Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Stefan Lindner

Jeffrey M Kaiser

Karl T Kiebel

Stefan Vogel

An internal combustion engine for a motor vehicle included a crankshaft, at least one piston coupled to the crankshaft for performing strokes in a cylinder as a consequence of a rotation of the crankshaft. An eccentric shaft is coupled to the crankshaft and to the piston in such a manner that through it strokes of the piston are extendable. The internal combustion engine further includes a phase adjuster for adjusting a phase of the coupling of the eccentric shaft to the crankshaft and/or a stroke adjuster for adjusting strokes of the piston, in particular an extension of strokes of the piston by the eccentric shaft.

Internal combustion engine

A spark control module, for an engine speed and an engine load: for a first predetermined period, supplies spark to each cylinder of the engine at a predetermined spark timing set for the engine speed and the engine load. For a second period following the first predetermined period, the spark control module: provides spark to a first one of the cylinders at a first spark timing that is retarded relative to the predetermined spark timing; and supplies spark to all of the other cylinders of the engine at the predetermined spark timing. The storage module selectively stores in memory: a first torque output of the engine measured during the first predetermined period; and a second torque output of the engine measured during the second period.

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Friesenheim, Germany

Stefan Lindner