1. A method for controlling the number of cylinder valves in at least a cylinder operating in a internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
operating at least a cylinder to carry out combustion with a first number of active valves in a cycle of said cylinder, during at least a first operating condition of a catalyst; and
operating said cylinder to carry out combustion with a second number of active valves in a cycle of said cylinder, during a second catalyst operating condition, said second catalyst operating condition different from said first catalyst operating condition and said first number of active valves different from said second number of active valves.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating state of said catalyst brick is a oxidant storage capacity.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating state of said catalyst is an amount of oxidants stored by said catalyst brick.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalyst state is temperature of said catalyst brick.
5. A method for controlling the valve pattern in at least a cylinder operating in a internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
operating at least a cylinder to perform combustion with a first active valve configuration in a cycle of said cylinder, during at least a first operating condition of a catalyst; and
operating said cylinder to perform combustion with a second active valve configuration in a cycle of said cylinder, during a second catalyst operating condition, said second catalyst operating condition different from said first catalyst operating condition, where the difference between the first valve configuration and the second valve configuration is at least one of active valve spatial location in said cylinder head.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said operating state of said catalyst brick is a oxidant storage capacity.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein said operating state of said catalyst is an amount of oxidants stored by said catalyst brick.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein said catalyst state is temperature of said catalyst brick.
9. A method for determining a valve pattern in a cycle of an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
determining an operating condition of at least one catalyst brick located in an exhaust system of said internal combustion engine;
selecting a number of cylinders in which to delay a valve opening after a combustion event in respective cylinders, based on said catalyst brick operating condition;
varying a spatial valve pattern of active valves in said selected cylinders, based on said catalyst brick operating condition, wherein said valve pattern includes at least one active valve; and
operating said active valves in said selected cylinders during a cycle of said internal combustion engine.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An optical rotary joint, comprising:
at least one first collimator arrangement;
a second collimator arrangement supported to be rotatable relative to the first collimator arrangement about a rotation axis; and
a derotating optical element located in a light path extending between the first collimator arrangement and the second collimator arrangement;
wherein at least one of the first and second collimator arrangements comprises:
a rod-shaped lens comprising at least a portion arranged at an oblique angle relative to the rotation axis; and
a light waveguide connected to an end face of the rod-shaped lens and laterally displaced with respect to an optical axis of the rod-shaped lens.
2. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the light waveguide is arranged at an oblique angle with respect to the optical axis.
3. The optical rotary joint of claim 2, wherein the least one light waveguide is arranged at an angle between approximately 1\xb0 and approximately 20\xb0 with respect to the optical axis.
4. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the light waveguide is arranged parallel to the optical axis.
5. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the entirety of the rod-shaped lens is arranged at the oblique angle relative to the rotation axis.
6. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein an end portion of the rod-shaped lens facing the derotating optical element is arranged at the oblique angle relative to the rotation axis, and wherein a remainder portion of the rod-shaped lens is arranged parallel to the rotation axis.
7. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the at least one collimator arrangement further comprises a support plate with bores in which at least a portion of the rod-shaped lens is fastened.
8. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the least one collimator arrangement further comprises a support plate comprising an optically transparent material, and wherein the rod-shaped lens is fastened to a surface of the support plate.
9. The optical rotary joint of claim 8, wherein the support plate consists essentially of the optically transparent material.
10. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped lens is one of a plurality of rod-shaped lenses comprising the at least one collimator arrangement.
11. The optical rotary joint of claim 1, wherein the first collimator arrangement is rotatable relative to the second collimator arrangement.