Abstract: An electrical power-steering system for motor-vehicles includes a first pinion and a second pinion meshing with two portions of a rack member which controls the steering angle of the wheels. The two pinions are driven by respective electric motors which are in turn controlled by an electronic control unit. The two portions of the rack member are constituted by two separate elements connected to each other by a connection member interposed therebetween, such that the first and second portions of the rack member behave like a single rigid element when they are driven with identical displacements in a steering maneuver, whereas the connection member allows for a relative movement in the longitudinal direction of the first and second portions of the rack member, with a resulting lengthening or shortening of the rack member, when the first and second portions of the rack member are driven with differentiated displacements in an operative mode for adjustment of the convergence angle of the wheels.

Abstract: A vehicle seat supporting body has padding which has a honeycomb body of elastic material and is covered with upholstery permeable to air and defining a user supporting surface; the cells of the honeycomb body extend along axes crosswise to the supporting surface, are open at the ends, and, in use, vary in volume in response to oscillating movement of the user; on the opposite side to the supporting surface, at least one opening connects the cells to the outside, and is opened/closed automatically by valves in response to compression and decompression of the air in the cells.

Abstract: A seat portion of a vehicle seat has a padding, which is covered with permeable upholstery defining a user supporting surface and has a plurality of chambers extending crosswise to the supporting surface; the chambers are open at their ends and, in use, vary in volume in response to oscillating movement of the user; the chambers are grouped in at least four groups, which are located, respectively, in front right, front left, rear right, and rear left position; the chambers of each group are isolated in fluidtight manner by the chambers of the other groups and communicate with a respective opening, which connects the lower end of the chambers to the outside; the opening of each group is associated with a respective valve, which operates independently from the valves of the other groups and is opened/closed automatically in response to compression and decompression of the air in the chambers.

Abstract: An electrical power-steering system for motor-vehicles includes a first pinion and a second pinion meshing with two portions of a rack member which controls the steering angle of the wheels. The two pinions are driven by respective electric motors which are in turn controlled by an electronic control unit. The two portions of the rack member are constituted by two separate elements connected to each other by a connection member interposed therebetween, such that the first and second portions of the rack member behave like a single rigid element when they are driven with identical displacements in a steering maneuver, whereas the connection member allows for a relative movement in the longitudinal direction of the first and second portions of the rack member, with a resulting lengthening or shortening of the rack member, when the first and second portions of the rack member are driven with differentiated displacements in an operative mode for adjustment of the convergence angle of the wheels.

Abstract: An external rear-view camera unit for motor vehicles includes a camera and a support for such camera prearranged to be connected to a structure of a motor vehicle. The support includes at least one wing element, with a wing profile, having an end for connection to the structure of the motor vehicle and an opposite end portion bearing the body of the camera and ending with a winglet portion. A lower wing element and an upper wing element may be parallel and spaced from each other. The portion for supporting the body of the camera is in the form of a casing surrounding the body of said camera and having passages for conveying the air—that impacts said unit during the travel of the motor vehicle—around the body of said camera and at the front of the transparent element for protecting the camera lens.

Abstract: An external rear-view camera unit for motor vehicles includes a camera and a support for such camera prearranged to be connected to a structure of a motor vehicle. The support includes at least one wing element, with a wing profile, having an end for connection to the structure of the motor vehicle and an opposite end portion bearing the body of the camera and ending with a winglet portion. A lower wing element and an upper wing element may be parallel and spaced from each other. The portion for supporting the body of the camera is in the form of a casing surrounding the body of said camera and having passages for conveying the air—that impacts said unit during the travel of the motor vehicle—around the body of said camera and at the front of the transparent element for protecting the camera lens.

Abstract: A seat portion of a vehicle seat has a padding, which is covered with permeable upholstery defining a user supporting surface and has a plurality of chambers extending crosswise to the supporting surface; the chambers are open at their ends and, in use, vary in volume in response to oscillating movement of the user; the chambers are grouped in at least four groups, which are located, respectively, in front right, front left, rear right, and rear left position; the chambers of each group are isolated in fluidtight manner by the chambers of the other groups and communicate with a respective opening, which connects the lower end of the chambers to the outside; the opening of each group is associated with a respective valve, which operates independently from the valves of the other groups and is opened/closed automatically in response to compression and decompression of the air in the chambers.

Abstract: A chair or a seat, in particular a seat for motor vehicles, includes an ergonomic device for supporting the body of the occupant, comprising a supporting panel having supporting laths, set at a distance from one another, which can be arched towards the body of the occupant, each independently of the others, by a respective actuator, which includes an actuator element constituted by a shape-memory material, which undergoes a reduction in length following upon heating above a predetermined transition temperature, higher than ambient temperature. Associated to the panel are electrical-supply means for supply of the shape-memory actuators and electronic control means for activating the laths independently and/or in succession according to any predetermined logic, in particular according to successive waves of activation, for example from above downwards, or from below upwards, or alternately from above and from below, so as to obtain a massaging effect.

Abstract: A vehicle seat supporting body has padding which has a honeycomb body of elastic material and is covered with upholstery permeable to air and defining a user supporting surface; the cells of the honeycomb body extend along axes crosswise to the supporting surface, are open at the ends, and, in use, vary in volume in response to oscillating movement of the user; on the opposite side to the supporting surface, at least one opening connects the cells to the outside, and is opened/closed automatically by valves in response to compression and decompression of the air in the cells.

Abstract: A chair or a seat, in particular a seat for motor vehicles, includes an ergonomic device for supporting the body of the occupant, comprising a supporting panel having supporting laths, set at a distance from one another, which can be arched towards the body of the occupant, each independently of the others, by a respective actuator, which includes an actuator element constituted by a shape-memory material, which undergoes a reduction in length following upon heating above a predetermined transition temperature, higher than ambient temperature. Associated to the panel are electrical-supply means for supply of the shape-memory actuators and electronic control means for activating the laths independently and/or in succession according to any predetermined logic, in particular according to successive waves of activation, for example from above downwards, or from below upwards, or alternately from above and from below, so as to obtain a massaging effect.

Abstract: The device includes fan devices associated with each wheel of the vehicle for creating respective auxiliary flows. Conveying devices, associated with the wheel housing, direct the auxiliary flows to a distributor provided with an outlet opening, so that the air flows from the distributors sweep along the bottom of the motor vehicle and exit in the area of the truncated tail portion of the vehicle body in order to create, at least partially, a so-called tailstream produced by a stationary ring vortex.

Abstract: An armrest comprising a supporting portion bounded above by a surface supporting the forearm of a user, and a terminal portion constructed in such a way as to house a first and a second switch panel located on opposite sides of the said terminal portion for the control of at least one corresponding service in the vehicle; the terminal portion is hinged onto the supporting portion to be rotated with respect to the supporting portion between a first working position in which the terminal portion extends longitudinally beyond the said supporting portion and in which the first switch panel is located on the same side as the supporting surface, and a second working position in which the terminal portion overlaps the supporting portion and the first and the second switch panels are located in contact with the supporting surface and in a position facing away from the said part of the supporting surface respectively.

Abstract: A steering wheel and deflection unit for a vehicle, in particular for a motor vehicle, is described, of the type in which a steering wheel is connected in an angularly rigid manner to a steering shaft and a control lever for a direction signalling device is supported radially in the vicinity of this steering wheel; the rest position of the control lever with respect to the steering wheel can be adjusted into a plurality of different angular positions.

Abstract: The lock is formed from a fork which engages a striker pin and is itself engaged at one end by a catch; its main characteristic is that between the fork and catch there is interposed a rotatable insert which pivots at one end against the catch and is arranged to cooperate at its other end with the hook-shaped end of the fork, the insert being dragged rigidly with the catch by a spring connected to the insert eccentric to the position in which this latter pivots against the catch.

Abstract: A high-performance motor car includes a body which surrounds the rear wheels and has a tapered front part from which the front steerable wheels project. The front wheels are inserted in respective aerodynamic fairings which can be steered with the wheels. A vertical fin is pivoted to the rear of each fairing.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle door equipped with an integrated control device that can be mounted and tested off the assembly line; the door presents a slot for an outer handle, an inner supporting plate and a lateral clearance hole machined close to the clearance slot; the aforesaid integrated device comprises an L-shaped bracket supporting, on one wing, the outer handle and, on the other, a fork of a lock housed inside the bracket and connected to the outer handle and an inner handle fitted with its own supporting bracket and connected to the lock by means of a flexible cable; during use, the L-shaped bracket is fixed to the door with the fork facing the lateral slot and the outer handle housed inside the clearance slot and the bracket of the inner handle fixed to the inner plate of the door.

Abstract: A catch device is described of the type in which a fork element is thrust by a striker pin during closure of the door of a vehicle to rotate to come into snap engagement with a catch element operable to lock it in a closure position; its principal characteristic lies in the fact that it is provided with a supplementary spring pivotally attached eccentrically at one end to the fork element and at the other end to an attachment point fixed with respect to this latter, in such a way that the initial rotation of the fork element causes an eccentric elastic reaction of the spring which forces the fork element to complete its rotation with a reduced door-closing movement so as to reduce the door closure force.

Abstract: A front bumper for motor vehicles comprises a hollow body having at least one frontal inlet aperture acting as an air intake, and two rear end apertures defined by nozzles arranged to direct respective air flows towards the brakes for the front wheels of the vehicle. The cavity within the body also communicates with a rear tubular appendage acting as a duct for conveying an air flow towards the radiator of the vehicle engine.

Abstract: A sliding pane for a motor vehicle window has the corners of its edges intended to face outwardly of the vehicle chamfered to define outer tapered portions which are housed in respective guide channels of the window. This enables the outer surface of the pane contiguous with the chamfers to be coplanar with the outer surface of those parts of the vehicle body defining the window opening, so as to reduce the turbulence arising from discontinuities in the outer surface of the vehicle.