Design and Control of Active Suspensions Systems
Active Suspension Systems (ASSs) have been proposed and developed for few decades, and have now once again become a thriving topic, due to the high demand for driving comfort and safety. ; Among the most promising modern solutions are electromechanical ASSs, which utilize electric motors to control the vertical dynamics of the vehicle. However, the primary drawback of these systems is the fixed transmission ratio of their gearboxes. This limitation necessitates the use of high-performance motors capable of delivering high output torque while maintaining a small reflected inertia. ; To maximize performance, these actuators are typically integrated with semi-active magnetorheological dampers and air springs. Although this mixed suspension architecture has emerged as one of the most promising setups in the literature, it introduces significant complexities in system integration and regulation. ; In this research, I aim to address these challenges by bridging the mechanical and control domains. Our first goal is to co-design a novel ASS, termed Epicyclic Active Suspension (EpAS). Unlike current state-of-the-art solutions that rely on simple spur gears, the EpAS leverages a planetary gearbox to significantly reduce the reflected inertia at the suspension output without compromising performance. System-level optimality is achieved through the simultaneous optimization of mechanical and control parameters. Furthermore, my second goal focuses on developing an advanced control strategy to effectively manage this complex, mixed suspension architecture (integrating the EpAS, a semi-active damper, and an air spring).
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