A method and system for measuring railroad wheels, where the wheels may be measured
while mounted on railcars that are in motion. The method and system may be practiced
by using one or more lasers or other light sources to illuminate portions of the
surface of the railroad wheels, two or more of which may be substantially mutually
orthogonal. By converting images of the illuminated portions to coordinates, wheel
center position and diameter can be calculated, and once center position and diameter
are calculated, wheel profile parameters such as flange height, flange width, and
tread hollow can be calculated. The method and system produces accurate results
at speeds up to at least 60 miles per hour.
