Abstract: Pulsations which falsify an output signal of an air mass meter occur at low and medium rotational speeds in a unit that supplies air to an internal combustion engine. A method for adjusting the load of the internal combustion engine limits an opening angle of an electromotively adjustable throttle valve to a rotational speed-dependent opening value which includes an opening base value that is between a lower and an upper limit value. In the case of the lower limit value, the full load of the engine is reached. In the case of the upper limit value, pulsations of the air in an intake duct upstream of the throttle valve do not yet occur.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for adapting air values from a substitute performance graph to currently prevailing variables of state of ambient air. The air values are used for controlling mixture preparation if pulsations of air occur in an intake tube of an internal combustion engine instead of using measured values supplied by an air meter. The air values are adapted by multiplying the air values by an adaptation factor. In one embodiment the adaptation factor is calculated by dividing a measured value supplied by the air meter in the intake tube of the internal combustion engine by an air value taken from the substitute performance graph and subjecting the adaptation factor to sliding averaging, at times when no pulsations are present; and using a lambda-control-average value as the adaptation factor and subjecting the adaptation factor to sliding averaging, at times when pulsations are present.