GB2464295A

GB2464295A - Vehicle for holding group training sessions in different locations.

Info

Publication number: GB2464295A
Application number: GB0818527A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roderick Lynch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-10-10
Filing date: 2008-10-10
Publication date: 2010-04-14
Also published as: GB0818527D0

Abstract

A vehicle for training sessions that can be moved to different locations. There is a number of training stations with displays, simulators and a plurality of vehicle controls to provide training for a group of trainees. A communication unit is used to send information back and forth between the training stations and a remote information store. The vehicle has a sliding mechanism for the seats, so they can be in either storage or at the training stations.

Description

Vehicle for holding group training sessions.

Description

This invention relates to a vehicle for holding group training sessions.

Accredited vocational qualifications such as National Vocational Qualifications are highly valued in the job market. Specialised training for such qualifications is often provided by training providers at training centres, where trainees are trained and assessed in groups under the supervision of a tutor. Recently, some training centres have been equipped with computer facilities and internet access for accessing online training resources.

Hitherto, trainees have travelled from their home or place of employment to a training centre to take part in training sessions. However, the travel time and costs of the journey are inconvenient for trainees and also potentially for their employers.

The present invention provides a vehicle for holding group training sessions, the vehicle comprising a communication unit configured to receive training information from a remote information store and a plurality of training stations configured to provide training information received via the communication unit to a group of trainees.

Thus, trainees do not need to travel long distances to attend group training sessions having online training facilities. Instead, the vehicle can travel to the trainees.

The training session is preferably for an accredited vocational qualification such as a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Private Hire and Taxi Driving or an NVQ in Bus and Coach Driving. Alternatively or in addition, the training session io may relate to other vocational subject matter such as health and safety, first aid at work or fire evacuation. However, this list is not intended to be exhaustive and the training session may comprise any session in which education or instruction is given or in which knowledge, skills and competencies are acquired.

The invention also provides a method of providing training information to groups of trainees using a vehicle for holding group training sessions, the method comprising providing training information, at the training stations of the vehicle, to a first group of trainees when the vehicle is in a first location and providing training information, at the training stations of the vehicle, to a second group of trainees when the vehicle is in a second location.

The first location may be near to the place of employment of the first group of trainees and the second location may be near to the place of employment of the second group of trainees.

Thus, groups of trainees do not need to travel from their places of employment to attend group training sessions having online training facilities. Instead, the vehicle may travel to the places of employment of the groups of trainees.

Alternatively, the first location may be near to the place of residences of the first group of trainees and the second location may be near to the residences of the second group of trainees.

The vehicle may further comprise a driving simulator, the simulator having a display unit and a plurality of vehicle controls. The vehicle may be a bus and the vehicle simulator may be a bus simulator.

Trainees can therefore gain driving experience in a real vehicle by using the simulator in the bus, without the risks and costs of real driving.

The vehicle may have a trainee area, a storage area, a seat and a sliding mechanism arranged so that the seat is slidable between a first position in which the chair is stowed in the storage area and a second position in which the chair faces the trainee area.

Thus, the seat can be conveniently stowed away when the vehicle is being driven or when the trainees are getting on to the vehicle, and may be slid out to face the trainee area during a group training session so that the tutor may supervise the training session.

The training session may include a presentation and the vehicle may further comprise a presentation area having a display unit configured to display the presentation.

Each training station may comprise a laptop computer.

The vehicle may further comprise a side compartment which is accessible from outside of the bus, the side compartment containing a lockable security box for storing the training stations.

The vehicle may further comprise a vehicle driving simulator, the simulator having a display unit and a plurality of vehicle controls. The vehicle may be a bus and the vehicle simulator may be a bus simulator.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, embodiments thereof will now be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a bus for holding group training sessions.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the interior of the bus.

Figure 3 shows a side sectional view of the bus.

Figure 4 shows a block diagram of the bus network.

Figure 5 shows the bus in communication with a remote information store, via a satellite.

Figure 6 shows a wooden block for forming a step into the trainee area of the bus.

Figure 7 shows a plan view of the interior of the bus with a tutor's chair in a teaching position.

Figure 8 shows another bus, the bus having first and second driving simulators.

Figure 1 shows a vehicle, in the form of a bus 10 for holding group training sessions. The bus 10 is an evolution of a vehicle having a Plaxton Panther body with a Volvo B9 engine, and has been modified in order to provide group training facilities.

Figure 2 and Figure 3 illustrate the interior of the bus, showing a plan view and a side sectional view respectively. As shown, the bus has an upper area 15 comprising a front area 20, a storage area 30, a printing area 40, a trainee area 50, a kitchen area 60, a bathroom area 70 and a rear area, in the form of a presentation area 80.

Partition walls 90 separate the areas 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 from one another and define a corridor 100 through the upper area 15. As shown in Figure 2, the corridor 100 comprises a connecting corridor 105 which connects the front compartment 20 and the trainee area SO.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the bus also has a plurality of storage compartments longitudinally arranged in the lower body of the bus 10. The floor 120 of the upper area IS separates the storage compartments from the upper area IS. Each compartment 110 is accessible from outside of the bus 10 by means of a hinged door with a locking mechanism. Although Figure 1 shows three of the compartments 110, the other side of the bus (not shown) has a further three compartments (not shown).

Referring to Figure 3, one of the compartments llOa has a metal security box 130 in which a plurality of training stations, in the form of laptop computers 135 can be stored. The security box has a locking mechanism, which may be opened with a key to access the laptops.

The other storage compartments 110 contain other infrastructure components for the training session. As shown in Figure 3 and as is described in more detail hereinbelow, one of the compartments IlOb contains an electrical generator 140, another compartment hOc contains a server computer 150 and a multiple port network device 160 such as a hub or switch, and another compartment (not shown) contains a water tank (not shown) for supplying water to the kitchen and bathroom facilities via a water distribution system (not shown) comprising a network of pipes.

Prior to a training session, a tutor or driver may drive the bus 10 to the training location, which may, for example, be the place of employment of a group of trainees. Alternatively, the training location may be near to the residences of a group of trainees.

Once the bus has arrived at the training location, the tutor begins preparations for the training session by opening the compartment 110a, unlocking the security box and taking out a plurality of laptop computers 135, one for each trainee. The tutor takes the laptop computers 135 from the box to the trainee area 50, where the tutor places the laptops on desks 170 which run along either side of the training area, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

The tutor connects the laptops to power sockets (not shown) on the walls of the trainee area 50 to provide the laptops with electrical power via electrical generator 140. The generator 140 may receive fuel from the fuel system of the bus, or alternatively or in addition, may have its own fuel supply. The generator has a rechargeable battery, which may be recharged by connection to an external power source, or may be recharged from the output of the generator itself. Vehicle mounted electrical generators are known per se and will not be described in detail herein. The power generator is connected via electrical wiring to the electrical sockets in the trainee area and to a plurality of other electrical sockets (not shown), disposed on the walls or on the floor or on other parts of the bus.

The tutor also connects the laptops to network points N on the walls of the trainee area. As shown in Figure 4, the laptops are connected via the network points to a local network 180. The local network comprises the multiple port network device 160, the server 150, a plurality of printers 190, disposed in the printer area 40, and a communication unit, in the form of satellite antenna 200, which is mounted on the roof of the bus, as shown in Figure 1. The satellite antenna 200 provides satellite internet access for use by the laptops within the bus. Satellite internet technology is known per se and will not be described in detail herein.

The components of the network may be connected together by cabling, or alternatively the network may comprise a wireless access point and some or all of the connections may be wireless.

The network topology shown in Figure 4 is not intended to be limiting and many other configurations of the network would be evident to those skilled in the art.

Referring to Figure 2, the bus 10 may have 16 laptops. However, any suitable number of laptops may be used, for example 10, 15 or 20 laptops.

The satellite antenna 200 provides bidirectional wireless data communication between the bus and a remote information store 201. The remote information store 201 may comprise one or more server computers located at a remote training centre. Alternatively, or in addition, the remote information store 201 may comprise one or more server computers located at one or more different locations.

Two-way communication between the bus and the remote information store 201 is illustrated in Figure 5. Referring to Figure 5, data can be sent from the satellite antenna 200 via satellite 202 and terrestrial station 203 to the remote information store 201. As shown, satellite 202 receives data wirelessly transmitted by the satellite antenna 200 and sends the data to terrestrial station 203. Terrestrial station 203 then sends the data received from the satellite 202 to the remote information store 201 via a network 204 such as the internet.

Data may also be sent from the remote information store 201 to the satellite antenna 200 via terrestrial station 203 and satellite 202. As shown, terrestrial station 203 receives data transmitted from the remote information store 201 via the network 204 and sends the data wirelessly to the satellite 202. Satellite 202 then transmits the data received from the terrestrial station 203 to the satellite antenna 200.

The laptops are configured to send data to and receive data from the satellite antenna 200 via the network 180 and can therefore communicate with the remote information store 201 via the local bus network 180, satellite antenna 200 and terrestrial station 203. Communication between a laptop computer 135 and the remote information store 201 comprises sending data from the laptop computer 133 to the remote information store 201, where the data may be stored, and also comprises sending data from the remote information store 201 to the laptop computer 135.

At the scheduled time of the training session, the trainees arrive and board the bus via the door D in the front compartment 20. The trainees make their way through the front compartment 20, through the corridor 100 and into the trainee area 50, where they take seats at the desks 170 on chairs C, one trainee beside each of the laptops 135.

As is known in the art, the front compartment has a combination folding stairs and wheelchair lift, which is adjustable between a configuration in which a stair is formed at the entrance of the bus to enable trainees or tutors to get on and off the bus, and a configuration in which a lift is formed to enable trainees or tutors in wheelchairs to get on and off.

A mechanical lifting device is disposed under the floor 208 of the front compartment 20 so that the floor may be raised and lowered vertically between a first position in which a step is formed between the front compartment 20 and the connecting corridor 105, and a second position in which the floor of the front compartment 20 is flush with the floor of the connecting corridor 105 so that wheelchairs may pass easily into the connecting corridor 105.

Jo As shown in Figure 3, the height of the floor of the connecting corridor 105 is lower than the height of the floor of the trainee area 50. The connecting corridor and the trainee area 50 are connected by a ramp R which slopes upwardly from the floor of the connecting corridor 105 to the floor of the trainee area 50, thereby providing wheelchair access between the connecting corridor 105 and the trainee area 50. As shown in Figure 3, the ramp R may removably covered by a suitably shaped wooden block B, thereby providing step access for trainees to walk on and off the bus 10. The block B is illustrated in Figure 6. As shown, the block B has parallel upper and lower surfaces SI and 52, a lateral surface S3 joined at right angles to the surfaces SI and S2 and a sloping surface S4 which slopes from the surface S2 to join the surface SI, the sloping surface S4 being shaped so as to fit into the ramp it.

AsshowninFigure2and3,atutor'schair2l0anddesk22oaremountedona wooden support block 230 and stowed in the storage area 30. The support block 230 has a set of rollers (not shown) attached to the side walls S thereof. The rollers fit into guide rails (not shown) disposed on the partition walls 9Oso that the support block 230 is slidable relative to the guide rollers. The bottom of the legs of the chair 210 are fixed to the top surface of the support block 230. A support arm 235, extending from the chair 210 and fixed to the bottom surface of the desk 220, holds the desk in position in front of the chair. Thus the desk, chair and wooden block are fixed together and are slidable as a whole from the storage area 30 into a teaching position in which the tutor's chair is positioned in the connecting corridor Io5andfacesthetraineearea5o,asshowninFigure7.

Once the trainees have taken their seats in the trainee area 50, the tutor slides the desk 220, chair 210 and wooden block 230 from the storage area 30 into the teaching position. The training session then begins.

At the beginning of the training session, each trainee enters login details such as a username and password at the laptop 135 at which they are seated. If the login details are determined to be authentic, the trainee is permitted to access the training resources stored at the remote tnining centre.

During the tnining session, each trainee can access information stored at the remote information store 201, such as tnining information and/or assessment information, by interacting with the user interface and operating system of one of the laptops 135 and thereby downloading the information via the terrestrial station 203, the satellite 202, the satellite antenna 200 and the network 180, in the manner described hereinabove and shown in Figures 4 and 5. Similarly, the Trainees may also upload information from the laptop computers 135 to the remote information store 201.

The training information may comprise for example, course notes and other documents such as scanned or electronic versions of training manuals and books; presentations; films and other support materials including emails and messages to and from tutors, assessors or other trainees.

The assessment information may comprise, for example, scanned or electronic versions of uncompleted, completed or partially completed exercises, assignments, examination forms or examination scripts; other portfolio elements on which the trainees may be assessed, such as coursework documents and videos; and assessment results, grades and examination certificates.

Optionally, the remote information store 201 may be configured to automatically assess assessment information and to store the results at the remote information store 201 for download by the trainees.

The training information and/or assessment information may, for example, be accessed via a training webpage. A trainee may select and download the desired information by starting a browser program on the laptop, navigating to the webpage and selecting the desired information for download. Trainees may also upload information to the remote information store 201 via the browser program.

The remote information store 201 may also be accessed from devices at other locations outside of the bus. For example, the remote information store 201 could be accessible via the internet from a plurality of computers 205, 206, 207 located outside of the bus.

-10 -Training information providers may have access to the remote information store 201 and may upload training information which they have generated to the remote information store 201. In addition, assessors may upload and download assessment information to and from the remote information store 201. Alternatively, or in addition, a trainee may upload and download training and/or assessment information to and from the remote information store 201 from a computer 206 at a training centre or from a computer 207 at another location such as the place of residence of the trainee.

In one example, a training information provider uploads course notes from a computer 205 at the premises of the training information provider to the remote information store 201. During a group training session in the bus 10, trainees can then download the course notes from the remote information store 201.

In another example, an assessor uploads assessment information in the form of examination questions to the remote information store 201. The assessor may upload the information from a computer 205 at a training centre, assessment centre or any other location. During a group training session in the bus 10, a trainee downloads the examination questions. The trainee answers the examination questions at one of the laptops 135 and uploads the answers to the remote information store 201. The remote information store 201 determines whether the answers to the examination questions are correct by comparing the answers given by the trainee to answers stored in the remote information store 201, and stores the assessment results in the remote information store 201, where they may be downloaded by the trainees.

In another example, an assessor uploads assessment information in the form of coursework to the remote information store 201. During one or more group training sessions in the bus 10, a trainee completes the coursework and uploads the completed coursework to the remote information store 201. An assessor may then download the completed coursework, assess it, and upload the assessment results to the remote information store 201. During a group training session, the trainee may then download the assessment results.

-11 -Part of the training session may comprise a presentation given in the presentation area at the rear of the bus. The presentation area has a large display screen 240, such as a plasma screen display screen, on the rear wall and two smaller display screens 250 in the two corners of the presentation area which face the large display screen 240. A presentation may be given on one or more of the display screens in a manner known in the art by connecting the large display screen 240 to a laptop computer via a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cable and running a presentation program on the laptop computer. The display screens may be linked together by further DVI cables such that all of the display screens 240, 250 display the presentation simultaneously. The presentation area further comprises a couch 260 for seating the trainees so that the trainees may view the presentation.

Instead of, or in addition to a presentation area, the rear area of the bus may comprise one or more vehicle driving simulators. Driving simulators are known per se and will not be described in detail herein. The driving simulator may, for example, simulate driving a bus or, alternatively or in addition, may simulate driving another vehicle such as a taxi.

Figure 8 shows a bus 275 which is variation of the bus 10 in which the rear compartment comprises first and second driving simulators 270a, 270b. Each driving simulator has a steering wheel 280, a display unit (not shown), a gear stick (not shown) and pedals (not shown).

A training session may comprise a simulation session in which one or more of the trainees uses a driving simulator to simulate driving. The trainees can therefore gain driving experience in a real vehicle without the risk and cost of real driving.

Furthermore, instead of laptops, the training stations may for example comprise any other device which can connect to the local network 180, such as a desktop computer, a PDA or a mobile phone.

-12 -Many other modification and variations will be evident to those skilled in the art, that fall within the scope of the following claims:

Claims

-13 -Claims 1. A vehicle for holding group training sessions, comprising: a communication unit configured to receive training information from a remote information store; and a plurality of training stations configured to provide training information received via the communication unit to a group of trainees.
2. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle driving simulator, the simulator having a display unit and a plurality of vehicle controls.
3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle is a bus and wherein the vehicle simulator is a bus simulator.
4. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, the vehicle having: a trainee area; a storage area; a seat; and a sliding mechanism arranged so that the seat is slidable between a first position in which the chair is stowed in the storage area and a second position in which the chair faces the trainee area.
5. A vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the seat is mounted on a sliding support member; and the sliding mechanism comprises: a rail, connected to the storage area; and a sliding part, connected to the support member and slidable relative to the rail.
6. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the training session includes a presentation and wherein the vehicle further comprises a presentation area having a display unit configured to display the presentation. -14-
7. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein: the plurality of training stations are further configured to receive training information from the group of users; and the communication unit is further configured to send training information, received by the training stations, to the remote information store.
8. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein: the communication unit is further configured to receive assessment information from the remote information store; and the plurality of training stations are further configured to provide assessment information, received via the communication unit, to the group of users.
9. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein: the plurality of training stations are further configured to receive assessment information from the group of users; and the communication unit is further configured to send training information, received by the training stations, to the remote information store.
10. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein each training station comprises a laptop computer.
11. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, further comprising a side compartment which is accessible from outside of the bus, the side compartment containing a lockable security box for storing the training stations.
12. A method of providing training information to groups of trainees using the vehicle of any of claims 1-11, comprising: providing training information, at the training stations of the vehicle, to a first group of trainees when the vehicle is in a first location; Jo providing training information, at the training stations of the vehicle, to a second group of trainees when the vehicle is in a second location.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein: the first location is near to the place of employment of the first group of trainees; and the second location is near to the place of employment of the second group of trainees.
14. A method according to dsini 12, wherein: the first location is near to the residences of the first group of trainees; and the second location is near to the residences of the second group of trainees.