Abstract: A pre-chamber ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising an apparatus body associable with the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine for communicating with a combustion chamber of the cylinder head through at least one connection hole, a microwave ignition device for generating microwaves to cause ignition of an air/fuel mixture in a pre-chamber formed within the apparatus body. The apparatus body comprises an upstream portion configured to allow the housing and fixing of the microwave ignition device and a hollow downstream or head portion, delimiting the pre-chamber, in fluid communication with the combustion chamber. The downstream portion is provided with at least one connection hole.

Abstract: A method to control an internal combustion engine having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; an oxygen sensor housed along the exhaust duct and arranged upstream of said at least one catalytic converter; and a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct upstream of the oxygen sensor the method provides the steps of calculating the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter obtained with an objective value of the air/fuel ratio value; and determining both the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner to obtain the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter.

Abstract: A method to control an internal combustion engine having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; an oxygen sensor housed along the exhaust duct and arranged upstream of said at least one catalytic converter; and a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct upstream of the oxygen sensor the method provides the steps of identifying the operation phases in which the internal combustion engine is turned off and the burner is turned on so that the oxygen sensor is exclusively hit by the exhaust gases produced by the burner; acquiring the signal generated by the oxygen sensor; and using the signal generated by the oxygen sensor to determine the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner.

Abstract: A method to control a burner for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine with an exhaust gas after-treatment system including at least one catalytic converter. The method provides the steps of calculating the thermal power needed to reach the nominal operating temperature of the at least one catalytic converter and determining an actual number of revolutions with which to operate a fresh air pumping device based on the sum of a nominal number of revolutions, a closed-loop contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the fresh air pumping device, and a further contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the fresh air pumping device in order to ensure optimal thermal power exiting the burner.

Abstract: A method to estimate the temperature of an electromagnetic actuator, which entails a preliminary step in which to define a first threshold value for the current or for the voltage; and define a characteristic curve of the actuator family in the plane temperature/time needed to reach the threshold value; a step in which to carry out a reference measurement, in which, using the characteristic curve, a reference time needed by the electromagnetic actuator to reach the first threshold value is associated with a known reference temperature; and a step in which to carry out a series of measurements in which to determine the time needed by the electromagnetic actuator to reach the first threshold value, calculate the deviation between the time needed by the electromagnetic actuator to reach the first threshold value and the reference time; and determine the temperature of the electromagnetic actuator, using the characteristic curve, by associating the temperature of the electromagnetic actuator with the sum of the d

Abstract: A method to control the combustion of an internal combustion engine, which comprises determining a combustion model, which provides a spark advance depending on an objective value of the rate of water to be injected, on the rotation speed, on the intake efficiency and on an open-loop contribution of a combustion index; calculating a first closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on the combustion index; calculating a second closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on a quantity indicating the knocking energy; and calculating the objective value of the spark advance angle to be operated through the sum of the spark advance value provided by the combustion model and of the first closed-loop contribution or, alternatively, of the second closed-loop contribution.

Abstract: A method to control an internal combustion engine having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; an oxygen sensor housed along the exhaust duct and arranged upstream of said at least one catalytic converter; and a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct upstream of the oxygen sensor the method provides the steps of identifying the operation phases in which the internal combustion engine is turned off and the burner is turned on so that the oxygen sensor is exclusively hit by the exhaust gases produced by the burner; acquiring the signal generated by the oxygen sensor; and using the signal generated by the oxygen sensor to determine the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner.

Abstract: A method to control an internal combustion engine provided with an exhaust system for the exhaust gases of a vehicle having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct to speed up the heating of said at least one catalytic converter, wherein a combustion chamber is defined inside the burner which receives fuel from an injector, designed to inject the fuel inside the combustion chamber and the fresh air by means of an air feeding circuit provided with a pumping device that feeds the air, a shut-off valve arranged upstream of the burner and a mass air flow sensor interposed between the pumping device and the shut-off valve; the method provides the following steps: calculating the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter; determining the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner to ob

Abstract: A method to control an internal combustion engine having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; an oxygen sensor housed along the exhaust duct and arranged upstream of said at least one catalytic converter; and a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct upstream of the oxygen sensor the method provides the steps of calculating the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter obtained with an objective value of the air/fuel ratio value; and determining both the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner to obtain the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for a spark-ignition internal combustion engine having a number of cylinders, where a plurality of respective main combustion chambers are defined; a number of first injectors and spark plugs coupled to the cylinders; a number of combustion pre-chambers, each obtained in the area of a respective spark plug; a number of extraction ducts, which originate from a respective cylinder to extract the gas mixture present inside the respective main combustion chamber; a reserve, where the gases extracted by the extraction ducts are mixed with the quantity of fuel needed to obtain a combustion under stoichiometric conditions inside the combustion pre-chambers; and a number of second injectors, each coupled to a respective combustion pre-chamber, into which it injects the gas-and-fuel mixture coming from the reserve.

Abstract: A method to estimate the temperature of an electromagnetic actuator, which entails a preliminary step in which to define a first threshold value for the current or for the voltage; and define a characteristic curve of the actuator family in the plane temperature/time needed to reach the threshold value; a step in which to carry out a reference measurement, in which, using the characteristic curve, a reference time needed by the electromagnetic actuator to reach the first threshold value is associated with a known reference temperature; and a step in which to carry out a series of measurements in which to determine the time needed by the electromagnetic actuator to reach the first threshold value, calculate the deviation between the time needed by the electromagnetic actuator to reach the first threshold value and the reference time; and determine the temperature of the electromagnetic actuator, using the characteristic curve, by associating the temperature of the electromagnetic actuator with the sum of the d

Abstract: An adsorption system for the production of demineralized water aboard a motor vehicle comprising: a condenser, an evaporator, a first and a second adsorbent bed, each containing adsorbent material. Each adsorbent bed is selectively connectable to the condenser and/or the evaporator by pipes provided with at least one control valve. Each adsorbent bed is selectively and alternately connectable to a supply circuit of a heating source and to a supply circuit of a cooling source via supply valves. The condenser is directly and selectively connectable to the evaporator by a direct branch provided with a relative throttle valve, An inlet valve is arranged along an air inlet branch, and selectively establishes a fluid connection between the air of the environment outside the system and the adsorbent beds, so as to capture water from the external air through an adsorption phenomenon performed by the adsorbent beds and to produce water.

Abstract: A method to control the combustion of an internal combustion engine, which comprises determining a combustion model, which provides a spark advance depending on an objective value of the rate of water to be injected, on the rotation speed, on the intake efficiency and on an open-loop contribution of a combustion index; calculating a first closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on the combustion index; calculating a second closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on a quantity indicating the knocking energy; and calculating the objective value of the spark advance angle to be operated through the sum of the spark advance value provided by the combustion model and of the first closed-loop contribution or, alternatively, of the second closed-loop contribution.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for a spark-ignition internal combustion engine having a number of cylinders, where a plurality of respective main combustion chambers are defined; a number of first injectors and spark plugs coupled to the cylinders; a number of combustion pre-chambers, each obtained in the area of a respective spark plug; a number of extraction ducts, which originate from a respective cylinder to extract the gas mixture present inside the respective main combustion chamber; a reserve, where the gases extracted by the extraction ducts are mixed with the quantity of fuel needed to obtain a combustion under stoichiometric conditions inside the combustion pre-chambers; and a number of second injectors, each coupled to a respective combustion pre-chamber, into which it injects the gas-and-fuel mixture coming from the reserve.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method to control a fuel pump for a direct injection system of a heat engine provided with a common rail comprising the steps of determining a minimum threshold based on the pressure in the common rail and on the speed of the heat engine, on the temperature of the high-pressure pump and on the inlet pressure of the high-pressure pump; calculating the objective fuel flow rate to be fed by the high-pressure pump to the common rail instant by instant in order to have the desired pressure value inside the common rail; comparing the objective fuel flow rate with the minimum threshold; and controlling the high-pressure pump based on the comparison between the objective fuel flow rate and the minimum threshold.

Abstract: A method to control the combustion of an internal combustion engine comprising determining a combustion model providing a spark advance value depending on an objective value of a quantity representing the incidence of a low-pressure EGR circuit, of the rotation speed, of the intake efficiency and of an open-loop contribution of a combustion index; calculating a first closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on the combustion index; calculating a second closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on a quantity indicating the knocking energy; and calculating the objective value of the spark advance angle to be operated through the sum of the spark advance value provided by the combustion model and of the first closed-loop contribution or, alternatively, of the second closed-loop contribution.

Abstract: A piston pump for feeding a liquid in a vehicle having at least one piston, which is configured to cyclically slide inside a housing between a top dead centre and a bottom dead centre. The liquid is usually fed along a main feeding direction from a suction duct to a delivery duct. The piston pump has two solenoid valves, which are each arranged in the suction duct and in the delivery duct, respectively, and are designed to be operated by an electronic control unit so as to reverse the liquid feeding direction from the main feeding direction to a secondary feeding direction opposite the main liquid feeding direction and/or so as to adjust the cylinder capacity of the piston pump. The piston is operated by an electromechanical actuator, in particular comprising an electromagnet.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method to control a fuel pump for a direct injection system of a heat engine provided with a common rail comprising the steps of determining a minimum threshold based on the pressure in the common rail and on the speed of the heat engine, on the temperature of the high-pressure pump and on the inlet pressure of the high-pressure pump; calculating the objective fuel flow rate to be fed by the high-pressure pump to the common rail instant by instant in order to have the desired pressure value inside the common rail; comparing the objective fuel flow rate with the minimum threshold; and controlling the high-pressure pump based on the comparison between the objective fuel flow rate and the minimum threshold.

Abstract: A method to control the combustion of an internal combustion engine comprising determining a combustion model providing a spark advance value depending on an objective value of a quantity representing the incidence of a low-pressure EGR circuit, of the rotation speed, of the intake efficiency and of an open-loop contribution of a combustion index; calculating a first closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on the combustion index; calculating a second closed-loop contribution of the spark advance depending on a quantity indicating the knocking energy; and calculating the objective value of the spark advance angle to be operated through the sum of the spark advance value provided by the combustion model and of the first closed-loop contribution or, alternatively, of the second closed-loop contribution.

Abstract: An adsorption system for the production of demineralized water aboard a motor vehicle comprising: a condenser, an evaporator, a first and a second adsorbent bed, each containing adsorbent material. Each adsorbent bed is selectively connectable to the condenser and/or the evaporator by pipes provided with at least one control valve. Each adsorbent bed is selectively and alternately connectable to a supply circuit of a heating source and to a supply circuit of a cooling source via supply valves. The condenser is directly and selectively connectable to the evaporator by a direct branch provided with a relative throttle valve, An inlet valve is arranged along an air inlet branch, and selectively establishes a fluid connection between the air of the environment outside the system and the adsorbent beds, so as to capture water from the external air through an adsorption phenomenon performed by the adsorbent beds and to produce water.