Abstract
Keywords: Gear shifting strategy, Fuzzy logic, Fuel Economy
In the recent decades, strict regulations and standards imposed on vehicle fuel consumption and emissions has urged automotive manufacturers to modify the vehicle systems with the aim of fuel economy. In this regard, the use of open loop control systems for different vehicle components have been replaced by new closed loop control systems which are capable of improving the performance and reliability of the system. One of the major vehicle systems, which has implemented advanced control systems, is transmission system. Driver's comfort and fuel economy has always been important subjects in transmission systems development. Although the driving of a car equipped with a Manual Transmission might be of fun in highways, the condition is completely opposite in heavy traffics. The deficiencies of manual, uncontrolled transmissions are not only in subjective issues, but also in performance-oriented subjects like fuel consumption. Automatic Transmissions (AT), Automated Manual Transmissions (AMT) and Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) are the proper solutions to combine passenger comfort and fuel economy. The increasing use of electronic controllers in automotive transmission systems and their capability in improving vehicle performance and fuel economy motivate the research centres to develop more efficient and reliable control systems. Gear shifting strategy is an important area, which has been considered to adopt electronic control systems. Consequently, many studies have been performed to build up more effective and accurate shifting strategies.