US 12,013,232 B2
Non-contact inspection system for multi-axle heavy-duty vehicles
Timothy A. Strege, Sunset Hills, MO (US); Daniel R. Dorrance, Ballwin, MO (US); and Nicholas J. Colarelli, III, Frontenac, MO (US)
Assigned to HUNTER ENGINEERING COMPANY, St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed by Hunter Engineering Company, Bridgeton, MO (US)
Filed on Nov. 10, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/094,422.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/990,815, filed on Mar. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/935,463, filed on Nov. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0148702 A1, May 20, 2021
Int. Cl. G01B 11/26 (2006.01); G01B 11/275 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01)
CPC G01B 11/2755 (2013.01) [G06T 7/0004 (2013.01); G01B 2210/20 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-contact vehicle inspection system configured to measure one or more parameters associated with one or more heavy-duty vehicles in motion through an inspection lane, each having at least a first steerable axle together with a plurality of additional axles, comprising:
a plurality of sensor modules disposed on opposite lateral sides of said inspection lane, said sensor modules configured to acquire measurement data representative of displacements between a plurality of laser emitters and points on said passing heavy-duty vehicles illuminated by said laser emitters;
a processing system configured to receive said acquired measurement data from said plurality of sensor modules, said processing system configured with software instructions to evaluate said received measurement data representing displacements to determine a relative thrust angle in relation to an axis of said inspection lane for each axle in at least a pair of said additional axles; and
wherein said processing system is further configured with software instructions to determine from said relative thrust angles, a representation of a tandem scrub angle between at least said one pair of said additional axles associated with said passing heavy-duty vehicle.