Method and system for wireless vehicle leveling
OwnerMatthew John Tooley, Carla G Surrattinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a method and system for wireless vehicle leveling. The system incorporates a wireless remote sensor featuring an inertial measurement unit, comprising accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, to precisely measure the vehicle's tilt in roll, pitch, and yaw axes. The sensor wirelessly communicates with a second computer equipped with a display, providing real-time visualization of the vehicle's current tilt and the necessary adjustments to attain a level position. Additionally, the invention encompasses techniques for eliminating zero-bias caused by magnetic fields and customizing the zero-bias calibration. The method is highly adaptable and compatible with various vehicle types, including recreational vehicles.
Claims15
A vehicle leveling system comprising:
- a sensor device attachable to a vehicle, said sensor device comprising an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, and a microcontroller executing a sensor fusion algorithm including a Kalman filter or complementary filter together with calibration routines for zero-bias removal to compute real-time roll, pitch, and yaw angles of said vehicle with improved accuracy and stability;
- a smart device with a display, a wireless transceiver, and a computing unit, said smart device being wirelessly connected to said sensor device, receiving said real-time roll, pitch, and yaw angles from said sensor device, and presenting said angles on said display as a graphical bubble level overlaid on an representation of said vehicle, the display further showing symbols corresponding to leveling jacks of the vehicle and required height adjustments for each jack position:
- wherein said smart device calculates and displays height adjustments for leveling jacks of said vehicle based on said real-time roll, pitch, and yaw angles, and further provides real-time guidance for selecting a parking location by visualizing site-level tilt and projected jack adjustments while the vehicle is maneuvering or before leveling jacks are deployed, thereby enabling users to achieve an optimal level position of said vehicle on uneven terrains.
A method of leveling a vehicle, comprising:
- attaching a sensor device to the vehicle, said sensor device comprising an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, and a microcontroller executing a sensor fusion algorithm including a Kalman filter or complementary filter together with calibration routines for zero-bias removal and drift correction to compute real-time roll, pitch, and yaw angles of said vehicle;
- establishing a wireless communication link between said sensor device and a smart device;
- transmitting said computed roll, pitch, and yaw angles from said sensor device to said smart device;
- displaying, on said smart device, a graphical bubble level overlaid on a representation of said vehicle, the display further showing symbols corresponding to leveling jacks of the vehicle and required height adjustments for each jack position;
- calculating, on said smart device, height adjustments for the leveling jacks based on said roll, pitch, and yaw angles;
- and
- providing real-time guidance for selecting a parking location by visualizing site-level tilt and projected jack adjustments while maneuvering the vehicle or before deploying the leveling jacks, thereby enabling the user to achieve an optimal level position of said vehicle on uneven terrain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.