Robust Speed Control of a Multi-Mass System: Analytical Tuning and Sensitivity Analysis

The regeneration of highly dynamic driving maneuvers on vehicle test benches is challenging due to several influences, such as power losses, vibrations in the overall system that involves the vehicle with the test bench, uncertainties in the model parameterization, and time delays from both the test bench and the measurement systems. In order to improve the dynamic response of the vehicle test bench and to overcome system disturbances, we employed different types of control algorithms for a mechanical multi-mass model. First, those controllers are extensively investigated in the frequency domain to analyze their stability and evaluate the noise rejection quality. Then, the expectations from the frequency analysis are confirmed in a time-domain simulation. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis tests were conducted to evaluate each controller’s robustness against the modeling parameters’ uncertainty. The linear quadratic controller with integral action demonstrated the best compromise between performance and robustness.