Helicopter vibration control system and circular force generation systems for canceling vibrations

• US 10,392,102 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lord Corporation (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lord Corporation (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Inventors: Jolly, Mark R., Alteri, Russell E., Badre-Alam, Askari, Ivers, Douglas E., Swanson, Douglas A., Mellinger, Daniel, Meyers, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie, Wae L
• Application Number:
  US15/691,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20180093759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36, 416 43, 416144, 416145
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2027/003 mounted on rotor hub, e.g. a rotary force generator
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/001 Vibration damping devices
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/22 Compensation of inertia forces suppression of vibrations of rotating systems by favourable grouping or relative arrangements of the moving members of the system or systems F16F15/20, counterweights F16F15/28; correcting-weights for balancing rotating bodies F16F15/32
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 19/02 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 416/50 Vibration damping features

Abstract

A rotary wing aircraft including a vehicle vibration control system. The vehicle vibration control system includes a rotary wing aircraft member sensor for outputting rotary wing aircraft member data correlating to the relative rotation of the rotating rotary wing hub member rotating relative to the nonrotating body, at least a first nonrotating body vibration sensor, the at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor outputting at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations, at least a first nonrotating body circular force generator, the at least a first nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with the nonrotating body, the at least first nonrotating body circular force generator controlled to produce a rotating force with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, the controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with the controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to the rotary wing aircraft member sensor data correlating to the relative rotation of the rotating rotary wing hub rotating relative to the nonrotating body wherein the vibration sensed by the at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor is reduced.

Claims

1. A vibration control system for controlling a vibration on a structure responsive to a vibration disturbance at a given frequency, said vibration control system including a circular force generator for creating a controllable rotating force with a controllable magnitude and controllable magnitude phase, said vibration control system including a vibration sensor for generating a vibration signal indicative of said vibration of said structure, said vibration control system including a controller that receives said vibration signal from said vibration sensor and commands said circular force generator to create said rotating force wherein such vibration of said structure sensed by said sensor is reduced.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said vibration control system includes a plurality of m circular force generators and a plurality n vibration sensors distributed throughout said structure.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein n>

m.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said vibration control system includes a reference sensor for generating a persistent signal indicative of said vibration disturbance.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said reference sensor monitors a rotating machine member that is rotating relative to said structure and producing said vibration.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said controllable rotating force rotates at a given harmonic circular force generating frequency.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said vibration control system includes a reference sensor which monitors a rotating machine member that is rotating relative to said structure, and said given harmonic circular force generating frequency is a harmonic of said monitored rotating machine member, said circular force generator including a first rotating imbalance concentration mass (mass_{1_1}) controllably driven about a first rotating mass axis to rotate at said harmonic circular force generating frequency with a first rotating mass controllable rotating imbalance phase Φ

_{1_1} and a second corotating imbalance concentration mass (mass_{1_2}) controllably driven about a second rotating mass axis to rotate at said harmonic frequency with a second rotating mass controllable rotating imbalance phase Φ

_{1_2} with said first rotating mass controllable rotating imbalance phase Φ

_{1_1} and said second rotating mass controllable rotating imbalance phase Φ

_{1_2} opposingly oriented with a 180 degree separation opposed position during a starting stopping rotation frequency less than said harmonic frequency.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said controllable rotating force is determined and calculated with a real and an imaginary part (α

and β

).

9. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a circular force command signal is generated with a real and a imaginary part (α

and β

).

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said controllable rotating force is generated with two corotating imbalance moving masses.

11. A helicopter with a helicopter rotary wing hub rotating at a helicopter operational rotation frequency and having a periodic vibration, said helicopter including a vibration control system, said vibration control system including at least a first motor with a first imbalance mass concentration, said first motor driving said first imbalance mass concentration with a first mass concentration phase and a first mass concentration speed and at least a second motor with a second imbalance mass concentration, said second motor driving said second imbalance mass concentration with a second mass concentration phase and a second mass concentration speed, said vibration control system controlling said first mass concentration phase, said first mass concentration speed, said second mass concentration phase and said second mass concentration speed to produce a rotating net force vector to inhibit said periodic vibration, with said first imbalance mass concentration opposingly oriented relative to said second imbalance mass concentration during a starting stopping rotation speed less than said first mass concentration speed and said second mass concentration speed.