Automotive control systems: past, present, future

The authors survey a decade of computer control applications in the automotive industry, which has been characterized by a dramatic increase in the use of electronics and associated devices. The most matured and widespread applications have been functional in nature and involved the computer control of power trains. For this reason the authors focus on power train controls, which are illustrated through a few representative examples including idle speed, electronics transmission, and traction anti-wheelspin control. In particular, the idle speed control development is used to evaluate different modern and classical control techniques. To this end, the complementary attributes of each method are outlined along with their main advantages and possible shortcomings. Furthermore, the authors discuss how these characteristics would apply to the other power train and overall vehicle control system problems. The authors conclude with a discussion of possible future automotive system structures and the role of control theory in their development