Fraunhofer Group for MicroelectronicsAcoustic monitoring of machines and systems
Defective or incorrectly installed components in large machines and systems can lead to their failure. This makes final assembly inspection and quality monitoring during operation all the more important. Often the assembly personnel are entrusted with this testing task if they have good hearing and long experience. However, human hearing is rather subjective: it gets tired after a certain amount of time and ambient noise can have a negative effect. Fraunhofer IZFP has developed the “listening” sensor system “AcoustiX” as a more reliable alternative.
Errors or irregularities in the equipment cause characteristic vibrations. AcoustiX can capture and evaluate these sound patterns quickly, automatically, and reliably. Unlike conventional monitoring systems, AcoustiX does not require extensive adjustment or calibration.
Algorithms reliably detect faults
The sound data is constantly recorded with acoustic sensors or microphones and then analyzed and logged. Information about the functionality of the system is available within a few minutes. The medium-term aim of further development is exact fault localization and detailed determination of the type of fault. The underlying algorithms can be integrated into existing test systems and adjusted to satisfy customer requirements
Industrial application
AcoustiX is already in use at John Deere for the permanent final assembly inspection of the cutting units of combine harvesters and is currently being transferred to other series applications. In the future, the system is intended to be used for monitoring autonomous large machines or evaluating the quality of assemblies on test benches.
Last modified: