Controllable motion damper

• US 7,278,522 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Holger Reinhardt
• Original Assignee: Bauerfeind AG
• Inventors: Reinhardt, Holger, Schonemann, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; Devon
• Application Number:
  US11/128,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20050258009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 188/267, 188/267.1, 188/267.2, 188/266.3, 188/266.4, 188/269, 188/290, 188/294, 188/296
• US Class Current: 188/267.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/64 Knee joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/70 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/744 Vane- or curved-cylinder type actuators, e.g. actuators using rotary pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5006 Dampers, e.g. hydraulic damper
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/26 with two cylinders in line and with the two pistons or plungers connected together
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/466 Throttling control, i.e. regulation of flow passage geometry F16F9/464, F16F9/465 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/535 Magnetorheological [MR] fluid dampers springs comprising magnetorheological [MR] elastomers F16F1/361

Abstract

A controllable motion damper with a damping piston separating two damping chambers from each other in a damping cylinder. A damping valve is disposed in a connecting channel of the two damping chambers with the transmissivity of the damping valve for a damping fluid contained in the motion damper being controlled by a control device. Both damping chambers are filled with an electromagnetically uninfluenceable damping fluid. The control device includes a slide piston unit filled with a magnetorheological fluid. The slide piston unit includes a slide piston operatively coupled to the damping piston, wherein, through the intermediary of the magnetorheological fluid, the magnetorheological fluid is influenceable by controllable magnetic field generators with regard to its flow resistance with the slide piston acting on an actuator connected to the damping valve for controlling the movement of the damping piston.

Claims

1. Controllable motion damper (4) with a damping piston (10′

), said damping piston (10′

) separating two damping chambers (12, 13) from each other in a damping cylinder (10), and with a damping valve (15) disposed in a connecting channel (28, 29) of the two damping chambers (12, 13), the transmissivity of said damping valve (15) for a damping fluid contained in the motion damper (4) being controlled by a control device (21, 16), characterized in that both damping chambers (12, 13) are filled with an electromagnetically uninfluenceable damping fluid, the control device having a slide piston unit (21) filled with a magnetorheological fluid, said slide piston unit (21) having a slide piston (22) operatively coupled to the damping piston (10′

), wherein, through the intermediary of the magnetorheological fluid, said magnetorheological fluid being influenceable by controllable magnetic field generators (30) with regard to its flow resistance, said slide piston (22) acts on an actuator (16) connected to the damping valve (15) for controlling the movement of the damping piston (10′

).

2. Motion damper according to claim 1, characterized in that the slide piston unit (21) contains two actuating chambers (23, 24) separated by the slide piston (22), with a bypass channel (26, 27) interconnecting said actuating chambers (23, 24), the flow resistance of said bypass channel (26, 27) being adjustable by the magnetic field generators (30).

3. Motion damper according to claim 2, characterized in that the damping valve (15) is connected to a ram (16) forming the actuator and guided by a restoring spring, said ram (16) being adjustably connected to a partition wall (31), said partition wall (31) dividing the slide piston unit (21) into the two actuating chambers (23, 24) interconnected by the bypass channel (26, 27).

4. Motion damper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the damping valve (15) is disposed next to the damping cylinder (10) and the slide piston unit (21) is coaxial with the damping cylinder (10).

5. Motion damper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the damping valve (38, 39) is coaxial with the damping piston (10′

) and is a constituent part of the damping piston (10′

).

6. Motion damper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the motion damper and the slide piston unit are each in the form of a rotary piston (10a, 22a) and the damping valve (65) and the bypass channel (72, 78) are each provided in a sectorially extending wall (61, 71), the damping valve being in the form of a rotary valve (65) and the bypass channel (72) containing a rotary vane (75) as a constituent part of the actuator, wherein rotary valve (65) and rotary vane (75) are interconnected by a shaft (92) and are held in the normal position by a torsion spring (90).

7. Motion damper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the damping valve (15) is connected to the actuator (16) by a control piston (82), said actuator (16) being connected to the slide piston unit (21) by a plurality of bypass channels (80, 81) each adjustable by a magnetic field generator (85, 86), wherein, depending on the activation of the individual magnetic field generators (85, 86), said bypass channels (80, 81) adjust the control piston (82) to any desired positions and more especially to positions which follow the movement of the slide piston (22).

8. Controllable motion damper (4) with a damping piston (10′

), said damping piston (10′

) separating two damping chambers (12, 13) from each other in a damping cylinder (10), and with a damping valve (15) disposed in a connecting channel (28, 29) of the two damping chambers (12, 13), the transmissivity of said damping valve (15) for a damping fluid contained in the motion damper (4) being controlled by a control device (21, 16), characterized in that both damping chambers (12, 13) are filled with an electromagnetically uninfluenceable damping fluid, the control device having a slide piston unit (21) filled with an electrorheological fluid, said slide piston unit (21) having a slide piston (22) operatively coupled to the damping piston (10′

), wherein, through the intermediary of the electrorheological fluid, said electrorheological fluid being influenceable by a controllable electric field with regard to its flow resistance, said slide piston (22) acts on an actuator (16) connected to the damping valve (15) for controlling the movement of the damping piston (10′

).

9. Motion damper according to claim 8, characterized in that the slide piston unit (21) contains two actuating chambers (23, 24) separated by the slide piston (22), with a bypass channel (26, 27) interconnecting said actuating chambers (23, 24), the flow resistance of said bypass channel (26, 27) being adjustable by the electric field.

10. Motion damper according to claim 9, characterized in that the damping valve (15) is connected to a ram (16) forming the actuator and guided by a restoring spring, said ram (16) being adjustably connected to a partition wall (31), said partition wall (31) dividing the slide piston unit (21) into the two actuating chambers (23, 24) interconnected by the bypass channel (26, 27).