Decentralized Compliance Control for Multi-Axle Heavy Vehicles Equipped with Electro-Hydraulic Actuator Suspension...

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Control Systems Engineering
• Automotive Engineering

Background:

• Managing multi-axle heavy vehicle suspension on uneven terrain presents challenges in controller complexity and network communication.
• Existing active suspension systems require sophisticated control strategies to ensure stability and comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel decentralized compliance control technique for multi-axle heavy vehicles with electro-hydraulic actuator suspension systems.
• To address the complexity and communication burden associated with large-scale active suspension systems.
• To improve ride comfort by reducing vertical vibration transmission.

Main Methods:

• Decomposition of the overall vehicle control problem into decentralized compliance control tasks for multiple electro-hydraulic actuator suspension subsystems (MEHASS).
• Implementation of a position-based compliance control strategy featuring an outer-loop generalized impedance controller (GIC) and an inner-loop nonsingular fast integral terminal sliding mode controller.
• Development and experimental validation using a three-axle heavy vehicle prototype with electro-hydraulic actuator suspension.

Main Results:

• The proposed decentralized scheme effectively manages vehicle behavior on uneven terrains.
• The generalized impedance controller (GIC) defines wheel-road interaction, generating optimal vertical trajectories for MEHASS.
• The nonsingular fast integral terminal sliding mode controller enhanced control accuracy and disturbance handling.
• Experimental results demonstrated significant reduction in vertical vibration transmission, leading to improved ride comfort.

Conclusions:

• The novel decentralized compliance control technique offers an effective solution for managing multi-axle heavy vehicles with electro-hydraulic suspension.
• The method successfully reduces vibration and enhances ride comfort, validated through on-road experiments.
• This approach provides a scalable and robust control strategy for complex vehicle suspension systems.