Abstract: A battery module comprises a plurality of secondary battery cells arranged side-by-side; and a flame-retardant composition disposed atop the plurality of secondary battery cells; where the flame-retardant composition comprises a first composition and a second composition. The first composition comprises porous particles upon which are disposed a first metal catalyst particle and a first flame-retardant particle. The second composition comprises a fibrous composition that comprises a fibrous substrate upon which is disposed a second metal catalyst particle and a second flame-retardant particle.

Abstract: A method of deactivating a secondary lock feature of a vehicle includes sensing a movement of an interior door handle, and determining a status of the secondary lock feature to ascertain whether the secondary lock feature is active. The method includes starting a timer to measure an elapsed time since sensing the movement of the interior door handle, sensing an environmental condition of an interior passenger compartment of the vehicle with a sensor, and setting an unlock delay time based on the environmental condition. When the secondary lock feature is disposed in an active state and the elapsed time period is greater than or equal to the unlock delay time, the method includes automatically generating a control signal to thereby deactivate the secondary lock feature.

Abstract: One general aspect includes a system having one or more heat pads installed at a vehicle, the one or more heat pads configured to provide infrared energy transmissions to a vehicle component to defrost, defog, or both defrost and defog a surface of the vehicle component. The system may also carry out the following steps: (a) determining that ice or fog or both ice and fog has accumulated on the surface of the vehicle component; and (b) based on the determination made in step (a), activating the one or more heat pads to defrost, defog, or both defrost and defog a surface of the vehicle component.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle having a LIDAR system mounted thereon or incorporated therein is described. The LIDAR system has N channels, with each channel being a light emitter/light detector pair. A computing system identifies M channels that are to be active during a scan of the LIDAR system, wherein M is less than N. The computing system transmits a command signal to the LIDAR system, and the LIDAR system performs a scan with the M channels being active (and N-M channels being inactive). The LIDAR system constructs a point cloud based upon the scan, and the computing system controls the autonomous vehicle based upon the point cloud.

Abstract: A method for using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to perform a maneuver in a land vehicle is provided. The method includes: receiving digitized radar return data from a radar transmission from a SAR onboard the vehicle; accumulating a plurality of frames of the digitized radar return data; applying a RADON transform to the accumulated plurality of frames of the digitized radar return data and odometry data from the vehicle to generate transformed frames of data for each three-dimensional point, wherein the RADON transform is configured to perform coherent integration for each three-dimensional point, project a radar trajectory onto each three-dimensional point, and project Doppler information onto each three-dimensional point; generating a two-dimensional map of an area covered by the radar transmission from the SAR based on the transformed frames of data for each three-dimensional point; and performing a maneuver with the land vehicle by applying the generated two-dimensional map.

Abstract: A capacitor-assisted battery module includes a housing, a positive terminal, a negative terminal, one or more capacitor-assisted battery cells and one or more first switches. The one or more capacitor-assisted battery cells are disposed in the housing and include one or more battery terminals and one or more capacitor terminals. The one or more battery terminals are connected to battery electrodes. The one or more capacitor terminals are connected to capacitor electrodes. At least one of the one or more battery terminals and the capacitor terminals is connected to the negative terminal. One or more first switches is configured to connect the one or more capacitor terminals to the positive terminal. An overall voltage of the capacitor assisted battery module is measured across the positive terminal and the negative terminal.

Abstract: A sensor calibration system periodically receives scene data from a detector in a calibration scene. The calibration scene includes calibration targets. The sensor calibration system generates a calibration map based on the scene data. The calibration map is a virtual representation of the calibration scene and includes features of the calibration targets that can be used as ground truth features for calibrating AV sensors. The sensor calibration system can periodically update the calibration map. For instance, the sensor calibration system receives the scene data at a predetermined frequency and updates the calibration map every time it receives new scene data. The predetermined frequency may be a frequency of the detector completing a full scan of the calibration scene. The sensor calibration system provides a latest version of the calibration map for being used by an AV to calibrate a sensor on the AV 110.

Abstract: A synchronous machine having a hybrid rotor excitation. The synchronous machine includes a rotor having a plurality of permanent magnets and electromagnets embedded within a rotor body. The permanent magnets produces a constant magnet field having a magnetic axis along a direct axis (D-axis). The electromagnets produces a variable magnetic field along a magnetic axis offset from the D-axis, preferable substantially orthogonal to the D-axis. The plurality of permanent magnets are separated from the electromagnets by a rotor air-gap. The plurality of permanent magnets includes inner pairs and outer pairs of permanent magnets nested in a V-shaped configuration. In another embodiment, the outer pairs of permanent magnets are replaced with outer radius electromagnets.

Abstract: A busbar assembly includes a base having a width and a length. The base has a first surface and a second surface and has a first side and a second side. A distance between the first side and the second side comprises the width, and the base defines a slot centered between approximately 75% and approximately 79% of the width.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for using sensors and signal processing to detect vehicle surface impacts. In particular, a sensor and signal processing approach is provided for detecting impacts, with the results having a low false positive rate. The approach reduces operator costs by reducing operator involvement through improved automated detection technology. Additionally, systems and methods are provided for distinguishing chassis-driven fascia vibration from impact-driven fascia vibration.

Abstract: Examples described herein provide a computer-implemented method that includes defining, by a processing device, a plurality of parameters so that any orthogonal intersection can be described. The method further includes building, by the processing device, an orthogonal parameterized model that can represent any orthogonal intersection based at least in part on the plurality of parameters that can describe any intersection of interest. The method further includes expanding, by the processing device, the orthogonal parameterized model to generate a fully parameterized intersection model that accounts for intersection complexities. The method further includes building, by the processing device, a low-fidelity analytical that computes various metrics based on the fully parameterized intersection model.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method comprising receiving a rideshare request from a user, the rideshare request including a destination; transporting the passenger to the destination using an autonomous vehicle (AV) having a plurality of windows comprising electrically switchable smart glass; during the transporting, monitoring a metric related to arrival of the AV at the destination; and untinting the windows when the monitored metric has a prescribed relationship to a threshold value.

Abstract: A system and method for processing an audio input signal includes a microphone, a controller, and a communication link that may be coupled to a remote speaker. The microphone captures the audio input signal and communicates the audio input signal to the controller, and the controller is coupled to the communication link. The controller includes executable code to generate, via a linear noise reduction filtering algorithm, a first resultant based upon the audio input signal, and generate, via non-linear post filtering algorithm, a second resultant based upon the first resultant. An audio output signal is generated based upon the second resultant employing a feature restoration algorithm. The audio output signal is communicated, via the communication link, to a speaker that may be at a remote location.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. The electrochemical cell includes a positive electrode having a positive electroactive material selected from the group consisting of LiNixM2-xO2 (where M is selected from the group consisting of cobalt, manganese, aluminum, and combinations thereof and x?0.8), and a negative electrode having a negative electroactive composite material including a carbonaceous material and silicon oxide (SiOx, 0.95?x?1.05). The positive electrode has a single-sided loading capacity at room temperature between about 4.5 mAh/cm2 and about 6.5 mAh/cm2. The negative electrode has a single-sided loading capacity at room temperature between about 4.5 mAh/cm2 and about 5.5 mAh/cm2.

Abstract: A system for predicting energy consumption by a vehicle during a trip has a controller adapted to receive a route plan for the trip. The controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded. The system has a plurality of machine learning modules, including a behavior predictor, a driving consumption predictor and an auxiliary consumption predictor. The controller is adapted to predict a total energy consumed by the vehicle during the trip by executing the plurality of machine learning modules. The driving consumption predictor is adapted to predict a primary energy consumed for propelling the vehicle based in part on the route plan. The auxiliary consumption predictor is adapted to predict a secondary energy consumed by the vehicle for non-propulsion purposes. The behavior predictor is adapted to predict an average vehicle speed based at least partially on traffic conditions.

Abstract: A high-power gel-assisted battery stack that cycles lithium ions is provided with two terminal electrodes having opposite polarities and at least one bipolar electrode assembly disposed therebetween. A first electrode is disposed on a first side of a bipolar current collector and a second electrode with an opposite polarity to the first electrode is disposed on a second side of the bipolar current collector. Each electrode includes a porous layer having an electroactive material and a solid-state electrolyte disposed in a polymeric binder. A polymer gel electrolyte is distributed in pores of the porous. The stack also includes at least two free-standing gel separator layers each being disposed between the at least one bipolar electrode assembly and terminal electrodes. Each respective free-standing gel separator layer comprises polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and an electrolyte distributed therein. The high-power gel-assisted battery stack has a maximum voltage rating of ?about 12V.

Abstract: Aluminum alloy components may include a composition including concentrations of, in wt. %, chromium of greater than or equal 0 to less than or equal 0.3, manganese of greater than or equal 0 to less than or equal 0.4, silicon of greater than or equal 6.5 to less than or equal 9.5, magnesium of greater than or equal 0 to less than or equal 0.35, iron of greater than or equal 0.2 to less than or equal 0.4, zinc of greater than or equal 0 to less than or equal 0.15, copper of greater than or equal 0 to less than or equal 0.5, titanium of greater than or equal 0 to less than or equal 0.2, strontium of greater than or equal 0 parts per million to less than or equal 200 parts per million, and a balance being aluminum.

Abstract: An electrode is provided that includes a high-nickel electroactive material having greater than or equal to about 0.6 mole fraction of nickel, and greater than or equal to about 0.1 wt. % to less than or equal to about 2 wt. % of a sulfonated aromatic ionomer additive. The electrode is prepared by contacting an electroactive material slurry with one or more surfaces of a current collector, where a solids portion of the slurry includes greater than or equal to about 45 wt. % to less than or equal to about 99 wt. % of a high-nickel electroactive material, and greater than or equal to about 0.1 wt. % to less than or equal to about 2 wt. % of a sulfonated aromatic ionomer additive.