Automatic control system for a railway vehicle's speed and stopping

A device for automatic control of a railway vehicle, comprising:

• a detection means to be carried onboard the railway vehicle for detecting markers along a railway track;
• and
• processing means for processing signals supplied from said detection means for controlling the speed of the railway vehicle as a function of the railway vehicle's position and instantaneous speed on a track section of the railway track;
• wherein the markers on a said track section comprise markers arranged at intervals at an entry portion of said track section and markers arranged to define a beacon that identifies said section;
• and
• wherein said processing means comprises a memory storing a vehicle progress program in the form of codes associated with each said marker along the railway track, each code containing a data item relating to the type of said marker, a data item relating to a set-point speed for the railway vehicle at said marker and a data item relating an identifier number of said track section, coherence means for determining whether signals supplied from said detection means to said processing means relating to markers detected along the railway track and data items form said memory storing the vehicle progress program are contained in a spatial window of a predetermined value, and an overspeed device for commanding emergency braking of the railway vehicle if said coherence means determines that said signals from said detection means and said data items from said memory are not within said spatial window.