Automatic control is an enabling factor in most important fields of technology. In particular automotive systems heavily rely on automatic control systems for their operation. Reduction of pollutant emission, improvements in fuel economy and in safety are only possible with sophisticated feedforward and feedback control systems. This article, which is based on the earlier publication1), gives first an overview of the most important objectives of automotive control, then it shows what mathematical models are used in this field, then it lists the most important control loops present in cars and, finally, closes with an outlook on future problems.
This article presents an overview of a Speed Gradient Control (SGC) method. Various extensions of the basic method, connections with related approaches in the literature, and two automotive applications are discussed. It is argued that SGC can be a versatile and intuitive nonlinear control design technique applicable to a variety of automotive systems.