Reconfigurable pods for use with one or more vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465545-B2
Application number	US-201916444404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2019
Priority date	Jun 18, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A modular transportation system to transport one or more persons and/or objects. The system may include a pod with wall segments that mount together to form an interior space to house the one or more persons and/or objects. The wall segments are modular and configured to connect together in a variety of different configurations to selectively configure the interior space. Vehicles are each configured to individually connect to the pod and to transport the pod from a first location to a second location. At least one of the vehicles is configured to transport the pod by land and at least one of the vehicles is configured to transport the pod by air.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular transportation system to transport one or more persons, one or more objects, or a combination of persons and objects, the system comprising:
a pod comprising wall segments that mount together to form an interior space to house the one or more persons or objects, the wall segments being modular and configured to connect together in a variety of different configurations to selectively configure a shape and size of an exterior of the pod and of the interior space;
a plurality of vehicles each configured to individually connect to the pod and to transport the pod from a first location to a second location; and
at least one of the vehicles configured to transport the pod by land and at least one of the vehicles configured to transport the pod by air;
wherein one or more of the wall segments form the exterior of the pod and are exposed when the pod is connected to the plurality of vehicles;
wherein one or more of the wall segments comprise:
one or more floor wall segments;
one or more roof wall segments; and
one or more lateral sidewall segments configured to connect to the one or more floor wall segments and the one or more roof wall segments in multiple different locations;

further comprising one or more partitions configured to be mounted within the interior space at different locations with each of the variety of different configurations comprising the wall segments in a base configuration and the one or more partitions mounted at the different locations within the interior space, the one or more partitions comprising a door for the one or more persons to move between different sections while the pod is being transported by the vehicles.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein
each of the wall segments comprises an interior side that faces inward towards the interior space and an exterior side that faces outward away from the interior space.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the lateral sidewall segments comprises a window that aligns with a window on one of the vehicles when the pod is connected to the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interior space includes a common square foot area in each of the different configurations of the pod.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interior space includes a different square foot area in two or more of the different configurations of the pod.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the wall segments comprise openings and one or more of the wall segments comprise extensions sized to fit into the openings, the extensions configured to fit into different ones of the openings to connect the wall segments together in the variety of different configurations to selectively configure the interior space.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the wall segments are magnetic to form an electromagnetic shield around the interior space.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wall segments are connected together to form a seal for the interior space to be waterproof.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the wall segments are opaque and one or more of the wall segments are translucent.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the vehicles comprise wheels that are driven by an engine to transport the pod by land and one or more of the vehicles comprise an aircraft engine to transport the pod by air.

11. A modular transportation system to transport one or more persons or objects, the system comprising:
a pod comprising:
wall segments that mount together to extend around and form an interior space to house the one or more persons, one or more objects, or a combination of persons and objects,
the wall segments comprising
floor wall segments;
roof wall segments;
lateral sidewall segments configured to connect to the floor wall segments and the roof wall segments in multiple different locations;

one or more partitions configured to be mounted relative to the lateral sidewall segments at different locations with each of a variety of different configurations comprising the wall segments in a base configuration and the one or more partitions mounted at the different locations, at least one of the one or more partitions comprising a door for the one or more persons to move between different sections of the interior space;
a track system comprising slots and extensions positioned on one or more of the wall segments to connect the one or more wall segments together at a variety of different orientations to selectively configure the interior space;

a plurality of vehicles each configured to individually connect to the pod and to transport the pod from a first location to a second location; and
at least one of the vehicles configured to transport the pod by land and at least one of the vehicles configured to transport the pod by air;
wherein one or more of the wall segments are exposed when the pod is connected to and being transported by at least one of the vehicles.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the wall segments form a first pod section and a second pod section, the first and second pod sections comprise a fixed size and are configured to move relative to one another with the track system to adjust a size of the interior space.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first and second pod sections are in a telescoping arrangement.

14. A method of using the modular transportation system for transporting one or more persons, one or more objects, or a combination of persons and objects, the system comprising: a pod comprising wall segments that mount together to form an interior space to house the one or more persons or objects, the wall segments being modular and configured to connect together in a variety of different configurations to selectively configure the interior space; a plurality of vehicles each configured to individually connect to the pod and to transport the pod from a first location to a second location; and at least one of the vehicles configured to transport the pod by land and at least one of the vehicles configured to transport the pod by air; the method comprising:
configuring the pod into a first configuration by connecting together the wall segments and forming the interior space with a first layout;
attaching the pod to a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at a first geographic location and transporting the pod from the first geographic location to a remote second geographic location;
at the second geographic location, reconfiguring the pod into a second configuration by connecting together the wall segments in a different arrangement and forming the interior space into a different second layout; and
attaching the pod to a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at the second geographic location and transporting the pod from the second geographic location to a remote third geographic location.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising transporting the pod by land from the first geographic location to the second geographic location and transporting the pod by air from the second geographic location to the third geographic location.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising changing a size of an area of the interior space when reconfiguring the pod from the first configuration to the second configuration.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising sliding one or more of the wall segments along a slot in another one of the wall segments and changing the interior space from the first configuration to the second configuration.

18. The method of claim 14 , further

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Glatfelter John William
• Laughlin Brian Dale

Classifications

• B60P1/64 Primary

  the load supporting or containing element being readily removable ({B60P1/48 takes precedence}; caravan, camping, or the like vehicles characterised by living accommodation in the form of a removable body supported by the vehicle unit {B60P3/34}) · CPC title

• B62D63/025

  Modular vehicles (superstructures for busses having modular sections B62D31/025) · CPC title

• B64C2211/00

  Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters · CPC title

• B60P3/32 Primary

  comprising living accommodation for people, e.g. caravans, camping, or like vehicles (tents or canopies, in general E04H15/00) · CPC title

• B62D21/10

  in which the main member is plate-like · CPC title