Ferrari S.p.a.

Amedeo Visconti

Antonio Calvosa

Martino Cavanna

Luca Poggio

Franck Baldet

Davide Montosi

Raza Ali Malik

Alberto Tonielli

Alberto Longhi

Gianluigi Cavani

Gaurav Gupta

Roland Khayat

Paolo Gatto

Francesco Farachi

Gianfranco Azzena

Alessandro Ragnoni

Antonio La Gatta

A method of controlling a driver-operated vehicle; the method including the steps of: recording the values of a number of psychophysical parameters of the driver over a first measuring interval; making a first evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition on the basis of the driver's psychophysical parameter values over the first measuring interval; recording the values of the driver's psychophysical parameters over a second measuring interval following the first measuring interval; making a second evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition on the basis of the driver's psychophysical parameter values over the second measuring interval; comparing the first and second evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition to determine a change in the driver's psychophysical condition; and modifying the dynamic performance of the vehicle as a function of the driver's psychophysical condition, to adapt dynamic performance of the vehicle to the change in the driver's psychophysical condition.

Vehicle control method for adapting dynamic vehicle performance to the psychophysical condition of the driver

A method for controlling the side slip angle of a rear-wheel drive vehicle when turning; the control method provides for the steps of: detecting the position of an accelerator control which is displaced along a predetermined stroke; using a first initial part of the stroke of the accelerator control for directly controlling the generation of the drive torque so that the generated drive torque depends on the position of the accelerator control; and using a second final part of the stroke of the accelerator control to directly control a side slip angle of the vehicle when turning so that the side slip angle depends on the position of the accelerator control.

Method for controlling the side slip angle of a rear-wheel drive vehicle when turning

An embodiment of a feedback control method and unit of a servo controlled system which acts on the environment surrounding a user for adjusting at least one feature of the environment which affects the psychophysical state of the user; the control unit has: a memory device in which there is stored a desired optimal value or a range of desired optimal values of a psychophysical feedback parameter of the user correlated with the perception that the user has of the feature of the environment adjusted by the servo controlled system; an estimation device for cyclically estimating a real value of the psychophysical feedback parameter of the user by means of at least one measurement performed directly on the user; and a driving device for cyclically driving the servo controlled system for seeking the optimal desired value of the psychophysical feedback parameter.

Feedback control method and unit of a servo controlled system which affects the psychophysical state of a user

An assistance method for performance driving of a vehicle; the assistance method includes the steps of: identifying a route used by the vehicle; on each section of the route, identifying the optimum point for the operation of an accelerator command, a brake command, a steering command and/or a gearbox command; identifying the current position of the vehicle along the route; identifying the next optimum point for the operation of a command; identifying a warning advance in accordance with an estimate of the reaction time of the driver and in accordance with the current speed and acceleration of the vehicle; and signalling to the driver to operate the command using the previously identified warning advance so that the driver actually operates the command at the optimum point of operation.

Method for assisting high-performance driving of a vehicle

An embodiment of a control method for a vehicle which is provided with a number of wheels, each of which comprises a tire and at least a disc brake of a braking system; the control method includes the step of sensing the current temperature of at least one component of a respective wheel by means of at least one sensor; determining, in a step of engineering and setting up, at least one first predetermined threshold value indicating the minimum temperature from which the component of wheel shows its maximum efficiency; comparing the current temperature of the component of wheel with the first predetermined threshold value; and signaling to the driver when the current temperature of the component of wheel is lower than the first predetermined threshold value.

Control method and device for a vehicle for signaling when the optimal working temperature of tires and brakes is reached

A method and unit for shifting gear in a power-assist transmission; to shift gear, a series of operations are performed in sequence, and each of which must be completed prior to completion of the next operation; for each operation, a predicted time delay is estimated corresponding to the time lapse between the instant the operation is commanded and the instant the operation is actually completed; and the operations are commanded successively as a function of the predicted delay times, so that an operation is commanded before the preceding operation has actually been completed.

Method and unit for shifting gear in a power-assist transmission

A steering system for a car having two front direction wheels and a number of electronic dynamic-performance control devices; the steering system has a steering wheel for controlling a turn angle of the front direction wheels, and a power-assist device which generates a power-assist torque which is added to the torque exerted on the steering wheel to vary the turn angle of the front direction wheels; the power-assist device has a control unit, which determines operation of the electronic dynamic-performance control devices, and modifies the power-assist torque as a function of operation of the electronic dynamic-performance control devices.

Car steering system

A method of gear shifting in a servo-controlled gearbox. The method generates an oscillation on angular velocities of primary and secondary shafts of the gearbox, separates the primary shaft from the secondary shaft thus disengaging a first current gear when the oscillation has taken the angular velocity of the primary shaft close to the angular velocity that the primary shaft must assume to engage a second next gear, and connects the primary shaft to the secondary shaft thus engaging the second next gear when the oscillation has led the angular velocity of the secondary shaft to equalize the current angular velocity of the primary shaft multiplied by the transmission ratio of the second next gear.

Method of gear-shifting in a servo-controlled manual gearbox

An embodiment of a sports vehicle seat. The seat has lateral restraints for laterally retaining an occupant of the seat, and an actuating device for adapting the shape and/or size of the lateral restraints as a function of vehicle driving mode. Each lateral restraint incorporates at least one shape-memory member, which changes shape when subjected to physical external stress. And the actuating device subjects each shape-memory member to physical external stress to change the shape of the shape-memory member.

Sports vehicle seat with adaptive lateral restraints

A method and unit for controlling a clutch powered by a hydraulic actuator having a work chamber connected to a solenoid valve; a target value of the pressure of the fluid inside the work chamber is generated, an actual value of the pressure of the fluid inside the work chamber is measured, and a control signal for controlling the solenoid valve is calculated using feedback control of the pressure of the fluid inside the work chamber; and the target value of the pressure of the fluid is generated on the basis of an actual value of the position of the hydraulic actuator, and of a target value of the position of the hydraulic actuator.

Method and unit for controlling a clutch powered by a hydraulic actuator

An adaptable seat having a supporting frame, and one or more supporting cushions appropriately arranged and fixed to the supporting frame to support the occupant; each supporting cushion having an outer shell and a filler; and the adaptable seat being characterized in that the outer shell of each supporting cushion has electrically controlled deforming means for selectively deforming the outer shell to adjust the shape of the supporting cushion; an electronic central control unit being provided to control the electrically controlled deforming means.

Growing community of inventors

Turin, Italy

Amedeo Visconti