Predictive roll, handling and ride control of vehicles via active suspensions

This paper focuses on the application of active suspensions to vehicles with solid-axles for medium and light duty trucks. These vehicles are prone to rollover issues and compromised ride quality. A cascade control structure is proposed considering a time scale analysis of the various modes in the vehicles´ dynamics. The structure consists of: a) an upper level predictive anti-roll controller that uses road preview information for generating an optimal reference roll angle, yaw rate and roll moment distribution, and b) a lower level sprung/unsprung mass motion controller that tracks the reference roll angle and regulates other states. Simulation results indicate that the proposed system is able to reduce sprung mass acceleration, improve tire-road contact, stabilize roll motion and enhance the yaw response of the vehicle.