Patent Document ID: 5535522
Application ID: 08122550
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An apparatus for determining the alignment of motor vehicle wheels comprising: target means including at least a first target object for attachment to a wheel of a vehicle under inspection and including a first plurality of visually perceptible, geometrically configured target elements having known geometric characteristics and positional relationships; optical inspection means establishing a spatial reference system including means forming at least a first viewing path intersecting said first target object when it is attached to a first wheel of a vehicle under inspection, said optical inspection means being operable to inspect a first image of said first target object as viewed along said first viewing path and to generate first image information describing the geometric characteristics and positional relationships of the first target elements of said first image; processing means for relating said first image information to predetermined reference information describing the known geometric characteristics and positional relationships of said first target elements to determine the angular orientation of said target object relative to said spatial reference system and for generating first orientation information commensurate therewith; and means for using said first orientation information to indicate the alignment of said first wheel.