Patent ID: 7003429

Claim:
A method for determining an operating time of one of a hydraulic, electrohydraulic and electric component of a motor vehicle and of a working machine within one of a reference time and a monitoring period, in which the operating time is determined by an approximation method, the method comprising the steps of: dividing one of the monitoring period of the reference time into one of separate intervals or time windows which correspond to a specific number of separate intervals and time windows (k) of a program or control, coordinating one value with each separate interval or time window which is increased by a momentary, actual control time and then stored after a plurality of separate intervals or time windows (k) which are detected by a meter (n), moving a separate interval or a time window which just expired to a second place, generating a new separate interval or time window, resetting the meter (n) and deleting a value of a separate interval or a time window lying farthest back, and calculating the operating time within one of the reference time and the monitoring period by summing up all values of the individual separate intervals or time windows.