Abstract: A method for checking the output signal of a rail pressure sensor of a direct-injecting internal combustion engine having a common rail system for plausibility, including the following steps: the output signal of the rail pressure sensor is detected over a predefinable period of time and recorded; the output signal is transformed into the frequency space; characteristic features are extracted from the transformed signal; a rail pressure value is calculated on the basis of the features and additional, predefined influencing variables; an average rail pressure value is simultaneously ascertained from the output signal of the rail pressure sensor; the average rail pressure value is compared with the calculated rail pressure value; in the event that the calculated rail pressure value deviates from the average rail pressure value by a predefined limiting value, an error signal is output and/or stored in an error memory.

Abstract: A method for checking the output signal of a rail pressure sensor of a direct-injecting internal combustion engine having a common rail system for plausibility, including the following steps: the output signal of the rail pressure sensor is detected over a predefinable period of time and recorded; the output signal is transformed into the frequency space; characteristic features are extracted from the transformed signal; a rail pressure value is calculated on the basis of the features and additional, predefined influencing variables; an average rail pressure value is simultaneously ascertained from the output signal of the rail pressure sensor; the average rail pressure value is compared with the calculated rail pressure value; in the event that the calculated rail pressure value deviates from the average rail pressure value by a predefined limiting value, an error signal is output and/or stored in an error memory.