US 12,264,634 B2
Monitoring the ventilation of a crankcase of an internal combustion engine
Paul Rodatz, Landshut (DE); Gerhard Haft, Maxhütte-Haidhof (DE); Michael Nienhoff, Regensburg (DE); and Fabian Fink, Reichenschwand (DE)
Assigned to VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH, Regensburg (DE)
Appl. No. 18/716,218
Filed by Vitesco Technologies GmbH, Regensburg (DE)
PCT Filed Nov. 28, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/083489
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 4, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/104572, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 15, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 213 901.9 (DE), filed on Dec. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2025/0043743 A1, Feb. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. F02D 41/14 (2006.01); F01M 13/00 (2006.01); F02D 41/22 (2006.01)
CPC F02D 41/1461 (2013.01) [F01M 13/00 (2013.01); F02D 41/22 (2013.01); F01M 2013/0005 (2013.01); F01M 2013/0077 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for monitoring the ventilation of a crankcase of an internal combustion engine with combustion chambers and a nitrogen oxide sensor arranged in an exhaust system, the sensor configured to detect an amount of nitrogen oxide in exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
determining a predefined operating mode of the internal combustion engine defined by substantially no combustion of an air/fuel mixture taking place inside the combustion chambers;
determining an amount of nitrogen oxide in the exhaust gas during the predefined operating mode of the internal combustion engine using the exhaust gas sensor; and
identifying functional ventilation of the crankcase if the detected nitrogen oxide level exceeds a predefined nitrogen oxide threshold or identifying a malfunction if the detected nitrogen oxide level is below the predefined nitrogen oxide threshold.