Apparatus and method for gathering data from sensors oriented at an oblique angle relative to a railway track

A method for gathering, storing, and processing profiles of one or both rails on a railway track using a railway track assessment apparatus while the railway track assessment apparatus travels on a rail vehicle along the railway track, the method comprising:

• locating a plurality of pixels using a railway track assessment apparatus, the railway track assessment apparatus comprising:
• a processor;
• a system controller in communication with the processor;
• a data storage device in communication with the processor;
• a power source for providing electric power to the track assessment apparatus;
• a first sensor pod attached adjacent to an undercarriage of the rail vehicle, the first sensor pod comprising:
• a first 3D sensor in communication with the system controller, the first 3D sensor configured in an orientation at an oblique angle β relative to a railway track bed surface supporting rails on which the rail vehicle is moving and configured in an orientation substantially perpendicular to the supporting rails to obtain a side view of a first side of a first rail of the railway track and obtain data from the railway track;
• and
• a first structured light generator in communication with the system controller;
• determining a distance between the 3D sensor and a center of a rail along the railway track using the processor;
• and
• calibrating using the processor to determine the real-world width of a pixel from a scan made by the 3D sensor of the rail.