Patent ID: 7930834
Filing Date: 2011-04-26
Classification: B60R,G01B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for determining the alignment of a vehicle wheel, comprising the steps of: attaching a single optical target with a dimensionally stable shape to the vehicle wheel, wherein the optical target has thereon a plurality of target elements arranged in a known geometric and spatial configuration relative to each other, and wherein said dimensionally stable shape is a three dimensional shape which includes at least one non-planar target surface or smoothly curved target surface upon which said plurality of target elements is arranged; detecting, from a two-dimensional image of the single optical target acquired by an imaging system, a plurality of target element images corresponding to the plurality of target elements arranged on the non-planar or smoothly curved target surface of the optical target; and determining the alignment of the vehicle wheel based on a spatial orientation of the optical target identified from the plurality of target element images and the known geometric and spatial configuration of the plurality of target elements on the non-planar or smoothly curved target surface of the optical target.