Abstract: A system and method for wirelessly exchanging information concerning the location of E85 gas stations between E85 vehicles. The method includes transmitting messages from an E85 gas station that identifies the location of the E85 gas station, the time of the transmission and the price of the E85 gas, and receiving the messages by E85 vehicles that pass within a certain distance of the E85 gas station. The method also includes identifying that two E85 vehicles pass close to each other, where the vehicles periodically broadcast an E85 beacon identifying them as E85 vehicles. When two E85 vehicles are identified, the vehicles exchange information concerning a list of the E85 gas stations that they have stored from messages received from E85 gas stations and/or other E85 vehicles. The two vehicles update their lists to include those E85 gas stations that one vehicle may have that the other does not.

Abstract: A method for improving fuel cell system reliability in the event of end cell heater failure in a fuel cell stack. The method includes detecting that an end cell heater has failed. If an end cell heater failure is detected, then the method performs one or more of setting a cooling fluid pump to a predetermined speed that drives a cooling fluid through cooling fluid flow channels in the fuel cell stack, limiting the output power of the fuel cell stack or the net power of the fuel cell system, limiting the maximum temperature of the cooling fluid flowing out of the stack, turning off stack anti-flooding algorithms that may be used to remove water from reactant gas flow channels in the stack, and turning off cathode stoichiometry adjustments for relative humidity control in response to water accumulating in cathode flow channels in the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the state of health of a starter motor to notify a vehicle driver of a potential starter motor failure before the failure actually occurs. The starter motor includes an armature and motor brushes each providing a resistance, and an armature coil providing an armature inductance. Further, the starter motor has a back EMF because of the starter motor being coupled to a flywheel and the vehicle engine. The system and method monitor the combined resistance of the armature and the motor brushes, the inductance of the armature and a back EMF constant of the motor, and provide a signal indicating a potential starter motor failure if any of these three values significantly deviates from nominal values. In one embodiment, the analysis of the motor resistance, armature inductance and back EMF constant is provided by a regression model to determine estimated motor parameters.

Abstract: An algorithm for determining a polarization curve of a fuel cell stack. When the fuel cell stack is running and certain data validity criteria have been met, the algorithm goes into a data collection mode where it collects stack data, such as stack current density, average cell voltage and minimum cell voltage. When the stack is shut down, the algorithm uses a cell voltage model to solve a least squares problem to estimate predetermined parameters that define the polarization curve. If the estimated parameters satisfy certain termination criteria, then the estimated parameters are stored to be used by a system controller to calculate the polarization curve of the stack.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the status of a vehicle battery to determine whether the battery may not have enough charge to start the vehicle. The method includes collecting data relating to the battery on the vehicle and collecting data relating to the battery at a remote back-office. Both the vehicle and the remote data center determine battery characteristics based on the collected data and the likelihood of a vehicle no-start condition, where the algorithm used at the remote back-office may be more sophisticated. The data collected at the remote back-office may include vehicle battery information transmitted wirelessly from the vehicle, and other information, such as temperature, battery reliability, miles that the vehicle has driven per day, ambient temperature, high content vehicle, etc. Both the vehicle and the remote back-office may determine the battery open circuit voltage.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically calibrating the aiming direction of a camera onboard a vehicle. The method uses GPS and solar almanac data to estimate the location of the sun relative to the vehicle, and compares this to the solar position in an image from the camera. The comparison is performed with an ongoing recursive calculation which yields an improved estimate of the sun position relative to the vehicle, while simultaneously calibrating the aiming direction of the camera. The aiming calibration data is used to improve the accuracy of the camera's images as used for all of the camera's other functions.

Abstract: A fuel cell system that controls the speed of the compressor providing cathode air to a fuel cell stack just after a system start-up procedure has ended so as to reduce the chance that the compressor current draw will cause a stack quick stop. The method includes recognizing a command for high compressor speed just after the system start-up procedure ends, where the stack is in the run state, and instead of providing a step change in the compressor command, ramping up the compressor speed so that the current draw from the compressor does not spike.

Abstract: A system for communicating measurement data from each fuel cell or a group of fuel cells in a fuel cell stack, including a plurality of fuel cells, a plurality of stack plates, and a plurality of embedded smart plates. The stack plates are between each fuel cell and on each end of the stack, and the plurality of embedded smart plates are mechanically and electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of stack plates, and each smart plate including optical transceivers on the top side and the bottom side. The system further includes first and second aggregator devices, said first and second aggregator devices including at least one optical transceiver for communicating with the embedded smart plate adjacent to the first or second aggregator device, where one aggregator device initiates communication with the embedded smart plates and the other aggregator device completes communication.

Abstract: The invention relates to an embossing apparatus for embossing cards, in particular plastic cards, comprising a feed unit for feeding a card into an embossing region, and an embossing device. The embossing device comprises a displaceable, actuatable embossing die which can be positioned above a position that is to be embossed in the embossing region; a plunger unit which has a displaceable plunger for moving forward the actuatable embossing die, and a striking mechanism for applying pressure to the plunger of the plunger unit in order to carry out an embossing on a card in the embossing region by means of the embossing die.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing film composites. In a first method step, a first individual film is picked up by at least one first gripping device and the gripping device is moved together with the film in a first movement direction. In a further method step, the position of the film in the first movement direction is determined, and the film is fixed at a predefined position in the first movement direction. In a further method step, the position of the first film in a second movement direction is determined, said second movement direction being substantially perpendicular to the first movement direction, and the first film is moved in a second movement direction. According to the invention, the film is gripped by a second gripping device for transport in the second movement direction.

Abstract: A system and method for maintaining the voltage of fuel cells in the fuel cell stack below a predetermined maximum voltage. The method determines a desired voltage set-point value that defines a predetermined maximum fuel cell voltage value and uses the voltage set-point value and an average fuel cell voltage to generate an error value there-between. The method generates a minimum gross power prediction value using the modified voltage set-point value to prevent the fuel cell voltages from going above the predetermined maximum fuel cell voltage value and generating a supplemental power value based on the minimum gross power prediction value and the error value to determine how much power needs to be drawn from the stack to maintain the fuel cell voltage below the predetermined maximum voltage value. The method uses the supplemental power value to charge the battery or operate an auxiliary load coupled to the stack.

Abstract: An MEA for a fuel cell that employs multiple catalyst layers to reduce the hydrogen and/or oxygen partial pressure at the membrane so as to reduce the fluoride release rate from the membrane and reduce membrane degradation. An anode side multi-layer catalyst configuration is positioned at the anode side of the MEA membrane. The anode side multi-layer catalyst configuration includes an anode side under layer positioned against the membrane and including a catalyst, an anode side middle layer positioned against the anode side under layer and not including a catalyst and an anode side catalyst layer positioned against the anode side middle layer and opposite to the anode side under layer and including a catalyst, where the amount of catalyst in the anode side catalyst layer is greater than the amount of catalyst in the anode side under layer.

Abstract: A pedicle screw and rod system that has particular application for spinal fusion surgery. The system includes pedicle screws having ball-shaped heads that are threaded through pedicles of adjacent vertebra into the vertebral body. The system also includes two cannulated posts having a head portion with a planar portion and an opening for accepting the head of the pedicle screw in a secure and multi-axial engagement. The system further includes a tube portion that is coupled to the head portion and extends above the patient's skin. The system also includes a lordotic slotted rod that is slid down the tube portions to be positioned on top of the head portions of the posts so that the planar portions are locked within the slot. Bolts are then slid down the tube portions and are threaded to a threaded portion on the planar portion.

Abstract: A system and method for calibrating a vehicle heading sensor, such as a yaw-rate sensor, when GPS signals are not available using a bias update model that employs a bias gain factor. In order for the bias update model to be accurate, the vehicle should be traveling relatively straight. One embodiment of the present invention uses three thresholds to determine if the vehicle is traveling straight. These thresholds include a yaw-rate threshold, a steering wheel angle threshold and a wheel speed threshold. If all three of the thresholds indicate that the vehicle is traveling straight, then the update bias model can be used to calibrate the yaw-rate sensor.

Abstract: A system and method for estimating the amount of hydrogen and/or nitrogen in a fuel cell stack and stack volumes at system start-up and shut-down. The method defines the fuel cell stack and stack volumes as discrete volumes including an anode flow-field and anode plumbing volume, a cathode flow-field volume and a cathode header and plumbing volume. The method estimates the amount of hydrogen and/or nitrogen in the anode flow-field and anode plumbing volume, the cathode flow-field volume and the cathode header and plumbing volume when the fuel cell system is shut down, during a first stage when the hydrogen partial pressure between the anode and cathode is not in equilibrium and during a second stage when the hydrogen partial pressure between the anode and cathode is in equilibrium by considering various flows into and out of the volumes.

Abstract: A vehicle-to-vehicle communications system that employs a challenge/response based process to ensure that information received from a vehicle is reliable. The subject vehicle transmits a challenge question to the suspect vehicle to determine whether the suspect vehicle is a reliable source of information. The process increases a number of tokens in a token bucket for the suspect vehicle if the response to the challenge question is correct, and decreases the number of tokens in the token bucket for the suspect vehicle if the response to the challenge question is incorrect. The subject vehicle accepts a message from the suspect vehicle if the number of tokens in the bucket for the suspect vehicle is greater than a predetermined upper threshold, and discards the message from the suspect vehicle if the number of tokens in the bucket for the suspect vehicle is less than a predetermined lower threshold.

Abstract: An algorithm for determining the maximum net power available from a fuel cell stack as the stack degrades over time using an online adaptive estimation of a polarization curve of the stack. The algorithm separates the current density range of the stack into sample regions, and selects a first sample region from the far left of the estimated polarization curve. The algorithm then calculates the cell voltage for that current density sample region, and determines whether the calculated cell voltage is less than or equal to a predetermined cell voltage limit. If the calculated cell voltage is not less than the cell voltage limit, then the algorithm selects the next sample region along the polarization curve. When the calculated cell voltage does reach the cell voltage limit, then the algorithm uses that current density for the sample region being analyzed to calculate the maximum power of the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: A pedicle access device that has particular application for positioning a pedicle screw during a minimally invasive spinal fusion surgical procedure. The pedicle access device includes a positioning needle having a hollow tube and a specially designed tip that conforms with a facet complex of a vertebra proximate a pedicle. A targeting needle having a pointed end is inserted through the hollow tube of the positioning needle, and is secured thereto so the tip of the targeting needle extends out of the end of the positioning needle. The tip of the targeting needle allows the positioning needle to be accurately positioned on the pedicle, and the specially configured tip of the positioning needle allows it to be secured thereto without slipping.

Abstract: A system and method for entering a destination into a navigation system, usually a vehicle navigation system, that uses phonetic letter families, or groups of letters which sound similar, to improve the reliability and accuracy of speech recognition. The method involves grouping each letter of the English alphabet into a family of letters which sound similar, such as A, J, and K. When a destination name is spelled by a user, each letter is recognized in terms of the phonetic letter family to which it belongs. This phonetic equivalent spelling is compared to the navigation database of street, city, and state names, which has also been converted to its phonetic equivalent spelling. If a match is found, the user is asked to confirm that this is the desired destination.

Abstract: A tool holder for a grinding machine, where the tool holder is mounted to a grinding platform of the grinding machine. The tool holder includes a plate member having a tapered slot where opposing stop elements are provided within the slot at a central location. The tool includes a pair of circular elements that are positioned on either side of the stop elements in the slot and are forced into the tapered shape of the slot so that the tool is held to the tool holder.