Vehicles may be composed of a relatively few number of “modules” that are assembled together during a final assembly process. An example vehicle may include a body module, a first drive module coupled to a first end of the body module, and a second drive module coupled to a second end of the body module. One or both of the drive modules may include a pair of wheels, a battery, an electric drive motor, and/or a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. One or both of the drive modules may also include a crash structure to absorb impacts. If a component of a drive module fails or is damaged, the drive module can be quickly and easily replaced with a new drive module, minimizing vehicle down time.

A work vehicle including an articulated vehicle chassis having a front frame portion and a rear frame portion pivotally coupled together at a generally vertical pivot axis. The front frame portion carries a front axle and the rear frame portion carries a rear axle. A steering system includes at least one steering cylinder connected between the front frame portion and the rear frame portion. A power plant provides motive power to the work vehicle, and a transmission receives power from the power plant and provides power to the front axle and rear axle. The work vehicle further includes a secondary clutch interconnected between the transmission and the rear axle. The steering system is configured to disengage the secondary clutch to provide reactive steering, whereby the front frame portion tows the rear frame portion. The rear frame portion freely articulates relative to the front frame portion.

The universal wheel includes a base member, a connection member, a wheel member, a first driving element, and a second driving element. The connection member has a first end fixed to a top side of the base member. The wheel member is rotatably joined to the base member. The first driving element is configured on the base member for rotating the base member laterally within 360 degrees. The second driving element is for rotating the wheel member. The universal wheel can be turned 360 degrees when standing in place, and can be moved forward, laterally, slantwise, rotationally, or in a combination of these operations.

A fluid distribution apparatus for an axle assembly, the fluid distribution apparatus including a cylindrical portion rotatably disposed about a bearing race. A conical portion is coupled with the cylindrical portion, and a retaining portion is coupled with the conical portion. A plurality of circumferentially spaced tubes are coupled with the retaining portion, wherein the tubes are at least partially disposed through a rotating component of a clutch.

A universal traction device for movement over even and uneven supporting surfaces that includes an all-terrain wheel having a circular wheel assembly with a plurality of spoke-containing components arrayed around an outer perimeter wheel edge and control means for extending spokes from the spoke-containing units when encountering an obstacle that the vehicle is to traverse and retracting the spokes when the spokes are no longer required for traversing the obstacle.

An automobile having sets of front and rear wheels, of which one or both sets are steerable wheels and one or both sets are driven wheels. Each steerable wheel is rotatably supported on a respective steering knuckle that is swivelable about an upright steering axis, and is coupled to the frame by a suspension system for relative movement upwardly and downwardly of the automobile's frame. The steering knuckle of each steerable wheel is movable through a ninety degree range between a straight-ahead position for longitudinally straight travel of the automobile in a normal road travel mode, and a ninety-degree position for lateral travel of the automobile in another mode.

A drive arrangement for a vehicle, the drive arrangement comprising a rotatable interface arranged to be mounted to the vehicle, wherein the rotatable interface is rotatably coupled to a mounting arm to allow continuous rotation of the mounting arm in a clockwise and anti clockwise direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse axis of the vehicle; and a first electric motor having a stator and a rotor, wherein the stator is coupled to the mounting arm to allow the axis of the rotor to be substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotatable interface, wherein the rotor is arranged to be coupled to a wheel of the vehicle to allow the electric motor to provide drive torque to the wheel.

A trailer for towing a power vehicle with a towable frame forming an undercarriage chassis and a tandem wheel assembly positioned under the undercarriage chassis. The tandem wheel assembly having a first wheel assembly, a second wheel assembly and an extension assembly moving the second wheel assembly along a longitudinal axis of the chassis between trailing position and self-propelled position, with the first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly are positioned to support the undercarriage chassis.

A wheel steering system includes a steering device arranged on a steerable wheel, a signal execution device and a steering angle control device. The steering device includes a wheel support rotatably connected to a chassis by a slewing bearing, a bottom of the wheel support is rotatably connected to two ends of a rotary shaft of the steerable wheel, and the wheel support is configured to drive the steerable wheel to turn by 360 degrees through the slewing bearing. The signal execution device is configured to control an angle of rotation of the steerable wheel driven by the slewing bearing. The steering angle control device includes a plurality of reciprocating switch rotors, and the plurality of switch rotors are configured to send electrical signals of steering angles to the signal execution device.

The present disclosure in at least one embodiment provides a corner module for a vehicle, including a front-wheel corner module configured to drive a front wheel and including a front-wheel inwheel motor installed on the front wheel to generate a driving force and a friction braking device configured to generate a braking force on the front wheel, a rear-wheel corner module configured to drive a rear wheel and including a rear-wheel inwheel motor installed on the rear wheel to generate a driving force, a driving information detector configured to detect driving information of the vehicle, and an electronic control unit configured to control the front-wheel corner module to form a friction braking force by using the driving information and to control the rear-wheel corner module to form a regenerative braking force, wherein the front-wheel corner module uses the front-wheel inwheel motor that is provided with a lower specification than the rear-wheel inwheel motor to save the manufacturing cost, and the rear-wheel corner module has no friction braking device installed so that the rear-wheel inwheel motor is undamaged by heat.