Apparatus for detecting axial misalignment

A method for detecting axial misalignment of a beam sensor installed in a vehicle, the beam sensor transmitting a probing beam and receiving a reflected beam based on the probing beam, the method comprising:

• obtaining horizontal misalignment information indicative of whether a horizontal misalignment exists, the horizontal misalignment being misalignment of the probing beam with respect to a designed beam axis position in a horizontal direction, the horizontal direction corresponding to a width direction of the vehicle;
• diagnosing whether vertical misalignment exists, the vertical misalignment being misalignment of the probing beam with respect to the designed beam axis position in a vertical direction, the vertical direction corresponding to a height direction of the vehicle;
• determining, based on the horizontal misalignment information, whether diagnosis of the vertical misalignment is performed;
• executing diagnosis of the vertical misalignment upon the horizontal misalignment information representing that no horizontal misalignment exists;
• and
• disabling diagnosis of the vertical misalignment upon the horizontal misalignment information representing that horizontal misalignment exists.

A system for detecting axial misalignment of a beam sensor installed in a vehicle, the beam sensor transmitting a probing beam and receiving a reflected beam based on the probing beam, the system comprising:

• a central processor;
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium;
• and
• a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that cause the central processor to implement:
• obtaining horizontal misalignment information indicative of whether a horizontal misalignment exists, the horizontal misalignment being misalignment of the probing beam with respect to a designed beam axis position in a horizontal direction, the horizontal direction corresponding to a width direction of the vehicle;
• diagnosing whether vertical misalignment exists, the vertical misalignment being misalignment of the probing beam with respect to the designed beam axis position in a vertical direction, the vertical direction corresponding to a height direction of the vehicle;
• determining, based on the horizontal misalignment information, whether diagnosis of the vertical misalignment is performed;
• executing diagnosis of the vertical misalignment upon the horizontal misalignment information representing that no horizontal misalignment exists;
• and
• disabling diagnosis of the vertical misalignment upon the horizontal misalignment information representing that horizontal misalignment exists.