Robust H∞ control of active vehicle suspension under non-stationary running

Due to complexity of the controlled objects, the selection of control strategies and algorithms in vehicle control system designs is an important task. Moreover, the control problem of automobile active suspensions has been become one of the important relevant investigations due to the constrained peculiarity and parameter uncertainty of mathematical models. In this study, after establishing the non-stationary road surface excitation model, a study on the active suspension control for non-stationary running condition was conducted using robust H_∞ control and linear matrix inequality optimization. The dynamic equation of a two-degree-of-freedom quarter car model with parameter uncertainty was derived. The H_∞ state feedback control strategy with time-domain hard constraints was proposed, and then was used to design the active suspension control system of the quarter car model. Time-domain analysis and parameter robustness analysis were carried out to evaluate the proposed controller stability. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy has high systemic stability on the condition of non-stationary running and parameter uncertainty (including suspension mass, suspension stiffness and tire stiffness). The proposed control strategy can achieve a promising improvement on ride comfort and satisfy the requirements of dynamic suspension deflection, dynamic tire loads and required control forces within given constraints, as well as non-stationary running condition.     

An optimized speed-controlled suspension of a 2-DOF vehicle travelling on a randomly profiled road

The spring and damper stiffnesses of a road vehicle suspension system are optimized with respect to both ride comfort and road holding. As the input from the road profile varies with the vehicle speed, optimized suspension parameters are dependent on this speed. The optimized active suspension system obtained is compared with a corresponding passive system where the constant suspension parameters coincide with those of the active system at a selected fixed speed (20 m/s).     

Suspension optimization of a 2-DOF vehicle model using a stochastic optimal control technique

The problem of active suspension control of a two-degree-of-freedom vehicle travelling on a randomly profiled road is studied. The suspension system is optimized with respect to ride comfort, road holding and working space of the suspension. Stochastic optimal linear control theory is used in solving the problem. The optimal value of the control variable (i.e., the suspension force) is calculated. Then the average behaviour of an optimally controlled system is calculated and compared to that of an optimal passive system. The influences of control force expenditure and the values of the passive suspension elements on the active system performances are studied.     

Vibration isolation of unbalanced machinery using an adaptive-passive magnetoelastic suspension

The problem of unbalanced machinery isolation is tackled in this paper. The proposed method incorporates a magnetoelastic suspension which can be adapted depending on the rotational frequency and is built with two main parts: a magnetoelastic rod and a magnetizing solenoid. The properties of the system make it possible to use one configuration of the suspension (demagnetized state of the rod) over a bandwidth range and another configuration (saturated state of the rod) over the remaining bandwidth range. In addition, three different magnetoelastic materials were tested and the results show significant improvements with respect to completely passive configurations. A theoretical model is also explored in order to make comparisons with the experimental results.     

Optimization of a quarter-car suspension model coupled with the driver biomechanical effects

In this paper a Human-Vehicle-Road (HVR) model, comprising a quarter-car and a biomechanical representation of the driver, is employed for the analysis. Differential equations are provided to describe the motions of various masses under the influence of a harmonic road excitation. These equations are, subsequently, solved to obtain a closed form mathematical expression for the steady-state vertical acceleration measurable at the vehicle-human interface. The solution makes it possible to find optimal parameters for the vehicle suspension system with respect to a specified ride comfort level. The quantitative definition given in the ISO 2631 standard for the ride comfort level is adopted in this paper for the optimization procedure. Numerical examples, based on actually measured road profiles, are presented to prove the validity of the proposed approach and its suitability for the problem at hand.     

Computation of the rms state variables and control forces in a half-car model with preview active suspension using spectral decomposition methods

Spectral decomposition methods are applied to compute accurately the rms values for the control forces, suspension strokes and tyre deflection at front and rear in a half-car model with preview. The vehicle model is assumed to be fitted with active suspension and travelling at constant speed on a random road and the control is assumed to be optimal.     

Lattice-Boltzmann Simulation of Particle Suspensions in Shear Flow

Inclusion of short-range particle–particle interactions for increased numerical stability in a lattice-Boltzmann code for particle-fluid suspensions, and handling of the particle phase for an effective implementation of the code for parallel computing, are discussed and formulated. In order to better understand the origin of the shear-thickening behavior observed in real suspensions, two simplified cases are considered with the code thus developed. A chain-like cluster of suspended particles is shown to increase the momentum transfer in a shear flow between channel walls, and thereby the effective viscosity of the suspension in comparison with random configurations of particles. A single suspended particle is also shown to increase the effective viscosity under shear flow of this simple suspension for particle Reynolds numbers above unity, due to inertial effects that change the flow configuration around the particle. These mechanisms are expected to carry over to large-scale particle-fluid suspensions.     

Unbalanced machinery vibration isolation with a semi-active pneumatic suspension

The problem of unbalanced machinery isolation is tackled in this paper. The proposed solution incorporates an air suspension that can be adapted depending on the turning frequency. The system is built with three main parts: an air spring, a reservoir and a connecting pipe. A model of the suspension excited by the unbalanced rotor is also shown in this paper. The properties of the system make it possible to use a configuration of the suspension (one pipe size) over a bandwidth range and another configuration (another pipe size) over the remaining bandwidth range. This idea is implemented with solenoid controlled valves and the results show significant improvements with respect to completely passive configurations.     

Multi-objective control optimization for semi-active vehicle suspensions

In this paper we demonstrate a method for determining the optimality of control algorithms based on multiple performance objectives. While the approach is applicable to a broad range of dynamic systems, this paper focuses on the control of semi-active vehicle suspensions. The two performance objectives considered are ride quality, as measured by absorbed power, and thermal performance, as measured by power dissipated in the suspension damper. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is used to establish the limits of controller performance. To facilitate convergence, the MOGA is initialized with popular algorithms such as skyhook control, feedback linearization, and sliding mode control. The MOGA creates a Pareto frontier of solutions, providing a benchmark for assessing the performance of other controllers in terms of both objectives. Furthermore, the MOGA provides insight into the remaining achievable gains in performance.     

An adaptive pneumatic suspension based on the estimation of the excitation frequency

A pneumatic suspension that can adapt itself to the incoming vibration is presented in this paper. A switching control strategy between two different configurations is proposed and studied. The objective is to avoid undesirable resonant frequencies. The control procedure is based on the pre-knowledge of the incoming vibration frequency, and when this frequency is unknown, a very efficient prediction technique is used. The results show that the adaptable suspension has improved performance as compared to any of its passive counterparts. The transient response when switching typically takes less than three cycles and does not hinder the suspension performance.     

Huang diffuse scattering from interstitials in an hcp lattice

Using the continuum theory of linear elasticity, the Huang diffuse scattering from interstitials in an hcp lattice has been calculated to distinguish between the possible interstitial configurations. The symmetry of the lattice permits four such configurations. In each case, the Huang diffuse scattering is averaged over all possible equivalent orientations (assumed to be equally populated) of the defect configuration. The limitations of Huang diffuse scattering in discriminating between defect configurations having the same long-range symmetry are discussed, considering the specia I cases of Mg and Zn.     

Passive axial magnetic bearing with Halbach magnetized array in magnetically suspended control moment gyro application

The paper presents a special configuration of passive axial magnetic bearing with segmented Halbach magnetized array in magnetically suspended control moment gyro (MSCMG). Peculiarity of presented passive axial magnetic bearing is its ability to provide angular stiffness so that it can produce gyro moment when it is used in MSCMG. The MSCMG with this passive axial magnetic bearing can efficiently reduce the power loss when it supplies gyro moment compared with the five degrees of freedom (5-DOF) MSCMG. The characteristics of the suspension force and stiffness of the passive axial magnetic bearing are studied using finite element method (FEM). The performance of the presented passive axial magnetic bearing with Halbach magnetized array is verified by a prototyped MSCMG.     

Use of nonlinear asymmetrical shock absorber to improve comfort on passenger vehicles

In this study the behaviour of two different types of shock absorbers, symmetrical (linear) and asymmetrical (nonlinear) is compared for use on passenger vehicles. The analyses use different standard road inputs and include variation of the severity parameter, the asymmetry ratio and the velocity of the vehicle. Performance indices and acceleration values are used to assess the efficacy of the asymmetrical systems. The comparisons show that the asymmetrical system, with nonlinear characteristics, tends to have a smoother and more progressive performance, both for vertical and angular movements. The half-car front asymmetrical system was introduced, and the simulation results show that the use of the asymmetrical system only at the front of the vehicle can further diminish the angular oscillations. As lower levels of acceleration are essential for improved ride comfort, the use of asymmetrical systems for vibrations and impact absorption can be a more advantageous choice for passenger vehicles.     

Computer simulation of hexapole aberration correctors

The use of hexapole electron-optical elements to correct the spherical aberrations of the objective lenses of a low-voltage scanning electron microscope is investigated. Compared with the conventional quadrupole-octupole correctors, hexapole systems are simpler in design, easier to tune, and less sensitive to manufacturing imperfections and power supply instabilities. Two configurations of hexapole correctors, RHRHR and HRRH (where R and H stand for round lens and hexapole component, respectively), are considered. Both configurations considerably suppress the spherical aberration of the electron microscope objective lens but cannot correct chromatic aberrations. The second configuration possesses important advantages over the first one: it is mechanically and electrically simpler and also is easier to tune. In addition, as follows from our investigation, the hexapole electrode voltages in the second configuration are lower, the correction accuracy is higher, and the sensitivity to mechanical defects is lower. However, the chromatic aberration in the second configuration is somewhat larger.     

Further comparisons between the conventional and the modified Schwarzschild objectives

The performance of the modified Schwarzschild objective configuration in comparison with the ordinary configuration is further investigated, completing the analysis presented in a previous work, which was concerned with the trend of the image-plane resolution against the numerical aperture. Here, we compare the third-order aberration coefficients in both configurations, illustrating the dependence of each coefficient on both the on-axis object position and the numerical aperture. This conveys the tolerances of the two configurations to lateral and mirrors’ axial misalignments. Also, the nonconcentric mirror configuration is considered and the relative performance confronted with that of the modified configuration. PACS 42.15.Eq; 42.82.Cr     

Investigation into on-road vehicle parameter identification based on subspace methods

The randomness of road–tyre excitations can excite the low frequency ride vibrations of bounce, pitch and roll modes of an on-road vehicle. In this paper, modal parameters and mass moments of inertia of an on-road vehicle are estimated with an acceptable accuracy only by measuring accelerations of vehicle sprung mass and unsprung masses, which is based on subspace identification methods. The vehicle bounce, pitch and roll modes are characterized by their large damping (damping ratio 0.2–0.3). Two kinds of subspace identification methods, one that uses input/output data and the other that uses output data only, are compared for the highly damped modes. It is shown that, when the same data length is given, larger error of modal identification results can be clearly observed for the method using output data only; while additional use of input data will significantly reduce estimation variance. Instead of using tyre forces as inputs, which are difficult to be measured or estimated, vertical accelerations of unsprung masses are used as inputs. Theoretical analysis and Monte Carlo experiments show that, when the vehicle speed is not very high, subspace identification method using accelerations of unsprung masses as inputs can give more accurate results compared with the method using road–tyre forces as inputs. After the modal parameters are identified, and if vehicle mass and its center of gravity are pre-determined, roll and pitch moments of inertia of an on-road vehicle can be directly computed using the identified frequencies only, without requiring accurate estimation of mode shape vectors and multi-variable optimization algorithms.     

激光陀螺腔长控制机构研究与改进

腔长控制机构在激光陀螺中通过控制腔长来保证激光陀螺工作光束的频率稳定,其对激光陀螺性能的提高有着重要意义。针对激光陀螺工作过程中,传统腔长控制机构的控制镜扭偏导致光束在腔中的位置偏移毛细孔的中心位置,引起腔内的散射、损耗发生变化从而影响陀螺性能及精度的问题,对激光陀螺腔长控制机构进行了研究,并设计了一种新的腔长控制机构以减小控制镜的扭偏对陀螺产生的影响。利用有限元分析法对新腔长控制机构进行了优化设计和仿真。试验表明,新的腔长控制机构减小了控制镜的扭偏,使得激光陀螺的零偏稳定性由0.7/h提高至0.3/h。     

Improving the performance of three level code division multiplexing using the optimization of signal level spacing

In order to optimize the performance of three level code division multiplexing (3LCDM) at 2×20 Gb/s data rate, signal level spacing technique is investigated in this paper. The 3LCDM performance is improved considerably using both electrical and optical level spacing optimization configurations. The results demonstrate that by optimization, in conditions of the optical signal-to-noise ratio, an improvement of around 4.5 dB can be achieved in both approaches as well as 3.3 dB in the electrical configuration and 3.5 dB in the optical configuration can be accomplished for the 3LCDM in terms of the receiver sensitivity.     

Optimization of a hybrid vibration absorber for vibration control of structures under random force excitation

A recently reported design of a hybrid vibration absorber (HVA) which is optimized to suppress resonant vibration of a single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system is re-optimized for suppressing wide frequency band vibration of the SDOF system under stationary random force excitation. The proposed HVA makes use of the feedback signals from the displacement and velocity of the absorber mass for minimizing the vibration response of the dynamic structure based on the H₂ optimization criterion. The objective of the optimal design is to minimize the mean square vibration amplitude of a dynamic structure under a wideband excitation, i.e., the total area under the vibration response spectrum is minimized in this criterion. One of the inherent limitations of the traditional passive vibration absorber is that its vibration suppression is low if the mass ratio between the absorber mass and the mass of the primary structure is low. The active element of the proposed HVA helps further reduce the vibration of the controlled structure and it can provide significant vibration absorption performance even at a low mass ratio. Both the passive and active elements are optimized together for the minimization of the mean square vibration amplitude of the primary system. The proposed HVA are tested on a SDOF system and continuous vibrating structures with comparisons to the traditional passive vibration absorber.