| CPC F02D 41/221 (2013.01) [G07C 5/0808 (2013.01); F02D 2041/224 (2013.01); F02D 2200/0602 (2013.01)] | 14 Claims |
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1. A method for operating an injector on an internal combustion engine, the method comprising the steps of:
introducing a fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine by way of the injector;
capturing, for a plurality of injection events, a wear value for the injector;
assigning each respective one of the wear value that is captured to a respective one of a plurality of wear value classes;
determining, for each of the plurality of wear value classes, a class frequency of a plurality of the wear value that are captured and assigned to a corresponding one of the plurality of wear value classes;
calculating, based on a plurality of class frequencies of the plurality of wear value classes, a total wear value for the injector; and
evaluating a condition of the injector based on the total wear value, as a respective one of the wear value a cavitation number being captured which is characteristic of a cavitation occurring at the injector during a respective one of the plurality of injection events, the cavitation number being determined based on a plurality of pressure conditions at the injector, depending on a fuel pressure at the injector, as a quotient of a difference between the fuel pressure at the injector and a back pressure divided by the back pressure.
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