Observer-Based Robust Control for Active Suspension Systems by Employing Beneficial Disturbances and Coupling Effects

In this paper, a novel observer-based robust control method is designed for an active suspension system with inevitable disturbances as well as coupling effects. The difference from the existing control methods is that the designed control method specifically investigates the influences of disturbances as well as couplings. This method effectively mitigates the negative disturbance and coupling effects while retaining the positive effects, leading to enhanced robustness. To achieve this, a nonlinear disturbance observer is employed to accurately estimate both parametric/uncertainties and external disturbances. And on this basis, positive or negative effect indicators that assess the impact of disturbances and couplings on the active suspension system, thereby incorporating them into the controller design. The entire suspension system’s asymptotic stability is ensured by the Lyapunov technique. Experimental results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method.