385 / 2022-01-28 14:57:15

Observer-based H∞ controller for the cab suspension of heavy duty vehicles

H∞ controller,state observer,cab suspension,state feedback,multi-objective controller

Vibration of continuous systems

In recent years, attention has been drawn to improving the heavy vehicle drivers’ ride comfort, and the cab suspension is an effective way. Thus, this paper proposes a state observer-based H∞ controller for cab suspension of heavy vehicles. Firstly, a three-degree of freedom suspension model with the cab suspension is established to simulate the vehicle dynamic response. Then, in order to accurately obtain the unmeasurable state information of the suspension system, a state observer is developed. A robust H∞ state feedback controller is subsequently designed using the observed state information to control the vertical acceleration of the cab, which significantly influences ride comfort. In addition, the multi-objective controller considers the suspension deflections and tire dynamic load to avoid their adverse effect on the suspension performance. The simulation results show the acceptable performance of the proposed state observer, and the proposed controller can well attenuate the acceleration of the cab, i.e., it can improve the ride comfort of the driver. At the same time, the suspension deflections and tire dynamic load response do not exceed their limits. Therefore, the observer-based H∞ state feedback controller proposed in this paper can improve the cab suspension performances of heavy vehicles