Abstract: A torque transmitter has a plurality of friction plates alternately splined at the inner and outer peripheries. The plates are urged into frictional engagement by a piston and a lever spring to accommodate torque transmission between the splined components drivingly connected with the splined peripheries. The friction plates are disposed in radial alignment with the piston and the lever spring reacts against one of the friction plates. A fulcrum for the lever spring is disposed on one of the splined components.

Abstract: The invention includes a fastener with a molded-on compliant seal having a fastener portion including a shaft and an insertion head at a first end for extending through an apertured panel and locking against a rear face thereof. A base for attaching an object thereto is provided at the second end of the shaft. A rigid seal support extends outwardly from the shaft at a location between the first and second ends. The fastener portion including shaft, insertion head, base and seal support are preferably made from a single piece of relatively rigid material. A compliant seal covers at least the portion of the rigid seal support on surface facing the insertion head and extends outwardly from the support. The compliant seal is positioned to engage the front face of the panel providing a water barrier surrounding the aperture. The present invention does not rattle or produce other undesirable sounds during vehicle operation due to the compliant seal.

Abstract: An exhaust poison trap for protection of catalytic converters in automotive exhaust systems includes a tubular housing having open ends and a peripheral wall internally defining an exhaust chamber, a helical wall longitudinally dividing the exhaust chamber into at least two longitudinally extending helical passages for exhaust gas flow and porous means substantially covering the interior of the peripheral wall and forming an outer periphery of each of said helical passages, whereby exhaust gas passing through the exhaust chamber is directed in a helical path through the helical passages, causing particulate matter in the gas to be accelerated outwardly by centrifugal force and trapped in the porous means, thus protecting a downstream catalytic converter from trapped catalyst poisoning particles such as zinc and phosphorous. The porous means may be coated to improve trapping or to aid catalytic reactions in the exhaust gases.

Abstract: A demand responsive flow control valve including a housing in a fluid conduit between a pump and a motor vehicle power steering gear, a flow control orifice in the fluid conduit, and a valve pintle supported on the housing for linear translation. An inboard stop on the housing engageable by the valve pintle defines an active position of the valve pintle, obstructing the flow control orifice and reducing the effective area of the latter. The inboard stop is a tubular sleeve interference fitted in a bore in the housing. The position of the tubular sleeve on the housing corresponding to the active position of the valve pintle is established by inducing linear translation of the tubular sleeve into the bore in the housing as a unit with the valve pintle while monitoring the corresponding flow rate through the fluid conduit.

Abstract: Pb-Ca battery grids are dipped into a bath of molten Pb-Sn or Pb-Ag to prolong the useful life of the battery as determined by the high temperature SAE J240 test.

Abstract: An exhaust manifold catalytic warm-up converter for an automotive vehicle engine includes tubular runners having inlet and outlet ends and connectable at their inlet ends with exhaust ports of an engine. The runners are joined at their outlet ends with a common exhaust outlet. A generally helical twisted tape extends longitudinally in each of the runners between their inlet and outlet ends and laterally divides the runners into at least two parallel generally helical flow passages. The tape is porous and formed of a material having a predetermined thickness and porosity to encourage a flow of exhaust gases through pores of the tape between adjacent helical passages due to pressure gradients across the tape resulting from gas flow in the helical passages. The porous tape has a low thermal inertia for fast warm-up and is coated with a catalytic material for stimulating reaction of emissions in the engine exhaust gases passing through the exhaust manifold. Additional features and alternatives are disclosed.

Abstract: A manual shift tower has a selector lever pivotally mounted for manipulation by an operator along a path to a plurality of forward drive ratio positions and a reverse ratio position. The tower has a solenoid control bellcrank which is operable to position a pin in the path of the lever to permit removal of the shift lever from the reverse ratio position when the solenoid is in a first position. The bellcrank of the solenoid is also drivingly connected with an ignition cable which is operable to position a stop member for preventing removal of the ignition key until the shift lever is in the reverse ratio position and the ignition is turned to "Off".

Abstract: A plasma heating apparatus for heating a workpiece includes a chamber of sufficient size to receive a workpiece therein and a source of a reduced gas pressure within the chamber of from about 0.01 to about 100 millitorr. The plasma heating apparatus further includes a plasma source of an enveloping plasma. Optionally, a workpiece voltage may be applied between the workpiece and the wall of the chamber, and a source of a reactive gas can be provided to backfill the chamber, and radiant heaters can be provided to independently heat portions of the workpiece. In operation, the plasma source produces a plasma that surrounds and heats the workpiece. The plasma and the heating of the workpiece are tailored to achieve controllably uniform or nonuniform heat treatment and/or surface treatment of the workpiece.

Abstract: A method for cutting an "O" ring retention groove around the cutting edge of a hydropiercing die button. A groove machining tool is given a convex curved end surface the radius of which is slightly less than or, at most, substantially equal to the tightest concave radius that the end surface will have to sweep through as the groove is cut. Consequently, an accurate, slightly curved groove bottom surface is created for the "O" ring, while the machining tool will not bind as it moves through the tightest concave portion of the cutting path.

Abstract: An electric drum brake comprising: an electric motor including an armature for providing actuation force for the electric drum brake and a backing plate comprising a substantially flat disk portion, a support section located radially outward from a center of the flat disk portion and a substantially cylindrical wall projecting out of the support section as a continuous structure thereof, wherein an armature for the electric motor is located substantially within the substantially cylindrical wall.

Abstract: A vehicle door module includes a door latch mounted on the module and has first and second bent wire rods pre-assembled on the door latch. The portion of the module to which the door latch is mounted is of molded plastic construction and has an integrally molded first receptacle in which the first bent wire rod is releasably snap-retained. A plastic mounting clip is attached to the door latch and has a molded second receptacle in which the second bent wire is releasably snap-retained. The first and second receptacles retain the first and second bent wire rods, respectively, to orient the bent wire rods to facilitate installation of the module into a vehicle door. The first and second receptacles permit release of the first and second bent wire rod therefrom to permit connection of the bent wire rods respectively to an outside door handle and an outside lock cyinder.

Abstract: A retainer for a crossover tube of a ball screw between a rack piston and a worm shaft of a motor vehicle power steering gear. The ball screw includes a helical passage between the rack piston and the worm shaft, a U-shaped crossover tube on the rack piston, and a plurality of bearing balls which roll in a ball circuit defined by the helical passage and the crossover tube. The crossover tube retainer is a molded plastic arch straddling a linear segment of the crossover tube having a web bridging the gap between the crossover tube and the rack piston bore. The thrust of the bearing balls urging dislodgment of the crossover tube from the rack piston is reacted against the rack piston bore through the web of the molded plastic arch across a bearing surface of the web having a contour complementary to the contour of the rack piston bore above the molded plastic arch.

Abstract: Control of operation of an internal combustion engine is responsive to an estimate of catalyst deterioration in an engine exhaust gas catalytic treatment device, including ignition timing control, intake air control, and supplemental catalyst heating control. The deterioration estimate is responsive to a catalyst temperature estimate which may be corrected in accord with the estimated deterioration.

Abstract: Reformation of a round tube to a tube with a selected polygonal segment is achieved by supporting the round tube on a mandrel having rounded corners that mate with the tube's inside diameter. The mandrel is otherwise provided in the resultant polygonal shape. The supported tube is subjected to the compressive force of a die having upper and lower die sections that define an elongated polygonal cavity. The planar sides of the cavity are offset relative to the parting line. Preferably, the corners of the cavity adjacent the parting line are wrapped by a leg of the die section. Upon closure of the die sections, the tube material is allocated to a particular quadrant by contact with the die section and the tube is reformed. Excess material that may result from tolerance permitted variations is delivered to the corners of the polygonal tube section maintaining uniform wall thickness across the flat sides of the reformed tube.

Abstract: In automobiles incorporating a console-mounted shift lever assembly for an automatic transmission control, a range indicator assembly is attached to the shift lever assembly to form a subassembly. This subassembly is secured in the automobile by attaching the shift lever to the vehicle floor pan, inserting a console housing over the shift lever assembly and clipping the range indicator assembly to the console. The range indicator assembly has an indicator extension or post that mates with a shifter alignment feature or bracket on the base of the shift lever assembly. This mating establishes the fore/aft location of the range indicator assembly relative to the shift lever assembly. The clips cooperate with the console to determine vertical and transverse locations of the range indicator assembly. A trim plate is placed over the opening in the console and secured to the console by clip members. This effectively closes the opening around the range indicator assembly and the shift lever assembly.

Abstract: A vehicle door has a glass run channel extending vertically to guide vertical movement of a window glass. A bracket is mounted on the door adjacent the bottom of the glass run channel and has an upwardly opening slot therein. A threaded stud is carried by the bottom of the glass run channel. An annular roller of molded plastic construction is threaded onto the stud and has a circumferential groove by which the annual roller may be installed into the upwardly opening slot of the bracket to thereby mount the bottom of the glass run channel on the door. The stud is preferably threadably attached to the bottom of the glass run channel so that rotation of the threaded stud relative the glass run channel will adjust the position of the annular roller to adjust the bottom of the glass run channel relative to the door.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring power and communication data across an annular gap comprises an inductively-coupled primary coil winding and secondary coil winding rotatable therein. Two signal oscillators are electrically coupled to a transistor for controlling current flow through the primary coil winding, thereby inducing a signal with a respective frequency in the secondary coil winding. An electronic switch operates so as to apply one of the two signals to the transistor for charging a capacitor coupled to the secondary coil winding, and operates so as to apply the other of the two signals to the transistor for discharging the capacitor. Actuation of control devices operate so as to modulate the impedance of the secondary coil winding. The inductive coupling of the two coil windings results in this modulation being mirrored by a modulation of the voltage developed across the primary coil winding.

Abstract: A spark plug is provided which is suitable for use in a spark ignition system for an internal combustion engine. The spark plug is equipped with a specially configured firing tip on each of its electrodes for the purpose of minimizing the demand voltage of the spark plug, as well as extending the life of the spark plug by maximizing the time over which the demand voltage will remain within an acceptable level. For this purpose, the firing tips are configured such that their firing surfaces include at least three edges and three corners which serve as arc initiation sites of a relatively low resistance arc path between the electrodes.

Abstract: A sensor-responsive control method for use on a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of: measuring a vehicle yaw rate; measuring a vehicle lateral acceleration; responsive to the measured yaw rate and lateral acceleration, estimating a steering wheel angle; determining an error signal responsive to the difference between the estimated steering wheel angle and an adaptive steering position signal; and updating the adaptive steering position signal responsive to the error signal, wherein the adaptive steering position signal is quickly determined after the vehicle begins to move.

Abstract: A multi-ratio automatic transmission has a plurality of fluid operated clutching devices, a fluidic torque converter and a fluid operated torque converter clutch mechanism. During certain operational periods, a hot mode is invoked to eliminate certain heat sources and increase heat dissipation to thereby prevent the fluid temperature from exceeding a predetermined maximum temperature. The hot mode is invoked as a function of both the temperature of the transmission fluid and the rate of change of the fluid temperature.