Abstract: A combined oil filtration and metering assembly for filtering and metering oil in an oil gallery, such as in a Lifter Oil Manifold Assembly of an internal combustion engine. The filtration and metering assembly includes a filtration element at an oil entrance leading to an internal chamber having a metering orifice as an outlet to a downstream portion of the oil gallery. Preferably the metering orifice has a diverging exit cone. Preferably, the assembly replaces directly a prior art metering valve in a LOMA socket without requiring retooling of the LOMA top plate. The assembly may be readily formed by molding of the filtration element into the oil entrance in an injection overmolding process.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a system for determining whether a target component of an electronic assembly is assembled correctly. The method of the present invention involves correlating the view of a test electronic assembly with both a positive control image and a negative control image. The positive control image is an image of an electronic assembly that has been assembled properly, whereas the negative control image is an image of an electronic assembly that has been assembled improperly. If the correlation between the test image and the positive control image is greater than the correlation between the test image and the negative control image, the test assembly is assembled properly. On the other hand, if the correlation between the test image and the negative control image is greater than the correlation between the test image and the positive control image, the test assembly is assembled improperly.

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 major components and subassemblies self-interconnect by integral guide and connection features effecting “slide lock” and “snap lock” self-interconnection. The major components and subassemblies self-ground by establishing an interference fit with exposed, resilient, embossed portions of wire mesh.

Abstract: A universal joint includes an outer member defining an interior opening and a plurality of grooves within the opening extending along a longitudinal axis. An inner member is disposed within the opening and includes a plurality of pockets opposing the grooves. A drive ball is disposed within each pocket and engages the opposing groove. Each of the pockets and each of the grooves opposing the pockets include a central axis passing through a ball center of the drive balls. The drive balls are supported by the pockets and define a pocket contact angle. The drive balls are also supported by the grooves and define a groove contact angle. The pocket contact angle is less than the groove contact angle to urge the drive balls upward against the grooves.

Abstract: A method of exposure control for an imaging system. A predetermined number of images are captured by one or more imagers, wherein the images are defined by an image resolution matrix. The images are masked to establish a region of interest within the image resolution matrix and brightness of the images is analyzed within the region of interest. An exposure time is calculated for a subsequent image capturing step based on the brightness analysis, and an exposure time setting of the imager(s) is adjusted during the subsequent image capturing step based on the calculated exposure time.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for enabling a vehicle having adaptive cruise control to reduce its speed in a turn according to the vehicle's position within the turn as well as ignoring objects detected during the turn that are not in the vehicle's path. The method of the present invention includes the steps of operating the vehicle in an adaptive cruise control mode such that the vehicle is traveling at a set speed; determining whether the vehicle is in a turn in the vehicle's path by detecting change in the vehicle's lateral acceleration; and when the vehicle is determined to be in the turn, reducing the vehicle's speed according to the vehicle's position in the turn, monitoring for objects and maintaining the vehicle's speed if an object is positioned out of the path of the vehicle.

Abstract: A constant velocity joint includes an outer member defining a plurality of outer member ball tracks and an inner member defining a plurality of inner member ball tracks. The outer member ball tracks and the inner member ball tracks cooperate to define a plurality of uniform funnels having a uniform width along a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of diverging funnels having a diverging width along the longitudinal axis. A drive ball is disposed within each of the uniform funnels and the diverging funnels. A cage is disposed between the outer member and the inner member, and defines a plurality of windows with one of the drive balls disposed within each of the windows. The diverging funnels urge the drive balls along the longitudinal axis to pre-load the cage, while the uniform funnels do not urge the drive balls along the longitudinal axis, thereby reducing the amount of heat generated between the cage and the drive balls.

Abstract: A motor system utilizes a single feedback output to determine various fault states for a 3-phase motor in a non-operational condition. The same single feedback output may be used to determine the applied phase voltage for a 3-phase motor in an operational condition.

Abstract: A piston damper assembly includes a piston damper and a relative position sensor. The piston damper includes a damper body and a piston rod. The piston rod is axially movable within the damper body. The relative position sensor includes an axially-extending magnetic core, an excitation coil, and a position-sensing coil. The axially-extending magnetic core is movable with the piston rod, is located outside the damper body, and has first and second protrusions extending toward the damper body. The excitation coil is wound around the first protrusion, and the position-sensing coil is wound around the second protrusion. A piston-damper dust tube subassembly includes an axially-extending piston-damper dust tube and a relative position sensor. The relative position sensor includes an axially-extending magnetic core, an excitation coil, and a position-sensing coil. The axially-extending magnetic core is attached to the dust tube and has first and second protrusions.

Abstract: A brake rotor assembly for a dual brake disc braking system includes an annular ring having a plurality of teeth. The teeth are disposed radially about a central axis of the annular ring, and extend inward toward the central axis. The teeth are for slideably engaging a hub (wheel end) having a plurality of channels. The annular ring includes a plurality of pins extending outwardly from the annular ring. A friction disc is disposed radially about the annular ring, and is in interlocking engagement with the plurality of pins. The annular ring and the plurality of teeth are integrally cast from a high strength corrosion resistant material having a tensile strength greater than 260 megapascals to resist fracture during high stress braking conditions and high thermal loads. The friction disc is cast around the annular ring from a grey cast iron.

Abstract: A seat belt buckle for use with a tongue of a seat belt, the seat belt buckle comprising: a frame portion; a latch being movably mounted to the frame portion for movement between a first position and a second position, the latch being configured to engage a portion of the tongue as the latch moves from the first position to the second position; an ejector being slidably mounted to the frame portion for movement between a locking position and a release position, wherein movement toward the release position causes an opening force to be applied to the latch in order to move the latch from the second position towards the first position, wherein movement of the ejector towards the release position is caused by movement of a release button movably mounted to the seat belt buckle; an inertia locking device rotatably mounted to the release button for movement between a blocking position and an unblocking position, the inertia locking device being configured for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to a plane o

Abstract: An electric power steering system includes a steering wheel, an electric assist motor operatively coupled to the steering wheel, and an electronic controller operatively coupled to the assist motor. A steering wheel position sensor provides an output indicative of an angular position of the steering wheel. A motor position sensor provides an output indicative of a relative angular position for the motor. Steering wheel position sensor output is acquired at each of a plurality of angular positions of the motor, thereby establishing a set of points defining a curvilinear relationship between steering wheel sensor output and motor position sensor output. The set of points is sampled to calculate a straight line which approximates the curvilinear relationship, thereby reducing periodic errors in the steering wheel sensor output. The straight line is employed to determine a position offset for the motor position sensor output corresponding to a system zero position.

Abstract: An automotive heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system including an electrical control module for controlling the motor of the system. The module includes a connector base supporting a circuit board having spaced side edges extending into the housing. The circuit board having a first leg extending from the base and through a curved section and into a second leg to a distal end spaced from the base with an electrical circuit extending over the exterior of the first leg and over the curved section and over the second leg. The circuit board includes an offset section between the base and the first leg for centralizing the legs on the base.

Abstract: A pressurisation pump is provided comprising a first plunger and a second plunger, each plunger being reciprocable within a respective plunger bore defined by a housing, wherein the first and second plungers together with the bores define, at least in part, a pumping volume. The pump also includes an inlet port and an outlet port. An end of the first plunger is arranged to cover the inlet port during a pump delivery stage in which fluid is displaced from the pumping volume and an end of the second plunger is arranged to cover the outlet port during a pump fill stage in which fuel is drawn into the pumping volume. The end of the first plunger and the end of the second plunger are arranged to cover the inlet port and the outlet port respectively during a pump transfer stage during which the pumping volume is maintained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of evaluating a movement of a motor vehicle, in particular of a vehicle movement influencing the safety of vehicle occupants, in which the acceleration of the vehicle in at least one linear direction, in particular in the direction of a vehicle axis, is measured a multiple of times, the time change of the vehicle acceleration in the at least one linear direction is determined and the determined time change of the vehicle acceleration in the at least one linear direction is taken into account in the evaluation of the vehicle movement. The invention furthermore relates to a method of activating a vehicle safety system and to an apparatus for the evaluation of a movement of a motor vehicle.

Abstract: A system for controlling an inflation output in an inflatable cushion of an air bag module, comprising: a first sensing device, the first sensing device being an electronic sensing device configured to detect the presence of an object proximate to the air bag module, when the inflatable cushion is in an un-inflated state, the first sensing device providing a suppression signal when an object is detected within an area proximate to the air bag module; a second sensing device, the second sensing device being a mechanical sensing device configured to detect whether a leading edge of the inflatable cushion has made contact with an object prior to the leading edge reaching a predetermined distance from the air bag module during inflation of the inflatable cushion, the second sensing device being disposed within the inflatable cushion and is configured to cause the inflation output provided to the inflatable cushion to be varied when the leading edge of the inflatable cushion has made contact with an object prior t

Abstract: A fixed center constant velocity joint includes a first group of funnels and a second group of funnels arranged radially about a longitudinal axis in alternating relationship. The first group of funnels diverges in a first direction and the second group of funnels diverges in a second direction opposite the first direction along the longitudinal axis. The first group of funnels defines a first diverging width increasing in value along the longitudinal axis and the second group of funnels defines a second diverging width increasing in value at a different rate than the first diverging width to bias the joint in one of the first direction and the second direction.

Abstract: A power steering system for translating movement to a pair of wheels of a vehicle having an engine is disclosed. The system includes a steering assembly adapted for coupling engagement to the wheels for turning the wheels. The system includes a hydraulic pump having a pump input and a pump output and is coupled to the steering assembly and a planetary gear set. The system also includes a steering shaft operatively connected to the hydraulic pump for controlling a direction of the pump output and coupled to the steering assembly. The system further includes a variable-ratio drive mechanism having an electric motor and a controller. The electric motor is coupled to the planetary gear set and the controller communicates with the electric motor for controlling a rotational speed of the planetary gear set to maintain the pump output.

Abstract: Provided is an automobile operation apparatus and method designed for failure of a drive gear of an automatic transmission that enable an automobile to be driven by moving only a gearshift lever when a D gear for forward driving malfunctions. The automobile operation apparatus is designed for failure of a drive gear 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.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly and method of connecting an electrical connector to a substrate are provided. The electrical connector assembly includes a substrate having electrical circuitry, a shroud, and a plurality of conductive pins. The conductive pins are pressed into contact with contact pads of the electrical circuitry. The electrical connector assembly also includes an overmolding material securing the shroud such that the conductive pins contact the electrical circuitry.