Optimal linear preview control of active vehicle suspension

The problem of linear preview control of vehicle suspension is considered as a continuous time optimal control problem. The proposed strategy does not use any a priori information about the second order statistics of the road irregularities. Thus the detailed stochastic models of the road inputs, usually not available in practice, are not required by the controller. The problem formulation and the analytical solution are given in a general form. The solution is applied to a two-degree-of-freedom vehicle model. The effects of preview information on ride comfort, road holding, working space of the suspension, and power requirements are examined. The results show potential in improving road holding properties. It is also demonstrated that the presence of preview drastically reduces power requirements, relieving the performance versus actuator power dilemma.