Method and apparatus for simulating a non-linear force

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10233993-B2
Application number	US-201515032156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2015
Priority date	Aug 19, 2014
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

Non-linear forces are simulated by a dual-rate spring apparatus, which may also be used to impose nonlinear forces. The apparatus includes a carriage and at least two springs arranged sequentially in series with one another. The spring constant is changed by initially allowing both of the springs to compress to a point and, thereafter, after one spring is generally completely compressed, allowing only the other spring to compress further.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for generating a non-linear spring force, said apparatus comprising
a stationary base,
a linearly movable carriage supported by the stationary base so as to be movable with respect to the base under application of an applied force,
wherein the linearly movable carriage is supported by a first guide rod and a second guide rod which extends parallel to and spaced apart from the first guide rod, and
a spring arrangement concentrically supported by the first guide rod, and configured to resisting the applied force,
the spring arrangement having a variable effective spring rate and comprising:
a plurality of springs arranged in series, including a first spring disposed between first and second retainer elements, and a second spring being disposed between the second retainer element and a third retainer element,
at least one of the first, the second, and the third retainer elements having a recess therein defining a sufficiently deep recess for accommodating the spring and preventing coil binding from occurring when any one of the first, the second, and the third retainer elements abut against a neighboring retainer element, and
the springs and the retainer elements being selected so a first one of the springs is fully compressed before another of the plurality of springs is fully compressed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the carriage is supported by the base via the first guide rod, and the first guide rod concentrically supports the first, the second, and the third retainer elements.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said springs have different spring rates.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said springs have different free lengths.

5. An apparatus for generating a non-linear spring force, said apparatus comprising
a static base, and
a linearly moveable carriage supported by the base by a first guide rod so that the carriage is movable with respect to the base under application of an applied force,
wherein the carriage is supported by a second guide rod which extends parallel to and spaced apart from the first guide rod,
the first guide rod concentrically supporting a spring arrangement for resisting the applied force, and the spring arrangement having a variable effective spring rate and comprising:
at least first and second springs arranged in series, the first spring being disposed between first and second retainer elements, and the second spring being disposed between the second retainer element and a third retainer element,
each of the first, the second and the third retainer elements being concentrically supported by the first guide rod and having a recess formed therein for accommodating a portion of the spring, during compression, and preventing coil binding from occurring when either the first and the second retainer elements abut against one another or when the second and the third retainer elements abut against one another, and
the first and the second springs and the retainer elements are selected so a first one of the first and the second springs is fully compressed before the other of the first and the second springs is fully compressed.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first and the second springs have different spring rates and different free lengths.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a force transducer which is connected with the carriage for measuring an amount of force applied to the apparatus.

Assignees

• Bae Systems Information And Electronics Systems Integration Inc
• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Cleveland Kenneth D

Classifications

• G09B23/10 Primary

  of solid bodies · CPC title

• F16F3/04 Primary

  composed only of wound springs · CPC title

• A47C31/126

  for chairs · CPC title

• G09B23/32

  with moving parts · CPC title

• G09B9/00

  Simulators for teaching or training purposes (for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; {protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131}) · CPC title