Abstract: Systems and methods for verifying a reference voltage within a battery pack are disclosed. In one example, an assessment of a reference voltage is made via a band-gap voltage of a microcontroller. The system and method may be particularly useful determining whether or not the reference voltage has drifted from a desired voltage.

Abstract: A combined battery charger and motor driver circuit assembly includes a plurality of power transistors arranged as a planar array, a cold plate configured to couple heat from each of the transistors in the array, a conductive power coupling fitting (also termed a bus bar), at least one capacitor, and a ferrite bead filter surrounding a necked section of the bus bar. The bus bar has a plurality of individually electrically conductive layers, each two of the layers being separated by an insulating layer, each conductive layer providing a plurality of contacts, the contacts in a layer configured to provide electrical contact, in the alternative, for power transistor collectors or power transistor emitters. The laminated bus bar is extended to form a fishtail shape along a specified section distal to the power transistors. The fish tail section terminates in two electrical contacts configured to provide electrical contact via discrete conductors to respective positive and negative battery terminals.

Abstract: Gas containment vessels are provided that are comprised of an inner corrosion resistant shell made of lower strength steel alloy or aluminum alloy or thermoplastic polymer, and an outer concentric shell constructed of high strength, albeit lower corrosion resistant, metal or fiber-reinforced composite. The fiber can comprise filaments derived from basaltic rocks, the filaments having been immersed in a thermosetting or thermoplastic polymer matrix, and commingled with carbon, glass or aramid fibers such that there is load sharing between the basaltic fibers and carbon, glass or aramid fibers.

Abstract: Power spectral density in an aeronautical satellite communication system is controlled through the use of adaptive inroute selection and spreading. Once a communication session has been established between the aircraft and the satellite, environmental conditions and aircraft conditions are monitored to detect events capable of affecting transmit/receive properties during the communication session. A maximum allowable transmission output is determined based, at least in part, on governmental regulations and the conditions being monitored. One or more transmit parameters are adjusted in order to maintain transmission output power of the aircraft terminal below the maximum allowable transmission output power.

Abstract: Provided are, among other things, systems, apparatuses, methods and techniques for converting a continuous-time, continuously variable signal into a sampled and quantized signal. One such apparatus includes an input line for accepting an input signal that is continuous in time and continuously variable, multiple processing branches coupled to the input line, and an adder coupled to outputs of the processing branches, with each of the processing branches including a bandpass noise-shaping circuit, a sampling/quantization circuit coupled to an output of the bandpass noise-shaping circuit, a digital bandpass filter coupled to an output of the sampling/quantization circuit, and a line coupling an output of the sampling/quantization converter circuit back into the bandpass noise-shaping circuit. A center frequency of the digital bandpass filter in each processing branch corresponds to a stopband region in a quantization noise transfer function for the bandpass noise-shaping circuit in the same processing branch.

Abstract: When employing an adaptive cruise-with-braking (ACB) system to control host vehicle braking reaction distance, a plurality of trigger conditions (e.g., environmental parameters) are monitored. If one or more of the monitored parameters exceeds a predefined threshold, a trigger event is detected, and at least one of a braking reaction distance (BRD) and a following distance limit shape (FDLS) are adjusted. The BRD and FDLS adjustments may be predefined according to the type and/or magnitude of the trigger event. Trigger events may be weighted or prioritized such that higher priority trigger event types correspond to larger BRD reductions, etc. Monitored trigger conditions may include adverse weather, dangerous road terrain or topography, high traffic density, erratic forward vehicle behavior, and the like.

Abstract: A nose fairing for a cargo enclosure may generally include a nose body configured to extend outwardly from a front wall of the enclosure. The nose body may include an upper nose wall, a lower nose wall and a leading edge region extending between the upper and lower nose walls. The upper nose wall may include a concave region that terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the concave region of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region. The lower nose wall may include a convex region that terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the convex region of the lower nose wall to the leading edge region. The leading edge region may define a radius of curvature that differs from a radius of curvature of the convex region of the lower nose wall.

Abstract: Systems to assist in the creation, transmission, and processing of health insurance claims. Computer-implemented methods that enable the receiving of, storing of, and granting access to data in such systems.

Abstract: Dual-field electric and magnetic probes create and apply electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water, to treat unwanted material in the liquid.

Abstract: A system, in certain embodiments, includes a piston clamping system including a piston rod comprising a piston rod shoulder and a piston rod nut coupled to the piston rod, wherein the piston rod nut and the piston rod shoulder are configured to axially capture first and second body portions of a piston therebetween.

Abstract: A valve assembly includes a plenum having first, second, and third air source ports, a flapper valve assembly pivotally movable between a first position, where the first air source port is closed by the flapper valve assembly and the second and third air source ports are open and in fluid communication, and a second position, where the second air source port is closed by the flapper valve assembly and the first and third air source ports are open and in fluid communication and a method of controlling fluid flow via a valve assembly.

Abstract: A system, in certain embodiments, includes a composite piston. The composite piston comprises a piston body made of a composite material, wherein the composite material comprises a reinforcing material distributed in a matrix material.

Abstract: A fire protection system includes a dry pipe system and a controlled discharge gas vent. The dry pipe system and controlled discharge gas vent operate using a breathing cycle to displace oxygen and/or water vapor from within the piping network of the dry pipe system. The controlled gas discharge vent allows displacement of pressurized air with nitrogen, for example, using manual or automated processes that can employ one or more sensors. Corrosion resulting from oxygen, water, and/or microbial growth is reduced or nearly eliminated.

Abstract: The disclosure describes systems and apparatuses that include a focusable lens, as well as methods for focusing the optical lens. The focusable lens system includes a single element lens having a concave refractive surface characterized by a first radius of curvature and a convex refractive surface characterized by a second radius of curvature larger than the first radius of curvature. A detector element generates electrical signals representative of infrared rays refracted by the single element lens and incident on the detector element, and an aperture stop is disposed around an optical axis of the optical system and secured in a constant position relative to the detector element, the aperture stop configured to limit a cone angle of rays refracted by the single element lens. They system also includes image processing circuitry configured to generate digital pixilation data based on electrical signals generated by the detector element.

Abstract: A debris disposal system mountable to an upwardly facing supporting surface such as a floor or bench top. A first container is fixedly mounted to the supporting surface and receives a removable second container having a lid which when open allows the debris to be swept into the second container.

Abstract: A target shooting system includes an actuator, one or more impact sensors, a controller, and can include a remote device. The actuator couples a target member to a base member and is configured to move the target member relative to the base member. The one or more impact sensors are coupled to the target member, where multiple impact sensors can be configured to identify a location of an impact on the target member and to provide a signal including the location when the target member receives the impact. The controller is communication with the actuator and the one or more impact sensors and is configured to cause the actuator to move the target member relative to the base member and to receive the signal from the impact sensor. The remote device can communicate with the controller and can receive the signal and the impact location from the controller.

Abstract: An approach for improved compensation for nonlinear distortion in multicarrier satellite systems is provided. Source reflecting encoded and modulated sequences of source data symbols are received. Each source signal is predistorted, and a transmit filter is applied to each predistorted source signal. Each filtered signal is translated to a carrier frequency, and the translated signals are combined into a composite signal for transmission via a multicarrier transponder. The final predistorted version of each source signal is generated via an iterative process of a number of stages, wherein, for a given stage and for each source signal, the process comprises: receiving a prior predistorted version of each source signal from a preceding stage; processing each prior predistorted source signal based on all of the received prior predistorted source signals, wherein the processing is performed based on a characterization of one or more characteristics of the multicarrier satellite transponder.