Shear thickening fluid based system control method and mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11835110-B2
Application number	US-202117564597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2021
Priority date	Oct 29, 2021
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A head unit system for controlling motion of an object includes a set of secondary object sensors and head unit devices that include shear thickening fluid (STF) and a chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF. The chamber further includes a front channel and a back channel. The head unit system further includes a piston housed at least partially radially within the piston compartment and separating the back channel and the front channel. The piston includes a first piston bypass and a second piston bypasses to control flow of the STF between opposite sides of the piston. The chamber further includes a set of fluid flow sensors and a set of fluid manipulation emitters to control the flow of the STF to cause selection of one of a variety of shear rates for the STF within the chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head unit system for controlling motion of a set of objects, comprising:
a set of secondary object sensors, wherein a secondary object is associated with the set of objects; and
a plurality of head unit devices, wherein each head unit device includes:
a shear thickening fluid (STF), wherein the STF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to a first range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to a second range of shear rates, wherein the second range of shear rates are greater than the first range of shear rates;
a chamber, the chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF, wherein the chamber includes a front channel and a back channel;
a piston housed at least partially radially within the chamber and separating the back channel and the front channel, the piston configured to exert pressure against the shear thickening fluid in response to movement of the piston from a force applied to the piston from a particular object of the set of objects, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the chamber in an inward direction or traveling through the chamber in an outward direction, wherein the piston travels toward the back channel and away from the front channel when traveling in the inward direction, wherein the piston travels toward the front channel and away from the back channel when traveling in the outward direction, wherein the piston includes at least one of:
a first piston bypass between opposite sides of the piston that controls flow of the STF between the opposite sides of the piston between the back channel and the front channel to cause the STF to react with a first shear threshold effect, and
a second piston bypass between the opposite sides of the piston that controls flow of the STF between the opposite sides of the piston between the front channel and the back channel to cause the STF to react with a second shear threshold effect;

a set of fluid flow sensors positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors provide a fluid response from the STF; and
a set of fluid manipulation emitters positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of fluid manipulation emitters provide a fluid activation to at least one of the STF, the first piston bypass, and the second piston bypass to control the motion of the particular object of the set of objects with regards to the secondary object.

2. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the head unit device further comprises:
a plunger between the particular object and the piston, the plunger configured to apply the force from the particular object to move the piston within the chamber; and
a plunger bushing to guide the plunger into the chamber in response to the force from the particular object, wherein the plunger bushing facilitates containment of the STF within the chamber, wherein the plunger bushing remains in a fixed position relative to the chamber when the force from the particular object moves the piston within the chamber.

3. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the STF comprises:
a plurality of nanoparticles, wherein the plurality of nanoparticles includes one or more of an oxide, calcium carbonate, synthetically occurring minerals, naturally occurring minerals, polymers, SiO2, polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylate, or a mixture thereof; and
one or more of ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, ethanol, silicon oils, phenyltrimethicone, or a mixture thereof.

4. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the head unit device further comprises:
a chamber bypass between opposite ends of the chamber, wherein the chamber bypass facilitates flow of a portion of the STF between the opposite ends of the chamber when the piston travels through the chamber in the inward or the outward direction.

5. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the head unit device further comprises:
when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the inward direction the first shear threshold effect includes:
the first range of shear rates when the STF is configured to have the decreasing viscosity, and
the second range of shear rates when the STF is configured to have the increasing viscosity; and

when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the outward direction the second shear threshold effect includes:
the first range of shear rates when the STF is configured to have the decreasing viscosity, and
the second range of shear rates when the STF is configured to have the increasing viscosity.

6. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the first piston bypass comprises:
one or more of a one-way check valve and a variable flow valve;
when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the inward direction:
a first setting of the variable flow valve facilitates the first range of shear rates when the STF is to have the decreasing viscosity, and
a second setting of the variable flow valve facilitates the second range of shear rates when the STF is to have the increasing viscosity; and

when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the outward direction:
the one-way check valve is configured to prevent STF flow through the first piston bypass.

7. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the second piston bypass comprises:
one or more of a one-way check valve and a variable flow valve;
when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the inward direction:
the one-way check valve is configured to prevent STF flow through the second piston bypass; and

when the piston is traveling through the chamber in the outward direction:
a first setting of the variable flow valve facilitates the first range of shear rates when the STF is to have the decreasing viscosity, and
a second setting of the variable flow valve facilitates the second range of shear rates when the STF is to have the increasing viscosity.

8. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the set of fluid flow sensors comprises one or more of:
a valve opening detector associated with one or more of the first piston bypass and the second piston bypass,
a mechanical position sensor,
an image sensor,
a light sensor,
an audio sensor,
a microphone,
an ultrasonic sound sensor,
an electric field sensor,
a magnetic field sensor, and
a radio frequency wireless field sensor.

9. The head unit system of claim 1 , wherein the set of fluid manipulation emitters comprises one or more of:
a variable flow valve associated with one or more of the first piston bypass and the second piston bypass,
a mechanical vibration generator,
an image generator,
a light emitter,
an audio transducer,
a speaker,
an ultrasonic sound transducer,
an electric field generator,
a magnetic field generator, and
a radio frequency wireless field transmitter.

10. A method for execution by a computing device, the method comprises:
interpreting a system message from a second computing device to extract movement data for a secondary object;
interpreting a fluid response from a set of fluid flow sensors to produce a piston velocity and a piston position of a piston associated with a head unit device of a plurality of head unit devices of a head unit system, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors are positioned proximal to the head unit device for controlling motion of an object of a set of objects with regards to the secondary object, wherein the head unit system includes:
a set of secondary object sensors,
the plurality of head unit devices, wherein the head unit device includes:
a shear thickening fluid (STF), wherein the STF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to a first range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to a se

Assignees

• Moshun Llc

Inventors

• Boundy Timothy John
• Barger Steven Michael
• Lydon Terence Michael
• Lang Richard Michael
• Gonzalez Jr Wilfredo
• Boundy Darren Michael
• Mchugh Eric
• Schuda David
• Wilson Iv George L
• Grube Gary W
• Resch Jason K
• Derango Mario F
• Buchalo John Edward
• Herbst Richard A
• Estes Kurt
• Anderson Evan

Classifications

• F16F9/53 Primary

  Means for adjusting damping characteristics by varying fluid viscosity, e.g. electromagnetically {(F16F13/30 takes precedence; brakes comprising a medium with electrically or magnetically controlled friction F16D57/002; electrorheological fluids per se C10M171/001; magnetorheological fluids per se H01F1/447)} · CPC title

• F16F9/19 Primary

  with a single cylinder {and of single-tube type} · CPC title

• F16F9/30

  with solid or semi-solid material, e.g. pasty masses, as damping medium {(in devices where rotary elements are damped by viscous shear effect only, any throttling effect being immaterial F16F9/12; where members moving with a rotating system are being damped F16F15/16)} · CPC title

• F16F9/3292

  Sensor arrangements · CPC title

• F16F9/516

  resulting in the damping effects during contraction being different from the damping effects during extension {, i.e. responsive to the direction of movement (F16F9/504 takes precedence)} · CPC title