Abstract: An anti-rotation guide for preventing rotation of a roller follower valve lifter in an internal combustion engine. The guide has an outer surface for engaging an engine bore and an inner surface for slidably receiving the lifter. One end of the guide includes an anti-rotation feature for cooperating with a mating feature on the lifter, preferably flats although other configurations are contemplated within the scope of the invention. The anti-rotation feature may take any of a plurality of shapes, including but not limited to an arm and tang, a flap, and an orifice flat. The guide is installed from an opening in the engine bore proximate a camshaft disposed in the engine block. The cooperating features prevent axial rotation of a lifter within the sleeve but do not inhibit axial or reciprocal motion of the lifter.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for calibrating apparatus (28) for acquiring the pressure in a cylinder (10) of a motor vehicle diesel engine, of the type comprising a cylinder pressure sensor (30) associated with the cylinder and means (32) for conditioning the signal delivered by the sensor (30) as a function of conditioning parameters.

Abstract: A door for an airbag module having an inflatable cushion, the airbag module being adapted to be used in a vehicle having an instrument panel with an airbag module opening, the door having an inner surface and an outer surface adapted to match the instrument panel, comprising: a first member depending away from the inner surface of the door, the first member being movably secured to the airbag module and remains secured to the module during deployment of the inflatable cushion; a second member depending away from the inner surface of the door, the second member being received within a flange opening of the airbag module; and a plurality of latch hooks depending away from the inner surface of the door, the plurality of latch hooks being configured to engage an opening in the airbag module, wherein the first member, the second member and the plurality of latch hooks are each configured to allow movement of the door in three separate directions with respect to the airbag module and wherein the second member and t

Abstract: A vehicular steering column assembly (16) comprises a support bracket (26) which is joined to an outer, non-rotating sleeve (22). A release capsule (30) is releasably joined to a mounting surface (28) of the support bracket (26) via a plurality of spherical bodies (56) whose protruding crowns (52) are seated in corresponding longitudinally-extending furrows (54) in the release capsule (30). Upon the application of sufficient force to the steering column (16), such as during a collision, the support bracket (26) is urged out of engagement with the release capsule (30) with the respective furrows (54) sliding over the crowns (52). The sliding engagement between the crowns (52) and the furrows (54) can be adjusted to establish a highly predictable and consistent release force and which is capable of increasing the frequency value for the steering column (16).

Abstract: An internal combustion engine is supplied with reformate from a hydrocarbon reformer at engine start-up and during engine warm-up. The reformate fuel mixture is fuel-lean at start-up to ensure that all the fuel is burned while the exhaust converter is thermally non-functional. Shortly after start-up, the mixture is changed to be fuel-rich, providing unburned reformate fuel in the exhaust stream. During start-up and warm-up, the output of an air pump is controllably divided between the reformer (primary air) and the engine exhaust system (secondary air). Unburned reformate from the engine and secondary air from the air pump ignite and thereby rapidly heat the converter. Gasoline or diesel fueling of the engine by fuel injection is preferably delayed until the engine and the converter both reach operating temperatures, whereupon the engine is fueled by fuel injection and further reforming is terminated.

Abstract: A column shroud for covering a steering column including a shroud body. The shroud body has first and second portions connectable to one another about a steering column. The shroud body defines an opening in the first portion. An ignition receptor is accessible through the opening for receiving a pass key. The column shroud also includes a coil bobbin fixed to the shroud body adjacent to the opening. In the event of an attempted theft of the vehicle, the coil bobbin would be removed from the column in the event the shroud body is removed and the vehicle would be disabled.

Abstract: An electric motor driven blower assembly provides for a complete air cooling duct running from the inside of the blower housing to the motor at the back of the housing. A vertical cooling tube on the scroll housing is mated to an open, moldable trough in the motor cover across a sealing projection on a vibration gasket. The seal of the vertical tube through the gasket provides a right angle turn in the cooling duct, providing a complete cooling duct while still allowing all parts to be easily molded.

Abstract: A hydraulic valve lifter including venting means to assure venting of air through the lifter and filling thereof with oil during pre-start filling of the engine oil galleries after engine assembly. Patterning of a hemispherical pushrod seat surface, and/or patterning of either or both of the mating surfaces of a pushrod seat and a piston, permits air purged from the engine through a pushrod to be vented through the lifter. Such means may be temporary or permanent and may include coatings of the surfaces with materials that are destroyed by engine action after starting. Permanent means may include surface grooves in the mating surfaces and/or small-diameter passages between the hemispherical seat surface and the cylindrical outer surface of the pushrod seat. Venting means in accordance with the invention is useful for both valve-deactivating and non-valve-deactivating valve lifters.

Abstract: An electrical component having improved impact resistance and improved tolerance for thermal cycling, without sacrificing high-temperature performance, and without requiring unconventional and expensive manufacturing techniques includes an electric device mounted on a substrate circuit board, and a composite material underfilling, overmolding or encapsulating the electronic device, wherein the composite material includes a thermoset matrix phase and a discontinuous liquid crystal polymer phase dispersed throughout the thermoset matrix phase.

Abstract: A diesel fuel delivery system that maintains optimum fuel delivery to the engine despite the presence of an ice blockage at the fuel strainer. Ice formation in diesel fuel can cause fuel blockage at the fuel strainer and generate high vacuum conditions as the engine tries to draw fuel from the tank. A normally closed bypass valve automatically opens in response to an engine vacuum condition higher than normal engine vacuum levels. Upon the bypass valve opening, fuel is drawn through an auxiliary inlet port and line located above the ice formation in the tank.

Abstract: A battery assembly is designed to include a plurality of cells positioned parallel to each other. A frame including end supports position the cells appropriately. Each of the cells includes a first terminal and a second terminal. Two buses are positioned over all of the first terminals and all of the second terminals. Each of the buses includes slots allowing the terminals to extend therethrough. Once through, the terminals are bent over the bus bar. A slide is then positioned over the terminals protecting the terminals and maintaining the terminals in electrical contact with each other. This battery assembly allows more than three cells to be connected to each other and is versatile enough to allow the removal of certain cells to enhance the airflow through the battery assembly.

Abstract: An electronic package having a controlled standoff height between a surface mount device and a circuit board. The electronic package includes a circuit board having a substrate and circuitry including mounting pads and a surface mount device having circuitry and contact terminals. Solder joints connect the contact terminals of the surface mount device to the mounting pads on the circuit board. A dielectric underfill is disposed between the circuit board and the surface mount device, and a plurality of standoff members are disposed in the underfill material to provide a separation distance between the circuit board and the surface mount device.

Abstract: An occupant weight-based airbag suppression method utilizes adjustable time constant filtering and dynamic threshold adjustment to reliably determine and indicate airbag suppression status. The filter time constant is ordinarily set to a first value that provides relatively fast tracking of the raw occupant weight, but is set to a second value that provides relatively slow tracking of the raw occupant weight when both the raw and filtered occupant weights are within a specified band about the threshold value. The threshold value and band are dynamically adjusted after the suppression status is initially determined so as to effectively increase the separation between the filtered weight and the threshold.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon emissions scrubber for use in an evaporative emissions control system of a motor vehicle includes a scrubber element having an elongate body. The body defines a plurality of passageways for the flow of fluid therethrough. The plurality of passageways are one of coated with or constructed of a sorbent material. The sorbent material is adsorptive of hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A switch system capable of being automatically configured and used with any electrical system, particularly vehicle electrical systems, having an operator-activated control and an electrical device. This switch system generally includes an electro-mechanical switch and a switch module. Upon activation of an operator-activated control, such as a turn signal lever, the electro-mechanical switch sends an electrical activation signal to the switch module. The switch module uses an electrical identification signal, also obtained from the electro-mechanical switch, and a look-up table to convert the activation signal into an electronic control message. The electronic control message is then used to control a corresponding electrical device, such as a turn signal lamp. A particular electro-mechanical switch embodiment providing error detecting capabilities is also shown.

Abstract: A CPU cooling assembly having a first, covering layer of conductive material above the upper surface of an enclosed, heat producing chip and a third, upper layer of conductive material (a heat sink base plate) thermally bonded to the first by an intermediate, second layer of thin, conforming material (thermal grease) that is far less thermally conductive, and more resistive, than the other two layers. The relative thickness relationship of the first and third, more conductive, layers is essentially reversed from the prior art, with first layer being relatively thicker than the third. This creates an overall lower resistance for the three layer sandwich.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating the functionality and sensitivity of an infrared sensor to infrared radiation. The method and apparatus are adapted for testing an infrared sensor having a diaphragm containing a heating element and a transducer that generates an output responsive to temperature. The method entails placing the infrared sensor in a controlled environment, and then exposing the diaphragm of the sensor to different levels of thermal radiation so as to obtain outputs of the transducer at different output levels. In the absence of exposure of the diaphragm to thermal radiation, flowing current through the heating element at different input levels so that the output of the transducer returns to the different output levels obtained using thermal radiation, the input difference between the input levels can be computed and used to assess the functionality and the sensitivity of the sensor.

Abstract: A default value of transmission input speed in a motor vehicle powertrain having an automatic-shift multi-gear ratio power transmission is continuously updated based on a measured value of the input speed and other reliable speed data including transmission output speed and engine speed. The default value is substituted for the measured input speed when a malfunction of the input speed sensor is detected, and transitions back to the measured input speed when the input speed sensor malfunction is no longer present.

Abstract: A magnetorheological-fluid hydraulic mount includes a hydraulic-mount partition plate assembly, a hydraulic-mount decoupler, an electric coil, and a flexible membrane assembly. The partition plate assembly has first and second sides, has a non-magnetorheological-fluid first orifice, and has a magnetorheological-fluid second orifice. The first orifice has a first terminus positioned at the first side and a second terminus positioned at the second side. The second orifice has a first end positioned at the first side and has a second end positioned at the second side. The hydraulic-mount decoupler is operatively connected to the first orifice. The electric coil is disposed to magnetically influence the second orifice.

Abstract: A method of processing a wafer, and particularly a cap wafer configured for mating with a device wafer in the production of a die package. Masking layers are deposited on oxide layers present on opposite surfaces of the wafer, after which the masking layers are etched to expose regions of the underlying oxide layers. Thereafter, an oxide mask is formed on the exposed regions of the oxide layers, but is prevented from forming on other regions of the oxide layers masked by the masking layers. The masking layers are then removed and the underlying regions of the oxide layers and the wafer are etched to simultaneously produce through-holes and recesses in the wafer. The oxide mask is then removed to allow mating of the cap wafer with a device wafer.