Abstract: An internal combustion engine (1), especially for a motor vehicle is described, which is provided with a regulating valve (8) arranged in an intake pipe (6), through which air is fed to a combustion chamber (4). Furthermore the internal combustion engine (1) is provided with an exhaust gas feedback valve (15), through which exhaust gas is fed to an intake pipe (6). The internal combustion engine has a control unit (17) which determines the mass flow (msdk) through the regulating valve (8) and the mass flow (msagr) through the exhaust gas feedback valve (15). The determined mass flow (msagr) through the exhaust gas feedback valve (15) is divided into an inert gas portion (msagr′) and an air portion (msl) according to the air/fuel ratio (Lambda).

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of avoiding an erroneous fault announcement when diagnosing a tank-venting system for a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine. In the method a change in elevation is determined at which the motor vehicle is operated during the diagnosis and this change in elevation is considered in the determination of the diagnostic result.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine, in particular for a motor vehicle, includes a throttle arranged in an intake pipe, through which air can be fed to a combustion chamber. Furthermore, the internal combustion engine includes a valve arranged in an exhaust gas recirculation line, through which exhaust gas can be fed to the intake pipe. A first mass flow through the throttle can be determined by a control device. Furthermore, a second mass flow through the valve can be determined by the control device. Finally, a third mass flow fed to the combustion chamber can be determined by the control device from the first mass flow through the throttle and the second mass flow through the valve.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and an arrangement for controlling an output torque of a drive train of a motor vehicle. A desired value for the output torque is made available by the adjustment of a transmission and by the control of the engine. The desired value is determined on the basis of a driver command signal as well as on the basis of a minimum and/or maximum output torque dependent upon operating variables.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for computing a fuel-metering signal for adjusting a pregiven lambda value for the composition of the air/fuel mixture of an internal combustion engine. In the method, a first signal is formed which represents the air quantity flowing into the engine and a second signal is formed on the basis of the first signal so that a first lambda desired value adjusts when using its second signal as a fuel-metering signal. Various additional second lambda desired values are formed as a function of operating parameters of the engine. A selection is made of those second lambda desired values having the highest priority and the fuel-metering signal is formed by weighting the second signal with the second lambda desired value of the highest priority.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for determining a load signal of an internal combustion engine having an intake pipe with a pressure sensor, external exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) and an EGR valve. A load signal (tl) is computed in a circuit arrangement which is proportional to the mass inducted per revolution of the engine. The computation is made in dependence upon measured intake-pipe pressure (ps) and the speed (n) of the engine in rpm. On the one hand, the method makes a simple adaptation possible, while, on the other hand, a correct load signal is formed also in steady-state operation and, in this way, reduced exhaust-gas emissions of the engine are made possible. The exhaust-gas mass flow flowing through the EGR valve is determined by converting the exhaust-gas mass flow into an rpm-dependent signal. The rpm-dependent signal is filtered in a filter simulating charging operations in the intake pipe.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for periodically clock driving a through-flow control valve between a first position wherein the valve is closed and a second position wherein the control valve is open to pass a flow of fluid therethrough. The valve is driven by a drive signal having a period duration and the valve opens in response to the drive signal only after a delay time (tv) has elapsed. In the method, the period duration of the drive signal is changed, and a reaction of a variable, which is operatively coupled to the flow, is detected. A value of the delay time (tv) is utilized when forming the drive signals and the value of the delay time (tv) is changed in dependence upon the detected reaction of the variable.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for controlling the composition of the air/fuel mixture for an internal combustion engine. In the method, the mean value of the control oscillation is influenced via a change of the delay times tv with which a sign reversal of the actuating variable change is delayed. The dead time of the control is determined from the time-dependent performance of the control actuating variable and is considered for the change of the delay times tv.

Abstract: A pump device for performing a leak diagnosis of a fuel vapor retention system. The pump device is provided for a fuel vapor retention system of an internal combustion engine, having a pump membrane driven by an electromagnet and a magnetic armature, which membrane defines a supply chamber that has valve devices, wherein a first valve can be connected to ambient air via a delivery line and can be connected via a second valve to a feed pipe that has an adsorption filter, and having a stop valve between the delivery line and the feed pipe, which valve is embodied so that it can be electromagnetically actuated. The pump device according to the invention is provided for a fuel vapor retention system of an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for detecting and documenting damage to a catalytic converter in a motor vehicle having a fuel tank and an internal combustion engine wherein combustion misfires can occur when the level of fuel in the tank drops below a critical level.

Abstract: The invention is based on an adaptive transmission control wherein changes in the gear ratio of the automatic transmission are determined in dependence upon the detected position of the accelerator pedal actuated by the driver or variables associated therewith and in dependence upon the vehicle straight-line speed and/or the output rpm of the transmission and/or the motor rpm or variables associated therewith. Also, an adaptive variable is determined which adapts the changes of the transmission gear ratio at least to the driving situation then present. The essence of the invention is that the path data of a navigation system is used to determine the above-mentioned adaptation variable. The navigation system is a known map-supported navigation system. In this way, it is advantageously possible to precisely detect the present as well as future driving and environmental situations to which the vehicle is just then subjected or will be subjected in the near future.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for checking the tightness of a tank-venting system used with an internal combustion engine having an intake pipe. The tank-venting system includes a fuel tank wherein fuel vapor forms, a storage device connected to the fuel tank, the storage device having a vent opening and a device for closing the vent opening, and a tank-venting valve interconnecting the intake pipe and the storage device whereby the fuel vapor is conducted from the tank to the intake pipe via the storage device and the tank-venting valve.

Abstract: A venting device comprising connecting lines which are embodied as double-walled that form hollow spaces and whose hollow spaces communicate with one another and with an intake pipe by means of bypass lines. By means of a pressure sensor installed in a bypass line, the vacuum is measured; normally this vacuum must roughly correspond to the vacuum in the intake pipe and if this is the case, it can be concluded that the venting device is functional and tight. If there is a large increase in the vacuum measurement then it is concluded that there is a leak in the venting system. The venting device is particularly intended for use in motor vehicles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a learning control method for adjusting the composition of an operating mixture for an internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of: detecting the actual value of the composition; forming a control variable as a function of the instantaneous deviation of the actual value from the desired value; logically coupling the control variable to a base value of an adjusting parameter of the composition and driving an actuator on the basis of the logically coupled value; and, learning of an additional intervention in the control loop from the performance of the control loop wherein the learning takes place at a speed which is at least dependent upon temperature.

Abstract: In a system and a method for determining the speed gradient dn/dt of a shaft of an internal combustion engine, the speed gradient dn/dt is determined as a function of the third power of the speed and the difference between two segment times in the control device. The speed gradient is only determined in phases which are not time-critical, while segment times are read in or stored only in time-critical phases so that the data required for controlling and regulating the internal combustion engine can be calculated in these time-critical phases independently from the determination of the speed gradient.

Abstract: In a method and a system for the ventilation of a fuel tank of a motor vehicle having an internal-combustion engine which has a suction pipe with a bypass containing, in particular, an idling adjuster, the fuel tank being capable of being ventilated into the open by way of a ventilation conduit having an adsorption filter and having a first valve located between the latter and a ventilation orifice, and the adsorption filter being capable of being scavenged with scavenging air which is supplied to the suction pipe by way of a scavenging-air conduit containing a second valve, to avoid disturbances of the operating conditions of the internal-combustion engine the scavenging air for the adsorption filter is branched off from the airstream flowing by way of the bypass.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a tank-venting apparatus. The method affords the advantage that the volume flow changes are compensated before they operate on the composition of the mixture inducted by the engine. In cases where desired, a further advantage is that the tank-venting apparatus can always be scavenged with the maximum possible vapor flow during the actual operating state then occurring.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for checking the tightness of a tank-venting system when a pregiven test condition is satisfied. The method includes the steps of: (a) building up a difference pressure in the tank-venting system irrespective of whether the pregiven test condition is satisfied; (b) determining the presence of the test condition and then closing the tank-venting system; (c) determining the value of the decay gradient of the difference pressure when the pregiven test condition is satisfied thereby losing no time in starting the check of the tightness; and, (d) drawing a conclusion as to the tightness of the tank-venting system when the value of the decay gradient is less in magnitude than a threshold decay gradient. In this way, as soon as the test condition is satisfied, a determination of the value of the decay gradient of the difference pressure already built up can be started. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A device for suppressing a discontinuous motion of a motor vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: A method for determining the operability of a tank-venting system on a motor vehicle subjects the signals for the volume flow through the tank-venting valve and the signals for the pressure difference between the tank interior and the ambient to a cross-covariance analysis. The above-mentioned signals are formed by a high pass in advance of forming the cross-covariance function and the maximum or the mean value of the cross-covariance function is formed with respect to the product of the two input variables. A variance measure is formed for the signal of the volume flow through the tank-venting valve and a transfer factor is computed from the variance measure and the mean value or maximum. The tank-venting system is deemed to be operational when the transfer range lies in a pregiven region. An advantage of the method is seen in the independence of the tank-pressure changes which are not caused by volume-flow changes through the tank-venting valve.