Patent ID: 8577579

Claim:
A vehicle control system, comprising: a forward vehicle sensor transmitting a forward vehicle message based on a range to a forward vehicle; an adaptive cruise controller receiving the forward vehicle message from the forward vehicle sensor, the adaptive cruise controller transmitting a cruise controller message, including a torque control request, based on the range to the forward vehicle; a braking system controller receiving the cruise controller message and also receiving at least one additional message, including a torque control request, from an additional controller on the vehicle and determining a control of the engine is requested to be changed by at least one of the adaptive cruise controller and the additional controller based on the cruise controller message and additional messages and transmitting an engine control message, including the torque control request, based on the cruise controller message and additional messages; an arbitrator determining, based on respective priority levels of the cruise controller message and the additional message, which one of the cruise controller message and the additional message is included in the engine control message transmitted from the braking system controller when the braking system controller determines a control of the engine is requested to be changed based on messages from the adaptive cruise controller and the additional controller; and an engine controller receiving the engine control message including the torque control request and controlling an engine as a function of the engine control message.