Application of fuzzy logic control to the design of semi-active suspension systems

This paper describes the practical application of fuzzy logic to the design of semi-active suspension systems control strategies. The intelligent suspension systems are based on a continuously adjustable shock absorber and an electronic control unit. Two different fuzzy approaches are described: the first strategy is based on the actions of the driver and the second is based on the vehicle dynamics. Both simulation and experimental on-road results are presented. The system was tested in a number of vehicles and the results are compared with those obtained with other conventional control strategies based on selection amongst several discrete damping settings. The main advantage of the proposed fuzzy strategies is the small number of required sensors, achieving similar performances than other control algorithms with less cost Due to the simplicity of the sensorization, the described fuzzy control systems can be easily adapted to any vehicle.