Semi-active control algorithms for a smart shock absorber

In this work, we develop novel control algorithms suitable for the smart shock absorber (SSA) component of the intelligent vehicle and bridge system (IVBS). The SSA control serves two IVBS purposes: 1) working as the vehicle suspension to increase driver comfort and controllability when the vehicle is on the pavement, and 2) reducing the vibration of highway bridges and thus prolonging bridge life. We propose and discuss in this paper algorithms targeted at the first purpose. Based on the application of active noise control techniques to an active suspension system, we introduce the clipped active noise control (clipped ANC) algorithm. The main advantage of this algorithm is that because it is adaptive, it can effectively balance the comfort and controllability. A simplified control algorithm based on the clipped ANC is also proposed to reduce the implementation cost. The simplified algorithm has no requirements for system modeling, so it substantially reduces the implementation cost. The effectiveness of our proposed algorithm is indicated by analyses, simulations and laboratory testing.