Warm die trimming in hot forming applications
Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number:
11014137
A method of forming a part is provided by the present disclosure. The method includes forming a blank from a material, heating the blank, stamping the blank into a panel, and trimming the panel in a trim die. Trimming the panel includes heating a portion of the trim die locally adjacent a trim area of the panel at a temperature below an austenitizing (phase transformation) temperature of the material and trimming the panel with a cutting member.
Process for molding thin-walled skins
Granted: May 18, 2021
Patent Number:
11007693
A method of forming a thin-walled skin includes coating at least one side of a mold cavity of a molding tool, evacuating air from the mold cavity, and filling the mold cavity with a molten polymeric resin. Among other optional variations of the disclosed method, an inert gas is injected into the molten polymeric resin simultaneously with the step of filling the mold cavity with a molten polymeric resin. As a result, high quality, large, thin-walled skins are produced by the teachings of…
Mechanical roughening by a tool with translatable swaging blades
Granted: April 20, 2021
Patent Number:
10981233
A method includes positioning a cylindrical tool having one or more rows of blades within a cylindrical bore having a surface, forming annular grooves and peaks into the surface with the grooving blades when the swaging blades are in the retracted position, and translating the swaging blades from the retracted position to the extended position to deform the peaks. The one or more rows of blades includes fixed grooving blades and translatable swaging blades having retracted and extended…
Method for predicting plastic strain ratio from stamping simulation
Granted: March 23, 2021
Patent Number:
10956634
A method of evaluating a sheet metal stamping simulation is provided. The method may include defining elements of a finite-element mesh representing a stamped panel, operating on the elements to simulate deformation of the panel during stamping to generate, for each of the elements, incremental differential major and minor plastic strain values, applying a weighting factor to temporally adjacent pairs of the values to generate smoothed values, deriving, from the smoothed values and for…
Autonomous vehicle fueling with centralized scheduling
Granted: March 23, 2021
Patent Number:
10953759
Vehicles can be equipped to operate in both autonomous and occupant piloted mode. Refueling stations can be equipped to refuel autonomous vehicles without occupant assistance. Refueling stations can be equipped with a fueling control computer that communicates with vehicles via wireless networks to move vehicles between waiting zones, service zones and served zones. Refueling stations can include liquid fuel, compressed gas and electric charging.
Rivet tape mending process and system
Granted: March 9, 2021
Patent Number:
10940526
A method for repairing rivet tape includes steps of cutting portions of the rivet tape on each side of a break to define at least three aligned coplanar rivet tape edges, abutting the at least three aligned coplanar rivet tape edges to define a seam, and joining the at least three aligned coplanar rivet tape edges to one another. The seam may define a Z shape. One or more rivets may be removed to expose rivet apertures on each side of the break before the steps of cutting, abutting, and…
Composite ultrasonic material applicators with individually addressable micro-applicators and methods of use thereof
Granted: March 9, 2021
Patent Number:
10940501
A method of controlling application of at least one material to a substrate is provided. The method includes configuring at least one array having a plurality of micro-applicators such that a subset of the micro-applicators is individually addressable to apply the at least one material to the substrate. Individually addressing the subset of micro-applicators provides control of a pattern width of a coating applied to a substrate, control of a flow rate of the material applied to the…
Method and apparatus for automatic detection of entrapped gas bubble location and repairing the same in dispensed adhesives, sealants, and mastics
Granted: March 2, 2021
Patent Number:
10935477
A method of detecting a defect in an applied volume of material includes detecting a pressure discontinuity during dispensing the volume of material along a predetermined path on a substrate. The pressure discontinuity is indicative of the defect in the applied volume of material. The location of the defect along the predetermined path is function of a start time of the pressure discontinuity and the size of the defect is a function of a time duration of the pressure discontinuity. The…
Fastener assembly
Granted: March 2, 2021
Patent Number:
10935066
A fastener assembly for a motor vehicle is provided. The fastener assembly comprises a fastener configured to couple a first component to a second component of the motor vehicle, the fastener comprising a shank configured to be received within a bore of the first component; and a retaining member, the retaining member being couplable to the fastener and the first component, the retaining member comprising an opening configured to receive the fastener shank and to provide a resistance…
System and methods to radially orient extruded tubing for vehicle body component
Granted: February 2, 2021
Patent Number:
10906080
A method of orienting a weld seam in an aluminum vehicle body tube is provided. The method may include measuring a periphery of a first end of the tube to locate a position of a pip disposed on a wall of the first end of the tube and rotating the tube so that the weld seam is positioned in a predetermined location suitable for tube forming.
Fuel cell assemblies and preparation methods therfor
Granted: January 26, 2021
Patent Number:
10903508
A fuel cell assembly for a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack may employ a construction in which a plastic film frame is used to frame a catalyst coated membrane within. In one advantageous embodiment, the plastic film frame is adhesive coated on one side and laminated at its inner edge to one surface of the catalyst coated membrane and at its outer edge to the flow field plate on the opposite side. In another advantageous embodiment, the plastic film frame is laminated to sealing…
Method and device for evaluating driving behavior
Granted: January 26, 2021
Patent Number:
10902742
A method and apparatus for teaching and/or evaluating driving behavior of a driver of an autonomous-capable vehicle. The vehicle is operated in a manual-control mode wherein a driver has manual control, and a communication device (audio speaker, visual display, etc.) issues an instruction to the driver to perform a task. As the driver is attempting to perform the task, a sensor monitors the driver's behavior. A driver instruction module (that interfaces with the vehicle's autonomous…
Methods for making 3D parts using composite based additive manufacturing with perforated sheets and parts formed therefrom
Granted: January 19, 2021
Patent Number:
10894395
A method of forming a 3D part includes applying liquid on a pattern on at least some of a plurality of sheets, applying a bonding agent on the liquid pattern on the at least some of the plurality of sheets, and forming perforations within the plurality of sheets along a perforation outline. The plurality of sheets are bonded together at the patterns between sheets via the bonding agent and a 3D pre-form within a stack of the plurality of sheets is formed. The perforations within each…
Catalyst coated membranes and preparation methods for fuel cells
Granted: January 5, 2021
Patent Number:
10886549
Simplified methods are disclosed for preparing a catalyst coated membrane that is reinforced with a porous polymer sheet (e.g. an expanded polymer sheet) for use in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The methods involve forming a solid polymer electrolyte membrane by coating membrane ionomer solution onto a first catalyst layer and then applying the porous polymer sheet to the membrane ionomer solution coating, while it is still wet, such that the membrane ionomer solution only…
Method of making an inline housing for a part enclosed in a tube
Granted: December 29, 2020
Patent Number:
10876667
A method is disclosed for making a duct assembly including an internal component part such as a silencer is disclosed. The duct assembly may be made in a blow-molding operation in which first and second duct parts are formed from a single parison as a combined part that is then split apart to receive a component part in a housing and subsequently closed by a closure part. Alternatively, the first and second housing parts may be separately formed and a component part may be inserted into…
Ultrasonic atomizer with quick-connect mechanism
Granted: December 15, 2020
Patent Number:
10864541
An apparatus for applying a coating to a substrate includes a base, an applicator, and a quick-connect connector. The base includes a fluid conduit. The applicator includes at least one actuator and an array of nozzle plates. Each nozzle plate defines at least one aperture. The at least one actuator is configured to oscillate the nozzle plates to eject fluid from the apertures. The quick-connect connector couples the fluid conduit to the applicator for fluid communication therebetween.
Active carbon filter for a carbon canister and a method for producing the same
Granted: November 24, 2020
Patent Number:
10843117
A method for producing an active carbon filter for a carbon canister includes defining a body having a honeycomb structure with a plurality of bleed passages from a polymer based material, and forming an adsorption layer along a surface of the body, where the adsorption layer is made of a carbon based material.
Roller transport assembly for transporting rollers to and from a roller hearth furnace
Granted: November 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10830536
A roller transport assembly includes a cart assembly and a roller carriage assembly. The roller carriage assembly is slidably mounted to the cart assembly and has at least one chamber for housing a roller. Each of the chambers includes a linear rail extending along a first axis and a roller coupling device attached to and slidable along the linear rail. The roller coupling device is operable to couple to the roller and move the roller along the first axis adjacent and parallel with the…
Fuel cell assemblies with improved reactant flow
Granted: November 3, 2020
Patent Number:
10826083
In solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell stacks, increasing the height of support features in the transition regions and/or increasing the depth of the transition regions improves the flow of reactants therein and thus improves the sharing of flow in the channels in the reactant flow fields. The support feature height and transition region depth are increased so as to be out of plane with respect to the landings and channels in the reactant flow fields. The invention is suitable for cells…
Methods of non-destructive residual stress measurement using Barkhausen Noise and use of such methods
Granted: October 27, 2020
Patent Number:
10816414
A method for determining residual stress in a selectively hardened parts including an unhardened region adjacent to a hardened region is provided. The method includes obtaining a Barkhausen Noise (BN) value for the unhardened region and selecting a corresponding absolute residual stress value from a look-up table. The selected absolute residual stress value accurately estimates the absolute residual stress in the hardened region of the selectively hardened part. In variations of the…
