Patent ID: 7721693
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: F01L

Abstract:
1. A method for adjusting the rotational angle position of the camshaft of a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine relative to the crankshaft during a startup process of the internal combustion engine, wherein the crankshaft is drivingly connected to the camshaft via an adjustment gear mechanism, which is embodied as a triple-shaft gear mechanism with a crankshaft-fixed drive shaft, a camshaft-fixed output shaft, and an adjustment shaft drivingly connected to an electric motor, the method comprising: a) setting a rotational angle measurement signal is set to a rotational angle measurement start value, b) rotating the crankshaft and detecting a crankshaft sensor signal, which changes its state for a change in a rotational angle of the crankshaft ( c) advancing the rotational angle measurement signal for an appearance of a state change of the crankshaft sensor signal, d) setting a position measurement signal to a position measurement signal start value, e) rotating the adjustment shaft and detecting an adjustment shaft sensor signal, which changes its state for a change in the rotational position of the adjustment shaft, f) wherein for an appearance of a state change of the adjustment shaft sensor signal, advancing the position measurement signal, g) wherein based on the rotational angle measurement signal, the position measurement signal, and a gear parameter of the adjustment gear mechanism, determining a phase angle signal for the rotational angle position of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft, h) wherein the crankshaft and the camshaft are braced relative to each other in a reference position and detecting the attainment of the reference position, i) wherein when the reference position is detected, setting, the phase angle signal to a reference value allocated to the reference position, k) then advancing the phase angle signal for a state change of the rotational angle measurement signal and/or the position measurement signal, l) and controlling the phase angle, in that the reference position-related phase angle signal obtained in this way is compared with a desired value signal and for an appearance of a deviation in the phase angle, the electric motor is controlled such that the deviation is reduced.