Method for determining the movement state of a wheel (RD) of a rail vehicle (SFZ) with respect to the rail (SCH) traversed by the wheel (RD) of the rail vehicle (SFZ), - wherein a camera (KAM) focused on a wheel-rail region on the rail vehicle (SFZ) is used to capture, as an image sequence, successive images of the wheel-rail region, wherein the wheel-rail region contains at least a sub-region (RDLF) of a wheel (RD) of the rail vehicle (SFZ) as well as at least a sub-region (SK) of a rail (SCH) to be traversed by the wheel (RD), - wherein a region (GER), as a contact region (GER), is ascertained in the images, along which the sub-region (RDLF) of the wheel (RD) and the sub-region (SK) of the rail (SCH) are in contact, - wherein in a first image of the image sequence of the sub-region (SK) of the rail (SCH) at least a characteristic point (PlSK) is ascertained which is clearly optically recognizable in the first image and in images which follow the first image, - wherein in the first image of the sub-region (RDLF) of the wheel (RD) at least one characteristic point (PlRDLF) is ascertained which is clearly optically recognizable in the first image and in the images which follow the first image, - wherein for the successive images of the sub-region (SK) of the rail (SCH), respective distances (DlSK) of the characteristic points (PlSK) from the contact region (GER) are determined, - wherein for the successive images of the sub-region (RDLF) of the wheel (RD), respective distances (DlRDLF) of the characteristic points (PlRDLF) from the contact region (GER) are determined, - wherein the movement state of the wheel (RD) is determined from a change in the distance (DlSK, DlRDLF) of the characteristic points (PlSK, PlRDLF) from the contact region (GER), which results from the successive images. - wherein a camera (KAM) focused on a wheel-rail region on the rail vehicle (SFZ) is used to capture, as an image sequence, successive images of the wheel-rail region, wherein the wheel-rail region contains at least a sub-region (RDLF) of a wheel (RD) of the rail vehicle (SFZ) as well as at least a sub-region (SK) of a rail (SCH) to be traversed by the wheel (RD), - wherein a region (GER), as a contact region (GER), is ascertained in the images, along which the sub-region (RDLF) of the wheel (RD) and the sub-region (SK) of the rail (SCH) are in contact, - wherein in a first image of the image sequence of the sub-region (SK) of the rail (SCH) at least a characteristic point (PlSK) is ascertained which is clearly optically recognizable in the first image and in images which follow the first image, - wherein in the first image of the sub-region (RDLF) of the wheel (RD) at least one characteristic point (PlRDLF) is ascertained which is clearly optically recognizable in the first image and in the images which follow the first image, - wherein for the successive images of the sub-region (SK) of the rail (SCH), respective distances (DlSK) of the characteristic points (PlSK) from the contact region (GER) are determined, - wherein for the successive images of the sub-region (RDLF) of the wheel (RD), respective distances (DlRDLF) of the characteristic points (PlRDLF) from the contact region (GER) are determined, - wherein the movement state of the wheel (RD) is determined from a change in the distance (DlSK, DlRDLF) of the characteristic points (PlSK, PlRDLF) from the contact region (GER), which results from the successive images. <EOS>