An inverted pendulum vehicle has a vehicle body frame, a main wheel combining a plurality of driven rollers arranged along a circle, a pair of drive disks rotatably supported by the vehicle body frame around a laterally extending rotational center line, a plurality of drive rollers arranged rotatably on each drive disk along a circumferential direction and configured to engage the driven rollers of the main wheel, a drive unit for individually driving the drive disks, a control unit for controlling the drive units under an inverted pendulum control, a tail wheel arm having a base end pivotally attached to a part of the vehicle body frame around a laterally extending pivot center line, a tail wheel rotatably supported by the tail wheel arm and a skid member attached to the tail wheel arm, the skid member including a pair of side walls slanting outward toward upper edges thereof.

Provided is an omni-wheel including an annular core member for rotatively supporting a plurality of free roller that is light, economical and strong. The omni-wheel comprises an annular core member having at least one junction defined by mutually circumferentially opposing ends thereof, a plurality of sleeve members defining an inner bore and passed onto the core member and a free roller rotatably supported on an outer surface of each sleeve member in a coaxial relationship, wherein the mutually opposing ends of the annular core member at each junction are fitted into either end of the inner bore of the corresponding sleeve member.

Provided is an omni-wheel including an annular core member for rotatively supporting a plurality of free roller that is light, economical and strong. The omni-wheel comprises an annular core member having at least one junction defined by mutually circumferentially opposing ends thereof, a plurality of sleeve members defining an inner bore and passed onto the core member and a free roller rotatably supported on an outer surface of each sleeve member in a coaxial relationship, wherein the mutually opposing ends of the annular core member at each junction are fitted into either end of the inner bore of the corresponding sleeve member.

Embodiments of a friction drive system include a battery, a drive motor, a control unit, and a speed wheel. When the friction drive system is mounted on a wheeled vehicle, the speed wheel provides an accurate measurement of the vehicle speed by maintaining contact with a tire of the vehicle. An automatic traction control system, which may be part of the control unit, compares the speed of the speed wheel with the speed of the drive motor to determine whether slippage is occurring. If slippage is detected, then embodiments of an automatic traction control system automatically increase an amount of normal force between a contact surface on the drive motor and the tire, by advancing a position of the drive motor relative to a fixed mounting point. If no slippage is detected, then embodiments of an automatic traction control system automatically reduce the amount of normal force, by retracting a position of the drive r elative to a fixed mounting point. In embodiments of a friction drive system, the relative position of the drive motor may be controlled by powering a worm gear motor attached to a worm gear in response to commands from the control unit.

A propulsion device for a bicycle can include a mounting assembly for releasably coupling the propulsion device to the bicycle, a motor, a power source selectively providing power to the motor, a gear assembly, and two frictional drive components coupled to the gear assembly. The two frictional drive components can be movable between an engaged configuration and a disengaged configuration. In the engaged configuration, the two frictional drive components are frictionally engaged with a side of a wheel of the bicycle such that the wheel is arranged between the two frictional drive components. In the disengaged configuration the two frictional drive components are disengaged from the wheel. The motor can drive the gear assembly: (i) to move the two frictional drive components into the engaged configuration, and (ii) to rotate at least one of the two frictional drive components to rotate the wheel of the bicycle.

A propulsion device for a bicycle can include a mounting assembly for releasably coupling the propulsion device to the bicycle, a motor, a power source selectively providing power to the motor, a gear assembly, and two frictional drive components coupled to the gear assembly. The two frictional drive components can be movable between an engaged configuration and a disengaged configuration. In the engaged configuration, the two frictional drive components are frictionally engaged with a side of a wheel of the bicycle such that the wheel is arranged between the two frictional drive components. In the disengaged configuration the two frictional drive components are disengaged from the wheel. The motor can drive the gear assembly: (i) to move the two frictional drive components into the engaged configuration, and (ii) to rotate at least one of the two frictional drive components to rotate the wheel of the bicycle.

An electric vehicle includes a wire harness that flexibly follows the swinging of the swing arm, surely avoids any contact with other components, and has excellent durability. The electric vehicle includes a battery mounted to a frame, an inverter and an electric motor accommodated in a swing arm, and a wire harness wired between the frame and the swing arm. The swing arm includes a hollow pivot section, and a partition wall partitioning the pivot section and an arm section. The wire harness suspends from the frame side, enters inside the pivot section from the top face side of the pivot section, and is bent inside the pivot section reaching the inverter through the partition-wall through port.

An electric vehicle includes a wire harness that flexibly follows the swinging of the swing arm, surely avoids any contact with other components, and has excellent durability. The electric vehicle includes a battery mounted to a frame, an inverter and an electric motor accommodated in a swing arm, and a wire harness wired between the frame and the swing arm. The swing arm includes a hollow pivot section, and a partition wall partitioning the pivot section and an arm section. The wire harness suspends from the frame side, enters inside the pivot section from the top face side of the pivot section, and is bent inside the pivot section reaching the inverter through the partition-wall through port.

The disclosure relates to improved fastening mechanisms having both sufficient stiffness to bear a load and the ability to fit securely on a wide-range of sizes and shapes of tubing, including tapered tubing. Embodiments include a fastening mechanism with a first body part having a first inner surface, and a second body part having a second inner surface. A first fastening set may be disposed at a first end of the first and second body parts. A second fastening set may be disposed at a second end of the first and second body parts. The first and second fastening sets may be capable of securing the first and second body parts about a central tube, which may have tapered dimensions. The first inner surface and the second inner surface may each have a first subsurface and a second subsurface, the first subsurfaces may have a first contour, the second subsurfaces may have a second contour, and the first contour may fit a different size and shape of tubing than the second contour.