Improvement of perceived vehicle performance through adaptive electronic throttle control

With the advent of production electronic throttle control there is scope for increased customer satisfaction through the optimization of the throttle pedal demand map to individual drivers. The aim of this study is to develop algorithms to identify, from variables measured in real time on a test vehicle, the requirement for and the direction of adaptation of throttle pedal progression. An on-line appraisal procedure has been developed to identify the individual 'ideal' progression (IIP) for any driver. During the appraisal the subject is exposed to a series of pedal progressions, and their verbal response to each change is used to converge to their optimal setting. Vehicle data acquired on these appraisal drives have been regressed against IIP in a full factorial study, and the most statistically significant driver model established. A preliminary implementation of the model is used to demonstrate that throttle progression adapts appropriately towards IIP, thereby matching vehicle performance feel to driver expectations.