TUNED VIBRATION ABSORBER FOR ACTIVE VEHICLE SUSPENSION

• US 20130341143A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ClearMotion Acquisition I LLC
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Steven N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,783,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 188/380
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/015 the regulating means comprising electric or electronic elements B60G17/002, B60G17/005 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/06 Characteristics of dampers , e.g. mechanical dampersB60G17/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/25 Dynamic damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/30 In-wheel mountings
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/104 the inertia member being resiliently mounted F16F7/1022 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for use in an active suspension system includes a mass damper for damping a first vertical resonance of a wheel having vertical and horizontal diameters. The wheel defines a wheel plane that passes through a center of the wheel and the wheel'"'"'s vertical and horizontal diameters. The wheel also defines a transverse wheel plane that is perpendicular to the wheel plane and that intersects the wheel-plane along the vertical diameter. The mass damper includes a damping mass coupled to the wheel. The damping mass is constrained from motion relative to the wheel in all but a vertical direction and has a mass distribution that is asymmetric relative to the transverse wheel plane.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in an active suspension system, said apparatus comprising a mass damper for damping a first vertical resonance of a wheel having a vertical diameter and a horizontal diameter, said wheel defining a wheel plane that passes through a center of said wheel and the vertical and horizontal diameters of the wheel, and a transverse wheel plane that is perpendicular to said wheel plane and that intersects said wheel-plane along said vertical diameter, said mass damper including a damping mass coupled to said wheel, said damping mass being constrained from motion relative to said wheel in all but a vertical direction, said damping mass having a mass distribution that is asymmetric relative to said transverse wheel plane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping mass is sized and configured to accommodate a spring-damper-bearing system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spring-damper-bearing system coupled to said damping mass.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping mass is configured to accommodate a brake caliper.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said damping mass is configured to accommodate a caliper disposed at a side of said wheel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping mass is configured to permit at least one suspension link to couple to said wheel.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said mass distribution on a first side of said transverse wheel plane where a brake caliper is located is displaced further away from the wheel plane than the mass distribution on a second side of the transverse wheel plane is displaced away from the wheel plane.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spring-damper-bearing system coupled to said damping mass for guiding vertical motion of said damping mass relative to said wheel.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said spring-damper-bearing system comprises a first spring-damper-bearing assembly disposed on a first side of said transverse wheel plane and a second spring-damper-bearing-assembly disposed on a second side of said transverse wheel plane.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first spring-damper-bearing-assembly is closer to said wheel plane than said second spring-damper-bearing-assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said spring-damper-bearing-assemblies are disposed such that said second spring-damper-bearing-assembly is mounted closer to a brake caliper than said first spring-damper-bearing-assembly.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a mass axis of said damping mass is oriented in a direction toward said wheel plane.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping mass defines a mass axis, and wherein said mass axis makes a non-zero angle relative to said wheel plane.

14. An apparatus comprising means for damping a first vertical resonance of a wheel, said means for damping including a damping mass having a mass distribution that is asymmetric relative to a transverse wheel plane of said wheel.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for constraining said mass distribution from motion relative to said wheel in all but a vertical direction.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an active suspension system operatively coupled to said means for damping.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a motor vehicle operatively coupled to said active suspension system.

18. An apparatus for use in an active suspension system, said apparatus comprising a mass damper for damping a first vertical resonance of a wheel, said wheel defining a wheel plane that passes through a center of said wheel and is coplanar with said wheel, said mass damper including a damping mass coupled to said wheel, said damping mass having a mass distribution that defines a mass axis thereof, said mass axis being directed along a line that intersects said wheel plane.