Patent ID: 7710052

Claim:
A method for operating a piezoelectric actuator, comprising the steps of: driving the piezoelectric actuator in a first operating mode by pulsed supplying of a first electrical quantity for the purpose of charging or discharging the piezoelectric actuator taking into account at least one control parameter of the piezoelectric actuator, driving the piezoelectric actuator in a second operating mode by non-pulsed impressing of the first electrical quantity for the purpose of charging or discharging the piezoelectric actuator with a predefined profile of the first electrical quantity, which profile is essentially independent of a change in load at the piezoelectric actuator, recording a profile of a second electrical quantity of the piezoelectric actuator during at least one measurement period during the impressing of the predefined profile of the first electrical quantity, and determining the at least one control parameter of the piezoelectric actuator as a function of the recorded profile of the second electrical quantity.