C.r.f. Societa Consortile Per Azioni

Iveco S.p.a.

Mario Gambera

Marco Mauro

Maria Paola Bianconi

Andrea Fortunato

Maurizio Miglietta

Stefano Salio

Paolo Capano

Saverio Zuccotti

Domenico Gostoli

Claudio Ricci

Silvio Data

Andrea Secondi

Piergiorgio Navone

A fuel saving-aimed motor vehicle driver assistance system configured to receive and process motor vehicle-related data and motor vehicle position-related data to identify recurrent routes of a motor vehicle and to provide a motor vehicle driver, via an automotive human-machine interface, with motor vehicle driving assistance recommendations for fuel saving along the routes. The motor vehicle driver assistance system is configured to identify recurrent routes of the motor vehicle by determining a succession of geographic points, referred to as Waypoints, along a route of the motor vehicle, at which values of a series of physical quantities are determined and recorded, which define the attributes of the Waypoints. The Waypoint attributes are then updated when the vehicle travels through them. For each current motor vehicle position, a search is made for the Waypoint spatially closest to the current motor vehicle position and having certain characteristics, such that if such a Waypoint is not found, then a new Waypoint is defined, or else, if such a Waypoint is found, then variable Waypoint attributes are updated. The so-defined Waypoints are then concatenated so as to form an ordered list of Waypoints belonging to the same recurrent route. The characteristic points of the routes, such as bends, roundabouts and traffic lights, are identified and optimal speed profiles and primary controls for the motor vehicle at the characteristic points are computed. Based on the computed optimal speed profiles and primary controls and by means of the automotive human-machine interface, the motor vehicle driver is then provided with motor vehicle driving recommendations for fuel saving along the routes.

Preventive fuel saving-aimed motor vehicle driver assistance

A driving style evaluation system () for a motor vehicle (), configured to receive and process motor vehicle-related data and motor vehicle mission-related data to compute a Driving Style Evaluation Index (DSEI) indicative of the driving style of a motor vehicle driver during a motor vehicle mission in relation to a motor vehicle fuel consumption, based on the following summary index: Fuel Economy Index (FEI), which is indicative of the driving style of the motor vehicle driver from the fuel saving perspective, and is computed based on pre-summary indices computed based on respective partial indices in turn computed based on a combination of the following physical quantities which affect the motor vehicle fuel consumption: time interval, ending with a motor vehicle stop, during which the motor vehicle speed reduction is mainly due to a combination of a gas pedal release and a gear downshift, possibly with operation of at least one motor vehicle braking system only during the final part of the maneuver; engine speed and torque fluctuations within preset time intervals; time elapsed between a gas pedal release and operation of at least one motor vehicle braking system; time during which at least one motor vehicle braking system is operated; amount of energy dissipated by at least one motor vehicle braking system; engine power and instantaneous fuel consumption in different gears; and time interval between two consecutive gear shifts; and wherein the pre-summary and partial indices are weighted by means of respective dynamic weighting coefficients, each of which is computed based on a respective motor vehicle mission-independent weight, which is indicative of the influence that the physical quantities based on the which the Fuel Economy Index (FEI) is computed have on the overall fuel consumption reduction, and based on a respective motor vehicle mission-dependent benefit, which represents an evaluation of the benefit that the Fuel Economy Index (FEI) provides in the driving style evaluation during the motor vehicle mission.

Fuel saving-aimed motor vehicle driving style evaluation

A cooperative event location system is provided having a first system in a first vehicle and a second system. The first system includes a first event detection component to detect an occurrence of an event, a first measurement component to determine a distance traveled from the event, a first processing component coupled to the event detection component and the measurement component to prepare an event message, and a first short-range communication component coupled to the processing component and configured to transmit the event message to the second system remote from the first system. The second system includes a second short-range communication component to receive the event message, a satellite navigation component to provide location information, and a processing component coupled to the second communication component and the satellite navigation component to determine in latitude and longitude coordinates a location of the event.

Cooperative geolocation based on inter-vehicular communication

There is described a method of diagnosing a motor vehicle battery, wherein, at each start-up of the vehicle engine, a number of parameters, related to the pattern of an electric quantity supplied by the battery during a transient start-up state of the engine, are recorded; and the recorded parameters are then memorized to create a database which is used to determine the charge status of the battery.

Method of diagnosing a motor vehicle battery based on parameters related to an electric quantity supplied by the battery

A method of diagnosing a cooling system of a vehicle engine, including the steps of: acquiring operating data relative to operation of the cooling system (cooling system radiator water temperature/fan rotation speed) during a trip time between turn-on of the engine and subsequent turn-off of the engine; processing the acquired data, and accumulating the data for each trip to create a database; and examining the location of the data within the database to determine malfunction and/or potential malfunction situations of the cooling system.

Method of diagnosing a vehicle engine cooling system

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Orbassano, Italy

Mario Gambera