# US 2013/0158839 A1 · Method for operating a multi-fuel internal combustion engine by means of two control units, and multi-fuel internal combustion engine which operates in accordance with the method according to the invention > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0158839 A1 - Document ID: US20130158839A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/714,722 - Filed: 2012-12-14 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-14 - Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH - Inventors: Werner Striegel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158839A1 ## CPC - F02D 19/061: {by controlling fuel injectors} - F02D 19/10: peculiar to compression-ignition engines in which the main fuel is gaseous - F02D 41/266: {the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue} - Y02T 10/30: Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A method for operating a multi-fuel internal combustion engine in which a plurality of control units are used. The system is easily scalable and adaptable to internal combustion engines with different numbers of cylinders, wherein the number of cylinders is not limited by the control unit structure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a dual-fuel internal combustion engine (10) comprising a first control unit (SG1) and a further control unit (SG2), wherein the control units (SG1, SG2) are connected to one another of a broadband communication connection (103), and wherein a bidirectional transmission of data takes place between the control units (SG1, SG2) via the broadband communication connection (103), characterized in that each control unit (SG1, SG2) controls the operation of a plurality of injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of at least one cylinder (12) of the internal combustion engine (10). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that more than two control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) are provided. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of each cylinder of the internal combustion engine (10) are assigned precisely one control unit (SG1, SG2, SG3). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that each control unit (SG1, SG2, SG3) controls the injection of one or two fuels of at least one cylinder (12) of the internal combustion engine (10). ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) are active throughout the entire operating duration of the internal combustion engine (10). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that one control unit (SG1) performs the function of a “master” and the other control units (SG2, SG3) perform the function of a “slave”. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the case of an internal combustion engine (10) with six (6) cylinders, the “master” control unit (SG1) controls the injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of three cylinders (1, 2, 3) of the internal combustion engine and the “slave” control unit (SG2) which controls the injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of the three remaining cylinders (4, 5, 6). ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the case of an internal combustion engine (10) with eight (8) cylinders, the “master” control unit (SG1) controls the injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of four cylinders (1, 2, 3, 4) of the internal combustion engine and the “slave” control unit (SG2) which controls the injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of the four remaining cylinders (5, 6, 7, 8). ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the case of an internal combustion engine (10) with ten cylinders (12), the “master” control unit (SG1) controls two cylinders (9, 10) of the internal combustion engine and two “slave” control units (SG2, SG3), and in that the two “slave” control units (SG2, SG3) control in each case four cylinders (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) exchange, via the broadband communication (103), data (S1 . . . Sn, Sn+1 . . . Sm) that are present in a control unit (SG1, SG2, SG3). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A non-transitory computer readable medium including a program, for use in a method according to claim 1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An electric storage medium for a control and/or regulating unit (SG1, SG2, SG3) of an internal combustion engine (10), characterized in that a computer program for use in a method of claim 1 is stored on said electric storage medium. ### Claim 13 A multi-fuel control unit (SG1, SG2, SG3) for an internal combustion engine (10), having a plurality of power output stages, characterized in that one part of the power output stages actuates injectors (32) and another part of the power output stages actuates gas valves (40). ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The multi-fuel control unit (SG1, SG2, SG3) according to claim 13, characterized in that the multi-fuel control unit (SG1, SG2, SG3) has a broadband communication connection (103) for the exchange of data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The multi-fuel internal combustion engine comprising a first control unit (SG1) and optionally one or more further control units (SG2, SG3), characterized in that the one or more control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) are multi-fuel control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) according to claim 13. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The multi-fuel internal combustion engine according to claim 15, characterized in that it comprises a first control unit (SG1) and at least one further control unit (SG2, SG3), in that the control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) are connected to one another by means of a broadband communication connection (103), and wherein a bidirectional transmission of data takes place between the control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) via the broadband communication connection (103), and in that the control units (SG1, SG2, SG3) operate a plurality of injectors (32) and gas valves (40) of at least one cylinder (12) of the internal combustion engine (10). ### Claim 17 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the case of an internal combustion engine (10) with twelve cylinders (12), the “master” control unit (SG1) controls four cylinders (9, 10) of the internal combustion engine and two “slave” control units (SG2, SG3), and in that the two “slave” control units (SG2, SG3) control in each case four cylinders (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).