Fiat Auto S.p.a.

C.r.f. Societa Consortile Per Azioni

Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.a.

Centro Ricerche Fiat S.p.a.

Eni S.p.a.

Societa Per Azioni

Stefano Re Fiorentin

Mario Palazzetti

Giovanni Monfrino

Giancarlo Casellato

Ermanno Ansaldi

Gianluca Morra

Silvano Sandri

Attilio Porta

Carloandrea Malvicino

Lino Carnelli

Giovanni Ellena

Massimo Lupo

Renato Gianoglio

Fabrizio Mattiello

Andrea Saroldi

Antonino Fratta

Gianfranco Burzio

Roberto Puppini

Salvatore Frediani

Antonio Fuganti

Gianpiero Einaudi

Vincenzo Murdocco

Fulvio Cascio

Roberto Fontana

Cristina Randazzo

Giovanni Tufano

Piero Tonello

Paolo Tubetti

Claudio Boris Volpato

Renzo Gaudenzi

Mario Bochicchio

Liborio Tarquinio

Angela Del Gobbo

Gian Mario Pellegrino

Alfredo Vagati

Franco Villata

Riccardo Seccardini

Marco Morone

Giulio Lanza

The present invention relates to a system for a parabolic solar concentrator (SCA) having a substantially continuous reflective surface aiming to maximize the efficiency of the parabolic solar concentrator and of its fabrication method. The system of the present invention allows the fabrication of a low cost parabolic solar concentrator, based on a torsion bar, ribs and a plurality of reflective pieces of sheet metal preferably covered with a reflective film. The parabolic solar concentrator according to a preferred embodiment allows the reduction of surfaces shading the reflective surface. Another advantage is the lack of presence of supporting or movement elements protruding in the concave side of the parabola, not including receiver tube components and supports, thereby increasing the reflection efficiency and solar collection.

Solar concentrator having a continuous parabolic reflective surface

A ground power supply line for electric traction vehicles is provided with two conductors carried by a series of tiles aligned to one another; each tile has a conductive plate and a lower supporting structure, which is made of insulating material and accommodates electric connectors, normally open switches, and a control and command unit, which switches the switches for selectively electrically connecting the conductive plate to the conductors in response to a signal deriving from an electric traction vehicle passing over said external conductive plate; the upper surface of the conductive plates is flushed with the remaining part of a road surface.

Tile for forming a ground power supply line

An airless vehicle tire, in particular for road vehicles, has a tread, which rolls on a road surface, and a reinforcing strip made of elastomeric material and for reinforcing the tread; the reinforcing strip being located inwards of the tread, being connected integrally to the tread, and having a number of adjacent blocks movable with respect to one another, and a circumferential forcing device for exerting force and a circumferential preload on the blocks.

Airless vehicle tyre, in particular for road vehicles

A tire () for vehicles, which does not require pressurization by means of a pressurized fluid, has a tread (), two sidewalls (), and two beads () attached to a wheel rim () and made of elastomer material; the tire is provided with at least one tubular reinforcement body () which is associated with the tread; each of the sidewalls have a respective homogeneous resilient annular membrane ().

Tyre for vehicles, in particular motor vehicles

A motor-vehicle is provided with an auxiliary cooling system, having a low temperature cooling liquid, entirely independent from the cooling circuit of the engine and including a radiator located at the front part of the motor-vehicle facing the radiator of the cooling circuit of the engine. The auxiliary cooling circuit comprises one or more auxiliary radiators which are connected parallel to the radiator of the auxiliary circuit and which are constituted by motor-vehicle body components.

Motor-vehicle with an auxiliary cooling system including one or more radiators constituted by vehicle body components

The device is adapted to control the movement of a valve () of an internal combustion engine comprising a stem () which may move in translation through an opening () of a hollow guide body () and which ends in a mushroom head () cooperating in operation with a valve seat () provided in a wall () of the engine head. The valve () may move in translation with respect to the hollow guide body () between a retracted position and a forward position in which the mushroom head () respectively closes and opens the associated valve seat (). The control device comprises The arrangement is such that when the electromagnet () is de-energised, the valve () moves in acceleration towards the open position under the action of the first spring () until the action of the latter stops, and then the valve () moves in deceleration into the open position under the action of the second spring ().

Device for controlling the movement of a valve, in particular of an intake valve, of an internal combustion engine

A tire for vehicles which does not require pressurization by means of a pressurized fluid has a tread, two sidewalls, and two beads which are attached to a wheel rim made of elastomer material, and is provided with at least one tubular reinforcement body which is associated with the tread; each of the sidewalls having a respective homogeneous resilient annular membrane, a straight generatrix of which forms an angle (A) other than 90&#xb0; with the axis of the tire; the membranes being stretched radially between the tread and the beads such as to be pre-tensioned in the absence of external loads acting on the tire.

The system controls the propulsion of a motor vehicle with a propulsion system () which includes an internal combustion engine (E) with a shaft (S) for coupling to a transmission (). The system includes an accelerator (A) with an associated sensor devices (S) for supplying electrical signals indicating the force (FP) applied on the accelerator (A) by the driver, and an actuator device () operable to alter the position of the accelerator (A).; sensor devices (S) supplying electrical signals indicating the speed of rotation (n) of the shaft (S) and/or the vehicle speed (V); and an electronic control unit (SCU) operable to control the propulsion system () in dependence on the signals supplied by the sensor devices (S) and (S). The control unit (SCU) acquires the signals generated by the sensor (S) and establish an instantaneous value for the traction force (FX) to be developed on the ground by the drive wheels (W) corresponding to the instantaneous value of the force (FP) applied to the accelerator (A); and control the actuator device () in such a way that this latter tends to place the accelerator (A) in a position which corresponds to the instantaneous value of the vehicle speed (V).

Propulsion control system for a motor vehicle

The system (CVT) includes a first electrical machine (M) with a first rotor (R) provided with a multiphase winding (W) and fixed firmly to the shaft () of the internal combustion engine (ICE) and a second rotor (R) or intermediate rotor coaxial with the first rotor (R) and carrying first magnetic means (PM) operatively cooperating with the winding (W) of the first rotor (R), the intermediate rotor (R) being coupled with at least one axle () of the motor vehicle, and a second rotary electrical machine (M) coaxial with the first (M) and including a stator (ST), which is arranged on the opposite side of the intermediate rotor (R) to the first rotor (R) and is provided with a multiphase winding (W), as well as the intermediate rotor (R) which also carries second magnetic means operatively cooperating with the winding (W) of the stator (ST), a first inverter and a second inverter (I, I) of which the a.c. sides are connected to the winding (W) of the rotor (R) and to the winding (W) of the stator (ST), respectively, and the respective d.c. sides are connected in parallel with one another by means of a d.c. voltage link (L), sensors (S-Sn) suitable for providing electrical signals indicative of predetermined parameters relating to predefined operating conditions of the internal combustion engine (ICE) and of the motor vehicle, and an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the sensors (S-Sn) and to the inverters (I, I) and arranged to control the operation of the inverters (I, I) in a manner such that, after the engine (ICE) has been started, the voltage (VDC) in the d.c. voltage link (L) is regulated to a predetermined value which is variable in accordance with predetermined procedures in dependence on the values of the parameters monitored by the sensors (S-Sn).

Transmission system with a continuously variable transmission ratio

A safety barrier for road use comprises a barrier element which can be displaced between an operative position, above the road surface, and an inoperative position, in which it does not substantially project above the road surface. Preferably provided is a number of sets of aligned barrier elements, rigidly connected to one another, the adjacent sets being connected together by articulated connecting structures which enable one set of barrier elements to be displaced between its inoperative position and its operative position without modifying the positions of the adjacent sets. In this way, one or more stretches of the barrier can be brought into the inoperative condition, leaving the adjacent stretches of barrier in the normal operative condition.

Retractable road barrier

An internal combustion engine (E) has associated control devices (ECU, GSCU, SCU) for controlling the engine in a manner such that the engine delivers a driving torque (CM) which is variable in dependence on predetermined measured parameters, in particular on the position (&agr;) of the accelerator pedal (AP), and sensors (S1, S2) for detecting the position (&agr;) of the accelerator pedal (AP), and the rate of rotation (&ohgr; ) of the shaft (M) of the engine (E) or the forward speed (v) of the motor vehicle, respectively. The control system (ECU, GSCU, SCU) associated with the engine (E) is arranged:&mdash;to acquire from the sensors (S1, S2) the position (&agr;) of the accelerator pedal (AP) and the rate of rotation (&ohgr; ) of the engine (E), or the forward speed (v) of the motor vehicle;&mdash;to determine, in accordance with predetermined methods, the power (P ) to be applied to the driving wheels in dependence on the measured position (&agr;) of the accelerator pedal (AP) and on the calculated or acquired forward speed (v) of the vehicle, and to calculate, in dependence on the value determined for the power (P ) to be applied to the driving wheels and on the forward speed (v) of the vehicle, the driving torque (C ) which should correspondingly be delivered by the engine (E), and to control the engine (E) in a manner such that it delivers the driving torque (C ) thus calculated.

Drive control system for achieving target driveshaft power in a motor vehicle

A method of detecting and controlling detonation, including the steps of: generating ( ) a vibration signal (D) proportional to the intensity of vibration on the crankcase; wide-band-filtering ( ) the vibration signal (D) to generate a first intermediate signal; rectifying ( ) the first intermediate signal to generate a second intermediate signal; integrating ( ) the second intermediate signal to generate a first numeric value; calculating ( ) a logarithm of the first numeric value to obtain a second numeric value (X ); calculating ( ) a difference between the second numeric value (X ) and the mean value (&mgr; ) to obtain a third numeric value (&dgr; ) with a predetermined threshold value (&dgr; ); determining ( ) the presence of detonation in the event the third numeric value (&dgr; ) has a first predetermined relationship with the predetermined threshold value (&dgr; ); forming ( ) a detonation index (I ) indicating the behavior of the engine in terms of detonation; and obtaining ( ) a spark lead correction value (CA ) as a function of the detonation index (I ).

Method of detecting and controlling detonation of an internal combustion engine

Detonation detection method for internal combustion engines

The method of detecting a partially deflated tire includes the steps of detecting the angular velocity of each wheel and generating corresponding velocity signals or data, processing the velocity signals or data in a processing unit arranged for calculating the value of a predetermined function of the ratio or of the difference between the product of the angular velocities of two diagonally opposed wheels and the product of the angular velocities of the other two wheels, and generating a warning signal when the difference between the values of this function and a first static reference value corresponding to a normal inflation condition of the tires exceeds a predetermined value, or when the difference between the values of this function and a second reference value determined upon each departure of the motor vehicle and corresponding to the actual inflation condition of the tires upon departure of the motor vehicle exceeds a predetermined value.

Method and apparatus for detecting the presence of an at least partially

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Grugliasco, Italy

Stefano Re Fiorentin