Abstract: A method for joining a plurality of workpieces includes providing a rotating drive tool. A fastener is secured to the drive tool. The drive tool is then rotatably driven such that a distal end of the fastener rotates against a surface of the plurality of workpieces. A heated material zone is then generated on the plurality of workpieces as caused by friction from the rotation of the fastener against the surface of the plurality of workpieces. The distal end of the fastener is rotatably and axially driven through the heated material zone. Finally, the drive tool is removed from the fastener, such that when the heated material zone cools, a portion of the heated material zone is fused to the fastener.

Abstract: A system for partitioning a two-dimensional (2D) array and recognizing elements of the 2D array selects a location in an array comprising pixel data of the 2D array; and selects a direction in which to traverse the array from the selected location to segment the elements of the 2D array. The system uses a model and a reward/penalty function to guide the traversal through the array. The system changes direction when the data encountered while traversing the array in the selected direction represents one of the elements of the 2D array and continues in the selected direction when the data represents a joint between two elements of the 2D array. The system recognizes one or more of the elements of the 2D array segmented by traversing the array.

Abstract: A vehicle propulsion system includes an internal combustion engine with a first combustion chamber and a second combustion chamber, a catalytic converter in an exhaust stream in communication with an exhaust of the internal combustion engine, a gasoline particulate filter in the exhaust stream downstream of the catalytic converter, and a controller in communication with the internal combustion engine. The controller is programmed to determine if a soot loading of the gasoline particulate filter exceeds a predetermined threshold, and adjust a set of engine operating parameters of the internal combustion engine to disable combustion in the first combustion chamber and enrich a fuel mixture in the second combustion chamber if the soot loading in the gasoline particulate filter exceeds the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A steer-by-wire assembly includes a steering wheel, a steering column coupled to the steering wheel, and a fluid-flow control mechanism coupled to the steering column, wherein the fluid-flow control mechanism is configured to adjust a torque on the steering column. The fluid-flow control mechanism includes a housing defining a cavity, and a flow control valve in fluid communication with the cavity of the housing. The flow control valve is configured to control a flow of a fluid in the cavity of the housing to adjust the torque on the steering wheel. The fluid-flow control mechanism includes a shaft and a piston coupled to the shaft such that translation of the piston causes the shaft to rotate.

Abstract: A method of resistance spot welding a steel workpiece and an aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece, and a welding electrode used therein. In one step of the method a workpiece stack-up is provided. The workpiece stack-up includes a steel workpiece and an aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece. Another step of the method involves contacting the aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece with a weld face of the welding electrode. The welding electrode has a body and an insert. The insert is composed of a material having an electrical resistivity that is greater than an electrical resistivity of the material of the body. The weld face has a first section defined by a surface of the insert and has a second section defined by a surface of the body. Both the first and second sections make surface-to-surface contact with the aluminum or aluminum alloy workpiece amid resistance spot welding.

Abstract: A processor-implemented method by a message recipient in a vehicle or on a mobile device for decoding overlapping wireless messages is provided. The method comprises: receiving a first message from a first message sender that overlaps with a second message received from a second message sender; estimating, in a first signal recovery phase, a received data symbol (d0) from the first message and a channel impulse response (h1) corresponding to a data channel between the message recipient and the second message sender; estimating, in a second signal recovery phase, a received data symbol (d0)? from the first message and a received data symbol (d1) from the second message; and reconstructing the first message from the estimated data symbol (d0) estimated in the first signal recovery phase and estimated data symbol (d0)? estimated during the second signal recovery phase and reconstructing the second message from the estimated data symbol (d1) estimated during the second signal recovery phase.

Abstract: A system for in-vehicle network intrusion detection includes a microcontroller having first and second cores and memory. The first core may be configured to obtain one or more network messages from one or more communication buses of a vehicle describing one or more events associated with the vehicle. The memory may be configured to store the one or more network messages obtained by the first core. The second core may be configured to: (i) read the one or more network messages from the memory; (ii) detect whether at least some of the one or more events constitute an anomaly based on predefined rules; (iii) generate one or more resident incident logs including metadata associated with one or more detected anomalous events based on the detected anomaly event data; and (iv) generate one or more transmitted incident logs based on the one or more resident incident logs.

Abstract: A cover member includes a body member made of a composite material and including a mounting flange. A plurality of compression limiters are disposed in the mounting flange, the compression limiters have a predetermined thickness and an internally threaded aperture therein. The dual function compression limiters eliminate the need for separate threaded inserts. With the dual function compression limiter, every bolt location provides a potential location for a jack screw.

Abstract: A method for casting metal using a semi-permanent mold connected to a feed portion includes forming a coolant jacket in a sprue of the feed portion. A coolant source is connected to the coolant jacket. A metal in a molten state is poured into the feed portion for gravity induced flow into the semi-permanent mold. A wall thickness of the sprue is predetermining which minimizes heat transfer from the sprue, thereby forcing the metal in the molten state to cool slower in the sprue than in the mold. After a predetermined time for the metal to cool to a solid state in the mold, flow of a coolant from the coolant source into the coolant jacket is initiated to cool the metal in the sprue before opening the mold.

Abstract: An overhead airbag system includes a first airbag assembly with a first inflator and a first airbag cushion. The first airbag cushion includes an occupant-facing portion, a first side portion and a second side portion. The occupant-facing portion is connected between the first side portion and the second side portion and separates the first side portion from the second side portion by a first gap. The first airbag cushion is operable in an uninflated state and an inflated state. The airbag system also includes a second airbag assembly with a second inflator and a second airbag cushion. The second airbag cushion includes an occupant-facing wall and at least one side wall. The occupant-facing wall faces away from the occupant-facing portion of the first airbag cushion and the at least one side wall is positioned between the first side portion and the second side portion of the first airbag cushion.

Abstract: A battery connection system includes a conductor configured to connect with a battery that has a post. An inner clamp element has a wall that is shaped to mate with the post and that defines a hollow interior and an exterior. The wall has a notch defining a void in the wall. An outer clamp element mates with the exterior of the wall of the inner clamp element to reduce the size of the void to secure the conductor to the battery.

Abstract: In various embodiments, methods, systems, and vehicles are provided. In certain embodiments, a vehicle includes a sensor and a processor. The sensor is configured to at least facilitate detecting when a user is disposed within the vehicle. The processor is coupled to the sensor, and is configured to at least facilitate: identifying the user; retrieving, from a memory, a sequence of inputs that is associated with the identified user as a trigger for a customized silent alarm feature for the user; monitoring for the sequence of inputs while the user is disposed within the vehicle; and providing instructions for taking an action when the sequence of inputs is detected while the user is disposed within the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of laser welding a workpiece stack-up that includes two or more overlapping metal workpieces is disclosed. The disclosed method includes directing a laser beam at a top surface of the workpiece stack-up to create a molten metal weld pool and, optionally, a keyhole, and further gyrating the laser beam to move a focal point of the laser beam along a helical path having a central helix axis oriented transverse to the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece stack-up. The gyration of the laser beam may even be practiced to move the focal point of the laser beam along a plurality of helical paths so as to alternately convey the focal point back-and-forth in a first overall axial direction and a second overall axial direction while advancing the laser beam relative to the top surface of the workpiece stack-up along a beam travel pattern.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a route of a vehicle are provided. The method includes activating fail operative steering in response to detecting an electronic power steering (EPS) failure, determining a length of a lane map fusion ring, calculating a desired route based on a line of the lane map fusion ring if the determined length is greater than a first predetermined distance, and calculating desired route based on offset information and heading information of the lane map fusion ring and curvature information and curvature derivative information calculated from map data if the determined length is less than the first predetermined distance.

Abstract: Products and methods are provided for inflatable structures. In various exemplary embodiments, an inflatable structure is provided with multiple variable chambers including a first variable chamber and a second variable chamber. A first boundary envelope defines the first variable chamber and a second boundary envelope defines the second variable chamber. The first and second boundary envelopes separate the first chamber from the second chamber. The first and second variable chambers are defined by an operative scale that may differ by an order of magnitude between the first and second variable chambers.

Abstract: A method and associated system for recognizing speech using multiple speech recognition algorithms. The method includes receiving speech at a microphone installed in a vehicle, and determining results for the speech using a first algorithm, e.g., embedded locally at the vehicle. Speech results may also be received at the vehicle for the speech determined using a second algorithm, e.g., as determined by a remote facility. The results for both may include a determined speech topic and a determined speech slotted value, along with corresponding confidence levels for each. The method may further include using at least one of the determined first speech topic and the received second speech topic to determine the topic associated with the received speech, even when the first speech topic confidence level of the first speech topic, and the second speech topic confidence level of the second speech topic are both a low confidence level.

Abstract: Systems and method are provided for controlling a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving sensor data sensed from an environment associated with the vehicle; processing, by a processor, the sensor data to determine observation data, the observation data including differential features associated with an agent in the environment; determining, by the processor, a context associated with the agent based on the observation; selecting, by the processor, a first probability model associated with the context; processing, by the processor, the observation data with the selected first probability model to determine a set of predictions; processing, by the processor, the set of predictions with a second probability model to determine a final prediction of interaction behavior associated with the agent; and selectively controlling, by the processor, the vehicle based on the final prediction of interaction behavior associated with the agent.

Abstract: Methods of charging a vehicle battery pack are disclosed. Example methods may include determining a voltage imbalance between at least two parallel strings of a battery pack exceeds a threshold magnitude. Methods may further include electrically reducing the voltage imbalance between the at least two parallel strings using a series circuit including a first group of one or more of the battery cells of a first one of the parallel strings, and reconnecting the parallel strings in an electrical circuit in parallel to each other, in which configuration the strings of the battery pack may supply power to the vehicle.

Abstract: Systems, Methods and Apparatuses are provided for detecting surface conditions, which includes: an image scene captured by a camera wherein the image scene includes: a set of a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs); and a processor configured to receive the image scene to: extract at least a first and a second ROI from the set of the plurality of ROIs of the image scene; associate the first ROI with an above-horizon region and associate the second ROI with a surface region; analyze the first ROI and the second ROI in parallel for a condition related to an ambient lighting in the first ROI and for an effect related to the ambient lighting in the second ROI; and extract from the first ROI features of the condition of the ambient lighting and extract from the second ROI features of the effect of the ambient lighting on a surface region.