GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATION LLC Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20150290736 | WELDING WIRE FEEDING DEVICE AND METHOD - Disclosed are wire feeding devices having a wire feeding pipe and a feed unit that pushes a wire through the wire feeding pipe. Either the wire feeding pipe comprises a two- way shape-memory alloy or the wire feeding pipe has an attached, over-lapping, or inserted extension segment extending beyond a distal end of the wire feeding pipe, the extension section comprising a two-way shape-memory alloy. The two-way shape-memory alloy has a trained shape in a martensite phase having a passageway for a wire and a trained shape in an austenite phase having a passageway for a wire that is narrower than the martensite phase passageway. When heated to the austenite phase of the two-way shape-memory alloy, the narrower passageway applies pressure to straighten a bend in the wire. | 10-15-2015 |
20140128212 | TRIPLE CLUTCH MULTI-SPEED TRANSMISSION - A transmission is disclosed having a planetary gear set with three input torque-transmitting mechanisms, such as friction clutches, to achieve torque flow through the planetary gear set to a countershaft gearing arrangement. The transmission includes an input member, an output member, a planetary gear set, an input clutch assembly having three input clutches and a countershaft gearing arrangement. The countershaft gearing arrangement is operatively connected with the planetary gear set and includes: at least three co-planar intermeshing gears, first and second countershafts, a first intermediate shaft and a second intermediate shaft concentric with the first intermediate shaft. | 05-08-2014 |
20140069317 | IN-SITU OVERHEAT ALERT FOR EQUIPMENT - Malfunction or failure of mechanical, electrical and electro-mechanical equipment, for example equipment used in manufacturing operations, is often preceded by an increase in the operating temperature of at least some portion of the equipment. A temperature-sensitive, active material-containing actuator is pre-selected to operate at a pre-determined temperature indicative of impending equipment failure and placed in thermal contact with the equipment. If the equipment achieves the pre-selected temperature the actuator signals this by displaying a flag or providing some other passive visual indication. Alternatively, or additionally, the actuator may issue an electrically-powered alert including visual or audible alerts or a wireless communication. Selected actuators are based on smart materials including shape memory alloys (SMA), shape memory polymers (SMP) and paraffin wax, all of which may be adapted to operate over a temperature range sufficient to encompass the expected range of pre-determined temperatures. | 03-13-2014 |
20140041176 | Elastic Cantilever Beam Alignment System for Precisely Aligning Components - An elastic cantilever beam alignment system for the precise mating of first and second components. A first elastic cantilever beam protrudes in parallel from the first component and is elastically over-constrained by two mutually spaced alignment walls of the second component. A second elastic cantilever beam is upstanding in perpendicular relation to the first component and is elastically deformed with respect to a cammed aperture of the second component. | 02-13-2014 |
20130328454 | ROTOR HUB ASSEMBLY WITH NON-MAGNETIC RESOLVER SHIELDING RING - A hub assembly for an electric machine includes a rotor hub and a machine rotor. Rotation of the machine rotor generates an electromagnetic (EM) field. The hub assembly includes a resolver rotor that encodes an angular position of the machine rotor as a set of resolver signals. An EM field barrier ring between the resolver rotor and the rotor hub adds a magnetic barrier between the machine rotor and the resolver rotor to reduce noise in the resolver signals. The resolver rotor may be bonded to the EM field barrier ring. The EM field barrier ring may have an L-shaped cross section, and may be press-fitted into a pocket of the rotor hub. A vehicle includes a transmission having an input member and an electric machine having a rotor shaft connected to the input member of the transmission. The electric machine includes the hub assembly noted above. | 12-12-2013 |
20130315770 | PUMP ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE - A pump assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. The pump assembly includes a housing defining a cavity extending along a central axis to present a wall disposed radially relative to the central axis and a base transverse to the central axis. The pump assembly also includes a first gear disposed in the cavity. The first gear has a first side and a second side each extending along the central axis. The first side faces the wall and the second side opposes the first side. The first side of the first gear is complementary to the wall. The wall defines a recess adjacent to the cavity and spaced from the base. The recess is in fluid communication with the cavity for providing lubrication between the wall and the first side of the first gear. | 11-28-2013 |
20130307288 | MULTISTAGE ENERGY ABSORBER DEVICE AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME - A multistage energy absorber device is provided that includes at least two generally tubular members. Each of the generally tubular members has a first end and a second end. The second generally tubular member is independent of the first generally tubular member and fits within the first generally tubular member. The first ends of the generally tubular members are substantially flush with each other, but the second end of the second generally tubular member protrudes sufficiently beyond the second end of the first generally tubular member to form a first deformation stage. The first and second generally tubular members extend coextensively sufficiently from the first ends of the first and second generally tubular members to the second end of the first generally tubular member to form a second deformation stage. | 11-21-2013 |
20130260279 | Rubber Crack Mitigants in Polyelectrolyte Membranes - A membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell includes an anode catalyst layer, a cathode catalyst layer, and an ion conducting membrane. The ion conducting membrane is interposed between the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer. The ion conducting membrane includes an ion conducting polymer having sulfonic acid groups and rubber particulates. Characteristically, the rubber particulates have an average spatial dimension less than about 600 nanometers. A fuel cell incorporating the membrane electrode assembly is also provided. | 10-03-2013 |
20130189576 | FADE-RESISTANT HIGH CAPACITY ELECTRODES FOR A LITHIUM-ION BATTERY - The gravimetric and volumetric efficiency of lithium ion batteries may be increased if higher capacity materials like tin and silicon are substituted for carbon as the lithium-accepting host in the negative electrode of the battery. But both tin and silicon, when fully charged with lithium, undergo expansions of up to 300% and generate appreciable internal stresses. These internal stresses, which will develop on each discharge-charge cycle, may lead to a progressive reduction in battery capacity, also known as battery fade. The effects of the internal stresses may be significantly reduced by partially embedding tin or silicon nanowires in the current collector. Additional benefit may be obtained if a 5 to 50% portion of the nanowire length at its embedded end are coated or masked with a composition which impedes lithium diffusion. Methods for embedding and masking the nanowires are described. | 07-25-2013 |
20130160872 | THERMAL PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE WITH EXPANSION ACTIVATION - A thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) is shown and includes a housing having a first end with a first aperture and a second end having a second aperture. The first and second apertures are configured to allow a fluid to flow through the housing. The TPRD includes a trigger member, such as a ball, disposed within the housing. The ball is seated laterally within a retainer. The retainer includes a rim forming a seat for supporting the ball within the housing. The movement of the ball from the first closed position laterally seated within the retainer to the second open position descended within the retainer is caused by an expansion of the rim of the retainer. The rim of the retainer is formed substantially of a temperature sensitive material adapted to expand volumetrically with an increase in temperature. The temperature sensitive material can expand linearly or non-linearly. | 06-27-2013 |
20130112173 | METHOD AND APPARATUS TO MONITOR AN ELECTRIC MOTOR IN A RETURNLESS FUEL SYSTEM - An electric motor is configured to provide mechanical power to a fuel pump. A method for monitoring the fuel pump includes estimating a pump speed and a nominal pump motor current in relation to a pump motor control signal and a fuel pressure. An armature resistance and a back-emf constant for the electric motor are determined corresponding to the estimated pump speed, a monitored pump motor current, and the pump motor control signal. A nominal armature resistance and a nominal back-emf constant for the electric motor are adjusted in relation to a pump motor temperature. A plurality of residuals are calculated based upon the adjusted nominal armature resistance, the adjusted nominal back-emf constant for the electric motor, the estimated armature resistance and the estimated back-emf constant for the electric motor. The residuals are compared with corresponding thresholds. A fault in the electric motor is detected based upon the comparisons of the residuals with the corresponding thresholds. | 05-09-2013 |
20130087244 | ELECTRICAL ARCHITECTURE FOR PASSIVE CONTROLLER WAKE-UP DURING REFUEL - A system and method for waking up a vehicle controller during a hydrogen gas refueling process for a high pressure hydrogen storage tank on a fuel cell vehicle. The system includes a first temperature switch mounted to the high pressure tank and enclosed within an insulation housing for monitoring the temperature within the tank and a second temperature switch for monitoring the temperature of the hydrogen gas at the refuel receptacle, where the second temperature switch is also enclosed within an insulation housing. If the temperature within the tank increases above a predetermined temperature, the first switch will close, and if the temperature at the refueling receptacle falls below a predetermined temperature, then the second switch will close, which causes a wake up signal to be provided to the controller to allow the controller to monitor the temperature of the tank. | 04-11-2013 |
20130052556 | ADVANCED CONTROLS ALGORITHM FOR AN ELECTRONIC PRESSURE REGULATOR SYSTEM WITH PULSED DISTURBANCES - A system and method for regulating the pressure within a volume between a pressure regulator and an injector that injects hydrogen gas into the anode side of a fuel cell stack. The method includes delaying a copy of the a pulsed signal that controls the opening and closing of the injector a predetermined period of time and provides a bias signal from a look-up table that is determined by a desired average mass flow of the hydrogen gas flow to the fuel cell stack and the pressure at an upstream location of the hydrogen gas flow from the pressure regulator. The method selects the bias signal as a pressure regulator control signal that controls the pressure regulator when the delayed pulse injector signal is high and selects an arbitrary value at or near zero as the pressure regulator control signal when a delayed pulse injector is low. | 02-28-2013 |
20130020899 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FABRICATING A ROTOR FOR AN INDUCTION MOTOR - A rotor core of an induction motor includes a cylindrically shaped steel laminate stack having a plurality of longitudinal grooves distributed around the periphery of the steel laminate stack. A plurality of conductor bars are each located in one of the plurality of longitudinal grooves and each includes a first end projecting from a first end of the steel laminate stack. A shorting end ring includes a plurality of grooves aligned with and mated to the first ends of the conductor bars. The shorting end ring is affixed to the rotor core assembly by a lock ring assembled when at a thermally expanded condition to the rotor core when at a thermally contracted condition. | 01-24-2013 |
20120312611 | VARIABLE-BIAS SHUTTER - A variable-bias shutter system for controlling an airstream through an entryway includes a plurality of louvers. Each louver has a pivot axis and a louver face that includes a first portion arranged to one side and a second portion arranged to the other side of the respective pivot axis. The shutter system also includes a mechanism configured to select a position for the shutter system by rotating in tandem each of the plurality of louvers about the respective pivot axis. An area of the first portion that is exposed to the airstream is smaller than an area of the second portion when the shutter system is substantially closed. Additionally, the area of the first portion that is exposed to the airstream is larger than the area of the second portion when the shutter system is not closed. A vehicle employing the variable-bias shutter system is also disclosed. | 12-13-2012 |
20120303348 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR FAULT-ISOLATION AND FAULT-MITIGATION BASED ON NETWORK MODELING - A system and method for identifying a monitoring point in an electrical and electronic system (EES) in a vehicle. The method includes defining a network model of the EES where potential monitoring point locations in the model are identified as targets, such as nodes. The method then computes a betweenness centrality metric for each target in the model as a summation of a ratio of a total number of shortest paths between each pair of targets and a number of shortest paths that pass through the target whose betweenness centrality metric is being determined. The method identifies which of the betweenness centrality metrics are greater than a threshold that defines a minimum acceptable metric and determines which of those targets meets a predetermined model coverage. The monitoring point is selected as the target that best satisfies the minimum metric and the desired coverage. | 11-29-2012 |
20120303206 | GAIN/AMPLITUDE DIAGNOSTICS OF NOx SENSORS - A method that includes in-vehicle systems and practices for determining whether a NOx sensor in an exhaust stream is performing properly. The method uses the gain and/or the offset of the NOx sensor to determine its accuracy. | 11-29-2012 |
20120297751 | METHOD FOR DETERMINING LOAD OF A PARTICULATE FILTER - A particulate filter is monitored for a particulate matter load when fluidly coupled to an internal combustion engine. Monitoring of the particulate filter is achieved by determining a rate of production of particulate matter from the internal combustion engine, a rate of capture of the particulate matter within the particulate filter, a regeneration rate for the particulate filter, and an amount of particulate matter collected in the particulate filter. | 11-29-2012 |
20120214636 | MULTIPLE SPEED TRANSMISSION HAVING A BAND BRAKE - An automatic transmission includes an input shaft or member, an output shaft or member and three simple and one compound planetary gear assemblies each including a sun gear, a planet gear carrier with a plurality of planet gears and a ring gear. The input shaft or member is coupled to the sun gear of the second planetary gear assembly and the output shaft is coupled to the planet gear carrier of the fourth planetary gear assembly. The transmission also includes six torque transmitting devices: one band brake, three friction brakes and two friction clutches. | 08-23-2012 |
20120159939 | ELECTRIC PUMP - A system for lubricating transmission components with hydraulic fluid includes a pump and a motor coupled to the pump. The pump has an inlet port that receives hydraulic fluid and an outlet port from which hydraulic fluid is pumped to the transmission components. A pump pressure is regulated by adjusting a motor torque of the motor, and the motor torque is set by commands based on a look-up table or a formula. | 06-28-2012 |
20110217617 | FUEL CELL COMPRESSION RETENTION SYSTEM USING COMPLIANT STRAPPING - A fuel cell system is provided including a fuel cell stack having a first end and second end. The fuel cell stack includes at least one fuel cell having a membrane-electrode assembly disposed between adjacent gas diffusion layers. The fuel cell system further includes a compression retention system having a plurality of compliant straps adapted to apply a compressive force to the fuel cell stack. The plurality of compliant straps are further adapted to accommodate an expansion of the fuel cell stack during an operation thereof and maintain the compressive force within a desired range. | 09-08-2011 |