Abstract: A vehicle dome lighting system is provided and includes a headliner and a photoluminescent structure coupled to the headliner. At least one excitation source is operable to emit at least one inputted electromagnetic radiation for exciting an associated area of the photoluminescent structure to produce at least one outputted electromagnetic radiation.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 16, 2014
Publication date:
May 21, 2015
Applicant:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Stuart C. Salter, Jeffrey Singer, Matthew Majkowski, Mahendra Somasara Dassanayake
Abstract: According to one or more embodiments, a polymeric article includes a polymeric composition, which in turn includes a polymeric material in a first weight percent, a non-metallic fibrous material in a second weight percent, and a metallic fiber material in a third weight percent and being intermixed with the non-metallic fibrous material. The polymeric material may include at least one of epoxy, vinyl ester, and/or polyester. The fibrous material may include at least one of glass fiber and carbon fiber. The metallic fiber material may include at least one of steel and aluminum.
Type:
Application
Filed:
November 19, 2013
Publication date:
May 21, 2015
Applicant:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Rick H. Wykoff, Mohammed Omar Faruque, Fubang Wu, Yijung Chen, Matthew John Zaluzec
Abstract: A lane-keeping method and system for a motor vehicle determines a transverse deviation and an misalignment angle of the motor vehicle relative to a target lane centerline, calculates a reference track for the motor vehicle to follow to return to the centerline using the transverse deviation and the misalignment angle, determines a reference yaw rate using a curvature of the reference track and a longitudinal speed of the vehicle, and compares the reference yaw rate with an actual yaw rate of the vehicle to determine a control deviation. A steering input is then applied to a steering system of the motor vehicle to minimize the control deviation.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 21, 2012
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Dirk Gunia, Jens Dornhege, Torsten Wey, Jan Meier
Abstract: Embodiments for a charge air cooler are provided. In one example, an engine method comprises increasing intake air flow velocity through a charge air cooler in response to an estimated condensation formation value within the charge air cooler. In this way, condensation accumulation within the charge air cooler may be prevented.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 20, 2012
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Chris Paul Glugla, Charles A. Cockerill, Shuya Shark Yamada, Phil Andrew Fabien
Abstract: A process for conversion of aliphatic bicyclic amines to aliphatic diamines including contacting one or more bicyclic amines selected from the group consisting of 3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane and azabicyclo[3.3.1]non-2-ene with ammonia and hydrogen, and alcohols in the presence of heterogeneous metal based catalyst systems, a metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Ru, Fe, Cu, Re, Pd, and their oxides at a temperature from 140° C. to 200° C. and a pressure from 1540 to 1735 psig for at least one hour reactor systems; forming a product mixture comprising aliphatic diamine(s), bicyclic amine(s), ammonia, hydrogen, and alcohol(s); removing said product mixture from the reactor system; removing at least some of the ammonia, hydrogen, water, alcohols, bicyclic amines from said product mixture; thereby separating the aliphatic diamines from said product mixture.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 30, 2010
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Dow Global Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Shawn D. Feist, Daniel A. Hickman, Erich J. Molitor, David C. Molzahn, Stacie Santhany, Abraham D. Schuitman
Abstract: A process for manufacturing high aspect ratio silver nanowires is provided, wherein the recovered silver nanowires exhibit an average diameter of 25 to 80 nm and an average length of 10 to 100 ?m; and, wherein the total glycol concentration is <0.001 wt % at all times during the process.
Abstract: A method for controlling an electric vehicle having a traction motor connected to a driveline includes controlling traction motor output torque through a region surrounding the vehicle wheel torque reversal to mitigate torque disturbances in a driveline, wherein the region is determined using a relationship between driveline input torque and driveline output torque and is bounded by a zero input torque and a zero output torque. A hybrid electric vehicle has a traction motor, a driveline connected to a vehicle wheel, and a controller configured to control traction motor output torque through a region surrounding a vehicle wheel torque reversal to mitigate torque disturbances in the driveline. A control system for a hybrid vehicle includes a traction motor and a controller. The controller is configured to control traction motor output torque through a region surrounding a vehicle wheel torque reversal to mitigate torque disturbances in the driveline.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 29, 2012
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Bernard D. Nefcy, Marvin Paul Kraska, Walter Joseph Ortmann, Daniel Scott Colvin
Abstract: An internal permanent magnet machine has multiple rotor sections, each section having multiple rotor laminations. Permanent magnets are placed asymmetrically in lamination openings to attenuate oscillations in torque caused by harmonic components of magnetic flux. Asymmetry is achieved by placing adjacent permanent magnets or magnet sets on the rotor periphery with different rotor magnetic pole arc angles.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 26, 2013
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Feng Liang, Wei Wu, Michael W. Degner, Franco Leonardi
Abstract: A vehicle roof frame includes an adhering structure having an adhesive carrier and an expanding structural adhesive coupled to at least a portion of an outer surface of the adhesive carrier. The expanding structural adhesive includes an installation state and a structural state, and the structural state has a larger volume than the installation state. The vehicle roof frame also includes a plurality of vehicle frame members that cooperate to form a frame joint and a joint cavity defined within the frame joint. The adhering structure is disposed within the joint cavity and the adhesive carrier and the expanding structural adhesive in the structural state substantially occupies the joint cavity and fixably couples the plurality of framing members such that the frame joint is free of supplemental mechanical connections proximate the joint cavity.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 21, 2014
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Edgar Edward Donabedian, Darrin Neil Wagner, Mark Keller, Bruno M. Barthelemy
Abstract: Polyurethane foams are made using a biuret-modified MDI and/or PMDI as the isocyanate component. The isocyanate is characterized by having a high content of biuret-containing oligomers and, preferably, a low proportion (if any) of biuret-urea oligomers. Flexible, resilient foams made using this biuret-modified isocyanate perform well on flammability tests such as the UNI 9175 CS. E. RF4 test, even without added flame retardants.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 16, 2010
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Dow Global Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Alessia Battistini, Gianluca Casagrande, Luigi Bertucelli, Alessio Sabadini
Abstract: The present disclosure relates to various shift selector assemblies having a shift gate with a plurality of indentations corresponding to transmission shift selections. At least one of the indentations is configured to have a flexible depth so as to selectively restrict and accept a pawl pin, thereby mitigating shift position overshoot.
Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include insulated units and methods of producing the insulating units. The insulating units include a first surface, a structural seal disposed on at least portions of the first surface, and a second surface disposed on the structural seal. The structural seal includes the reaction product of at least one first isocyanate, at least one isocyanate reactive side, and at least one adhesion promoter including a reaction product of at least one secondary aminoalkoxy silane and at least one second isocyanate.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 10, 2011
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Dow Global Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Bindushree Radhakrishnan, Laura A. Grier, Syed Z. Mahdi
Abstract: Polyisocyanate-based polymers are formed by curing a reaction mixture containing at least one polyisocyanate and at least one isocyanate-reactive compound having at least two isocyanate-reactive groups in the presence of a copper catalyst that contains at least one copper atom associated with a polydentate ligand that contains at least one nitrogen-containing complexing site.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 5, 2011
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Dow Global Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Richard Keaton, Peter M. Margl, Duane R. Romer, Nathan Wilmot, Rajat Duggal, Rashmi Chamsarkar
Abstract: A motor vehicle has an openable door and a frameless door glass system comprising a moveable glass operable in two stages of engagement with a seal. The first stage provides a vertical gap between the glass and the seal prior to the door being opened and the second stage increases the level of engagement between the glass and seal relative the first stage upon detection of a predetermined event, such as a predetermined vehicle speed.
Abstract: A driver performance mapping system for a vehicle system is disclosed. The system may include a GPS receiver generating GPS data indicative of a current location of the vehicle. In addition, the system may also have a radar device generating current gap data indicative of a current gap distance from the vehicle to a lead vehicle. Further, the system may include an electronic controller configured to generate learned gap data based on the current gap data and stored gap data, and then assign the learned gap data with the GPS data.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 28, 2013
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Inventors:
Shane S. Elwart, Aaron L. Mills, John Shutko, Thomas Edward Pilutti, John Ottavio Michelini
Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include cleaning processes, closed loop cleaning machines, and methods of cleaning an article. The cleaning process includes contacting a surface of an article with a cleaning composition in a cleaning chamber, where the cleaning composition includes at least about 85 percent by weight organic solvents, based on total weight of the cleaning composition, and where at least about 5 percent by weight of the organic solvents is propylene glycol, based on total weight of the organic solvents, to clean the surface of the article, collecting the cleaning composition including contaminants, and recovering the cleaning composition via distillation, where a distillation apparatus removes the contaminants from the cleaning composition and is connected to the cleaning chamber by a process stream.
Abstract: An improved process for making ethoxylated amine compounds such as ethanolamines. The improvement comprises the addition of an acid to the amine compound prior to the addition of ethylene oxide to a reactor wherein the ethoxylated amine compound is prepared. The improvement reduces the concentration of undesirable glycol ether and/or vinyl ether ethoxylate byproducts which may contribute to undesirable properties, such as color and foaming, of the ethoxylated amine compounds.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 28, 2012
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Dow Global Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Stephen W. King, Daniel A. Aguilar, Christophe R. Laroche
Abstract: A method for distributing fuel in a fuel system of a motor vehicle. The method may be applied in a fuel system having a first fuel tank, where fuel is confined at a first pressure, and a second fuel tank, where fuel is confined at a second pressure greater than the first pressure. The method comprises releasing fuel already resident in the second fuel tank to the first fuel tank, and admitting fuel to the first and second fuel tanks simultaneously.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 21, 2013
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
Abstract: A coating composition comprising: an aqueous dispersion comprising: the melt-kneading product of (A) a base polymer which comprises one or more thermoplastic polymers, (B) a stabilizing agent which comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid grafted ethylene-based polymers and maleic anhydride grafted polyolefins; (C) a neutralizing agent; and (D) water; wherein the aqueous dispersion has a volume average particle size of less than about 5 ?m is provided.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 5, 2013
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignee:
Dow Global Technologies LLC
Inventors:
Marco Amici, Thomas Udhayasingh, Jozef Van Dun
Abstract: The present invention provides methods for making pnictide compositions, particularly photoactive and/or semiconductive pnictides. In many embodiments, these compositions are in the form of thin films grown on a wide range of suitable substrates to be incorporated into a wide range of microelectronic devices, including photovoltaic devices, photodetectors, light emitting diodes, betavoltaic devices, thermoelectric devices, transistors, other optoelectronic devices, and the like. As an overview, the present invention prepares these compositions from suitable source compounds in which a vapor flux is derived from a source compound in a first processing zone, the vapor flux is treated in a second processing zone distinct from the first processing zone, and then the treated vapor flux, optionally in combination with one or more other ingredients, is used to grow pnictide films on a suitable substrate.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 10, 2012
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2015
Assignees:
Dow Global Technologies LLC, California Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Gregory M. Kimball, Jeffrey P. Bosco, Harry A. Atwater, Nathan S. Lewis, Marty W. Degroot, James C. Stevens