INRETS and UVHC-IEMN are studying together the DIREP (Detection Identification de Rame En Panne) system to accelerate the coupling procedure, in case of breakdown, in the VAL (light automatic vehicle) automated transport network in Lille. When a breakdown happens on a train (i.e. a command failure), this can block all the line in the next minutes, since there are only few by-passes on the track and the system was not designed for this use. So, in this case, the driverless procedure operates a rendezvous and a coupling by the next train to drive the convoy to the next station. But this process, at a very low speed, wastes a lot of time. DIREP, which combines communication, anticollision, identification and diagnosis functions, will shorten the process by allowing the next train to run faster, and to slow down close to the blocked train. Moreover, it works in a narrow subway tunnel, with many curves in both planes, causing multipath effects on the transmissions. In this paper, it is shown how a car warning radar system was adapted to these requirements. For example, the identification function uses a transponder on the train ahead. Afterwards, the system architecture is described as well as the technology adopted for the transmitter and the transponder. Some tunnel trial results are presented. For the covering abstract see ITRD E209471.
Abstract