the invention is directed to a method for pattern recognition in a signal corresponding for example to the steering angle of a vehicle for testing tires . the method comprises three major steps , namely step a ) consisting in identifying phases in the signal by detecting phase changes ; step b ) consisting in classifying at least some of the identified phases based on their shapes and step c ) consisting in detecting the presence of predetermined patterns in the signal where each predetermined pattern corresponds to a specific sequence of classes of phases . the phase changes are determined by extrema of the signal and its first derivative . the classification of the phase is made by means of parameters of the phases , namely the length dl , the amplitude dh , and a form factor s . the definition of the different classes is adjusted in a parameter space by means of manual recognition of maneuvers .