VEHICLE MODULE FOR TRANSPORTING AT LEAST ONE PERSON AND A VEHICLE ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A vehicle module for transporting at least one person includes at least two wheels, an electric motor, an electrical energy storage operationally connected to the electric motor for providing energy to the electric motor, and at least one connection means for securely attaching a vehicle module to another vehicle module or vehicle or to a charging or parking station, wherein at least one of the connection means, is arranged to connect the vehicle module to another vehicle module or vehicle so that the wheels of the vehicle module are parallel to the wheels of the connected vehicle module or vehicle, wherein, when the vehicle module is connected to another vehicle module or vehicle, a control unit of the vehicle module is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module or vehicle so as to drive the vehicle assembly as one vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle module for transporting at least one person, comprising: at least two wheels adapted for ground engagement, an electric motor operationally connected to the wheels for propelling the vehicle module, an electrical energy storage operationally connected to the electric motor for providing energy to the electric motor, at least one connection means for securely attaching a vehicle module to another vehicle module or vehicle or to a charging or parking station, and at least one charging means, which is operationally connected to the energy storage and adapted to be operationally connected to another vehicle module or vehicle for providing charging electricity to and/or receive charging electricity from said another vehicle module or vehicle, wherein at least one of the connection means, is arranged to connect the vehicle module to another vehicle module or vehicle so that the wheels of the vehicle module are parallel to the wheels of the connected vehicle module or vehicle, wherein, when the vehicle module is connected to another vehicle module or vehicle, a control unit of the vehicle module is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module or vehicle so as to drive the vehicle assembly as one vehicle.

2. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle module comprises two of said at least one charging means.

3. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the connections means further comprises an electrical steering connection for establishing an electrical connection via communication wires between the respective control units of the vehicle module and a connected other vehicle module.

4. The vehicle module according to claim 1, further comprising a self-driving sensor module.

5. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein a first charging means of the at least one charging means is positioned at a first lateral or medial side of the vehicle module, and a second charging means of the at least one charging means is positioned at a second lateral or medial side of the vehicle module.

6. The vehicle module according to claim 1, further comprising four of the at least one charging means, wherein the charging means are placed one at each of the front side of the vehicle module, the back side of the vehicle module, the left side of the vehicle module and the right side of the vehicle module, respectively.

7. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the connection means are electromagnetic connections means.

8. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the at least one charging means are induction charging couplings.

9. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein vehicle module is identical to a connected other vehicle module.

10. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module or vehicle only when being positioned on the left side when in right-hand traffic, and only when being positioned on the right side when in left-hand traffic.

11. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle module has at least one door.

12. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle module has at least one seat.

13. The vehicle module according to claim 1, wherein the engine is a hub engine on one or each wheel.

15. A vehicle assembly comprising a plurality of vehicle modules according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view a vehicle assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a vehicle of an embodiment of the present disclosure with two vehicle occupants in the vehicle.

[0037] FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the charging means and connection means of a vehicle of one an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 charging from a charging station via a charging means of the vehicle.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a vehicle assembly according to the present disclosure with vehicles connected in series.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of two vehicle modules connected to form a vehicle assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in other forms and should not be construed as limited to the herein disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows the first aspect of this disclosure with a vehicle module 1 for transporting at least one person, comprising at least two wheels 2 adapted for ground engagement, an electric motor 4 operationally connected to the wheels for propelling the vehicle module 1, an electrical energy storage 5 operationally connected to the electric motor 4 for providing energy to the electric motor 4, and at least one charging means 8, which is operationally connected to the energy storage 5 and adapted to be operationally connected to another vehicle module 1′ or vehicle for providing charging electricity to and/or receive charging electricity from the another vehicle module 1′ or vehicle. The vehicle has a user compartment with a door 11 that can be opened for the occupants of the vehicle to enter or exit the vehicle. On top of the vehicle module a self-driving sensor module 25 for collecting sufficient information about the environment to let the control unit 10 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 7) drive the vehicle module autonomously.

[0043] The first charging means 8 of the at least one charging means 8, 9 is positioned at a first lateral or medial side of the vehicle module 1, and a second charging means 9 of the at least one charging means 8, 9 is positioned at a second lateral or medial side of the vehicle module 1. In FIG. 1 this is embodied so that the vehicle can connect at the lateral sides of the vehicle as further shown in FIG. 2.

[0044] In one embodiment, depicted in FIGS. 1-5 the vehicle module further comprises two of said at least one charging means 8, 9, one on each side. As seen in FIG. 2, one vehicle 1 can then share its battery energy with another vehicle 1′ or the other way around. The at least one charging means comprises a respective connection means 6, 7, 13, 14 for securely attaching a vehicle module 1 to another vehicle module 1′ or vehicle or to a charging or parking station 17. At least one of the connection means 6, 7, is arranged to connect the vehicle module to another vehicle module 1′, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the wheels 2 of the vehicle module 1 are parallel to the wheels of the connected vehicle module 1′. In FIG. 2 the vehicle module 1 is identical to the connected other vehicle module 1′. The connection means 6, 7 are in the depicted embodiment electromagnetic connections means. This leads to that the vehicle can enable the connections means and also disable any of them so as to avoid connecting to other vehicles or charging stations when not intended or wanted.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a vehicle 1 of an embodiment of the present disclosure with two vehicle occupants in the vehicle 1. The vehicle has a seat 3 under which a luggage compartment 12 is placed. A battery is placed low in the frame of the vehicle together with a control unit 10. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6 the engine is a hub engine 4 on one or each wheel.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the two sets of charging means 8, 9 and connection means 6, 7 of the vehicle 1 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. The connecting part may contain the cables and conductors needed between the two charging means while at the same time facilitating safety in the event of an accident. The shackle-formed part may be used for retrofitting electrical vehicles lacking the charging means and coupling means necessary for being part of the charging infrastructure disclosed herein.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 charging from a charging station via a charging means of the vehicle. The vehicle 1 is connected to the charging station via the charging means 9 and the connections means 7 while charging. If the charging station is not needed for other vehicles, the vehicle may remain at the charging station until the vehicle is used the next time.

[0048] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a vehicle assembly according to the present disclosure with vehicles connected in series. The vehicles shown in FIG. 6 comprises four of the at least one charging means 8, 9, 15, 16, wherein the charging means 8, 9, 15, 16 are placed one at each of the front side of the vehicle module, the back side of the vehicle module, the left side of the vehicle module and the right side of the vehicle module, respectively. This means that the vehicles can connect to other vehicles or charging stations at all four sides of the vehicle. Vehicles can thus in that way be connected in matrix formations.

[0049] The at least one charging means 8, 9, 15, 16 are in the depicted embodiments induction charging couplings, which is convenient as the charging means 8, 9, 15, 16 then are completely flush and no male-female-connection is needed. It is, however, possible to use charging means with normal conductors still achieving all other benefits of the current disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, when the vehicle module is connected to another vehicle module 1′ or vehicle, a control unit 10 of the vehicle module 1 is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module 1′ or vehicle so as to drive the vehicle assembly as one vehicle. In that way two identical vehicles may be connected as in FIG. 2 and driven as one vehicle that now has four wheels instead of two. By opening the doors between the vehicles, the user compartment is enlarged and doubles in space enabling social interaction between occupants and/or the possibility to transport larger objects.

[0050] The control unit 10 of FIG. 3 is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module 1′ or vehicle only when being positioned on the left side when in right-hand traffic, and only when being positioned on the right side when in left-hand traffic. The combined vehicle shown in FIG. 2 is then very close to a normal car, even though it is composed by two detachable motorcycle like vehicles.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the connections means 6, 7, 13, 14 of the vehicle modules 1, 1′ further comprises electrical steering connections 22, 23 for establishing electrical connection via communication wires 21 between the respective control units 10 of the vehicle module 1 and the connected other vehicle module 1′. A reliable connection between the control unit of the first vehicle module 1 and the control unit 10 of the other vehicle module 1′ is thereby established. Wired data connections are preferable over wireless connections when it comes to system critical operations like the steering of the combined vehicle, as malfunction would affect traffic safety severely. As further seen in these figures each vehicle module comprises a self-driving sensor module 25. Such a self-driving sensor module 25 comprises all prior art sensors required by the control unit to acquire relevant and necessary information about the surroundings to operate the vehicle module autonomously. Sensors included are e.g. cameras, proximity sensors, distance sensors, etc.

[0052] The second aspect of this disclosure shows a vehicle assembly comprising a plurality of vehicle modules according to the first aspect. FIGS. 2 and 7 show a combined vehicle where two vehicles are attached to each other in parallel. FIG. 6 shows another possibility where two vehicles are attached to each other in series. A combination of the disclosures of FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 would lead to a vehicle composed by four vehicle modules 1, 1′ in a matrix formation.

[0053] Exemplary vehicle modules are set out in the following items.

[0054] 1. A vehicle module (1) for transporting at least one person, comprising:

[0055] at least two wheels (2) adapted for ground engagement,

[0056] an electric motor (4) operationally connected to the wheels for propelling the vehicle module (1),

[0057] an electrical energy storage (5) operationally connected to the electric motor (4) for providing energy to the electric motor (4), and

[0058] at least one charging means (8, 9), which is operationally connected to the energy storage (5) and adapted to be operationally connected to another vehicle module (1′) or vehicle for providing charging electricity to and/or receive charging electricity from said another vehicle module (1′) or vehicle.

[0059] 2. The vehicle module (1) according to item 1, wherein the vehicle module comprises two of said at least one charging means (8, 9).

[0060] 3. The vehicle module (1) according to item 1 or 2, wherein the at least one charging means further comprises a respective connection means (6, 7, 13, 14) for securely attaching a vehicle module (1) to another vehicle module (1′) or vehicle or to a charging or parking station (17).

[0061] 4. The vehicle module (1) according to item 2, wherein a first charging means (8) of the at least one charging means (8, 9) is positioned at a first lateral or medial side of the vehicle module (1), and a second charging means (9) of the at least one charging means (8, 9) is positioned at a second lateral or medial side of the vehicle module (1).

[0062] 5. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, further comprising four of the at least one charging means (8, 9, 15, 16), wherein the charging means (8, 9, 15, 16) are placed one at each of the front side of the vehicle module, the back side of the vehicle module, the left side of the vehicle module and the right side of the vehicle module, respectively.

[0063] 6. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the connection means (6, 7) are electromagnetic connections means.

[0064] 7. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the at least one charging means (8, 9, 15, 16) are induction charging couplings.

[0065] 8. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein at least one of the connection means (6, 7), is arranged to connect the vehicle module to another vehicle module (1′) or vehicle so that the wheels (2) of the vehicle module (1) are parallel to the wheels of the connected vehicle module (1′) or vehicle.

[0066] 9. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein vehicle module (1) is identical to a connected other vehicle module (1′).

[0067] 10. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein, when the vehicle module is connected to another vehicle module (1′) or vehicle, a control unit (10) of the vehicle module (1) is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module (1′) or vehicle so as to drive the vehicle assembly as one vehicle.

[0068] 11. The vehicle module (1) according to item 10, wherein the control unit (10) is adapted to take control over the steering of the other vehicle module (1′) or vehicle only when being positioned on the left side when in right-hand traffic, and only when being positioned on the right side when in left-hand traffic.

[0069] 12. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the vehicle module (1) has at least one door.

[0070] 13. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the vehicle module (1) has at least one seat (3).

[0071] 14. The vehicle module (1) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the engine is a hub engine on one or each wheel.

[0072] 15. A vehicle assembly comprising a plurality of vehicle modules according to any one of items 1-14.

[0073] The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. The person skilled in the art further realizes that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, it is understood that any number of vehicles may be attached to each other to form any matrix formation of vehicles where the vehicles may share battery power and where the formation is driven and controlled by one suitable vehicle. It is further understood that the control unit includes processing capabilities and memory with adequate information for driving the vehicle autonomously, including maps and software to perform autonomous driving in line with the prior art. Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.