specific phase as a time of flight measurement point based on the correlation.

Position measurement for collision repair systems

A vehicle measurement system that provides highly realistic guidance to perform a vehicle measurement procedure is described. An exemplary system includes a data storage device configured to store vehicle data for a plurality of vehicles. The vehicle data corresponding to each respective vehicle includes an image of the vehicle and information of predefined points on the vehicle to which emitters or targets should be attached for performing a vehicle measurement procedure. A user interface is provided to receive a user input identifying a vehicle under test. After the user identifies a vehicle under test, the system retrieves vehicle data corresponding to the vehicle under test from the data storage device; and displays the image of the vehicle under test on the display with the predefined points on the vehicle identified.

Vehicle measurement system with user interface

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Conway, AR, United States of America

Darwin Y Chen