Abstract: An underactuated joining system for a moving assembly line includes a robot with actuated joints, an articulated compliance mechanism, and a controller. An end-effector of the mechanism is connected to linkages and to a joining tool, unactuated joints interconnect the linkages, and position sensors measure joint positions of the unactuated joints. In response to the joint positions, a controller regulates a position of the actuated joints to cause the compliance mechanism to compliantly follow the assembly line. This occurs while the tool remains engaged with a workpiece being transported along the assembly line. A method includes engaging the tool with the workpiece as the workpiece is transported by the assembly line, measuring joint positions of the unactuated joints using position sensors, and controlling a position of the active joints to cause the compliance mechanism to compliantly follow the workpiece along the assembly line.

Abstract: In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided that includes a body, a drive system, and a control system for controlling the adaptive cruise control functionality for the vehicle. The drive system is disposed within the body, and has adaptive cruise control functionality. The control system includes: one or more sensors disposed onboard the vehicle and configured to obtain sensor data for monitoring a driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped during adaptive cruise control operation while a target vehicle in front of the vehicle has stopped; and a processor coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to provide instructions for automatically resuming movement of the vehicle, when the target vehicle resumes movement, based on the monitoring of the driver of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of joining a multiple member work-piece includes providing a first steel work-piece having a first thickness and a second steel work-piece having a second thickness. The first thickness is at least twice the second thickness. A third material is disposed in contact with the second steel work-piece. For example, the third material may be in the form of a rivet, a plurality of pins, or a coating material. The method includes resistance welding the first and second work-pieces together. A bonded assembly includes the first and second steel members and the third material being bonded together, where the thickness of the first member is at least twice the thickness of the second member.

Abstract: A system includes first and second sensors and a controller. The first sensor is of a first type and is configured to sense objects around a vehicle and to capture first data about the objects in a frame. The second sensor is of a second type and is configured to sense the objects around the vehicle and to capture second data about the objects in the frame. The controller is configured to down-sample the first and second data to generate down-sampled first and second data having a lower resolution than the first and second data. The controller is configured to identify a first set of the objects by processing the down-sampled first and second data having the lower resolution. The controller is configured to identify a second set of the objects by selectively processing the first and second data from the frame.

Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, a LiDAR is provided that is configured for installation in a mobile platform. The LiDAR includes a scanner and a light-intensity receiver. The scanner includes a light source configured to direct illumination in an illuminating direction. The light-intensity receiver includes one or more light-intensity sensors; and one or more lens assemblies configured with respect to the one or more light-intensity sensors, such that that at least one sensor plane from the one or more light-intensity sensors is tilted to form a non-zero angle with at least one equivalent lens plane from the one or more lens assemblies, transferring the sensor focal plane to be align with the main light illumination direction and be consistent with the direction of movement of a mobile platform.

Abstract: Presented are stacked electrode designs for electrochemical devices, methods for making/using such electrochemical devices, and lithium-class cylindrical and prismatic battery cells with stacked electrode architectures. An electrochemical device employs multiple first (e.g., anode) electrodes and multiple second (e.g., cathode) electrodes, each of which includes an active (anode/cathode) electrode material borne by an electrode body and a flexible tab projecting from the electrode body. Multiple electrically insulating separators are interleaved between and stacked along a central stack axis with the electrodes to define an electrode stack. A first electrically conductive current collector fully or partially surrounds the electrode stack and interference fits with the electrode tabs of the first electrodes to electrically connect thereto.

Abstract: A method for providing a situational awareness interface for an occupant of an automated vehicle is provided. The method includes: generating a vehicle route graphic that displays a street level map of an area that includes a current location of the vehicle and an intended destination of the vehicle along with a visual depiction of a planned route and one or more alternate routes for the vehicle; determining a probability of requiring assistance or interaction and an estimated time of arrival for each of the planned route and the one or more alternate routes; providing a visual indication of the probability of requiring assistance or interaction and the estimated time of arrival for each of the planned route and the one or more alternate routes on the vehicle route graphic; and signaling a display device to display the vehicle route graphic.

Abstract: A driver command predictor includes a controller, multiple sensors, and a command prediction unit. The controller is configured to command an adjustment of multiple motion vectors of a vehicle relative to a roadway in response to multiple actual driver commands and multiple future driver commands. The actual driver commands are received at a current time. The future driver commands are received at multiple update times. The update times range from the current time to a future time. The sensors are configured to generate sensor data that determines multiple actual states of the vehicle in response to the motion vectors as commanded. The command prediction unit is configured to generate the future driver commands at the update times in response to a driver model. The driver model operates on the actual driver commands and the actual states to predict the future driver commands at the update times.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a roof for a vehicle upper body structure. The roof includes a body extending between a first side and a second side, and extending between a front end and a back end. The front end is configured to be coupled to a header. The body includes a polymer and a plurality of fibers. At least a portion of the body has a transparency of greater than or equal to about 4%.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a header for a vehicle upper body structure. The header includes an elongated body extending between a first side and a second side. The elongated body includes a polymer and a plurality of fibers. The elongated body includes a front end and a back end. The front end is configured to be coupled to a windshield. The back end is configured to be coupled to a roof. At least a portion of the elongated body has a transparency of greater than or equal to about 4%.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses of a welding system are disclosed and include a first stage of a scanning device for scanning weld parts to generate a three-dimensional (3D) profile of a weld target wherein the 3D profile captures matching imperfections of a meeting together of the set of weld parts when performing the weld operation; and the second stage of a monitoring device to monitor the weld operation and to generate a data of high-resolution measurements of the weld operation; wherein the first stage further includes the monitoring device determining a weld schedule based on the 3D profile, and to adjust the weld schedule while the weld operation progresses to adapt to predicted distortion based on the 3D profile and to sensed distortion; wherein the second stage further includes a plurality of sensors to sense a set of components associated with the weld operation to generate high-resolution data of measurements.

Abstract: A stator assembly for an electric machine includes stator teeth connected to a stator yoke to form a stator core. Adjacent teeth define a stator slot. Stator windings are disposed within the slot. A molding material fills the slot around the windings, providing a desired thermoelectrical performance level at different slot regions, including electrical insulation, thermal conductivity, and/or electrostatic shielding levels. A method insulates the stator assembly by inserting a molding tool(s) into the slot to define a void volume, filling the void volume with the dielectric molding material, and curing the dielectric molding material to form a slot liner layer adjacent to the tooth walls. A slot opening between adjacent teeth is filled with an electrically-conductive resin to form an electrostatic shielding layer. An electrical system includes an AC voltage bus connected to a power inverter module and to the electric machine having the above-described stator assembly.

Abstract: A system for self-discharge prognostics for vehicle battery cells with an internal short circuit includes a plurality of battery cells and a voltage sensor providing open-circuit voltage data over time for each battery cell. The system further includes a computerized prognostic controller operating programming to monitor the open-circuit voltage data over time for each of the plurality of battery cells and evaluate a voltage drop rate through a time window for each of the plurality of battery cells based upon the open-circuit voltage data. The controller further identifies one of the plurality of battery cells to include the internal short circuit based upon the voltage drop rate and signals an alert based upon the one of the plurality of battery cells including the internal short circuit.

Abstract: A ground line monitoring system includes a camera mounted in a first automobile vehicle. A waveguide directs a light into the camera having a first in-coupling grating receiving a first light imaging data and passing the first light imaging data as a first frequency of the light and a second in-coupling grating receiving a second light imaging data and passing the second light imaging data as a second frequency of the light. A color filter wheel receives the first frequency of the light and the second frequency of the light. An image sensor of the camera receives the first frequency of the light and the second frequency of the light at different times due to rotation of the color filter wheel. A controller performs a calculation using directions and angles of the first frequency of the light and the second frequency of the light to correct a camera image.

Abstract: A method of making a lithiated silicon-based precursor material for a negative electrode material of an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. An admixture comprising a plurality of lithium particles and a plurality of silicon particles is briquetted by applying pressure of greater than or equal to about 10 MPa and applying heat at a temperature of less than or equal to about 180° C. to form a precursor briquette. The briquette has lithium particles and silicon particles distributed in a matrix and has a porosity level of less than or equal to about 60% of the total volume of the precursor briquette. The briquetting is conducted in an environment having less than or equal to about 0.002% by weight of any oxygen-bearing species or nitrogen (N2).

Abstract: Vehicles and related systems and methods are provided for round-robin air purging of disengaged clutches. One method involves obtaining a plurality of weighting factors associated with respective ones of a plurality of clutches of a vehicle transmission, obtaining an exhaustion time associated with each respective clutch, determining a respective priority metric associated with the each respective clutch based at least in part on the exhaustion time associated with the respective clutch and the respective weighting factor associated with the respective clutch, determining a highest priority clutch of the plurality of clutches based at least in part on the respective priority metrics associated with the respective clutches of the plurality of clutches, and operating one or more valves in accordance with a pulse command to pulse the highest priority clutch with a commanded pressure for a commanded period of time.

Abstract: Systems and methods involve detecting objects using a radar system of a vehicle. Tracks of the objects are initiated in a track database. The tracks store data, respectively, for the objects and are updated based on additional detections of the objects. The tracks of the objects are initially unclassified tracks. Two tracks corresponding to two of the objects are selected as a candidate pair. Criteria are applied to the candidate pair to determine whether one track is of a ghost object and another track is of a true object corresponding with the ghost object. The ghost object represents detection of the true object in an incorrect location. The candidate pair is classified as tracks of a true object and ghost object pair based on determining that the one track is of the ghost object and the other track is of the true object corresponding with the ghost object.

Abstract: A method for gel curing a varnish of a stator assembly includes: applying an electrically-insulating material to a plurality of electrical conductors of a stator assembly; monitoring a temperature of the stator assembly using at least one temperature sensor; determining whether the temperature of the stator assembly has reached a target temperature; in response to determining that the temperature of the stator assembly is equal to the target temperature, heating the stator assembly using an induction heating element to maintain the temperature of the stator assembly at the target temperature for a predetermined amount of time; determining whether the temperature of the stator assembly is equal to the final target temperature; in response to determining that the target temperature is not equal to the final target temperature, increasing the target temperature by a predetermined amount of degrees.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of sensors arranged in a vehicle to monitor an item in a storage area of a vehicle. The system comprises a data processing module configured to process data from the sensors, determine whether the item in the storage area of the vehicle is likely to move within the storage area or is likely to fall from the vehicle during travel, and generate a first indication that the item is likely to move within the storage area or is likely to fall from the vehicle during travel. The data processing module is configured to determine whether the item has moved within the storage area or has fallen from the vehicle during travel and generate a second indication that the item has moved within the storage area or has fallen from the vehicle during travel.

Abstract: An audio control system for a vehicle includes a processor, a non-volatile memory module having stored therein instructions for controlling one or more vehicle audio components, a sensor operable to detect a change in vehicle configuration, and a control module operable to adjust a vehicle audio component based on the change in vehicle configuration according to instructions stored in the non-volatile memory module.