Method for determining the orientation of at least one rail and device for carrying out the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9752871-B2
Application number	US-201314394948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2013
Priority date	Apr 16, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A method and a device for determining the orientation of at least one rail of a measuring station of a chassis measuring device or a motor vehicle test line. The device has at least one sensing device, the at least one sensing device has at least one camera and at least one illumination unit. The at least one illumination unit illuminates at least one section of the rail using structured or unstructured light and the at least one camera records the light reflected by the rail.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining at least one of an orientation and a flatness of at least one rail of a measuring station of a chassis measuring device or a motor vehicle test line, the method comprising:
illuminating, using at least one illumination unit of at least one sensing device having at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit, at least one section of the at least one rail using at least one of structured and unstructured light;
recording, using the at least one camera, light reflected by the at least one rail; and
carrying out a measurement of a distance between the at least one rail and the at least one sensing device based on the recorded reflected light, wherein, by a first sensing device of the at least one sensing device, a first distance between the first sensing device and a first rail of the at least one rail is measured, and, by a second sensing device of the at least one sensing device, a second distance between the second sensing device and a second rail of the at least one rail is measured, and wherein the first and second sensing devices have a reference system, by which the orientation of the first rail to the second rail is determined based on the first and second distances.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structured light is projected onto the rail and the at least one camera records the reflected light points, by which the position of the rail is determinable with respect to the sensing device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one illumination unit is integrated into the at least one camera, which is configured as a time of flight (TOF) camera, by which the position of the rail is determinable with respect to the at least one sensing device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a characteristic texture of the rail is detectable by the unstructured light, so that the position of the rail is determinable with respect to the at least one sensing device.

5. A method for determining at least one of an orientation and a flatness of at least one rail of a measuring station of a chassis measuring device or a motor vehicle test line, the method comprising:
illuminating, using at least one illumination unit of at least one sensing device having at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit, at least one section of the at least one rail using at least one of structured and unstructured light;
recording, using the at least one camera, light reflected by the at least one rail;
carrying out a measurement of a distance between the at least one rail and the at least one sensing device based on the recorded reflected light; and
determining, using at least one alignment sensor in the at least one sensing device, the orientation of the at least one sensing device and the orientation of the at least one rail with respect to the Earth's gravitational field.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing devices are positioned with respect to a vehicle, so that that the at least one camera views a vehicle wheel and a rail simultaneously and the at least one illumination unit is directed at a vehicle wheel and a rail simultaneously.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit are rotatable before the illumination and the taking of the reflected light so that they view in the direction of the rail.

8. A method for determining a flatness of at least one rail of a measuring station of a chassis measuring device or a motor vehicle test line, the method comprising:
illuminating, using at least one illumination unit of at least one sensing device having at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit, at least one section of the at least one rail using at least one of structured and unstructured light;
recording, using the at least one camera, light reflected by the at least one rail;
carrying out a flatness measurement of the at least one rail based on the recorded reflected light.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a vehicle is located on the rails.

10. A device for determining at least one of an orientation and a flatness of at least one rail of a measuring station of a chassis measuring device or a motor vehicle test line, the device comprising:
at least one sensing device having at least one camera and at least one illumination unit;
wherein the at least one sensing device is positioned with respect to the vehicle and to the at least one rail so that the at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit are directed at both a vehicle wheel and at the at least one rail, and
wherein the at least one sensing device includes a first sensing device to measure a distance of a first rail of the at least one rail from the first sensing device, and a second sensing device to measure a distance of a second rail of the at least one rail from the second sensing device, the first and second sensing devices having a reference system by which an orientation of the first rail to the second rail is determined.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit are supportable movably in sensing device.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one illumination unit is integrated into at least one camera, which is configured as a time of flight (TOF) camera.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one illumination unit illuminates at least one section of the rail using at least one of structured and unstructured light, the at least one camera records light reflected by the rail, and the at least one sensing device carries out a measurement of the distance between the rail and the at least one sensing device based on the recorded reflected light.

14. A device for determining at least one of an orientation and a flatness of at least one rail of a measuring station of a chassis measuring device or a motor vehicle test line, the device comprising:
at least one sensing device having at least one camera and at least one illumination unit;
wherein the at least one sensing device is positioned with respect to the vehicle and to the at least one rail so that the at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit are directed at both a vehicle wheel and at the at least one rail, and
wherein the at least one sensing device includes at least one alignment sensor to determine an orientation of the at least one sensing device with respect to the Earth's gravitational field.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the at least one sensing device with respect to the vehicle and to the rail so that the at least one camera and the at least one illumination unit are directed simultaneously at both a vehicle wheel and at the rail.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Bichlmeier Ulrich

Classifications

• G01B21/26

  for testing wheel alignment · CPC title

• G01B11/275 Primary

  for testing wheel alignment · CPC title

• G01B11/26 Primary

  for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title

• G01B2210/62

  Support for workpiece air film or bearing with positive or negative pressure · CPC title

• G01B11/14

  for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures (G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00) · CPC title