Abstract: A bearing assembly includes an inner race having a first inner race half and a second inner race half, and an outer race having a first outer race half and a second outer race. The first inner race half and the second inner race half cooperate to define an inner annular groove, and the first outer race half and the second outer race half cooperate to define an outer annular groove. A plurality of rollers is disposed within the inner annular groove and the outer annular groove in rolling engagement with the inner race and the outer race. An inner coupling mechanism couples the first inner race and the second inner race together, and an outer coupling mechanism couples the first outer race and the second outer race together.

Abstract: A catalytic reformer assembly and methods of operation, including fast start-up, are provided. The reformer assembly includes an electrically-conductive metallic vaporizer having a very high surface area. At start-up of the reformer, electric current is passed through the vaporizer to heat the material by resistance heating, providing a high-temperature, high-surface area environment for fuel vaporization. Preferably, the electric current is started a few seconds before starting fuel flow. The fuel is sprayed either onto or through the heated vaporizer, preferably before the fuel is mixed with incoming air to minimize convective cooling by the air and to reduce the pressure drop in the fuel flow. As the reformer warms up, energy from the reforming process heats the vaporizer via radiation and/or conduction such that electric power is needed only during the start-up phase. A control circuit regulates the amount and duration of electric power supplied to the vaporizer.

Abstract: A throttle control cartridge has a circuit board carrying a Hall-effect sensor, the position of which is fixed in a housing carrying a cam. A shaft carrying a magnet is rotatably and translatably disposed with respect to the housing and carries a cam follower that engages the cam and translates the shaft with respect to the housing when the shaft is rotated with respect to the housing in at least one of two opposed angular directions. The cam and the cam follower have at least first and second pairs of cam surfaces in which a first cam surface is disposed at a different cam or helix angle then the second cam surface. A redundant stop is cooperatively formed between the cam follower and splines on the shaft to limit axial translation of the cam follower in one direction of rotation of the shaft relative to the housing.

Abstract: An injector mounting arrangement for use in an engine, the injector mounting arrangement including: a fuel injector having one or more resonant modes of vibration, an engine cylinder housing, and a clamping arrangement including a clamping member for applying a clamping load to the injector so as to clamp the injector to the cylinder housing wherein the clamping load is applied at or substantially at a vibration node of one of the one or more modes of vibration of the fuel injector so as to damp or substantially prevent transmission of injector generated noise to the cylinder housing.

Abstract: A chemical vapor sensor is provided that passively measures a suspect chemical species of interest with high sensitivity and chemical specificity, for use with safety systems. A vapor concentrator amplifies a suspect chemical vapor concentration to a detectible level, for use with an infrared detector. Compensation is provided for environmental variations that may influence the passive measurement of the chemical vapor sensor. Environmental variations may include extrinsic vapors in the surrounding air, or air currents that divert the sample vapor as it drifts from the suspect vapor source to a sampling intake. In an example, ethanol vapor is measured and carbon dioxide tracer measurements are used to calculate an ethanol vapor measurement that is adjusted for environmental variations. In an aspect, a time artifact filter sets the output of the carbon dioxide sensor to match the time dependence of the ethanol sensor, to calculate blood alcohol concentration.

Abstract: An embedded resistor and capacitor circuit and fabrication method is provided. The circuit includes a substrate, a conductive foil laminated to the substrate, and a thick film dielectric material disposed on the conductive foil. One or more thick film electrodes are formed on the dielectric material and a thick film resistor is formed at least partially contacting the thick film electrodes. A capacitor is formed by an electrode and the conductive foil. The electrodes serve as terminations for the resistor and capacitor.

Abstract: A child seat and a method for monitoring installation of the child seat are provided. The child seat includes a child seat frame configured to receive a child occupant. The child seat frame is configured to receive a seat belt webbing for securing the child seat frame to a vehicle seat. The child seat further includes a first bladder configured to contact the seat belt webbing. The first bladder has a fluid therein. The child seat further includes a first pressure sensor fluidly communicating with the fluid in the first bladder. The first pressure sensor is configured to output a first signal indicative of an amount of pressure in the first bladder. The child seat further includes a controller coupled to the child seat frame configured to receive the first signal and to compute a first tension value based on the first signal.

Abstract: A suction shutoff valve of a compressor which includes a modulating valve. The modulating valve includes a valve disk for covering a valve aperture, a bellows in sealed engagement with the egress end of a valve body, and a valve stem connecting the valve disk and the bellows. A bellows spring is disposed in the bellows for biasing the valve disk to open the valve aperture. When the pressure in the suction chamber decreases below a predetermined pressure, the bellows spring moves the bellows and the valve disk to open the valve aperture and increase fluid flow from the compression chamber to the bellows chamber to subsequently allow the valve piston to uncover the holes of the valve body and increase fluid flow through the suction shutoff valve to the suction chamber.

Abstract: A projection unit comprising a coherent light source such as a laser diode and a beam shaping element forming a light beam which is directed towards a display, characterized in that it comprises a laser speckle suppression device which is positioned between the laser source and the display and wherein the laser speckle suppression device is a diffusing element actuated randomly by a piezoelectric vibrating structure.

Abstract: A prismatic-cell battery pack is provided with integral coolant passages including an intake plenum, an exhaust plenum, and a distributed array of coolant channels coupled between the intake plenum and the exhaust plenum. Coolant medium forced into the intake plenum enters the coolant channels in parallel, draws heat away from the battery cells, and then enters the exhaust plenum for expulsion into the atmosphere. The battery pack is configured as a set of stackable interlocking battery cell modules including at least one battery cell in thermal proximity to an array of coolant channels distributed over the profile of the battery cell, and a pair of peripheral chambers joined to opposite ends of the coolant channels to form the intake and exhaust plenums when the modules are arranged and interlocked in a lineal stack.

Abstract: A lightweight radio/CD player for vehicular application is virtually “fastenerless” and includes a case and frontal interface formed of polymer based material that is molded to provide details to accept audio devices such as playback mechanisms (if desired) and radio receivers, as well as the circuit boards required for electrical control and display. The case and frontal interface are of composite structure, including an insert molded electrically conductive wire mesh screen that has been pre-formed to contour with the molding operation. The wire mesh provides EMC, RFI, BCI and ESD shielding and grounding of the circuit boards via exposed wire mesh pads and adjacent ground clips. The PCB architecture is bifurcated into a first board carrying common circuit components in a surface mount configuration suitable for high volume production, and a second board carrying application specific circuit components in a wave soldered stick mount configuration.

Abstract: A printed circuit board supported over the top surface of a multi-cell battery module for battery cell voltage and temperature monitoring has an array of openings in alignment with selected battery cells for receiving temperature-sensing units that electrically couple with contacts formed on the printed circuit board and resiliently engage the cases of the selected battery cells. Each such temperature-sensing unit includes a printed circuit board mountable lamp socket and a lamp socket insert including a thermistor and a compressible element that maintains the thermistor in thermal proximity to the battery cell case when the temperature-sensing unit is installed in a respective printed circuit board opening.

Abstract: An automatic transmission is disclosed that includes a clutch pressure control module housing having therein: (1) a plurality of solenoid valves, each of the solenoid valves configured to receive an input of the pressurized hydraulic fluid and to provide a variable output pressure of pressurized hydraulic fluid in response to an electric control signal; (2) means for sensing output pressure from each of the solenoid valves of the plurality of solenoid valves; and (3) electronic control means configured to generate electric control signals to one or more of the solenoid valves of the plurality of solenoid valves in response to (i) a clutch pressure command signal or a solenoid pressure command signal, and (ii) a solenoid output pressure signal from the means for sensing output pressure. The solenoid valves provide hydraulic control signals to clutch hydraulic pressure control valves, which in turn provide hydraulic power to clutch actuators.

Abstract: A device and a method are provided for receiving items of product information over a satellite digital audio radio (SDAR) network and locally storing the information therein. A mobile device is provided that comprises a control section and mobile information storage in electrical communication with the control section. The control section is adapted to communicate the items of product information received over the SDAR network to said mobile information storage.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package includes a first non-conductive substrate having a first inner surface and a second non-conductive substrate having a second inner surface. A die having a first thickness is disposed between the first and second inner surfaces. A leadframe includes a member having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end has a second thickness less than the first thickness. The distal end is disposed between the first and second inner surfaces. The distal end is undulated such that the distal end has an effective thickness greater than the second thickness.

Abstract: Device for detection of out-of-round on an angle sensor including a disc supporting angle coding means rigidly attached to a rotating shaft and at least one fixed optical system including a coherent light source emitting a beam interfering with the angle coding means of the support disc in order to code its angular position, means for collimation of the said beam before interference and a photodetector of the modulated beam after interference. In accordance with one possibility, it includes two optical systems arranged 90° from each other. Alternatively, there is only one optical system and the disc includes a circular track radially centred in at least one of its angular positions relative to the incident collimated light beam, and a radially orientated photodetector.

Abstract: A heat exchanger assembly comprises a pair of heat exchanger cores, each with a pair of manifold tanks on opposite sides, and a bracket that grips one tank of each heat exchanger core to maintain the gripped tanks adjacent and parallel to one another. The tanks can rotate within the bracket, allowing them to assume a shipping position wherein the cores are adjacent to each other and an operative position wherein the ends of the cores opposite the bracket are spread apart to form an A-frame configuration.

Abstract: An improved fuel injection spray director plate including conically chamfered entries to the flow passages through the plate. The conical chamfer may extend part way or all the way through the plate. In a currently preferred embodiment, the chamfer extends only part way through the plate, and the remaining cylindrical portion of the passage provides desirable directional capability for the spray. Preferably, the conical chamfer axis forms an angle with the cylindrical portion axis. Preferably, a flow passage is positioned in the director plate such that the main flow direction of fuel exiting the fuel injector valve is received into the chamfer of the passage. Preferably, a second conical portion is formed in the passage between the first conical portion and the cylindrical portion.

Abstract: A shielded electric cable assembly comprises a shielded electric cable and a shield terminal. The shield terminal comprises a ferrule of one-piece construction having an inner ferrule portion and an outer ferrule portion that is radially spaced from the inner ferrule portion and attached to the inner ferrule portion by an end wall. The inner ferrule portion is disposed between an inner insulation jacket of the shielded electric cable and an exposed end portion of an intermediate conductive layer surrounding the inner insulation jacket. The outer ferrule portion is crimped about the exposed end portion of the intermediate conductive layer to crimp the inner ferrule portion tightly around the inner insulation jacket and to clamp exposed end portion of the intermediate conductive layer between the inner ferrule portion and the outer ferrule portion of the one piece ferrule. A conductive cylindrical shell is attached to the one-piece ferrule.

Abstract: An electrical center is mounted on a wiring harness. The electrical center comprises an upper insulator housing having a plurality of upper terminal receiving cavities, a circuit board assembly disposed in the upper housing below the upper terminal receiving cavities, a plurality of terminals mounted on the circuit board contact portions above the circuit board disposed in the upper terminal receiving cavities for engaging mating terminals plugged into the upper terminal receiving cavities, and a lower insulator housing having a plurality of lower terminal receiving cavities. The terminals mounted on the circuit board have contact portions below the circuit board disposed in the lower terminal receiving cavities for engaging mating terminals that are attached to wires of the wiring harness and that are plugged in the lower terminal receiving cavities.