Patent ID: 8162088

Claim:
A speed control device for a motor vehicle, comprising: a controller having a plurality of operating modes, which differ in their control strategies and include at least one eco mode, whose control strategy is optimized for a fuel-saving manner of driving; and a user interface having an input device for selecting an operating mode; wherein: the controller computes a setpoint acceleration of the vehicle within a value range of admissible setpoint accelerations, and the value ranges differ for different operating modes; each value range includes an upper limit and a lower limit for the setpoint acceleration; an upper limit of a normal mode is higher than a first upper limit of the eco mode; a lower limit of the normal mode is lower than a lower limit of the eco mode; and the eco mode includes a second upper limit that is higher than the upper limit of the normal mode, the second upper limit temporarily replacing the first upper limit when it is determined that fuel savings can be achieved using a higher acceleration than would be used in the normal mode.