Patent ID: 8239088

Claim:
A method for detecting a faulty adjusting device in an internal combustion engine, comprising the following steps: activating a change from a first operating position of the adjusting device to a second operation position of the adjusting device corresponding to a specified operating point of the internal combustion engine, the specified operating point of the internal combustion engine being determined by an engine control system based on a second family of characteristics or model corresponding to the second operating position of the adjusting device, based on a comparison between the specified operating point and an actual operating point of the internal combustion engine, generating and sending a control signal to the adjusting device to control the operating position of the adjusting device; and comparing the control signal with a threshold value; and determining that the activated change from the first operating position to the second operation position did not take place or took place incorrectly if the control signal exceeds the threshold value, performing a further check that the first operating position to the second operation position did not take place or took place incorrectly by: automatically switching the engine control system from the second family of characteristics or model to a first family of characteristics or model corresponding to the first operating position of the adjusting device, determining a reference operating point of the internal combustion engine based on the first family of characteristics or model, determining a reference control signal for adjusting the operating position of the adjusting device to the reference operating point, and confirming that the first operating position to the second operation position did not take place or took place incorrectly if the reference control signal is below the threshold value.