Analysis of a Pseudo-active Vehicle Suspension

Intelligent suspension, including active suspensions (AS) and semi-active suspensions (SAS), can obviously improve ride comfort and handling stability of vehicle compared with passive suspension (PS). AS has excellent performance, but the disadvantages of huge energy consumption, high cost, and complex structure limit its large-scale popularization and application. SAS has a simple structure, high reliability, and low energy consumption, but its control effect is not as good as active suspension. To consider the advantages of SAS and AS, this paper analyzes the reasons for the performance difference between AS and SAS from the controllable force range, and thence puts forward a new suspension concept—pseudo-active suspension (PAS). Based on the negative stiffness compensation device and SAS, the control logic of a PAS tracking expected force is proposed. The simulation results show that the force characteristics produced by the PAS close to the AS and expand the controllable force range of SAS. A quarter-vehicle suspension model is built, and simulation analysis is conducted. The PAS can obviously improve the ride comfort and handling stability of the vehicle compared with the SAS.