Abstract:
A GPL fuel system for an internal combustion engine, including a GPL fuel tank and a pump immersed in the fuel tank and driven by an electric motor, the pump being kept constantly running when the temperature is below 0null C. or above 80null C., whilst the supply voltage of the electric motor driving the pump is chopper-controlled when the temperature is between the two said values.
Abstract:
A vehicle headlamp comprising two glass panes carrying an array of micro-lenses that can be moved relative to each other both along the optical axis of the headlamp and along a direction orthogonal to the optical axis. These movements are controlled via a number of shape memory actuators.
Abstract:
In an internal-combustion engine with a hydraulic system for variable operation of the engine valves, there is envisaged at least one supplementary reservoir bled off to the atmosphere, communicating with the low-pressure circuit for compensating for the variations in volume of the hydraulic fluid that derive from the variations in temperature and for thus preventing air bubbles from forming in the circuit.
Abstract:
The user interface has a display unit for displaying user-activatable functions, and a selecting and activating device for selecting and activating the functions and operating according to a selection scheme having four selection directions arranged in the form of a cross. The display unit has four display sectors for displaying respective functions, and which are selected by operating the selecting and activating device in the aforementioned selection directions, and are also arranged in the form of a cross corresponding with that of the selection directions.
Abstract:
An actuator device for a control valve is described and comprises a piezoelectric actuating member for bringing about the movement of a closure member of the valve between an open position and a closure position; the member has a reference portion for connection to a fixed portion of the device and a free portion for connection to the closure member, the free portion being movable relative to the reference portion as a result of mechanical deformations produced in the actuating member by the piezoelectric effect. The reference portion of the actuating member is controllable selectively between a condition in which it is locked in a reference position and is fixed firmly to the fixed portion of the device, and a free condition in which it is movable relative to the fixed portion.
Abstract:
An automotive electronic lateral dynamics control system of an autonomous motor vehicle, comprising a lateral driving path planner designed to plan a lateral driving path of the autonomous motor vehicle and defined by a reference curvature of the autonomous motor vehicle; an automotive electronic driving stability control system designed to control an automotive braking system to apply to the autonomous motor vehicle a yaw torque to hinder a driving instability condition of the autonomous motor vehicle; and an automotive electronic steering control system designed to control an automotive steering system to apply to the autonomous motor vehicle a steering angle or torque to cause the autonomous motor vehicle to follow the lateral driving path planned by the lateral driving path planner. The automotive electronic lateral dynamics control system is designed to cause an intervention of the automotive electronic steering control system to take account of an intervention of the automotive electronic driving stability control system.
Abstract:
ADAS designed to assist a driver of a motor-vehicle in low meteorological visibility conditions, in particular with fog, comprising a sensory system comprising a front vision system arranged on the motor-vehicle to monitor an environment in front of the motor-vehicle and comprising one or different first front cameras designed to operate in the electromagnetic spectrum visible to the human eye, and one or different second front cameras designed to operate in the electromagnetic spectrum invisible to the human eye; and electronic processing resources communicatively coupled to the sensory system to receive and process outputs of one or more of the automotive front cameras to determine a meteorological visibility in front of the motor-vehicle and assist the driver of the motor-vehicle based on the meteorological visibility in front of the motor-vehicle. Assisting the driver of the motor-vehicle comprises differentially controlling operation(s) of one or different automotive systems comprising an external lighting system, a user interface, and a cruise control system based on the meteorological visibility in front of the motor-vehicle. Assisting the driver of the motor-vehicle further comprises visually assisting the driver of the motor-vehicle via the user interface by displaying on at least one automotive display thereof either a video streaming of an automotive front camera or a virtual depiction of an environment in front of or surrounding the motor-vehicle computed based on information from the sensory system.
Abstract:
An advanced driver assistance system configured to implement one or more automotive V2V applications designed to assist a driver in driving a Host Motor-Vehicle. The advanced driver assistance system is configured to be connectable to an automotive on-board communication network to communicate with automotive on-board systems to implement one or different automotive functionalities aimed at assisting the driver in driving the Host Motor-Vehicle, controlling the Host Motor-Vehicle, and informing the driver of the Host Motor-Vehicle of the presence of Relevant Motor-Vehicles deemed to be relevant to the driving safety of the Host Motor-Vehicle. The advanced driver assistance system comprises an automotive V2V communication system operable to communicate with automotive V2V communication systems of Remote Motor-Vehicles via V2V messages containing motor-vehicle position-related, motion-related, and state-related data. The advanced driver assistance system is further configured to receive V2V messages transmitted by V2V communications systems of Remote Motor-Vehicles; identify from among the Remote Motor-Vehicles in communication with the Host Motor-Vehicle, Nearby Motor-Vehicles that may represent potential threats to the driving safety of the Host Motor-Vehicle, based on motor-vehicle position-related, motion-related, and state-related data in received V2V messages and on motor-vehicle position-related, motion-related, and state-related data of the Host Motor-Vehicle; and process the data contained in the V2V messages received from the Nearby Motor-Vehicles to identify from among the Nearby Motor-Vehicles Relevant Motor-Vehicles that may be relevant to the automotive functionalities aimed at assisting the driver in driving the Host Motor-Vehicle, controlling the Host Motor-Vehicle, at informing the driver of the Host Motor-Vehicle of the presence of Relevant Motor-Vehicles deemed to be relevant to the driving safety, and dispatch on the automotive on-board communication network a list of virtual objects containing information on the Host Motor-Vehicle and on the Relevant Motor-Vehicles, for exploitation by one or more of the functionalities aimed at assisting the driver in driving the Host Motor-Vehicle, controlling the Host Motor-Vehicle, and informing the driver of the Host Motor-Vehicle of the presence of the Relevant Motor-Vehicles deemed to be relevant to the driving safety of the Host Motor-Vehicle, or exploit the information on the Host Motor-Vehicle and on the Relevant Motor-Vehicles in the implementation of one or more of the automotive functionalities aimed at assisting the driver in driving the Host Motor-Vehicle, controlling the Host Motor-Vehicle, and informing the driver of the Host Motor-Vehicle of the presence of the Relevant Motor-Vehicles and of relevant events deemed to be relevant to the driving safety of the Host Motor-Vehicle.
Abstract:
An automotive electronic dynamics control system for a motor-vehicle equipped with and automotive automated driving system designed to cause the motor-vehicle to perform low-speed manoeuvres in automated driving. The automotive automated driving system comprises an automotive sensory system designed to detect motor-vehicle-related quantities, and automotive actuators comprising an Electric Power Steering, a Braking System, and a Powertrain. The electronic dynamics control system is designed to implement a Driving Path Planner designed to: receive data representative of static obstacles in the surroundings of the motor-vehicle and representing static space constraints to the motion of the motor-vehicle, and compute, based on the received data, a planned driving path for the motor-vehicle during a low-speed manoeuvre performed in automated driving. The electronic dynamics control system is further designed to implement a Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based Trajectory Planner and Controller designed to: receive from the Driving Path Planner data representative of the planned driving path and from the automotive sensory system data representative of positions and orientations of the motor-vehicle and of dynamic obstacles in the surroundings of the motor-vehicle and representing dynamic space constraints to the motion of the motor-vehicle, and compute, based on the received data, a planned lateral trajectory and a planned longitudinal trajectory for the motor-vehicle during the low-speed manoeuvre performed in automated driving. The electronic dynamics control system is further designed to implement a Motion Controller designed to: receive from the Trajectory Planner and Controller data representative of the planned lateral and longitudinal trajectories, and compute commands for the Electric Power Steering based on the planned lateral trajectory, and for the Braking System and the Powertrain based on the planned longitudinal trajectory. The Driving Path Planner is designed to compute the planned driving path as a planned driving corridor within which the motor-vehicle may be driven and made up of a series of driving path segments each with a length and an orientation referenced in an inertial reference frame. The MPC-based Trajectory Planner and Controller comprises: an MPC-based Lateral Trajectory Planner and Controller designed to compute the planned lateral trajectory as a series of steering requests referenced in a motor-vehicle reference frame; and an MPC-based Longitudinal Trajectory Planner and Controller designed to compute the planned longitudinal trajectory as a series of longitudinal acceleration requests. The Lateral Trajectory Planner and Controller is further designed to compute the planned lateral trajectory based on a linearized Lateral Trajectory Model which exhibits a singularity whenever the relative orientation of a couple of successive driving path segments of the planned driving path is equal to or higher than a given amount. The Lateral Trajectory Planner and Controller is further designed to dynamically modify relative orientation of the motor-vehicle reference frame with respect to the inertial reference frame along the planned driving path so as to result in the relative orientations of all of the couples of successive driving path segments of the planned driving path being lower than the given amount.
Abstract:
An automotive electronic driving speed control system configured to control the driving speed of the motor-vehicle along a recurring path travelled by the motor-vehicle in assisted- or autonomous-driving based on one or more driver-specific driving speed profiles of the motor-vehicle learnt during one or more previous travels of the same path along which the motor-vehicle is manually driven by the specific driver.