Abstract: A system and method to distinguish between a lane change and a turn of a vehicle as an intended movement of the vehicle based on a driver-initiated motion toward an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a lane occupied by the vehicle include obtaining input from one or more sources. The one or more sources include a sensor system or a communication system. The method also includes processing the input from the one or more sources to obtain indirect information that indicates a direction of travel in the lane adjacent or to obtain direct information specific to a location of the vehicle, determining whether the lane change or the turn is more likely to be the intended movement based on the indirect information or the direct information, and modifying an action of a vehicle system based on the determining whether the lane change or the turn is more likely.

Abstract: A control element for a motor vehicle provides a palpable response when touched. The control element includes a sensor, a touch-sensitive surface, which when touched causes the sensor to respond. An inert surface surrounds the touch-sensitive surface, which when touched does not cause the sensor to respond. An actuator is disposed between the touch sensitive surface and the inert surface and includes two components that can move relative to each other. One component is connected with the touch-sensitive surface, and the other component is connected with the inert surface. The actuator drives a motion of the touch-sensitive surface relative to the inert surface once a contact has been acquired.

Abstract: A camshaft assembly for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle and method of operating the camshaft assembly to enhance engine braking performance through selective activation of a cam lobe having a brake gas recirculation contour. The camshaft assembly comprises an exhaust camshaft and a lobe pack on the exhaust camshaft, with the lobe pack including a plurality of cam lobes. At least one cam lobe of the plurality of cam lobes includes a brake gas recirculation cam contour having an exhaust stroke projection and a combustion stroke projection. The method switches to the cam lobe including the brake gas recirculation profile when certain criteria indicate that an engine braking mode is to be activated.

Abstract: A hybrid drivetrain for a vehicle may include a co-drive manipulator having a first input configured to be driven by an internal combustion engine, and a second input configured to be driven by a first electric machine. The hybrid drivetrain may also include a selective booster having first and second planetary gearsets, each of the first and second planetary gearsets having a rotating component secured for rotation with a rotatable shaft driven by the co-drive manipulator, such that a rotational input received at the second planetary gearset from a second electric machine selectively drives the output shaft with a plurality of gear ratios including at least a speed reduction gear ratio and a speed increasing gear ratio.

Abstract: Methods of pretreating an electroactive material comprising lithium titanate oxide (LTO) include contacting a surface of the electroactive material with a pretreatment composition. In one variation, the pretreatment composition includes a salt of lithium fluoride salt selected from the group consisting of: lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4), and combinations thereof, and a solvent. In another variation, the pretreatment composition includes an organophosphorus compound. In this manner, a protective surface coating forms on the surface of the electroactive material. The protective surface coating comprises fluorine, oxygen, phosphorus or boron, as well as optional elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and listed metals, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided autonomous driving policy generation. The system can include a set of autonomous driver agents, and a driving policy generation module that includes a set of driving policy learner modules for generating and improving policies based on the collective experiences collected by the driver agents. The driver agents can collect driving experiences to create a knowledge base. The driving policy learner modules can process the collective driving experiences to extract driving policies. The driver agents can be trained via the driving policy learner modules in a parallel and distributed manner to find novel and efficient driving policies and behaviors faster and more efficiently. Parallel and distributed learning can enable accelerated training of multiple autonomous intelligent driver agents.

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: Systems, methods and controllers are provided for controlling autonomous vehicles. The systems, methods and controllers implement autonomous driver agents and a policy server for serving policies to autonomous driver agents for controlling an autonomous vehicle. The system can include a set of autonomous driver agents, an experience memory that stores experiences captured by the driver agents, a set of driving policy learner modules for generating and improving policies based on the collective experiences stored in the experience memory, and a policy server that serves parameters for policies to the driver agents. The driver agents can collect driving experiences to create a knowledge base that is stored in an experience memory. The driving policy learner modules can process the collective driving experiences to extract driving policies.

Abstract: A fuel cell flow field plate providing a uniform gas flow pressure includes a first metal plate and a second metal plate. The first metal plate defines a first opening for providing a first reactant gas to a fuel cell with a first metal bead that surrounds the first opening. The first metal bead is an embossment that defines a first channel. A first plurality of tunnels provides a passage into and out of the first metal bead. Each tunnel of the first plurality of tunnels has an inlet tunnel section that leads to the first metal bead and an outlet tunnel section that extends from the first metal bead to provide the first reactant gas to first reactant gas flow channels defined by the first metal plate. Characteristically, the inlet tunnel section and the outlet tunnel section each having a curved cross section with an opened base side.

Abstract: A fuel cell system that includes a component for removing anionic contaminants is provided. The fuel system including a fuel cell stack, a fuel gas feed subsystem in communication with fuel cell anodes in the fuel cell stack, an oxygen-containing gas feed subsystem system in communication with fuel cell cathodes in the fuel cell stack, and an anionic scavenging subsystem in communication with the fuel gas feed subsystem and/or the an oxygen-containing gas feed subsystem.