Patent ID: 7124717

Claim:
A method of operating an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder including at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve having fully variable valve control, comprising: deactivating a fuel supply to at least one first cylinder including a piston which is displaceable in the at least one first cylinder; intaking a first quantity of fresh air into a combustion chamber of the at least one first cylinder by opening the at least one intake valve of the at least one first cylinder in a first downward movement of the piston of the at least one first cylinder in which the fuel supply is deactivated; ejecting a second quantity of fresh air out of the combustion chamber of the at least one first cylinder by opening the at least one exhaust valve of the at least one first cylinder in a first upward movement of the piston of the at least one first cylinder; and triggering the at least one intake valve and the at least one exhaust valve of the plurality of cylinders to operate the internal combustion engine in a multi-stroke operation having more than four strokes; wherein, for at least a fifth stroke and a sixth stroke of the multi-stroke operation, the at least one intake valve and the at least one exhaust valve are variably controlled as a function of operating variables of the internal combustion engine, wherein the at least one intake valve in an opened position connects the combustion chamber of the at least one first cylinder to an intake duct, and wherein the at least one intake valve in a closed position separates the combustion chamber of the at least one first cylinder from the intake duct, and wherein the at least one exhaust valve in an opened position connects the combustion chamber of the at least one first cylinder to an exhaust duct, and wherein the at least one exhaust valve in a closed position separates the combustion chamber of the at least one first cylinder from the exhaust duct, and wherein the first quantity of fresh air is taken in from the intake duct of the internal combustion engine.