US 12,066,302 B2
Vehicle leveling using handheld mobile device
John Peter Manfreda, St. Clair Shores, MI (US); Matthew A. Collin, Ferndale, MI (US); and Tod Cunningham, New Hudson, MI (US)
Assigned to Lippert Components, Inc., Mishawaka, IN (US)
Filed by Lippert Components, Inc., Mishawaka, IN (US)
Filed on Jul. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/380,288.
Application 17/380,288 is a continuation of application No. 16/865,611, filed on May 4, 2020, granted, now 11,105,623.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/844,200, filed on May 7, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0372791 A1, Dec. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. G01C 9/04 (2006.01); B60S 9/02 (2006.01); G01B 5/24 (2006.01); B60P 3/36 (2006.01); B66F 7/24 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G08C 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01C 9/04 (2013.01) [B60S 9/02 (2013.01); G01B 5/24 (2013.01); B60P 3/36 (2013.01); B66F 7/24 (2013.01); G05D 1/0891 (2013.01); G08C 17/00 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for leveling a selected surface of a structure, the system comprising:
a platform leveling assembly (PLA) configured to be supported on the structure to be leveled, the PLA including:
a PLA controller configured to be communicatively coupled with one or more leveling devices and configured to send, to the leveling device(s), leveling device commands that, when received by the leveling device(s), cause the leveling device(s) to change the attitude of the structure; and
a PLA receiver communicatively coupled with the PLA controller and configured to receive wireless signals carrying a leveling device instruction and to send the leveling device instruction to the PLA controller; and
wherein the leveling device instruction includes an automatic leveling device instruction that instructs the PLA to level the structure according to a stored zero-point reference value, wherein the stored zero-point reference value is set after having leveled the selected surface using an automatic leveling process; and
a handheld mobile device including:
a tilt sensor configured to sense an attitude of the selected surface on which the handheld mobile device is placed;
a transmitter configured to send wireless signals to the PLA receiver;
a mobile device controller communicatively coupled to the tilt sensor and the transmitter;
wherein the mobile device controller is configured to receive signals from the tilt sensor indicating the attitude of the selected surface on which the handheld mobile device is placed;
wherein the handheld mobile device is configured to receive a zero-point set command from the user and to send a corresponding zero-point set command signal to the PLA controller via the transmitter and the PLA receiver, and wherein the PLA controller is configured to store an attitude reference value in response to receiving the corresponding zero-point set command signal;
wherein the system is configured to carry out the automatic leveling process, which includes:
obtaining a first attitude of the selected surface on which the handheld mobile device is placed, wherein the first attitude of the selected surface is obtained from the tilt sensor of the handheld mobile device;
generating a leveling device command based on the first attitude of the selected surface on which the handheld mobile device is placed;
operating at least one of the one or more leveling devices according to the leveling device command;
after operating the at least one leveling device, obtaining a second attitude of the selected surface on which the handheld mobile device is placed, wherein the second attitude of the selected surface is obtained from the tilt sensor of the handheld mobile device; and
determining whether the second attitude of the selected surface on which the handheld mobile device is placed indicates that the selected surface is level.