Patent ID: 7360527

Claim:
A method for operating an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, in which the engine has a number of cylinders (Z 1 , Z 2 , Z 3 , Z 4 ), in which in each of the cylinders (Z 1 , Z 2 , Z 3 , Z 4 ) a movable piston is accommodated which is capable of passing through an intake phase (S), a compression phase (V), a working phase (A), and an expulsion phase (B), and in which the fuel can be injected directly into a combustion chamber defined by the cylinder (Z 1 , Z 2 , Z 3 , Z 4 ) and the piston, wherein a first output signal (P 1 , P 1 S 1 ) is generated, which changes its value whenever a transition from one phase to the next phase of the engine is taking place; wherein a second output signal (P 2 , P 2 S 2 ) is generated, which always changes its value upon every other transition between two phases of the engine; wherein the two output signals (P 1 , P 1 S 1 ; P 2 , P 2 S 2 ) are generated independently of each other; wherein from the two output signals, the present phase of at least one of the cylinders (Z 1 , Z 2 , Z 3 , Z 4 ) is ascertained; wherein two further output signals (P 1 S 2 , P 2 S 2 ) are generated, which have successive zero and one signals with predetermined durations, wherein an AND-operator of the two further output signals characterizes a time range or angle range in which a direct start is possible, and wherein an EXOR-operation of the zero and one signals designates a time range or angle range in which a direct start is possible only under certain peripheral conditions.