Abstract: A method of forming a thermoplastic plastic component includes applying an amount of pigmented powder to a sheet of thermoplastic, heating the sheet of thermoplastic to a selected temperature, melting the amount of pigmented powder on the sheet of thermoplastic to form a coating, re-heating the sheet of thermoplastic to another selected temperature, positioning the sheet of thermoplastic over a pattern, and vacuum forming the sheet of thermoplastic to form the sheet of thermoplastic into the pattern.

Abstract: A vehicular communication controller includes a microcontroller (MCU) located within a vehicle to generate, by a software component, a find service request to discover an offered service from one or more systems on a chip (SoC). The MCU may generate a service message packet that includes the find service request inserted into a payload of the find service message packet where the payload is bound to an automotive/embedded communication protocol. Using unicast or multicast, the find service message packet may be sent to one or more SoC receiving devices. The SoC receiving devices may deserialize the header and payload of the find service message packet to retrieve the find service request and generate a service directory message based on service metadata and publish a cloud event including a solicited response that is sent back to the software component.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell generator, a rechargeable energy storage circuit, an auxiliary load, a converter circuit, and a switch circuit. The fuel cell generator is operable to generate electrical power in a stack output signal. The auxiliary load is powered by the rechargeable energy storage circuit while in a first mode, and powered by a local signal while in a second mode. The converter circuit is operable to convert the stack output signal into a plurality of recharge signals while in the first mode and in the second mode, and convert the stack output signal into the local signal while in the second mode. The switch circuit is operable switch the plurality of recharge signals to one or more electric vehicles, and switch the local signal to the auxiliary load while in the second mode.

Abstract: In various aspects, the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing an electrode for an electrochemical cell. The method includes contacting a solid electrode material and a substrate at an interface. The method further includes preparing a liquid electrode material at the interface by heating at least a portion of the solid electrode material to a first temperature. The first temperature is greater than or equal to a melting point of the solid electrode material. The method further includes creating a layer of the liquid electrode material on the substrate by moving at least one of the solid electrode material and the substrate with respect to the other of the solid electrode material and the substrate. The method further includes forming the electrode by cooling the liquid electrode material to a second temperature. The second temperature is less than or equal to the melting point.

Abstract: A virtual LiDAR sensor system fora motor vehicle includes a plurality of camera modules and algorithms that generate a depth image, a RGB image, and a segmentation information image. The system is implemented with an algorithm that associates the backscattered signals with information from a color-reflectivity table, incident angle determination and depth information.

Abstract: A battery assembly includes a first plurality of battery cells, a second plurality of battery cells, and an intermediate layer arranged in a stack. Each of the first plurality of battery cells includes a first cathode, a first cathode current collector, a first anode, a first anode current collector, and a first solid state separator, and each of the second plurality of battery cells includes a second cathode, a second cathode current collector, a second anode, a second anode current collector, and a second solid state separator. The first cathode current collectors are electrically connected in parallel to a first terminal, and the second anode current collectors are electrically connected in parallel to a second terminal. The first anode current collectors of the first plurality of battery cells are electrically connected and are electrically connected to the second cathode current collectors of the second plurality of battery cells.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for predicting microhardness properties of a weld that defines a weld joint between at least two workpieces. The system includes a processor programmed to: receive temperature data that includes temperature values each attributed to a corresponding one of a plurality of points of the weld at corresponding times during a welding process used to produce the weld, determine peak temperature values and cooling rate values for each of the points of the weld based on the temperature values, predict a three-dimensional (3D) distribution of microhardness values of the weld based on a machine learning method that evaluates the peak temperature values and the cooling rate values, and generate display data based on the 3D distribution of microhardness values.

Abstract: A battery cell recycling system includes a recycling table having a first table surface opposite a second table surface and at least one collection slot defined through the first table surface and the second table surface. The battery cell recycling system includes a battery guide system to receive a battery cell including a first lead tab, a second lead tab and a pouch. The battery guide system is movable between a first position and a second position in which at least one of the first lead tab, the second lead tab and the pouch is disposed over the collection slot. The battery cell recycling system includes at least one actuator configured to move at least one cutting blade to remove at least one of the first lead tab, the second lead tab and the pouch from the battery cell in the second position.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for generating image data from a vehicle having a plurality of cameras. A method includes: activating, by the processor, initial video feed from each of the plurality of cameras; determining, by the processor, configuration parameters for each of the plurality of cameras based on the initial video feed; in response to a trigger event, performing frame synchronization of subsequent video feed from each of the plurality of cameras based on the configuration parameters; and generating, by the processor, the image data based on the frame synchronization.

Abstract: A method, fuel cell system and vehicle for maintaining compression via re-compression is provided. By recovering fuel cell stacks of the fuel cell system after a pre-determined time of operation and performing re-compression on each of the recovered fuel cell stacks, power generation capacity, active area pressure and seal force is recovered to address increased contact resistance and loss of fuel cell system power generation capacity as well as decreased seal force and increased risk of reactant gas and coolant leak.