PI Gain Control Method Utilizing Inductive Characteristics of MR Dampers

Abstract

This study proposes an automatic Proportional-Integral (PI) gain tuning method that considers the inductance characteristics of magnetorheological (MR) dampers. The dynamic characteristics of MR dampers were analyzed to design a lookup table-based gain tuning approach capable of real-time adaptation to variations in current amplitude and frequency. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to calculate inductance values considering magnetic saturation and eddy current effects, which are highly frequency-dependent, and these values were then used to construct the lookup table. Hardware experiments comparing the proposed auto-tuning PI controller with a conventional fixed-gain PI controller showed that, in the low-current region, the proposed method significantly reduced rise time and overshoot, resulting in improved current response. These results demonstrate that the proposed approach can enhance the control reliability of MR dampers and improve real-time control performance in high-performance vehicle suspension systems.