Electrical controller for force dampers
AssigneeVirginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
InventorsSaied Taheri, Sheetanshu Tyagi, Yaswanth Siramdasu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described herein is an electrical controller for a damper body assembly that stores a damping policy and instructions implementing a control method based on the policy. The controller can receive a sensor output and transmits a signal to alter the contribution to a damping coefficient of the damper from each fluid mass as a function of the sensor output, policy, and control method. Also described herein are methods of using the electrical controller. Also described herein are damper body assemblies that can be controlled by the electrical controller, an actuation assembly, and methods of using the same.
Claims18
A controller in electrical communication with a sensor set and an actuation assembly for a damper, comprising:
- a storage device storing a damping policy and application code instructions implementing a control method based on the damping policy;
- and
- a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes the application code instructions to cause the controller to:
- receive an electrical output from the sensor set on a damper body assembly, the damper body assembly comprising:
- a casing forming therein a first mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure and a second mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure;
- and
- a first piston and a second piston, each piston housed in a separate one of the first mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure with a first damping fluid and the second mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure with a second damping fluid, forming therethrough at least one aperture, and movable along a longitudinal direction within the first mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure and the second mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure in response to force on each piston;
- wherein the electrical output is relative to a distance between the first piston and the second piston;
- and
- transmit, to the actuation assembly, an electrical control signal to independently alter a contribution to a damping coefficient for the first damping fluid and the second damping fluid as a function of the electrical output, the damping policy, and the control method.
A method to dampen forces, comprising:
- providing a controller in electrical communication with a sensor set and an actuation assembly for a damper;
- providing a damper body assembly, the damper body assembly being characterized by a longitudinal direction and cross-section direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and comprising:
- a casing forming therein a first mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure and a second mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure;
- and
- a first piston and a second piston, each piston housed in a separate one of the first mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure with a first damping fluid and the second enclosure with a second damping fluid, forming therethrough at least one aperture, and movable along a longitudinal direction within the first mechanically-serial damping fluid enclosure and the second mechanically-serial damping fluid mass enclosure in response to force on each piston;
- providing the actuation assembly operable, upon receiving electrical control signals, to independently alter the contribution to a damping coefficient of the damper from the first damping fluid and the second damping fluid as a function of the received electrical control signals;
- receiving, by the controller and from the sensor set, a signal based on a distance between the first piston and the second piston;
- communicating, by the controller, the electrical control signals to the actuation assembly based on the received signal, a damping policy, and a control method;
- and
- independently alter, by the actuation assembly, a contribution to a damping coefficient for the first damping fluid and the second damping fluid as a function of the electrical output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.