Abstract: A method of assembling a rechargeable battery is disclosed. The method includes inserting rechargeable energy storage cells into a battery housing, the battery housing having a base portion, a side portion extending from the base portion, and an aperture defined by the side portion, wherein the rechargeable energy storage cells are inserted into the battery housing through the aperture; installing an insulator on the rechargeable energy storage cells; and securing a housing cover to the battery housing such that the insulator and the rechargeable energy storage cells are maintained in compression between the housing cover and the housing base portion. Also disclosed is a rechargeable battery including a battery housing, a housing cover, a plurality of rechargeable energy storage cells disposed within the battery housing, and an insulator disposed between the rechargeable energy storage cells and the housing cover and maintained in compression.

Abstract: A method of assembling a rechargeable battery is disclosed. The method includes inserting rechargeable energy storage cells into a battery housing, the battery housing having a base portion, a side portion extending from the base portion, and an aperture defined by the side portion, wherein the rechargeable energy storage cells are inserted into the battery housing through the aperture; installing an insulator on the rechargeable energy storage cells; and securing a housing cover to the battery housing such that the insulator and the rechargeable energy storage cells are maintained in compression between the housing cover and the housing base portion. Also disclosed is a rechargeable battery including a battery housing, a housing cover, a plurality of rechargeable energy storage cells disposed within the battery housing, and an insulator disposed between the rechargeable energy storage cells and the housing cover and maintained in compression.

Abstract: A system and method of use including a controller responsive to a deviation in absolute value or relative slope and operable to terminate a discharge operation in an energy storage device is provided. The absolute value or relative slope is determined at sampling frequency based upon a combination of measured operating parameters, for example, potential and current. Any deviation in the absolute value or relative slope indicates that a threshold limit in the available energy of the system has been reached, for example when active materials in the device are at a point of depletion, indicating a need to cease the discharge operation. The system and method operate on a real-time basis, providing instantaneous SOH information with regard to the device.

Abstract: A thermal management device is presently disclosed. The thermal management device includes an insulator with a maximum use temperature of at least 200 degrees Celsius, and a heating element having at least one heater leg, where the heater leg contacts the insulator and is configured to supply thermal energy. The heating element also has lead wires configured to provide a parallel electrical connection between the heater leg and a current source.

Abstract: A system for encryption, and subsequent decryption, of encoded data allows for transcoding of the encrypted data. The data is encoded in such a way that different packets have different importance levels, so that some or all of the packets at the lower importance levels can be discarded or truncated in order to reduce the data rate. This is achieved by introducing dependencies into the encoding process. The packets at the highest importance level are encoded with reference only to other packets at the highest importance level, while the encoding of packets at lower importance levels also depend on the encoding of the packets at the highest importance level. The encoded data is then encrypted in such a way that the encryption process has dependencies that correspond to the dependencies in the encoding process.

Abstract: A method of assembling a rechargeable battery is disclosed. The method includes inserting rechargeable energy storage cells into a battery housing, the battery housing having a base portion, a side portion extending from the base portion, and an aperture defined by the side portion, wherein the rechargeable energy storage cells are inserted into the battery housing through the aperture; installing an insulator on the rechargeable energy storage cells; and securing a housing cover to the battery housing such that the insulator and the rechargeable energy storage cells are maintained in compression between the housing cover and the housing base portion. Also disclosed is a rechargeable battery including a battery housing, a housing cover, a plurality of rechargeable energy storage cells disposed within the battery housing, and an insulator disposed between the rechargeable energy storage cells and the housing cover and maintained in compression.

Abstract: A system and method of use including a controller responsive to a deviation in absolute value or relative slope and operable to terminate a discharge operation in an energy storage device is provided. The absolute value or relative slope is determined at sampling frequency based upon a combination of measured operating parameters, for example, potential and current. Any deviation in the absolute value or relative slope indicates that a threshold limit in the available energy of the system has been reached, for example when active materials in the device are at a point of depletion, indicating a need to cease the discharge operation. The system and method operate on a real-time basis, providing instantaneous SOH information with regard to the device.

Abstract: A thermal management device is presently disclosed. The device includes a plurality of insulator panels with a maximum use temperature of at least 500 degrees Celsius, and a heating element having at least two heater legs electrically connected in parallel, each heater leg contacting at least one of the insulator panels, and lead wires configured to provide a parallel electrical connection between the heater legs and a current source. Also disclosed is a thermal management device having an insulator and a heating element, where each of the electrically parallel heater legs is configured to provide substantially uniform heat flux over at least one surface of the device. Also disclosed is an energy storage device that includes a plurality of energy storage cells, and a thermal management device configured to supply thermal energy to the cells.

Abstract: A thermal management device is presently disclosed. The thermal management device includes an insulator with a maximum use temperature of at least 200 degrees Celsius, and a heating element having at least one heater leg, where the heater leg contacts the insulator and is configured to supply thermal energy. The heating element also has lead wires configured to provide a parallel electrical connection between the heater leg and a current source.

Abstract: An electrochemical device is disclosed that includes a plurality of cells that each include a face, wherein a terminal is disposed on the faces of each respective cell. A bus bar has a bus bar height and electrically couples the terminals from cell-to-cell within the electrochemical device. A plurality of sheets are disposed between the plurality of cells, the plurality of sheets are substantially the same height as the combined, height of each cell and bus bar.

Abstract: A temporal error concealment is described. A video stream comprises a current frame comprising a lost image region, and a reference frame. The method comprises forming a list of motion vector candidates, the list of motion vector candidates including a set of one or more motion vectors from the current frame and a set of one or more motion vectors from the reference frame; testing each of the motion vector candidates using a matching error measure; selecting a replacement motion vector from the list based on the matching error measures; and using the selected replacement motion vector to conceal the lost image region. A mode selection method is also described. A motion vector is used to identify a motion compensated reference image region in the reference frame. A motion compensated temporal activity of an image region in the current frame is calculated based on a comparison between the image region in the current frame and the motion compensated reference image region in the reference frame.

Abstract: A system for encryption, and subsequent decryption, of encoded data allows for transcoding of the encrypted data. The data is encoded in such a way that different packets have different importance levels, so that some or all of the packets at the lower importance levels can be discarded or truncated in order to reduce the data rate. This is achieved by introducing dependencies into the encoding process. The packets at the highest importance level are encoded with reference only to other packets at the highest importance level, while the encoding of packets at lower importance levels also depend on the encoding of the packets at the highest importance level. The encoded data is then encrypted in such a way that the encryption process has dependencies that correspond to the dependencies in the encoding process.

Abstract: A temporal error concealment is described. A video stream comprises a current frame comprising a lost image region, and a reference frame. The method comprises forming a list of motion vector candidates, the list of motion vector candidates including a set of one or more motion vectors from the current frame and a set of one or more motion vectors from the reference frame; testing each of the motion vector candidates using a matching error measure; selecting a replacement motion vector from the list based on the matching error measures; and using the selected replacement motion vector to conceal the lost image region. A mode selection method is also described. A motion vector is used to identify a motion compensated reference image region in the reference frame. A motion compensated temporal activity of an image region in the current frame is calculated based on a comparison between the image region in the current frame and the motion compensated reference image region in the reference frame.

Abstract: An OFDM receiver includes an adaptive equalizer, which acts on a received signal, after conversion to digital samples. After filtering by the equalizer, any guard interval is removed, and a Fast Fourier Transform is applied to the signal. The data signal is then estimated and the estimated data is supplied as an output. The estimated data also has any guard interval reinserted, and is applied to an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform, and is fed back to the equalizer to allow adaptation of the tap coefficients thereof.