Patents by Inventor Ferdinando De Cristoforo

Ferdinando De Cristoforo has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Internal-combustion engine with variable actuation of the intake valves and self-adaptive control of the air-fuel ratio with supervision of the control functions
    Patent number: 8145405
    Abstract: An internal-combustion engine for motor vehicles, for example a petrol-fuelled engine or a gas-fuelled engine, is provided with an electronically controlled hydraulic system for variable actuation of the intake valves. The system of variable actuation of the intake valves is governed by an electronic control unit that is programmed for performing at least once, at the start of the life of the engine, an activity of supervision of the functions of self-adaptive control of the air-fuel ratio. The supervision activity is based upon identification of a constant ratio between a delta in the value of the crank angle used by the electronic control unit and the error in the estimation of the air-fuel ratio by the electronic control unit when the system of actuation of the intake valves operates in late-opening mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.
    Inventors: Ferdinando De Cristoforo, Fabio Garofalo, Eduardo Sepe, Domenico Tavella
  • INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH VARIABLE ACTUATION OF THE INTAKE VALVES AND SELF-ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF THE AIR-FUEL RATIO WITH SUPERVISION OF THE CONTROL FUNCTIONS
    Publication number: 20100168987
    Abstract: An internal-combustion engine for motor vehicles, for example a petrol-fuelled engine or a gas-fuelled engine, is provided with an electronically controlled hydraulic system for variable actuation of the intake valves. The system of variable actuation of the intake valves is governed by an electronic control unit that is programmed for performing at least once, at the start of the life of the engine, an activity of supervision of the functions of self-adaptive control of the air-fuel ratio. The supervision activity is based upon identification of a constant ratio between a delta in the value of the crank angle used by the electronic control unit and the error in the estimation of the air-fuel ratio by the electronic control unit when the system of actuation of the intake valves operates in late-opening mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Inventors: Ferdinando DE CRISTOFORO, Fabio Garofalo, Eduardo Sepe, Domenico Tavella