Advanced Control Methods of Active Suspension

This paper describes new control methods for the active suspension. For improving ride comfort further, preview control rule is proposed. For improving stability further, roll stiffness distribution control rule is examined by the test vehicle. Simulations and vehicle driving tests are conducted to confirm the effect of these new control methods. The results of simulations and vehicle driving tests show in our research phase that preview control can achieve a substantial improvement in ride comfort and application of roll stiffness distribution control provides a large improvement in stability     

主动横向稳定器降低商用车侧倾的研究

将新式主动横向稳定器安装在中型货画的前轴和后轴，通过液压缸与车架连接。本文研究了该稳定器对降低车身侧倾和提高舒适性的效果。仿真分析和实车试验表明，采用前轮转角前馈控制方法，汽车转向时，稳定器产生反侧倾力矩，大幅度地降低车身侧倾。     

Optimal Linear Preview Control of Active Vehicle Suspension

SUMMARY

The problem of linear preview control of vehicle suspension is considered as a continuous time stochastic optimal control problem. In the proposed approach minimal a priori information about the road irregularities is assumed and measurement errors are taken into account. It is shown that estimation and control issues can be decoupled. The problem formulation and the analytical solution are given in a general form and hence they apply to other problems in which the system disturbances are unknown a priori, even in a stochastic sense, but some preview information is possible.

The solution is applied to a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) vehicle model. The effects of preview information on ride comfort, road holding, working space of the suspension and power requirements are examined in time and frequency domains. The results show that the greatest potential is for improving road holding properties. This effect could not have been observed in previous studies based on a 1-DOF vehicle model. It is also demonstrated that the presence of preview drastically reduces power requirements, thus relieving the performance versus actuator power dilemma.     

Rollover mitigation for a heavy commercial vehicle

A heavy commercial vehicle has a high probability of rollover because it is usually loaded heavily and thus has a high center of gravity. An anti-roll bar is efficient for rollover mitigation, but it can cause poor ride comfort when the roll stiffness is excessively high. Therefore, active roll control (ARC) systems have been developed to optimally control the roll state of a vehicle while maintaining ride comfort. Previously developed ARC systems have some disadvantages, such as cost, complexity, power consumption, and weight. In this study, an ARC-based rear air suspension for a heavy commercial vehicle, which does not require additional power for control, was designed and manufactured. The rollover index-based vehicle rollover mitigation control scheme was used for the ARC system. Multi-body dynamic models of the suspension subsystem and the full vehicle were used to design the rear air suspension and the ARC system. The reference rollover index was tuned through lab tests. Field tests, such as steady state cornering tests and step steer tests, demonstrated that the roll response characteristics in the steady state and transient state were improved.     

Roll and pitch independently tuned interconnected suspension: modelling and dynamic analysis

In this paper, a roll and pitch independently tuned hydraulically interconnected passive suspension is presented. Due to decoupling of vibration modes and the improved lateral and longitudinal stability, the stiffness of individual suspension spring can be reduced for improving ride comfort and road grip. A generalised 14 degree-of-freedom nonlinear vehicle model with anti-roll bars is established to investigate the vehicle ride and handling dynamic responses. The nonlinear fluidic model of the hydraulically interconnected suspension is developed and integrated with the full vehicle model to investigate the anti-roll and anti-pitch characteristics. Time domain analysis of the vehicle model with the proposed suspension is conducted under different road excitations and steering/braking manoeuvres. The dynamic responses are compared with conventional suspensions to demonstrate the potential of enhanced ride and handling performance. The results illustrate the model-decoupling property of the hydraulically interconnected system. The anti-roll and anti-pitch performance could be tuned independently by the interconnected systems. With the improved anti-roll and anti-pitch characteristics, the bounce stiffness and ride damping can be optimised for better ride comfort and tyre grip.     

Preview suspension control for a full tracked vehicle

In this study, preview control algorithms for the active and semi-active suspension systems of a full tracked vehicle (FTV) are designed based on a 3-D.O.F model and evaluated. The main issue of this study is to make the ride comfort characteristics of a fast moving tracked vehicle better to keep an operator’s driving capability. Since road wheels almost trace the profiles of the road surface as long as the track doesn’t depart from the ground, the preview information can be obtained by measuring only the absolute position or velocity of the first road wheel. Simulation results show that the performance of the sky-hook suspension system almost follows that of full state feedback suspension system and the on-off semi-active system carries out remarkable performance with the combination of 12 on-off semi-active suspension units. The results simulated with 1^st and 2^nd weighting sets mean that the suspension system combined with the soft type of inner suspension and hard type of outer suspension can carry out better ride comfort characteristics than that with identical suspensions. The full tracked vehicle (FTV) system is uncontrollable and the system is split into controllable and uncontrollable subspace using singular value decomposition transformation. Frequency response curves to four types of inputs, such as heaving, pitching, rolling, and warping inputs, also demonstrate the merits of preview control in ride comfort. All the frequency characteristic responses confirm the continuous time results.     

Magneto-rheological suspensions for improving ground vehicle’s ride comfort,stability, and handling

ABSTRACT

A state-of-the-art discussion on the applications of magneto-rheological (MR) suspensions for improving ride comfort, handling, and stability in ground vehicles is discussed for both road and rail applications. A historical perspective on the discovery and engineering development of MR fluids is presented, followed by some of the common methods for modelling their non-Newtonian behaviour. The common modes of the MR fluids are discussed, along with the application of the fluid in valve mode for ground vehicles’ dampers (or shock absorbers). The applications span across nearly all road vehicles, including automobiles, trains, semi-trucks, motorcycles, and even bicycles. For each type of vehicle, the results of some of the past studies is presented briefly, with reference to the originating study. It is discussed that Past experimental and modelling studies have indicated that MR suspensions provide clear advantages for ground vehicles that far surpasses the performance of passive suspension. For rail vehicles, the primary advantage is in terms of increasing the speed at which the onset of hunting occurs, whereas for road vehicles – mainly automobiles – the performance improvements are in terms of a better balance between vehicle ride, handling, and stability. To further elaborate on this point, a single-suspension model is used to develop an index-based approach for studying the compromise that is offered by vehicle suspensions, using the H₂ optimisation approach. Evaluating three indices based on the sprung-mass acceleration, suspension rattlespace, and tyre deflection, it is clearly demonstrated that MR suspensions significantly improve road vehicle’s ride comfort, stability, and handling in comparison with passive suspensions. For rail vehicles, the simulation results indicate that using MR suspensions with an on-off switching control can increase the speed at which the on-set of hunting occurs by as much as 50% to more than 300%.     

Coordinated control strategies for active steering,differential braking and active suspension for vehicle stability,handling and safety improvement

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a coordinated control strategy is proposed to provide an effective improvement in handling stability of the vehicle, safety, and comfortable ride for passengers. This control strategy is based on the coordination among active steering, differential braking, and active suspension systems. Two families of controllers are used for this purpose, which are the high order sliding mode and the backstepping controllers. The control strategy was tested on a full nonlinear vehicle model in the environment of MATLAB/Simulink. Rollover avoidance and yaw stability control constraints have been considered. The control system mainly focuses on yaw stability control. When rollover risk is detected, the proposed strategy controls the roll dynamics to decrease rollover propensity. Simulation results for two different critical driving scenarios, the first one is a double lane change and the other one is a J-turn manoeuvre, show the effectiveness of the coordination strategy in stabilising the vehicle, enhancing handling and reducing rollover propensity.     

Analysis and optimization of air suspension system with independent height and stiffness tuning

Suspensions play a crucial role in vehicle comfort and handling. Different types of suspensions have been proposed to address essential comfort and handling requirements of vehicles. The conventional air suspension systems use a single flexible rubber airbag to transfer the chassis load to the wheels. In this type of air suspensions, the chassis height can be controlled by further inflating the airbag; however, the suspension stiffness is not controllable, and it depends on the airbag volume and chassis load. A recent development in a new air suspension includes two air chambers (rubber airbags), allowing independent ride height and stiffness tuning. In this air suspension system, stiffness and ride height of the vehicle can be simultaneously altered for different driving conditions by controlling the air pressure in the two air chambers. This allows the vehicle’s natural frequency and height to be adjusted according to the load and road conditions. This article discusses optimization of an air suspension design with ride height and stiffness tuning. An analytical formulation is developed to yield the optimum design of the new air suspension system. Experimental results verify the mathematical modeling and show the advantages of the new air suspension system.     

无人驾驶汽车路径跟踪控制方法拟人程度研究

无人驾驶汽车路径跟踪控制是无人驾驶汽车运动控制的核心所在,目前常用的路径跟踪模型主要以路径跟踪精度为主要控制目标,在很大程度上忽略了无人驾驶汽车的乘坐舒适性和控制的拟人程度。为了研究无人驾驶汽车路径跟踪控制算法的拟人程度并提高乘坐舒适性,基于转向几何学、汽车运动学和汽车动力学理论建立实车中常用的4种路径跟踪模型,提出以路径跟踪过程中的最大横向加速度a_ymax和方向盘转角平方和δ_w²共同表征路径跟踪模型的拟人程度和横向乘坐舒适性。基于驾驶人实车换道试验数据,建立多项式拟人换道参考路径,搭建CarSim/Simulink联合仿真模型,并对其进行不同车速下的车辆换道试验。研究结果表明：路径跟踪模型的横向循迹偏差均会随着车速的提高而增加,但都能较好实现路径跟踪;带预瞄路径跟踪模型和动力学前馈最优LQR路径跟踪模型拟人程度较好;汽车运动学路径跟踪模型的乘坐舒适性最差,方向盘修正激烈;在100 km·h^-1,a_ymax>0.7 m·s^-2,δ_w²>2.7×10³时,拟人程度最差;不带预瞄路径跟踪模型循迹精度最高,且拟人程度最高,乘坐舒适性最好,120 km·h^-1时,a_ymax ≤ 0.5 m·s^-2。     

Experimental Study of System Optimization for Suppression of Vehicle Vibration

SUMMARY

The improvements of ride comfort and vehicle maneuverability in the vehicle design can be achieved by using an active suspension. However, the problems in such a control are the complex control logic because of the control laws incompatible with the improvements of ride comfort and maneuverability, and the cost increase because of various sensors to be attached. Therefore, we examined the control abilities of ride comfort and maneuverability on a unique control law using frequency shaped LQ, and controlled the characteristic of the contact between tire and road without a road displacement sensor     

Possibilities to improve the ride and handling performance of delivery trucks by modern mechatronic systems

The ride and handling qualities of conventional delivery trucks are wores compared to modern passenger cars. However this vehicles have the power to drive as fast as passenger cars. Vehicle comfort and driving safety are mostly influenced by vertical accelerations and vehicle movements caused by pitch and roll motions. In the paper “Vehicle Dynamics with Adaptive or Semi-Active Suspension Systems – Demands on Software and Hardware” Wallentowitz and Ridlich have shown at AVEC'94 in which way tyre stiffness, shock absorber characteristics, spring stiffness and unsprung mass have an influence on vehicle comfort and active safety. They achieved these results by the theoretical analysis of a quarter-vehicle-model. Their examinations are extended in this paper on the model of a complete delivery truck. By the use of the multibody-simulation tool SIMPACK the road performance of a delivery truck will be analysed. Therefore a complex model of the vehicle has been built up in SIMPACK. Several computer simulations have been carried out to analyse the vehicle comfort and handling characteristics in different standard driving manoeuvres.Furthermore, the potential of improvements is shown by simulating different driving manoeuvres with the complete vehicle model by varying some vehicle characteristics such as tyre stiffness, shock absorber characteristics, spring stiffness and unsprung mass.In addition to that, simulations with models of unconventional spring- and damper-systems have been carried out to demonstrate the potential of improvements by the use of these systems. Two different controller algorithms for a semiactive and an active suspension system have been used an will be compared in this paper.     

The Development and Implementation of Adaptive Semi-Active Suspension Control*

SUMMARY

Using adjustable shock absorbers within vehicle suspension systems, it is possible to improve ride comfort significantly when a control strategy is applied based on the so-called skyhook principle. However, the drawback is a poorly damped wheel-hop mode which makes the road holding ability worse. Using adaptive semi-active suspension control based on the tire load variations as introduced in this paper, the trade-off between road holding and ride comfort can be relaxed. Implementation of adaptive skyhook control requires the determination of a number of important and difficult to measure states of the vehicle. This can either be accomplished by several sensors and filters or by a state estimator in combination with less sensors and an internal model of the vehicle. Both methods are discussed. Finally some preliminary test results are discussed.     

功率分流混合动力全速域工作模式切换规则优化

针对某功率分流混合动力汽车,探讨了既定模式转矩分配策略未知情况下全速域工作模式切换规则的优化问题。先在既定模式转矩分配策略未知的前提下,将等效燃油消耗与样本数字特征相结合,计算了不同荷电状态（SOC）值下各工作模式在所有可行工作点的基准综合燃油消耗率。以整车燃油经济性为优化目标,确定不同SOC值下所有可行工作点的最佳工作模式,进而得出基于车速、车轮端需求转矩、SOC值的优化后全速域工作模式切换规则,以满足不同工况下的工作模式选择需求。之后,不考虑模式切换过程对整车驾驶平顺性的影响,搭建了模式切换实施模型。再以4个新欧洲驾驶循环（NEDC）工况所构成的组合工况为目标行驶工况,将优化后全速域工作模式切换规则和传统基于逻辑门限的全速域工作模式切换规则分别应用于基于规则的能量管理策略,进行了整车燃油经济性仿真与台架试验验证。仿真结果表明：在不改变既定模式转矩分配策略的条件下,与基于逻辑门限的全速域工作模式切换规则情况相比,所提出的既定模式转矩分配策略未知情况下全速域工作模式切换规则优化方法至少可使整车燃油经济性提高7.33%。台架试验结果进一步表明,该优化方法至少可使整车燃油经济性提高6.17%。由此可见,所提出的既定模式转矩分配策略未知情况下全速域工作模式切换规则优化方法对整车燃油经济性具有较好的改善效果。     

Hydro-pneumatic Slow-active Suspension with Preview Control

In this work, the preview control problem is considered for fully active and hydro-pneumatic slow-active systems. Based on the quarter car model, linear optimal control theory is used to derive the control laws. The Pade approximation technique is used to represent the preview time resulting from a preview sensor mounted at the front bumper to measure the road irregularities ahead of the front wheels. The results for the slow-active system with preview showed that there is 15% improvement in ride comfort compared to slow-active without preview and 28.5% improvement over passive system at similar root mean square (r.m.s) dynamic tyre load and suspension working space. The performance gains are, however, lower by about 15% than those obtainable with the theoretically ideal, fully active system with preview. The power results for slow active with and without preview showed that a 2kW fixed displacement hydraulic pump is enough for full vehicle requirements.     

车辆系统垂向与横向耦合的侧倾状态估计

为有效解决复杂行驶工况下车辆耦合侧倾运动状态无法精确获取,进而对车辆系统操纵稳定性与乘坐舒适性兼顾优化无法提供准确输入的难题,本文中设计了基于车辆垂向与横向耦合动力学的双非线性状态观测器算法,以实现复杂行驶工况下车辆耦合侧倾运动状态的实时准确估计。首先,建立了路面激励模型与整车系统垂向与横向耦合动力学模型;接着,利用无迹卡尔曼滤波方法(UKF)与非线性模糊观测(T-S)理论,设计了非线性状态观测算法,以在不同路面激励工况下对车辆系统簧载质量与侧倾状态进行联合估计;最后,运用CarSim■动力学软件,对比分析了在标准A级与C级路面上进行J-turn试验工况下,采用联合状态观测器(UKF&T-S)实时估计车辆侧倾角与侧倾率的观测精度。结果表明,本文所设计的UKF&T-S观测器可有效估计车辆侧倾状态,且与CarSim■仿真数据相比识别状态标准偏差不超过10%。     

Preview Control Algorithms for the Active Suspension of an Off-Road Vehicle

The potential performance improvement using preview control for active vehicle suspension was first recognized in the late nineteen sixties. All work done since that time has been based on optimal control theory using simple vehicle models.

In this article, the performance of quarter vehicle preview controllers when applied to a real off-road vehicle is simulated using both two degree of freedom quarter and ten degree of freedom full vehicle models. The results, which are compared with non-preview active and conventional passive suspensions, confirm that preview control reduces vertical acceleration of the body centre of gravity, which results in improved ride quality. Further, reductions in pitch and roll motion result from smaller vertical displacements of the vehicle quarters. Coupling between quarters, through the vehicle body, appears to have a smoothing effect on the control.

As an alternative to optimal control theory based controllers, a simple ad hoc preview controller based on isolating the vehicle body from dynamic loads transmitted through the suspension is proposed. Simulation results show that such a controller outperforms the optimal control theory based controllers over small discrete disturbances but responds poorly to disturbances encountered from other than steady state.     

Optimal Linear Preview Control of Active Vehicle Suspension

The problem of linear preview control of vehicle suspension is considered as a continuous time stochastic optimal control problem. In the proposed approach minimal a priori information about the road irregularities is assumed and measurement errors are taken into account. It is shown that estimation and control issues can be decoupled. The problem formulation and the analytical solution are given in a general form and hence they apply to other problems in which the system disturbances are unknown a priori, even in a stochastic sense, but some preview information is possible.

The solution is applied to a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) vehicle model. The effects of preview information on ride comfort, road holding, working space of the suspension and power requirements are examined in time and frequency domains. The results show that the greatest potential is for improving road holding properties. This effect could not have been observed in previous studies based on a 1-DOF vehicle model. It is also demonstrated that the presence of preview drastically reduces power requirements, thus relieving the performance versus actuator power dilemma.     

悬架弹性元件最佳刚度分布的工程设计方法

基于车辆系统动、静力学分析及优化设计原理,提出了一种旨在揭示汽车悬架弹性元件最佳刚度分布的工程设计新方法,可确定满足整车平顺性和操纵稳定性协调设计要求的悬架弹性元件的刚度特性,从而为弹性元件的结构优化设计提供了目标依据,并通过一个工程实例验证了所提方法的有效性。     

汽车主动悬架与电动助力转向系统自适应模糊集成控制

建立了包含转向运动模型、俯仰运动模型和侧倾运动模型的汽车整车模型,在设计了电动助力转向系统PD控制的基础上,构建了基于自适应模糊控制的汽车主动悬架与电动助力转向系统集成控制器,当控制系统偏差变小或变大时,调整因子总能保证系统稳定,便于工程应用。计算结果表明,该自适应模糊集成控制策略,既保证了车辆操纵轻便性,又显著提高了整车操纵稳定性、安全性和行驶平顺性等整车综合性能。