GB2603554A

GB2603554A - Improved vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2603554A
Application number: GB2109728.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Carandente Mario
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-07-06
Filing date: 2021-07-06
Publication date: 2022-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2041-07-06
Also published as: GB2603554B; GB202109728D0

Abstract

A vehicle has a customisable interior that can be adapted by a driver or an occupant either physically or through remote control. A body 14 with sides and a roof can be provided on a platform 12. At least part of the interior space can be changed between an open configuration and a segregated configuration where a plurality of zones 34 are segregated. At least two adjacent zones have an access door 28 supported by a door pillar 30a. Support pillars 30b may be provided between adjacent zones. Zones 34 may each have a seat 52, which may be changeable between a seating position for an occupant and a closed position where the seat is integral with a floor and may define a portion of the floor. The zones may be defined by partitions 32, such as stackable panels, sliding panels or roller blinds. Doors 28 may each have a lower part and an upper part, with the lower part rotating to form an access ramp.

Description

IMPROVED VEHICLE

The invention relates to a vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to an automotive vehicle that has a changeable interior layout in which segregated areas can be formed and/or accessed.

The invention also resides in components of the vehicle that enable access and/or adaptability, such that the segregated areas can be formed and/or accessed.

BACKGROUND

Known vehicles, such as passenger vehicles or light commercial vehicles are configured for a specific or dedicated application. While a vehicle can be adapted for different uses the required changes are time consuming and require a degree of skill and, therefore, are neither cost efficient nor ergonomic to implement. A Volkswagen' van has a common vehicle platform that is available with different upper body configurations fixed for a specific purpose, for example: panels vans, crew vans, minibus and camper-van. The purpose can be changed with time, expertise and expense.

It is against this background that the present invention has been made. This invention results I 5 from efforts to overcome the problems of known vehicle layouts and conventional fixed-use vehicle configurations. Other aims of the invention will he apparent from the following description. SUMMARY The invention generally relates to a vehicle having a customisable interior that can be quickly and easily adapted by a driver or an occupant either physically or through a remote controlled component e.g. via an app on a mobile control device, such as a phone. A body can be provided on a platform and provide movable and configurable elements that enable customisation and/or segregation of the interior space of the body. The elements enable individual zones to be configured within the body. Elements include partitions and seats that can be moved between stored and extended usable positions. Each zone can be configured with at least one door on the longitudinal side of the vehicle.

Each zone, therefore, can be individually configured and accessed.

In a first aspect, the vehicle is configured having a platform and a body mounted upon the platform. The body has sides and a roof defining an interior space upon the platform. At least a portion of the interior space is changeable between an open configuration, and a segregated configuration, in which a plurality of zones are segregated within the interior space. At least two adjacent zones have an access door on a longitudinal side of the vehicle, said access door supported by at least one adjacent door pillar configured to extend vertically between the platform and the roof. Two adjacent zones can he configured on opposite sides of the vehicle.

The changeable configuration of the interior space enables at least one zone to be configured and accessed. For example, the zone can he configured for transporting goods or accommodating passengers. Each zone can be segregated from the remainder of the interior space and/or other zones for privacy and/or security purposes. By having its own access door each zone can function independently of the remainder of the interior space. The segregated configuration has at least four zones.

A support pillar can be configured between the at least two adjacent zones to extend vertically between the platform and the roof A support pillar can provide support for the roof to increase the structural integrity of the vehicle. A pillars can form part of crash cage or roll-cage. A pillar on the longitudinal side of the vehicle can provide support for a door. By functioning as part of the side-impact protection a door located between two pillars can be lighter and smaller, because it plays a less significant role in side impact performance.

A pillar, such as a support pillar, can be removably connected to the platform and/or roof of the vehicle. Bridging portions can be integrated within the roof and/or the floor of the body and connect the pillars to a reinforcement structure, such as a support spine or rib. This can improve the torsional rigidity of the body and, similarly, can be implemented within the platform of the vehicle. Pillars can he configured along the longitudinal sides of the vehicle and along the central longitudinal axis. Pillars can be telescopic or foldable such that they can, at least in part, he reduced in length and/or height to adjust the height of the roof Additionally or alternatively, the pillars can he modified and/or stored to lower the roof to be adjacent the platform, thus collapsing the body. The upper surface of the roof can be configured to accommodate goods. The pillars and/or roof can be removably attached from the platform altogether. The support pillar and/or the door pillars can be removable. The doors can be removed too.

Not only does the modular and reconfigurable features of the vehicle allow flexible customisation hut it supports the needs of recycling, modular manufacture and customisation.

The vehicle has a longitudinal axis extending from front to rear, a lateral axis extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis i.e. across the width of the vehicle, and a vertical axis extending vertically from the longitudinal and lateral axes.

Each door can have two parts, said parts configured 28b to move in the direction of the vertical and lateral axes of the vehicle. Each door can have a lower part configured to rotate from a closed position towards the ground about an axis that extends in longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The lower part can be mounted to a door pillar and/or be connected to the platform or floor of the body. The lower part can have a bumper configured for contacting the ground when the lower part is fully open. The bumper can be configured to provide protection for the door in the open position and/or side-impact protection when the door is closed. The lower part can be configured to rel eas ably engage with an upper part of the door.

The upper part of the door can be configured to rotate from a closed position upwards about an axis that extends in longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The upper part can open like a gull-wing type door. The upper part, in the closed position, defines a portion of the side of the vehicle. The upper part can have an extension that extends laterally to define a portion of the roof of the vehicle. The extension can extend at an acute angle from the portion of the upper part that defines the side of the vehicle. The extension can extend in a plane defined by the uppermost surface of the roof The extension can provide the upper part of the door with a substantially three-dimensional form that increases its structural rigidity.

At least one of the plurality of zones can be configured with a seat. The seat can be changeable between an open configuration for seating an occupant and a closed configuration in which die seat is stored integral with the floor of the interior space and/or platform. Preferably all zones have movable seats that can be opened for use by an occupant or closed and stored away. When stored the seat can be flush with the adjacent floor in which it is stored to provide a substantially flat and uninterrupted floor within the zone in which the seat is located. In the stored position, the seat can provide features for securing goods, luggage or a mobility aid, such as a wheelchair.

The seat can be for an individual occupant, or accommodate two or more passengers. The seat can he a bench seat. The seat can he configured to extend vertically between the closed configuration and the open configuration. The seat can he configured upon a telescopic mechanism or scissor lift. Movement of the seat can be controlled by gas struts, electric motors or latches. The seat can have a seat base for sitting upon and a seat back support hingably connected to the base. In the closed configuration the seat hack can fold against the seat base and defines a portion of the floor. The seat can he turned to face in any direction and preferably can be turned and fixed in any position. The seat can be fixed facing or opposing the direction of travel of the vehicle.

At least one of the plurality of zones in the segregated configuration can be contained within a partition extending, at least in part, between the floor and the roof The partition can completely enclose and secure a zone. The partition can be stored or contained within at least one of the roof, the floor, door pillar and support pillar. The partition can be extendable between a stored position in which it is contained, and an extended position in which it segregates, at least in part, the zone within the interior space. The partition can contain at least one of: stackable panels, slidable panels and a roller-blind. The partition can be releasably secured in a position, which can be: a closed position in which it is stored; an open position in which it separates, at least in part, at least one zone from another; and an intermediate position between the open and closed positions. As a partition opens its leading edge can include an attachment means for securing said leading edge to an interior surface of the interior space of the body, such as a pillar, the floor or the ceiling. Overall, the vehicle is customisable between: independent segregable compartments, each with their own access; an open interior spaces; and an open platform for transporting goods. This can be achieved through manual or automated reconfiguration without the need for tools. By way of example, the vehicle can be transformed from a microbus configuration in which it can: accommodate a passenger in each zone, where each zone has its own seat and can be separated from the other zones by partitions, yet still have private doors for personal ingress and egress from the vehicle; provide an open interior, like a conventional open panel-van configuration, in which seats and partitions are stored away; and a flat-bed type of commercial vehicle for carrying goods on an open flat deck, which can be achieved by removing the body completely or folding the pillars, partitions and seats to a flat and stored position that enables the roof to be lowered and.

The vehicles architecture enables multipurpose uses that can be implemented 'on the fly' through either manual or remotely operated controls. Zones can be individually configured for different uses, which can include transporting goods or accommodating passengers. Zones can be combined to increase the storage space or accommodate two or more passengers who wish to share their space. Each zone can be securely segregated within the interior space yet still have its own access such that other zones privacy and security is not compromised. In this way the use of the vehicle can he customised and optimised.

The features of the vehicle, such as the seats, partitions and pillars have been described as part of the vehicle and can reside in the body and/or the platform. Said features can, however, he implemented only within the body such that it can be removable from the platform. In this way the body can he removably replaced for retrofit, recycling, servicing or upgrading.

The vehicle can be operated and/or driven without a driver on-board and can he driven and/or configured autonomously and/or with a remote operator.

in light of the teaching of the present invention, the skilled person would appreciate that aspects of the invention were interchangeable and transferrable between the aspects described herein, and can be combined to provide improved aspects of the invention. Further aspects of the invention will be appreciated from the following description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order that the invention can he more readily understood reference is made, by way of example, to the remaining drawings, in which: Figures I a and lb show, respectively, a side elevation and a plan view of a vehicle having a platform and an upper body having a changeable interior space, while Figure I c is a schematic elevation view of a platform without an upper body; Figures id and le are, respectively, a longitudinal and a lateral cross section of the body 14 without doors; Figures 2a to 2c illustrate, respectively, a vehicle door changing from a closed position to a semi-open position and then to an open position; Figure 3a is a diagram of a portion of a partition in a collapsed and extended position, while Figure 3b shows the partition of Figure 3a in relation to a pillar of the vehicle; Figure 4a shows a retractable seat in an open position, while Figure 4b shows said seat in a closed position; and Figure 5 is a schematic of a system of the vehicle.

Like reference numerals refer to like features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Platform

Figure la is a schematic end elevation view of a vehicle 10 having a platform 12 and a body 14 mounted upon the platform 12. The body can be removably attached to the platform. The body has sides 16 at the front and rear, as well as laterally, and a roof 18, which together define an interior space 20 upon the platform. Said interior space has a floor 20a and a ceiling 20b. The floor 20a can be part of the platform 12 or body 14, or a combination thereof The vehicle 10 has a front portion 22, which can house ancillary features, such as a control system, an autonomous driving system, navigation system or an interface allowing a human to operate and drive the vehicle, either in person or remotely. The vehicle can have a rear portion 24 for storing luggage or further ancillary features. The platform also has wheels 26 and in the present non-limiting example the vehicle has four wheels. Four doors 28 are provided on each side of the vehicle 10, although only four can be seen as 30 viewed in Figure la, and the plan view of the vehicle is shown in Figure lb. The doors are connectedly supported by at least one door pillar 30a adjacent the door, said door pillar extending vertically between the platform 12 and the roof 18. As seen in Figure lb, four doors 28 are provided on each lateral side of the vehicle and having a pillar 30a at either side Internally, further support pillars 30b can be provided in line with the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle and orthogonally aligned with the pillars 30a on the lateral sides of the vehicle. Hashed lines represent a boundary 32 that extend between pillars 30a, 30b and/or the vehicle sides 16 to define zones 34. The partitions can be moved between a stored position in which they enable adjacent zones to be spatially connected and an open position in which they extend between pillars and/or the vehicle sides to enclose a zone 34. An enclosed zone can create a private and/or secure space e.g. each zone can accommodate a passenger. Each zone has its own door 28 for direct access to a zone 34. It can be appreciated that a longer vehicle can accommodate a greater number of doors and/or zones. In the present example of Figures la and lb the vehicle 10 can be separated in to eight individual zones 34, and each zone can be segregated from the others by moving two or more partitions to an open position and closing off one zone from another. Zones 34 can be combined by selectively moving the partitions to create larger zones. To be clear, each zone 34 can be individually and controllably sealed off from the remainder of the interior space. In the example of Figure la, the interior space can be changed between a completely open configuration and a segregated configuration, and said segregated configuration can have two or more separate zones 34. In Figure la the minimum number of segregated zones is two (in which a first zone has a single door for access, and the second zone has 7 doors), while the maximum is eight.

Overall, the interior space 20 of the vehicle 10 can be dynamically altered by segregating one or more individual zones -up to eight in the example shown. The pillars 30b central to the vehicle are optional. With all partitions in a stored position the vehicle can have an open configuration in which there is free movement between adjacent zones. With all partitions in an open position there is no free movement between adjacent zones. Each partition functions as a barrier between the zones on either side of the partition. Without the central pillar 30b a partition can extend from one lateral side of the vehicle to the other.

An open configuration can enable free movement between the zones at any point therebetween, i.e. across the full heigh and width of the zone boundary, while a segregated configuration inhibits free movement between adjacent zones. Each zone can have an access door on a longitudinal side of the vehicle, said access door having pillars either side configured to extend vertically between the platform and the roof At least two adjacent zones can be arranged on opposite sides of the vehicle. In this way each zone can be configured with private and/or secure access.

The roof 18 can include reinforcement between the pillars 30a, 30b such that the pillars can function to provide crash protection e.g. a roll-cage. Moreover, the connection between the platform 12 and the roof 18 via the door pillars 30a and/or the support pillars 306 can improve the torsional rigidity of the vehicle. The roof 18 can be removably connected to the front portion 22 and/or rear portion 24.

In Figure I c, the rear portion 24 is optionally removed to illustrate that the body 14 can he removably attached to enable an open flat-bed configuration of the vehicle. With the roof 18 and door pillars 30a attached to the flat-bed configuration of Figure 1 c a goods van can he implemented.

Alternatively, the pillars, seats and partitions within the body can be collapsed into a stored configuration that enables the roof 18 to be lowered. The body 14 in a lowered or collapsed position has a perimeter as indicated by the dotted line in Figure lc, such that the uppermost surface of the roof can provide a platform for transporting goods.

The support pillars 30b and/or the door pillars 30a can be removably attached to the platform and/or the roof 18. Additionally or alternatively, the support pillars 30b and/or the door pillars 30a can be hingably connected to the platform and/or the roof and be folded away therein for storage purposes. That is, the floor and/or roof can include recesses for receiving the pillars when the pillars are not required. Pillars 30a, 30b can be formed of two or more parts. The pillars can be telescopic and have a changeable length such that the height of the roof can be adjusted. The support pillars 30b can be positioned in the region of the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Overall, the body 14 provides a flexible transport configuration for a platform 1 2. The body can he reconfigurable between an open configuration, like a traditional panel van or light commercial vehicle, and a segregated configuration in which at least one zone 34 is separated from the remainder of the interior space 20, which can be numerous independent zones, e.g. like a mini-bus. With each zone 34 having its own access door, a partitioned zone can provide a private and/or secure space for goods or passengers.

By having the pillars and/or roof removably connectable to the platform and/or the roof 18 the body 14 can he manufactured and/or stored as a module. Modularisation enables the body to he substituted and serviced or recycled independently of the platform. Different configurations can he implemented by different components, e.g. Figures Id and 1 care, respectively, longitudinal and lateral cross sections of the body 14 without doors, which can be added to the platform 12 before doors 28 are attached. Further, the ability to remove and change the body can increase the life of the vehicle, enabling at least one of a retrofit of body and/or components, improved serviceability and integration of new technology. A body 14 can be interchangeable with a compatible another platform 12. On one hand the vehicle is adaptable to change between different configurations e.g. transport of goods, transport of people or a combination thereof, such as between a minibus and a light commercial vehicle, and on the other hand the entire body can be replaced.

By providing a door for each segregable zone 34 the ergonomics of the vehicle can he improved, and additionally provides private and secure access. Further, the provision of at least one door pillar 30a per door 28 maintains the structural rigidity and passive safety of the vehicle as the number of segregable zones are increased, which arises because as the length of the vehicle increases to accommodate more zones and doors the lateral sides have an increasing number of door pillars providing structural integrity. To be clear, the number of doors on a vehicle side can be customised by providing greater or fewer numbers of door pillars 30a per door 28. The present example has four doors on each side, which can be varied. One lateral side of the vehicle can have a greater number of doors than die other. The minimum width of a door can, for example, be at least the width of a 95th-percentile male. Door

Figures 2a to 2c show a door 28 of the vehicle in a closed configuration, half-open and fully open configuration, respectively. Figure 2a shows a door having two parts -an upper door 28a and a lower door 28b -which in a closed position abut one another to define a door panel 36. The upper and lower doors can be formed to comprise a sheet of transparent material, e.g. glass or plastic. In the closed position a lowermost edge of the upper door and an uppermost edge of the lower door face each other and preferably abut and/or engage. At least one of these edges can include a resilient member 38 e.g. a rubber bumper. The resilient member 38 can function to provide at least one of an interface between the upper door and lower door, door protection for the edges and side-impact protection. When the door is closed off, the or each door resilient member can improve noise and vehicle handling (NVH) by inhibiting vibration between the two parts of the door. The resilient member can include reinforcement and connectably cooperate with the door pillar 30a to provide torsional stiffness to the vehicle body 14. The resilient member can inhibit damage to the edges of the door when in the fully open position. In particular, when the doors are fully open, a resilient member mounted on the lower door 28b can engage with the ground such that the lower door 2811 functions as a ramp and/or step for improving access to the interior space 20. An integral ramp can facilitate wheelchair access. In the open position a ramp portion of the lower door 286 aligns with the floor 20a of the interior space for smooth step-free wheeled ingress and egress. The resilient member can be replaceable.

As shown in Figure 2b, the door is connected to the door pillars 30a, which can be via gas struts, as shown, alone or in combination with a hinge mechanism e.g. a trapezoidal hinge mechanism. The upper door 28a and/or lower door 286 are configured to move in the direction of the vertical and lateral axes of the vehicle e.g. they are preferably restricted to turn about a longitudinal axis (x-axis) of the vehicle e.g. having two degrees of freedom about the y-axis and z-axis.

The resilient member 38 can provide torsional rigidity to the lower door 28b. The upper door 28a can he provided with a structural panel 40 extending from its uppermost edge. The structural panel can extend perpendicularly from the plane defined by the door panel 36. The structural panel can provide torsional rigidity, which can be required to improve the strength of the upper door 28a panel if its upper edge comprises flexible material e.g. a sheet of transparent material, such as glass or plastic. The structural panel 40 can extend into and/or form part of the roof 18.

The upper door 28a can engage with a gas strut and/or hinge component at a point above the lowermost edge that is one third of the height of the upper door 28a above said lowermost edge i.e. at a point a third of the way up the door.

Figure 2c shows the upper door 28a and lower door 28b in a fully open position. The uppermost edge of the lower door in the closed position extends downwards and can rest upon a ground surface adjacent the vehicle via the resilient member 28b. The upper door extends upwards and, at least in part, above the roof 18 of the vehicle, which provides a door aperture 42 defined by the vertical sides that include at least one door pillar 30a.

The vertical movement of the doors combined improves access to the door aperture 42 from both sides. The door 28 is preferably made from a lightweight material and tortional rigidity and side-impact strength can be maintained by the adjacent door pillars 30a and/or the resilient member 38, which can removably engage with the door pillars. The two parts of the door can be secured together when closed. The lower door 28b can be inhibited from opening until it is released by the upper door 28a.

The doors 28 can he removably attached to a door pillar 20a. Rather than a two-part door, a door can be configured as a single unit and rotate about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle upwards to a position above the roof or downwards towards the ground on which the vehicle rests.

Partition Each zone 34 is separable from an adjacent zone by a partition 50. Each partition is extendable between a stored position in which it is contained, and an extended position in which it segregates, at least in part, the zone within the interior space. Each partition can extend in the segregated configuration, at least in part, between the floor 20a and ceiling 20b of the interior space 20. The or each partition can include at least one of: stackable panels, slidable panels and a roller-blind. The partition can be transparent or opaque to provide privacy. The partition can include seals and/or locking mechanisms along its extended edges for engagement with at least one of the floor, roof and !0 vertical surfaces within the interior space. The partitions can he locked in any position e.g. fully extended or fully retracted.

In the example of Figure 3a, the partition has four panels that can be moved from a stored position in which the panels are stacked to an extended position in which the or each panel moves in a plane defined by the panel. In the extended position the adjacent edges can engage and/or lock together to hold the extended position. Additionally or alternatively the panels can engage with the floor 20a and/or ceiling 20b of the vehicle. The distal edge of the partition can be configured to engage with at least one of a pillar 30 and a side 16 of the vehicle. Figure 3b illustrates the partition of Figure 3a stored within a pillar 30 in both a stored and then an extended position. In the extended position the panel closest to the pillar can engage and/or lock together with the pillar. Additionally or alternatively, the partition can be stored within at least one of the roof, the floor, door pillar and support pillar. The partition provides privacy, security and can further improve noise and vehicle handling (NVH) by inhibiting noise transmission between zones when in the extended position. Seat

Each door 28 provides access to a zone 34. Each zone can be configured with a seat 52. The vehicle 10 can be configured such that each seat is accessible via its own independent door 28. The seats are represented in Figure lb by squares in each zone. The seat can be a bench seat for accommodating one or more occupants although can he a seat for a single occupant.

Each seat is configured to he movable between an open configuration for seating an occupant and a stored configuration in which the seat is stored integral with the floor 20a of the interior space.

A mechanism 54 connected to the seat enables it to be moved vertically between the stored and open position in which it is raised above the floor 20a. The mechanism can also permit the seat 52 to turn, such that a passenger occupying the seat can face in any direction.

An example of the open and stored configuration is shown, respectively, in Figures 4a and 4h.

The seat 52 has a seat base 56 for sitting upon and a seat back support 58 hingably connected to the base, wherein in the closed configuration the seat hack support folds towards and against the seat base and defines a portion of the floor.

The floor 20a and/or the platform 12 of the vehicle 10 includes a recess 60 for receiving a seat 52 and mechanism 54. The depth of the recess is such that it accommodates the seat 52 and mechanism completely, in other words, the mechanism 54, the seat base 56 and seat back support 58 in the stored position are accommodated in the recess such that in the stored position their maximum height is flush with the edge of the recess 60. In this way the floor 20a of the interior space 20 is substantially flat. The seat back support 58 can be configured with integral fixings and/or features, such as recesses and 1-I eyes on its exposed surface, when in the stored position, that enable items to be secured to the floor 20a. By way of example, the seat back support 58 can include features for receiving and/or securing a wheeled vehicle, such as a wheelchair, in the zone 34.

The mechanism 54 can include a scissor lift mechanism and/or a telescopic support. A telescopic seat support is illustrated in Figure 4a. A motor and/or a gas strut can he used to lift the seat between the open configuration and the stored configuration.

System The vehicle can be operated autonomously and/or via a remote operator. All movable components of the vehicle, such as the doors 28, partitions 50 and seats 52 can be operable remotely 10 to move them between their open and closed positions etc. The platform 12 and/or body can be configured with a system 100 for at least one of powering and operating the vehicle.

Figure 5 is a schematic of the system 100 configured to control the or each of the components of the vehicle. The system 100 can be scalable in size to accommodate additional components adopted on to the vehicle, such as a navigation system or an entertainment system. The system 100 includes a bus 102, at least one processor 104, at least one communication port 106, a main memory 108 and/or a removable storage media 110, a read only memory 112 and a random access memory 114. The components of system 100 can be configured across two or more devices, or the components can reside in a single system 100. The system can also include a battery 116. The port 106 can be complimented by input means 11 S and output connection I 20. The processor 104 can he any such device such as, but not limited to, an Intel(R), AMD(R) or ARM processor. The processor may be specifically dedicated to the device. The port 106 can be a wired connection, such as an RS-232 connection, or a Bluetooth connection or any such wireless connection. The port can be configured to communicate on a network such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which the system I 00 connects. The read only memory I 12 can store instructions for the processor 104.

The bus 102 communicably couples the processor 104 with the other memory I10, 112, 114, 108 and port 106, as well as the input and output connections 118, 120. The bus can be a PC1 /PC1-X or SCSI based system bus depending on the storage devices used, for example. Removable memory 110 can be any kind of external hard-drives, floppy drives, flash drives, for example. The device and components therein are provided by way of example and does not limit the scope of the invention. The processor 104 can implement the methods and perform any of the calculations described herein. The processor 104 can be configured to retrieve and/or receive information from a remote server or other device.

The system 100 can also include an application program interface (API) 122 for processing instructions received from a user's device e.g. via an app on a mobile device. The system can include a driver interface 124 for driving and navigating the vehicle, and an energy management system 126. A control module 126 can he configured to operate each of the changeable components of the vehicle, and a layout memory 130 can store the detailed layout configurations that can be customised by a user. At least one of the position of a door, partition, seat, pillar and roof configuration can be remotely operable. A door security module 132 can provide an additional level of security to the security features within the API.

While several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the functions and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the present disclosure. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teaching of the present disclosure is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the disclosure described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. The present invention is directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present invention.

The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean "at least one." The phrase "and/or," as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the "and/or" clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified unless clearly indicated to the contrary. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to "A and/or B," when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as "comprising" can refer, in one embodiment, to A without B (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B without A (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and/or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "of' or "and/or" shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as "only one of' or "exactly one of," or, when used in the claims, "consisting of," will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term "or" as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. one or the other but not both") when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of." "Consisting essentially of," when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase "at least one," in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or, equivalently, "at least one of A or B," or, equivalently "at least one of A and/or B") can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc. In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of' and "consisting essentially of' shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03. Use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, hut are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (hut for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

The invention also consists in any individual features described or implicit herein or shown or implicit in the drawings or any combination of any such features or any generalisation of any such features or combination.

Claims

ISCLAIMS1. A vehicle having a platform and a body mounted upon the platform, the body having sides and a roof defining an interior space upon the platform, wherein at least a portion of the interior space is changeable between an open configuration, and a segregated configuration, in which a plurality of zones are segregated within the interior space, wherein at least two adjacent zones have an access door on a longitudinal side of the vehicle, said access door supported by at least one adjacent door pillar configured to extend vertically between the platform and the roof 2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a support pillar is configured between the at least two adjacent zones to extend vertically between the platform and the roof.3. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the segregated configuration has at least four zones.4. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the support pillar and/or the door pillars are removable.5. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein each door has two parts, said parts configured 286 to move in the direction of the vertical and lateral axes of the vehicle.6. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein each door has a lower part configured to rotate from a closed position towards the ground about an axis that extends in longitudinal direction of the vehicle.7. A vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the lower part has a bumper configured for contacting the ground when the lower part is fully open, said bumper configured to provide protection for the door in the open position and/or side-impact protection when the door is closed.8. A vehicle according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the lower part is configured to releasably engage with an upper part of the door.A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein each door has an upper part mounted to the door pillars, wherein a portion of the upper part of the door defines a portion of the side of the vehicle and has an extension that extends laterally to define a portion of the roof of the vehicle.10. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the plurality of zones is configured with a seat, said seat changeable between an open configuration for seating an occupant and a closed configuration in which the seat is stored integral with the floor of the interior space. I I. A vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the seat is configured to extend vertically between the closed configuration and the open configuration.12. A vehicle according to claim 10 or 11, wherein in the closed configuration the seat defines a portion of the floor.13. A vehicle according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the seat has a seat base for sitting upon and a seat back support hingahly connected to the base, wherein in the closed configuration the seat back folds against the seat base and defines a portion of the floor.14. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the plurality of zones in the segregated configuration is contained within a partition extending, at least in part, between the floor and the roof 15. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the partition is stored within at least one of the roof, the floor, door pillar and support pillar, and the partition is extendable between a stored position in which it is contained, and an extended position in which it segregates, at least in part, the zone within the interior space.16. A vehicle according to claim 14 or 15, wherein partition contains at least one of: stackable panels, slidable panels and a roller-blind.