Abstract: A method of preparing a whitened tobacco material is provided, including: (i) extracting a tobacco material with a first extraction solution to provide a tobacco solids material and a tobacco extract; (ii) cooking the tobacco solids material in an alkaline cooking liquid comprising sodium sulfide and having a pH of greater than 11 to form a tobacco pulp; (iii) treating the tobacco pulp with an acid to lower the pH of the tobacco pulp and provide a neutralized tobacco pulp; (iv) extracting the neutralized tobacco pulp with a second extraction solution comprising at least one chelating agent to provide an extracted tobacco pulp; and (v) bleaching the extracted tobacco pulp with a bleaching solution to provide a whitened tobacco material.

Abstract: A vehicle control system for controlling braking in a vehicle may include a braking system operably coupled to one or more wheels of the vehicle to provide brake inputs to the one or more wheels responsive to a torque request generated based on pedal position. The system may further include a pedal position sensor operably coupled to a brake pedal to determine the pedal position responsive to actuation of the brake pedal by a driver of the vehicle, a pedal feel simulator operably coupled to the brake pedal to provide tactile feedback to the driver via a pedal force applied to the brake pedal, an accelerometer for determining a rate of velocity reduction of the vehicle during the actuation of the brake pedal, and a feedback augmenter operably coupled to the pedal feel simulator to provide a pedal force offset to increase the pedal force provided to the brake pedal based on the rate of velocity reduction.

Abstract: An electron beam additive manufacturing system includes an electron beam source, an x-ray detection sensor configured to generate a waveform corresponding to an amount of x-rays detected by the x-ray detection sensor, and an electronic control unit comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable memory, the electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the electron beam source and the x-ray detection sensor. The electronic control unit is configured to cause the electron beam source to emit an electron beam such that the electron beam impinges a verification plate, receive the waveform generated by the x-ray detection sensor in response to the x-ray detection sensor capturing x-rays emitted from the impingement of the electron beam with the verification plate, and determine a melt performance of a surface material of the verification plate based on the waveform.

Abstract: A method for detecting a position of an energy beam comprises mapping a first density modulated x-ray signal with a plurality of locations on an energy beam target, thereby generating a model of a background x-ray intensity. The method further comprises forming an x-ray signal time series using subsequent intensity modulated x-ray signals, each resulting from scanning the energy beam along the energy beam target in one of a plurality of directions at one of a plurality of speeds, and determining the position of the energy beam based upon a received x-ray signal strength based on the x-ray signal time series and the model of the background x-ray intensity.

Abstract: An electron beam additive manufacturing system includes an electron beam source, an x-ray detection sensor configured to generate a waveform corresponding to an amount of x-rays detected by the x-ray detection sensor, and an electronic control unit comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable memory, the electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the electron beam source and the x-ray detection sensor. The electronic control unit is configured to cause the electron beam source to emit an electron beam such that the electron beam impinges a verification plate, receive the waveform generated by the x-ray detection sensor in response to the x-ray detection sensor capturing x-rays emitted from the impingement of the electron beam with the verification plate, and determine a melt performance of a surface material of the verification plate based on the waveform.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing systems, and methods of encoding and decoding data within a build chamber of an additive manufacturing system are disclosed. An additive manufacturing system includes a build chamber having a patterned surface, the patterned surface having indicia therein or thereon. The additive manufacturing system further includes an energy beam (EB) gun configured to emit an energy beam and a sensor configured to detect one or more x-ray emissions that are generated as a result of impingement of the energy beam on the patterned surface. The one or more x-ray emissions include characteristics that correspond to the indicia such that data encoded in the indicia can be obtained from the characteristics of the one or more x-ray emissions.

Abstract: A method for detecting a position of an energy beam comprises mapping a first density modulated x-ray signal with a plurality of locations on an energy beam target, thereby generating a model of a background x-ray intensity. The method further comprises forming an x-ray signal time series using subsequent intensity modulated x-ray signals, each resulting from scanning the energy beam along the energy beam target in one of a plurality of directions at one of a plurality of speeds, and determining the position of the energy beam based upon a received x-ray signal strength based on the x-ray signal time series and the model of the background x-ray intensity.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an airbag cover, which comprises at least one door portion adapted to be opened to allow at least a portion of an airbag to be deployed, at least one hinge portion located adjacent to a side of the door portion and being adapted to provide a hinge for the door portion when opening, and at least one reinforcement portion at least partly surrounding the at least one door portion and the at least one hinge portion. The airbag cover comprises a mesh member, a first portion of the mesh member being located in the at least one reinforcement portion and a second portion of the mesh member being located in the at least one hinge portion. The at least one reinforcement portion comprises at least one rib protruding in a first direction (D1). The first portion of the mesh member has a non-planar cross-section by the mesh member being molded into a portion of the at least one rib, such that the mesh member traverses the at least one rib.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an airbag cover, which comprises at least one door portion adapted to be opened to allow at least a portion of an airbag to be deployed, at least one hinge portion located adjacent to a side of the door portion and being adapted to provide a hinge for the door portion when opening, and at least one reinforcement portion at least partly surrounding the at least one door portion and the at least one hinge portion. The airbag cover comprises a mesh member, a first portion of the mesh member being located in the at least one reinforcement portion and a second portion of the mesh member being located in the at least one hinge portion. The at least one reinforcement portion comprises at least one rib protruding in a first direction (D1). The first portion of the mesh member has a non-planar cross-section by the mesh member being moulded into a portion of the at least one rib, such that the mesh member traverses the at least one rib.

Abstract: A bending cushion airbag can include a base portion and at least one pair of fluidly connected and substantially coplanar lobes. The fluidly connected lobes may be folded with respect to the base portion and sewn, or otherwise joined together, such that upon deployment/inflation, the lobes are prevented from returning to the coplanar state. In an inflated/deployed state, the lobes are configured to extend inboard from the base portion and at an angle (curved) relative to the base portion. For example, the inflated lobes may extend substantially perpendicular to the base portion, so as to form a bending cushion or pocket region near the junction of the base portion and the pair of lobes.

Abstract: The invention concerns a semiconductor based light source comprising a back part, a front side and at least one semiconductor chip having an emitting surface, at least one reflective optical element being arranged below said at least one semiconductor chip, a material with low refractive index being disposed on a side of said reflective optical element facing said front side, wherein said semiconductor based light source comprises on said front side a compound material with high refractive index having at least one diffractive optical element embedded therein, such as to direct light incident on said diffractive optical element towards preferred directions.

Abstract: This invention relates to an arrangement for suspending lighting fittings and the like along or at traffic-routes and the like, comprising lines carried by standards and intended to carry or support the lighting fittings. The novelty lies in that the standards and the lines form two separate systems, wherein the line system is continuous along the traffic-route and releasably connected to the standard system so that the line system substantially remains in its elevated position even if part of the standard system is removed on e.g. a standard being struck by a vehicle.

Abstract: A rotary cutting apparatus having cutters or knife devices which are provided with angularly disposed contact surfaces and which devices are mounted with the contact surfaces in cooperative engagement with angularly disposed supporting or clamping surfaces of opposed knife support members.