Analysis of the explicit model predictive control for semi-active suspension

Abstract

Explicit model predictive control (MPC) enhances application of MPC to areas where the fast online computation of the control signal is crucial, such as in aircraft or vehicle control. Explicit MPC controllers consist of several affine feedback gains, each of them valid over a polyhedral region of the state space. In this paper the optimal control of the quarter car semi-active suspension is studied. After a detailed theoretical introduction to the modeling, clipped LQ control and explicit MPC, the article demonstrates that there may exist regions where constrained MPC/explicit MPC has no feasible solution. To overcome this problem the use of soft constraints and combined clipped LQ/MPC methods are suggested. The paper also shows that the clipped optimal LQ solution equals to the MPC with horizon N = 1 for the whole union of explicit MPC regions. We study the explicit MPC of the semi-active suspension with actual discrete time observer connected to the explicit MPC in order to increase its practical applicability. The controller requires only measurement of the suspension deflection. Performance of the derived controller is evaluated through simulations where shock tests and white noise velocity disturbances are applied to a real quarter car vertical model. Comparing MPC and the clipped LQ approach, no essential improvement was detected in the control behavior. © Periodica Polytechnica 2010.