Abstract: A switch assembly comprises a housing, an actuating member mounted on the housing and a plurality of electrical switching members. The actuating member is able to translate frontward and backward and to pivot upward and downward, thus cooperating with the electrical switching members to control the roof displacements. The switch assembly further comprises two sliders solely able to translate along the longitudinal axis. The sliders are driven by the actuating member and are cooperating with the switching members in order to generate a switching function controlling the roof displacements. The switching function is derived from the positions of the switching members actuated by both sliders.

Abstract: A fuel injector is provided with a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet, and a fuel passage for communicating fuel from the inlet to the outlet. A valve and valve seat assembly is provided for selectively preventing and permitting fuel to pass from the fuel inlet to the fuel outlet. The valve seat is defined by a tubular body and a valve seat that traverses an inside wall surface of the tubular body. An upstream face of the valve seat is downstream of an upstream end of the tubular body and a downstream face of the valve seat is upstream of a downstream end of the tubular body. At least one passage is provided through the tubular body beginning downstream of the downstream face of the valve seat and upstream of the downstream end of the tubular body. A cover may be disposed at the downstream end of the tubular body.

Abstract: A motor vehicle includes control apparatus for establishing an interactive human-machine interface (HMI) between a vehicle driver and an on-board communication system that is wirelessly coupled to a nomadic communication device carried by the driver. The on-board communication system has the ability to activate the nomadic communication device to check for messages, and the interactive HMI includes a configurable display through which check-message inquiries are selectively communicated to the driver, and an input device selectively manipulated by the driver to accept a check-message inquiry. An HMI controller responsive to sensed vehicle operating condition data and driver manipulation of the input device determines if and when a check-message inquiry should be communicated to the driver.

Abstract: A particulate matter sensor is provided for sensing particulate matter present in exhaust gases in a conduit. The particulate matter sensor includes a sensing element with a sensing face which extends into the exhaust conduit and provides a signal indicative of the amount of particulate matter detected in the exhaust conduit. An inner shield is provided to surround the sensing face and includes an inner shield inlet for admitting exhaust gases therein to be sensed. An outer shield surrounds a portion of the inner shield and defines an outer shield chamber extending axially beyond the inner shield. The outer shield has an outer shield inlet passage to receive exhaust gasses from the conduit. Exhaust gases enter the inner shield from the outer shield chamber through the inner shield inlet.

Abstract: A fluid delivery system for delivering a metered dose of fluid from a supply tank (28) to a downstream chamber or vessel (10), comprises a pump apparatus (20) comprising a pump plunger (32) which is operable to perform a pumping stroke under the control of an electromagnetic actuator (36), including a solenoid (36a), to effect delivery of the fluid and a control unit (24) for supplying an input signal (58) to the solenoid (36a) to initiate a current flow to the solenoid (36a) and thereby initiate movement of the pump plunger (32). An electronic device (54) provides an output signal to indicate that movement of the pump plunger has stopped at the end of the pumping stroke, and a timer determines a time difference between the input signal (58) being supplied to the solenoid (36a) and the output signal being output by the electronic device (54).

Abstract: An encapsulated microelectronic package includes a fluid conducting cooling tube directly coupled to one or more semiconductor chips, with the encapsulant being molded over the semiconductor chips and portions of the cooling tube in proximity to the semiconductor chips. The encapsulant immobilizes the cooling tube with respect to the semiconductor chips, and the cooling tube and encapsulant are designed to minimize differences in their coefficients of thermal expansion relative to the semiconductor chips.

Abstract: A spark plug coil assembly includes a primary core inside a secondary winding spool that is formed with a closed end. A terminal is embedded in the closed end of the spool and the secondary windings are terminated to the terminal, with the terminal being couplable to a spark plug. Ignition voltage generated in the secondary windings is thus routed to a center of the secondary windings to terminate at the terminal. No pole piece need be disposed between the primary core and the closed end of the spool.

Abstract: A method for externally adjusting the axial length of a solenoid actuated fuel injector includes the step of externally forming a helical scribe mark in a housing component, thereby changing the axial length of the injector. By adjusting the length of the helical scribe mark and the depth of the scribe mark, and by measuring the stroke or the flow rate of the injector, the stroke or the flow rate of injector may be set precisely. The external adjustment of the length of the housing component may be made in cartridge form as well as in final assembly form of the fuel injector complementing the manufacturing process versatility.

Abstract: An electrical assembly comprises a mounting bracket lift assembly and an electrical center. The electrical center is attached to the mounting bracket lift assembly for plugging wiring harness end connectors into the electrical center. The electrical center comprises a lower housing, a circuit board sub-assembly, an upper housing, electrical components such as fuses and relays that plug into the upper housing and a cover. The circuit board sub-assembly includes a power bus bar that provides a power path for the various electrical circuits of the vehicle via the circuit components carried on the circuit board. Three power bus bars that are configured, oriented and located to reduce the foot print of the electrical center and/or to improve the dissipation of heat generated by the electrical center are disclosed.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator (2) comprising a stack of one or more piezoelectric elements (4) defining an external surface, and passivation means (20) applied to the external surface of the stack, wherein the passivation means (20) includes a self-supporting polyimide material (20b) (e.g. in the form of a layer, film or membrane).

Abstract: An occupant detection system for a vehicle includes an antenna arrangement of a capacitance-based occupant detection device in particular provided beneath the seat surface of a vehicle seat for the generation of a first occupation signal in the event of occupation of the vehicle seat by a person based on a radiation of predetermined minimum strength starting from the antenna arrangement and passing through the person, based on at least one switch arrangement of a weight-based occupant detection device which is provided beneath the seat surface of the vehicle seat and can be actuated in dependence on the pressure acting on it in order to generate a second occupation signal in the event of occupation of the vehicle seat by a person, in particular an adult, as well as a controller that generates an occupation detection signal in the event that both the first occupation signal of the capacitance-based occupant detection device and the second occupation signal of the weight-based occupant detection device are pres

Abstract: Provided is an automobile operation apparatus and method designed for detecting failure of a drive gear selector of an automatic transmission having a normal mode constituted by P, R, N and D gears, and a sport mode. The automobile operation apparatus includes up/down switches for shifting a gear of the automatic transmission up or down when a gearshift lever is shifted from the normal mode to the sport mode, a detection means for detecting whether the gearshift lever is shifted to the sport mode, and a control means for controlling a D gear operation at the up/down switches when the D gear is abnormal and the detection means detects a mode change. Therefore, an automobile can be driven, even when a D gear for forward driving malfunctions, by a virtual drive mode switch that is equivalent to the D gear in an emergency.

Abstract: The laser of a laser-generated windshield display is controlled to initially deflect the laser beam in the direction of a reflective target disposed outside a display region of the windshield, and a sensor disposed in a reflection path of the target is sampled to detect the presence of a feedback signal that occurs when the laser beam impinges on the sensor. If the feedback signal is detected, the laser beam is deflected onto the display region to generate a driver display; but if the feedback signal is not detected, the laser is automatically turned-off. Once the laser is turned off for lack of a feedback signal, the control is repeated following a specified delay interval so that the driver display will automatically resume the when the condition that prevented generation of the feedback signal is cured.

Abstract: A communication system utilizing a hierarchically modulated signal and method thereof are provided, wherein a receiver system is configured to receive a hierarchically modulated signal. The receiver system includes a receiver device configured to receive the hierarchically modulated signal, which is a function of a time domain, and including a high priority data stream that has a single carrier type modulation, and a low priority data stream having data bits that are spread over a plurality of data symbols of a high priority data modulation. The receiver system further includes a low priority processor device, which includes an OFDM decoder configured to convert the low priority data stream of the hierarchically modulated signal that is a function of the time domain to be a function of a frequency domain by utilizing a FFT, such that an output is emitted that is representative of the low priority data stream.

Abstract: A switchable valve assembly is provided with a housing having a longitudinal bore with a spool disposed therein. The spool is selectively positioned within the longitudinal bore for controlling the flow of working fluid between a supply port and a control port and between the control port and a vent port. An actuator assembly is provided for selectively positioning the spool in the longitudinal bore. The actuator assembly includes a connecting rod for mechanically transmitting linear motion to the spool when switching from at least one valve mode to another valve mode. The connecting rod is structurally separate from the spool.

Abstract: An injection nozzle for injecting a fluid, the injection nozzle including a nozzle body and a nozzle hole defining a flow passage for fluid, the flow passage including passage walls and the nozzle hole having an inlet in fluid communication via the flow passage with an outlet wherein, the inlet is larger than the output and for at least one section through the inlet and outlet along the flow passage that the nozzle hole is defined, for all distances x within a substantial length of the flow passage, by the condition: |(dS/dx)|>45 microns/millimeter, where S=passage wall separation and x is the distance from the inlet.

Abstract: A receiver system integrated with a vehicle, transmitter system, and methods thereof are provided. The receiver system includes an antenna configured to receive the signal, and a receiver device in communication with the antenna, the receiver device is configured to process the received signal, wherein the receiver device is further configured to determine if the vehicle is in one of a first state and a second state. The receiver system further includes a display in communication with the receiver device, wherein the display is configured to emit a visual display as a function of the received signal, and the display emits the visual display at a first frame rate when the receiver device determines that the vehicle is in the first state, and the display emits the visual display at a second frame rate when the receiver device determines that the vehicle is in the second state.

Abstract: A drive system for powering LED triads includes a controller for supplying power to one or more LED triad modules with integral encoding of the desired hue and intensity information. The LED triad modules each include an LED triad and decoding circuitry for activating the individual LED elements of the triad according to the encoded hue and intensity information. In the illustrated configuration, the controller supplies power to the LED triad modules over a pair of conductors, and the supplied power is modulated using a four-phase encoding sequence that is decoded by the decoding circuitry of each LED triad module so that each LED triad module produces light of the desired hue and intensity.

Abstract: An improved CHP system combining a VCCHP system with an SOFC system for application as a combined CHP system wherein the compressor motor of a heat pump is powered by a portion of the electricity generated by the SOFC, and wherein the thermal output of the heat pump is increased by abstraction of heat from the SOFC exhaust. This integration allows for complementary operation of each type of system, with the benefits of improved overall fuel efficiency for the improved CHP system. The heat pump is further provided with a plurality of flow-reversing valves and an additional heat exchanger, allowing the heat pump system to be reversed and thus to operate as an air conditioning system.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine comprises a plurality of pumps arranged to supply respective flows of pressurized fuel to a common accumulator volume that supplies the pressurized fuel in turn to a plurality of fuel injectors. An engine control unit controls the flow rate of pressurized fuel into the accumulator volume in response to engine load. The flow rate of pressurized fuel from at least one pump of the plurality is dependent upon engine speed; whereas at least one other pump of the plurality comprises a fuel output control responsive to the engine control unit enabling the flow rate of pressurized fuel from that pump to be varied independently of engine speed. In this way, the engine control unit controls the aggregate flow rate of pressurized fuel from the pumps into the accumulator volume, while controlling only one of the pumps. This reduces the cost of control apparatus and allows greater freedom of pump selection and flow circuit design.