Active vibration damping system
AssigneeUniversity of Vermont and State Agricultural College
InventorsDryver R. Huston, Brian Esser, James O. Plumpton
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Abstract
A system (100, 200, 300) for damping vibrations of a vibratory structure (104, 308). The damping system includes an active damper (112, 124, 128, 216), a vibration sensor (116, 208, 208A′-C′), and a controller (120, 212) for controlling the active damper in a manner that damps vibration of the vibratory structure. In some embodiments, the active damper comprises an active mass (132, 220, 220A′-C′, 220A″-C″) and an actuator (136) for controlling the movement of the active mass. In other embodiments, the active damper comprises a flexural damper (128).
Claims16
An integrated active mass damping device for damping vibration of a vibratory structure, comprising:
- a) a body adapted for being attached to the vibratory structure;
- and
- b) a vibration sensor attached to said body and generating a first signal as a function of the vibration;
- and
- c) an active mass damper including an active mass and an actuator coupled between said active mass and said body for controlling movement of said active mass relative to said body, said actuator responsive to a second signal so as to dampen the vibration;
- wherein said body, said vibration sensor and said active mass damper are integrated on a unitary device that, when desired to be used to dampen vibrations of the vibratory structure, is secured to the vibratory structure via said body;
- wherein said unitary device further includes a controller operatively configured to generate said second signal as a function of said first signal;
- and
- wherein said controller includes a plurality of signal-processing techniques each for generating said second signal and is operatively configured to self-select one of said plurality of signal-processing techniques from among said plurality of signal-processing techniques based upon characteristics of at least one of the vibration and the vibratory structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.