Experimental evaluation of Linear Parameter-Varying semi-active suspension control

Abstract

Semi-active suspensions offer a large potential to improve the trade-off between ride comfort and road-holding compared to passive suspensions. In order to exploit this potential, the suspension control approach should explicitly consider the force limits of the semi-active damper. For this purpose, a Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) plant with a saturation indicator and a saturation transformer parameter is developed. This plant model allows for the synthesis of an LPV controller with guaranteed closed-loop stability and performance. In experiments carried out on a quarter-vehicle test-rig, the performance of the LPV controller is compared to passive suspension configurations and a Skyhook/Groundhook (SH/GH) controller. The results show that the LPV controller achieves a better trade-off between ride comfort and road-holding together with a simultaneous reduction of the suspension motion.