This chapter considers a joint design problem for a vehicle active suspension system to optimize system parameters and a controller with constraints simultaneously. A model of quarter-car system with an active suspension is presented first. In view of the practical constraints of the acting force and suspension stroke, a mixed H_∞/GH₂ control is employed to attenuate the vibration of the system. By considering that both the controller and parameters of the system have great effect on the control performance, this chapter uses genetic algorithm (GA) to search for the desirable parameters and obtain the corresponding controller jointly. Simulations are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the joint design approach in comparison with the open-loop, non-optimized and partly optimized systems.

Chapter Contents:

• Abstract
• 10.1 Overview
• 10.2 Problem formulation
• 10.3 Joint design of the system
• 10.4 Simulation results
• 10.5 Conclusion
• Acknowledgement
• References

Inspec keywords: vibration control; H∞ control; genetic algorithms; control system synthesis; automotive components; suspensions (mechanical components); open loop systems; road vehicles

Other keywords: H_∞/GH₂ control; controller; open-loop systems; vibration; quarter-car system; joint design; GA; genetic algorithm; vehicle active suspension system; system parameters

Subjects: Road-traffic system control; Optimal control; Optimisation techniques; Mechanical variables control; Control system analysis and synthesis methods