Active suspension for the control of planar vehicle dynamics

A novel method of actuating an active suspension system for the control of planar vehicle dynamics is proposed. Active suspension forces are applied in such a way that their effect on the chassis heave-pitch-roll dynamics is negligible. Instead, their impact is restricted to the generation of longitudinal and lateral tire forces, resulting in controllability of planar vehicle dynamics. An optimal control strategy is proposed to benchmark the system performance, relying on unknowable tire information. The strategy's robustness to error in tire parameters is formulated analytically, and it is shown that estimates of these parameters are sufficient for stable operation. Based on this result, a sub-optimal control routine is developed using only estimable signals. The result is a realizable control strategy which utilizes active suspension components to stabilize planar vehicle dynamics without upsetting chassis dynamics.