Active Pneumatic Suspension for Future Autonomous Vehicles: Design, Prove of Concept and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations

In this article, we present a new concept of an active air spring, which can apply pressure and tension forces independently of its deflection. The active strut mitigates body oscillations and improves the driving comfort making it attractive for autonomous driving to avoid motion sickness. The model of the active air spring system and the controller design are described. Furthermore, the suitability of the actuator concept for use in an active chassis is shown. Finally, we show results of hardware-in-the-loop simulations.