Abstract: A pipe constituted by an inner wall produced with a first high-performance thermoplastic polymeric material having a distortion temperature under load in accordance with standard HDT-A ISO75 of at least 275° C. and an outer wall produced from a second thermoplastic material belonging to the same family of chemical polymers as the high-performance thermoplastic material and coinjected therewith for production of the pipe itself.

Abstract: A fuel injector having a piezoelectric actuator, which activates a shutter to move the shutter in a work direction between a closed position and an open position; the piezoelectric actuator is housed inside a casing having an inner chamber insulated from the fuel, and an outer surface wet by the fuel.

Abstract: A fluid recovery system for an automatic transmission unit of a vehicle, provided with a tank containing a fluid, a hydraulic circuit receiving this fluid from the tank, an electrovalve unit supplied by the hydraulic circuit and adapted to control actuator units in order to actuate the opening and closing of a clutch and to perform the selection and engagement/disengagement of the gears of a gear change, the system comprising at least one collection zone adapted to recover the fluid escaping from the actuator units and at least one duct connecting the collection zone to the tank so that the fluid recovered in the collection zone can be returned to the tank.

Abstract: Fuel injection system of the common rail type provided with a high-pressure pump, which supplies fuel to a common channel that in turn supplies a series of injectors, and with a control unit, which is capable of keeping the pressure of the fuel within the common channel, moment by moment, equal to a desired value that generally varies over time; the control unit is coupled to a device for regulating the flow rate of the high-pressure pump in order to control the flow rate of the high-pressure pump so as to supply the common channel, moment by moment, with the amount of fuel required in order to have the desired value for pressure inside said common channel.

Abstract: The injector has a cylindrical body, which houses an injection nozzle regulated by an injection valve provided with a moveable pin, a fuel supply channel, an injection chamber communicating with the fuel supply channel housing a lower portion of the pin and delimited at the bottom by a valve seat for the injection valve, a control chamber communicating with the fuel supply channel and housing an upper portion of the pin, and a control valve, which is of the poppet type and is actuated by an electromagnetic actuator in order to move between a closed position and an open position, in which it puts the control chamber in communication with a low-pressure fuel exhaust passage.

Abstract: Method for estimating the filling of a cylinder in an internal combustion engine provided with cam stroke variation system. A theoretical induction efficiency which the cylinder would have if it operated with an optimal induction/exhaust timing value is estimated; said theoretical induction efficiency is derated by a correction factor depending on the induction/exhaust timing value actually used to estimate the induction efficiency, which is a standardised measurement of the filling of the cylinder.

Abstract: A control method for an automatic transmission in which a first and a second control system are provided and regulate the transmission ratio respectively in automatic and in manual mode. The method comprises the stages of activating the first control system and automatically setting a transmission ratio, detecting the presence of a manual command from an operator to modify the transmission ratio in use, performing the manual command from the operator by modifying the transmission ratio set automatically, silencing the first control system for a predetermined time interval such that the transmission ratio set following the manual command is not modified following any automatic gear change request from the first control system, and attributing the control of the automatic transmission to the first control system.

Abstract: Method for piloting electromagnetic actuators for the control of the valves of an engine; each electromagnetic actuator is provided with at least one respective electromagnet, which is piloted by a common piloting device by means of the supply of an electric current wave which has two, initial and end control portions in which the intensity of the electric current varies rapidly and an intermediate maintenance portion in which the intensity of the electric current remains substantially constant; the method consists of supplying respective electric current waves cyclically to the electromagnets in order to control the valves according to the drive point, and to vary at a control portion of each wave the value of the intensity of the electric current supplied during the portions of maintenance of the other waves in order to limit the variation of the quantity of electric charge distributed overall by the piloting device.

Abstract: A control method for an electromagnetic actuator for the control of an engine valve in which at least one electromagnet displaces an actuator body under the action of the force of magnetic attraction generated by the electromagnet, the electrical supply of the electromagnet being controlled as a function of an objective value of the magnetic flux circulating in the magnetic circuit formed by the electromagnet and the actuator body.

Abstract: Method for reclosure of the clutch during a change of gear, wherein the clutch is closed in order to adjust the angular speed of the drive shaft to match the angular speed of the primary shaft of the gearbox; the power supply to the engine is stopped, so as not to generate useful torque, the clutch is quickly disposed in a predetermined position, such as to transmit constant torque, which is substantially equal to the drive torque supplied by the engine immediately before the change of gear, and the clutch is kept in the predetermined position, until synchronization of the drive shaft and the primary shaft takes place.

Abstract: Method for restoration of the drive torque during a change of gear, wherein the clutch is closed in order to adjust the angular speed of the drive shaft to match the angular speed of the primary shaft of the gearbox; when the angular speed of the drive shaft is close to the angular speed of the primary shaft of the gearbox, a reference profile is generated for the angular speed of the drive shaft, and the drive torque generated by the engine is controlled in order to make the angular speed of the drive shaft follow the reference profile, which has a final portion which is substantially tangent to the angular speed of the primary shaft of the gearbox.

Abstract: A method of updating the transmissibility function of a clutch during the final stage of a gear change, in which the clutch is closed to cause the angular speed of the drive shaft to equal the angular speed of the primary shaft of the gear change, the engine is set to supply a constant torque, the clutch is disposed in a predetermined position in order to transmit a constant torque greater than the torque supplied by the engine and the actual value of the torque transmitted by the clutch is calculated by subtracting the product of the moment of inertia of the engine and the angular acceleration of the drive shaft from the torque generated by the engine, the actual value of the torque transmitted by the clutch then being used to update the transmissibility function of the clutch.

Abstract: A method for control of an injector in an internal combustion engine in which for a specific engine cycle, a control unit calculates a desired value of the opening time of the injector and forwards this desired value to a drive circuit of the injector, a supervision device calculates an actual value of the opening time of the injector during the injection phase, compares this actual value with the desired value and generates an error signal if the difference between the desired value and the actual value is outside a predetermined acceptability range.

Abstract: Method for estimating the position and the speed of an actuator body in an electromagnetic actuator for controlling a valve of an engine, according to which, starting from a known value for the position and a first moment, a value is calculated at the first moment of the magnetic flux passing through a magnetic circuit constituted by an electromagnet and by the actuator body, the value for the speed at the first moment is estimated as a function of the magnetic flux and the position at the first moment, and the value is calculated at a second moment following the first moment and separated from said first moment by an interval of time determined by adding to the value of the position at the first moment the product of the speed at the first moment for the interval of time.

Abstract: An intake manifold for an internal combustion engine provided with exhaust gas recycling; the intake manifold comprises a tubular member having an inner chamber and has a plurality of intake ducts which extend parallel to and equally spaced from one another from the lateral surface of the tubular member in order to bring the inner chamber into communication with respective cylinders; a support body physically independent from the tubular member houses a recycling duct and is mechanically connected to the tubular member so as to be disposed in the space bounded at the bottom by the intake ducts and laterally by the tubular member.

Abstract: A method for estimating the sulfur content in the fuel of an internal combustion engine equipped with a catalyser; the percentage of sulfur present in the fuel supplied during a specific measurement time interval is estimated by dividing the quantity of sulfur stored in the catalyser during the measurement time interval by the product of a fixed conversion constant and the mass of fuel supplied to the cylinder in the measurement time interval.

Abstract: Device for controlling a clutch, which is connected to an actuator, which can activate the clutch itself; the control device comprises a position sensor, which can detect the position of the clutch, in order to supply a measuring position signal to a main control device, which receives as input information signals, and generates as output a control signal to control the actuator, a monitoring circuit, which can detect a state of malfunctioning of the position sensor, in order to supply a malfunctioning signal, and an auxiliary control device, which can be activated in the presence of a malfunctioning signal, in order to transfer control of the actuator from the main control device to the auxiliary control device.

Abstract: A method and device for driving an injector in an internal combustion engine in which a current wave which is variable over time, which comprises an initial section substantially of a pulse type and having a relatively high current intensity, an intermediate section during which the current intensity is rapidly reduced to substantially zero values and a final section having a substantially constant and relatively low current intensity, is caused to circulate through a control circuit of the injector.

Abstract: Electrohydraulic device for operating an intake or exhaust valve of a combustion engine; the electrohydraulic device comprises a linear hydraulic actuator designed to move the valve axially from a closed position to a maximum opening position, and an electronic control hydraulic distributor designed to regulate the flow of pressurized liquid from and towards the linear hydraulic actuator in order to control movement of the above-mentioned valve between the closed and maximum opening positions; the electronic control hydraulic distributor comprises a slide valve which, by selection, can be set to three positions: a first operating position in which it establishes direct communication between the linear hydraulic actuator and an outlet of the pressurized liquid, a second operating position in which it isolates the linear hydraulic actuator in such a way as to prevent the flow of pressurized liquid from or towards the actuator, and a third operating position which establishes direct communication between the lin

Abstract: A variable-flow high-pressure pump comprising at least one piston mounted to slide axially and in a leak-tight manner within a cylindrical cavity obtained in the body of the pump so as to define a variable-volume pumping chamber adapted to be filled with a fluid, and an intake valve and a delivery valve adapted to enable the one-way flow of the fluid respectively into and out of the pumping chamber, the intake valve being formed by a non-return valve comprising a shutter body which can move to and from a closed position in which it prevents the passage of the fluid via the valve, and an elastic member adapted to maintain the shutter body in the above-mentioned closed position, the high-pressure pump further comprising a hydraulic piston selectively adapted to distance the shutter body from the closed position by overcoming the resistance of the elastic member so as to enable the fluid also to flow freely via the valve in a direction opposite to the normal direction.