Chapter 15: Canonical Tutorial: Active Vehicle Suspension

A complete CCD problem from equations to implementation¶

The active suspension is compact enough to reproduce yet rich enough to expose plant design, control authority, geometry, dynamic constraints, information, uncertainty, and coordination.

Learning objectives¶

After completing this chapter, you should be able to:

1. explain and apply vehicle model;

2. explain and apply road and metrics;

3. explain and apply plant and actuator;

4. explain and apply coordination methods;

5. formulate and verify the chapter methods on a quarter-car and trailing-arm suspension progressed from baseline to simultaneous, nested, MPC, and robust design.

Mathematical lens¶

The recurring quantities are vehicle states, spring and damper, actuator, geometry, control, road input, and preview horizon:

Running example¶

The recurring example is a quarter-car and trailing-arm suspension progressed from baseline to simultaneous, nested, MPC, and robust design. Retaining one system prevents apparent improvements from being caused by changed physics, information, loads, or metrics.

Recommended workflow¶

1. derive model.

2. build baseline.

3. solve CCD.

4. restrict information.

5. validate robust design.

Chapter map¶

1. Quarter-Car and Trailing-Arm Models

2. Road Disturbance Models

3. Ride Comfort and Suspension-Travel Metrics

4. Spring and Damper Design

5. Actuator and Control Constraints

6. Sequential Baseline

7. Simultaneous CCD

8. Nested CCD

9. OLOC and Closed-Loop CCD

10. MPC and Information Horizons

11. Uncertainty Studies

12. Interpretation of the Optimized Design