Method, apparatus and railroad vehicle, in particular rail vehicle, for signal recognition in railroad traffic, in particular rail traffic

An apparatus for signal recognition in railroad traffic comprising

• a) at least one detection device with which courses of railroad sections, in a railroad network are detectable at least partly and substantially in relation to geographical surroundings and railroad traffic signal control on the railroad section in a location-related manner in the form of reference location information and reference signal state information and which has a processing component, by which the geographical surroundings and the railroad traffic signal control in the detection context are assessable, wherein
• a) location-related reference data are storable either in an apparatus-internal storage device connected to the detection device including the processing component or in an apparatus-external storage device connectable to the detection device including the processing component, which reference data include with respect to the detected reference location information (ROI) and location-related reference signal state information in addition either location-related context and indication information supplied by the processing component on the basis of the assessment or location-related context and indication information supplied by the processing component on the basis of the assessment and location- and detection-context-related meta information,
• wherein
• b) a position determining device, with which in signal recognition operation for every x-arbitrary location on the railroad section on which a railroad vehicle, is movable, a railroad location coordinate, is determinable, with which the position of the vehicle is sufficiently specifiable,
• c) the detection device, with which with respect to the respectively determined railroad location coordinate there are detectable operation location information in relation to the geographical surroundings and operation signal state information in relation to a signal control installation for railroad traffic signal control,
• d) a position coordination device, which coordinates the operation location information with the reference location information and the operation signal state information with the reference signal state information in relation to the operation location information and the reference location information corresponding thereto on the basis of the stored reference data in such a way that the detected operation signal state information for the signal recognition which is intended to recognize a signal and/or a signal state for controlling the railroad traffic on the railroad section for the railroad location coordinate determined is found if the operation signal state information in relation to the operation location information and the reference location information corresponding thereto corresponds to reference signal state information contained in the reference data taking account of the context and indication information contained in the reference data or the context and indication information and the meta information.