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.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is the US National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2005/053496, filed Jul. 20, 2005 and claims the benefit thereof. The International Application claims the benefits of German application No. 10 2004 038 122.4 filed Aug. 5, 2004, both of the applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder in which is embodied a combustion chamber and to which is assigned a piston, having an intake manifold that communicates with the combustion chamber of the cylinder as a function of the position of a gas intake valve, having an exhaust manifold that communicates combustion chamber of the cylinder as a function of the position of a gas exhaust valve, and having a cylinder pressure sensor that registers the pressure in the cylinder&#39;s combustion chamber. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Rising energy costs and more stringent legislation governing the permissible fuel consumption or permissible noxious emissions of motor vehicles containing internal combustion engines necessitate measures to, on the one hand, reduce the fuel consumption of internal combustion engines and, on the other, insure that the noxious emissions produced by the motor vehicle assume low values. It has in this regard become known how to operate internal combustion engines, in particular gasoline-operated engines, in certain phases of their operation by means of an auto-igniting combustion method that is also referred to as Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), Compressed Auto Ignition (CAI), or Chamber Ignition (CI). With said auto-igniting combustion method, auto-igniting, and hence the course of combustion, is controlled via the reactive amount of energy in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. Said amount of energy can be provided by, inter alia, what is in comparison with the conventionally operated spark ignition engine a very high proportion of residual gas. It is known also in the case of conventionally operated spark ignition engines how to operate the internal combustion engine in the lower and mid underload range at a high exhaust gas recirculation rate in order to optimize combustion in terms of the quality criteria “consumption” and “emissions”. 
         [0004]    A method for determining the curve of a combustion chanber pressure in an internal combustion engine is known from DE 199 007 38 C1. Said method entails obtaining an estimated value of a cylinder pressure as a function of a previously obtained measured value of the cylinder pressure, of a volume, assigned thereto, of the cylinder, and of a volume, assigned to the estimated value of the cylinder pressure, of the cylinder, and of a polytropic exponent by means of the polytropic equation. The polytropic exponent is predefined as a function of a coolant temperature. 
         [0005]    A further method for determining the combustion chamber pressure in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine is known from EP 0 399 069 A1. A sensitivity of the cylinder pressure sensor assigned to said internal combustion engine is determined for this purpose in each operating cycle of the cylinder, specifically as a function of three voltage measurement signals and a predefined polytropic exponent. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0006]    The object of the invention is to provide a method and a device for controlling an internal combustion engine, both of which will insure precise controlling of the internal combustion engine. 
         [0007]    The invention is characterized by a method and a corresponding device for controlling an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder in which is embodied a combustion chamber and to which is assigned a piston, having an intake manifold that communicates with the combustion chamber of the cylinder as a function of the position of a gas intake valve, and having a cylinder pressure sensor that registers the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder. A polytropic exponent is determined as a function of at least two measured values of the pressure in the combustion chamber that are registered during the power stroke of the cylinder once an air/fuel mixture contained in the cylinder has been completely burned and before the gas exhaust valve opens. Determining of the polytropic exponent is based on the knowledge of there being a strong correlation between cylinder pressure and gas temperature only after the air/fuel mixture has been completely burned, while the temperature curve is very difficult to estimate while the air/fuel mixture is burning. 
         [0008]    A first temperature of the exhaust gas is determined that is characteristic of the temperature of the exhaust gas before the gas exhaust valve opens, in particular of the temperature of the exhaust gas immediately before the gas exhaust valve opens. A second temperature of the exhaust gas remaining in the combustion chamber of the cylinder after the gas exhaust valve closes is determined, specifically as a function of the first temperature of the exhaust gas, of the pressure, assigned to the first temperature, in the combustion chamber, which is to say the pressure prevailing at the time of the first temperature, and, further, as a function of the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes, and of the polytropic exponent. An actuation signal for controlling an actuating member of the internal combustion engine is generated as a function of the second temperature of the exhaust gas. Said second temperature can thus be determined simply and precisely and will affect the course of the next process of burning the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine can be controlled very precisely through generating of the actuation signal for controlling an actuating member of the internal combustion engine as a function of the second temperature of the exhaust gas. 
         [0009]    In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the measured values of the pressure are registered at a crankshaft angle greater than a predefined crankshaft angle that is predefined such that burning of the air/fuel mixture will have been completed. 
         [0010]    In this connection it will be advantageous for the predefined crankshaft angle to be around 80 after the piston&#39;s top dead center. That has the advantage that burning of the air/fuel mixture will then have been reliably completed. Depending on how the internal combustion engine is embodied, in particular in the case of an HCCI combustion method, the predefined crankshaft angle can also be selected as being substantially nearer the piston&#39;s top dead center. 
         [0011]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the predefined crankshaft angle is less than around 100 after the piston&#39;s top dead center. That has the advantage that the cylinder pressure will still have high values. That will greatly contribute to, in particular, the quality of controlling the internal combustion engine if the cylinder pressure sensor has been designed for registering high pressures and possibly exhibits a rather large measuring error when registering low pressures. It is particularly advantageous for the measured values of the pressure to be registered in such a way that there will be an as great as possible difference in pressure between them. The impact of a measuring error can be minimized thereby. 
         [0012]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the first temperature of the exhaust gas is determined as a function of a pressure in the combustion chamber, which pressure is determined as a function of one of the measured values of the pressure in the combustion chamber, of the magnitude that is characteristic of the volume, assigned to the respective measured value of the pressure, of the combustion chamber, of the magnitude that is characteristic of the combustion chamber&#39;s volume at which the exhaust gas has the first temperature, and of the polytropic exponent. The position of the measured value of the pressure can thus be selected independently of the crankshaft angle to which the first temperature has been assigned. That will thus be advantageous particularly if the pressure can be registered more precisely at higher pressure values and the pressure prevailing in the combustion chamber at the crankshaft angle at which the exhaust gas has the first temperature is relatively low. 
         [0013]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the first temperature of the exhaust gas is determined by means of the general gas equation and the gas constant is permanently predefined. That has the advantage that the first temperature can thereby be determined very simply and is based on the knowledge that the value of the gas constant differs only slightly. 
         [0014]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the first temperature of the exhaust gas is determined by means of the general gas equation and the gas constant is determined as a function of the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of the cylinder. That has the advantage that the first temperature can be determined in a simple manner even more precisely and the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber will furthermore be determined in any event as part of a lambda control operation and hence be available with no additional effort. 
         [0015]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes is approximated using a calculated pressure value and the second temperature of the exhaust gas is determined as a function of an environmental parameter and/or of a rotational speed and/or of the crankshaft angle of the opening or closing of the gas exhaust valve and/or as a function of a coolant temperature. There is thus no need for a physical dynamic model of the curve of the pressure of the exhaust gas while the gas exhaust valve is open. The second temperature of the exhaust gas can nonetheless be taken into account extremely precisely in this way. 
         [0016]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the pressure in the combustion chamber is determined after the gas exhaust valve closes. That is done as a function of at least one further pressure and of the volumes requiring to be assigned to the at least one further pressure and to the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes. The further pressure is assigned to a crankshaft angle located within the crankshaft angle range in which the gas exhaust valve is closed again but the gas intake valve is not yet open again, and the further pressure is registered temporally after the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes. The further pressure can possibly be more precisely registered in this way and hence the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes can also be determined more precisely. 
         [0017]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention a further polytropic exponent is determined as a function of at least the further pressure, of another further pressure, and of the volumes requiring to be assigned to the at least one further pressure and to the other further pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes. The other further pressure is assigned to a crankshaft angle located within the crankshaft angle range in which the gas exhaust valve is closed again but the gas intake valve is not yet open again, and the other further pressure is registered temporally after the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes. The further polytropic exponent will then be even more precise for determining the pressure in the combustion chamber after the gas exhaust valve closes. 
         [0018]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention a first fuel mass that is to be admixed in the combustion chamber of the cylinder after the gas exhaust valve has closed and before the gas intake valve has opened is determined as a function of the second temperature, and the injection valve is controlled accordingly. That is particularly advantageous in the case of an auto-igniting combustion method wherein preferably a high exhaust gas recirculation rate is set in order to attain the high ignition temperatures. Determining the first fuel mass as a function of the second temperature thus enables the main focus of combustion to be set precisely. The position of the main focus of combustion is highly dependent, without taking the second temperature into account, on the quality of the preceding combustion, which has a major impact on the second temperature. 
         [0019]    It is also advantageous in this connection for a crankshaft angle at which the first fuel mass is admixed to be determined as a function of the second temperature. The main focus of combustion can in this way be set precisely in the case of an auto-igniting combustion method. 
         [0020]    In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the crankshaft angle at which a second fuel mass is admixed is determined as a function of the second temperature, with the second fuel mass being admixed into the cylinder after the gas intake valve opens. A main focus of combustion can in this way also be set precisely in the case of an auto-igniting combustion method. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained below with reference to the schematic drawings, in which: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  shows an internal combustion engine having a control device, 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a first part of a program for controlling the internal combustion engine, and 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a second part of the program for controlling the internal combustion engine. 
       
    
    
       [0025]    Elements having the same physical design or function have been assigned the same reference numerals in all the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0026]    An internal combustion engine ( FIG. 1 ) comprises an intake manifold  1 , an engine block  2 , a cylinder head  3 , and an exhaust manifold  4 . The intake manifold  1  preferably includes a throttle valve  11 , as well as a collector  12  and an intake pipe  13  ducted toward a cylinder Z 1  via an intake port into the engine block  2 . The engine block  2  further includes a crankshaft  21  coupled via a connecting rod  25  to the piston  24  of the cylinder Z 1 . 
         [0027]    The cylinder head  3  includes a valve train having a gas intake valve  30 , a gas exhaust valve  31 , and valve drives  32 ,  33 . The cylinder head  3  further includes an injection valve  34  and a spark plug  35 . The injection valve  34  can alternatively also be located in the intake pipe  13 . 
         [0028]    The exhaust manifold  4  includes a catalytic converter  40  embodied preferably as a three-way catalytic converter. 
         [0029]    Further provided is a control device  6  to which are assigned sensors that register various measured variables and in each case determine the measured value of the measured variable. As a function of at least one of the measured variables the control device  6  determines actuating variables that are then converted into one or more actuation signals for controlling the actuating members by means of corresponding actuators. The control device  6  can be designated also as a device for controlling the internal combustion engine. 
         [0030]    The sensors are a pedal-position detector  71  that registers the position of an accelerator pedal  7 , an air mass meter  14  that registers an air mass flow upstream of the throttle valve  11 , a temperature sensor  15  that registers the temperature of the intake air, a crankshaft angle sensor  22  that registers a crankshaft angle CRK to which a rotational speed N is then assigned, a further temperature sensor  23  that registers a coolant temperature TCO, a camshaft-angle sensor  36   a  that registers a camshaft angle, a cylinder pressure sensor  37  that registers a pressure p in a combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , and an exhaust probe  41  that registers a residual oxygen content of the exhaust gas and whose measurement signal is characteristic of the air-fuel ratio in the cylinder Z 1 . Depending on how the invention is embodied, any subset of the cited sensors can be present as well as additional sensors. 
         [0031]    The actuating members are, for example, the throttle valve  11 , the gas intake and gas exhaust valves  30 ,  31 , the injection valve  34 , and the spark plug  35 . 
         [0032]    Alongside the cylinder Z 1 , further cylinders Z 2 -Z 4  can also be provided to which corresponding actuating members will then also be assigned. 
         [0033]    A program for controlling the internal combustion engine is launched at a step S 1  ( FIG. 2 ) at which variables will, where applicable, be initialized. 
         [0034]    A check is performed at a step S 2  to determine whether the current crankshaft angle CRK is greater than a start crankshaft angle CRK_START. A check is further performed to determine whether the current crankshaft angle CRK is less than a stop crankshaft angle CRK_STOP. The start crankshaft angle CRK_START is selected preferably as an approximately 80° crankshaft angle after the ignition top dead center of the piston  24 . At the start crankshaft angle CRK_START it is insured that burning of the air/fuel mixture contained in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  will have been reliably completed. 
         [0035]    At a crankshaft angle CRK_STOP, selected advantageously as being around 100° after the ignition top dead center of the piston  24 , it is insured that the pressure in the cylinder will still have a very high value. A registering of measured values of the pressure p in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  that is performed in the ensuing steps S 6  to S 12  can therein take place with a high degree of quality by means of the cylinder pressure sensor  37 . Cylinder pressure sensors  37  are as a rule designed for registering very high pressures. At lower pressures they may exhibit a rather large measuring error. 
         [0036]    If the condition of step S 2  has not been met, then the program will be resumed at a step S 4 , at which it pauses for a predefined waiting time T_W before the condition of step S 2  is re-checked. 
         [0037]    If, conversely, the condition of step S 2  has been met, then a first measured value p[ 1 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  will be registered at a step S 6  by means of the cylinder pressure sensor  37 . The numbers given in brackets for the magnitudes that follow each relate to associated values at in each case one crankshaft angle CRK. Thus the crankshaft angle CRK[ 1 ] is, for example, 80° after the ignition top dead center; p[ 1 ] is the measured value, assigned to said crankshaft angle CRK[ 1 ], of the combustion chamber pressure, and VOL[ 1 ] is the associated volume of the combustion chamber of the cylinder. 
         [0038]    At a step S 8 , a second measured value p[ 2 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  is registered at a crankshaft angle CRK[ 2 ] that is, for example, 85′ after the ignition top dead center, and the associated volume VOL[ 2 ] of the combustion chamber is determined. At a possibly provided step S 110 , a third measured value p[ 3 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  is registered at a crankshaft angle CRK[ 3 ] that is, for example, 90° after the ignition top dead center, and the associated volume VOL[ 3 ] of the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  is assigned. At a possibly provided step S 12 , a fourth measured value p[ 4 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder is also registered at a crankshaft angle CRK[ 4 ] that is, for example 100° after the ignition top dead center, and the corresponding volume VOL[ 4 ] of the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  is assigned. 
         [0039]    At a step S 14 , a polytropic exponent κ is then determined as a function of the first measured value p[ 1 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , of the volume VOL[ 1 ], assigned thereto, of the combustion chamber of the cylinder, of the second measured value p[ 2 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , and of the assigned volume VOL[ 2 ]. That is done preferably by appropriately resolving the polytropic equation based on the polytropic exponent κ, as shown by way of example in the right-hand part of step S 14 . 
         [0040]    The mean of the polytropic exponent is preferably obtained through determining the polytropic exponent κ on a multiple basis using different permutations of the value pairs from steps S 6  to S 12 . Measuring errors can thereby be reduced and the polytropic exponent κ hence determined even more accurately. 
         [0041]    At a step S 16 , a pressure p[ 5 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  is then determined, preferably immediately before the gas exhaust valve  31  opens, as a function of the polytropic exponent κ, of the second measured value p[ 2 ] of the pressure in the combustion chamber, of the volume VOL[ 2 ], assigned thereto, of the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , and of the volume VOL[ 5 ] assigned to the pressure p[ 5 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 . That is done preferably using the formula shown on the right-hand side of step S 16 . It can, though, alternatively also be done, given a suitable cylinder pressure sensor  37 , through further registering a measured value. The pressure p[ 5 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1  can preferably also be determined on a multiple basis as a function of further measured values of the pressure, then a mean obtained for said pressure p[ 5 ]. 
         [0042]    At a step S 18 , a gas constant R is determined preferably as a function of an actual value LAM_AV of the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , which ratio is derived from the measurement signal of the oxygen probe  41 . In a simpler embodiment of the program the gas constant R is assigned a predefined value at step S 18 . Sufficient accuracy for an individual instance can also be insured in this way during further calculating because the gas constant exhibits only slight variability. 
         [0043]    At a step S 20 , the temperature T[ 5 ] of the exhaust gas contained in the cylinder Z 1  is then determined as a function of the pressure p[ 5 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , of the volume VOL[ 5 ] assigned thereto, of the gas constant R, and of the gas mass M_ZYL contained in the cylinder Z 1 . The gas mass M_ZYL contained in the cylinder Z 1  can be determined by means of, for example, an intake pipe model as a function of a degree of opening of the throttle valve and/or the pressure in the collector  12  and/or the air mass flow registered by the air mass sensor  15  taking account of the fuel mass MFF admixed in the cylinder Z 1 . The temperature T[ 5 ] is calculated preferably using the general gas equation as shown on the right-hand side of step S 20 . 
         [0044]    At a step S 22 , a pressure p[ 6 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder, which is preferably the pressure at the time at which the gas exhaust valve  31  has just closed again, is determined by a measurement by means of the cylinder pressure sensor  37 . Alternatively to step S 22 , a step S 36  can be provided at which the pressure p[ 6 ] is in a particularly simple manner directly assigned an ambient pressure p_AMB. 
         [0045]    In a further alternative to step S 22 , steps S 38  and S 40  are provided. At step S 38 , a pressure p[ 6 ′] is determined that is assigned to a crankshaft angle CRK lying within the crankshaft angle range in which the gas exhaust valve  31  is closed again but the gas intake valve  30  is not yet open again, and which is temporally located after the crankshaft angle assigned to the pressure p[ 6 ]. The volume VOL [ 6 ′] assigned to the pressure p[ 6 ′] is furthermore buffered. 
         [0046]    At the ensuing step S 40 , the pressure p[ 6 ] is then determined as a function of the polytropic exponent κ, the pressure p[ 6 ′], and the volumes VOL[ 6 ], VOL[ 6 ′]. That is done according to step S 16 . 
         [0047]    In a further alternative to step S 22 , steps S 42 , S 44 , and S 46  are provided. At step S 42 , the pressure p[ 6 ′] and associated volume VOL[ 6 ′ ] are determined according to step S 38 . At least one more further pressure p[ 6 ″] is furthermore determined that is assigned to a crankshaft angle CRK lying within the crankshaft angle range in which the gas exhaust valve  31  is closed again but the gas intake valve  30  is not yet open again, and which is likewise temporally located after the crankshaft angle assigned to the pressure p[ 6 ]. The volume VOL[ 6 ″] assigned to the pressure p[ 6 ″] is furthermore buffered. 
         [0048]    At step S 44 , a further polytropic exponent κ′ is then determined as a function of the pressures p[ 6 ′], p[ 6 ″] and the volumes VOL[ 6 ′], VOL[ 6 ″], specifically according to the procedure of step S 14 . The further polytropic exponent κ′ can also be determined at step S 44  as a function of further pressures and assigned volumes, specifically as a mean further polytropic exponent. 
         [0049]    Step S 46  corresponds to step S 40 , except that the further or mean further polytropic exponent κ′ is used for determining the pressure p[ 6 ]. 
         [0050]    The pressure p[ 6 ] can also be determined additionally at steps S 38  or S 46  on a multiple basis using different further pressures, then a mean obtained for said pressure p[ 6 ]. Measuring errors will in this way impact less on the individual pressure measurements. 
         [0051]    At a step S 24 , a basic temperature Tnorm[ 6 ], requiring to be assigned to the pressure p[ 6 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , of the exhaust gas is then determined as a function of the polytropic exponent κ, of the pressure p[ 6 ] and the pressure p[ 5 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , and of the temperature T[ 5 ] of the exhaust gas in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 . That is done preferably using the relationship shown on the right-hand side of step S 24 . If step S 44  was performed before step S 24 , the basic temperature Tnorm[ 6 ] can also be calculated as a function of the polytropic exponent κ′. 
         [0052]    A temperature T[ 6 ], requiring to be assigned to the pressure p[ 6 ] in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 , of the exhaust gas in the cylinder Z 1  is then determined at a step S 26  as a function of the basic temperature Tnorm[ 6 ], of an ambient temperature T_AMB, and/or of a vehicle speed V of a vehicle in which the internal combustion engine is located, and/or of the coolant temperature TCO and/or of an opening angle CRK_OP and/or of a closing CRK_CL of the gas exhaust valve  31 . The temperature T[ 6 ], which in particular is the exhaust gas temperature at the time the gas exhaust valve  31  closes, can in this way be determined simply and with high precision without the need for an exhaust gas counterpressure model or corresponding exhaust gas counterpressure sensor. An exhaust gas temperature sensor can furthermore also be omitted. The influence of the ambient temperature T_AMB, the vehicle speed V, or the coolant temperature TCO or the opening angle CRK_OP or the closing angle CRK_CL of the gas exhaust valve  31  on the temperature T[ 6 ] is taken into account preferably using corresponding characteristic curves or engine characteristics maps. It is alternatively or additionally possible also to take an exhaust gas temperature T_KR in the exhaust manifold and/or a pressure in the exhaust manifold P_KR into account in determining the temperature T[ 6 ]. 
         [0053]    Steps S 28  to S 32  that follow will be performed if the internal combustion engine is operated by means of the chamber ignition method. If, on the other hand, the internal combustion engine is operated by means of another combustion method, then the temperature T[ 6 ], which is preferably the exhaust gas temperature at the time the gas exhaust valve  31  closes, can be an input variable for any functions of the control device. 
         [0054]    At a step S 28 , a first fuel mass MFF 1  requiring to be supplied is determined as a function of the temperature T[ 6 ] of the exhaust gas and of a fuel mass MFF requiring to be supplied in total to the cylinder during an operating cycle of the cylinder Z 1 . The first fuel mass MFF 1  is admixed during an intermediate compression of the cylinder Z 1  in the combustion chamber of the cylinder Z 1 . The term “intermediate compression” is in this context understood as being the period of time elapsing after the gas exhaust valve  31  closes and before the gas intake valve  30  opens. 
         [0055]    Through admixing of the first fuel mass MFF 1  during the intermediate compression there is an exothermal reaction and fractionation of the admixed fuel owing to the as a rule still low proportion of oxygen in the exhaust gas, with the formation of radicals that accelerate subsequent burning of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder. The timing of the air/fuel mixture can thus be effectively set by means of the first fuel mass MFF 1  requiring to be supplied. A major role is therein played by the fact that the temperature T[ 6 ] can vary significantly from operating cycle to operating cycle and then will in turn have a major impact on burning during the next operating cycle. That can be compensated by appropriately setting the first fuel mass MFF 1 , the result thus being precise setting of the ignition time of the air/fuel mixture. At step S 28 , a second fuel mass is furthermore also determined as a function of the fuel mass MFF requiring to be supplied in total to the cylinder Z 1  and of the first fuel mass MFF 1 . That is done preferably by forming the difference between the fuel mass MFF requiring to be supplied in total to the cylinder Z 1  and the first fuel mass MFF 1 . The second fuel mass MFF 2  is not admixed into the cylinder Z 1  until the gas intake valve  30  has opened. 
         [0056]    At a step S 30 , a crankshaft angle CRK_MFF 1  of admixing of the first fuel mass MFF 1  is determined preferably as a function of the temperature T[ 6 ] of the exhaust gas. The ignition time of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder Z 1  can be advantageously influenced also by the crankshaft angle CRK_MFF 1  of admixing of the first fuel mass MFF 1 . 
         [0057]    At a step S 32 , a crankshaft angle CRK_MFF 2  is determined as a function of the temperature T[ 6 ] of the exhaust gas, which angle also influences the ignition time of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder Z 1 . 
         [0058]    At a step S 34 , corresponding actuation signals SG are then determined for controlling the injection valve  34 . At steps S 30  and S 32  it is alternatively possible also, for example, for the crankshaft angle CRK_MFF 1  and/or crankshaft angle CRK_MFF 2  of admixing of the first or, as the case may be, second fuel mass MFF 1 , MFF 2  to be independent of the temperature T[ 6 ]. It is alternatively possible also for the first fuel mass MFF 1  to be independent of the temperature T[ 6 ] of the exhaust gas. Corresponding programs will then be processed in the control device  6  for controlling the injection valves  34  of further cylinders Z 2  to Z 4 .