Method for shutting down and restarting individual cylinders of an engine

Method for shutting down and starting individual cylinders of a multicylinder internal combustion engine having at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve per cylinder, and a device for fuel injection for individual cylinders, with said valves of a selected individual cylinder being deactivated or activated during a shutdown or restart of said selected cylinder by means of a shutdown device, and the fuel injection in said selected cylinder being deactivated or activated as a function of an operating state of said valves, the improvement comprising:

• when said selected cylinder is switched, a time sequence for activation or deactivation of intake and exhaust valves is controlled such that a shutdown of said selected cylinder takes place after one intake cycle and prior to a next succeeding exhaust cycle thereof, and a restart of said selected cylinder takes place before one exhaust cycle and after a next preceding intake cycle thereof;
• a crankshaft angle is preset for said shutdown device relative to a reference mark on a crankshaft or camshaft of said engine on which the switching process is to begin;
• an angular switching position of said disconnection device is determined as a function of operating parameters;
• when a switching signal is present, the angular switching position and the crankshaft angle are added to a current crankshaft angle;
• a next succeeding reference mark is determined on the basis of said crankshaft angle, and angular switching position for the disconnection device is calculated by substracting the crankshaft angle and angular switching position;
• and
• when an angular switching position is reached, said disconnection device is activated.