In an exemplary vehicle service facility that provides vehicle related sales, maintenance services or the like, a diagnostic tool has wireless packet data communication capabilities. To support voice communication, the tool also has one or more audible input/output transducers and a vocoder, and is configured to use VoIP technology or the like to enable wireless packet data transport of voice calls over the same wireless data links. The packet voice capability can support voice communications with technicians using other tools at the facility or with personnel in an office at the service facility. If the facility has a data link to a wide area packet network, like the Internet, the packet voice capability may also support voice communications with other parties having packet service. Examples are technicians at other locations or various personnel of technical support services for the tools or for different types of vehicles.

Vehicle diagnostic tool with packet and voice over packet communications and systems incorporating such a tool

A hybrid wheel alignment system and methodology use passive targets for a first pair of wheels (e.g. front wheels) and active sensing heads for another pair of wheels (e.g. rear wheels). The active sensing heads combine image sensors for capturing images of the targets with at least one spatial relationship sensor for sensing a relationship between the active sensing heads. One or both of the active sensing heads may include inclinometers or the like, for sensing one or more tilt angles of the respective sensing head. Data from the active sensing heads may be sent to a host computer for processing to derive one or more vehicle measurements, for example, for measurement of parameters useful in wheel alignment applications.

Vehicle wheel alignment system and methodology

A compact modular embedded device. A base module includes a processor, a memory medium operable to store a bootloader for executing graphical programs, a buss and a power input coupled to the processor, memory medium, and bus, for receiving power from a power source and providing the received power to the processor, memory medium, and bus. The base module can couple to a host computer via a transmission medium, receive a program from the host computer, and store the program in the memory medium. The base module may couple to extension modules via the bus in a stacked fashion, where the base module and the extension modules each include a respective substantially planar circuit board that when stacked are substantially parallel. Each extension module provides respective functionality for the device. The base module can execute the program to perform a function in conjunction with the extension modules.

Compact modular embedded device

A sensor calibration system for a mobile machine is disclosed. The sensor calibration system may have a positioning device configured to determine a desired sensing location on the mobile machine, a calibration object, and a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the calibration object from an actual sensing location on the mobile machine and to generate a corresponding signal. The sensor calibration system may also have a controller in communication with the sensor and the positioning device. The controller may be configured to compare the characteristic sensed from the actual sensing location to a known characteristic associated with the desired sensing location, and to determine a difference between the actual sensing location and the desired sensing location based on the comparison. The controller may further be configured to correct subsequent signals generated by the sensor based on the difference.

Machine sensor calibration system

A machine vision system is configured to facilitate placement of a vehicle service apparatus relative to an associated vehicle. The machine vision system is configured to utilize images of optical targets received from one or more cameras to guide the placement of the vehicle service apparatus relative to the associated vehicle.

Method and Apparatus For Guiding Placement of Vehicle Service Fixtures

In a machine vision system utilizing computer processing of image data, an imaging module incorporates the image sensor as well as pre-processing circuitry, for example, for performing a background subtraction and/or a gradient calculation. The pre-processing circuitry may also compress the image information. The host computer receives the pre-processed image data and performs all other calculations necessary to complete the machine vision application, for example, to determine one or more wheel alignment parameters of a subject vehicle. In a disclosed example useful for wheel alignment, the module also includes illumination elements, and the module circuitry provides associated camera control. The background subtraction, gradient calculation and associated compression require simpler, less expensive circuitry than for typical image pre-processing boards. Yet, the pre-processing at the imaging module substantially reduces the processing burden on the host computer when compared to machine vision implementations using direct streaming of image data to the host computer.

Gradient calculating camera board

A position determination system comprises a data processing system, a first measuring module, and a second measuring module. Both of the measuring modules are coupled to the data processing system. The first measuring module includes a first sensing device for obtaining positional data of a first testing target. A calibration sensing device is rigidly linked to the first sensing device. The positional relationship between the first sensing device and the calibration target is known. The system has a rotation mechanism for rotating the sensing device of the first sensing device. The second measuring module includes a second sensing device for obtaining positional data of a second testing target. A calibration target is rigidly linked to the second sensing device, and is used with the calibration sensing device to obtain a positional relationship between the calibration target and the calibration sensing device. The positional relationship between the second sensing device and the calibration target is known. A rotation mechanism is provided for rotating the second sensing device. The data processing system provides a user interface for indicating the positions of the first and second sensing devices.

Manjula Gururaj

Papers

Gradient calculating camera board

Self-calibrating position determination system and user interface