System for determining vibration characteristics of a motor vehicle

1. A system for determining vibration characteristics of a motor vehicle, comprising a sensing arrangement adapted to sense vibrations of the vehicle or of a vehicle part, and an electronic processing means adapted to apply an algorithm for evaluating signals from the sensing arrangement and for determining the vibration characteristics based on the evaluation, the algorithm includes at least one support vector machine adapted to output a probability that a second vibration characteristic belongs to a particular pre-set type of the vibration characteristics; and

the support vector machine is configured to output a probability that a current vibration characteristic belongs to a particular one of different pre-set types of vibration characteristics.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising wherein the algorithm is adapted to determine the vibration characteristics in the form of a wheel-induced vibration characteristic of the motor vehicle while moving generated due to the rolling of a vehicle wheel on the ground.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising wherein the support vector machine is adapted to output a probability that a current road surface belongs one of the particular pre-set road surface type based upon the wheel-induced vibration characteristic.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the algorithm comprises a plurality of the support vector machines, wherein each of the plurality of support vector machines is adapted to output a probability that the sensed vibration characteristic belongs to the particular pre-set type of vibration characteristics.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising wherein the plurality of support vector machines are connected in parallel to each other.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a decision means adapted for determining the maximum probability among the probability outputs of the support vector machines.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sensing arrangement comprises at least one vibration sensor adapted to detect vibrations transmitted by the motor vehicle chassis.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein further comprising the vibration sensor is positioned in a central region of the motor vehicle.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7 further comprising the vibration sensor is an accelerometer mounted in fixed relation to the vehicle chassis.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7 further comprising wherein the vibration sensor is a vehicle impact sensor.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sensing arrangement comprises at least one sound sensor adapted to detect acoustic rolling noise generated due to the rolling of a vehicle wheel on the ground.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising wherein the sound sensor is used as a safing sensor to a vibration sensor of the sensing arrangement.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising wherein the algorithm is adapted to compensate signals from the sensing arrangement for the vehicle speed using available vehicle speed data.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising wherein information from the algorithm is used to control a means for vehicle safety or to alert the driver of the motor vehicle.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the algorithm is adapted to determine the vibration characteristic of a vehicle part for diagnosis of the vehicle part.