Patent ID: 7567884

Claim:
A method for detecting presence or absence of a motor vehicle prescribed heat exchanger during motor vehicle operation, comprising: (S1) using a sensor to measure temperature of a heat-exchanger medium and at the same time observing further current motor vehicle operationally relevant parameters for a given time window; (S2) determining an expected time gradient of the temperature of the heat-exchanger medium; (S3) determining a current time gradient of the temperature of the heat-exchanger medium; and (S4) using an evaluation device to detect the presence of a prescribed heat exchanger based on the expected and the current time gradients of the temperature of the heat-exchanger medium; wherein method step (S1) comprises the following substeps: (S1-1) measuring values of the temperature of the heat-exchanger medium in predefined time intervals and plotting time profiles of the temperature values; and (S1-2) measuring values of the operationally relevant parameters at predefined time intervals and plotting time profiles of the operationally relevant parameters values; and wherein method step ($2) comprises the following substeps: (S2-1) comparing the plotted current operationally relevant parameters with predefined values; (S2-2) determining an associated current operating state in accordance with this comparison; and (S2-3) determining the temperature gradient expected in the associated current operating state.