Patent ID: 7616329

Claim:
A system for inspecting a railroad track bed, including the railroad track, to be mounted on a vehicle for movement along the railroad track, the system comprising: at least one light generator positioned adjacent the railroad track for projecting a beam of light across the railroad track bed; at least one optical receiver positioned adjacent the railroad track for receiving at least a portion of the light reflected from the railroad track bed and generating a plurality of images representative of the profile of at least a portion of the railroad track bed; and at least one processor for analyzing the plurality of images and determining one or more physical characteristics of the said portion of the railroad track bed, the one or more physical characteristics comprising at least a geographic location of the plurality of images along the railroad track bed, wherein the processor includes an algorithm for determining the distance between crossties of the railroad track bed, the algorithm comprising the steps of: (a) analyzing a first frame, one or more intermediate frames and an end frame of the plurality of images, the first and end frames comprising crossties while the one or more intermediate frames lack crossties; (b) determining a number of the one or more intermediate frames lacking crossties; (c) determining a known spacing between frames; and (d) determining the distance between the crossties of the first and end frames based upon the number of the one or more intermediate frames lacking crossties and the known spacing between the frames.