Abstract: A five speed planetary transmission has a simple planetary gear set, a compound planetary gear set and six torque transmitting devices which are engaged in combinations of three to provide five forward ratios and one reverse ratio. The planetary gear sets are interconnected with a continuous drive connection and one of the torque transmitting devices. Two of the transmitting devices are input clutches and the other three are brakes. The planetary carrier assembly member of the simple planetary gear set is the only member connected with the output shaft during all of the ratios. The ratio interchanges in both single step and double step forward interchanges are of the single transition type.

Abstract: A cusp-shaped binder surface seal bead for a superplastic forming die or tool engages a sheet workpiece, especially an aluminum sheet, in a gas tight seal but displaces so little workpiece material that the formed sheet does not bond to the tool and is easily removed at the completion of the forming operation. The cusp shape may be truncated and the seal shape may incorporate adjacent valleys recessed in the otherwise flat binder surface.

Abstract: Age-hardened aluminum alloy sheet can be subjected to a shearing operation, such as trimming or piercing, with reduced sliver formation by first heating the region to be sheared to a temperature above about 250.degree. C., immediately quenching the heated region to soften the region, and then performing the shearing operation in the softened region before age-hardening occurs.

Abstract: A control system for an electric or hybrid electric vehicle includes a vehicle system controller and a control circuit having an electric immersion heater. The heater is electrically connected to the vehicle's high voltage bus and is thermally coupled to a coolant loop containing a heater core for the vehicle's climate control system. The system controller responds to cabin heat requests from the climate control system by generating a pulse width modulated signal that is used by the control circuit to operate the heater at a duty cycle appropriate for the amount of cabin heating requested. The control system also uses the heater to dissipate excess energy produced by an auxiliary power unit and to provide electric braking when regenerative braking is not desirable and manual braking is not necessary.

Abstract: In the stretch forming of aluminum alloys using a punch and a mating die cavity, the stretch formability of a sheet of age-hardened aluminum alloy is increased by selectively heat treating the sheet to soften at least a portion of the sheet that will underlie a punch surface but not be drawn over a radius of the punch.

Abstract: A broadband FM antenna is suitable for mounting on an inner surface of a rear window glass of a motor vehicle above an electric rear window defogger grid also mounted on the glass and made of the same frit material. The antenna has an extended range of reception across a commercial FM band without the need for an antenna boost amplifier and is capable of use in multiple countries having different commercial FM bands. The antenna comprises a plurality of horizontal frit lines extending outward from a series of points near the horizontal center of the rear window as described and claimed herein. Some of these horizontal elements are joined by outer connecting frit lines at their outer ends and all are connected at their inner ends by a plurality of inner connecting elements connecting all of the points together. The frit lines essentially form a pair of horizontal antenna elements, each tuned to one quarter of a different commercial FM band wavelength so that the antenna spans the desired band or bands.

Abstract: A vehicle window antenna is a transparent, electrically conducting film disposed between the inner and outer glass sheets of a composite window glass. The antenna has a principal element spaced from the upper edge portion of the window aperture and an impedance matching element extending downward from the principal element to essentially cover the visible area of the window and form a slot transmission line with the remaining edge portion of the window aperture parasitically coupled to the principal element. The large area of the antenna provides a large capacitance producing high gain in a commercial AM band. An essentially transparent planar capacitive coupling member made of an electrically conducting material is affixed on an outer surface of the inner window glass.

Abstract: A powertrain has a planetary gear arrangement with a simple planetary gear set and a compound planetary gear set which are interconnected by a continuous drive connection and are controlled to provide five forward drive ratios, a reverse drive ratio and a neutral condition. A plurality of torque transmitting devices including four clutches and two brakes are engaged in combination of three for each drive ratio. Two of the torque transmitting devices are engaged during the lowest forward drive ratio, the reverse drive ratio and the neutral condition.

Abstract: A planetary transmission has two planetary gear sets, one of which is a simple planetary gear set. The ring gear of the simple planetary gear set is continuously connected with a transmission output shaft. Six fluid-operated friction torque transmitting devices are operable in combinations of three to establish a reverse drive and five forward drive ratios in the two gear sets. The gear sets are continuously interconnected by at least one drive member and are selectively interconnected by one of the torque transmitting devices. Two of the three devices engaged for reverse and first are also engaged in neutral.

Abstract: A mold for a prototype metal casting or the like may advantageously be made by forming a casting pattern of adhesively bonded aggregate particles using a binder containing a principle constituent that is soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide; forming a rigid shell mold about the pattern of materials that are unaffected by supercritical carbon dioxide; thereafter exposing the pattern and mold combination to supercritical carbon dioxide to remove the pattern binder adhesive and leave unbonded aggregate particles in the mold and removing the aggregate particles from the mold to leave a mold cavity that faithfully defines the pattern shape.

Abstract: Composite bodies of magnetostrictive materials of the type RE-Fe.sub.2, where RE is one or more of the rare earth elements, preferably samarium or terbium, can be suitably hot pressed with a matrix metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, iron, magnesium or nickel to form durable and machinable magnetostrictive composites still displaying appreciable magnetostrictive strains.

Abstract: Composite bodies of magnetostrictive materials of the type RE-Fe.sub.2, where RE is one or more of the rare earth elements, preferably samarium or terbium, can be suitably hot pressed with a matrix metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, iron, magnesium or nickel to form durable and machinable magnetostrictive composites still displaying appreciable magnetostrictive strains.

Abstract: A planetary gear arrangement has two simple planetary gearsets and six selectively engageable friction torque transmitting mechanisms which are controlled to establish five forward transmission ratios and one reverse transmission ratio. One of the planetary gearsets establishes one forward ratio and the reverse ratio. The two planetary gearsets are compounded through both a continuous torque transmitting connection and a selectively engageable drive connection comprised of one of the torque transmitting mechanism during the two lowest forward transmission ratios and through the continuous torque transmitting connection during the highest of the forward transmission ratios. Both planetary gearsets are maintained in a direct drive ratio during the numerically central (third) forward ratio.

Abstract: A vehicle window antenna comprises a grid of conductive frit material affixed to the inner side of a window glass in a confined area above a window heating element comprising a grid of similar material similarly affixed and covering most of the window viewing area. The window glass is retained in a channel surrounding an aperture edge of the vehicle body by a mounting and sealing member comprising a strip of a urethane material which is electrically conductive with a low impedance at radio frequencies. At least one electrically conducting ground element, made of the same frit material, is affixed to the inner side of the window glass and electrically coupled at radio frequencies through the mounting and sealing member to the vehicle body.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for stretching sheet blanks, especially superplastic sheets, by differential gas pressure into conformity with a female die surface without encountering excessive thinning or tearing of the sheet. The warmed SPF sheet is draped over a preformed surface to draw more of the sheet material into the die cavity before the edges of the sheet are fixedly clamped whereby the additional formable material is used in forming the product, thereby reducing thinning and tears.

Abstract: A tall cylindrical silicone rubber gas permeable tube is adapted to fit in an injection well at least partly below the water table for the bioremediation of organic contaminants and to contain pressurized oxygen and/or other gases supportive of the anaerobic micro-organism activity. The gases slowly diffuse through the bladder at rates that permit their full utilization by dissolution in the underground water.

Abstract: In an infra-red imaging system, infra-red radiation from a scene is optically collected and directed to form an infra-red image of the scene on an array of bi-state diffraction grating elements. Each bi-state diffraction grating element has an activated state providing diffraction of incident infra-red radiation at a predetermined angle from the incident direction and an alternative inactivated state providing no such diffraction at the predetermined angle. Scanning apparatus sequentially activates the bi-state diffraction grating elements temporarily from their inactivated states to their activated states to produce a scanned infra-red image of the scene in IR radiation diffracted by the elements at the predetermined angle, which is collected and directed to an infra-red detector. The detector provides a coded electrical representation of the scanned infra-red image of the scene to further apparatus which generates therefrom a human-detectable signal.

Abstract: An improved method of forming a severe bend or a hem in a sheet of wrought aluminum age-hardened and age-hardenable alloy includes heating the region to be bent or hemmed to a temperature above about 250.degree. C. for a period of seconds and then quenching the heated region to remove the age-hardening effect and thereafter accomplishing the bend or hem before age hardening of the heated region occurs.

Abstract: A gas-assisted injection mold has a gas injection nozzle protruding into a mold cavity from a mold surface that defines a part of the mold cavity. The mold surface has a barrier in a spaced surrounding relationship to the gas injection nozzle to prevent the plastic melt from being lifted away from the mold surface as gas is injected into the plastic melt in the mold cavity. The barrier may take the form of a well or a boss.

Abstract: An imaging system provides a visible image of a scene enhanced by information from electromagnetic radiation from the scene at a non-visible wavelength without parallax-induced errors. First optical apparatus collects electromagnetic radiation from a scene and directs it onto an array of bi-state diffraction grating elements to form a combined image of the scene on the array at both visible and non-visible wavelengths. The bi-state diffraction grating elements of the array are sequentially and temporarily activated in a predetermined order to an activated state providing diffraction of incident electromagnetic radiation of the visible and non-visible wavelengths in a predetermined manner from an inactivated state in which such diffraction is not provided. The electromagnetic radiation so diffracted is collected and directed toward detector apparatus which provides coded electrical representation of scanned images of the scene in electromagnetic radiation of the visible and non-visible wavelengths.