Integrated vehicle control

A description is given of Project Trilby, whose aim is to create the concept and bring together the technology for total, integrated control of vehicles to provide the customers with a level of performance not otherwise achievable. Total, integrated control requires the coordination of all vehicle subsystems, while factoring the needs, performance, and preferences of the driver into the design and control decisions. One possible scenario is an adaptive vehicle which would have the capability of sensing or identifying its operational situation, an onboard knowledge base or database, the ability to analyze the situation relative to history and indicted driver preferences and performance capabilities, and the ability to adapt the vehicle by control decisions to achieve the best overall system performance. The overall approach to integrated-control design is dependent on using analytical design techniques, including explicit representation of the driver, to understand/configure the system; achieving coordinated control of the subsystems; and interfacing properly with the rapidly changing environment in which the vehicles must operate