Abstract: An electronic control device 1 for controlling a vehicle battery pack 50 is described. The device 1 may be used to control a vehicle battery pack 50 adapted to supply a battery voltage Vb and a battery current Ib through a plurality of battery cells C. The device 1 is adapted to interact with a remote control unit 60 external to the battery pack 50. The device 1 comprises a non-programmable monitoring and actuation unit 2 and a two-way serial communication interface 3. The non-programmable monitoring and actuation unit 2 is electrically and operatively connectable to the battery pack 50 and to each of the battery cells C to detect analogue battery parameters P, comprising at least the magnitudes of battery voltage Vb and battery current Ib, in addition to temperature (Tc1, Tcn), current (Ic1, Icn) and voltage (Vc1, Vcn) of each battery cell C.

Abstract: A solid state relay circuit arrangement for audio signals is described, of the type comprising a first MOSFET and a second MOSFET in a back-to-back configuration, adapted to receive an input signal on the source electrode of the first MOSFET and to take the output signal on the source electrode of the second MOSFET, with a driving voltage being applied to the gate electrodes of said first MOSFET and second MOSFET, apt to change, on the basis of its value, the operational state of said first MOSFET and second MOSFET, According to the invention, each of said first MOSFET and second MOSFET includes a respective bypass capacitor arranged between its source electrode and its gate electrode, having such a capacitance value to determine a bypass path for the input signal from the source electrode to the gate electrode in the operating frequency range of said input signal.

Abstract: A method for controlling an internal-combustion engine comprises steps of: determining a current value of a driving torque requested to the internal-combustion engine and a first time derivative of the current value of the driving torque; comparing the current value of the driving torque and first time derivative with first and second threshold values, respectively; determining a “sport driving” condition only if the current value of the driving torque is higher than the first threshold value and the first time derivative is higher than the second threshold value; and controlling the internal-combustion engine as a function of the “sport driving” condition.

Abstract: A light-guide device has a single piece body including a plurality of light guiding elements joined together by at least one supporting element. An opaque coating is provided on an outer surface of the at least one supporting element, to absorb the light entering into the supporting element from the light-guide elements.

Abstract: A solid state relay circuit arrangement for audio signals is described, of the type comprising a first MOSFET and a second MOSFET in a back-to-back configuration, adapted to receive an input signal on the source electrode of the first MOSFET and to take the output signal on the source electrode of the second MOSFET, with a driving voltage being applied to the gate electrodes of said first MOSFET and second MOSFET, apt to change, on the basis of its value, the operational state of said first MOSFET and second MOSFET, According to the invention, each of said first MOSFET and second MOSFET includes a respective bypass capacitor arranged between its source electrode and its gate electrode, having such a capacitance value to determine a bypass path for the input signal from the source electrode to the gate electrode in the operating frequency range of said input signal.

Abstract: A method for controlling an internal combustion engine comprising a number of cylinders and wherein the air mass trapped in each cylinder is adjusted by means of a respective intake valve by means of an actuation device with variable opening law; the method includes determining the required total target torque to be delivered; determining a number of active cylinders and a number of inactive cylinders; determining the angle for controlling the intake valve of the number of active cylinders and of the number of inactive cylinders, respectively; and controlling the internal combustion engine as a function of the control angle of the intake valves of the number of active cylinders and of the number of inactive cylinders.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fuel injector. The fuel injector is provided with an injection nozzle, an injection valve, and an electromagnetic actuator. The injection valve has a movable needle to adjust the flow of fuel through the injection nozzle. The electromagnetic actuator is adapted to move the needle between a closing position and an opening position of the injection valve and is provided with a movable plunger which is mechanically connected to the needle and has at least one feeding through hole for the passage of fuel towards the injection nozzle. The plunger is provided with a hydraulic type braking device, which is coupled to the feeding hole and hydraulically dissipates kinetic energy to slow down the opening stroke of the needle when the needle moves towards the opening position of the injection valve.

Abstract: A method for detecting the development of detonation phenomena in an internal combustion engine (1) which includes determining the variance (?i) of each combustion taken into account for a given cylinder (2) and in a given engine point as a function of the comparison between the detonation energy (?i) of each combustion taken into account and the self-learnt mean detonation energy (?i_m) for the given cylinder (2) and in the given engine point; calculating the maximum variance (?i_max) for a given cylinder (2) and in a given engine point with a reduction of the spark advance actuated in the given cylinder (2); and determining the development of detonation phenomena for each combustion taken into account as a function of the comparison between the maximum variance (?i_max) and the variance (?i) of each combustion taken into account for a given cylinder (2) and in a given engine point.

Abstract: A method for correcting the reduced mass flow rate of a compressor in an internal combustion engine turbocharged with a turbocharger provided with a turbine and with a compressor; the internal combustion engine including an intake manifold and an exhaust manifold, and being set up to allow the passage of air from the intake manifold to the exhaust manifold; the method including determining, in a design stage, a control law that provides a target opening of a control actuator of the wastegate as a function of an actual supercharging pressure and of a reduced mass flow rate of the compressor; and correcting the reduced mass flow rate of the compressor as a function of the enthalpy of a gas mixture flowing through the turbine of the turbocharger.

Abstract: A method for controlling an internal combustion engine (1) comprising a number (W) of cylinders (3); the control method comprises determining the total target torque (Ci_obj) required to be delivered for the operation of the internal combustion engine (1); determining a number (Wa) of active cylinders (3) to be controlled in use for injection and combustion; while a number (Ws) of cylinders (3) are not active and are not controlled for injection and combustion, but only for aspirating an air mass; determining the required target torque (Ci_obj) to be delivered for the operation of the internal combustion engine (1) for each of the active cylinders (3); and controlling the internal combustion engine (1) as a function of the required target torque (Ci_obj) to be delivered for the operation of the internal combustion engine (1) for each of the active cylinders (3).

Abstract: A led indicator has a bargraph and a lighting device arranged behind the bargraph and provided with a row of LEDs controlled to produce a light bar with a length which is variable as a function of the number of LEDs that are switched on along a lighting sense; the LEDs are arranged between screens, which are spaced apart from the lower surface of the bargraph and extend at least to reach an axis which starts from the immediately preceding led orthogonally to such a lower surface.

Abstract: A discharge device and method actively discharge a main capacitor in an electric-power system of an electric-drive vehicle. The discharge device comprises a discharge branch of a circuit that is connected in parallel to the main capacitor and includes a discharge transistor that is biased to “conduction” mode when the main capacitor is required to be discharged. A control device is connected to a “gate/base” terminal of the discharge transistor and commands the discharge transistor, biasing the discharge resistor to “conduction” mode when the main capacitor is required to be discharged. The control device includes a safety capacitor that is interposed between the “gate/base” terminal and a power supply and charges when the discharge transistor is in the “conduction” mode, causing a progressive decrease of current at the “gate/base” terminal, until the discharge transistor is biased to the “non-conductive” state.

Abstract: A method determines an injection law of a fuel injector to be tested in an injection system and includes steps of: completely interrupting feeding of fuel from a fuel pump to a common rail; avoiding opening of all injectors except for one to be tested; measuring initial pressure of the fuel inside the rail before starting the opening of the injector; opening the injector for consecutive openings with a same test-actuation time; measuring final pressure after ending the opening; determining a pressure drop in the rail during the opening (equal to a difference between the initial and final pressures); estimating, according to the pressure drop, a fuel quantity that is actually injected by the injector when the injector is opened for the time; and causing an internal-combustion engine using the system to rotate by an external actuator during the openings to allow execution of consecutive openings with the same time.

Abstract: A method performs a diagnosis of a lambda sensor of a “UEGO” type of an exhaust system for an internal-combustion engine. The lambda sensor includes a series of pins. The diagnosis method comprises steps of: heating the lambda sensor to cause the lambda sensor to reach an inner temperature that is higher than about 600° C.; polarizing a first one of the pins by connecting the first pin to a supply voltage through a first limiting resistance; measuring a voltage of all of the pins while the first pin is connected to the supply voltage; and diagnosing a presence of a short circuit to an electrical ground if the voltage of at least one of the pins is lower than a predetermined threshold. A control unit performs the diagnosis.

Abstract: A fuel pump for a direct injection system provided with a common rail; the fuel pump has: at least one pumping chamber defined in a main body; a piston which 5 is mounted sliding inside the pumping chamber; a suction channel connected to the pumping chamber and regulated by a suction valve; a delivery channel connected to the pumping chamber and regulated by a delivery valve; and a high pressure connection, which is welded by a ring weld 10 to a wall of the main body at the delivery channel, has the function of allowing a connection to a supply duct that feeds the fuel under pressure to the common rail, and has internally a passing through channel through which the fuel coming from the delivery channel flows 15 towards the supply duct.

Abstract: A discharge device actively discharges a main capacitor in an electric-power system of an electric-drive vehicle and comprises a discharge branch of a circuit connected in parallel to the capacitor and including a discharge transistor biased to “conduction” mode when the capacitor must be discharged. A control device is connected to a “gate/base” terminal of and controls the transistor, biasing the transistor to the mode when the capacitor is required to fee discharged. A control transistor maintains the discharge transistor in a “non-conductive” state when the control transistor is in the mode. The control transistor is in the state for the discharge transistor to be in the mode. A safety capacitor is interposed between the terminal and a power supply and charges when the discharge transistor is in the mode, causing a progressive decrease of current at the terminal, until the discharge transistor is biased to the state.

Abstract: A method detects a “misfire” condition in an internal-combustion engine including a control unit, a driving shaft and phonic wheel that is splined to the shaft and coupled to a sensor. The method comprises steps of: detecting intensity of a signal generated by passage of teeth of the wheel by the sensor, sampling the signal generated by the passage of the teeth, processing the sampled signal by applying a discrete Fourier transform, representing the sampled signal processed by a virtual phasor that represents in a vector form the signal that has been sampled and processed, determining a corresponding theoretical phasor for the virtual phasor that represents theoretical evolution of the signal that has been sampled and processed over time, comparing the theoretical phasor with the virtual phasor, and determining presence of a “misfire” condition by comparing the theoretical phasor with the virtual phasor that represents the signal that has been sampled and processed.

Abstract: A method of controlling an internal combustion engine supercharged by a turbosupercharger having a turbine and a compressor; the control method including the steps of: determining, in a reduced mass flow/compression ratio graph, at least one limit operation curve of the compressor representing a limit of the operating range of the compressor; controlling the turbosupercharger to keep the actual reduced mass flow and actual compression ratio of the compressor within the limit defined by the limit operation curve of the compressor; determining an index as a function of the dynamics of the reduced mass flow of the compressor; and modifying the limit operation curve of the compressor as a function of the index.

Abstract: A method for building a magnetic core including laminations bound into packs for an electrical machine comprises steps of: stacking a group of laminations one on top of the other to build the core; binding into a pack the group building the core by locking members that axially compress the group with a predetermined clamping force; pre-compressing, before clamping the pack by the locking members, the group by a pre-compression press that is independent and separate from the locking members; measuring an axial length of the group while the group is being compressed by the pre-compression press; initially forming the group with a normally lacking number of laminations to initially have the measured length that is lower than or substantially equal to a desired length; and adding, after having completed pre-compression, an additional number of laminations to the group determined according to a difference between the desired and measured lengths.

Abstract: A connection system establishes an electrical connection between an electrical device and at least one pair of cables each of which ends with a cable terminal. The connection system comprises a fixed part including a support base adapted to be rigidly fitted to a wall of the electrical device and, for each cable, a connection screw protruding from the support base and electrically connectable to the electrical device. A mobile part includes a perimeter frame adapted to be mechanically fitted to the support base and having a passage wall defining, for each cable, a passage-through hole through which an end part of the cable passes so that the corresponding cable terminal is disposed inside the perimeter frame and aligned with the respective connection screw when the perimeter frame is mechanically fitted to the support base.