Abstract: A method for estimating damping characteristics of shock absorbers in an active or semi-active suspension involves providing a reference model of a nominal relation between a road severity index related to vertical acceleration values, and the mean driving current of the control valves of the shock absorbers, acquiring respective relative acceleration or speed data of at least the front wheels of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle body, determining a value of the road severity index starting from relative acceleration or speed data of the front wheels of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle body, acquiring values representative of the mean driving current of the control valve of each shock absorber, comparing acquired value of the mean driving current with an expected value of the nominal mean driving current determined as a function of the road severity index according to the reference model, and determining a degradation condition if the acquired value does not correspond to the expected value.

Abstract: A monitoring system is disclosed for automatically estimating and monitoring the alignment of tracks of a track-type vehicle. The track-type vehicle includes an undercarriage and two tracks. Each track includes a chain with a plurality of chain links and articulated joints. The monitoring system includes at least one undercarriage sensor fixable on the undercarriage, at least one chain sensor fixable on the chain of each of the two tracks, and a processor configured to combine the detections of the sensors to determine the alignment direction of the tracks and to compare the determined direction with a reference alignment direction.

Abstract: A monitoring system is disclosed for automatically estimating and monitoring the alignment of tracks of a track-type vehicle. The track-type vehicle includes an undercarriage and two tracks. Each track includes a chain with a plurality of chain links and articulated joints. The monitoring system includes at least one undercarriage sensor fixable on the undercarriage, at least one chain sensor fixable on the chain of each of the two tracks, and a processor configured to combine the detections of the sensors to determine the alignment direction of the tracks and to compare the determined direction with a reference alignment direction.

Abstract: The invention proposes a guiding structure capable of transforming a lightwave with at least one central wavelength &lgr;i with a Gaussian type propagation mode profile coming out of the introduction means into a widened type propagation mode profile, this structure comprising: