Generally, the invention relates to a vehicle. More specifically,
the invention relates to a vehicle with exclusive passenger pods.
Background
[002] Currently, shared mobility has become a primary means of
commuting for many individual. Shared mobility refers to transport services
and resources that are shared among individuals, either concurrently or one
after another. This includes public taxis, carpooling, shared taxis, public
transport, etc. Shared mobility option has gained huge popularity due to two
main factors, i.e., reduced carbon footprint and cheaper tariff. Moreover,
shared mobility is of importance as it greatly helps in decongestion of highdensity urban cities, thereby reducing traffic and saving time for all
commuters.
[003] However, increased shared mobility options opted by
individuals for commuting also have certain limitations, as ride sharing can
put privacy and personal safety of an individual at risk. Moreover, sharing
ride with unwell commuters (e.g., a co-passenger or a driver) may lead to
contracting several diseases that may spread directly (i.e., via droplet
spread) or indirectly (i.e., via airborne transmission or contaminated
objects). Contracting such diseases may cause mild illness like common
cold to fatal viral infections like nCOVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS), measles morbillivirus, chickenpox virus, mycobacterium
tuberculosis, influenza virus, etc.
[004] In addition, another common but important concern of sharing
ride in proximity with strangers involves harmful effects on health of the
individual due to improper hygiene of other commuters. Examples of harmful
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effects on health of the individual while sharing ride with other commuters
includes temporary discomfort experienced during journey as a result of bad
breath or body odor, or prolonged conditions like rashes or allergies.
Moreover, during shared mobility differences between commuter’s personal
preferences also can affect the ride-sharing experience of each commuter.
Example of personal preferences of each commuter sharing the ride
includes vehicle’s climate control, choice of infotainment (music station/
video channel), loudness (volume) control, lighting preferences, etc. Some
existing concepts of compartments in public and private vehicles,
segregates passengers commuting in the vehicle in separate groups.
However, none of the existing concept provides solutions for all the abovementioned limitations.
[005] Therefore, a robust and efficient mechanism is needed that
may segregate seat of each passenger commuting in the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[006] In one embodiment, a vehicle with exclusive passenger pods
is disclosed. The vehicle may include two or more exclusive passenger
pods. It should be noted that, each of the two or more exclusive passenger
pods is configured to provide personal autonomy and privacy to an occupant
passenger with respect to occupant passengers in remaining of the two or
more exclusive passenger pods. Each of the two or more exclusive
passenger pods includes a passenger seat, an enclosure that completely
encapsulates the passenger seat, and an access door configured to provide
access to the enclosure from outside.
[007] In another embodiment, a vehicle with exclusive passenger
pods is disclosed. The vehicle may include a plurality of exclusive
passenger pods. It should be noted that, each of the plurality of exclusive
passenger pods is configured to provide personal autonomy and privacy to
an occupant passenger with respect to occupant passengers in remaining
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of the plurality of exclusive passenger pods. Each of the plurality of
exclusive passenger pods includes a passenger seat, and an airtight
enclosure that completely encapsulates the passenger seat. It should be
noted that, the enclosure is about cuboidal in shape with a front wall, a left
side wall, a right-side wall, a back wall, a roof wall, and a floor wall.
Moreover, one of the left side wall and the right side wall comprises the
access door configured to provide access to the enclosure from outside,
while the other is a shared wall with a side adjacent passenger pod. Further,
either the front wall is a shared wall with a front adjacent passenger pod, or
the back wall is a shared wall with a rear adjacent passenger pod.
[008] In yet another embodiment, a method of retrofitting a vehicle
with two or more exclusive passenger pods is disclosed. The method may
include stripping one or more passenger seats from the vehicle to create an
inside space. The method may further include installing one or more
exclusive passenger pods in the inside space such that each of the one or
more passenger pods is accessible from outside by an existing access door
of the vehicle. It should be noted that, each of the one or more exclusive
passenger pods is configured to provide personal autonomy and privacy to
an occupant passenger with respect to other occupant passengers in the
vehicle. Moreover, each of the one or more exclusive passenger pods
comprises a passenger seat, and an enclosure that completely
encapsulates the passenger seat. It should be noted that, the enclosure is
integrated with and accessible through the existing access door.
[009] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary and
explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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[010] The present application can be best understood by reference
to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawing figures, in which like parts may be referred to by like numerals
[011] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle with a plurality of
exclusive passenger pods, in accordance with some embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[012] FIG. 2 illustrates an exclusive passenger pod within a vehicle,
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[013] FIG. 3 illustrates an exclusive passenger pod within a vehicle
with independent access to a plurality of services, in accordance with some
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[014] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for
retrofitting a vehicle with two or more exclusive passenger pods, in
accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[015] The following description is presented to enable a person of
ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the
context of particular applications and their requirements. Various
modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in
the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other
embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention. Moreover, in the following description, numerous details
are set forth for the purpose of explanation. However, one of ordinary skill
in the art will realize that the invention might be practiced without the use of
these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices
are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the description of
the invention with unnecessary detail. Thus, the invention is not intended to
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be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest
scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
[016] Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary vehicle 100 with a
plurality of exclusive passenger pods 102 is illustrated, in accordance with
some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the illustrated
embodiments, the plurality of exclusive passenger pods 102 within the
vehicle 100 may correspond to a set of six exclusive passenger pods. It
should be noted that the number of exclusive passenger pods 102 within
the vehicle may be at least two exclusive passenger pods. In other words,
the number of exclusive passenger pods 102 may range from a minimum of
two exclusive passenger pods to a maximum of any number of exclusive
passenger pods depending on a size of the vehicle. Each of the exclusive
passenger pods 102 may be configured to provide personal autonomy and
privacy to an occupant passenger with respect to occupant passengers in
remaining of the exclusive passenger pods 102. In addition, each of the
exclusive passenger pods 102 may comprise a passenger seat 104, an
enclosure 106 that may completely encapsulate the passenger seat 104,
and an access door 108 configured to provide access to the enclosure 106
from outside.
[017] In some embodiments, the enclosure 106 may be cuboidal in
shape with a front wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, a back wall, a roof
wall, and a floor wall. The front, left side, right side wall, and back walls may
go from top to bottom of vehicle. Further, in some embodiments, at least
one of the left side wall and the right side wall may include the access door
108. Thus, each of the exclusive passenger pods 102 may include an
exclusive entry/exit door for the potential/occupant passenger of that
exclusive passenger pod. As will be appreciated, in some embodiments, the
enclosure 108 may be integrated with and accessible through the access
door 108. This has been explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIG.
2. In some embodiments, the enclosure 106 may be an airtight enclosure
so as to help the occupant passenger avoid spread of infection, odour, and
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allergies from each other or each other belongings. In some embodiments,
the enclosure 106 may be made of a rigid and immovable sheet of opaque
or at least partially opaque material. By way of an example, the opaque or
the partially opaque material for the sheet may be a thermally insulated
fiberglass. Further, by way of an example, the roof, the floor, and the side
wall that includes the access door 108 may be as per current offering of the
vehicle manufacturer. In some embodiments, one of the left side wall and
the right side wall may correspond to a shared wall with a side adjacent
passenger pod. Further, in some embodiments, at least one of the access
door 108 and the shared wall may include a window of at least partially
transparent material. By way of an example, the partially transparent
material for the window may be a thermally insulated glass. Additionally, in
some embodiments, the front wall may be shared wall with a front adjacent
passenger pod. Further, in some embodiments, the back wall may be a
shared wall with a rear adjacent passenger pod.
[018] By way of an example, when one of the exclusive passenger
pods 102 in a right-hand drive vehicle 100 is a driver passenger pod 110,
then the right side wall may include the access door 108. The access door
108 of the driver passenger pod 110 may enable a driver passenger of the
vehicle 100 to access the enclosure 106. The left side wall of the driver
passenger pod 110 may be the shared wall with the side adjacent pod.
Further, the back wall for the driver passenger pod 110 may the shared wall
with the rear adjacent passenger seat and the front wall for the driver
passenger seat 110 may be a windshield of the vehicle 100.
[019] Moreover, each of the exclusive passenger pods 102 may
include at least one of one or more sensors for sensing an occupancy of the
passenger seat 104; an infotainment system; a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system; and an ambient lighting system. In some
embodiments, the occupancy of the passenger seat 104 may be notified to
the driver passenger of the vehicle 100. Moreover, in some embodiments,
the occupancy of the passenger seat 104 may be notified to a potential
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passenger through an external visual indication (e.g., through an occupancy
indicator light corresponding to each exclusive passenger pod and affixed
to top of the vehicle). In some embodiments, each of the exclusive
passenger pods 102 may include a speaker and a microphone either as a
standalone separate unit or as a part of the infotainment system. The
speaker and the microphone may be installed in order to allow the occupant
passenger in that exclusive passenger pod to communicate with one or
more of the occupant passengers in remaining of the exclusive passenger
pods 102.
[020] Further, each of the exclusive passenger pods 102 may
provide a personal autonomy to the occupant passenger by providing for an
independent access to a plurality of services. In some embodiments, the
plurality of services may include, but may not be limited to, a climate control
system (to set temperature according to personal comfort level), an
infotainment control system (to select music, video, volume, etc. according
to personal liking), and an ambient light control system (to set lightning
according to personal liking or mood). This has been further explained in
greater detail in conjunction to FIG. 3.
[021] It should be noted that, the vehicle 100 with exclusive
passenger pods 102 may be factory made, i.e., manufactured by the vehicle
manufacturer. Alternatively, the exclusive passenger pods 102 may be
created or retrofitted inside an existing vehicle as an after-market
modification based on requirements of owner of the vehicle. It should be
noted that, such modification of the vehicle (i.e., retrofitting of the exclusive
passenger pods 102 within an existing vehicle) may be done either by the
manufacturer of the vehicle or may be done at a high-end workshop/garage
for the vehicle. In order to retrofit the vehicle with the exclusive passenger
pods 102, the vehicle may be stripped off the one or more existing
passenger seats so as to create an inside space. Further, each of the
exclusive passenger pods 102 may be installed in the inside space so
created. Also, each of the exclusive passenger pods 102 may be installed
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in a such a way that each of the exclusive passenger pods 102 may be
accessible from outside by an existing access door 108 of the vehicle.
[022] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the vehicle 100
with the exclusive passenger pods 102 may be indicated clearly on booking
applications and websites with a unique name or branding (i.e., by
distinctive design or advertisement). In addition, in some embodiments, the
vehicle 100 may itself indicate that the vehicle 100 comprises of the
exclusive passenger pods 102 via a plurality of visual indication means. The
plurality of visual indication means may include, but may not be limited to,
an external text, a logo, a special marking (e.g., a vehicle with two yellow
lines), and a light indicator. Further, as stated above, the vehicle 100 may
indicate occupancy of each of the exclusive passenger pods 102 from
outside via a light indicator or any other similar visual indicators. By way of
an example, in one embodiment, when the passenger is present in one of
the exclusive passenger pods 102, then the light indicator outside that
particular exclusive passenger pod may be red in color. In another
embodiment, when the passenger is not present in one of the exclusive
passenger pods 102, then the light indicator outside that exclusive
passenger pod may be blue or green in color.
[023] Referring now to FIG. 2, an exclusive passenger pod 202
within a vehicle 200 is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of
the present disclosure. By way of an example, the vehicle 200 may
represent a vehicle with four seats. As described above, each of the four
seats of the vehicle 200 may be converted into exclusive passenger pods
such as the illustrated exclusive passenger pod 202. Therefore, the vehicle
200 may include a set of four exclusive passenger pods. In an embodiment,
each of the set of four exclusive passenger pods may be configured to
provide personal autonomy and privacy to an occupant passenger with
respect to occupant passengers in remaining of the three exclusive
passenger pods in the vehicle 200. In order to provide personal autonomy
to the occupant passenger, the occupant passenger may be provided with
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an independent access to a plurality of services. The plurality of services
may include, but may not be limited to, a climate control system (also
referred to as a HVAC control system), an infotainment control system, and
an ambient light control system. In addition, each of the set of four exclusive
passenger pods may include one or more sensors for sensing an occupancy
of the passenger seat. Based on sensing of the occupancy of a given
passenger pod 202, the driver passenger of the vehicle or a potential
passenger may be notified about the occupancy of that passenger pod 202.
Additionally, each of the set of four exclusive passenger pods in the vehicle
200 may include a passenger seat 204, and an airtight enclosure that
completely encapsulates the passenger seat 204.
[024] The airtight enclosure may be cuboidal in shape with a front
wall 212, a left side wall 210, a right side wall (partially shown) 208, a back
wall 206, a roof wall 214, and a floor wall 216. Further, in the airtight
enclosure, one of the left side wall and the right side wall may include the
access door that is configured to provide access to the airtight enclosure
from outside, while the other is a shared wall with a side adjacent passenger
pod. In the illustrated exclusive passenger pod 202, the right side wall 208
may include the access door, while the left side wall 210 may correspond to
the shared wall. As will be appreciated, the shared wall may be a wall
between the exclusive passenger pod 202 and the side adjacent pod in the
vehicle 200. Moreover, in the airtight enclosure, at least one of the front wall
and the back wall may be a shared wall with a front adjacent passenger pod
and a rear adjacent passenger pod, respectively. In the illustrated
embodiments, the front wall 212 may correspond to the shared wall with the
front adjacent passenger pod.
[025] In some embodiments, the front wall 212, the back wall 206,
and the left side wall 210 of the exclusive passenger pod 202 may go from
top to bottom of the vehicle 200. Further, the front wall 212, the back wall
206, and the left side wall 210 of the exclusive passenger pod 202 may be
made of a strong, rigid and immovable sheet of opaque material. An
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example of the opaque material of the sheet may be a thermally insulated
fiberglass. In addition, the right side wall 208, the roof wall 214 and the floor
wall 216 of the vehicle 200 may be manufactured as per a core design of
the vehicle 200 (i.e., as per the current offering of the vehicle manufacturer).
[026] As will be appreciated, in some embodiments, when the right
side wall 208 includes the access door and the left side wall 210 is the
shared wall, then the front wall 212, the back wall 206, and the left side wall
210 may be made of the strong, rigid and immovable sheet of opaque
material. Additionally, the right side wall (i.e., one with the access door), the
roof wall 214 and the floor wall 216 may be provided by the manufacturer
as per the current offering of the vehicle manufacturer. Further, in some
embodiments, when the left side wall includes the access door and the right
side wall is the shared wall, then the front wall, the back wall and the right
side wall may be made of the strong, rigid and immovable sheet of opaque
material. Additionally, the left side wall, the roof wall and the floor wall may
be provided by the manufacturer as per the current offering of the vehicle
manufacturer.
[027] Referring now to FIG. 3, an exclusive passenger pod 302
within a vehicle 300 with independent access to a plurality of services is
illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
It should be noted that the vehicle 300 is a four-seater vehicle and may
comprise of a set of four exclusive passenger pods such as the illustrated
exclusive passenger pod 302. Each of the set of four exclusive passenger
pods of the vehicle 300 may be configured to provide personal autonomy
and privacy to an occupant passenger with respect to occupant passengers
in remaining of the three exclusive passenger pods in the vehicle 300. In
order to provide personal autonomy to the occupant passenger in each of
the set of four exclusive passenger pods, the occupant passenger may be
provided with an independent access to the plurality of services. The
plurality of services may include, but may not be limited to, the climate
control system 304 that enables the occupant passenger to set temperature
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according to his/her personal comfort level, the infotainment control system
306 that enables the occupant passenger to select music or video or to set
volume according to his/her personal liking, and the ambient light control
system 308 that enables the occupant passenger to set lightning according
to his/her personal liking and mood. In addition, each of the set of four
exclusive passenger pods may include one or more sensors for sensing an
occupancy of the passenger seat. Based on sensing of the occupancy of a
given passenger pod 302, the driver passenger or a potential passenger of
the vehicle 300 may be notified about the occupancy of that passenger pod
302.
[028] By way of an example, the occupant passenger of the
exclusive passenger pod 302 may be allowed to adjust temperature and fan
speed of a HVAC system for the exclusive passenger pod 302 via the
climate control system 304, without effecting the temperature and fan
settings of remaining three exclusive passenger pods in the vehicle 300.
Similarly, the occupant passenger of the exclusive passenger pod 302 may
be able to play a video or a music of his choice along with suitable volume
using the infotainment control system 306. In addition, the occupant
passenger may communicate or speak with one or more of the occupant
passengers in remaining of three exclusive passenger pods via a
microphone and a speaker provided as a standalone unit or as a part of the
infotainment system. Further, the occupant passenger of the exclusive
passenger pod 302 may adjust lightning of the exclusive passenger pod 302
based on his requirements, mood, or liking, via the ambient light control
system 308.
[029] Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary process for retrofitting
a vehicle with two or more exclusive passenger pods is depicted, via a flow
diagram, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure.
In order to retrofit the vehicle with two or more exclusive passenger pods,
at step 402, one or more passenger seat from the vehicle may be stripped
so as to create an inside space in the vehicle. Thereafter, at step 404, one
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or more exclusive passenger pods may be installed in the inside space of
the vehicle. It should be noted that the installation may be performed such
that each of the one or more passenger pods is accessible from outside by
an existing access door of the vehicle. As discussed above, an exclusive
passenger pod may be defined by an enclosure that completely
encapsulates a passenger seat within that passenger pod. Thus, the
installation may be performed such that the enclosure is integrated with and
accessible through the existing access door of the vehicle. In some
embodiments, in order to install one or more passenger pods in the vehicle,
the inside space of the vehicle may be partitioned by creating two types of
partitions. The two types of partitions may include column separating and
row separating. In some embodiments, the column separating partition may
correspond to length of partition spanning the inside length of the vehicle
from a first passenger seating area in front to a last passenger seating area
in rear. Similarly, the row separating partition may correspond to length of
partition spanning the inside width of the vehicle.
[030] Further, as discussed above, each of the one or more
exclusive passenger pods may include one or more sensors for sensing an
occupancy of the passenger seat, an infotainment system, a HVAC system,
and an ambient lighting system. Moreover, as discussed above, each of the
one or more exclusive passenger pods may be configured to provide
personal autonomy and privacy to an occupant passenger with respect to
other occupant passengers in the vehicle. In an embodiment, in order to
provide personal autonomy to the occupant passenger, an independent
access may be provided to the occupant passenger for a plurality of
services. The plurality of services may include, but may not be limited to,
the climate control system, the infotainment control system, and the ambient
light control system.
[031] Various embodiments provide a vehicle with exclusive
passenger pods. In particular, the disclosed vehicle 100, 200, 300,
described in various embodiments discussed above, may provide an
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exclusive passenger pod to each of a plurality of passengers sharing ride in
the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle 100, 200, 300, may provide personal
autonomy and privacy to an occupant passenger of each of the two or more
exclusive pods of the vehicle with respect to occupant passengers in
remaining of the two or more exclusive passenger pods.
[032] The disclosed vehicle provides some advantages like
increased privacy of each occupant passenger sharing a ride in the vehicle.
Further, the disclosed vehicle with exclusive passenger pods enhances
safety of each occupant passenger. In addition, each of the exclusive
passenger pod of the vehicle may include a separate and an exclusive
HVAC system. The exclusive passenger pod with an exclusive HVAC
system provides for various advantages like, preventing spread of allergic
reaction from co-passengers and their belongings, better immunity to
occupant passengers against airborne or direct diseases, preventing spread
of contaminated air, providing a pleasant ride with minimal intervention from
co-passengers lacking proper hygiene (bad breath, body odor), and
reduced chances of driver fatigue or drowsiness induced by co-passengers.
Moreover, the disclosed vehicle with exclusive passenger pods improves
overall ride sharing experience of each occupant passenger by allowing
discrete selection of preferred infotainment, discrete selection of preferred
vehicle climate, and discrete selection of lighting and other such in-vehicle
services.
[033] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the
specific form set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the present invention is
limited only by the claims. Additionally, although a feature may appear to be
described in connection with particular embodiments, one skilled in the art
would recognize that various features of the described embodiments may
be combined in accordance with the invention.
[034] Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means,
elements or process steps may be implemented by, for example, a single
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unit or processor. Additionally, although individual features may be included
in different claims, these may possibly be advantageously combined, and
the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features
is not feasible and/or advantageous. Also, the inclusion of a feature in one
category of claims does not imply a limitation to this category, but rather the
feature may be equally applicable to other claim categories, as appropriate.

CLAIMS
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A vehicle (100), comprising:
two or more exclusive passenger pods (102), wherein each of the
two or more exclusive passenger pods (102) is configured to provide
personal autonomy and privacy to an occupant passenger with respect to
occupant passengers in remaining of the two or more exclusive passenger
pods (102), and wherein each of the two or more exclusive passenger pods
(102) comprises:
a passenger seat (104);
an enclosure (106) that completely encapsulates the
passenger seat; and
an access door (108) configured to provide access to the
enclosure (106) from outside.
2. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the enclosure (106) is
about cuboidal in shape with a front wall (212), a left side wall (210), a right
side wall (208), a back wall (206), a roof wall (214), and a floor wall (216),
and wherein at least one of the left side wall (210) and the right side wall
comprises the access door (108).
3. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of:
one of the left side wall (210) and the right side wall (208) is a shared
wall with a side adjacent passenger pod; and
at least one of:
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the front wall (212) is a shared wall with a front adjacent
passenger pod; and
the back wall (206) is a shared wall with a rear adjacent
passenger pod.
4. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the enclosure (106) is
an airtight enclosure made of a rigid and immovable sheet of at least
partially opaque material, and wherein at least one of the access door (108)
and the shared wall comprises a window of at least partially transparent
material.
5. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein providing personal
autonomy to the occupant passenger comprises providing for an
independent access to a plurality of services, wherein the plurality of
services comprises at least one of a climate control system (304), an
infotainment control system (306), and an ambient light control system
(308).
6. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two or more
exclusive passenger pods (102) further comprises, at least one of:
one or more sensors for sensing an occupancy of the passenger seat
(104), wherein at least one of a driver passenger and a potential passenger
of the vehicle (100) is notified about the occupancy;
an infotainment system (306), wherein the infotainment system (306)
comprises a speaker and a microphone to enable the occupant passenger
to speak with one or more of the occupant passengers in remaining of the
two or more exclusive passenger pods (102);
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a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (304); and
an ambient lighting system (308).
7. A vehicle (100), comprising:
a plurality of exclusive passenger pods, wherein each of the plurality
of exclusive passenger pods is configured to provide personal autonomy
and privacy to an occupant passenger with respect to occupant passengers
in remaining of the plurality of exclusive passenger pods, and wherein each
of the plurality of exclusive passenger pods comprises:
a passenger seat (104); and
an airtight enclosure that completely encapsulates the
passenger seat (104), wherein the enclosure (106) is about cuboidal
in shape with a front wall (212), a left side wall (210), a right side wall
(208), a back wall (206), a roof wall (214), and a floor wall (216), and
wherein:
one of the left side wall (210) and the right side wall
(208) comprises the access door (108) configured to provide
access to the enclosure (106) from outside, while the other is
a shared wall with a side adjacent passenger pod; and
at least one of: the front wall (212) is a shared wall with
a front adjacent passenger pod, and the back wall (206) is a
shared wall with a rear adjacent passenger pod.
8. A method of retrofitting a vehicle (100) with exclusive passenger pods
(102), the method comprising:
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stripping (402) one or more passenger seats from the vehicle (100)
to create an inside space;
installing (404) one or more exclusive passenger pods in the inside
space such that each of the one or more passenger pods is accessible from
outside by an existing access door (108) of the vehicle (100), wherein each
of the one or more exclusive passenger pods is configured to provide
personal autonomy and privacy to an occupant passenger with respect to
other occupant passengers in the vehicle (100), and wherein each of the
one or more exclusive passenger pods comprises:
a passenger seat (104); and
an enclosure (106) that completely encapsulates the
passenger seat (104), wherein the enclosure (106) is integrated with
and accessible through the existing access door (108).
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the enclosure (106) is an airtight
enclosure made of a rigid and immovable sheet of at least partially opaque
material.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more exclusive
passenger pods further comprises, at least one of:
one or more sensors for sensing an occupancy of the passenger seat
(104), wherein at least one of a driver passenger and a potential passenger
of the vehicle (100) is notified about the occupancy;
an infotainment system (306), wherein the infotainment system
comprises a speaker and a microphone to enable the occupant passenger
to speak with one or more of the occupant passengers in remaining of the
vehicle (100);
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a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (304); and
an ambient lighting system (308).