Semi-active actuator-based hybrid model predictive control for vehicle tilting

Typically, vehicle height adjustment during driving can only be achieved using active actuators. However, our research group has proposed a method that uses adjustable damping semi-active actuators to control the raising and lowering of the isolation system. This method leverages asymmetrical damping to adjust the vehicle’s height and also utilizes the vehicle’s vibration energy during driving. In this study, this approach is employed to control the shifting of the left and right sides of the vehicle, thereby implementing tilt control by inclining the vehicle body toward the turning direction. To optimize control for this posture adjustment, nonlinear factors such as the nonlinear constraints of the damper’s output damping force and the logical control conditions of asymmetric damping adjustment are considered, designing this control system as a hybrid system. The system is described using HYSDEL programing language, forming a Mixed Logic Dynamic (MLD) system, and a control logic is constructed for shifting single wheels through damping switching to achieve tilt control. A full vehicle tilt controller is designed using hybrid model predictive control theory, transforming the switching control problem into a continuous receding horizon optimization control problem, integrating single-wheel height adjustment and full vehicle tilt control, and defining the objective function and nonlinear constraint conditions that need to be met. Both simulation and co-simulation calculations have confirmed the effectiveness of this method, which uses asymmetric damping adjustment to shift the vehicle body and implement full vehicle tilt control, providing a new approach for posture control under specific conditions such as short-term obstacle crossing, high-speed cornering, emergency maneuvers, and rollover prevention.