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Harsco Corporation

Edwin H Reeves

Roger H Tracy

G Robert Newman

Nicholas J Radclyffe

Robert Mark Longden

A hand-held probe ( ) for measuring a tire tread profile comprises a housing ( ) with a slit ( ) formed parallel to its major axis, a range finder ( ) mounted inside the housing ( ) in such a way that it can traverse much of the length of the tube while directing light from a laser through a window ( ) and onto a tire surface, a bracket ( ) that is carried by the proximal end of the tube to enable the user to hold the probe ( ) in position against the tire, a serial port ( ) for connection with a computer ( ), and a handle ( ) that houses the batteries for operation and an IR or RF transmitter. The IR or RF transmitter is for transmitting the tire tread profile wirelessly to a computer suitably equipped to receive IR or RF transmissions.

Hand held probe for measuring tire tread wear

A spiker vehicle and associated method of spiking apply a line of laser light which is reflected from a tie plate and imaged by a CCD camera connected to a computer programmed for image recognition by simultaneously determining the locations of two spike holes in the tie plate and the edge(s) of the tie plate, which spike holes are offset in the rail direction. A first spiker is mounted to a carriage which is moved automatically until the first spiker is over one of the sensed holes. The laser and camera are mounted to the spiker for rail direction movement therewith. A second spiker may be mounted to the carriage for spiking spike holes on the opposite side of the rail from the first spiker.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, SC, United States of America

Edwin H Reeves