Method for actuating a starting device for an internal combustion engine

A method for actuating a starting device for an internal combustion engine, wherein the starting device includes a starter relay (6) that includes a stroke armature (8), an energizable pull-in winding (7) for moving the stroke armature (8), a switching armature (23), and an energizable switching winding (15) for moving the switching armature (23), and further includes a switch-on device (16) for switching on an electric starter motor (11) through movement of the switching armature (23) away from the pull-in winding (7) in response to energization of the switching winding (15), wherein the switching winding (15) can be energized independently of the pull-in winding (7), wherein, in a starting operation in which the internal combustion engine is started by rotation of a starter pinion by the starter motor (11), the starter pinion being engaged with a toothed ring (3) of the internal combustion engine (4) by movement of the stroke armature (8),

• for a case in which a rotational speed of the toothed ring (3) is below a limit value (nL), first only the stroke armature (8) is moved and the switch-on device (16) of the starter motor (11) is switched on only after a starter pinion (2) has engaged with the toothed ring (3),
• for a case in which the rotational speed of the toothed ring (3) exceeds the limit value (nL), the switch-on device (16) is switched on before the starter pinion (2) contacts the toothed ring (3) of the internal combustion engine (4) in order to increase the rotational speed of said starter pinion (2), and
• for a case in which a starting operation is aborted due to a blocked toothed ring, the pull-in winding (7) and the switching winding (15) are switched off at the same point in time in order to deactivate and disengage the starter pinion, wherein current is subsequently supplied once again to the pull-in winding (7) to move the switching armature to an initial position.