Patent ID: 8401754

Claim:
A method for detecting a status of a clutch in a drive train of a motor vehicle as part of an engine drag torque control, comprising: ascertaining an engine speed of a driving motor and at least one of (a) a vehicle speed and (b) an axle speed; forming a transmission ratio from the engine speed and at least one of (a) the vehicle speed and (b) the axle speed; determining the clutch status from a comparison of the transmission ratio with a reference value; making the reference value equal to the transmission ratio at a first time step; at a subsequent time step from the first time step, forming a difference between an instantaneous transmission ratio and the reference value; detecting a disengaged clutch status if the difference between an instantaneous transmission ratio and the reference value exceeds a threshold value; and influencing the engine drag torque control as a function of the detected clutch status.