Method of optimizing control signals used in operating vehicle

A method of optimizing a plurality of control signals used in operating a vehicle, the operation having a plurality of associated measurable parameters, the method comprising:

• for each control signal, selecting a plurality of potential optimum values from a predetermined set of potential optimum values for the control signal;
• operating the vehicle in at least a first sequence of operation iterations, wherein for each pair of sequential first and second operation iterations in the first sequence of operation iterations, the potential optimum value of one control signal in the first operation iteration is replaced in the second operation iteration with another potential optimum value of the one control signal in the corresponding plurality of potential optimum values, while the potential optimum values of the remaining control signals in the first operation iteration are maintained in the second operation iteration;
• receiving at least one measured value for at least one measurable parameter of at least one other vehicle while operating the vehicle;
• for each operation iteration in at least the first sequence of operation iterations, measuring each parameter in the plurality of measurable parameters;
• and
• generating confidence intervals for the control signals to determine causal relationships between the control signals and the measurable parameters.

A method of determining optimum values for a plurality of control signals used in operating a vehicle and operating within an optimum operational range, the method comprising:

• receiving a set of operating constraints for the vehicle;
• generating expected optimum values within an expected optimum operational range based on the received set of operating constraints;
• and
• iteratively generating control signal values within corresponding operational ranges, such that for at least one iteration, at least one of the control signal values is different than the corresponding control signal value in a previous iteration, and at least one, but not all, of the control signal values is outside the operational range in a previous iteration.