PSO-PPO-based reinforcement learning control strategy for active suspension systems under multiple operating conditions

To address the poor generalization capability and extended training duration of reinforcement learning (RL)-based active suspension control systems, this study proposes a PSO-PPO algorithm for multiple operating condition suspension control. The methodology initiates with establishing a 4-DOF suspension dynamic model under three characteristic driving conditions: constant-speed operation, vehicle launch, and emergency braking, which is subsequently converted into state-space representation. The novel PSO-PPO framework synergizes particle swarm optimization with proximal policy optimization to train condition-specific agents. Based on the trained optimal agents, the entropy weight method is applied to adjust the reward function weight coefficients to develop a generalized multi-condition controller. Finally, the control effectiveness of the PSO-PPO algorithm is validated through constant-speed, launch, emergency braking, and multi-condition concatenated scenarios. Simulation results demonstrate that the PSO-PPO algorithm achieves shorter training times while maintaining balanced performance in ride comfort, handling stability, and safety across all conditions.