Patent ID: 8347864

Claim:
A method for controlling an internal combustion engine which has: a fuel tank, a fuel vapor reservoir for storing fuel vapors which escape from the fuel tank, a controllable tank venting valve, which is arranged in a connecting line between the fuel vapor reservoir and air intake ducting of the internal combustion engine in order, during a current tank venting period, to introduce into the air intake ducting fuel vapors from the fuel vapor reservoir, at least one injection valve, which is connected to the fuel tank and by means of which the fuel can be dosed in, wherein the current tank venting period includes a start time; the method comprising the following steps during the current tank venting period: retaining a previous reference value which represents a composition of exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine during a previous tank venting period; if a condition is satisfied, determining a current reference value for the current tank venting period which represents a composition of exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine during the current tank venting period; determining the charge level of the fuel vapor reservoir before the tank venting valve is opened based at least in part on the current reference value, and otherwise retaining the previous reference value, before the tank venting valve is opened, determining a duration of an opening period, within which the tank venting valve is to be opened from a closed state up until a prescribed through-flow setpoint is reached, actuating the tank venting valve so that the through-flow reaches the through-flow setpoint within the determined duration of the opening period, and calculating a fuel quantity, based at least in part on the charge level, and feeding the calculated fuel quantity to a combustion chamber in the internal combustion engine by the introduction of the fuel vapors into the air intake ducting, wherein the fuel quantity to be dosed in by means of the injection valve is corrected on the basis of the calculated fuel quantity.