Synchronization of the angle position of the crankshaft of a motor vehicle with the internal clock of a engine control device is often imprecise and complicated and is often fraught with difficulties, particularly with regard to the detection and processing of external sensor signals. The invention relates to a engine control device wherein the angle position of the crankshaft is initially detected and converted into an electronic trigger signal in a trigger converter. The electronic trigger signal controls the detection and the analog-to-digital conversion of an analog signal, particularly an analog sensor signal. Control occurs in such a way that data can only be detected when a specific trigger signal is present or that data can only be continuously detected and processed when a specific trigger signal is present.