A speed control system for a vehicle

Claim 2

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said processor means includes sensitivity filter means, coupled to said speed sensor and based upon said vehicle transfer function and said predeterminable controller transfer function, for receiving said speed signal and for responsively providing a first gain-related signal representing a partial derivative of said speed signal with respect to said gain and gradient means, coupled to said sensitivity filter means and defining said preprogrammed cost index, for receiving said first gain-related signal and for responsively providing a first gain control signal representing an optimal value for said gain based upon a substantial minimisation of said preprogrammed cost index, said processor means tuning said gain in accordance with said first control gain signal.

Claim 3

A self-tuning speed control system for a vehicle, represented by a predeterminable nominal vehicle transfer function and having a predeterminable compatible controller transfer function, comprising, in combination: control means for controllably activating and deactivating said self-tuning speed control system, said control means providing at least a set speed signal; speed means for providing an actual speed signal; controller means, coupled to said control means and said speed means, for providing a throttle position command to regulate actual vehicle speed based upon a tunable gain; sensitivity filter means, based upon said predeterminable vehicle transfer function and said predeterminable compatible controller transfer function, for receiving said set speed signal and said actual speed signal and for responsively providing a first gain-related signal representing a partial derivative of said speed signal with respect to said tunable gain; and gradient means, coupled to said sensitivity filter means and defining a gain-related cost index, for responsively providing a first gain control signal to said controller means, said first gain control signal representing a substantially optimal value for said tunable gain based upon said first gain-related signal and substantial minimisation of said gain-related cost index; said controller responsively tuning said tunable gain to said substantially optimal value, whereby performance of said self-tuning speed control system is substantially enhanced.

Claim 4

A system as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said sensitivity filter means further receives said throttle position command and responsively provides a second gain-related signal representing a partial derivative of said throttle position command with respect to said tunable gain.

Claim 5

A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said gradient means provides said first gain control signal based upon a weighting of said first and second gain-related signals.

Claim 6

A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said tunable gain is an integral gain.

Claim 7

A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said tunable gain is an integral gain, said controller means further implementing speed regulation through a proportional gain.

Claim 8

A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said sensitivity filter means provides third and fourth gain-related signals representing partial derivatives of said speed signal and said throttle position command with respect to said proportional gain, respectively.

Claim 9

A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said gradient means receives said third and fourth gain-related signals and responsively provides a second gain control signal to said controller means, said second gain control signal representing a substantially optimal level for said proportional gain based upon said gain-related cost index.

Claim 10

A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said gain-related cost index is in the form of where P is a vector representation of said integral and proportional gains, β₁ and β₂ define said weighting,∼U is said throttle position command modified by a high pass filter, and e is the speed error signal.