Abstract: A power line quality conditioning system for a vehicle includes an onboard rechargeable direct current (DC) energy storage system and an onboard electrical system coupled to the energy storage system. The energy storage system provides DC energy to drive an electric traction motor of the vehicle. The electrical system operates in a charging mode such that alternating current (AC) energy from a power grid external to the vehicle is converted to DC energy to charge the DC energy storage system. The electrical system also operates in a vehicle-to-grid power conditioning mode such that DC energy from the DC energy storage system is converted to AC energy to condition an AC voltage of the power grid.

Abstract: A system for characterizing a vehicle tire is provided. The system includes a testing assembly configured to support the vehicle tire. The assembly includes a force-moment transducer configured to gather force information from the vehicle tire in response to a stimulus on the vehicle tire. The system further includes an accelerometer coupled to the vehicle tire and configured to gather vibration information from the vehicle tire in response to the stimulus on the vehicle tire. The system further includes a post-processing system configured to receive the vibration information from the accelerometer and the force information from the force-moment transducer. The post-processing system is further configured to extract resonant frequencies from the vibration information and the force information.

Abstract: A protective device for a vehicle wiper assembly is provided. The protective device is configured to selectively at least partially cover the wiper assembly and prevent the wiper assembly from being pulled away from the vehicle. For example, the protective device may prevent entanglement of the wiper assembly with external elements such as those found in automatic car wash facilities. The device may include a member movable between first and second positions such that the member in the second position is configured to at least partially cover or encapsulate the wiper assembly. An active material actuator may be used to move the member between the first and second positions. In another embodiment, the device includes a member operatively connected to and configured to stiffen a pivot point of the wiper assembly.

Abstract: A battery module is described. The battery module includes a plurality of cooling fins having an inlet section, a center section, and an outlet section, the inlet and outlet sections extending from opposite ends of the center section at an angle from a plane defined by the center section, the cooling fins having at least one cooling channel extending from an inlet of the inlet section through the center section to an outlet of the outlet section; and a plurality of battery cells positioned in the center section between the plurality of cooling fins. A method of cooling a battery module is also described.

Abstract: An interior permanent magnet machine is provided with a rotor that includes a plurality of slots and at least one barrier defined by the plurality of slots. A plurality of first and second magnets are disposed within the barrier. The rotor is configured such that at least one of the first magnets is located at a different radial distance from the center of the rotor relative to at least one of the second magnets. The rotor may be configured to produce an averaging effect similar to that achieved through traditional skewing of rotor magnets. The rotor includes a plurality of poles defined by respective pole axes in the rotor and may be configured to reflect radial asymmetry between poles (pole-to-pole) and/or radial asymmetry within a pole.

Abstract: A method for detecting a burnout state during which driven wheels of a motor vehicle are caused to spin is provided. The method includes detecting a rotational wheel speed of a first driven wheel and a rotational wheel speed of a second driven wheel and comparing the rotational wheel speed of the faster turning wheel with a first constant. A vehicle speed is detected and compared with a second constant. An engine rotational speed is detected and compared with a third constant. The burnout state is detected when the rotational wheel speed of the faster turning wheel is greater than the first constant, the vehicle speed is less than the second constant, and the engine rotational speed is greater than the third constant.

Abstract: A powertrain includes an input member, an output member, and a stationary member. A first and a second electric motor/generator are provided. Only two planetary gear sets are used, each having a respective first, second, and third member. An interconnecting member connects one of the members of a first one of the planetary gear sets to one of the members of a second one of the planetary gear sets. The input member, the output member, the first motor/generator and the second motor/generator are each continuously connected for common rotation with a different one of the members of the planetary gear sets that is not connected by the interconnecting member. Four brakes are each selectively engageable to ground a different respective one of the members of the planetary gear sets that is not connected by the interconnecting member to the stationary member.

Abstract: A battery module is described. The battery module includes the battery module includes a plurality of repeating frames; a plurality of battery cells positioned between the plurality of repeating frames, the battery cells having a flexible heat conducting covering, an edge of the heat conducting covering folded over an outside edge of the repeating frame; and a heat sink contacting the edge of the heat conducting covering folded over the edge of the repeating frame. A method of cooling a battery module is also described.

Abstract: A lithium ion battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a microporous polymer separator soaked in an electrolyte solution. The microporous polymer separator is disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. An ion exchange polymer material is any of i) incorporated as a binder in any of the positive electrode or the negative electrode, ii) deposited onto a surface of any of the positive electrode or the negative electrode, iii) incorporated into the microporous polymer separator, or iv) deposited onto a surface of the microporous polymer separator. Examples of methods for making the ion exchange polymer material for use in the lithium ion batteries are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: An apparatus for resistance welding with a welder includes a heat pipe including a hollow tube and a weld electrode fitted around a portion of the heat pipe. The weld electrode and heat pipe are conductively coupled to conduct heat across an inner surface of the weld electrode.

Abstract: A hybrid powertrain has an engine, a starter motor, and a gear train that connects the starter motor with the engine, and a motor/generator. A belt drive train connects the motor/generator with the engine. The powertrain has a first energy storage device with a first operating range of voltage and a second energy storage device with a second operating range of voltage at least partially in common with the first operating range of voltage. A controller places a switching device in an on-state so that the first energy storage device is connected with the second energy storage device or in an off-state in which the first energy storage device is disconnected from the second energy storage device. The controller causes the switching device to be in the off-state and the starter motor and the motor/generator to be powered with energy from the first energy storage device to restart the engine.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining at least one travelling route of a vehicle. The method includes, but is not limited to a predetermining of at least two criteria for a travelling route of the vehicle from a starting point to a target point takes place. The at least two criteria in this case are selected from the group consisting of a travelling duration, a travelling distance and an energy consumption. In addition, a defining of a weighting factor for each of the at least two predetermined criteria takes place. Furthermore, a determining of at least one travelling route from the starting point to the target point from a quantity of possible travelling routes based on the at least two predetermined criteria and as a function of the defined weighting factors of the at least two predetermined criteria takes place.

Abstract: An exhaust gas treatment system for an internal combustion engine is provided, including an exhaust gas conduit, an oxidation catalyst (“OC”) device, an electrically heated catalyst (“EHC”) device, a selective catalytic reduction (“SCR”) device, and a control module. The OC device is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit. The OC device adsorbs hydrocarbons and is selectively activated to induce oxidation of the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas. The EHC device is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit and is configured to receive the exhaust gas. The EHC device is located within the OC device and is selectively activated to produce heat and induce further oxidation of the exhaust gas. The EHC device has an oxidation catalyst compound disposed thereon for converting nitrogen oxide (“NO”) to nitrogen dioxide (“NO2”).

Abstract: A latching shifter mated with a shift-by-wire transmission in which the gear cam includes a momentary shift lever position which is spring biased toward the drive gear notch. A driver is enabled to shift the transmission into a desired gear by passing the shift lever into and out of the momentary shift lever position in the event of autonomous shifting by the transmission or to otherwise provide a selected gear of the transmission. Preferably a dynamically changeable gear shift display is provided, the indicia of which is responsive to the gear status of the transmission.

Abstract: An opening and/or closing device for a movable, flexurally rigid and at least regionally transparent wall element of a motor vehicle is provided. The device includes at least one supporting arm and at least one supporting body. The supporting arm and the supporting body encompass a first end that faces the wall element and is pivoted to the wall element, and encompass a second end that faces away from the wall element and is pivoted to a vehicle structure. By turning the supporting arm and the supporting body, the wall element is moved from an open functional position, in which a vehicle interior is accessible from outside for entry and/or egress and in which the wall element is situated in a frontal area of the motor vehicle, into a closed functional position, in which the vehicle interior is sealed to the outside by the wall element.

Abstract: An engine assembly includes an engine block defining a first cylinder bore, a second cylinder bore directly adjacent to the first cylinder bore and a third cylinder bore directly adjacent to the second cylinder bore. The engine block defines a first distance from a diametrical center of the first cylinder bore to a diametrical center of the second cylinder bore and defines a second distance from the diametrical center of the second cylinder bore to a diametrical center of the third cylinder bore. The first distance is different than the second distance.

Abstract: A method of making a water vapor transport membrane is described. The method can include providing two sheets, each sheet comprising a support layer with an ionomer layer thereon; applying a solvent to at least one sheet; and contacting the ionomer layers of the two sheets to form a composite membrane comprising a composite ionomer layer between the two support layers. A composite membrane is also described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a replaceable battery module for an electrically driven vehicle, with at least one bracket that can be detachably arranged on a bearing structure of the motor vehicle, and carries at least one battery unit.

Abstract: A cylinder head system for an internal combustion engine includes a cylinder head defining an annular port therein having a central longitudinal axis, and a valve seat insert disposed within the port. The valve seat insert includes an outer annular surface configured for abutting the cylinder head and a detection surface concentric with and spaced apart from the outer annular surface. The detection surface has a protrusion thereon extending radially toward the central longitudinal axis. The cylinder head system also includes a valve insertable into the port and configured for translating along the axis during operation of the engine. A method of forming the cylinder head system includes inserting the valve seat insert into the port. After inserting, the method includes removing the protrusion to thereby form an indicator face. After removing, the method includes disposing the valve within the port to thereby form the cylinder head system.

Abstract: A method and system for use with a vehicle battery pack having a number of individual battery cells, where the method estimates, extrapolates or otherwise determines individual cell resistances. According to an exemplary embodiment, the method and system use a voltage and temperature reading for each of the individual battery cells, as well as a voltage and current reading for the overall battery pack to determine one or more cell resistance values, such as a minimum and maximum cell resistance for the battery pack. This approach relies upon temperature deviations in the battery pack to make assumptions or estimates regarding individual battery cell resistances. By having individual cell resistance values—instead of using an overall pack resistance value and building in a buffer to account for cell variations—better and more accurate cell-level data can be obtained that, in turn, can improve charging, discharging, cell balancing and/or other battery-related processes.