Patent ID: 7544148

Claim:
A system for controlling the speed of a vehicle having a powertrain including a power plant operably coupled to a transmission via a torque converter including an output shaft connected to the transmission, the system comprising: a control unit configured to receive a signal indicative of a desired vehicle speed, determine a target speed of the output shaft of the torque converter from the signal indicative of the desired vehicle speed, receive a signal indicative of an actual power plant output speed, receive a signal indicative of actual speed of the output shaft of the torque converter, determine a desired power plant output speed based on the signal indicative of actual speed of the output shaft of the torque converter, the target speed of the output shaft of the torque converter, and the signal indicative of the actual power plant output speed, send a signal to the power plant such that the power plant operates at the desired power plant output speed, and maintain a desired vehicle speed substantially independent of a magnitude of load on the powertrain.