Lightweight cantilever control system
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorWarwick W. Bryce
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cantilever control system including: a cantilever control arm having a bifurcated section for its attachment to a stationary structure so as to provide resistance to off-center loading, a springy portion of the cantilever control arm disposed at the bifurcated section whereby spring redundancy is provided, and a rigid section of the cantilever control arm which includes a user interface portion (i.e., a foot pad or hand grip); a diversity of sensors in terms of types and locations; a coarse flexure control in the form of a contoured snubber which tunes the flexing stiffness and cantilever control arm flexure feel; and a plurality of fine flexure controls including at least one of: a flexure hysteresis control, an over-travel stop control, and a pre-load flexure control.
Claims24
A cantilever control system, comprising:
- a cantilever control arm, comprising:
- a bifurcated first section comprising a pair of separate and mutually spaced apart legs, a springy portion of said arm being disposed at the legs of said bifurcated first section, said bifurcated section being adapted for connection to a stationary structure;
- and
- a second section connected in affixed relation to said bifurcated first section, wherein said second section is relatively rigid in comparison with said springly portion;
- at least one sensor disposed to sense flexure force applied to said second section of said cantilever control arm;
- a first flexure control of said cantilever control arm comprising a snubber having a snubber surface contour which abuttingly interfaces with a springy portion surface contour of said springy portion when said cantilever control arm is flexed to thereby provide a predetermined stiffness rate of flexure of said springy portion;
- and
- a second flexure control of said cantilever control arm comprising a hysteresis control, wherein said hysteresis control comprises a leaf disposed adjoining said cantilever control arm, wherein said leaf fictionally slides against said cantilever control arm during flexing of said springy portion.
A cantilever control system, comprising:
- a cantilever control arm, comprising:
- a bifurcated first section comprising a pair of separate and mutually spaced apart legs, said legs having a springy portion, said bifurcated first section being adapted for connection to a stationary structure;
- and
- a second section connected in affixed relation to said bifurcated first section, wherein said second section is relatively rigid in comparison with said springly portion;
- at least one sensor disposed to sense flexure force applied to said second section of said cantilever arm;
- and
- a first flexure control of said cantilever control arm comprising a snubber having a snubber surface contour which abuttingly interfaces with a springy portion surface contour of said springy portion when said cantilever control arm is flexed to thereby provide a predetermined stiffness rate of flexure of said springy portion;
- wherein said snubber surface contour is curved, the combination of said snubber and springy portion surface contours providing said predetermined stiffness rate of flexure of said springy portion.
A cantilever control system, comprising:
- a cantilever control arm, comprising:
- a first section having a springy portion, said first section being adapted for connection to a stationary structure;
- and
- a second section connected with said springy portion, wherein said second section is relatively rigid in comparison with said springly portion;
- at least one sensor disposed to sense flexure force applied to said second section of said cantilever control arm;
- a first flexure control of said cantilever control arm comprising a snubber having a surface contour which abuttingly interfaces with a surface contour of said springy portion when said cantilever control arm is flexed to thereby provide a predetermined stiffness rate of flexure of said springy portion;
- and
- a second flexure control of said cantilever control arm comprising a hysteresis control, a preload control and a stop control, wherein said hysteresis control comprises a leaf disposed adjoining said cantilever control arm in parallel juxtaposed relation thereto, wherein said leaf frictionally slides against said cantilever control arm during flexing of said springy portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.