Abstract: A method for characterizing a pattern present as stored information, includes the steps of generating a characterizing proposal for the pattern using a server computer system, presenting the pattern and the characterizing proposal to a client computer using a computer program via the Internet so as to enable a user to perform an evaluation of the characterizing proposal, and receiving an evaluation input from the user at the server computer system. The evaluation input is one of an acceptance input of the characterizing proposal and a rejection input of the characterizing proposal. The rejection input includes an alternative characterizing proposal.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine with a cooling system and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system including an EGR heat exchanger with a coolant inlet opening connected to a coolant outlet opening of the engine for receiving coolant therefrom and the engine including a coolant collecting rail mounted directly to the engine and having a coolant inlet opening connected to the EGR heat exchanger and at least one other coolant inlet opening in communication directly with at least one other coolant outlet opening of the engine.

Abstract: In a secondary air supply device comprising a turbine and a compressor with turbine and compressor wheels having blades which are covered by wheel covers and an air filter structure disposed between the turbine and compressor wheels, so that air is supplied to the compressor and to the turbine from a common filter structure disposed between the compressor and the turbine wheels.

Abstract: In an exhaust gas turbocharger for a reciprocating internal combustion engine comprising an exhaust gas turbine in the exhaust line and a compressor in the inlet line of the engine, the exhaust gas turbine has two exhaust gas flow passages, by way of which exhaust gas is fed to the turbine rotor, the ratio of the turbine rotor diameter to the compressor wheel diameter being set by a function, which is dependent on the displacement volume of the internal combustion engine.

Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine, injects fuel directly into a combustion chamber as a main injection, a postinjection and optionally also as a preinjection. An injection nozzle with a plurality of injection bores effects the preinjection and the postinjection preferably which is carried out cyclically. To minimize wetting of the combustion chamber walls, during the postinjection the partial quantities of fuel and a lift of the nozzle needle of the injection nozzle are set so that, for each partial quantity of the postinjection injected into the combustion chamber, the reach of the respective fuel jet in the combustion chamber is limited and the reach is less than the distance to a combustion chamber boundary.

Abstract: A directly injecting internal combustion engine has at least one cylinder which has a combustion space and in which a piston executes an oscillating movement, and an injection nozzle for the injection of fuel into the combustion space. The piston has a piston recess which has in its central region an elevation extending in the direction of a cylinder head. A surface of the piston recess which adjoins the elevation in the direction of the recess edge is connected to the elevation via a radius so an injection jet impinging in this region and injected at the earliest possible time point is distributed both in the elevation direction and in the recess edge direction. The surface adjoining the elevation in that direction has an extent in that direction such that an injection jet injected at the latest possible time point impinges onto the surface and is distributed both in the elevation direction and in the recess edge direction.

Abstract: A vehicle supporting platform can be supported at plural locations (e.g., four locations) from below such that the platform can pivot fore to aft and side to side in response to the impact of wind on a vehicle on the platform. In a desirable form, the platform is suspended by four suspension rods or cables that loosely support the respective corners of a platform supporting structure. The platform supporting structure can be positioned in a bay beneath the floor level. Although a different number of sensors can be used, in one approach there is one aft motion sensor coupled to the front of the floor supporting frame and a wall portion of the bay and two side sensors, one adjacent to the front of the platform and the other adjacent to the rear of the platform. Both of the side sensors can be on the same side of the platform. A double ball joint can be used to couple the sensor to the structure in one embodiment to eliminate off axis loading.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack and at least one electrical energy storage device that can be electrically connected to and/or disconnected from the fuel cell stack by at least one electronic switching element which is based, for example, on a MOSFET. The fuel cell stack itself is cooled. The at least one switching element is in thermally conductive contact with a cooling circuit for cooling the fuel cell stack, for example, by mounting the switching element on the end plates of the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: A method for controlling a drive (16) of a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine (10) and an electric motor (24). A main transmission (16) having an output shaft (18) is connected to a driveshaft (19) of the motor vehicle, and an input shaft (14) is connected to the internal combustion engine (10). The electric motor (24) is coupled to the input shaft (14) or the output shaft (16) of the main transmission (16) by an intermediate transmission (22) having at least two transmission ratio steps. In order to accelerate the motor vehicle from rest, the drive is initially effected solely by the electric motor (24) with the intermediate transmission (22) in its lowest transmission ratio step. The drawing is then taken over by the internal combustion engine (10) before a shift operation in the intermediate transmission (22). In this case, the intermediate transmission (22) is preferably a claw shift transmission.