Encoder wheel for use in an internal combustion engine

1 . An encoder wheel for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

six indicator elements, which are arranged spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction with respect to a rotational axis of the encoder wheel on a main body of the encoder wheel, each indicator element having a leading flank and a trailing flank;

wherein flanks of the indicator elements that are arranged in the same direction, either the leading flanks or the trailing flanks, are arranged equidistant from one another in the circumferential direction; and

wherein the indicator elements each have one of three different indicator element extensions in the circumferential direction,

wherein at least two directly adjacent indicator elements form an indicator element pair and have the same indicator element extensions.

2 . The encoder wheel of claim 1 , wherein the indicator elements have their respective leading flanks at the angular positions 0°, 60°, 120°, 180°, 240°, and 300°, and wherein the indicator elements at those positions have respective indicator element extensions of 40°, 40°, 30°, 20°, 20°, and 30°.

3 . The encoder wheel of claim 1 , wherein the three indicator element extensions are each reduced by an identical offset angle Δ from respective base values.

4 . The encoder wheel of claim 1 , wherein intermediate spaces are present in the circumferential direction between the indicator elements and each intermediate space has precisely one of three different intermediate space extensions in the circumferential direction.

5 . The encoder wheel of claim 4 , wherein each intermediate space has an extension in the circumferential direction measured between a trailing flank of a respective indicator element and a leading flank of a following indicator element in the rotational direction, and wherein the extension of each intermediate space is equal to r times the extension of the respective indicator element measured between its leading and trailing flanks, where r is identical for all intermediate spaces.

6 . An internal combustion engine, comprising:

a crankshaft and a camshaft connected to the crankshaft in terms of drive;

a crankshaft encoder wheel including multiple indicator elements coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to the crankshaft; and

a camshaft encoder wheel including six indicator elements coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to the camshaft, the camshaft encoder wheel being the encoder wheel of claim 1 ;

wherein the internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft encoder sensor configured to sense the indicator elements of the crankshaft encoder wheel and a camshaft encoder sensor configured to sense the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel; and

wherein flanks of the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel that are arranged in the same direction, either the leading flanks or the trailing flanks, are arranged equidistant from one another in the circumferential direction, and the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel each have one of three different indicator element extensions in the circumferential direction.

7 . The internal combustion engine of claim 6 , wherein the camshaft encoder sensor is configured to generate a first signal level upon overlap with one of the indicator elements and to generate a second signal level different from the first signal level upon overlap with one of the intermediate spaces present between the indicator elements.

8 . A method for operating an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft and a camshaft, the method comprising:

sensing, by a crankshaft encoder sensor, indicator elements of a crankshaft encoder wheel that is coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to the crankshaft;

sensing, by a camshaft encoder sensor, indicator elements of a camshaft encoder wheel that is coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to the camshaft and includes six indicator elements, wherein each of the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel includes a leading flank and a trailing flank;

generating, by the camshaft encoder sensor, a sensor signal having a first level upon overlap with one of the indicator elements and a second level upon overlap with one of the intermediate spaces between the indicator elements;

detecting, from the sensor signal, rising edges corresponding to leading flanks of the indicator elements; and

determining a rotational angle position based on a sequence of three different indicator element extensions in the circumferential direction, wherein flanks of the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel that are arranged in the same direction, either the leading flanks or the trailing flanks, are arranged equidistant from one another in the circumferential direction, wherein the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel each have one of three different indicator element extensions in the circumferential direction, and at least two directly adjacent indicator elements form an indicator element pair and have the same indicator element extensions.