Proactive shock absorption and vibration isolation
First Claim
1. A method for varying the stiffness and/or damping characteristics of a vibration isolation system to reduce the vibration of a machine which has a motion controller means responsible for controlling the motion of at least one movable component of said machine, said method including the steps of:
- deriving at least one control signal generated by said motion controller means;
processing the derived at least one control signal to generate at least one activation signal; and
varying said stiffness and/or damping characteristics of said vibration isolation system in response to said at least one activation signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for varying stiffness and/or damping characteristics of a vibration isolation system based on the machine'"'"'s control signal which indicates the motion status of at least one movable component of a machine supported by the vibration isolation system. The motion status of the movable component can be monitored via parameters such as the electrical power being injected into the motor of the movable component. More stiffness and/or damping are provided to absorb shocks generated while the movable component accelerates or decelerates and less stiffness and/or damping are provided while the movable component moves at a nominally constant speed or stands still. The stiffness and/or damping characteristics of a vibration isolation system are varied by controlling one or more of the following: 1) the gas flow rate between two gas chambers, 2) the strength of a magnetic field applied to a magnetorheological fluid or ferrofluid, and 3) the strength of an electric field applied to an electrorheological fluid.
97 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for varying the stiffness and/or damping characteristics of a vibration isolation system to reduce the vibration of a machine which has a motion controller means responsible for controlling the motion of at least one movable component of said machine, said method including the steps of:
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deriving at least one control signal generated by said motion controller means; processing the derived at least one control signal to generate at least one activation signal; and varying said stiffness and/or damping characteristics of said vibration isolation system in response to said at least one activation signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10)
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8. A vibration isolation system for reducing the vibration transmissibility between a support means and a machine which has a motion controller means responsible for controlling the motion of at least one movable component of said machine, said vibration isolation system comprising:
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one or more isolator assembly means adapted to be disposed between said support means and said machine, said isolator assembly means having controllable stiffness and/or damping characteristics; means for deriving at least one control signal generated by said motion controller means; logic means for extracting one or more characteristics from the derived at least one control signal to generate at least one activation signal when the extracted one or more characteristics satisfy one or more pre-determined criteria; and control means for varying said controllable stiffness and/or damping characteristics of said isolator assembly means in response to said at least one activation signal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification