Condition adaptive-type control method for internal combustion engines

Abstract

To perform the proper control conforming to the intent of a driver of an automotive vehicle under any condition which is encountered by the vehicle, optimum control methods are preliminarily classified in accordance with categories relating to conditions of the vehicle and categories relating to intents of the driver and the classified optimum control methods are stored in a memory, thereby selecting one of the control methods corresponding to the combination of the categories to which the vehicle condition and the driver's intent detected during the running of the vehicle belong.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A condition adaptive-type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having a torque transmission mechanism, a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, comprising the steps of: 
       categorizing driver's intents and vehicle conditions, respectively, into a plurality of categories, and preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories;  
       detecting a driver's intent in accordance with the state of engagement or disengagement of said torque transmission mechanism, the angle of said brake pedal and the angle of said accelerator pedal;  
       detecting said vehicle condition from the speed of said vehicle; and  
       selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the categories to which said detected driver's intent and vehicle condition belong.  
     
     
       2. A method according to claim  1 , wherein said engine control methods differ by the fact that they refer to different parameter values. 
     
     
       3. A method according to claim  2 , wherein said parameter values may be changed according to a driver's preference. 
     
     
       4. A method according to claim  1 , wherein said detecting step is performed with a higher priority than other steps. 
     
     
       5. A method according to claim  1 , wherein said selecting step further includes a step of anticipating the occurrence of a future phenomenon which is predicted to occur at a time when a selected control method is employed so as to select one engine control method in accordance with a result of said anticipating. 
     
     
       6. A condition adaptive-type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle, comprising the steps of: 
       categorizing driver's intents and vehicle conditions into six categories and two categories, respectively, and preparing five types of engine control methods, including an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut-off control method, an air/fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, which correspond to respective combinations of said categories;  
       detecting one of said six types of driver's intents including engaging or disengaging of a torque transmission mechanism, braking, transition or coasting, deceleration, running and acceleration;  
       detecting said vehicle condition including engine speed to determine whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or a running condition; and  
       selecting one of said six types of engine control methods in accordance with said combination of categories to which said detected intent and vehicle condition belong.  
     
     
       7. A condition adaptive-type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle, comprising: 
       a torque servo system including first reference setup means for setting up a first reference signal of an engine torque, torque measuring means measuring the actual torque of said engine, first comparing means for comparing said first reference signal with said measured torque so as to produce a first error signal indicative of a difference between said reference signal and said measured torque, and torque control means for producing a torque control signal in accordance with said first error signal;  
       a speed servo system including second reference setup means for setting up a second reference signal of a vehicle speed, vehicle speed measuring means for measuring an actual vehicle speed of said vehicle, second comparing means for comparing said second reference signal with said measured vehicle speed so as to produce a second error signal indicative of a difference between said second reference signal and said measured vehicle speed, and speed control means for producing a speed control signal in accordance with said second error signal;  
       said speed servo system including said torque servo system as a minor servo loop for said speed servo system;  
       a tracking servo system including third reference setup means for setting up a third reference signal of a distance to a forward vehicle, distance measuring means for measuring the actual distance to a forward vehicle, third comparing means for comparing said third reference signal with said measured distance so as to produce a third error signal indicative of a difference between said third reference signal and said measured distance, and tracking control means for producing a tracking control signal in accordance with said third error signal;  
       said tracking servo system including said speed servo system as a minor servo loop for said tracking servo system;  
       means for sensing an accelerator pedal angle;  
       means for sensing a brake pedal angle;  
       means for sensing engine speed;  
       means for detecting whether a torque transmission mechanism of said vehicle is engaged or disengaged;  
       a running control selector switch for selecting one of said servo systems;  
       condition discriminating means responsive to the outputs of said accelerator pedal angle sensing means, brake pedal angle sensing means, engine speed sensing means, torque transmission mechanism detecting means and said selector switch for categorizing a driver's intent and a vehicle condition in accordance with said outputs, for determining one engine control method among different engine control methods previously stored in said condition discriminating unit in accordance with a combination of said categories of said driver's intent and said vehicle condition, and for determining one servo system among said tracking servo system, speed servo system and said torque servo system in accordance with said output of said running control selector switch and said first, second and third reference signals so as to control said selected servo system to operate in accordance with said determined engine control method and to provide said reference signals to said reference setup units of the selected servo system; and  
       engine control means for controlling fuel injection and ignition timing of said engine in response to said torque control signal from said torque servo system.  
     
     
       8. A condition adaptive-type control system according to claim  7 , wherein said different engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut-off method, an air/fuel ratio control method and an idle control method, said idle control method being operated with said speed servo system and the other four engine control methods being operated with said torque servo system. 
     
     
       9. A condition adaptive-type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having a torque transmission mechanism, a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, comprising the steps of: 
       providing a plurality of different engine control methods for said engine, each of said different engine control methods including parameters and being associated with a combination of one of a plurality of vehicle conditions and one of a plurality of driver's intents;  
       discriminating said driver's intent by detecting the state of engagement or disengagement of said torque transmission mechanism, and by sensing the angle of said brake pedal and the angle of said accelerator pedal;  
       discriminating said vehicle condition by sensing the speed of said vehicle and determining whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or not; and  
       selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the discriminated driver's intent and vehicle condition.  
     
     
       10. A method according to claim  9 , wherein said step of discriminating said driver's intent further includes calculation of an acceleration rate of said vehicle on the basis of the sensed angle of said accelerator pedal. 
     
     
       11. A method according to claim  10 , wherein said plurality of engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut-off control method, an air-fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, and said step of selecting one of said engine control methods is executed by selectively choosing one of the following steps: 
       (1) selecting the acceleration control method when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged and said acceleration rate {dot over (θ)}ac is greater than a first reference value {dot over (θ)}aca;  
       (2) selecting the deceleration control method when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged, the vehicle speed is greater than zero and either said acceleration rate {dot over (θ)}ac is equal to or smaller than a second reference value {dot over (θ)}acd or said acceleration pedal is released;  
       (3) selecting the fuel cut-off control method when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged, said acceleration pedal is released, and said engine speed is greater than a reference value;  
       (4) selecting the air-fuel ratio control method either when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged, said vehicle speed is greater than zero and said acceleration rate {dot over (θ)}ac is between the first and second reference values of {dot over (θ)}aca and {dot over (θ)}acd, or when said torque transmission mechanism is disengaged and said acceleration pedal is depressed; and  
       (5) selecting the idle speed control method when said torque transmission mechanism is disengaged and said acceleration pedal is released.  
     
     
       12. A method according to claim  9 , wherein each of said engine control methods further includes a step of updating values of said parameters in accordance with each combination of the engine condition and the driver's intent. 
     
     
       13. A condition adaptive-type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having a torque transmission mechanism, a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, comprising the steps of: 
       programming a plurality of different engine control methods with parameters for said engine, each of said different engine control methods being associated with a combination of one of a plurality of vehicle conditions and one of a plurality of driver's intents, including braking, coasting, transient operation, decelerating, cruising and accelerating;  
       discriminating the driver's intent by detecting the state of engagement or disengagement of said torque transmission mechanism, the angle of said brake pedal and the angle of said accelerator pedal;  
       discriminating said vehicle condition by detecting engine speed and determining whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or not; and  
       selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the discriminated driver's intent and vehicle condition.  
     
     
       14. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having a torque transmission mechanism, a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, comprising:    
       
         means for categorizing driver's intents and vehicle conditions, respectively, into a plurality of categories, and for preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories;  
       
       
         means for detecting a driver's intent in accordance with the state of said torque transmission mechanism, the angle of said brake pedal and the angle of said accelerator pedal;  
       
       
         means for detecting said vehicle condition from the speed of said vehicle; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the categories to which said detected driver's intent and vehicle condition belong. 
       
     
     
       15. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  14 , further includes means for differentiating said engine control methods in a manner that they refer to different parameter values.   
     
     
       16. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  15 , further includes means for changing said parameter values according to a driver's preference.   
     
     
       17. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  14 , further includes means for performing detecting operations of both said detecting means prior to other means.   
     
     
       18. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  14 , further includes means for anticipating the occurrence of a future phenomenon which is predicted to occur at a time when a selected control method is employed so as to select one engine control method in accordance with a result of said anticipating.   
     
     
       19. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle comprising:    
         means for categorizing driver's intents and vehicle conditions into six categories and two categories, respectively, and for preparing five types of engine control methods, including an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air/fuel ratio control method and and idle speed control method, which correspond to respective combinations of said categories;    
       
         means for detecting one of said six types of driver's intents including a torque transmission mechanism, braking, transition or coasting, deceleration, running and acceleration;  
       
       
         means for detecting said vehicle condition including engine spew to determine whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or a running condition; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said five types of engine control methods in accordance with said combination of categories to which said detected intent and vehicle condition belong. 
       
     
     
       20. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having a torque transmission mechanism, a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, comprising:    
       
         means for providing a plurality of engine control methods for said engine, each of said different engine control methods including parameters and being associated with a combination of one of a plurality of vehicle conditions and one of a plurality of driver's intents;  
       
       
         means for discriminating said driver's intent by detecting the state of said torque transmission mechanism, and by sensing the angle of said brake pedal and the angle of said accelerator pedal;  
       
       
         means for discriminating said vehicle condition by sensing the speed of said vehicle and for determining whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or not; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the discriminated driver's intent and vehicle condition. 
       
     
     
       21. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  20 , wherein said means for discriminating said driver's intent includes means for calculating an acceleration rate of said vehicle on the basis of the sensed angle of said acceleration pedal.   
     
     
       22. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  21 , wherein said plurality of engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, and said selecting means includes:    
       
         means for selecting the acceleration control method when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged and said acceleration rate θac is greater than a first reference value θaca;  
       
       
         means for selecting the deceleration control method when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged, the vehicle speed is greater than zero and either said acceleration rate θac is equal to or smaller than a second reference value θacd or said acceleration pedal is released;  
       
         means for selecting the fuel cut - off control method when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged, said acceleration pedal is released, and said engine speed is greater than a reference value;    
         means for selecting the air - fuel ratio control method either when said torque transmission mechanism is engaged, said vehicle speed is greater than zero and said acceleration rate θac is between the first and second reference values of θaca and θacd, or when said torque transmission mechanism is disengaged and said acceleration pedal is depressed; and    
       
         means for selecting the idle speed control method when said torque transmission mechanism is disengaged and said acceleration pedal is released. 
       
     
     
       23. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  20 , further includes means for updating values of said parameters in each of said engine control methods in accordance with each combination of the engine condition and the driver's intent.   
     
     
       24. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having a torque transmission mechanism, a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, comprising:    
       
         means for programming a plurality of engine control methods with parameters for said engine, each of said different engine control methods being associated with a combination of one of a plurality of vehicle conditions and one of a plurality of driver's intents, including braking, coasting, transient operation, decelerating, cruising and accelerating;  
       
       
         means for discriminating said driver's intent by detecting the state of said torque transmission mechanism, the angle of said brake pedal and the angle of said accelerator pedal;  
       
       
         means for discriminating said vehicle condition by detecting the engine speed and determining whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or not; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the discriminated driver's intent and vehicle condition. 
       
     
     
       25. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle, comprising the steps of:    
       
         categorizing driver's intents and vehicle conditions into plural categories and plural categories, respectively, and preparing plural types of engine control methods, including an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, an air/fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, which correspond to respective combinations of said categories;  
       
       
         detecting one of said plural types of driver's intents including braking, transition or coasting, deceleration, running and acceleration;  
       
       
         detecting said vehicle condition including engine speed to determine whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or a running condition; and  
       
       
         selecting one of said plural types of engine control methods in accordance with said combination of categories to which said detected intent and vehicle condition belong. 
       
     
     
       26. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle comprising:    
       
         means for categorizing driver's intents and vehicle conditions into plural categories, respectively, and for preparing plural types of engine control methods, including an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, an air/fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, which correspond to respective combinations of said categories;  
       
       
         means for detecting one of said plural types of driver's intents including braking, transition or coasting, deceleration, running and acceleration;  
       
       
         means for detecting said vehicle condition including engine speed to determine whether said vehicle is in a rest condition or a running condition; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said plural types of engine control methods in accordance with said combination of categories to which said detected intent and vehicle condition belong. 
       
     
     
       27. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having driver controlled elements, comprising the steps of:    
       
         detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         detecting a driver's preference from at least one switch set by the driver, said one switch being a switch for setting a cruise control for said engine;  
       
       
         detecting whether a distance to a forward vehicle is within a predetermined distance or not; and  
       
       
         outputting a control signal for the engine in accordance with the results of said steps, the outputted control signal being one for changing from the cruise control to a tracking control for tracking the forward vehicle with said predetermined distance when it is detected by said detecting steps that said cruise control switch is set and the distance is within said predetermined distance. 
       
     
     
       28. A condition adaptive- type control method according to claim  27 , further comprises a step of detecting a vehicle speed, and a step of determining said predetermined distance in accordance with the detected vehicle speed.   
     
     
       29. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having driver controlled elements, comprising:    
       
         means for detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         means for detecting a driver's preference from at least one switch set by the driver, said one switch being a switch for setting a cruise control for said engine;  
       
       
         means for detecting whether a distance to a forward vehicle is within a predetermined distance or not; and  
       
       
         means for outputting a control signal for the engine in accordance with the detected driver's action, driver's preference and distance, the outputted control signal being one for changing from the cruise control to a tracking control for tracking the forward vehicle with said predetermined distance when it is detected by said detecting means that said cruise control switch is set and the distance is within said predetermined distance. 
       
     
     
       30. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  29 , further comprises means for detecting a vehicle speed, and means for determining said predetermined distance in accordance with the detected vehicle speed.   
     
     
       31. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having driver controlled elements, comprising the steps of:    
       
         categorizing driver's action and vehicle conditions, respectively, into a plurality of categories, and preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories;  
       
       
         detecting said driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         detecting said vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle;  
       
       
         selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the categories to which said detected driver's action and vehicle condition belong; and  
       
       
         detecting a driver's preference from at least one switch set by the driver, wherein said categorizing step includes a step of categorizing said driver's action, said vehicle conditions and said driver's preference respectively, into a plurality of categories, and a step of preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories, and said selecting step includes a step of selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the categories to which said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference belong. 
       
     
     
       32. A condition adaptive- type control system for in internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having driver controlled elements comprising:    
       
         means for categorizing driver's action and vehicle conditions, respectively, into a plurality of categories, and for preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories;  
       
       
         means for detecting said driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         means for detecting vehicle conditions from at least one operational parameter of said vehicle; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the categories to which said detected driver's action and vehicle condition belong. 
       
     
     
       33. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  31 , further comprising means for detecting a driver's preference from at least one switch set by the driver, wherein said categorizing means includes means for categorizing said driver's action, said vehicle conditions and said driver's preference respectively, into a plurality of categories, and for preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories, and said selecting step includes a step of selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of the categories to which said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference belong.   
     
     
       34. A condition adaptive- type control method according to claim  36 , further comprising a step of detecting a driver's preference from switches set by the driver, wherein said selecting step includes a step of selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference.   
     
     
       35. A condition adaptive- type control method according to claim  34 , wherein the driver's preference detected from said switches is one of sporty, luxury and economy modes of driving.   
     
     
       36. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having different engine control methods and driver controlled elements, comprising the steps of:    
       
         detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle; and  
       
       
         selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with combination of said detected driver's action and vehicle condition;  
       
         wherein said engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method; and    
       
         wherein said engine control methods are composed of the combinations of torque servo, speed servo and tracking servo systems. 
       
     
     
       37. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having different engine control methods and driver controlled elements, comprising the steps of:    
       
         detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle;  
       
       
         selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with combination of said detected driver's action and vehicle condition; and  
       
       
         detecting a driver's preference from switches set by the driver, wherein said selecting step includes a step of selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference;  
       
         wherein said engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, and the driver's preference detected from said switches is one of sporty, luxury and economy modes of driving.   
     
     
       38. A condition adaptive- type control method according to claim  37 , wherein said engine control methods are composed of the combinations of torque servo, speed servo and tracking servo systems selected in accordance with said detected driver's preference.   
     
     
       39. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having different engine control methods and driver controlled elements comprising:    
       
         means for detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         means for detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of said detected driver's action and vehicle condition; and  
       
       
         means for detecting a driver's preference from switches set by the driver;  
       
       
         wherein said selecting means includes means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference. 
       
     
     
       40. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  39 , wherein said engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, and the driver's preference detected from said switches is one of sporty, luxury and economy modes of driving.   
     
     
       41. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having different engine control methods and driver controlled elements comprising:    
       
         means for detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         means for detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle; and  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of said detected driver's action and vehicle condition;  
       
         wherein said engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method; and    
       
         wherein said engine control methods are composed of the combinations of torque servo, speed servo and tracking servo systems. 
       
     
     
       42. A condition adaptive- type control system for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having different engine control methods and driver controlled elements comprising:    
       
         means for detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         means for detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle;  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of said detected driver's action and vehicle condition; and  
       
       
         means for detecting a driver's preference from switches set by the driver, wherein said selecting means includes means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference;  
       
         wherein said engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method.   
     
     
       43. A condition adaptive- type control system according to claim  42 , wherein the driver's preference detected from said switches is one of sporty, luxury and economy modes of driving.   
     
     
       44. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having different engine control methods and driver controlled elements comprising:    
       
         means for detecting a driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         means for detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle;  
       
       
         means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with a combination of said detected driver's action and vehicle condition; and  
       
       
         means for detecting a driver's preference from switches set by the driver, wherein said selecting means includes means for selecting one of said engine control methods in accordance with said detected driver's action, vehicle condition and driver's preference;  
       
         wherein said engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off control method, an air - fuel ratio control method and an idle speed control method, and the driver's preference detected from said switches is one of sporty, luxury and economy modes of driving; and    
       
         wherein said engine control methods are composed of the combinations of torque servo, speed servo and tracking servo systems selected in accordance with said detected driver's preference. 
       
     
     
       45. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle having torque servo, speed servo and tracking servo systems and reference setup units, comprising the steps of:    
       
         setting up a first reference signal of an engine torque, measuring the actual torque of said engine, comparing said first reference signal with said measured torque so as to produce a first error signal indicative of a difference between said reference signal and said measured torque, and producing a torque control signal in accordance with said first error signal;  
       
       
         setting up a second reference signal of a vehicle speed, measuring an actual vehicle speed of said vehicle, comparing said second reference signal with said measured vehicle speed so as to produce a second error signal indicative of a difference between said second reference signal and said measured vehicle speed, and producing a speed control signal corresponding to said first error signal in accordance with said second error signal;  
       
       
         setting up a third reference signal of a distance to a forward vehicle, measuring the actual distance to a forward vehicle, comparing said third reference signal with said measured distance so as to produce a third error signal indicative of a difference between said third reference signal and said measured distance, and producing a tracking control signal corresponding to said second error signal in accordance with said third error signal;  
       
       
         detecting an output of a running control selector switch for selecting one of said servo systems;  
       
       
         determining one servo system among said tracking servo system, speed servo system and said torque servo system in accordance with said output of said running control selector switch and said first, second and third reference signals so as to control said selected servo system to provide said reference signals to said reference setup units of the selected servo system; and  
       
       
         controlling fuel injection and/or ignition timing of said engine in response to said torque control signal from said torque servo system. 
       
     
     
       46. A condition adaptive- type control method for an internal combustion engine mounted on an automotive vehicle, having driver controlled elements, torque servo, speed servo and tracking servo systems, reference setup units, a condition discriminating unit, and different engine control methods comprising the steps of:    
       
         setting up a first reference signal of an engine torque, measuring the actual torque of said engine, comparing said first reference signal with said measured torque so as to produce a first error signal indicative of a difference between said reference signal and said measured torque, and producing a torque control signal in accordance with said first error signal;  
       
       
         setting up a second reference signal of a vehicle speed, measuring an actual vehicle speed of said vehicle, comparing said second reference signal with said measured vehicle speed so as to produce a second error signal indicative of a difference between said second reference signal and said measured vehicle speed, and producing a speed control signal corresponding to said first error signal in accordance with said second error signal;  
       
       
         setting up a third reference signal of a distance to a forward vehicle, measuring the actual distance to a forward vehicle, comparing said third reference signal with said measured distance so as to produce a third error signal indicative of a difference between said third reference signal and said measured distance, and producing a tracking control signal corresponding to said second error signal in accordance with said third error signal;  
       
       
         categorizing driver's action and vehicle conditions, respectively, into a plurality of categories, and preparing different engine control methods for different combinations of said categories;  
       
       
         detecting said driver's action in controlling said elements;  
       
       
         detecting said vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle; and  
       
       
         detecting an output of a running control selector switch for selecting one of said servo systems; determining one engine control method among different engine control methods previously stored in said condition discriminating unit in accordance with a combination of said categories of said driver's action and said vehicle condition, and determining one servo system among said tracking servo system, speed servo system and said torque servo system in accordance with said output of said running control selector switch and said first, second and third reference signals so as to control said selected servo system to operate in accordance with said determined engine control method and to provide said reference signals to said reference setup units of the selected servo system; and  
       
       
         controlling fuel injection and/or ignition timing of said engine in response to said torque control signal from said torque servo system. 
       
     
     
       47. A condition adaptive- type control method according to claim  46 , wherein said different engine control methods include an acceleration control method, a deceleration control method, a fuel cut - off method, an air/fuel ratio control method and an idle control method, said idle control method being operated with said speed servo system and the other four engine control methods being operated with said torque servo system.   
     
     
       48. A vehicle comprising: 
       
         first subsystem which includes means for detecting a driver's behavior, means for detecting a vehicle condition and means for detecting an environmental condition and for generating a signal in accordance with the output of said detecting means; and  
       
       
         a second subsystem which controls the vehicle in accordance with said signal;  
       
       
         wherein said environmental condition is given by a signal of a distance between the vehicle and an obstacle and/or a preceding vehicle detected by a distance sensor provided for the vehicle;  
       
       
         wherein said first subsystem includes driver's preference selector switches and generates the signal for said second subsystem in accordance with a signal given by one of said selector switches. 
       
     
     
       49. An adaptive control system for an automotive vehicle having driver controlled elements comprising: 
       
         first subsystem which includes means for detecting a driver's behavior in controlling said elements, means for detecting a vehicle condition from an operational parameter of said vehicle and means for detecting an environmental condition, generates a reference signal in accordance with the output of said detecting means; and  
       
       
         second subsystem which includes a feedback control, controls the vehicle in accordance with said reference signal a feedback signal corresponding to said control;  
       
       
         wherein said environmental condition is given by a signal of a distance between the vehicle and an obstacle and/or a preceding vehicle detected by a distance sensor provided for the vehicle;  
       
       
         wherein said first subsystem includes driver's preference selector switches and generates the signal for said second subsystem in accordance with a signal given by one of said selector switches.