Suspension System Control Process for Buses with In-Wheel Motors

Abstract

In the last few years, there has been considerable growth in in-wheel electric motors manufacturing and the number of electric buses operating around the world. As a result of this clear increase, competition between electric bus manufacturers is increasing to reach the best satisfaction and comfort for passengers. This paper aims to deliver significantly better results due to suspension system. This paper also aims to evaluate an active bus suspension system with an in-wheel electric motor and to show the effect of this motor on the performance of the bus’s suspension system. In this work, a quarter bus suspension system is simulated and modelled using Matlab software, in addition to using one of the well-known control technologies, which is the linear quadratic regulator (LQR). The results showed that the weight of the electric motors in the bus’s wheels had a slightly negative effect on passenger comfort, as the reason for this effect is because the electric motor increased the mass of the wheel.

Keywords

• electric bus
• active suspension system
• in-wheel motors
• modelling
• LQR