EQUIPMENT MODULE FOR A VEHICLE AND VEHICLE WITH A VEHICLE BODY COMPRISING A CARGO SPACE

• US 20120261981A1
• Filed: 04/13/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Paul, Carsten
• Granted Patent: US 9,211,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06 Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/062 Belts or other passenger restraint means for passenger seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0696 Means for fastening seats to floors, e.g. to floor rails
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/003 Devices for retaining pallets or freight containers securing freight containers on vehicles B60P7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

An equipment module for a vehicle comprises a floor element, at least one first inductive coupling element and at least one electronics unit. The floor element comprises at least one attachment means, which can be reached from the top, for attaching items of equipment, and on the underside at least one retaining means for attaching the floor element at a positioning space in a vehicle. The first inductive coupling element is arranged on the floor element and is connected to at least one electronics unit. The electronics unit is adapted for providing an identification signal by way of the first inductive coupling element, which identification signal makes it possible to identify the equipment module. The invention makes it possible to quickly reconfigure a cabin of a vehicle, and makes it possible for the vehicle to quickly identify all the reconfigurable installations for adapting items of equipment on the vehicle side.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body,

at least one equipment module having a floor element,

at least one first inductive coupling element,

at least one electronics unit,

wherein the floor element comprises at least one attachment means, which is accessible from the top for attaching at least one item of equipment, and

wherein the first inductive coupling element is arranged on the floor element and is connected to the at least one electronics unit, and

at least one vehicle space arranged in the vehicle body, having;

at least one floor area,

at least one retaining means arranged on the floor area, and

a grid of a plurality of second inductive coupling elements,

wherein the second inductive coupling elements are connected to at least one electronics unit of the vehicle,

wherein the dimensions of the floor element correspond to the grid of the plurality of second inductive coupling elements, and

wherein the electronics unit is configured for providing an identification signal by way of the first inductive coupling element, which identification signal makes it possible to identify the equipment module.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first inductive coupling element is arranged at the top of the floor element, and wherein the position of the first inductive coupling element is in or beside a region situated above the at least one attachment means.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the equipment module further comprises a distributor unit connected to the first inductive coupling element and configured for adjusting a voltage induced into the first inductive coupling element to at least one of a predetermined voltage value and a predetermined frequency and to provide the said voltage on at least one voltage output.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the distributor unit is configured for extracting an oscillation signal from a voltage induced into the first inductive coupling element, and to provide the oscillation signal, by way of a signal converter, as binary data to at least one data interface.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein at least one of the distributor unit and the electronics unit of the equipment module is configured for modulating data arriving at the data interface to form an oscillation signal that can be transmitted by way of the first inductive coupling element for the provision or transmission of data to correspondingly-positioned second inductive coupling elements.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first inductive coupling element is integrated directly into a floor panel of the floor element.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electronics unit of the equipment module is equipped to send out weight data.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the equipment module further comprises at least one passenger seat.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the equipment module further comprises at least one seat belt sensor device for detecting a fastening status of a seat belt means, wherein the electronics unit of the equipment module is equipped to send out the fastening status.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle space comprises at least one vehicle space opening through which an equipment module is slidable onto the floor area of the vehicle space for attaching to the at least one retaining means.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle space is configured as a cargo space whose clear ceiling height is not less than 1.80 m.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the floor area of the at least one vehicle space comprises a roller conveyor for at least one of a sliding-in cargo container and a freight pallet.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one retaining means of the at least one floor area is a grid of a plurality of retaining means.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the dimensions of the floor element further correspond to the grid of the plurality of retaining means.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.