AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

1 . A measurement apparatus, comprising:

a rail that extends lengthwise in a first direction;

a movable member that is movably coupled to the rail to move along the rail in the first direction,

wherein the movable member vertically extends in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction,

wherein the movable member includes a region that is couplable to a first laser source device, and

wherein the movable member includes a surface; and

a plurality of alignment devices coupled to the rail,

wherein each alignment device extends in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and

wherein the plurality of alignment devices includes a first alignment device that comprises a base segment which is couplable to a measurement device.

2 . The measurement apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rail includes two beams that are coupled to each other via a plurality of bars that extend between the two beams, wherein each bar is located at some distance away from at least one other bar.

3 . The measurement apparatus of claim 2 , wherein at least two bars of the plurality of bars have a same length along the third direction.

4 . The measurement apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the movable member comprises a first vertical bar and a second vertical bar,

wherein the first vertical bar and the second vertical bar extend upward and away from the rail in the second direction,

wherein a bottom region of the first vertical bar and the second vertical bar is coupled to the rail, and

wherein the first vertical bar includes the region that is couplable to the first laser source device.

5 . The measurement apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first vertical bar has a first height, and the second vertical bar has a second height, wherein the first height and the second height are along the second direction.

6 . The measurement apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first height is same as the second height.

7 . The measurement apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:

a slidable apparatus movable coupled to a top region of the first vertical bar and the second vertical bar,

wherein the slidable apparatus is structured to move towards or away from the movable member, and

wherein one end of the slidable apparatus includes another region that is couplable to a second laser source device.

8 . The measurement apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the first alignment device includes the base segment and two end sections,

wherein the base segment is coupled to the rail, and

wherein first ends of the two end sections furthest away from the base segment are separated by some distance.

9 . The measurement apparatus of claim 8 ,

wherein one end of the base segment is coupled to a first end of each of two middle sections,

wherein each of the two middle sections extends at an angle away from the base segment, and

wherein second ends of the two middle sections are respectively and pivotably coupled to second ends of the two end sections.

10 . The measurement apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second ends of the two middle sections are respectively and pivotably coupled to the second ends of the two end sections via spring loaded hinges.

11 . The measurement apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the plurality of alignment devices includes a second alignment device and a third alignment device that extend in the third direction, and

wherein one end of the second alignment device and one end of the third alignment device are coupled the rail.

12 . The measurement apparatus of claim 11 ,

wherein the second alignment device and the third alignment device have a same length along the third direction,

wherein the second alignment device is coupled to a first bar segment and the third alignment device is coupled to a second bar segment at a same predetermined location, and

wherein the second alignment device and the third alignment device are respectively perpendicular to the first bar segment and the second bar segment.

13 . The measurement apparatus of claim 11 ,

wherein the second alignment device is coupled to a first bar segment at a pre-determined distance from one end of the second alignment device,

wherein the third alignment device is coupled to a second bar segment at the pre-determined distance from one end of the third alignment device, and

wherein the second alignment device and the third alignment device are respectively perpendicular to the first bar segment and the second bar segment.

14 . The measurement apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:

a third bar segment having a first clamp on a first end and a second clamp on a second end, wherein the first clamp and the second clamp are removably coupled to the second alignment device and the third alignment device.

15 . The measurement apparatus of claim 14 ,

wherein the third bar segment has a length that is greater than a third distance between the second alignment device and the third alignment device, and

wherein the length is along the first direction.

16 . A method of measuring a dimension, comprising:

coupling a plurality of alignment devices to a rail that that extends lengthwise in a first direction,

wherein each alignment device extends in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction;

placing a movable member on the rail,

wherein the movable member is structured to move along the rail in the first direction,

wherein the movable member vertically extends in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and the third direction,

wherein the movable member includes a region that is couplable to a first laser source device that is configured to project a first laser line, and

wherein the movable member includes a surface; and

performing a measurement using a measurement device that is coupled to a base segment of a first alignment device from the plurality of alignment devices,

wherein the measurement device is configured to project a laser beam on the surface to measure a distance between a first location of the measurement device and a second location of the movable member.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the measurement device includes a display that shows the distance between the first location of the measurement device and the second location of the movable member.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of alignment devices includes one end that that furthest away from the rail, wherein the one end of each of the plurality of alignment devices is in contact with a wheel of a vehicle.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the surface is coupled to a bottom region of the movable member.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the rail has a same length that is greater than or equal to than another length from a front bumper of a vehicle to a rear bumper of the vehicle.