APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS AND/OR PEOPLE

• US 20180039285A1
• Filed: 08/07/2017
• Published: 02/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyperloop Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hyperloop Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: GIEGEL, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 10,831,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 13/04 Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/38 with automatic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/38 for collecting current from conductor rails B60L5/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/30 Power rails
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/42 convertible from one use to a different one vehicles capable of travelling in or on different media, rail-and-road vehicles B60F
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/00 Other railway systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 17/02 Joining articles, e.g. cans, directly to each other for convenience of storage, transport, or handling
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 69/00 Articles joined together for convenience of storage or transport without the use of packaging elements packages joined together B65D5/427, B65D21/02 ; joining articles for convenience of packaging B65B17/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

Method and system for autonomously transporting people and/or goods. The method includes requesting conveyance of a payload from a designated area to a destination, autonomously moving at least one module to the designated area, loading the at least one module with a payload within the designated area, and, via the at least one module, autonomously transporting the payload to the destination.

Claims

1. A method for autonomously transporting people and/or goods, comprising:

requesting conveyance of a payload from a designated area to a destination;

autonomously moving at least one module to the designated area;

loading the at least one module with a payload within the designated area;

via the at least one module, autonomously transporting the payload to the destination.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, based upon a size and shape of the payload to be conveyed, a specific number of the at least one modules for supporting and autonomously transporting the payload is determined.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising instructing specific ones of the at least one module to autonomously move to the designated area.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, when the specific ones of the at least one module is greater than one, the instructed specific ones of the at least one module position themselves relative to each other to receive and balance the payload.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the payload loaded at least one module travels in a convoy comprising a plurality of other payload loaded modules.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the payload loaded at least one module autonomously moves from the designated area and autonomously joins the convoy.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising magnetically connecting the payload loaded at least one module to an other payload loaded module of the convoy, wherein the convoy moves to the destination.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, when the convoy reaches the destination, the payload loaded at least one module decoupled from the convey and autonomously moves to a designated unloading zone.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the destination is reached, the payload loaded at least one module autonomously moves to a designated unloading zone.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising unloading the payload from the at least one module and autonomously moving the at least one module to a second designated area.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in the second designated area, the at least one module awaits further instructions.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the payload comprises one of a container, a train car, a pod or a flatbed carrier

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one module comprises at least two wheels and a chassis arranged between the wheels.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one module comprises a magnetic levitation module.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one module comprises a battery and the method further comprises charging the battery while the at least one module is autonomously transporting the payload to the destination.

16. A system for autonomously transporting people and/or goods, comprising:

a payload structured for carrying people and/or goods;

at least one module, which is configured for autonomous movement and structured to support the payload,

wherein the payload is removably connectable to the at least one module.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one module comprises two wheels and a chassis arranged between the two wheels.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one module comprises a steering system for guiding the autonomously moving at least one module.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one module comprises a rechargeable battery and a connection for charging the battery while the at least one module is autonomously moving.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one module comprises at least one magnetic coupling structured and arranged to releasably couple the at least one module to another at least one module.