DETERMINING AN OPERATING STATE OF AN ELECTRICAL MACHINE COUPLED TO AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE BY MEANS OF A FREEWHEEL MECHANISM

The invention relates to a method for determining an operating state (B) of an electric machine (114) which is coupled to an internal combustion engine (112) by means of a freewheel mechanism (111), having the steps: determining a time profile of a rotational speed (N) of the electric machine (114) and determining at least one freewheeling phase (PHFL) of the electric machine (114) from the rotational speed (n) and the falling rotational speed edge (126b) which is assigned to the freewheeling phase (PHFL), wherein the operating state B of the electric machine (114) is inferred if the rotational speed edge (126b) has a profile shape which deviates from a standard profile (126c). Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding computing unit which is configured, by means of corresponding storage means and a computer program, to carry out the method according to the invention, and to a corresponding computer program.