Method for determining a change in air consumption for a combustion engine

1. A method for determining a change in volumetric efficiency for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

first, determining a reference volumetric efficiency;

thereafter determining a first actual volumetric efficiency value from a first measured value at a first measurement point in a first rotational speed range in which a change in the flow losses in an intake tract has only a minor effect on the volumetric efficiency;

determining a second actual volumetric efficiency value from a second measured value at a second measurement point in a second rotational speed range which is greater than the first rotational speed range in terms of rotational speed;

correcting the second actual volumetric efficiency value based on first actual volumetric efficiency value; and

determining change in volumetric efficiency based on the reference volumetric efficiency and the corrected second actual volumetric efficiency value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second measured value is determined at the same fresh gas quantity as the first measured value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine is in a steady state when a measured value is determined.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein exhaust gas recirculation is deactivated before determining a measured value.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein actual volumetric efficiency is calculated based on a measured actual pressure and actual temperature in the intake path.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the volumetric efficiency and change in volumetric efficiency between two measurement points is determined by one of interpolation and extrapolation.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of operating conditions and ambient conditions is taken into account in determination of the measured values.

8. A method for determining a change in volumetric efficiency as claimed in claim 1 , for determination of an exhaust gas recirculation quantity for an internal combustion engine having exhaust gas recirculation, whereby

an updated reference volumetric efficiency is determined from an original reference volumetric efficiency and the change in volumetric efficiency, and a reference gas quantity is determined from the updated reference volumetric efficiency;

a prevailing gas mixture quantity is determined from the reference gas quantity by means of a prevailing temperature and a prevailing pressure,

a fresh gas fraction of the prevailing gas mixture is determined; and

a prevailing exhaust gas recirculation quantity is determined on the basis of the difference between the prevailing gas mixture quantity and the fresh gas mixture fraction.

9. A method for determining a change in volumetric efficiency as claimed in claim 8 wherein:

an actual volumetric efficiency value is determined from a reference volumetric efficiency and the change in volumetric efficiency;

an actual gas measurement quantity is determined from the actual volumetric efficiency value, an actual pressure and an actual temperature;

a fresh gas fraction of the actual gas mixture is determined; and

an actual exhaust gas recirculation quantity is determined on the basis of the difference between the actual gas mixture quantity and the fresh gas fraction.