This paper presents a modified extended Bayesian method for parameter estimation. In this method the mean value of the a priori estimation is taken from the values of the estimated parameters in the previous iteration step. In this way, the parameter covariance matrix can be automatically updated during the estimation procedure, thereby avoiding the selection of an empirical parameter. Because the extended Bayesian method can be regarded as a Tikhonov regularization, this new method is more stable than both the least-squares method and the maximum likelihood method. The validity of the proposed method is illustrated by two examples: one based on simulated data and one based on real engineering data.