Transport unit

Abstract

The invention provides a transport unit including at least one passenger transport vehicle and at least one attached driver vehicle; a set of networks including a train bus, first and second gateways, first and second vehicle buses each connected to the train bus via the first and second gateways respectively, and first and second on-board equipment groups connected solely to the first and second gateways. The transport unit includes at least two vehicles each having at least one piece of equipment in the first equipment group and at least one piece of equipment in the second equipment group.

1 : A transport unit comprising:
 at least one passenger transport vehicle and at least one driver vehicle attached to the passenger vehicle and forming a self-contained vehicle set having on-board propulsion equipment; and   a set of networks conveying traffic in real time, the set of networks including a train bus, first and second gateways, first and second vehicle buses each connected to the train bus via the first and second gateways respectively, and first and second on-board equipment groups including pieces of equipment connected solely to the first and second gateways respectively via the first and second vehicle buses respectively;   at least two vehicles each including at least one piece of equipment of the first equipment group and one piece of equipment of the second equipment group.   
   
   
       2 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle bus and the first equipment group and the second vehicle bus and the second equipment group are distributed amongst all of the vehicles of the transport unit. 
   
   
       3 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , the set of networks further includes a third gateway, a third vehicle bus connected to the train bus by the third gateway, and a third equipment group including pieces of equipment connected solely to the third vehicle bus, the third equipment group including only pieces of equipment suitable for managing communications, display, railway signaling, diagnosis, and driving control of the transport unit. 
   
   
       4 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the pieces of equipment belonging to each equipment group contribute to performing a function selected from the following functions: comfort; propulsion/braking; and controlling driving of the transport unit. 
   
   
       5 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the first equipment group includes only pieces of equipment suitable for managing and carrying out activities associated with passenger comfort. 
   
   
       6 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the first equipment group includes at least one piece of equipment selected from: a master computer; door control equipment; lighting equipment; public announcement equipment; heater and air conditioning equipment; equipment for delivering information to passengers; equipment for diagnosing comfort; and a washroom installation. 
   
   
       7 : The transport unit according  claim 1 , wherein the second equipment group includes only pieces of equipment suitable for managing and carrying out propulsion and braking of the transport unit. 
   
   
       8 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the second equipment group includes at least one piece of equipment selected from: a master computer; an electronic control unit for controlling propulsion equipment; an electronic control unit for controlling an auxiliary inverter; an electronic control unit for controlling high voltage distribution equipment; an electronic control unit for controlling a battery charger; an electronic control unit for controlling a compressed air production device; an electronic control unit for controlling traction/braking equipment; an electronic control unit anti-sliding; an electronic control unit for controlling a unit for detecting and extinguishing fire; an electronic unit for detecting bogie instability; and an electronic unit for detecting a hot axle bearing. 
   
   
       9 : The transport unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each equipment group includes a master computer for controlling the vehicle bus the master computer is connected to, the master computer being suitable for managing and controlling the other pieces of equipment of the equipment group, each master computer receiving data from the other pieces of equipment and being suitable for delivering synthesis data to the train bus representative of the operation of all of the other pieces of equipment of the equipment group, the synthesis data being encoded on a predefined number of bits regardless of the number and the type of pieces of equipment in the equipment group, the amount of data delivered by the master computer being less than the amount of data received by the master computer from the other pieces of equipment. 
   
   
       10 : The transport unit according to  claim 9 , wherein the pieces of equipment belonging to each equipment group contribute to performing a function selected from the following functions: comfort; propulsion/braking; and controlling driving of the transport unit, the master piece of equipment of the third equipment group being suitable for managing the control of the transport unit, the master piece of equipment of the third equipment group being suitable for controlling the master piece of equipment of the first and/or second equipment groups. 
   
   
       11 : The transport unit according to  claim 9 , wherein each gateway of the train bus includes at least one configuration table for converting the data format of each vehicle bus to the data format of the train bus and vice versa, and wherein the or each master piece of equipment of an equipment group includes a receiver for receiving a new computer program such that in the event of a piece of equipment being added or replaced with a new piece of equipment in the equipment group or in the event of a new control relationship being implemented for a piece of equipment, the or each master piece of equipment is suitable for being reprogrammed without modifying the configuration tables of the gateway to which the new piece of equipment is connected. 
   
   
       12 : The transport unit according to  claim 9 , wherein the or each master piece of equipment is suitable for delivering over a periodic transmission channel only data that signals existence and the sort of a fault.