Patent ID: 7059437

Claim:
A wheel comprising: an electric motor including a rotor and a stator with windings; control means for controlling power in the electric motor, wherein the control means is rotationally fixed to the stator; an accommodation space inside the wheel, wherein the accommodation space houses the control means; at least one measurement tool, coupled to the control means, wherein said at least one measurement tool measures a number of revolutions and an angular position of the rotor with respect to the stator and a current through the windings; operating means, connected to the control means and responsive to the number of revolutions and the angular position of the rotor with respect to the stator output from the at least one measurement tool, for operating the wheel; data communication means, connected to the operating means, for communicating data outside the wheel; a cooling fluid input port, a cooling fluid output port, and a cooling fluid circulation space within the wheel, wherein cooling fluid provided through the input port circulates through the cooling fluid circulation space and is output through the cooling fluid output port in order to cool the windings and a wall of the accommodation space during operation of the wheel; wherein the electric motor directly drives the wheel; and the electric motor, the control means, the at least one measurement tool, the operating means and the data communications means are situated inside the wheel; and wherein the wheel has an exterior surface perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the wheel, and the cooling fluid input port and the cooling fluid output port pass through the exterior surface of the wheel.