Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

The University of Texas System

Vanderbilt University

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

The State University of New York

Board of Regents

Yuyang Song

Umesh N Gandhi

Danil V Prokhorov

Phouvadol P Khouphongsy

Masato Tanaka

Shailesh N Joshi

Taehwa Lee

Michael Paul Rowe

Ryohei Tsuruta

Paul A Gilmore

Tsuyoshi Nomura

Piran Ravichandran Kidambi

Pawandeep Singh Matharu

Yonas Tadesse

Hideo Iizuka

Shardul S Panwar

Xiaopeng Li

Yuqing Zhou

Ziqi Yu

Taewoo Nam

Xianfeng David Gu

Hang Qi

Weiling Wang

Shinnosuke Shimokawa

Mizuho Takayama

Mingzhe Li

Zhou Zhao

Lingfeng Gao

Peifu Cheng

Shikui Chen

An actuator includes a twisted and coiled polymer fishing line and an untwisted resistance heating wire (TCP) actuator and a coating on the TCPactuator. The coating includes a mixture of carbon nanotubes, metal nanoparticles, and mesoporous carbon nanoparticles, and in some variations, the coating includes a polymer matrix with the carbon nanotubes, metal nanoparticles, and mesoporous carbon nanoparticles disposed in the polymer matrix. And the actuator exhibits enhanced actuator parameters such as actuator efficiency, hydrophobicity, power consumption, actuation frequency, dynamic actuation and cooling rate.

Hydrophobic twisted and coiled polymer actuators

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to securing cargo in a cargo area of a vehicle using inflatable panels. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring sensor data about a cargo area of a vehicle from at least one sensor, identifying a presence and a location of an item in the cargo area according to the sensor data, and inflating an inflatable panel to secure the item in the cargo area.

Systems and methods for securing cargo using inflatable panels

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to multiple three-dimensional (3D) structures formation from a network of circularly-packed structural elements. In one embodiment, a system includes a circularly-packed network of structural elements that form multiple 3D structures. Diameters of the structural elements define a shape of the 3D structures. The circularly-packed network is adaptable to form 1) a first 3D structure and 2) a second 3D structure with a different shape than the first 3D structure. The system also includes a set of joints that connect adjacent structural elements.

Systems and methods for forming multiple 3D structures from a circularly-packed network of structural elements

A system includes a vehicle, an airbag located within the vehicle, an elongatable tether anchored to the airbag at both ends, and an actuator configured to control the elongatable tether. In a first state of the actuator, the tether elongates when the airbag is inflated, and in a second state of the actuator, the tether does not elongate when the airbag is inflated.

Active tethers for programmable shape deployment of airbags

A morphing structure includes a deployable aerodynamic origami structure with an outer covering having a plurality of creases, a tether attached to the deployable origami structure, and a light-responsive polymer disposed on one or more of the creases of the outer covering. The light-responsive polymer is configured to change shape when activated by a light and the deployable origami structure configured to change from a first shape to a second shape different than the first shape when the light-responsive polymer is activated. In some variations, the morphing structure also includes at least one heating element disposed on one or more of the creases of the outer covering and the at least one heating element is configured to heat the light-responsive polymer such that the shape of the deployable aerodynamic origami structure moves from the second shape to the first shape.

Morphing origami structures with light-responsive polymers

Technology disclosed herein provides a cannula TCP actuator comprising an annealed microtube assembly including a polymer microtube having inserted therein a resistive heating wire such that the resistive heating wire extends through the length of the polymer microtube, wherein the microtube assembly is arranged in a twisted and coiled tube. The cannula TCP actuator is fabricated by inserting a resistive heating wire into the polymer microtube, forming a microtube assembly by applying a longitudinal force to a first end of the polymer microtube in a direction parallel to a center axis of the polymer microtube and in an opposite direction relative to a second end of the polymer microtube, and applying a rotational force to the second end of the polymer microtube during application of the longitudinal force to cause the polymer microtube to twist and coil about the center axis, and annealing the microtube assembly.

Cannula TCP actuator

Systems described herein relate to sensing pressure. In one arrangement, a pressure sensor is disclosed. The pressure sensor includes a circuit including a resistor, an inductor, and a capacitor. The circuit generates an electrical resonance. The resistor is an elastomer having a resistance and connected to an outer surface of an inflatable. The pressure sensor also includes a resonator connected to the circuit. The resonator generates a mechanical resonance coupling with the electrical resonance to create a detuning frequency having a sublinear dependence on the resistance of the elastomer. A pressure of the inflatable correlates with the detuning frequency.

Pressure sensor for an inflatable structure

A method of designing an inflatable structure includes generating a finite element mesh defining a plurality of elements for an inflatable shape-morphing structure, calculating a topology optimization analysis for the inflatable shape-morphing structure having a final shape in an inflated state, wherein the topology optimization analysis determines a plurality of tensors for the plurality of elements of the finite element mesh, converting the plurality of tensors for the plurality of elements into a plurality of diffusion coefficients for the plurality of elements, and generating a space-filling Turing pattern for the inflatable shape-morphing structure as a function of the plurality of diffusion coefficients, wherein the space-filling Turing pattern defines a simulated textured surface for the inflatable shape-morphing structure.

Methods of designing inflatable shape-morphing structures with textured patterns

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to vehicle headliners. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, with a controller connected to a first impact feature of a headliner of a vehicle, a physical contact with the first impact feature with the first impact feature having a first bending strength prior to the physical contact. The controller subsequently activates the first impact feature to transition the first impact feature from the first bending strength to a second bending strength in response to the detected physical contact.

Headliner impact system

A body can be configured to be selectively morphable. One or more body support members can be operatively connected to an outer surface of the body. The one or more body support members can be arranged in a pattern to define at least one morphing region. A contracting member (e.g., a shape memory polymer) can be operatively connected to the outer surface of the body. When activated, the contracting member can contract, which can cause the body to morph (e.g., bend) from a non-activated configuration into an activated configuration.

Morphable body

A morphing aerodynamic structure includes a body with an outer covering, a bridle attached to the body, and a light-response polymer disposed on at least one of the outer covering and the bridle. The light-responsive polymer is configured to change shape when illuminated with a laser such that at least one of an angle of attack, roll, pitch and yaw of the morphing aerodynamic structure is at least partially controlled without the use of a mechanical or pneumatic control unit.

Morphing structures with light-responsive polymers

A sound absorbing device includes an acoustic resonator with an opening and at least one fabric layer extending across the opening. The at least one fabric layer includes reversible actuatable liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fibers such that an average pore size of the at least one fabric layer increases with decreasing temperature and decreases with increasing temperature. The sound absorbing device also includes at least one of a heater configured to heat the at least one fabric layer such that the average pore size of the at least one fabric decreases and a cooler configured to cool the at least one fabric layer such that the average pore size of the at least one fabric increases. And in some variations a controller configured to command the heater to heat to the at least one fabric layer and command the cooler to cool the at least one fabric layer is included.

Sound absorbing devices and acoustic resonators decorated with fabric

An inflatable includes an inflation chamber. The inflation chamber has an outer surface, a first end, and a second end substantially opposite the first end. The inflation chamber is configured to be inflated from a deflated state to an inflated state. The inflation chamber is loadable and bendable in the inflated state. The inflatable also includes a reinforcement. The reinforcement has reinforcement sections corresponding to high-stress regions of the outer surface when the inflation chamber is in the inflated state. The reinforcement is attached to the outer surface and is configured to improve at least one of a loading strength and a bending capability of the inflation chamber when the reinforcement sections are placed on the high-stress regions of the outer surface. The reinforcement is shaped according to a Turing pattern that is based on the high-stress regions of the outer surface.

Inflatable structure with reinforcement shaped according to a Turing pattern

A soft actuator includes an origami structure with an inflatable hollow body formed from at least one of Dyneema fabric or Kevlar fabric, and a plurality of TCPAs formed from at least one of polyethylene terephthalate, spandex, and nylon. The soft actuator also includes a plurality of heating wires disposed on the plurality of TCPAs and a controller configured to selectively heat the plurality of heating wires such that the plurality of TCPAs are selectively actuated by being heated by the plurality of heating wires.

Soft actuators with twisted coiled polymer actuators

A non-woven carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composite object is formed by the variable frequency microwave (VFM) irradiation of a mixed fiber sheet of thermoplastic fibers, carbon fibers and wavy carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The mixed fiber sheets are prepared from a slurry of the thermoplastic fibers, carbon fibers, and wavy CNTs such that the wavy CNTs contact the carbon fibers and thermoplastic fibers. Upon irradiation with VFM radiation, the wavy CNTs generate heat and transfer the heat to the thermoplastic fibers, causing melting of the thermoplastic to form the matrix of the CFRTP composite object. The mixed fiber sheets can be combined alone or with other sheets to form laminar composites that are molded into objects and heated by VFM irradiation.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Yuyang Song