A Hybrid Approach to Modeling and Control of Vehicle Height for Electronically Controlled Air Suspension

The control problems associated with vehicle height adjustment of electronically controlled air suspension （ECAS） still pose theoretical challenges for researchers, which manifest themselves in the publications on this subject over the last years. This paper deals with modeling and control of a vehicle height adjustment system for ECAS, which is an example of a hybrid dynamical system due to the coexistence and coupling of continuous variables and discrete events. A mixed logical dynamical （MLD） modeling approach is chosen for capturing enough details of the vehicle height adjustment process. The hybrid dynamic model is constructed on the basis of some assumptions and piecewise linear approximation for components nonlinearities. Then, the on-off statuses of solenoid valves and the piecewise approximation process are described by propositional logic, and the hybrid system is transformed into the set of linear mixed-integer equalities and inequalities, denoted as MLD model, automatically by HYSDEL. Using this model, a hybrid model predictive controller （HMPC） is tuned based on online mixed-integer quadratic optimization （MIQP）. Two different scenarios are considered in the simulation, whose results verify the height adjustment effectiveness of the proposed approach. Explicit solutions of the controller are computed to control the vehicle height adjustment system in realtime using an offline multi-parametric programming technology （MPT）, thus convert the controller into an equivalent explicit piecewise affine form. Finally, bench experiments for vehicle height lifting, holding and lowering procedures are conducted, which demonstrate that the HMPC can adjust the vehicle height by controlling the on-off statuses of solenoid valves directly. This research proposes a new modeling and control method for vehicle height adjustment of ECAS, which leads to a closed-loop system with favorable dynamical properties.

Integrated Optimization of Structure and Control Parameters for the Height Control System of a Vertical Spindle Cotton Picker

Vertical picking method is a predominate method used to harvest cotton crop.However,a vertical picking method may cause spindle bending of the cotton picker if spindles collide with stones on the cotton field.Thus,how to realize a precise height control of the cotton picker is a crucial issue to be solved.The objective of this study is to design a height control system to avoid the collision.To design it,the mathematical models are established first.Then a multi-objective optimization model represented by structure parameters and control parameters is proposed to take the pressure of chamber without piston,response time and displacement error of the height control system as the opti-mization objectives.An integrated optimization approach that combines optimization via simulation,particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing is proposed to solve the model.Simulation and experimental test results show that the proposed integrated optimization approach can not only reduce the pressure of chamber without piston,but also decrease the response time and displacement error of the height control system.

Investigation on full vehicle height control algorithm using feedback linearization method

Aiming to improve the control accuracy of the vehicle height for the air suspension system,deeply analyzing the processes of variable mass gas thermodynamics and vehicle dynamics,a nonlinear height control model of the air suspension vehicle was built. To deal with the nonlinear characteristic existing in the lifting and lowering processes,the nonlinear model of vehicle height control was linearized by using a feedback linearization method. Then,based on the linear full vehicle model,the sliding model controller was designed to achieve the control variables. Finally,the nonlinear control algorithm in the original coordinates can be achieved by the inverse transformation of coordinates. To validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the sliding mode controller,the height control processes were simulated in Matlab,i. e.,the lifting and lowering processes of the air suspension vehicle were taken when vehicle was in stationary and driving at a constant speed. The simulation results show that,compared to other controllers,the designed sliding model controller based on the feedback linearization can effectively solve the ＂overshoot＂problem,existing in the height control process,and force the vehicle height to reach the desired value,so as to greatly improve the speed and accuracy of the height control process. Besides,the sliding mode controller can well regulate the roll and pitch motions of the vehicle body,thereby improving the vehicle＇s ride comfort.

基于模糊控制技术的数控切割机自动调高器中直流电机控制研究（英文）

电机控制技术是数控切割机自动调高器的关键技术之一。提出了基于模糊控制技术和PWM控制技术的数控切割自动调高器的直流电机控制系统方案,设计了模糊控制器,实验结果表明:通过使用模糊控制技术和PWM控制技术能明显提高自动调高器的控制精度和灵敏度。

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE PRESSURE AND VACUUM CONTINUOUS CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON HYBRID PUMP

A novel pressure and vacuum continuous control system, which adopts a hybrid pump as pressure and vacuum source, is presented. The mathematical model of the system is developed. The theoretical simulation and analysis on the system are implemented in order to study the relationships among the characteristics, parameters and working points of the system. The experimental investigations on the system characteristics are presented with the adoption ofa fuzzy-PID controller. The simulation and experimental results indicate that the pressure and vacuum continuous control system based on hybrid pump has good dynamic and static performance, strong robustness and satisfactory adaptability to various system parameters. According to the results, system can successfully gain high accuracy and fast response signal. Also, the mathematical model of system is also testified by the experimental results.

Study of measurement and control of free loop of hot steel strip in twin-roll strip casting

In the twin-roll strip casting process, hot cast strips can be broken or tom if the casting speed does not match the rolling speed. Usually, a certain length of hot steel strip is hung freely between the caster and rolling mill to deal with the effect of this speed difference. In this paper,the freely hanging hot steel strip is referred to as the free loop of hot steel strip. Accurately measuring and controlling the height of this free loop is the key factor in maintaining a stable casting operation. Several methods for measuring the loop height of a steel strip are discussed and a method for accurately measuring and controlling the free loop height of hot steel strip is presented. Based on the results of the casting loop quantity change curve, this control method is confirmed to be effective and able to meet the requirements of continuous casting strip production.

Height stability control of a large sprayer body based on air suspension using the sliding mode approach

When a high clearance self-propelled sprayer sprays,the sprung mass varies with the amount of liquid in the tank,which causes a change in the height of the sprayer body.This change not only is harmful to the sprayer ride comfort,but also has a greater impact on the sprayer application quality.In this paper,a large-scale high clearance self-propelled sprayer with air suspension was taken as the research object.Based on vehicle dynamics and air thermodynamics theory,a mathematical model of air spring inflation/deflation was established,then a 3 degree of freedom(3-dof)vertical dynamics model of sprayer air suspension was built.On this basis,the height control strategy of the sprayer body was formulated.Due to the nonlinear characteristics of air suspension,two control algorithms,namely sliding mode control and the on-off control,were used to design the suspension height stability controller,respectively.A simulation experiment was carried out by using the sprayer spraying crops as an example.The simulation experiment results showed that sliding mode control and on-off control could track and stabilize the height of the sprayer body when it changed under no excitation and D-grade road random excitation.However,due to strong nonlinearity and hysteresis of the pneumatic system,on-off control precision was poor.With the on-off control method,further reduction of the sprung mass would change the internal parameters of the pneumatic system,cause the air spring over deflation,even worse,the over deflation phenomenon presented a serious trend and cause system instability under random road excitation.Compared with on-off control method,sliding mode control approach had good control ability and precision due to its robustness to change in model parameters.The research will provide a reference for the height stability adjustment of large high clearance self-propelled sprayers during spraying and dosing operations.

Experimental Study on the Distribution of Soil Nitrate and Ammonium Nitrogen under Controlled Drainage

A field experimental project was set up to assess the effects of controlled drainage on the distribution and concentration of nitrogen in the soil at the Irrigation and Drainage Experimental Station under Four-Lake Engineering Administration of Jingzhou City, Hubei Province. Two plots drain runoff by controlled drainage system, with an area of 0.1 hm^2 （20 m×50 m） each. The third one with an area of 0.04 hm^2 （8 m×50 m） has a conventional subsurface drainage system. Under this experimental condition, the study draws the following conclusions： ① The controlled drainage system has a remarkable effect on the diminishing ratios of nitrate nitrogen between neighboring layers. It is presented that the diminishing ratio increases with the raising height of drain outlet. Controlled drainage system also reduces the transference of nitrate nitrogen in topsoil.② Different from nitrate nitrogen, the concentration of ammonium nitrogen is stable along the longitudinal section of soil, which is little affected by the controlled drainage system. It indicates that the concentration of ammonium nitrogen decreases according to the lowering of controlling height of the drain outlet.