A neural network based sliding mode controller for active vehicle suspension

Hydraulic and pneumatic components are widely used in vehicle semi-active or active suspension systems. These dynamic systems have certain non-linear and time-varying behaviours. It is difficult to establish an appropriate dynamic model for model-based controller design. Here, a novel neural network based sliding mode control is proposed by combining the advantages of the adaptive, radial basis function neural network and sliding mode control strategies to release the model information requirement. It has online learning ability for handling the system time-varying and non-linear uncertainty behaviours by adjusting the neural network weightings and/or radial basis function parameters. It is implemented on a quarter-car hydraulic active suspension system. The minimum number of radial basis functions required for this neural network is 5. The experimental results show that this intelligent control approach effectively suppresses the oscillation amplitude of sprung mass in response to road surface disturbances.