METHOD FOR OPERATING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A SPLIT CRANKSHAFT AND SYNCHRONOUS CLUTCH FOR COUPLING TWO CRANKSHAFT PARTS OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine having a first, also exclusively operated, main engine having a first crankshaft part and a second, supplementary engine, which has a second crankshaft part and can be coupled by means of a synchronous clutch to the first crankshaft part. The synchronous clutch consists of a friction clutch that sets a predefined slip speed between the crankshaft parts, and a positive clutch which, when the slip speed is set, sets or disengages a positive engagement of coupled crankshaft parts at a synchronous position with exact rotational angle position of a predefined firing order of the internal combustion engine with the coupled crankshaft parts. The invention also relates to a corresponding synchronous clutch. In order to be able to carry out synchronisation quickly and without high switching torques, during a synchronisation process of the two crankshaft parts with the supplementary engine idle and an initially opened synchronous clutch, in particular with a spring-loaded formation of the positive engagement, a coupling torque transmitted via the friction clutch is regulated to the predefined slip speed between the crankshaft parts, the supplementary engine is started and the synchronous position is approached by accelerating the crankshaft part of the supplementary engine and the positive engagement is closed.