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Passenger-Oriented Intelligent Suspension with a Biodynamic Model and Skyhook Control

Abstract:

Intelligent suspension systems assist in decreasing the impact of road disturbances on passenger comfort, and its design requires a mathematical analysis that includes the elements of the suspension and the passenger’s vertical dynamics. The contribution of this research is to merge a 4 degrees-of-freedom (DOF) Boileau-Rakheja biodynamic passenger model with a 3-DOF suspension model to generate more accurate representations of the displacements and accelerations of the main passenger’s masses. Moreover, the contribution is complemented with a Skyhook controller in a semi-active 7-DOF one-quarter vehicle suspension to improve passenger comfort, and a case study presents tests in frequency and time domains. The analysis was conducted by establishing a regulatory closed-loop feedback control for a state-space system, simulating its behavior using MATLAB/Simulink, and comparing the results against specific performance criteria. The active suspension’s frequency response showed a 40% reduction in the displacement transmissibility of the suspended masses at low frequencies (0–4 Hz), but exhibited a 2–10% increase in the rms acceleration at high frequencies (4–15 Hz). The herein results could be the base for further studies in the passenger comfort and road holding for one quarter, but also for half and full vehicle.