System and method for coupling a component to a vehicle

An alignment system for coupling a component to a vehicle, the component including at least one component attachment device, said alignment system comprising:

• at least one sensor target coupled to the component at a first predetermined distance from the at least one component attachment device;
• a plurality of position detectors, each of said plurality of position detectors coupled to a predetermined location of a corresponding component retention assembly of a plurality of component retention assemblies on the vehicle, said plurality of position detectors configured to indicate a position of the at least one component attachment device relative to the plurality of component retention assemblies on the vehicle;
• a controller assembly at a first location on the vehicle configured to transmit a signal from the first location towards said at least one sensor target at a second location and receive positional information of said at least one sensor target relative to the plurality of component retention assemblies based on the predetermined location of said plurality of position detectors coupled to said plurality of component retention assemblies on the vehicle at a plurality of different locations remote from the first and second locations, wherein the positional information is associated with a reflected signal received at said plurality of position detectors at the plurality of different locations sent from said at least one sensor target at the second location, said controller assembly comprising a processor programmed to:
• compare the received positional information to a known set of alignment points;
• determine a component repositioning sequence using the comparison;
• and
• transmit, using a transmitter, an orientation dataset to a processing device communicatively coupled to said processor.

A method for coupling a component to a vehicle, the component including at least one component attachment device, said method comprising:

• transmitting a signal from a first location towards at least one sensor target at a second location, the at least one sensor target coupled to the component at a first predetermined distance from the at least one component attachment device;
• detecting, by a plurality of position detectors, a reflected signal sent from the at least one sensor target at the second location, each of the plurality of position detectors coupled to a predetermined location of a corresponding component retention assembly of a plurality of component retention assemblies on the vehicle at a third location, the reflected signal indicative of a position of the at least one sensor target relative to the plurality of component retention assemblies based on a position of the at least one sensor target relative to a position of the plurality of position detectors and a position of the at least one component attachment device;
• receiving a positional dataset from the plurality of position detectors for the component relative to the plurality of component retention assemblies;
• comparing the received positional dataset to a known set of alignment points;
• determining a component repositioning sequence using the comparison;
• and
• transmitting, using a transmitter, an orientation dataset to a processing device.