How can you design an autonomous vehicle's suspension system for the best performance?

The most important role that a suspension system plays is road holding and grip. The system must ensure that the tires can generate enough force by keeping connected to the ground with a vertical force threshold designed for them. Furthermore, since the autonomous vehicles have more predictable steering and acceleration commands, vehicle behaviors in standard maneuvers can be optimized with different suspension system parameters such as hardpoints, roll stiffness distribution, ride and pitch frequencies.

To optimize an autonomous vehicle's suspension, start by considering the vehicle's weight distribution and intended use. Utilize adaptive dampers and air springs to adjust to varying road conditions. Incorporate sensors to detect road irregularities and adjust suspension in real-time. Implement advanced control algorithms for precise handling and stability. Integrate predictive analytics to anticipate upcoming terrain changes and adjust suspension preemptively. Finally, conduct rigorous testing and validation to ensure optimal performance across diverse scenarios.

Choose the appropriate suspension type based on the vehicle's intended use and performance requirements, such as independent suspension, active suspension, or adaptive air suspension, to optimize stability, comfort, and handling.

Same as in non autonomous vehicles. The most important thing (other than basic spring rate/damping rate selection) is to ensure front/rear grip balance, biasing towards rear slightly to have understeer at the limit of grip/in rapid manoeuvres. Oversteer is more challenging for a non sophisticated control system, as is for a human driver at the limits.

Define clear control objectives for the suspension system, considering factors like ride comfort, vehicle stability, road holding, and energy efficiency. Prioritize these objectives based on the vehicle's application and user preferences.

Vehicle body and wheel hope mode of excitation should be well balanced with adaptive damping techniques. Control strategy should be defined such that ride control and comfort should be properly balanced. In case of semi-active, Skyhook and Groundhook algorithm can be used. One is useful for ride comfort and another is useful for road holding characteristics. Both the characters are important. Response time of the actuator should be optimised.

Implement control strategies such as PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control, model predictive control, or optimal control algorithms to regulate damping, ride height, and stiffness in real-time, optimizing performance under varying driving conditions.

Integrate various sensors like accelerometers, gyroscopes, wheel speed sensors, and cameras to accurately measure vehicle dynamics, road conditions, and driver inputs. Fuse sensor data to provide reliable inputs for control algorithms and decision-making.

Employ machine learning techniques to develop predictive models that anticipate road disturbances, driver behavior, and vehicle dynamics. Use these models to adaptively adjust suspension parameters and improve performance based on learned patterns.

Utilize advanced simulation tools to model and simulate the vehicle's suspension system under different scenarios and road conditions. Conduct real-world testing to validate simulation results and fine-tune control algorithms for optimal performance.

Environmental factors such as temperature, terrain, and road surface conditions Integration with other vehicle systems like steering and braking for coordinated control Redundancy and fault tolerance to ensure system reliability and safety Scalability and upgradability to accommodate future advancements in autonomous vehicle technology Regulatory compliance and standards for autonomous vehicle systems Cost-effectiveness and manufacturability of the suspension system components User experience and preferences for ride comfort and handling characteristics.

The motion of a normal wheel in a vehicle may consist of toe in , toe out or a combination of rotation with or without rolling , skiding etc . The roads can be uphill , downhill or a plane area and friction may vary from place to place . Any censor must sense these too while in use to optimize driving data .

That’s very good point. Demand for better primary ride will be much higher in case of autonomous vehicles. Even in case of level 3 and 4, customer will need a higher level of performance. This wouldn’t be possible to achieve without use of active suspension systems.