Abstract: A system is disclosed which operates to collect high resolution three-dimensional surface mesh data from mechanical components which are used for component evaluation. The system includes a multidimensionally movable fixture mount for holding the mechanical components. A structured light pattern emitting projector is provided together with an image sensing camera for detecting impingement of the light pattern on the mechanical component and for generating the surface data. A set of software tools analyzes the data to provide numerical or quantitative component analysis and further presents the data in display form to allow intuitive or qualitative analysis for product and process improvement.

Abstract: The invention disclosed herein relates to a detection system for a profile line on an observed body which uses a linear array of sequentially energized energy beam emitters to project beams toward the body. Reflections of the beams are detected by a linear array of energy beam receivers which monitor wedge shaped sectors within a field of view. The known sequence of beam projection and the known sector of reception of reflected beams are used to identify points in space on the profile line.

Abstract: An improved method, and apparatus for performing the method, is disclosed for measuring and correcting the individual toe of pairs of steerable and non-steerable wheels of a vehicle relative to a longitudinal centerline passing through the midpoints of the wheel pairs. The improved methods utilize aimable alignment heads which are alternately mounted on the non-steerable wheels and the steerable wheels and are sighted only once on targets on the other wheels thereby eliminating the need for resighting after each toe adjustment is made. Optical cross-toe paths of each head operate in a continuous mode and provide a running display of incremental toe angle adjustments of one wheel while the toe display value associated with the other wheel of the pair is frozen, which other wheel is not being adjusted for toe.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed which utilizes modified wheel aligner heads and which accomplishes measurement of individual wheel toe on a vehicle having a pair of non-steerable rear wheels and a pair of steerable front wheels. The apparatus and method provides measurement of a steering or a rolling direction for the front and the rear wheel pair as a result of optical measurements taken relating the orientation of the planes of the wheels to the centerline of the vehicle chassis. Once the steering direction of the front wheels is obtained, individual toe measurements for the front wheels may be made relative to the chassis centerline. Alternatively, once the steering or average rolling direction of the rear wheels is obtained individual toe measurements for the rear wheels may be made relative to the chassis centerline and individual toe measurements for the front wheels may be made relative to the rear wheel rolling direction.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are disclosed by which toe is measured relative to a vehicle centerline or a nonsteerable wheel rolling direction for all four wheels on a vehicle having a pair of front steerable wheels and a pair of rear nonsteerable wheels. An alignment head is placed on one of the front wheels and another alignment head is placed on one of the rear wheels, both wheels being on the same side of the vehicle. The alignment heads project a beam pattern across the vehicle at the front and the rear. Reflectors are mounted on the other wheels at the front and the rear to intercept and reflect the beams back toward detectors included in the alignment heads. A beam pattern is also projected rearwardly along the length of the vehicle chassis from the alignment head mounted on the front wheel. A rear wheel mounted reflector intercepts the rearwardly projected beam pattern and reflects it back toward a detector in the front wheel mounted alignment head.

Abstract: A method is disclosed by which, through the use of known wheel alignment equipment including wheel mounted alignment heads and targets, the off-track condition between the rear and front wheel pairs of a vehicle and the rear wheel total toe is initially measured to determine if it is within specifications for the specific vehicle. Following adjustment of the rear wheels, if necessary, to place these characteristics within the specifications, the wheel alignment equipment on each side of the vehicle is adjusted to assume an orientation dictated by the remaining off-track condition and the rear wheel average rolling direction. The alignment equipment is then fixed in such orientations. The wheel mounted alignment heads and targets are thereafter transferred, with adjustments intact, to diagonally opposite wheels. The front wheels are then moved through a steering excursion sufficient to provide an indication on the targets that the total front wheel toe is split about the rear wheel average toe direction.

Abstract: An electronic aligner head is mounted on one rear wheel of a vehicle. The aligner head projects a light beam toward the front wheel on the same side of the vehicle. A centering gage is adapted to contact lower points on the inner flanges of each of the rear wheel rims. A lateral arm is connected to a housing on the centering gage. The lateral arm extends past the one rear wheel and carries a centering gage head on the free end. The arm is adjustable in length to place the centering gage head at the same lateral distance from the chassis centerline as the light beam projector. The centering gage is removed from the position between the rear wheel rims and placed in a similar position between the front wheel rims. The centering gage head is configured to either reflect the beam back to a light beam detector on the aligner head or alternatively to direct the beam to a detector in the gage head. The detector provides a signal indicative of the toe of the one rear wheel.

Abstract: In certain wheel alignment measuring apparatus, a fixture is clamped to the rim of a wheel and an alignment sensor is pendulously mounted upon the fixture so that as the wheel is rotated the sensor will not rotate with the fixture. However, since the plane of the fixture is not necessarily parallel to the plane of the wheel the sensor may oscillate relative to the ground surface as the wheel is rotated-a condition known as "runout" which results in sensor reading errors. This is corrected by rotating the fixture to three separate rotative positions and recording the sensor readings at each such position. Circuitry is provided for determining the true alignment of the wheel by calculating the amount of the runout error at the final rotative position of the wheel and correcting the sensor reading by this amount.

Abstract: A wheel alignment measuring system for measuring front wheel toe including a laser beam light projector mounted on a front wheel of a motor vehicle which projects a beam of light onto a pivotally mounted front mirror on the projector which oscillates back and forth through a ten degree angle about a reference line. The beam of light reflected from the oscillating mirror swings ten degrees on either side of a central reference beam line, and during its swing the beam strikes a fixed roof mirror mounted on the opposite front wheel of the vehicle. The thus reflected beam sweeps back and forth across the light projector and is successively intercepted by each of a pair of closely spaced photocells on the light projector, the cells being equally spaced on opposite sides of the reference beam line. The cells develop signals when they intercept the light beam which signals control and up/down counter through a flip-flop.

Abstract: A light projector mounted on a front wheel of a vehicle uses a single laser to develop a beam which is split into a pair of light beams. The first light beam is projected to a calibrated mirror mounted on an adjacent rear wheel and is reflected to a target mounted near the projector on the front wheel of the vehicle so that the front wheel may be aligned with the rear wheel. The second light beam is projected to a mirror mounted on the other front wheel and is reflected to a target mounted adjacent the projector to check the toe of the front wheels. The target comprises a multichannel encoder which develops a plurality of Gray-coded binary signals in response to the position of the return beam. A rotating prism causes the light beams to sweep repetitively in a vertical plane so that the beams will strike the mirrors and the targets even when the projector is not mounted in a level position.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for aligning the front wheels of a motor vehicle utilizing a beam projector and detector assembly on each wheel and an electronic computing means for determining the toe angles of the wheels in response to measured toe signals generated by the detectors. The computing means first subtracts one of the toe signals from the other, multiplies the difference by a selected correction factor to produce a correction signal, and then adds the correction signal to the larger of the measured toe signals and subtracts the correction signal from the smaller one to provide the true individual toe angles of the wheels. The signals derived by the computing means are applied to display devices which read out the correct values of the right and left toe angles. Although the correction factor is dependent on the dimensions of the frame of the vehicle, the steering suspension, and the mounting of the projector and detector assembly, it has been found that a correction factor of approximately 0.

Abstract: An electro-optical apparatus for determining, during caster angle measurement procedures, when the front wheels of a vehicle have been turned into a first desired steering position oriented in one rotative direction from a "straight-ahead" position and have thereafter been turned to a second desired steering position oriented in the opposite rotative direction from the "straight-ahead" position. A multiple light beam projector and a photosensitive detector are mounted to a front wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith, and a reflector is mounted to the rear wheel of the vehicle which is on the same side of the vehicle as the projector and detector. The projector rearwardly projects three directional beam patterns with each pattern consisting of sequentially emitted discrete beams which are projected at unique angles with respect to the plane of the front wheel.

Abstract: A light projector mounted on a front wheel of a vehicle provides a pair of light beams. The first light beam is projected to a roof mirror mounted on an adjacent rear wheel and is reflected to a first target mounted with the projector on the front wheel of the vehicle. The toe angle of the front wheel relative to the axis of rotation of the rear wheel of said vehicle is calculated from signals which are developed by said first target. The second light beam is projected to a mirror mounted on the other front wheel and is reflected to a second target mounted adjacent to the projector to determine the total toe angle between the front wheels. The difference between the total toe angle and the measured individual toe angle of the front wheel upon which the projector is mounted is calculated to provide the individual toe angle of the other front wheel relative to said axis of rotation of the rear wheel of the vehicle.