Patent ID: 8306716

Claim:
A method for adjusting a speed of a vehicle, equipped with a retarder, at a desired level while the vehicle is operated in an overrun condition, the method comprising the steps of: upon releasing an accelerator pedal, operating the vehicle in the overrun condition at a first desired speed; setting the first desired speed to be equal to a current speed of the vehicle when an accelerator pedal is released; maintaining the first desired speed by operation of the retarder, which is controlled by an electrical control unit, so that the retarder applies, as necessary, a braking torque generated by an engine; upon actuation of one of a brake pedal and a brake lever for a relatively short duration of time, reducing the speed of the vehicle from the first desired speed, by a certain amount, to a second desired speed by applying a braking torque by actuating at least one of a service brake and the retarder; upon actuation of one of the brake pedal and the brake lever for a relatively long duration of time, reducing the speed of the vehicle from the second desired speed to a third desired speed, with the further reducing of the speed of the vehicle being constant for an entire duration of the relatively long duration of time of actuation of the one of the brake pedal and the brake lever; and utilizing the retarder to apply the braking torque generated by the engine and maintaining the speed of the vehicle at one of the second desired speed and the third desired speed.