Study on Modeling and Control for a Novel Active Suspension

Abstract

Active suspension systems are more effective in comparison to passive and semi-active suspension systems, making them receive more and more attention. The research on semi-active and active suspension control strategies has reached an advanced and comprehensive stage, making it challenging to achieve significant breakthroughs. Therefore, a promising approach could involve integrating an innovative semi-active or active suspension design with an advanced and efficient control strategy. This study introduces a novel active suspension system with a cam–roller–spring mechanism. The optimal H-infinity control strategy is applied with the cam–roller–spring mechanism. The active control force is provided by the interaction between the roller and the cam driven by the rotating motor, while relying on the variable stiffness control of the air spring. This active control mode facilitates the use of rotary motors to meet the installation space requirements of non-independent suspension with leaf springs. To assess the effectiveness of this innovative suspension system and control strategy, modeling and numerical simulation are conducted in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results demonstrate that the novel suspension with the optimal H-infinity control strategy can significantly improve the performance.