Vehicles are disclosed which have a lower center of gravity than existing all-terrain, amphibious, and unmanned ground vehicles due to the location of propulsion units and other vehicle components inside the wheels of the vehicle. The vehicles can climb over large obstacles yet are also able to corner at high speeds. The vehicles can be configured for direct manual operation or operation by remote control, and can also be configured for a wide variety of missions.

An eccentric speed variator includes a first rotor, a second rotor, a third rotor, a cylindrical pin, and a flange. The second rotor has a hole formed therein. The third rotor rotates eccentrically to change a relative rotation phase between the first and second rotors. The cylindrical pin extends through the hole of the second rotor to establish mechanical engagement between the second and third rotors. The flange is secured to or integrally formed with an end of the cylindrical pin. In operation, when the flange contacts the outside wall of the second rotor, it serves to minimize inclination of the third rotor relative to the second rotor, thereby reducing local friction between the second and third rotors to eliminate undesirable mechanical vibration or noise. This structure also enables parts of the cycloidal speed reducer to be decreased, which leads to a reduced size of the cycloidal speed reducer.

Some embodiments are directed to a gearing assembly including a rotary input member, a rotary output member and a gearing arrangement between the input member and the output member selectively engageable to effect a driving engagement between the input member and the output member through at least a first torque connection having a first gear ratio and a second torque connection having a second gear ratio. One of the rotary input member and the rotary output member includes a first shaft and the first torque connection includes a first dog clutch including a dog hub having a hub set of teeth and a surrounding dog ring including a ring set of teeth. The hub and ring sets of teeth are radially projecting and mutually engageable. The dog hub is mounted on the first shaft so as to allow axial movement of the dog hub relative to the shaft.

Axle assembly includes first and second axle housings extending toward opposing sides of a vehicle frame with the axle housings aligned to define an axle axis, first and second wheel ends, first and second drive shafts disposed within the first and second axle housings, a gearbox having a first surface facing one side of the vehicle frame and a second surface facing the other side of the vehicle frame with the gearbox cantilevered outwardly relative to the aligned axle housings to define a gearbox axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame and transverse to the axle axis, and an electric motor coupled to the second surface of the gearbox and extending toward the first side of the vehicle frame to define a motor axis that is parallel to and offset from the axle axis, transverse to the gearbox axis, and transverse to the longitudinal axis.

An axle assembly for an electric or hybrid vehicle includes electrically powered drive motors for respectively driving vehicle wheels. The axle assembly preferably includes a dual motor arrangement, wherein two electric motors are arranged end-to-end. Each motor includes an inverter that is directly connected to its respective motor, and includes a gearbox assembly coupled between an output of the motor and a corresponding constant-velocity (CV) joint operatively connected to a wheel. The inboard ends of the motors are secured to opposite faces of a cooling manifold wherein the cooling manifold maintains the motors in axial alignment. The cooling manifold plate is positioned between an inboard end of each of the motor housings, and the cooling manifold plate axially aligns the first and second motors. Further, each motor drives its respective gearbox assembly, which includes a gear reduction and clutch mechanism having a brake band assembly that is selectively operable to disconnect the respective motor from the vehicle wheel associated therewith.

A twin-wheel drive module for driving two vehicle wheels which are disposed spaced axially from one another and rotatable around two axes of rotation aligned with one another. For driving each vehicle wheel, provision is made for a traction motor having a motor shaft disposed in parallel to the axes of rotation, a transmission having an input shaft which is connected to the motor shaft of the traction motor and an output shaft in alignment with the axes of rotation, and a second transmission. The second transmission has an input shaft, which is connected to the output shaft of the first transmission, and an output shaft which rotates around a common axis of rotation with the input shaft configured to receive the vehicle wheel.

A wheel hub drive system includes a drive motor with a drive shaft, an input planetary gear set (PGS), an output PGS and an intermediate PGS. Each PGS includes a sun gear, a planet carrier and planet gears provided upon the planet carrier. The drive shaft is rotationally fixed with the sun gear of the input PGS. The planet carrier of the input PGS is rotationally fixed with the sun gear of the intermediate PGS, and the planet carrier of the intermediate PGS is rotationally fixed with the sun gear of the output PGS. The planet carrier of the output PGS is adapted to be rotationally fixed with a rim of a wheel. The output PGS is provided axially in-between the input PGS and the intermediate PGS.

A vehicle drive system includes a slip acquisition unit that acquires occurrence of excessive slip, an addition slip point calculating unit that calculates addition slip points in a time-discrete manner, based on having acquired that the excessive slip has occurred, a cumulative slip point calculating unit that accumulates the addition slip points and calculates a cumulative slip point over time, a drive state switching unit that switches between 2WD and AWD based on cumulative slip points and a drive state switching threshold value, and a cumulative slip point resetting unit triggered by a lateral acceleration correlation value of the vehicle reaching a lateral acceleration threshold value or higher, or a drive force correlation value of the drive wheels reaching a drive force correlation threshold value or higher, to reset the cumulative slip point to a value smaller than the drive state switching threshold value.

A vehicle drive system includes a slip acquisition unit that acquires that an excessive slip of front wheels or rear wheels has occurred, an addition slip point calculating unit that calculates addition slip points in a time-discrete manner, based on the slip acquisition unit having acquired that the excessive slip has occurred, a cumulative slip point calculating unit that accumulates the addition slip points and calculates a cumulative slip point over time, a drive state switching unit that, switches between 2WD and AWD based on cumulative slip points, and an increase forbidding determination unit that forbids addition or accumulation of the addition slip points, or increase of the cumulative slip points, in a case where a lateral acceleration correlation value that has correlation with lateral acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a lateral acceleration threshold value.

A rear wheel driving device includes first and second electric motors, a wet multi-plate type hydraulic brake provided on motive power transmission paths between the first and second electric motors and rear wheels Wr and causing the drive source side and the wheel side to become disconnected state or connected state by being released or fastened, and a control device that controls switching between the disconnected state and the connected state of the hydraulic brake and controls a vehicle speed. The rear wheel driving device further includes a viscosity acquisition unit that acquires a viscosity correlation amount of oil provided to cool plates of the wet multi-plate type hydraulic brake, and the control device fastens the hydraulic brake or maintains fastening thereof and controls the vehicle speed to lower than a first speed in a case where the viscosity correlation amount is a first prescribed value or higher.