Intelligent POD management and transport

• US 10,286,925 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2018
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Steward Evans
• Original Assignee: Michael Steward Evans
• Inventors: Evans, Michael Steward
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuhfuss, Zachary L
• Application Number:
  US15/982,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20180265098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/39 from third rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/30 Power rails
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 1/02 General arrangement of stations and platforms including protection devices for the passengers B61B1/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/00 Other railway systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 3/02 with self-propelled vehicles
• 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: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• 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 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 25/22 Tracks for railways with the vehicle suspended from rigid supporting rails

Abstract

A transport system has a first set of substantially parallel rails supported above ground level by support structures, a trolley having wheels mounted to a frame with the wheels engaging the rails, at least one wheel powered to move the trolley along the set of rails, a portion of the frame depending between the rails to a level below the rails, and a downward-facing latching interface on the depending portion of the frame, and a pod enabled to carry a passenger or parcels, or both, engaged by an upward-facing latching interface to the downward-facing latching interface of the trolley, such that, as the trolley travels along the rail set, the pod is carried along below the rail set.

Claims

1. A transport system, comprising:

a first set of two substantially parallel rails supported above ground level by support structures;

a trolley having four wheels mounted to a frame with two wheels engaging each of the two substantially parallel rails, at least one wheel of the four powered by an electric motor to move the trolley along the set of substantially parallel rails, a portion of the frame depending between the two substantially parallel rails to a level below the rails, and downward-facing interfaces comprising first electrical power connectors and first physical latching elements on the depending portion of the frame;

a first battery in the trolley, of a capacity sufficient to power the electric motor to drive the trolley; and

one or more pods enabled to carry a passenger or parcels, or both, each having a battery of sufficient power to drive the electric motor to drive the trolley, and an upward-facing interface comprising a second electrical power connector and second physical latching elements;

characterized in that the trolley is adapted to latch to and to carry a plurality of pods.

2. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the set of substantially parallel rails has straight sections and curved sections, and wheels of the trolley are articulated to follow the rails along curved sections.

3. The transport system of claim 2 further comprising a second set of substantially parallel rails, intersecting with a straight portion of the first set in a manner that the second set curves away from the first set, further comprising switching elements whereby the trolley, traveling along the first set, is switched to travel along the second set.

4. The transport system of claim 3 wherein the trolley further comprises on-board control circuitry, enabled to start, stop and change speed of the trolley traveling on the rail set.

5. The transport system of claim 4 wherein the on-board control circuitry further comprises wireless communication circuitry.

6. The transport system of claim 5 further comprising a control site external to the trolley, having control circuitry including a central processing unit (CPU) and wireless communication circuitry, and wherein the control circuitry of the control site external to the trolley is enabled to control the trolley and switching elements to divert the trolley from one set of rails to another.

7. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the first battery drives the electric motor to drive the trolley when the one or more pods are not engaged, and the first battery is chargeable by the pod battery when one or more pods are engaged.

8. The transport system of claim 7 wherein the pod has a charging port.

9. The transport system of claim 8 further comprising a charging station capable of engaging the charging port of the pod and recharging the pod battery.

10. The transport system of claim 9 wherein engaging the charging port of the pod by the charging station and charging the pod battery are accomplished while the pod travels by the charging station.

11. The transport system of claim 10 further comprising super-capacitors in the circuitry, enabling rapid charging.

12. The transport system of claim 7 wherein the trolley has a charging port, the system has a charging station, and the trolley is charged as the trolley travels past the charging station.

13. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the one or more pods have, in addition to the upward-facing interface, a downward-facing interface comprising physical latching elements and an electrical power connector at a lower extremity of the pod, enabled to engage an upward-facing interface comprising physical latching elements and an electrical power connector, of a wheeled smart chassis, such that a pod may be transferred from the trolley to the smart chassis, to be driven along ground surfaces.

14. The transport system of claim 1 comprising a four-pod trolley.

15. The transport system of claim 1 further comprising an elevator platform upon which a pod is placed, which, by raising the elevator platform a pod is latched to a trolley.

16. The transport system of claim 1 wherein latches are implemented on forward and rearward interfaces of the trolley, such that trolleys are enabled to connect to and disconnect from other trolleys, forming traveling trains of trolleys.

17. The transport system of claim 1 wherein the upward-facing latching interface of the pod is compatible with a downward-facing latching interface of a drone, such that the pod may be carried by either the drone or the trolley.