Helicopter vibration control system and circular force generation systems for canceling vibrations

A method of controlling helicopter vibrations, said method including

• providing a nonrotating helicopter body below a rotating helicopter rotor member,
• providing a vibration control system controller,
• providing a rotating helicopter rotor member sensor for inputting rotating member data correlating to a relative rotation of said rotating member rotating relative to said nonrotating body into said vibration control system controller,
• providing at least a first nonrotating body vibration sensor, said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor inputting at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations into said vibration control system controller,
• providing at least a first nonrotating body circular force generator,
• coupling said at least first nonrotating vehicle body circular force generator to said nonrotating helicopter body,
• controlling with said controller said coupled at least first nonrotating vehicle body circular force generator to produce a rotating force upon said nonrotating helicopter body with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, said controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with said controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said rotating member sensor data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating member rotating relative to said nonrotating body with said vibration sensed by said at least first nonrotating vehicle body vibration sensor reduced by said controller.

A method of controlling vibrations, said method including

• providing a nonrotating structure body having a rotating machine member,
• providing a vibration control system controller
• providing a rotating machine member sensor for inputting rotating member data correlating to a relative rotation of said rotating member rotating relative to said nonrotating body into said vibration control system controller,
• providing at least a first nonrotating body vibration sensor, said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor inputting at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations into said vibration control system controller,
• providing at least a first nonrotating body circular force generator,
• coupling said at least first nonrotating vehicle body circular force generator to said nonrotating structure body,
• controlling with said controller said coupled at least first nonrotating body circular force generator to produce a rotating force with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, said controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with said controllable rotating force phase controlled relative to said rotating member sensor data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating member rotating relative to said nonrotating body with said vibration sensed by said at least first nonrotating vehicle body vibration sensor reduced by said controller.

A computer program product for a vibration control system, said computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable medium,
• first program instructions to monitor rotating machine member data correlating to a relative rotation of a rotating machine member rotating relative to a nonrotating body structure,
• second program instructions to monitor nonrotating body structure vibration sensor data correlating to nonrotating body structure vibrations,
• third program instructions to control a circular force generator mounted to said nonrotating body structure to control said circular force generator to output into said nonrotating body structure a rotating force with a controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said monitored rotating machine member data to minimize nonrotating body structure vibrations.

A computer system for reducing vibrations in a vehicle with a nonrotating body structure and a rotating machine member rotating relative to said nonrotating body structure,

• said computer system comprising computer media with computer program instructions including:
• first program instructions to monitor rotating machine member data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating machine member rotating relative to said nonrotating body structure,
• second program instructions to monitor nonrotating body structure vibration sensor data correlating to nonrotating body structure vibrations measured by a plurality of nonrotating vehicle body vibration sensors,
• third program instructions to control a circular force generator mounted to said nonrotating body structure to control said circular force generator to produce a rotating force with a controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said monitored rotating machine member data to minimize nonrotating body structure vibrations measured by said plurality of nonrotating vehicle body vibration sensors.