Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for checking and ensuring the functionality of an exhaust gas aftertreatment system of an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas aftertreatment system has a catalytic converter and a voltage source. The catalytic converter has a catalytic converter area and an electrical heating device which is selectively supplied with electrical energy from the voltage source. The method includes determining an actual value which is characteristic of an ohmic resistance of the heating device. The actual value being determined by using an electrical current strength supplied to the heating device and an electrical voltage supplied to the heating device from the voltage source. The method also includes providing a setpoint value which is characteristic of an expected ohmic resistance of the heating device. The setpoint value takes into account a specific heating-up behavior of the heating device and an expected long-term behavior of the catalytic converter.

Abstract: Various embodiments include a control system for the regeneration of a particle filter in an exhaust gas flow of an internal combustion engine of a hybrid vehicle including an electric machine comprising: a particle filter; a temperature sensor measuring an actual temperature of the filter; a first heat source upstream of the filter; and a controller. The controller is programmed to: determine a temperature difference between a setpoint temperature for regeneration of the particle filter and the actual temperature of the particle filter; calculate a power output difference to be applied based at least in part on the temperature difference; and control the first heat source using the power output difference.

Abstract: A method for actuating a heat source for a component of an exhaust system of a drive of a motor vehicle is described. The method includes providing information items relating to a future traveling route of the motor vehicle; ascertaining a chronological sequence of a multiplicity of temperature values in the component within a predefined future time segment, where the ascertainment of the chronological sequence is based on the provided information items; determining a point in time within the time segment on the basis of the ascertained chronological sequence, where a temperature value of the multiplicity of temperature values which is assigned to the point in time is intended to satisfy a predefined criterion; and actuating the heat source before the point in time such that the temperature value satisfies the specified criterion at the point in time.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for checking and ensuring the functionality of an exhaust gas aftertreatment system of an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas aftertreatment system has a catalytic converter and a voltage source. The catalytic converter has a catalytic converter area and an electrical heating device which is selectively supplied with electrical energy from the voltage source. The method includes determining an actual value which is characteristic of an ohmic resistance of the heating device. The actual value being determined by using an electrical current strength supplied to the heating device and an electrical voltage supplied to the heating device from the voltage source. The method also includes providing a setpoint value which is characteristic of an expected ohmic resistance of the heating device. The setpoint value takes into account a specific heating-up behavior of the heating device and an expected long-term behavior of the catalytic converter.

Abstract: Various embodiments include a control system for the regeneration of a particle filter in an exhaust gas flow of an internal combustion engine of a hybrid vehicle including an electric machine comprising: a particle filter; a temperature sensor measuring an actual temperature of the filter; a first heat source upstream of the filter; and a controller. The controller is programmed to: determine a temperature difference between a setpoint temperature for regeneration of the particle filter and the actual temperature of the particle filter; calculate a power output difference to be applied based at least in part on the temperature difference; and control the first heat source using the power output difference.

Abstract: An electrically heatable catalytic converter for the catalytic treatment of an exhaust gas in an exhaust-gas tract of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The catalytic converter includes a first catalysis region for the catalytic treatment of the exhaust gas, and a second catalysis region is separate from the first catalysis region. The second catalysis region for the catalytic treatment of the exhaust gas is arranged downstream of the first catalysis region with a predetermined spacing to the first catalysis region. The catalytic converter includes an electric heating device through which the exhaust gas can flow. The electric heating device is arranged downstream of the first catalysis region and upstream of the second catalysis region and is designed to at least partially heat the first catalysis region and the second catalysis region.

Abstract: A method for actuating a heat source for a component of an exhaust system of a drive of a motor vehicle is described. The method includes providing information items relating to a future traveling route of the motor vehicle; ascertaining a chronological sequence of a multiplicity of temperature values in the component within a predefined future time segment, where the ascertainment of the chronological sequence is based on the provided information items; determining a point in time within the time segment on the basis of the ascertained chronological sequence, where a temperature value of the multiplicity of temperature values which is assigned to the point in time is intended to satisfy a predefined criterion; and actuating the heat source before the point in time such that the temperature value satisfies the specified criterion at the point in time.

Abstract: An electrically heatable catalytic converter for the catalytic treatment of an exhaust gas in an exhaust-gas tract of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The catalytic converter includes a first catalysis region for the catalytic treatment of the exhaust gas, and a second catalysis region is separate from the first catalysis region. The second catalysis region for the catalytic treatment of the exhaust gas is arranged downstream of the first catalysis region with a predetermined spacing to the first catalysis region. The catalytic converter includes an electric heating device through which the exhaust gas can flow. The electric heating device is arranged downstream of the first catalysis region and upstream of the second catalysis region and is designed to at least partially heat the first catalysis region and the second catalysis region.

Abstract: In a method for an emission-optimized transition between a spark-ignition mode of an internal combustion engine and a self-ignition mode of the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine is operated in the preparation phase and chronologically before the transition of modes in a spark-ignition mode in at least one cylinder cycle with a rich mixture (?<1) and, subsequently, in the same cylinder cycle with a lean mixture (?<1). After that, the internal combustion engine is operated in the self-ignition mode. In a method for an emission-optimized transition between a self-ignition mode of an internal combustion engine and a spark-ignition mode of the internal combustion engine, in a transition phase of the operation modes and during a last cycle of the self-ignition mode and/or a first cycle of the spark-ignition mode, fuel is post-injected into at least one combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine.

Abstract: For the direct re-entry in the CAI operating mode following a pull fuel cut off phase the CAI specific valve lift is maintained during its pull fuel cut off phase. Upon a request signal for the CAI re-entry after the closing time of the particular cylinder, an advance fuel injection quantity is injected in the combustion chamber and externally ignited and combusted in the following CAI interim compression phase of the exhaust stroke, as a result of which hot exhaust gas is formed in the combustion chamber, fresh air is drawn into the combustion chamber during the following intake stroke, a main fuel injection quantity is injected in a main compression phase during the following compression stroke, and the exhaust gas content brought about from the earlier auxiliary fuel injection, is mixed with the air-fuel mixture newly introduced for the main ignition to form a self-ignitable, homogenous fresh air-exhaust gas-fuel mixture.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the gas composition of a gas mixture in a fuel tank of a motor vehicle filled with a compressed natural gas (CNG) mixture are provided. A pressure sensor and a temperature sensor are used to measure a gas pressure and a gas temperature in the fuel tank A processor may execute an algorithm to determine, based at least on the measured gas temperature and the measured gas pressure in the fuel tank, a current vapor pressure of each of at least one component of the CNG mixture in the fuel tank. If the measured gas pressure in the fuel tank falls below a threshold, a corresponding current composition of the CNG mixture in the fuel tank may be determined.

Abstract: In order to control an internal combustion engine according to the invention, a polytropic exponent is determined in accordance with at least two measured values of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder, said measured values being detected after closing the gas discharge valve and before successively opening the gas intake valve. An exhaust gas mass which is located in the cylinder after closing the gas discharge valve and before successively opening the gas intake valve is determined according to the polytropic exponent at an estimated value of the pressure after closing the gas discharge valve and before successively opening the gas intake valve as well as at a certain temperature of the exhaust gas located in the cylinder after closing the gas discharge valve and before successively opening the gas intake valve. An actuation signal for controlling an actuating member of the internal combustion engine is generated in accordance with the determined exhaust gas mass.

Abstract: For at least one disturbance variable of the cylinder pressure signal, which disturbance variable occurs only during specific limited time spans as the pressure profile of an operating cycle, a filter tuned to the type of disturbance variable is fixed and is assigned to the corresponding disturbance variable time window or windows (8, 9, 10) in the operating cycle. The cylinder pressure signal (2) is then filtered as a function of the crankshaft angle, in that, according to the crankshaft position, a time-tuned and type-tuned filter is applied to a current disturbance variable.

Abstract: To determine the gas work WK from the areas formed by the cylinder pressure curve over the associated stroke volume V?, a cylinder-pressure-proportional integrator is started integrating the signals of the cylinder pressure sensor in multiple integrator runs depending on a settable integrator capacitance. A lower and an upper threshold value are predefined, whose difference corresponds to the integrator capacitance. Upon reaching one of the threshold values, respective new integrator runs are started, at the beginning and end of which the current crankshaft angle ? (is detected, respectively. For each integrator run, the associated individual work is determined depending on the product of the integrator capacitance and the particular covered stroke volume and the gas work resulting from the cylinder pressure curve is determined by summation of the individual works. The gas work may be used in particular for determining the internal mean pressure of the cylinder.

Abstract: In a method for an emission-optimized transition between a spark-ignition mode of an internal combustion engine and a self-ignition mode of the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine is operated in the preparation phase and chronologically before the transition of modes in a spark-ignition mode in at least one cylinder cycle with a rich mixture (?<1) and, subsequently, in the same cylinder cycle with a lean mixture (?<1). After that, the internal combustion engine is operated in the self-ignition mode. In a method for an emission-optimized transition between a self-ignition mode of an internal combustion engine and a spark-ignition mode of the internal combustion engine, in a transition phase of the operation modes and during a last cycle of the self-ignition mode and/or a first cycle of the spark-ignition mode, fuel is post-injected into at least one combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine.

Abstract: The resolution of output signals from at least one measuring sensor on an internal combustion engine can be increased by: the working level range of the sensor is divided into at least two range sections, each section is provided with the same given output level range limited with relation to the working level range, for the output signal from the sensor and the switching from one to the other section is carried out independently by the sensor, when a range boundary between two adjacent sections is reached, exceeded or fallen below, the operating point of the internal combustion engine is determined by an engine management based on at least one parameter, the time curve for the raw sensor signal is predicted from at least one set of performance characteristics for the current operating point and the engine management determines which section is current from the predicted raw sensor signal time curve.

Abstract: The invention is directed toward a device for controlling an internal combustion engine. An aspect of the invention is determining a polytropic exponent according to at least two measured values of the pressure in a combustion chamber of a cylinder of an internal combustion engine during the working stroke of the cylinder once an air/fuel mixture of a cylinder has been burned and before the gas discharge valve is opened. A first exhaust gas temperature is determined and a second temperature of the exhaust gas is determined in accordance with the first exhaust gas temperature. The pressure associated in the combustion chamber, the pressure prevailing in the combustion chamber after closing the gas discharge valve, and the polytropic exponent are determined. An actuation signal for controlling an actuating member of the internal combustion engine is generated according to the second temperature of the exhaust gas.

Abstract: In a method and a device for examining a valve lift switching process in a motor vehicle the occurrence or the number of switching errors is reduced. The method has the steps of detecting whether a switching error and/or an external event occurs that may influence the mode of operation of the valve lift switching; blocking the valve lift switching if a switching error and/or an external event has occurred; activating and examining the valve lift switching during at least one uncritical operating condition; releasing the valve lift switching if the valve lift switching does not show any abnormalities during monitoring.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for regulating the mixture in an internal combustion engine by means of a catalytic converter and a lambda probe that is placed downstream of the catalytic converter. Depending on the historical signal values, said method determines whether intervention in the formation of the mixture is required, whether the existing signal is only decreasing slowly, which necessitates slow regulatory intervention, or whether the signal of the probe placed downstream of the catalytic converter decreases rapidly, which necessitates rapid regulatory intervention. The difference types of intervention enable the volume of the catalytic converter to be reduced, thus preventing high consumption in the warm-up phase or the poor start-up behavior of large catalytic converters.

Abstract: The resolution of output signals from at least one measuring sensor on an internal combustion engine can be increased by: the working level range of the sensor is divided into at least two range sections, each section is provided with the same given output level range limited with relation to the working level range, for the output signal from the sensor and the switching from one to the other section is carried out independently by the sensor, when a range boundary between two adjacent sections is reached, exceeded or fallen below, the operating point of the internal combustion engine is determined by an engine management based on at least one parameter, the time curve for the raw sensor signal is predicted from at least one set of performance characteristics for the current operating point and the engine management determines which section is current from the predicted raw sensor signal time curve.