Patent ID: 8924049

Claim:
A control system for operating a vehicle, the system comprising: a trip planner device configured to determine plural speed settings for the vehicle as a function of at least one of time or distance of the vehicle along a route, wherein the trip planner device is configured to determine the settings at an initial point of the vehicle prior to traveling along the route and based on information of the vehicle and information of the route, and wherein the trip planner device is also configured to output first signals relating to the speed settings for controlling the vehicle to travel along the route; and a sensor configured to collect vehicle speed data of the vehicle as the vehicle travels along the route, the sensor configured to provide the vehicle speed data to the trip planner device; wherein the trip planner device is configured to determine a difference between a vehicle speed of the vehicle at a location along the route and a speed setting of the plural speed settings for the vehicle and associated with the location along the route, and to adjust the first signals based on the difference that is determined to control the vehicle speed towards the speed setting.