Method for the predictive maintenance of internal combustion engine components by means of a structure-borne sound sensor

A method for predictive maintenance of components of an internal combustion engine by a structure-borne sound sensor, comprising:

• recording vibrations of the components of the internal combustion engine by at least one structure-borne sound sensor;
• and
• during operation of the internal combustion engine, continuously checking a release for diagnosing a wear condition of the components of the internal combustion engine,
• wherein the at least one structure-borne sound sensor, which is arranged at one or more positions on the internal combustion engine, records measurement signals and forward them to evaluation electronics,
• wherein the measurement signals are time-synchronized to a characteristic state of the internal combustion engine or the measurement signal recording is time-triggered,
• wherein the time-synchronized or triggered measurement signals are decoded into measurement data,
• wherein the decoded measurement data is subjected to a signal transformation,
• wherein one or more spectrograms are generated from the signal transformation,
• wherein the one or more spectrograms are evaluated by one or more mathematical regression models in the evaluation electronics, and the release for diagnosing the state of wear of the components of the internal combustion engine is simultaneously re-tested,
• wherein, when a release is issued, a process, starting with the signal recording by the structure-borne sound sensor or sensors, runs again until the release expires,
• wherein an average value is calculated from evaluations generated in this manner so that the average value represents a measurement of the wear of the analyzed component, and
• wherein the average value is transferred to further units for further processing.