Shear thickening fluid based door control method and mechanism

A method for execution by a computing device, the method comprises:

• interpreting a fluid response from a set of fluid flow sensors to produce a piston position of a piston associated with a head unit device of a head unit system, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors are positioned proximal to the head unit device for controlling motion of the piston, wherein the head unit system includes:
• a rotary-motion-to-linear-motion conversion device, wherein the rotary-motion-to-linear-motion conversion device is configured to convert rotary motion of a camshaft to linear motion of the piston,
• an electric motor coupled to the camshaft, wherein the electric motor is configured to provide one or more of propulsion of the camshaft in a rotary fashion, position control of the camshaft, and energy harvested from the rotary motion of the camshaft when propelled by another entity,
• a door hinge coupled to the camshaft and to a door, wherein the door hinge is configured to provide the rotary motion of the camshaft when propelled by the door, and the head unit device, wherein the head unit device includes:
• shear thickening fluid (STF), wherein the STF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to a first range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to a second range of shear rates, wherein the second range of shear rates are greater than the first range of shear rates,
• a chamber, the chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF, wherein the chamber includes a front channel and a back channel,
• the piston housed at least partially radially within the chamber and separating the back channel and the front channel, the piston configured to exert pressure against the shear thickening fluid in response to movement of the piston from a force applied to the piston, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the chamber in an inward direction or traveling through the chamber in an outward direction, wherein the piston travels toward the back channel and away from the front channel when traveling in the inward direction, wherein the piston travels toward the front channel and away from the back channel when traveling in the outward direction, wherein the piston includes:
• a first piston bypass between opposite sides of the piston that controls flow of the STF between the opposite sides of the piston from the back channel to the front channel when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the inward direction to cause the STF to react with a first shear threshold effect, and
• a second piston bypass between the opposite sides of the piston that controls flow of the STF between the opposite sides of the piston from the front channel to the back channel when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the outward direction to cause the STF to react with a second shear threshold effect,
• the set of fluid flow sensors positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors provide the fluid response from the STF, and
• a set of fluid manipulation emitters positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of fluid manipulation emitters provide a fluid activation to at least one of the STF, the first piston bypass, and the second piston bypass to control the motion of the piston;
• interpreting the piston position to produce a door position of the door;
• determining parameters for wireless signals based on the door position, wherein a wireless communication modem associated with the head unit system communicates the wireless signals with a second wireless communication modem associated with another computing device;
• and
• facilitating utilization of the parameters for the wireless signals to promote successful communication of status and/or control of the head unit system via the wireless signals.

A non-transitory computer readable memory comprises:

• a first memory element that stores operational instructions that, when executed by a processing module, causes the processing module to:
• interpret a fluid response from a set of fluid flow sensors to produce a piston position of a piston associated with a head unit device of a head unit system, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors are positioned proximal to the head unit device for controlling motion of the piston, wherein the head unit system includes:
• a rotary-motion-to-linear-motion conversion device, wherein the rotary-motion-to-linear-motion conversion device is configured to convert rotary motion of a camshaft to linear motion of the piston,
• an electric motor coupled to the camshaft, wherein the electric motor is configured to provide one or more of propulsion of the camshaft in a rotary fashion, position control of the camshaft, and energy harvested from the rotary motion of the camshaft when propelled by another entity,
• a door hinge coupled to the camshaft and to a door, wherein the door hinge is configured to provide the rotary motion of the camshaft when propelled by the door, and
• the head unit device, wherein the head unit device includes:
• shear thickening fluid (STF), wherein the STF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to a first range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to a second range of shear rates, wherein the second range of shear rates are greater than the first range of shear rates, a chamber, the chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF, wherein the chamber includes a front channel and a back channel,
• the piston housed at least partially radially within the chamber and separating the back channel and the front channel, the piston configured to exert pressure against the shear thickening fluid in response to movement of the piston from a force applied to the piston, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the chamber in an inward direction or traveling through the chamber in an outward direction, wherein the piston travels toward the back channel and away from the front channel when traveling in the inward direction, wherein the piston travels toward the front channel and away from the back channel when traveling in the outward direction, wherein the piston includes:
• a first piston bypass between opposite sides of the piston that controls flow of the STF between the opposite sides of the piston from the back channel to the front channel when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the inward direction to cause the STF to react with a first shear threshold effect, and
• a second piston bypass between the opposite sides of the piston that controls flow of the STF between the opposite sides of the piston from the front channel to the back channel when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the outward direction to cause the STF to react with a second shear threshold effect,
• the set of fluid flow sensors positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors provide the fluid response from the STF, and
• a set of fluid manipulation emitters positioned proximal to the chamber,
• wherein the set of fluid manipulation emitters provide a fluid activation to at least one of the STF, the first piston bypass, and the second piston bypass to control the motion of the piston;
• a second memory element that stores operational instructions that, when executed by the processing module, causes the processing module to:
• interpret the piston position to produce a door position of the door;
• a third memory element that stores operational instructions that, when executed by the processing module, causes the processing module to:
• determine parameters for wireless signals based on the door position, wherein a wireless communication modem associated with the head unit system communicates the wireless signals with a second wireless communication modem associated with another computing device;
• and
• a fourth memory element that stores operational instructions that, when executed by the processing module, causes the processing module to:
• facilitate utilization of the parameters for the wireless signals to promote successful communication of status and/or control of the head unit system via the wireless signals.