An axle assembly having an axle housing, an axle shaft, a plurality of axle shaft bearings and a seal. The axle housing has a tubular member and an end flange that is coupled to the tubular member. The axle shaft bearings and the seal are received in the end flange and are engaged to the axle shaft. The axle shaft bearings support the axle shaft for rotation relative to the axle housing. The seal is sealingly engaged to the end flange and the axle shaft. A method for assembling an axle assembly is also provided.

A wheel assembly includes a wheel portion and a pair of drive assemblies opposing each other with the wheel portion interposed therebetween. One of the pair of drive assemblies includes a first motor and a first deceleration assembly. The other of the pair of drive assemblies includes a second motor and a second deceleration assembly. The first deceleration assembly includes a first input shaft connected to the first output shaft. The first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are parallel to the rotation axis of the wheel portion and disposed outside the wheel portion in the radial direction of the wheel portion. The first output shaft, the first input shaft, the second output shaft, and the second input shaft extend in a direction away from the wheel portion in a direction along the rotation axis.

Electric motors are disclosed. The motors are preferably for use in an automated vehicle, although any one or more of a variety of motor uses are suitable. The motors include lift, turntable, and locomotion motors.

A silent hub structure includes a hub housing, an interlocking ring, a detent ring and a cassette base. The interlocking ring is installed inside the hub housing and has a central through-hole slot therein through which a detent ring is rotatably disposed therethrough. The through-hole slot is internally and circumferentially provided with a plurality of receiving grooves recessed at an equal distance therebetween on the internal wall. Each of these receiving grooves is disposed with a metal roller pin along the axial direction. The forward-rotating direction side of every receiving groove forms a clamping portion; a magnetic member is disposed in the interlocking ring near the clamping portion of each of the receiving groove separately, whereas the backward-rotating direction side of every receiving groove forms a releasing portion.

A centreless wheel for a vehicle is suitable for use in a road-going vehicle, a wheelchair, a trolley, etc. and includes a rotor that is annular around an axis, the rotor having an inner surface forming a plurality of radial teeth to form an annular gear. The rotor is mounted in a member which is annular around the axis, the member having a housing for a drive mechanism with a driveshaft and a pinion mounted thereon in engagement with the annular gear to transmit torque to the rotor. A connection assembly connects the member to the vehicle. An actuator is configured to act upon the housing to move the member and the rotor relative to the connection assembly.

This invention relates to a drive module. The drive module includes a base and a steering assembly rotatably mounted to the base. The steering assembly is selectively rotatable about a predetermined steering axis and carries a drive train. The drive train is configured to provide a multi-stage drive reduction of the drive train and the drive train is adapted to support a wheel such that a centre of a contact patch of the wheel is laterally offset from the steering axis.

An auxiliary power unit equipped wheel support bearing assembly is provided which includes a wheel support bearing assembly and an auxiliary power unit. The auxiliary power unit is of a direct drive design that includes a stator mounted to a stationary ring of the wheel support bearing assembly and a motor rotor mounted to a rotational ring of the wheel support bearing assembly. An entirety of the auxiliary power unit is sized to extend less than an outer peripheral segment of a brake rotor, with the outer peripheral segment defining an area against which a brake caliper is intended to be pushed. The auxiliary power unit is, with respect to an axial direction, sized to be situated between a hub flange of the wheel support bearing assembly and a mounting face of the wheel support bearing assembly for mounting to a vehicle body of a vehicle.

A bicycle hub assembly comprises a hub axle, a hub body, and a sprocket support body. The hub body includes a first spoke-mounting portion, a second spoke-mounting portion, and a first axial length. The first axial length is defined between a first axially outermost part of the first spoke-mounting portion and a second axially outermost part of the second spoke-mounting portion in an axial direction with respect to a rotational center axis. The first axial length is equal to or larger than 55 mm. The sprocket support body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle about the rotational center axis. The sprocket support body includes at least ten external spline teeth configured to engage with a bicycle rear sprocket assembly. Each of the at least ten external spline teeth has an external-spline driving surface and an external-spline non-driving surface.

A bicycle hub assembly comprises a hub axle, a hub body, and a sprocket support body. The hub body includes a first spoke-mounting portion, a second spoke-mounting portion, and a first axial length. The first axial length is defined between a first axially outermost part of the first spoke-mounting portion and a second axially outermost part of the second spoke-mounting portion in an axial direction and is equal to or larger than 55 mm. The sprocket support body includes a plurality of external spline teeth. The plurality of external spline teeth includes a plurality of external-spline driving surfaces. The plurality of external-spline driving surfaces each includes a radial length defined from a radially outermost edge to a radially innermost edge. A total of the radial lengths of the plurality of external-spline driving surfaces is equal to or larger than 7 mm.

A wheel hub bearing unit includes an outer ring disposed on an axially outer side of the hub bearing unit and coupled to a wheel, a stationary shaft passing through a center bore of the outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements arranged in an annular space between the outer ring and the stationary shaft. Motor and speed reduction units are offset from an axis of the wheel hub bearing unit in a direction perpendicular thereto, with the motor unit disposed adjacent to an axially inner end portion of the stationary shaft. The speed reduction unit includes an output gear coupled to the outer ring and a rolling bearing provided between the output gear and the stationary shaft to support the output gear. A carrier disposed on an axially inner side relative to the hub bearing unit is secured to the axially inner end portion of the stationary shaft.