Obstacle detection for a rail vehicle

A method for obstacle detection for a rail vehicle, the method comprising the following steps:

• determining a monitoring region in front of the rail vehicle as a function of:
• a position and a course of a track on which the rail vehicle is travelling, and
• a position and dimensions of a monitoring profile of the rail vehicle;
• capturing sensor data for determining at least one of a position or an orientation of the rail vehicle;
• determining the position and the course of the track on which the rail vehicle is travelling based on at least one of an alignment of the determined position or an orientation of the rail vehicle with digital map data;
• capturing objects in an environment of the rail vehicle by using sensors;
• determining which of the objects being potential collision obstacles by checking whether and to what extent the obstacles overlap with the monitoring region;
• and
• determining a reaction to the objects categorized as potential obstacles, as a function of at least one of geometric or kinetic attributes of the objects.

An obstacle detection device, comprising:

• a monitoring region determination unit for determining a monitoring region in front of a rail vehicle as a function of:
• at least one of a position or a course of a track on which the rail vehicle is travelling, and
• at least one of a position or dimensions of a monitoring profile of the rail vehicle;
• sensor data for determining at least one of a position or an orientation of the rail vehicle being captured;
• at least one of the position or the course of the track on which the rail vehicle is travelling being determined based on at least one of an alignment of the determined position or the orientation of the rail vehicle with digital map data;
• a sensor unit for sensory capture of objects in an environment of the rail vehicle;
• an obstacle determination unit for determining which objects are potential collision obstacles by checking whether and to what extent the objects overlap with the monitoring region;
• and
• a response determination unit for determining a reaction to the objects categorized as potential collision obstacles, as a function of at least one of geometric or kinetic attributes of the objects.