A method is described for operating at least one magnetic switching element, at least one first connection of at least one sensor device being connected to at least one connection of a coil of the magnetic switching element, and the first connection or an additional connection of the sensor device being connected to a reference potential, and a measuring state being established in which at least one connection of the coil is essentially at least temporarily decoupled from the reference potential and/or from a source activating the coil, and at least one signal of at least one sensor of the sensor device being ascertained in the measuring state from at least one electrical potential at at least one connection of the coil.

A vehicle control device includes a storage device and a processor. The storage device is configured to store relationship prescription data that prescribe a relationship between a state of a vehicle and an action variable that is a variable related to an operation of an electronic device in the vehicle. The processor is configured to calculate a reward corresponding to the operation of the electronic device. The processor is configured to update the relationship prescription data using, as inputs to updated mapping determined in advance, the state of the vehicle that is based on a detection value that is acquired, a value of the action variable that is used to operate the electronic device, and the reward corresponding to the operation of the electronic device when a computation load on the processor is equal to or less than a predetermined load.

In a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, a vapor concentration learned value learned as a concentration of fuel in purge gas is reflected in an injection amount command value used for fuel injection amount control. An electronic control unit changes a reflection mode of reflecting the vapor concentration learned value in the injection amount command value depending on a pattern of switching an inlet through which the purge gas flows into an intake passage, between a first inlet and a second inlet upstream of the first inlet, and executes the reflection in the changed reflection mode during a period from a start of an intake of intermediate gas into a cylinder to completion of the intake of the intermediate gas. The intermediate gas is present in a portion of the intake passage between the first inlet and the second inlet when switching of the inlet is performed.

A misfire detection device for an internal combustion engine is provided. A mapping takes time series data of instantaneous speed parameters as inputs. Each instantaneous speed parameter corresponds to one of a plurality of successive second intervals in a first interval. The instantaneous speed parameters correspond to the rotational speed of the crankshaft. The first interval is a rotational angular interval of the crankshaft in which compression top dead center occurs. The second interval is smaller than an interval between compression top dead center positions. The mapping outputs a probability that a misfire has occurred in at least one cylinder that reaches compression top dead center in the first interval. The mapping data defining the mapping has been learned by machine learning.

A method of adaptively predicting, during operation of a pump, a mass of fuel pumped by the pump during a pumping event to a fuel accumulator (“Q.sub.pump”) to control operation of the pump is provided, comprising: generating an adaptive model of operation of the pump, including estimating a start of pumping (“SOP”) position of a plunger of the pump, estimating Q.sub.pump, determining a converged value of the estimated SOP position, and determining a converged value of the estimated Q.sub.pump; using the adaptive model to predict Q.sub.pump by inputting to the model the converged value of the estimated SOP position, a measured pressure of fuel in the fuel accumulator and a measured temperature of fuel in the fuel accumulator; and controlling operation of the pump in response to the predicted Q.sub.pump.

A method and a device for determining the injection quantity or the injection rate of a fluid which is transported to an injector through a hydraulic line and is injected into a reaction space by the injector. The fluid pressure in the hydraulic line is measured by a pressure sensor, the fluid pressure at the injector is determined using the pressure measured by the pressure sensor and a stored transmission function of the hydraulic line, and the injection quantity or the injection rate of the fluid injected by the injector is determined using the fluid pressure determined at the injector.

A method for calibrating a fuel pump for use in a fuel supply system of a device having internal combustion engine includes determining a tolerance-conditioned and wear-conditioned deviation of the fuel pump with respect to its delivery behavior so that the calibration permits energy-consumption-optimized actuation of the fuel pump.

Disclosed is a method for synchronizing a combustion engine of a motor vehicle, including the steps of detection of the reference position of a first toothed wheel during a rotation of the crankshaft from the measurements sent by a first measuring sensor, detection of rising and falling edges of the teeth of a second toothed wheel during a concomitant rotation of the camshaft from the measurements sent by a second measuring sensor, identification of the detected edges with a first tolerance threshold on the angular position of the camshaft from recorded positions of the edges to synchronize the engine, the recorded positions being predetermined by learning from theoretical positions with a second tolerance threshold on the angular position of the camshaft, the first tolerance threshold being less than the second tolerance threshold, and synchronization of the engine from the identified edges of the teeth of the second toothed wheel.

A control device transmits an opening degree command amount to an actuator to command an opening degree of a sealing valve. The control device sets a pressure difference between a tank-side pressure and a canister-side pressure to a specified value or more. The control device causes a pressure variable device to change the canister-side pressure to form a state in which the pressure difference becomes equal to or higher than a specified value while the sealing valve is closed. The control device learns a valve opening start amount based on the opening degree command amount when the tank-side pressure changes in response to the opening degree command amount that gradually increases from zero. The control device determines the opening degree command amount based on the valve opening start amount, which has been learned.

Various embodiments include a method for actuating a piezo actuator of an injection valve of a fuel injection system comprising: determining actuation signals for the piezo actuator using a stored current/voltage characteristic curve for carrying out an injection process; detecting the profile of the current flowing through the piezo actuator during the injection process and the profile of the voltage applied to the piezo actuator during the injection process; adapting the stored current/voltage characteristic curve based at least in part on the detected current profile and the detected voltage profile; and determining actuation signals for the piezo actuator using the stored, adapted current/voltage characteristic curve for carrying out a subsequent injection process.