The present invention relates to a hybrid power system for a robot or a robotic lawn mower. It comprises at least one generator for generating an electric current; at least one control board being provided to receive the electric current from the generator; and at least one rechargeable battery being connected to and charged by the electric current from the control board, and being charged by the electric current from the generator as well. The generator can he an AC generator or a DC generator, and there may be two generators, and two operation control boards. There are two types of end units, such as a cutting assembly and a moving assembly. At least one of the control boards provides a driving power for driving one of the end units of the robot or the robotic lawn mower, which may be operative under AC or DC. The cutting assembly may include a set of cutting tools and the moving assembly may have a set of moving wheels, which may move in any directions under the control of the control boards.

An illustrative drive unit for an electric vehicle includes a first electrical motor, a first axle mechanically couplable to the first electrical motor, a second electrical motor, a second axle mechanically couplable to the second electrical motor, and a dual power inverter module electrically couplable to a source of high voltage DC electrical power. The dual power inverter module includes: a first inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the first electrical motor; a second inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the second electrical motor; and a common controller configured to control the first inverter and the second inverter.

An illustrative drive unit for an electric vehicle includes a first electrical motor, a first axle mechanically couplable to the first electrical motor, a second electrical motor, a second axle mechanically couplable to the second electrical motor, and a dual power inverter module electrically couplable to a source of high voltage DC electrical power. The dual power inverter module includes: a first inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the first electrical motor; a second inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the second electrical motor; and a common controller configured to control the first inverter and the second inverter.

A vehicle control device includes a drive source mounted on a vehicle, a differential device configured to distribute a driving force generated by the drive source to a right drive wheel and a left drive wheel, a speed sensor configured to detect a rotation speed of the drive source, a pair of wheel speed sensors configured to detect rotation speeds of the right drive wheel and the left drive wheel, and a control device configured to set an index value having a value obtained by multiplying the rotation speed of the drive source by a predetermined coefficient in a case that at least one of the pair of wheel speed sensors fails, and to control torque output from the drive source based on the index value.

A propulsion system includes plural inverters configured to be onboard a vehicle and to convert direct current into an alternating current, and plural motors configured to receive the alternating current from the inverters. The motors also are configured to be operably coupled with axles of the vehicle to rotate the axles. The inverters are configured to be coupled with and control the motors that rotate non-neighboring axles of the axles in the vehicle.

An illustrative drive unit for an electric vehicle includes a first electrical motor, a first axle mechanically couplable to the first electrical motor, a second electrical motor, a second axle mechanically couplable to the second electrical motor, and a dual power inverter module electrically couplable to a source of high voltage DC electrical power. The dual power inverter module includes: a first inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the first electrical motor; a second inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the second electrical motor; and a common controller configured to control the first inverter and the second inverter.

An illustrative drive unit for an electric vehicle includes a first electrical motor, a first axle mechanically couplable to the first electrical motor, a second electrical motor, a second axle mechanically couplable to the second electrical motor, and a dual power inverter module electrically couplable to a source of high voltage DC electrical power. The dual power inverter module includes: a first inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the first electrical motor; a second inverter configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power to three phase, high voltage AC electrical power and electrically couplable to provide the three phase, high voltage AC electrical power to the second electrical motor; and a common controller configured to control the first inverter and the second inverter.

An example vehicle comprises: (i) a source of direct current power, (ii) at least one electronically-commutated electric motor configured to drive a wheel of the vehicle, and (iii) a voltage bus connecting the source of direct current power with the electronically-commutated electric motor.

An example vehicle comprises: (i) a source of direct current power, (ii) at least one electronically-commutated electric motor configured to drive a wheel of the vehicle, and (iii) a voltage bus connecting the source of direct current power with the electronically-commutated electric motor.

A secondary battery includes a cathode; an anode (1) including a plurality of carbon particles and a plurality of non-carbon particles, (2) the carbon particles containing graphite, (3) the non-carbon particles containing a material including, as a constituent element, one or more of silicon (Si), tin (Sn), and germanium (Ge), and (4) a distribution of a first-order differential value of an integrated value Q of a relative particle amount with respect to a particle diameter D of the plurality of carbon particles having one or more discontinuities, where a horizontal axis and a vertical axis of the distribution indicate the particle diameter D (μm) and a first-order differential value dQ/dD, respectively; and an electrolyte.