Abstract: A wireless charging pad includes a rectifier, a receiver coil, a heat spreader plate sandwich between the rectifier and the receiver coil, and a ferrite cold plate sandwiched between the receiver coil and the heat spreader plate. The ferrite cold plate has a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and a fluid chamber in fluid communication with the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. The fluid chamber includes a primary cooling chamber and a secondary cooling chamber. Primary cooling fins extending from the heat spreader plate are disposed in the primary cooling chamber and secondary cooling fins extending from a base of the ferrite cooling plate are disposed in the secondary cooling chamber. The ferrite cooling plate cools the rectifier and inhibits or blocks electromagnetic leakage from the receiver coil from interfering with operation of rectifier.

Abstract: A cold plate includes a first cooling surface comprising a first cooling structure bonded to an inner surface of the first cooling surface, a second cooling surface comprising a second cooling structure bonded to an inner surface of the second cooling surface, a manifold comprising an internal cavity defined by a first length, a first width, and a first height, and a flow divider defined by a second length, a second width, and a second height. The manifold is enclosed by the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface on opposing surfaces of the manifold separated by the first height. The flow divider is positioned within the internal cavity of the manifold. The flow divider supports and separates the first cooling structure and the second cooling structure by a portion of the second height of the flow divider.

Abstract: A cold plate having a manifold includes a recess extending from a first side to a second side of the manifold, where the recess includes openings to the recess positioned lengthwise along the first side and a single opening to the recess on the second side, an inlet and an outlet fluidly coupled to the recess, a plurality of plates fastened to the first side enclosing the openings, a heat sink fastened to the second side enclosing the single opening on the second side, and a plurality of fluid cores one of each positioned between each of the plurality of plates and the heat sink. The plurality of fluid cores include a flow distribution insert, a first plate fin positioned between the flow distribution insert and the heat sink fastened to the second side, and a second plate fin positioned between the flow distribution insert and the heat sink.

Abstract: A bipolar plate with an enhanced fluid flow field design is provided for a fuel cell. The bipolar plate includes an inlet, an outlet, and a flow field having a pattern defining a plurality of microchannels configured to provide fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The pattern is designed using an inverse permeability field, and is based on a reaction-diffusion algorithm to model channel spacing, thereby providing a variable pitch microchannel pattern to direct fluid from the inlet to the outlet. In various aspects, the reaction-diffusion algorithm utilize Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion equations, which may be used to obtain an anisotropic microchannel layout. The variable pitch microchannel pattern may include a channel spacing based on effective medium theory.

Abstract: A system for acoustically monitoring a heartbeat includes an acoustic body having a first material in contact with a second material, a density and a propagation speed of sound of the first material is matched with a density and a propagation speed of sound of a human body, and a density and a propagation speed of sound of the second material is matched with the density and the propagation speed of sound of the first material, a covering material in contact with a first surface of the acoustic body formed by the first material, and a microphone acoustically coupled to a second surface of the acoustic body formed by the second material.

Abstract: A surface of a vehicle component can be dynamically deformable surface. The dynamically deformable surface can be configured to undergo deformations to dynamically form a dynamic button or other user interface element on demand. The dynamically deformable surface can include one or more biosensors. When a user engages the dynamic button with a portion of the body, the one or more biosensors can acquire user biodata. The user biodata can be used by the vehicle as input for various purposes. For instance, the vehicle can operate as a health-monitoring and/or comfort monitoring system. As a result of these arrangements, buttons and other user interface elements can appear and disappear depending on the need and/or application, providing a cleaner vehicle cockpit interface and greatly expanding the possibilities of where such buttons can be located at and how many things can be controlled by the driver using physical interfaces.

Abstract: Methods are provided for designing a microchannel layout for a flow field of a bipolar plate. The methods include defining a fluid flow optimization domain with boundary conditions and loads. Using a gradient-based algorithm together with computational fluid dynamics, the domain is then optimized for minimum flow resistance. The methods include setting the minimum inverse permeability to a non-zero value, and obtaining a grayscale design and fluid velocity field. Using Gray-Scott reaction diffusion equations with the grayscale design and fluid velocity field, the method includes obtaining a microchannel layout. The microchannel layout is then incorporated as a pattern for the flow field of the bipolar plate. In various aspects, anisotropic microchannels are provided; they may be formed using at least one of an additive manufacturing technique, a metal inverse opal electroplating technique, and a hybrid combination thereof.

Abstract: A vehicle can include a window. The window can include an interior side and an exterior side. The vehicle can include a camera operatively positioned to capture visual data of a portion of an exterior environment of the vehicle. The vehicle can include a dual-sided transparent display forming at least a portion of the window. The vehicle can include a processor operatively connected to the camera and the dual-sided transparent display. The processor can be configured to selectively cause the dual-sided transparent display to display exterior visual information on the exterior side. The processor can be configured to cause the dual-sided transparent display to display interior visual information on the interior side. The interior visual information can include the visual data of the portion of the exterior environment of the vehicle.

Abstract: A window can comprise a first side and a second side substantially parallel to the first side. The window can comprise an optical grating operatively positioned with respect to one of the first side and the second side. The optical grating can be used to determine a temperature at or near the respective one of the first side and the second side.

Abstract: A 2-in-1 power electronics assembly includes a frame with a lower dielectric layer, an upper dielectric layer spaced apart from the lower dielectric layer, and a sidewall disposed between and coupled to the lower dielectric layer and the upper dielectric layer. The lower dielectric layer includes a lower cooling fluid inlet and the upper dielectric layer includes an upper cooling fluid outlet. A first semiconductor device assembly and a second semiconductor device assembly are included and disposed within the frame. The first semiconductor device is disposed between a first lower metal inverse opal (MIO) layer and a first upper MIO layer, and the second semiconductor device is disposed between a second lower MIO layer and a second upper MIO layer. An internal cooling structure that includes the MIO layers provides double sided cooling for the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device.

Abstract: A method for passenger transportation and health monitoring includes determining, with a contactless biomonitoring sensor, a location of one or more passengers within a monitoring area of a vehicle, and generating, with the contactless biomonitoring sensor, a health profile of one or more passengers. The method may also include identifying, with a processor, a health condition, an action, an accompanying item, or combinations thereof of one or more passengers based on the health profile corresponding to the one or more passengers, and determining, with the processor, a vehicle action based on the health condition, the action, the accompanying item, or combinations thereof. The method may further include directing, with the processor, the vehicle to perform the vehicle action.

Abstract: A double-sided cold plate includes a manifold comprising openings extending from a first surface of the manifold through the manifold to a second surface of the manifold forming recesses within the manifold and an inlet channel and an outlet channel fluidly coupled to the recesses within the manifold, a plurality of first heat sinks coupled to the first surface of the manifold enclosing the openings on the first surface, and a plurality of second heat sinks positioned adjacent each other along a length of the manifold and coupled to the second surface of the manifold, enclosing the openings on the second surface, a width of the plurality of second heat sinks is greater than a width of the manifold thereby forming an overhanging portion on each lengthwise side of the manifold, the overhanging portion configured to mechanically support a plurality of electrical components positioned around a perimeter of the manifold.

Abstract: A touchpad for use in an infotainment system and a method of use is provided. The touchpad comprises a bottom layer comprising processing circuitry configured to control operation of a plurality of tactile pixels. The tactile pixels are disposed in a tactile pixel layer on top of the bottom layer. Each tactile pixel comprises a top plate having a plurality of vertices and a support strut coupled to each vertex, each strut comprising a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) hinge disposed between a first rigid portion and a second rigid portion.

Abstract: A vehicle including a power receiving pad for wirelessly receiving power, a plurality of magnetic sensors for measuring a magnetic field of a power transmitting pad and obtaining magnetic field data, one or more processors, and one or more memory modules are provided. The one or more memory modules include a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive the magnetic field data from the plurality of magnetic sensors, and estimate a lateral misalignment of the power receiving pad with respect to a magnetic axis of the power transmitting pad. The magnetic sensors are arranged to detect at least an X-component and a Y-component of a magnetic field produced by a power transmitting pad.

Abstract: Printed circuit board (PCB) substrates include at least one pre-preg layer interposed between one or more electrically conductive layers, power device stacks, each having a power device embedded within the PCB substrate in a vertical stack configuration, and a flat heat pipe positioned between the power device stacks within the at least one pre-preg layer, one surface of the flat heat pipe directly bonded to a first one of the power device stacks and an opposite surface of the flat heat pipe thermally coupled to a second one of the power device stacks.

Abstract: Systems and methods for a fluidic elastomer actuator-based handle is provided. A processor determines when a person is approaching a vehicle door and, in response to determining a person is approaching the vehicle door, the processor determines if the door handle is necessary based on a determined intent of the person. If the intent is determined to open the door, the processor manipulates a soft robotics material enclosing the door handle into an in-use state to present the handle to the person through the application of one or more stimuli. When not in a rest state, the soft robotics material provides a smooth surface aligned with a surface of the door panel.

Abstract: An optical metasurface which shifts resonant frequency in response to changing temperature. The optical metasurface includes a membrane printed in a pattern from materials with a high coefficient of thermal expansion (“CTE”). The optical metasurface can include a plurality of high CTE fibers/structures in a first direction and a plurality of low CTE fibers/structures in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Alternatively, the high CTE substrate can include a plurality of high CTE fibers/structures in only a first direction. The high CTE substrate can include a plurality of high CTE fibers and a plurality of low CTE fiber in a pattern which creates desired sensing domains. An array of nanostructures is formed on the high CTE substrate. The array of nanostructures is designed to resonate with light transmitted through or impinging upon the optical metasurface. The resonant frequency of the response can be tuned thermally.

Abstract: A system for acoustically monitoring a heartbeat includes an acoustic body having a first material in contact with a second material, a density and a propagation speed of sound of the first material is matched with a density and a propagation speed of sound of a human body, and a density and a propagation speed of sound of the second material is matched with the density and the propagation speed of sound of the first material, a covering material in contact with a first surface of the acoustic body formed by the first material, and a microphone acoustically coupled to a second surface of the acoustic body formed by the second material.

Abstract: A silicon on insulator (SOI) photonic device having a waveguide is provided that includes a mode overlap portion with a topology optimized structure situated below an electrode of the capacitance structure. The device can significantly change a refractive index in a volume of mode overlap depending upon the applied potential to the capacitor and allows for a ? phase shift in a modest mode overlap volume. The topology optimized structure has a waveguide and substrate that are partitioned in three dimensions using an extruded projection design. The electrode is a transition metal di-chalcogenide monolayer sheet (2D TMD). The enhanced mode overlay from the topology optimized waveguide portion allows a large reduction in the length of the waveguide with the mode overlap to achieve the needed phase shift for a photonic device.

Abstract: A power device assembly includes a heat-generating device, one or more porous bonding layers, and one or more cap layers. The one or more porous bonding layers are formed on a surface of the heat-generating device and define a plurality of embedded vapor channels. The one or more cap layers are engaged with a porous bonding layer of the one or more porous bonding layers opposite the heat-generating device. The one or more cap layer comprise a plurality of liquid feed channels for feeding cooling fluid to the heat-generating device via the porous bonding layer.