Title: Design of a vibration isolation actuator for automotive seating systems - Part II: Controller design and actuator performance

Authors: X. Liu, J. Wagner

Addresses: Automotive Research Laboratory, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA. Automotive Research Laboratory, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA

Abstract: The ride quality of passenger/light-duty and off-road vehicles depends heavily on the suspension system which isolates the occupants from road surface disturbances. This passive system approach provides acceptable results but does not offer an ideal solution for applications where the occupants may be subjected to prolonged vibrations on rough roads and/or off-road driving. One strategy has been the design of semi-active and active suspension systems to attenuate vibrations between the vehicle|s sprung and unsprung masses. An alternative concept is the placement of vibration isolation systems in the passenger compartment between the vehicle floor and seating system. In this paper, controllers are designed and evaluated for the semi-active hydraulic and active electromechanical hydraulic actuators. A series of four model-free and model-based control strategies are presented for each actuator to attenuate road vibrations transmitted to the occupant|s lower and upper torso. The controller designs include relative, proportional-integral, variable structure system, and optimal control. Representative numerical results for the integrated chassis, seat, occupant, actuator, and control algorithms are discussed and metrics introduced to quantify the performance gains available with each configuration. The semi-active and active actuator designs provide a 27% and 35% reduction in the driver|s head acceleration, respectively, when compared with the passive seating system.

Keywords: controller design; mechatronics; performance evaluations; vibration attenuation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2002.002018

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2002 Vol.29 No.4, pp.357-375

Published online: 15 Aug 2003 *

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