Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders and with a servo-assisted transmission. The control method comprises the steps of: establishing a minimum spark advance which should not be exceeded in order to avoid the risk of knocking or spontaneous ignitions of the mixture; temporarily reducing, during a gear shift in the servo-assisted transmission, a torque generated by the internal combustion engine by setting an actual spark advance, which is smaller than the minimum spark advance, for one single thermodynamic cycle of each cylinder; and cancelling the injection of fuel into each cylinder in the thermodynamic cycle immediately following the thermodynamic cycle carried out with an actual spark advance smaller than the minimum spark advance.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders and with a servo-assisted transmission. The control method comprises the steps of: establishing a minimum spark advance which should not be exceeded in order to avoid the risk of knocking or spontaneous ignitions of the mixture; temporarily reducing, during a gear shift in the servo-assisted transmission, a torque generated by the internal combustion engine by setting an actual spark advance, which is smaller than the minimum spark advance, for one single thermodynamic cycle of each cylinder; and cancelling the injection of fuel into each cylinder in the thermodynamic cycle immediately following the thermodynamic cycle carried out with an actual spark advance smaller than the minimum spark advance.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle during a slip of the drive wheels and having the steps of: detecting a slip of at least one drive wheel; and controlling, only during a slip of at least one drive wheel, a driving unit of the road vehicle with a signalling law so as to obtain a cyclic operating irregularity, which generates an abnormal vibration and/or an abnormal noise.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle during a slip of the drive wheels, which are caused to rotate by an internal combustion engine provided with a plurality of cylinders arranged in two banks, and with a plurality of fuel injectors each injecting fuel into a corresponding cylinder. The control method comprises the steps of: detecting a slip of at least one drive wheel; and controlling the internal combustion engine, only during a slip of at least one drive wheel, with a signalling law, which causes the internal combustion engine to work in an abnormal manner so as to generate an abnormal vibration and/or an abnormal noise, which can be perceived by the driver. The internal combustion engine has two twin control units, each of which is associated with a corresponding bank, controls all and the sole injectors of its own bank and actuates the signalling law completely independently of and autonomously from the other control unit.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle during a slip of the drive wheels and having the steps of: detecting a slip of at least one drive wheel; and controlling, only during a slip of at least one drive wheel, a driving unit of the road vehicle with a signalling law so as to obtain a cyclic operating irregularity, which generates an abnormal vibration and/or an abnormal noise.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle during a slip of the drive wheels, which are caused to rotate by an internal combustion engine provided with a plurality of cylinders arranged in two banks, and with a plurality of fuel injectors each injecting fuel into a corresponding cylinder. The control method comprises the steps of: detecting a slip of at least one drive wheel; and controlling the internal combustion engine, only during a slip of at least one drive wheel, with a signalling law, which causes the internal combustion engine to work in an abnormal manner so as to generate an abnormal vibration and/or an abnormal noise, which can be perceived by the driver. The internal combustion engine has two twin control units, each of which is associated with a corresponding bank, controls all and the sole injectors of its own bank and actuates the signalling law completely independently of and autonomously from the other control unit.

Abstract: A method to control the execution of a shift to a lower gear while an accelerator pedal is released in a drivetrain provided with a dual-clutch, servo-assisted transmission; the control method comprises the following steps: opening, in a first instant, an outgoing clutch; closing, in the first instant, an incoming clutch; completing the opening of the outgoing clutch and the closing of the incoming clutch in a second instant; synchronizing, between the second instant and a third instant, a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine with a rotation speed of the incoming clutch; and controlling the incoming clutch between the second instant and the third instant so as to have the incoming clutch temporarily transmit a greater torque than the torque that the clutch is going to transmit immediately after the shift to a lower gear and than the torque that the outgoing clutch transmitted immediately before the shift to a lower gear.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with a clutch, which connects an internal combustion engine to drive wheels and is arranged upstream of a servo-assisted transmission; the control method comprises the steps of: checking whether the tyres of the drive wheels are close to a grip limit; and opening the clutch so that the clutch transmits a torque to the drive wheels with a slip of the clutch that is constant and other than zero when the tyres of the drive wheels are close to the grip limit.

Abstract: A method to control the execution of a shift to a higher gear with a released accelerator pedal in a drivetrain provided with a dual-clutch, servo-assisted transmission, comprising the steps of: opening, in a first instant, an outgoing clutch; closing, in the first instant, an incoming clutch; synchronizing, between a second instant and a third instant, a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine with a rotation speed of the incoming clutch, namely with the rotation speed imposed by the gear ratio of the following gear; completely opening, in the third instant, the outgoing clutch; completely closing, in the third instant, the incoming clutch; keeping the torque transmitted by the outgoing clutch constant between the second instant and a fourth instant; and keeping the torque transmitted by the incoming clutch constant between the second instant and the fourth instant.

Abstract: A method to automatically control a drivetrain provided with a servo-assisted transmission; the method presents the steps of: measuring a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine; carrying out a downshift to a lower gear in an autonomous manner, when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine reaches a lower threshold; carrying out an upshift to a higher gear in an autonomous manner, when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine reaches an upper threshold; detecting a release of an accelerator pedal in a first instant; waiting, starting from the first instant, a time interval until a second instant, which is subsequent to the first instant; and increasing a value of the lower threshold starting from the second instant until a following pressing of the accelerator pedal, if in the second instant the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine still exceeds the lower threshold.

Abstract: A method to control the execution of a shift to a lower gear with a released accelerator pedal in a drivetrain provided with a dual-clutch, servo-assisted transmission; the following steps are provided: opening, in a first instant, an outgoing clutch; closing, in the first instant, an incoming clutch; completing the opening of the outgoing clutch with a first linear ramp in a second instant; synchronizing, between the second instant and a third instant, a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine with a rotation speed of the incoming clutch; closing of the incoming clutch with a second linear ramp starting from a fourth instant, which is prior to or coincides with the second instant; completing the closing of the incoming clutch in a fifth instant, which coincides with or is subsequent to the second instant; and activating the internal combustion engine so as to generate a torque between the fourth instant and the third instant.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with a servo-assisted transmission during a slowing down phase; the control method generally includes, when the servo-assisted transmission is in an automatic operating mode, the steps of: calculating, assuming that a pressing of the brake pedal remains constant, an opening time interval needed to allow the road vehicle to reach an opening speed at which a clutch of the servo-assisted transmission is definitively opened; calculating a number of downshifts that can be carried out in the opening time interval based on a time needed to carry out a downshift; scheduling the downshifts to be carried out in order to get from the current gear engaged in the servo-assisted transmission to an opening gear with which the clutch of the servo-assisted transmission is definitively opened, so as to carry out no more than the number of downshifts that can be carried out in the opening time interval; and carrying out the scheduled downshifts.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle for the execution of a standing start; the control method comprises the steps of: engaging a gear in a transmission while a corresponding clutch is open; progressively closing the clutch causing the clutch to transmit a torque that causes the rotation of at least a pair of drive wheels; determining a target slip of the drive wheels; cyclically determining a real slip of the of the drive wheels; and continuously modulating the torque transmitted by the clutch during the closing of the clutch based of a difference between the target slip of the drive wheels and the real slip of the of the drive wheels.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle for the execution of a multiple downshift in a drivetrain provided with a servo-assisted transmission; the control method comprises the steps of: detecting a condition of slowing down of the road vehicle and, simultaneously, detecting a driver's request for a multiple downshift; carrying out, in succession, a plurality of downshifts while the road vehicle is slowing down and in an autonomous manner regardless of further interventions of the driver; determining a duration of a shift time interval; and carrying out each downshift following a first downshift when said shift time interval has exactly elapsed since the previous downshift.

Abstract: A method for limiting a revolution speed of an internal combustion engine (E) of a sports car, the method comprising a first step (Step 1) of acquiring a nominal speed value of said internal combustion engine, a second step (Step 2) of measuring a revolution speed of said internal combustion engine, when (CHK) a measured revolution speed of said internal combustion engine has reached (yes) an activation speed approximately equal to said nominal speed, the method comprising a third step (Step 3) of setting a predetermined initial torque value (a) to be delivered by said internal combustion engine and simultaneously a fourth step (Step 4) of carrying out a feedback control of a torque delivery of said internal combustion engine.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with a dual-clutch, servo-assisted transmission and standing still with the internal combustion engine turned on; the control method generally includes, when the road vehicle is standing still with the internal combustion engine turned on, the steps of: engaging a forward gear associated with a first clutch; engaging a reverse gear associated with a second clutch, which is different from and independent of the first clutch; closing the first clutch so as to cause the first clutch to transmit a first torque; and closing the second clutch so as to cause the second clutch to transmit a second torque, which is equal to the first torque multiplied by the quotient between a gear ratio of the reverse gear and a gear ratio of the forward gear.

Abstract: A method to control the execution of a shift to a lower gear while an accelerator pedal is released in a drivetrain provided with a dual-clutch, servo-assisted transmission; the control method comprises the following steps: opening, in a first instant, an outgoing clutch; closing, in the first instant, an incoming clutch; completing the opening of the outgoing clutch and the closing of the incoming clutch in a second instant; synchronizing, between the second instant and a third instant, a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine with a rotation speed of the incoming clutch; and controlling the incoming clutch between the second instant and the third instant so as to have the incoming clutch temporarily transmit a greater torque than the torque that the clutch is going to transmit immediately after the shift to a lower gear and than the torque that the outgoing clutch transmitted immediately before the shift to a lower gear.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with a clutch, which connects an internal combustion engine to drive wheels and is arranged upstream of a servo-assisted transmission; the control method comprises the steps of: checking whether the tyres of the drive wheels are close to a grip limit; and opening the clutch so that the clutch transmits a torque to the drive wheels with a slip of the clutch that is constant and other than zero when the tyres of the drive wheels are close to the grip limit.

Abstract: A method to control a road vehicle provided with a dual-clutch, servo-assisted transmission and standing still with the internal combustion engine turned on; the control method comprises, when the road vehicle is standing still with the internal combustion engine turned on, the steps of: engaging a forward gear associated with a first clutch; engaging a reverse gear associated with a second clutch, which is different from and independent of the first clutch; closing the first clutch so as to cause the first clutch to transmit a first torque; and closing the second clutch so as to cause the second clutch to transmit a second torque, which is equal to the first torque multiplied by the quotient between a gear ratio of the reverse gear and a gear ratio of the forward gear.

Abstract: A method to automatically control a drivetrain provided with a servo-assisted transmission; the method comprises the steps of: measuring a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine; carrying out a shift to a lower gear in an autonomous manner and independently of an intervention of a driver, when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine reaches a lower threshold; carrying out a shift to a higher gear in an autonomous manner and independently of an intervention of the driver, when the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine reaches an upper threshold; detecting a release of an accelerator pedal in a first instant; waiting, starting from the first instant, a time interval until a second instant, which is subsequent to the first instant; and increasing a value of the lower threshold starting from the instant until a following pressing of the accelerator pedal.