Active Ride Control - A Logical Step from Static Vehicle Attitude Control

Soft suspension springs are an essential requirement to absorb irregularities in road surfaces without transmitting excessive acceleration forces to the vehicle. Passive attitude control systems compensate for suspension height changes due to static load variations but leave a problem of excessive body motion in response to lateral and longitudinal acceleration. In this paper a system of active ride is described which retains the advantages of a soft suspension, yet controls body pitch and roll due to braking and cornering forces. Handling quality is enhanced by precise control of front to rear roll stiffness. Computed and experimental data is presented to establish fulfilment of the design objectives.