Abstract: A method of controlling a vehicle equipped with an internal-combustion engine with a “stop and start” system. The method provides, during vehicle running, for learning the “duty cycle” values associated with the odd gears and even gears, determining the “maximum duty cycle” value for the odd gears and “minimum duty cycle” value for the even gears, determining a duty-cycle band to which the “neutral gear” condition corresponds on the basis of the “minimum duty cycle” value for the even gears and “maximum duty cycle” value for the odd gears, and controlling the “stop and start” system on the basis of the duty-cycle band to which the “neutral gear” condition corresponds.

Abstract: A shutter member has a shutter with a substantially rigid wall, which has a side profile with a substantially arc of a circle shape and is provided with a hole adapted to be engaged by a motor vehicle control lever; the substantially rigid wall is supported by a fastening device, fixing the shutter member to the control lever; the shutter is provided with a tab, which defines a longitudinal extension of the substantially rigid wall and is elastically flexible.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle suspension system comprises, for each wheel, at least one transverse control arm having an outermost end articulated to a respective wheel support and an innermost end articulated to the frame of the motor vehicle. A transverse leaf spring is set centrally between the two transverse arms, and has its ends connected to the innermost ends of the transverse arms. The connection of each transverse arm to the leaf spring is such as to enable oscillations of the transverse arm in a substantially horizontal plane with respect to the leaf spring and minor relative sliding between the connected ends of the arm and the leaf spring in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring.

Abstract: A motor vehicle rear seat has two units, which are set side by side along a horizontal axis, are each provided with a respective squab and a respective backrest and are arranged on opposite sides of a support device having a lower base designed to be fastened to a floorpan of the motor vehicle; the device has a body that supports the two units and has a position that can be adjusted in a longitudinal direction and in height with respect to the lower base; a fixing device is provided to block this body in the desired position with respect to the lower base.

Abstract: A trunk of a motor vehicle having an opening providing access from the outside, a floor, two side walls substantially transversal to the floor, a load platform, which is defined by a first edge facing the opening, by a second edge substantially parallel to the first edge and by two side edges substantially transversal to the first and second edge; the trunk being further equipped with two shelves, each of which is integral with a respective side wall and has a respective groove overlooking the groove of the other first shelf and adapted to be slidingly engaged by a respective said side edge in order to arrange and keep the load platform stable in a tilted position with respect to the floor.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door with frameless window includes a door structure, a window pane, slidably mounted on the door structure between a lowered position and a raised position, and a regulating device, for controlling movement of the pane. Connected to the pane is a slider member, which engages a respective guide element mounted on the door structure. Operatively set between the slider member and the pane is an elastically deformable member. In its undeformed condition, the deformable member tends to keep the pane in an out-of-tolerance position, more raised and/or set further back with respect to its correct position of assembly on the slider member. Clamping means are provided for adjusting the position of the pane on the slider member so as to compensate, during assembly, the deviation from the nominal design position due to the tolerances of the processes of production of the bodies and the windows.

Abstract: In an air-conditioning system for motor vehicles, the radiator for heating the passenger compartment is excluded from connection to the circuit for cooling the engine when heating of the passenger compartment is not required. In this condition, a mixing valve is set in an intermediate position, in which part of the flow of air leaving the evaporator of the system flows directly in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, keeping it cooled, while part of the flow of air leaving the evaporator flows through the aforesaid heating radiator, which in this condition functions as accumulator of cold. When the cooling circuit is temporarily deactivated, cooling of the passenger compartment can be ensured by the radiator, that yields the previously accumulated cold.

Abstract: A method for controlling four semi-active suspensions of a vehicle comprising the steps of: determining, for each semi-active suspension, a first and a second signal representative of the acceleration and speed of the sprung mass; determining, for a pair of semi-active suspensions arranged on one side of the vehicle a third and a four signal representative of the acceleration and pitch speed; calculating for each semi-active suspension, a first damping coefficient as a function of the difference between the first and second signal squared; calculating for each semi-active suspension, a second damping coefficient as a function of the difference between the third and the four signal squared; for each semi-active suspension, comparing the first and the second damping coefficient for determining the higher coefficient; applying to each force generator device, an electronic control signal indicative of the respective high damping coefficient.

Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a rear suspension equipped with at least one shock absorber including a by-pass passage for bringing about a damping effect that is different in different portions of the stroke of the plunger of the shock absorber. The shock absorber and the by-pass passage are configured in such a way that the shock absorber produces a maximum damping effect in a final stretch of the stroke of the plunger in the direction of lengthening of the shock absorber, said final stretch of stroke being pre-arranged so as to correspond to the final part of the maximum possible lift of said rear suspension during braking of the motor vehicle.

Abstract: A system for controlling a vehicle having a brake assembly for exerting braking force on at least one wheel on the basis of a number of control parameters is provided. The system has a safety system configured to generate the control parameters as a function of a control quantity associated with the braking force to be exerted on the at least one wheel; and a vehicle handling enhancement system configured to: calculate a reference vehicle yaw acceleration on the basis of at least the longitudinal speed of the vehicle and the steer angle of the vehicle; and adjust the control quantity to zero the difference between the actual yaw acceleration and the reference vehicle yaw acceleration.

Abstract: An assembly line, wherein at least one operating branch of fixed length accommodates a number of platforms aligned with one another and with a given travelling direction; each platform being designed to receive a respective vehicle body, feed it in the travelling direction, and subject it to a succession of n assembly operations along the operating branch; each platform being designed for connection to at least one longitudinal extension to assume a total length, which depends on the length of the body carried, and ranges between a minimum length equal to the length of the platform with no extension, and a maximum length; and the length of the operating branch being equal to n times the maximum length.

Abstract: An air-conditioning system of a motor vehicle, including: a primary, gas compression cooling circuit set entirely in the engine compartment; a secondary cooling circuit that takes cold from an evaporator or chiller of the primary circuit and conveys it to a heat exchanger in the passenger compartment; the system has elements for setting in fluid communication the primary circuit, the secondary circuit and a circuit for heating the passenger compartment. The heating circuit has a heat exchanger which is used as a heater when the heating system is activated, and can be used as additional mass for cooling air of the passenger compartment to meet the peak cooling requirement.

Abstract: An electronic system to induce the occupants of a vehicle to fasten seat belts is described. The electronic system is configured to determine an alert condition indicating that a seat belt of at least one occupant of the vehicle is not fastened or is not properly fastened. The electronic system is also configured to allow the car radio to operate even when said alert condition is present, and to control the volume of the car radio for as long as said alert condition persists, preventing it from exceeding a low volume level.

Abstract: A motor vehicle front end has a frame, which supports a heat exchanger and has an upper horizontal crosspiece connected to two uprights by means of connection elements, which are plastically deformable so as to allow the upper horizontal crosspiece to be lowered in the event of an accident; the upper horizontal crosspiece comprises a rigid rear portion and a plastically deformable, front portion which is made of plastic material and is fixed to the rigid rear portion.

Abstract: There is described a method for designing and manufacturing a protective glove, to be used for imparting slight knocks in performing a cycle of manual operations in an industrial production line and for absorbing the counter-knock received when using a tool or equipment gripped by the operator during said operating cycle. There are provided means for sensing the forces the various areas of the hand are subjected to during said operating cycle, and signals of said sensor means are processed so as to obtain a classification of the areas of the hand according to the value of the forces to which they are subjected. The glove is designed having areas that provide differentiated protections, having pads of different thickness calculated as a function of the aforementioned classification of the various areas of the hand.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A raisable load shelf for a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle is provided with a panel, which defines an upper surface on which items can be placed and is provided with a handle that a user can grasp to raise or maneuver the load shelf in the luggage compartment; the load shelf has at least two appendages, which are arranged along respective edges of the panel and are hinged to the panel about respective axes parallel to the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position in order to reduce a dimension of the load shelf; in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel so as to rest, in use, on respective brackets of the luggage compartment.