Optimal Design of Proportional-Differential Controller in Active Control of Suspension Systems Using the Balancing Composite Motion Optimization Algorithm

The study presents a simple way to optimally design a Proportional-Differential (PD) controller and apply it to the vibration control of a quarter car model's active suspension system. First, the optimization objectives are determined, including minimizing the vehicle body acceleration and the suspension deflection. The tyre deflection and road holding constraints are also considered. Next, the variables, including the components in the gain vector of the PD controller, are optimized using the Balancing Composite Motion Optimization (BCMO) algorithm. Different controller configurations, according to the two above optimization objectives, are simulated to verify the performance of the controllers for the nominal system and for the system when its mass and stiffness are varied. An H∞ controller in a reputable published study is also included for comparison. The simulation results show the proposed PD controllers' high control efficiency and robustness, especially the PD controller, which is based on minimizing the vehicle body's acceleration.