A system for the supplemental generation of energy from the operation of a vehicle operation, and specifically to the generation of energy in connection with a vehicle's drum brakes in combination with brushless electric motor-generators. The system includes a rotational conveyor that operatively connects the drum to a coupler member attached to a generator so that rotation of the drum rotates the coupler member to create energy. A frame member may position and retain the generator in place relative to the drum.

A wheel support bearing assembly includes a wheel support bearing and a power unit. The power unit is that of an outer rotor design in which a stator is located at an outer periphery of the wheel support bearing and a rotor is located radially outward of the stator. A radial extension of the entire power unit is sized to be radially inward of a peripheral section of a brake rotor. An entirety of the power unit, excluding a mount part thereof to a hub flange, is sized to be situated in an axial range between the hub flange and a mount surface, on an inboard side of the wheel support bearing. The rotor includes an outer shell magnetic body, which is made from soft magnetic material and forms an outer shell of the power unit, and permanent magnets that are provided to the outer shell magnetic body.

An apparatus for guiding an autonomous vehicle towards a docking station including an autonomous vehicle with a camera-based sensing system, a drive system for driving the autonomous vehicle, and a control system for controlling the drive system. The apparatus includes a docking station including a first fiducial marker and a second fiducial marker, wherein the second fiducial marker is positioned on the docking station to define a predetermined relative spacing with the first fiducial marker, wherein the control system is operable to receive an image provided by the camera-based sensing system, the image including a representation of the first and second fiducial markers, and to control the drive system so as to guide the autonomous vehicle towards the base station based on a difference between the representation of the first and second fiducial markers in the received image and the predetermined relative spacing between the first and second fiducial markers.

An electric drive system including: a rotary motor system including a hub assembly, a first rotating assembly, a second rotating assembly, and a third rotating assembly, wherein the hub assembly defines a rotational axis about which the first rotating assembly, the second rotating assembly, and the third rotating assembly are coaxially aligned and are capable of independent rotational movement independent of each other; a multi-bar linkage mechanism connected to each of the first and third rotating assemblies and connected to the hub assembly and constraining movement of the hub assembly so that the rotational axis of the hub assembly moves along a defined path that is in a transverse direction relative to the rotational axis and wherein the multi-bar linkage mechanism causes the rotational axis of the hub assembly to translate along the defined path in response to relative rotation of the first rotating assembly and the third rotating assembly with respect to each other.

A control system includes a phase shift unit configured to provide a phase difference between a first switching clock signal and a second switching clock signal, a power transmission coil, a switching circuit configured to switch an input voltage based on the first switching clock signal and apply the switched voltage to the power transmission coil, a power reception coil configured to receive electric power output from the power transmission coil by electromagnetic field coupling, a wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the second switching clock signal and output a third switching clock signal, and a rectifier circuit configured to rectify a voltage input from the power reception coil by switching the voltage based on the third switching clock signal and apply the rectified voltage to a load. A voltage input from the power reception coil to the rectifier circuit and the third switching clock signal have different phases.

A battery system including a removable battery pack, including a plurality of battery cells and an interface for electrically and mechanically coupling to a load bearing device; a vehicle, including a power station for providing power to drive the vehicle, the power station including a port for accepting the removable battery pack; and a power tool including a port for accepting the removable battery pack.

An in-wheel motor drive device (10) includes: a motor portion (21); a casing (43) housing a rotation transmission path from a motor rotation shaft of the motor portion to a rotating wheel; a suspending bracket (61) including an upper joining seat portion (62) joinable with an upper side suspension member (76) of a suspension device, a lower joining seat portion (64) joinable with a lower side suspension member (71) of the suspension device, and an intermediate portion (63) connecting the upper joining seat portion and the lower joining seat portion, and a fixing means (69) for mounting and fixing the suspending bracket (61) to an outer wall surface of the casing (43).

A motor control device includes a motor that generates torque corresponding to a current for energizing multi-phase coils, a current sensor that detects a current value of the current for energizing the multi-phase coils, and a controller that obtains a current value of a current flowing through a predetermined coil by adding an origin learning value to a signal input from the current sensor and that controls a current for energizing the predetermined coil based on the current value. The motor control device obtains, each time the origin learning value is changed by a predetermined value, an amplitude of a predetermined order in a q-axis current of the motor based on the changed origin learning value and the signal input from the current sensor, and performs correction based on the origin learning value at the time when the amplitude switches from a decreasing tendency to an increasing tendency.

A motor control device includes a motor that generates torque corresponding to a current for energizing multi-phase coils, a current sensor that detects a current value of the current for energizing the multi-phase coils, and a controller that obtains a current value of a current flowing through a predetermined coil by adding an origin learning value to a signal input from the current sensor and that controls a current for energizing the predetermined coil based on the current value. The motor control device obtains, each time the origin learning value is changed by a predetermined value, an amplitude of a predetermined order in a q-axis current of the motor based on the changed origin learning value and the signal input from the current sensor, and performs correction based on the origin learning value at the time when the amplitude switches from a decreasing tendency to an increasing tendency.

A towing device operably provided on a trailer for powering and controlling the trailer. The towing device has an actuator operably connected with the trailer during a towing operation. The towing device also has at least one switch provided in the actuator and operable to variably control at least one motor/generator provided on the trailer. The at least one switch is also operable to send a first signal to the at least one motor/generator via a first force exerted on the actuator by a vehicle, and wherein a first torque is applied to at least one wheel on the trailer via the at least one motor/generator being operably engaged with the at least one wheel. In addition, the towing device may include a controller operably connected to the at least one switch and to the at least one motor/generator, to control the torque applied by the at least one motor/generator.