Vehicle vibration from the road significantly affects ride comfort and vehicle handling; on the other hand, the considerable energy in the vibration process shows potential for energy saving, especially for electric vehicles. In this article, we propose a novel multifunction electrically interconnected suspension (MFEIS) that utilizes two H-bridge circuits to control the energy flow. The novel suspension can operate in three modes, i.e., semiactive mode, energy-harvesting mode, and self-powered mode. Thus, the vehicle suspension can reduce vibration and harvest energy at the same time. The energy flow and detailed control procedures of each mode are studied, respectively. Based on the characteristics of each working mode, we propose two multiobjective control strategies to balance ride comfort and energy recovery performance of the MFEIS by switching the suspension working modes. An active vibration control algorithm is used to obtain the ideal control current for reducing vibration. The multiobjective control strategies, with different current tracking methods, are used to make the MFEIS generating currents that can track the ideal current. Furthermore, simulation and experimental results show that the proposed control strategies have advantages in ride comfort improvement and energy harvesting. The MFEIS can harvest energy from vibration and apply the harvested energy to suppress vibration, which has great potential in future applications.

Multifunction suspensions that integrate active, semiactive, and energy-regeneration modes, along with mode-switching-based control strategies, have been widely studied to improve ride comfort and handling stability across various road conditions. However, simple mode-switching may limit the potential for further enhancing the dynamic and economic performance of multifunction suspensions. This article introduces, for the first time, an innovative energy flow analysis method that divides the energy flow diagram into distinct regions based on the damping coefficient range, harvested energy range, and consumed energy range of a typical multifunction electromagnetic damper (MFEMD). Using this energy flow analysis method, this article developed two control strategies for the MFEMD system to meet the performance requirements for both smooth and rough roads. Unlike traditional mode-switching, these control strategies are designed based on energy flow region-switching, enhancing the versatility of control strategies. Finally, a switching control strategy is devised based on the matching relationship between distinct road conditions and the designed control strategies. A small-scale half-car MFEMD suspension experimental platform is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategies. Experimental results demonstrate that the energy flow region-switching-based control strategies outperform traditional mode-switching-based control strategies in terms of energy savings and vibration control performances. Additionally, the switching control system achieves good suspension dynamic and economic performance across various road types, highlighting potential for future applications.

The whole body vibration (WBV) experienced by heavy vehicle drivers during work can harm their health. This article proposes a novel electrically interconnected seat suspension (EISS) for mitigating the drivers’ WBV. The EISS consists of two springs and two electromagnetic dampers (EMDs) connected through an electrical network. The same and opposite motion of two EMDs can adjust the three degrees of freedom (three-DOF) vibration of the sprung mass. The dynamic analysis of EISS shows that the three-DOF vibration of sprung mass can be divided into two almost decoupled groups which are controlled by the output force and torque of EISS, respectively. The sliding mode controller and $H_{\infty}$ controller with disturbance observer are designed to calculate the ideal torque and force for controlling the two groups. A semiactive control strategy is adopted to track the ideal force and torque. Moreover, an experimental system is developed to verify the dynamic model’s correctness and the control method’s effectiveness. Under random excitation, compared to the traditional single-DOF seat suspension (SSS), the WBV of EISS decreased by 11.71%, and the comfort of the drivers has been improved. The proposed EISS in this article has great potential in practical applications.

The cooperative control of ride comfort and handling stability in automobile suspension systems presents a significant challenge in intelligent chassis system design. This complexity arises from the high degrees of freedom, diverse operating conditions, and inherent trade-offs between performance metrics in full-car suspension systems. In this paper, a novel switching control strategy is proposed to better balance ride comfort and handling stability for a full-car suspension system. The system integrates a ride comfort controller and an anti-rollover controller, guided by a new rollover risk assessment indicator that requires fewer state variables. First, a vehicle suspension simplification model approach is introduced, reducing the fourteen-degree-of-freedom full-car suspension model to three two-degree-of-freedom models: vertical, pitch and roll. Based on these simplified models, vertical, roll, and pitch controllers are designed, simplifying the controller design process for full-car suspension systems. The ride comfort controller is constructed using the modal energy method in conjunction with the simplified model controllers, while the roll controller functions as the anti-rollover controller. The proposed rollover risk assessment indicator serves as the switching criterion between handling stability and ride comfort control. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed switching control strategy effectively adapts to various road conditions, enabling the semi-active variable damping suspension system to perform multi-modal switching. Compared to a well-tuned passive suspension, vertical, roll, and pitch accelerations are reduced by 14.13%, 13.02% and 13.08%, respectively, significantly improving ride comfort. Additionally, the system effectively mitigates rollover risk, achieving reductions in roll angle, roll speed, and roll acceleration by 19.69%, 16.40%, and 29.96%, respectively, thereby greatly enhancing vehicle safety. Overall, the proposed switching control strategy achieves a successful balance between ride comfort and handling stability, enhancing overall driving performance.

Energy harvesting electromagnetic dampers (EH-EMDs) are recognized for their potential to combine energy recovery with vibration control. However, the effect of energy harvesting circuit parameters on damper performance remains underexplored. This article investigates how circuit parameters and types impact the performance of EH-EMDs. Our theoretical analysis reveals that supercapacitor voltage is crucial for determining the adjustable damping range and energy efficiency in traditional single dc–dc converter-based EH-EMDs. To address supercapacitor voltage instability, we propose a two-stage cascaded dc–dc converter-based electromagnetic damper (TCDC-EMD) system that improves both vibration control and energy harvesting. The TCDC-EMD consists of an electromagnetic motor, a bridge rectifier, two dc–dc converters, a supercapacitor, and a battery. The first converter regulates damping force, while the second stabilizes the damping controllable range and energy efficiency. We also develop an integrated control system for a half-car suspension to ensure precise closed-loop damping force tracking and stable supercapacitor voltage. Experimental results show that the TCDC-EMD system outperforms a single converter-based EH-EMD, with vertical vibration and harvested energy increasing by 14.26% and 19.29%, respectively. The system achieves self-powering for its control circuit and an overall energy efficiency of 70.82%, demonstrating great practical potential.