Claims
- 1. A vehicle chassis comprising:
a structural frame; vehicular systems mounted with respect to the structural frame, the vehicular systems including a suspension system, a steering system, a braking system, an energy conversion system, and an energy storage system operatively connected to the energy conversion system; at least three wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the suspension system; and a plurality of preassembled modules having vehicular components at least partially forming at least one of the suspension system, the steering system, the braking system, the energy conversion system, and the energy storage system; wherein the steering system, braking system, and energy conversion system are responsive to nonmechanical control signals and operatively connected to at least one of the wheels.
- 2. The vehicle chassis of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of preassembled modules is characterized by a module interface having at least one locking or fastening element, and said vehicle chassis further comprising a plurality of frame interfaces mounted with respect to the structural frame, each of the plurality of frame interfaces having at least one complementary locking or fastening element engageable with the at least one locking or fastening element in the module interface of one of the plurality of preassembled modules;
wherein the module interface of each of the plurality of preassembled modules is operatively engaged with one of the plurality of frame interfaces such that each of the plurality of preassembled modules is mounted with respect to the structural frame.
- 3. The vehicle chassis of claim 2, wherein the preassembled modules have module interfaces different from one another; and wherein each of the plurality of frame interfaces is engageable with the module interface of only one of the plurality of preassembled modules to prevent errors in assembly.
- 4. The vehicle chassis of claim 3, wherein the module interface of each of the plurality of preassembled modules includes at least two locking or fastening elements; wherein the at least two locking or fastening elements are in a predetermined spatial relationship with one another; wherein the predetermined spatial relationship of the at least two locking or fastening elements is different for each of the plurality of preassembled modules; and wherein each of the plurality of frame interfaces has at least two complementary locking or fastening elements in the same predetermined spatial relationship as the locking or fastening elements of one of the plurality of preassembled modules.
- 5. The vehicle chassis of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of modules has a size and geometrical shape, and said chassis further comprising at least one locating member mounted with respect to the structural frame and forming a plurality of cavities, each of the plurality of cavities having a size and geometrical shape sufficient to locate with respect to the structural frame, and at least partially contain, one of the plurality of modules.
- 6. The vehicle chassis of claim 5, wherein said at least one locating member is a rigid sheet having formations that define the plurality of cavities.
- 7. The vehicle chassis of claim 1, wherein the energy conversion system includes a fuel cell.
- 8. The vehicle chassis of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of modules is selected from an inventory of modules; and wherein the inventory includes a first version and a second version of modules; wherein the vehicular components of the first version and the vehicular components of the second version are configured to perform a common vehicular function; and wherein the first version differs from the second version in the configuration of the vehicular componentry.
- 9. The vehicle chassis of claim 1, wherein one of the modules is configured to store hydrogen gas.
- 10. A method of assembling vehicle chassis, the method comprising:
maintaining an inventory of preassembled modules, the preassembled modules each having vehicular componentry and a module interface engageable with a complementary interface, the module interface of each of the preassembled modules having a common module interface configuration; and assembling a first vehicle chassis having a first length, width, and height, the first vehicle chassis having a first structural frame; a first steering system; a first braking system; a first energy conversion system; a first energy storage system operatively connected to the first energy conversion system; a first suspension system mounted with respect to the first structural frame; a first set of at least three wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the first suspension system; a first structural frame interface complementary to the module interfaces of the preassembled modules in the inventory; and a first module selected from the inventory having componentry that at least partially forms at least one of the first steering system, first braking system, first suspension system, first energy conversion system, and first energy storage system; the module interface of the first module engaged with the first structural frame interface such that the first module is mounted with respect to the first structural frame; wherein the first steering system, first braking system, and first energy conversion system are mounted with respect to the first structural frame, responsive to nonmechanical control signals, and operatively connected to at least one wheel.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the inventory contains a first version and a second version of preassembled modules, wherein the vehicular componentry of the first version and the vehicular componentry of the second version are configured to perform a common vehicular function; wherein the preassembled modules of the first version and the preassembled modules of the second version have substantially identical module interfaces; wherein the vehicular componentry of the first version has a different configuration from the vehicular componentry of the second version; and wherein the method further comprises:
assembling a second vehicle chassis having
a second structural frame; a second steering system; a second braking system; a second energy conversion system; a second energy storage system operatively connected to the second energy conversion system; a second suspension system mounted with respect to the second structural frame; a second set of at least three wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the second suspension system; a second structural frame interface complementary to the module interfaces of the preassembled modules in the inventory; and a second module having componentry that at least partially forms at least one of the second steering system, second braking system, second suspension system, second energy conversion system, and second energy storage system; the second module being a different version from the first module; the module interface of the second module engaged with the second structural frame interface such that the second module is mounted with respect to the second structural frame; wherein the second steering system, second braking system, and second energy conversion system are mounted with respect to the second structural frame, responsive to nonmechanical control signals, and operatively connected to at least one wheel.
- 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising assembling a second chassis having a second length, second width, and second height, and being differently dimensioned from the first chassis such that at least one of the second length, the second width, and the second height is different from the first length, the first width, and the first height, respectively; the second chassis including
a second structural frame; a second steering system; a second braking system; a second energy conversion system; a second energy storage system operatively connected to the second energy conversion system; a second suspension system mounted with respect to the second structural frame; a second set of at least three wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the second suspension system; a second structural frame interface complementary to the module interfaces of the preassembled modules in the inventory; and a second module selected from the inventory having componentry that at least partially forms at least one of the second steering system, second braking system, second suspension system, second energy conversion system, and second energy storage system; the module interface of the second module engaged with the second structural frame interface such that the second module is mounted with respect to the second frame; wherein the second steering system, second braking system, and second energy conversion system are mounted with respect to the second structural frame, responsive to nonmechanical control signals, and operatively connected to at least one wheel.
- 13. A method of assembling vehicle chassis, the method comprising:
maintaining an inventory of preassembled modules each having vehicular componentry and a module interface with a plurality of locking or fastening elements, the inventory including a plurality of preassembled modules having module interface configurations different from one another; and assembling a first chassis having a first length, a first width, and a first height, the first chassis including
a first structural frame; a plurality of fastening or locking elements mounted with respect to the first structural frame, the plurality of fastening or locking elements defining a first set of frame interfaces having a predetermined spatial relationship with one another, each of the frame interfaces being configured to engage only one of the module interface configurations in the inventory, at least two of the frame interfaces of the first set having frame interface configurations different from one another; a first by-wire steering system mounted with respect to the first structural frame; a first by-wire braking system mounted with respect to the first structural frame; a first by-wire energy conversion system mounted with respect to the first structural frame; a first energy storage system operatively connected to the first energy conversion system; a first suspension system mounted with respect to the first structural frame; a first set of at least three wheels mounted with respect to the first suspension system; and a first set of preassembled modules selected from the inventory, each of the preassembled modules of the first set at least partially forming at least one of the first steering system, first braking system, first energy conversion system, first energy storage system, and first suspension system; the module interface of each of the first set of preassembled modules engaged with one of the first set of frame interfaces such that the first set of preassembled modules is mounted with respect to the first structural frame.
- 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
assembling a second chassis having
a second structural frame; a plurality of fastening or locking elements mounted with respect to the second structural frame, the plurality of fastening or locking elements defining a second set of frame interfaces substantially identical to the first set of frame interfaces and having a predetermined spatial relationship substantially identical to the predetermined spatial relationship of the first set of frame interfaces; a second by-wire steering system mounted with respect to the second structural frame; a second by-wire braking system mounted with respect to the second structural frame; a second by-wire energy conversion system mounted with respect to the second structural frame; a second energy storage system operatively connected to the second energy conversion system; a second suspension system mounted with respect to the second structural frame; a second set of at least three wheels mounted with respect to the second suspension system; and a second set of preassembled modules selected from the inventory, each of the preassembled modules of the second set at least partially forming one of the second steering system, second braking system, second energy conversion system, second energy storage system, and second suspension system; the module interface of each of the second set of preassembled modules engaged with one of the second set of frame interfaces such that the second set of preassembled modules is mounted with respect to the second structural frame; wherein the second chassis has a second length, a second width, and a second height, and wherein the second chassis is differently dimensioned from the first chassis such that at least one of the second length, the second width, and the second height is different from the first length, the first width, and the first height, respectively.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/337,994, filed Dec. 7, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60337994 |
Dec 2001 |
US |