Abstract: A vehicle includes a cargo area at least partially defined by a first sidewall, a second sidewall disposed opposite the first sidewall and a floor cooperating with and extending between the first and second sidewalls. At least one tie down member is disposed on at least one of the first and second sidewalls. An auxiliary storage unit having a housing and a mounting bracket extending from the housing is removably secured to the at least one tie down member. The auxiliary storage unit is adjustable about the mounting bracket between at least a first position and a second position.

Abstract: An integrated lighting element assembly includes a transparent light-transmitting portion and an opaque or translucent optical diffuser. The light-transmitting portion has a light-transmitting surface. The optical diffuser is integrated or co-molded with the light-transmitting element to form a boundary of the light-transmitting surface. A light source is configured to direct incident light into the light-transmitting portion in response to a lighting control signal. A controller may generate the lighting control signal in response to activation of a user input device such as a turn signal lever or transmission mode selection lever. The optical diffuser may be parallel to and contiguous with the longitudinal surfaces of the light-transmitting element. A headlight assembly includes first and second headlights having respective low- and high-beam functions, and the lighting element assembly, which is positioned with respect to one of the headlights.

Abstract: A system for offsetting a CNC machining process includes transferring compensation variables through registers in fixed G-code programming of the CNC machine and offsetting the CNC machine without altering fixed G-code programming. Global compensation variables are applied to all feature programs of the CNC machining process, and local compensation variables are applied to only individual features or groups of features. The machine shifts position in response to the compensation variables.

Abstract: An electrical system is usable with an offboard charging station and configured to dynamically adjust a power limit of the electrical system during a battery charging process. The system includes a battery pack, charge coupler, power electronic components, temperature sensor(s), and a controller. The components include a most-limiting component, and are electrically connected to the battery pack with corresponding temperature-based operating performance information. The information describes a maximum allowed charging current over different time intervals. The most-limiting component has a lowest allowed charging current. The controller executes a method by determining a component temperature using the measured temperature(s), and requests increased charging current from the power supply over one or more of the time intervals to supply the battery pack with the maximum allowed charging current of the most-limiting component.

Abstract: An axle housing for a vehicle is provided. The axle housing includes a polymeric composite body. The polymeric composite body includes a polymer and a plurality of reinforcing fibers. The polymeric composite body has a modulus of greater than or equal to about 10 GPa. The polymeric composite body defines an inner surface and at least one bearing region. The inner surface defines an interior cavity. The interior cavity is configured to receive an internal gear set including a bearing. The at least one bearing region includes a bore. The at least one bearing region is configured to be disposed around the bearing of the internal gear set. The axle housing may unibody, such that a body portion is free of joints or seams, or it may include multiple pieces. Methods of manufacturing composite axle housings are also provided.

Abstract: An LPV/MPC engine control system is disclosed that includes an engine control unit connected to multiple sensors. The engine control unit receives, from the sensors, signals indicative of desired engine torque and engine torque output, and determines, from these signals, optimal engine control commands using a piecewise LPV/MPC routine. This routine includes: determining a nonlinear and a linear system model for the engine assembly, minimizing a control cost function in a receding horizon for the linear system model, determining system responses for the nonlinear and linear system models, determining if a norm of an error function between the system responses is smaller than a calibrated threshold, and if the norm is smaller than the predetermined threshold, applying the linearized system model in a next sampling time for a next receding horizon to determine the optimal control command. Once determined, the optimal control command is output to the engine assembly.

Abstract: A system and method of analyzing content of multilingual vehicle diagnostic records includes: determining a word window within a vehicle diagnostic record; identifying a pair or a tuple comprising parts, symptoms, or actions; generating a plurality of pairs or tuples comprising parts, symptoms, or actions; determining a frequency value for each pair or tuple; and comparing the determined frequency value with a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A system and method of adjusting digital audio sampling used with wideband audio includes: performing audio sampling on an analog audio signal at an initial sampling rate and an initial bit rate over a wideband audio frequency range; generating a digital audio signal based on the audio sampling; detecting a qualitative error rate between the analog audio signal and the digital audio signal; and decreasing the initial sampling rate, the initial bit rate, or both for sampling subsequent analog audio when the qualitative error is below a threshold.

Abstract: A method of vacuum forming an object includes heating a plastic sheet. After heating the plastic sheet, a vacuum is applied to pull the sheet against an outer surface of a flexible mold so that the plastic sheet has a formed shape that conforms to a contoured shape of the outer surface of the flexible mold. A rigid core is withdrawn from a cavity in the flexible mold. The flexible mold is then withdrawn from the plastic sheet by applying force to the flexible mold in a single direction, thereby causing flexing of the flexible mold past the undercut. An apparatus for vacuum forming a plastic sheet includes the flexible mold.

Abstract: Methods of reducing liquid metal embrittlement (LME) in zinc-coated high-strength steel alloys are provided. In one variation, the method includes decarburizing an exposed surface of a high-strength steel alloy to form a decarburized surface layer. The decarburized surface layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about 50 micrometers. The decarburized surface layer may have greater than or equal to about 80 volume % ferrite. The method also includes applying a zinc-based coating to the decarburized surface layer. A blank is formed from the high-strength steel alloy. The method also includes heating and press hardening the blank to form a press-hardened component having an ultimate tensile strength of greater than or equal to about 1,100 MPa that is substantially free of liquid metal embrittlement.

Abstract: A two-stage stiffness driveshaft includes a hollow cylinder having first and second ends and a hollow cylinder stiffness. An inner shaft having first and second ends and an inner shaft stiffness extends through the hollow cylinder. The inner shaft's first end and the hollow cylinder's first end are engaged via a rotational clearance fit. The inner shaft's second end is rotationally fixed to the hollow cylinder's second end to permit the inner shaft's first end to twist through a predetermined angle relative to the inner shaft's second end. The inner shaft's stiffness defines the driveshaft's first-stage stiffness, while the combined stiffness of the inner shaft and the hollow cylinder defines the driveshaft's second-stage stiffness. A damping element positioned between the inner shaft and the hollow cylinder controls variation in torque transmitted by the driveshaft and generates gradual transition between the first-stage stiffness and the second-stage stiffness.

Abstract: A variable speed drive mechanism includes a fixed disk concentric with, attached to, and rotatable with a shaft about a central axis. A plurality of pulley segments are supported by the fixed disk, and are moveable relative to the fixed disk in a radial direction relative to the central axis. A moveable disk is concentric with the shaft, and is rotatably moveable about the shaft relative to the fixed disk. The moveable disk defines a spiral groove having a center concentric with the shaft. The pulley segments include a guided groove portion engaged with and moveable along the spiral groove. Rotation of the moveable disk relative to the fixed disk rotates the spiral groove about the central axis relative to the pulley segments, thereby moving the guided groove portions along the spiral groove to move the pulley segments radially relative to the central axis.

Abstract: A fixture for holding a workpiece includes clamps configured to engage tie rods secured to the workpiece, locating pins configured to engage a corresponding pin secured to the workpiece, pads, and actuators configured to move clamps for alternately drawing the workpiece into contact with the pads and disengaging the tie rod from the clamp such that the fixture assembly can release the workpiece.

Abstract: A product may include a power source, and a pump may be driven by the power source. A variable load may be driven by the power source and may be supplied with a fluid from the pump. A torque splitting device may have an input from the power source and may provide an output to each of the pump and the variable load.

Abstract: A toe optimization system for a vehicle with first and second rear wheels defining a rear toe angle. The vehicle includes a plurality of sensors and first and second actuators operatively connected to the first and second rear wheels, respectively, for varying the rear toe angle. A controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method for controlling the rear toe angle. Execution of the instructions by the processor causes the controller to select one of a plurality of vehicle states. Each of the plurality of vehicle states has a respective toe setting. The controller is configured to actuate the first and second actuators to vary the rear toe angle to the respective toe setting. By actively controlling the rear toe angle, the agility and stability of the vehicle can be optimized according to the specific vehicle state.

Abstract: An interior permanent magnet electric machine is described, and includes a stator including a plurality of electrical windings and a rotor disposed in a cylindrically-shaped void formed within the stator. The rotor includes a plurality of steel laminations assembled onto a shaft, wherein the shaft defines a longitudinal axis. Each of the steel laminations includes a plurality of poles and each of the poles includes a plurality of slots disposed near an outer periphery. The slots of the steel laminations are longitudinally aligned. A plurality of permanent magnets are disposed in a first subset of the slots, and plurality of packets assembled from anisotropic material are disposed in a second subset of the slots.

Abstract: A vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a DC power source and a controller are described. The internal combustion engine includes an engine starting system and an electrical charging system. A method for monitoring the DC power source includes determining a State of Charge (SOC) for the DC power source. Upon detecting that the SOC is less than a threshold SOC, routines are executed in the controller to evaluate a plurality of potential root causes associated with the low SOC. At least one of the potential root causes associated with the low SOC may be identified as a candidate root cause, and a fault probability for each of the candidate root causes is determined. One of the candidate root causes is determined to be a final root cause based upon the fault probabilities associated with the candidate root causes.

Abstract: An actuator includes a first housing, a second housing fixed to the first housing, and a piston configured to translate relative to each of the first housing and the second housing. The actuator also includes a locking device configured to selectively restrain the piston in a predetermined position relative to each of the first housing and the second housing and release the piston. The actuator additionally includes an actuation mechanism configured to activate the locking device to thereby restrain the piston in the predetermined position. Also disclosed is a suspension system for a vehicle employing such an actuator at a suspension corner, wherein the actuator is used to set a ride height of the vehicle at the suspension corner.