Pneumatically controlled, active hydraulic anti-vibration support

• US 6,199,842 B1
• Filed: 08/16/1999
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hutchinson (Welltower, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hutchinson (Welltower, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gennesseaux, André, Gastineau, Jean-Luc, Durand, Sylvain
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, PAMELA
• Application Number:
  US09/375,091
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 267/140.13, 267/140.11, 267/140.12, 267/140.14, 267/140.15, 267/219, 267/35, 267/122, 267/141.2, 248/636, 248/638, 248/562, 180/312, 180/902
• US Class Current: 267/140.13
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 13/264 comprising means for acting dynamically on the walls bounding a working chamber

Abstract

An anti-vibration support is provided having two rigid frames linked to one another by an elastomer body which is applied against a rigid partition to delimit a hydraulic working chamber connected to a compensating chamber by a throttled passage. The rigid partition has a flexible membrane inserted between the working chamber and a pneumatic chamber controlled by a solenoid. The solenoid is mounted on a support block which also incorporates a pneumatic coupling and an electrical connector, this support block having an annular flange which delimits the pneumatic chamber and clamps the flexible membrane against the rigid partition.

Claims

1. A pneumatically controlled, active hydraulic anti-vibration support, designed to be inserted between two rigid elements and comprising:

first and second rigid frames designed to be joined respectively to the two rigid elements to be connected,

an elastomer body linking the two frames to one another and partially delimiting a working chamber filled with liquid,

a flexible wall, partially delimiting a compensating chamber filled with liquid, which is in turn connected to the working chamber by a throttled passage, also filled with liquid,

a rigid partition which is joined to the second frame and which partially delimits the working chamber, this rigid partition having a mouthpiece closed off by means of a flexible membrane, this membrane having a first face communicating with the working chamber and a second face isolated from said working chamber,

a pneumatic chamber partially delimited by the second face of the membrane,

and at least one solenoid to provide communication between the pneumatic chamber and the atmosphere and with a coupling providing a connection to a pneumatic source, said solenoid being connected to an electrical connector in turn designed to be connected to an electronic control system,

said anti-vibration support having a single-block, pneumatic actuating unit which incorporates;

a rigid support block joined to the second frame,

the solenoid,

the pneumatic coupling,

and the electrical connector,

the support block having an annular flange which partially delimits the pneumatic chamber and this support block being applied against the rigid partition clamping the flexible membrane between said annular flange and said rigid partition, this annular flange being disposed around the mouthpiece of the rigid partition.

2. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastomer body is of a bell shape extending between a top integral with the first frame on the one hand and an annular base integral with the second frame on the other, the pneumatic actuating unit being contained in a rigid casing which is arranged opposing the elastomer body relative to the rigid partition, this casing being permanently joined to the second frame and to said rigid partition by applying the base of the elastomer body to the rigid partition, whilst the support block of the pneumatic actuating unit is retained between the casing and the rigid partition so that the annular flange of said support block is applied against the flexible membrane and the rigid partition.

3. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 2, wherein the compensating chamber is also disposed inside the casing.

4. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 3, wherein the membrane is formed by a central part belonging to the flexible wall of the compensating chamber, said compensating chamber being annular in shape and being disposed around the pneumatic actuating unit.

5. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flexible wall of the compensating chamber has a peripheral metal reinforcing frame which is crimped onto the rigid partition and onto the second frame, pressing said second frame and the base of the elastomer body against the rigid partition.

6. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 5, wherein the casing is metal and is crimped on top of the peripheral reinforcing frame of the flexible wall.

7. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flexible wall of the compensating chamber has, around its central part forming the flexible membrane a rigid central frame which is embedded in said flexible wall and which has:

an annular bearing face which is parallel with the rigid partition and which is clamped between said rigid partition and the annular flange of the support block of the pneumatic actuating unit,

and an annular flange extending perpendicularly to the rigid partition around said annular flange of the support block.

8. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second frame forms a hollow crown open towards the rigid partition, delimiting the throttled passage in conjunction with said rigid partition.

9. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support block of the pneumatic actuating unit also has a buffer reservoir inserted between the pneumatic coupling and the pneumatic chamber.

10. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is dimensioned so as to have a natural resonance frequency ranging between 20 and 80 Hz.

11. An anti-vibration support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the single-block, pneumatic actuating unit has an air passage which links the solenoid to the pneumatic chamber and which is dimensioned so as to have a natural resonance frequency ranging between 20 and 80 Hz.