Abstract: A powertrain control system for management and supervision of engine and servo-assisted gearbox control modules is arranged for determining the power to be applied to the drive wheels of the vehicle as a function of signals indicative of commands imparted by the driver, of the engine and gearbox state parameters and of possible requirements from the engine and gearbox control modules and supplementary on board vehicle traction/drive control systems; calculating data indicative of the torque to be delivered at the engine drive shaft, the torque transmissible by the clutch and the required transmission ratio, as a function of the determined value of the power to be applied to the drive wheels, of the state parameters and of the requirements of the engine and gearbox control modules and the traction/drive control systems; and transmitting the calculated data as signals to the engine and gearbox control modules.

Abstract: A powertrain control system is described for a motor vehicle provided with at least one engine and a gearbox of servo-assisted type, connectable to the drive shaft of the engine (ICE) via at least one servo-controlled clutch, to which are associated respective control modules arranged to perform an automatic control procedure for control of the traction as a function of signals or data indicative of commands imparted by a motor vehicle driver, and predetermined state parameters of the engine and the gearbox; the system including a module for management and supervision of the said control modules, arranged to manage the powertrain of the vehicle, and in particular to: determine in a predetermined manner, the power to be applied to the drive wheels of the vehicle as a function of signals or data indicative of commands imparted by the driver, of state parameters and of possible requirements from the control modules and/or supplementary on board vehicle traction/drive control systems; calculate, as a function of

Abstract: In a fuel feeding system for an internal combustion engine adapted to selectively operate with gasoline or with a gas, such as LPG or methane, the engine is compelled to restart automatically in the gasoline mode after a stop during which the gas reservoir has been filled.

Abstract: A control system for an engine adapted to operate either with gasoline injection or with methane or LPG injection, comprises a main electronic control unit (3) for controlling the gasoline injectors (1) and the ignition system (5) and an auxiliary electronic control unit (6) for controlling the mode of operation of the engine and the methane or LPG injectors (2). The auxiliary control unit (6) is further adapted to modify signals (9) representative of the angular position of the engine shaft which are to be sent to the main electronic control unit (3) in order to obtain an ignition adapted to the mode of operation with methane or LPG.

Abstract: A system for measuring the efficiency of a motor vehicle catalytic converter through which gas flow passes. Two sensors monitor the gas conditions upstream and downstream of the catalytic converter and provide output signals to a microprocessor having dual input channels. The sensors may be lambda sensors. Each input channel leads to integration paths which receive the output from the sensors and calculate a variable average. The variable average is sent sequentially to a difference calculating node, a squaring node, and an integration module. The integration module sums intermediate signals over a period of time and generates output signals. The output signals are compared to each other and to reference values to determine if the catalytic converter is operating efficiently. A method of determining the efficiency of the catalytic converter using the aforementioned system is also provided.

Abstract: A system for controlling the fuel delivery of an electronic injection system, whereby a processing unit determines the amount of fuel to be injected for achieving a substantially correct stoichiometric air/fuel ratio; which value is subsequently corrected by a coefficient calculated by integrating a signal comprising a signal supplied by a sensor located in the exhaust manifold of the engine and presenting a transfer function comprising a nonlinear characteristic and a delay seriously affecting system response. The system also comprises a processing unit for simulating the transfer function of the engine-sensor system and generating a signal simulating the signal actually produced by the sensor but minus the delay introduced by the sensor and the system; which signal is used for producing a correction signal which is added to the signal generated by the sensor for compensating the delay and so improving the dynamic response of the system as a whole.