Intelligent POD management and transport

• US 10,150,524 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2018
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Steward Evans
• Original Assignee: Michael Steward Evans
• Inventors: Evans, Michael Steward
• Primary Examiner(s): Gurari, Erez
• Application Number:
  US15/960,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20180237086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 5/02 convertible into aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/46 Vehicles with auxiliary ad-on propulsions, e.g. add-on electric motor kits for bicycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/40 related to technical updates when adding new parts or software
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/38 for collecting current from conductor rails B60L5/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/30 Power rails
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/423 from transport of persons to transport of goods
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 27/06 readily releasable
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 31/003 compact cars, e.g. city cars
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 31/025 having modular sections
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 47/006 Vehicles which can be divided in sub-vehicles; nestable vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 63/025 Modular vehicles superstructures for busses having modular sections B62D31/025
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/61 for transporting passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 : autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 : Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 : Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 : using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 : Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 : for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/92 : Portable platforms
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 : involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 : The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 : Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 : characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 : using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A transport system has a wheeled, steerable, self-powered, self-navigating carrier vehicle, having a substantially planar support frame, an on-board, rechargeable, battery-based power system, control circuitry, including GPS circuitry, on-board the carrier vehicle, adapted to drive and steer the carrier vehicle, and an upward-facing carrier interface adapted to the support frame, the carrier interface having first physical engagement elements, and a passenger pod adapted to carry both packages and persons, the passenger pod having a structural framework, a rechargeable, battery-based power system, and a downward-facing pod interface adapted to the structural framework, the carrier interface having second physical engagement elements. The passenger pod, placed upon the carrier vehicle, engages the downward-facing pod interface to the upward-facing carrier interface by the first and second physical engagement elements.

Claims

1. A transport system, comprising:

a wheeled, steerable, carrier vehicle, having an on-board, rechargeable, battery-based power system powering electrical motors adapted to drive the wheels, carrier control circuitry, including GPS circuitry, on-board the carrier vehicle, adapted to drive and steer the carrier vehicle, and an upward-facing carrier interface, the carrier interface having first physical engagement elements and first electrical connector elements; and

a passenger pod having a structural framework, a power system comprising a rechargeable pod battery having electrical capacity to drive the carrier vehicle, and a downward-facing pod interface, the pod interface having second physical engagement elements, and second electrical connector elements;

wherein the passenger pod, placed upon the carrier vehicle, engages the downward-facing pod interface to the upward-facing carrier interface by the first and second physical engagement elements, and engages the first and second electrical connector elements, and wherein, with the passenger pod connected to and carried by the carrier vehicle, the pod battery powers the carrier vehicle, supplying power through the first and second connector elements to the electric motors of the carrier vehicle.

2. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises wireless communication circuitry, enabling navigation and loading and unloading pods to and from carrier vehicles to be remotely-controlled.

3. The transport system of claim 1 further comprising physical controls accessible by the passenger, wherein the pod interface and the carrier interface each have electronic engagement ports that engage and disengage when a pod is engaged and disengaged from a carrier vehicle, enabling a passenger in the pod to drive and steer the carrier vehicle.

4. The transport system of claim 1 further comprising an upward-facing physical attachment interface as a part of the passenger pod, the upward-facing physical attachment interface compatible with a downward-facing physical attachment interface on a drone, enabling the passenger pod to be carried by the drone, to be deposited by the drone on the carrier vehicle, and to be picked up by the drone from the carrier vehicle.

5. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the carrier vehicle is configured to carry a passenger pod carrying a single passenger.

6. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the carrier vehicle has fore and aft-facing latches, enabling carrier vehicles to be joined end-to-end, and to be navigated as a single vehicle.

7. The transport system of claim 6 wherein four carrier vehicles are joined in a column, enabling four single-passenger pods to be placed and carried on the joined column of carrier vehicles, which is enabled to be navigated as a single carrier vehicle.

8. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the carrier vehicle has fore and aft-facing latches, and left and right-facing latches, enabling carrier vehicles to be joined in columns and rows to carry passenger pods placed on the joined carrier vehicles in the columns and rows.

9. The transport system of claim 8 wherein carrier vehicles are joined by the fore and aft-facing latches and by the left and right-facing latches, forming a 2 by 4 array of carriers, enabling placement and transport of a single passenger pod on each of the joined carrier vehicles.

10. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the carrier vehicle'"'"'s substantially planar support frame is sized and enabled to carry four single-passenger pods in a column, with one set of wheels fore and aft.

11. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the carrier vehicle'"'"'s substantially planar support frame is sized and enabled to carry eight single-passenger pods in two columns, four pods per column, with one set of wheels fore and aft.

12. The transport system of claim 10 wherein the passenger pod is a four-person pod, and the carrier vehicle carries one four-person pod.

13. The transport system of claim 11 wherein the pod is an eight-person pod in two columns and four rows, and the carrier vehicle carries one eight-person pod.

14. The transport system of claim 1 further comprising a charging station for charging batteries of pods and carriers, the charging station having a power supply and a conductor element enabled to connect to charging circuitry in passenger pods or carrier vehicles, as the carrier vehicles and pods pass the charging station, power being transferred from the charging station to the batteries in the pods or carrier vehicles.

15. The transport system of claim 14 wherein the conductor element comprises a cable connected to the charging station, and controllable to connect to a charging port on a carrier vehicle or a passenger pod, and to stay connected while the carrier vehicle or passenger pod moves by the charging station.

16. The transport system of claim 14 wherein the conductor element comprises a rail presented along a direction of travel of a passenger pod or carrier vehicle, and the passenger pod or carrier vehicle comprises a sliding contact element enabled to contact and slide along the rail while passing the charging station, power being transferred from the charging station through the rail and the sliding element to a battery of the carrier vehicle or passenger pod.

17. The transport system of claim 14 further comprising a first ultra-capacitor in the charging station, and a second ultra-capacitor in charging circuitry of a passenger pod or a carrier vehicle, and wherein the charging station charges the first ultra-capacitor between charging cycles involving passenger pods or carrier vehicles, and during a charging cycle, the first ultra-capacitor charges the second ultra-capacitor, and the second ultra-capacitor charges the passenger pod or carrier vehicle battery after leaving the charging station.