A method for operating a fuel injector having at least one injection orifice that is controlled by an injector needle, in which pressure variations during the opening and/or closing of the injector needle are ascertained with the aid of a sensor. In order to determine the opening/closing instant of the injector needle, a variable that characterizes the velocity of sound of a pressure wave by the opening and/or closing is measured, and the wave propagation time, by which the needle or valve opening/closing instant is corrected, is inferred therefrom.

An apparatus and method for controlling a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. Each fuel injector in the system is operated to perform a predetermined injection pattern per engine cycle. A signal representative of a fuel pressure within the fuel rail during the operation of the fuel injectors is sampled. A Fourier analysis of the fuel rail pressure signal is performed to determine one or more harmonic components thereof. The determined harmonic components of the fuel rail pressure signal are used to calculate a dynamic fuel quantity that flows through a fuel injector during an injection pulse of the injection pattern. A fuel quantity actually injected by the fuel injector during the injection pulse as a function of the dynamic fuel quantity is calculated.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine with a high pressure accumulator for a fuel injection system, includes the steps of: monitoring, in a time-dependent manner, a high pressure in the fuel injection system; conducting a check, at a high pressure-dependent starting time point, as to whether a continuous injection detection is to be carried out; and checking whether a high-pressure oscillation has occurred within an oscillation time interval prior to a starting time.

A method and system of testing a tightness of a closed container using a two-part test. The first part of the two-part test includes connecting the closed container to a gas supply and filing the closed container with a testing gas from the gas supply. A first leak rate of the closed container is measured over a first period of time, and when the first leak rate is less than a first threshold, the controller identifies the closed container as compliant. Conversely, when the first leak rate is greater than the first threshold, the controller measures a second leak rate of the closed container over a second period of time. When the second leak rate is greater than a second threshold, the controller identifies the closed container as noncompliant, and when the second leak rate is less than the second threshold, the controller identifies the closed container as compliant.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine having a common-rail injection system as a function of a quantity of fuel injected. The method includes determining an information item about a relative-pressure characteristic from a characteristic of an absolute rail pressure in a high-pressure reservoir of the common-rail injection system; determining the quantity of fuel injected as a function of the information item about the relative-pressure characteristic, and with the aid of a trained functional model, in particular, a nonparametric functional model or a neural network; operating the internal combustion engine as a function of the quantity of fuel injected.

A surgical stapler including an anvil, a staple cartridge, and a buttress material removably retained to the anvil and/or staple cartridge. In various embodiments, the staple cartridge can include at least one staple removably stored therein which can, when deployed, or fired, therefrom, contact the buttress material and remove the buttress material from the anvil and/or staple cartridge. In at least one embodiment, the anvil can include at least one lip and/or groove configured to removably retain the buttress material to the anvil until deformable members extending from the surgical staple are bent by the anvil and are directed toward and contact the buttress material.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine having a common-rail injection system as a function of a quantity of fuel injected. The method includes determining an information item about a relative-pressure characteristic from a characteristic of an absolute rail pressure in a high-pressure reservoir of the common-rail injection system; determining the quantity of fuel injected as a function of the information item about the relative-pressure characteristic, and with the aid of a trained functional model, in particular, a nonparametric functional model or a neural network; operating the internal combustion engine as a function of the quantity of fuel injected.

Methods and systems are provided for balancing a plurality of fuel injectors. In one example, a method includes adjusting direct injector parameters in response to a learned direct injector fueling error. The pulse-width supplied to the direct injectors is adjusted to balance cylinder fueling.

A staple cartridge comprising a cartridge body, staples, and a sled is disclosed. The cartridge body comprises a longitudinal slot separating the cartridge body into a first lateral side and a second lateral side. The cartridge body further comprises a first longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in the first lateral side and a second longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in the first lateral side. The staple cavities of the first longitudinal row of staple cavities are angled toward the longitudinal slot. Gaps are present between the staple cavities in the first longitudinal row of staple cavities. The staple cavities of the second longitudinal row of staple cavities are angled toward the longitudinal slot. The staple cavities of the second longitudinal row of staple cavities are laterally aligned with the gaps. The staples are removably stored in the first and second longitudinal rows of staple cavities.

Various embodiments include a method for diagnosis of a high-pressure sensor of a motor vehicle comprising: measuring a pressure with the high-pressure sensor; feeding the measured pressure to a control unit; evaluating the measured pressure with the control unit and determining a control signal for an amount of fuel to be injected; checking whether a first difference between two successive values of the pressure measurement signal is greater than a calculated maximum difference value; checking whether a second difference between a minimum pressure measurement signal measured within a time segment and a maximum pressure measurement signal measured within the time segment is less than an expected change in the pressure measurement signal; and checking whether a measured pressure gradient is smaller than an expected pressure gradient.