Multi-shear thickening fluid enabled object movement control mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11859642-B2
Application number	US-202117539084-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A head unit device for controlling motion of an object includes shear thickening fluid (STF), an alternative STF (ASTF), and a chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF and the ASTF. The chamber further includes a piston compartment and an alternative reservoir. The head unit device further includes a reservoir injector configured within the chamber, and a piston housed at least partially radially within the piston compartment. The chamber further includes a set of fluid flow sensors and a set of fluid manipulation emitters to control the reservoir injector to adjust flow of the ASTF from the alternative reservoir to the piston compartment to cause selection of one of a variety of shear rates for a mixture of the STF and the STF within the piston compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head unit device for controlling motion of an object, comprising:
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;
an alternative shear thickening fluid (ASTF), wherein the ASTF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to a third range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to a fourth range of shear rates, wherein the fourth range of shear rates are greater than the third range of shear rates;
a chamber, the chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF and a portion of the ASTF, wherein the chamber includes a piston compartment and an alternative reservoir;
a reservoir injector configured within the chamber, wherein the reservoir injector couples the piston compartment and the alternative reservoir controlling flow of the ASTF from the alternative reservoir to the piston compartment;
a piston housed at least partially radially within the piston compartment of the chamber, the piston configured to exert pressure against one or more of the STF and the ASTF in response to movement of the piston from a force applied to the piston from the object, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the piston compartment of the chamber in an inward direction or traveling through the piston compartment of the chamber in an outward direction;
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 the one or more of the STF and the ASTF such that one of the first range of shear rates, the second range of shear rates, a modified first range of shear rates, or a modified second range of shear rates is selected for the one or more of STF and the ASTF within the piston compartment, wherein the fluid activation further includes controlling the reservoir injector, wherein a mixture of the STF and the ASTF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to the modified first range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to the modified second range of shear rates, wherein the modified second range of shear rates are greater than the modified first range of shear rates.

2. The head unit device of claim 1 , wherein the head unit device further comprises:
a plunger between the object and the piston, the plunger configured to apply the force from the object to move the piston within the chamber.

3. The head unit device of claim 2 , wherein the head unit device further comprises:
a plunger bushing to guide the plunger into the chamber in response to the force from the object, wherein the plunger bushing facilitates containment of the one or more of the STF and the ASTF within the chamber, wherein the plunger bushing remains in a fixed position relative to the chamber when the force from the object moves the piston within the chamber.

4. The head unit device of claim 1 , wherein the STF and the ASTF 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.

5. The head unit device of claim 1 , wherein the STF ASTF comprises:
one or more of ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, ethanol, silicon oils, phenyltrimethicone, or a mixture thereof.

6. The head unit device of claim 1 , wherein the head unit device further comprises:
a piston bypass between opposite sides of the piston, wherein the piston bypass facilitates flow of a portion of the one or more of the STF and the ASTF between the opposite sides of the piston when the piston travels through the chamber in the inward or the outward direction.

7. The head unit device 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.

8. The head unit device of claim 1 , wherein the set of fluid flow sensors comprises one or more of:
a valve opening detector associated with the reservoir injector,
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 device of claim 1 , wherein the set of fluid manipulation emitters comprises one or more of:
a variable flow valve associated with the reservoir injector,
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 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, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors are positioned proximal to the head unit device for controlling motion of an object, wherein the head unit device includes:
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,
an alternative shear thickening fluid (ASTF), wherein the ASTF is configured to have a decreasing viscosity in response to a third range of shear rates and an increasing viscosity in response to a fourth range of shear rates, wherein the fourth range of shear rates are greater than the third range of shear rates,
a chamber, the chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF and a portion of the ASTF, wherein the chamber includes a piston compartment and an alternative reservoir, a reservoir injector configured within the chamber, wherein the reservoir injector couples the piston compartment and the alternative reservoir controlling flow of the ASTF from the alternative reservoir to the piston compartment,
a piston housed at least partially radially within the piston compartment of the chamber, the piston configured to exert pressure against one or more of the STF and the ASTF in response to movement of the piston from a force applied to the piston from the object, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the piston compartment of the chamber in an inward direction or traveling through the piston compartment of the chamber in an outward direction,
the set of fluid flow sensors positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of fluid flow sensors provide the 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 the one or more of the STF and the ASTF such that one of the first range of shear rates, the second range of shear rates, a modified first range of shear rates, or a modified second range of shear rates is selected for the one or more of STF and

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

• F15B15/1447 Primary

  Pistons; Piston to piston rod assemblies · CPC title

• F15B15/204

  Control means for piston speed or actuating force without external control, e.g. control valve inside the piston (F15B11/02, F15B15/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• F15B15/2815

  Position sensing, i.e. means for continuous measurement of position, e.g. LVDT · CPC title

• F15B15/2861

  using magnetic means · CPC title

• F16F9/006

  characterised by the nature of the damping medium, e.g. biodegradable (variable viscosity damping adjustment F16F9/53) · CPC title