Model Predictive Control of Active Suspension for an Electric Vehicle Considering Influence of Braking Intensity

In the process of vehicle braking, braking intensity has a significant impact on vehicle comfort, and studies on this aspect have been limited. Therefore, an equivalent 4-degree-of-freedom half-vehicle model including the braking intensity influence was established in this study. Subsequently, considering braking intensity as the interference quantity that is the uncontrollable input, a model predictive control (MPC) strategy in which the vertical velocities of front body, rear body, front wheel, and rear wheel are the control targets was proposed. Based on Lyapunov's stability theory, the stability of the MPC system was proven. Finally, a dual-loop control (DLC) strategy was used for comparison to verify the superiority of the MPC strategy. The results indicate that compared with the DLC strategy under the gradual braking condition, the root mean square of the front and rear body vertical velocities, body pitch angle, and body pitch angle velocity under the MPC strategy were all reduced by more than 70%, thus improving the ride comfort of the vehicle.

Automated summary

The study established a half-vehicle model considering the influence of braking intensity and proposed a control method based on MPC strategy, proving the stability of the system through stability theory. Compared to the DLC strategy, the MPC strategy significantly improved the vehicle's ride comfort.