Transmission damping apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. A damping system for a rotatable shaft, said damping system comprising:
- a damper housing disposed about a portion of the rotatable shaft;
a variable viscosity fluid disposed within said damper housing operatively associated with the rotatable shaft; and
a control device operatively connected with respect to said variable viscosity fluid, said control device being operable to control the viscosity of said variable viscosity fluid and correspondingly control the amount of rotational resistance applied to the rotatable shaft.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a damping apparatus and/or method for a rotatable shaft. The damping apparatus includes a damper housing disposed about a portion of the rotatable shaft. A variable viscosity fluid, such as a magneto-rheological fluid, is disposed within the damper housing and in contact with the rotatable shaft. A control device is operatively connected with respect to the variable viscosity fluid. The control device is configured or operable to control the viscosity of the variable viscosity fluid and correspondingly control the amount of rotational resistance applied to the rotatable shaft.
18 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A damping system for a rotatable shaft, said damping system comprising:
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a damper housing disposed about a portion of the rotatable shaft;
a variable viscosity fluid disposed within said damper housing operatively associated with the rotatable shaft; and
a control device operatively connected with respect to said variable viscosity fluid, said control device being operable to control the viscosity of said variable viscosity fluid and correspondingly control the amount of rotational resistance applied to the rotatable shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A damping system for a transmission having a rotatable shaft, said damping system comprising:
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a damper housing disposed about a portion of the rotatable shaft;
magneto-rheological fluid disposed within said damper housing and operatively associated with the rotatable shaft;
a magnetic device disposed in close proximity with respect to said magneto-rheological fluid, said magnetic device being operable to selectively produce a variable strength magnetic field within the magneto-rheological fluid to alter the viscosity thereof; and
a control device operatively connected to the magnetic device, said control device being operable to control the strength of the magnetic field produced by the magnetic device to thereby control the viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid such that the amount of rotational resistance applied to the rotatable shaft is variable. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for damping a rotatable shaft of a transmission comprising:
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providing a magneto-rheological fluid operatively associated with said rotatable shaft;
generating a variable strength magnetic field within the magneto-rheological fluid to alter the viscosity thereof; and
controlling the strength of the magnetic field to selectively alter the viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid such that the amount of rotational resistance applied to the rotatable shaft is variable. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification