Dilatant fluid based object movement control mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12410823-B2
Application number	US-202117514970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2021
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A method for execution by a computing entity includes interpreting a magnetic response from a set of magnetic field sensors to produce a piston velocity and a piston position of a piston associated with a head unit device. The head unit device includes a chamber filled with a shear thickening fluid (STF) that includes a multitude of magnetic nanoparticles. The method further includes determining a shear force based on the piston velocity and the piston position. The method further includes determining a desired response for the STF based on the shear force, the piston velocity, and the piston position. The method further includes generating a magnetic activation based on the desired response for the STF and outputting the magnetic activation to a set of magnetic field emitters positioned proximal to the chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head unit device for controlling motion of an object, comprising:
a chamber filled at least in part with a shear thickening fluid (STF), wherein the STF includes a multitude of magnetic nanoparticles;
a piston housed at least partially radially within the chamber, 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 the object, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the chamber in an inward direction and traveling through the chamber in an outward direction, 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;
a set of radio frequency wireless field sensors positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors provide a fluid flow response over a time range that represents piston velocity and piston position for the time range; and
a set of radio frequency wireless field transmitter emitters positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of radio frequency wireless field transmitter emitters provide a magnetic activation to the multitude of magnetic nanoparticles such that the STF is reconfigured to have the decreasing viscosity in response to a modified first range of shear rates and the increasing viscosity in response to a modified second 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 STF 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 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 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 STF between the opposite sides of the piston when the piston travels through the chamber in the inward or 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 outward direction.

8. A method for execution by a computing device, the method comprises:
interpreting a fluid flow response over a time range from a set of radio frequency wireless sensors to produce a piston velocity and a piston position of a piston associated with a head unit device, wherein the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors provide the fluid flow response that represents the piston velocity and the piston position for a time range, wherein the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors are positioned proximal to the head unit device for controlling motion of an object, wherein the head unit device includes:
a chamber filled at least in part with a shear thickening fluid (STF), wherein the STF includes the multitude of magnetic nanoparticles, and
the piston housed at least partially radially within the chamber, 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 the object, wherein the movement of the piston includes one of traveling through the chamber in an inward direction and traveling through the chamber in an outward direction, 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;

determining a shear force based on the piston velocity and the piston position;
determining a desired response for the STF based on one or more of the shear force, the piston velocity, and the piston position; and
generating a magnetic activation based on the desired response for the STF, wherein the magnetic activation is output to a set of radio frequency wireless field transmitter emitters positioned proximal to the chamber, wherein the set of radio frequency wireless field transmitter emitters provide the magnetic activation to the multitude of magnetic nanoparticles such that the STF is reconfigured to have the decreasing viscosity in response to a modified first range of shear rates and the increasing viscosity in response to a modified second range of shear rates.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the interpreting the fluid flow response from the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors to produce the piston velocity and the piston position of the piston comprises:
inputting, from one or more radio frequency wireless field sensors of the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors, a set of magnetic field signals from a wireless field over a time range;
determining the fluid flow response of the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors based on the set of magnetic field signals;
determining the piston velocity based on the magnetic fluid flow response of the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors over the time range; and
determining the piston position based on the piston velocity and a real-time reference.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining the shear force based on the piston velocity and the piston position comprises one of:
extracting the shear force directly from the fluid flow response when one or more radio frequency wireless field sensors of the set of radio frequency wireless field sensors outputs a shear force encoded signal;
determining the shear force utilizing the piston velocity and stored data for piston velocity verses shear force for the STF; and
determining the shear force utilizing the piston position and stored data for piston position verses shear force for the STF within the chamber.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining the desired response for the STF based on one or more of the shear force, the piston velocity, and the piston position comprises one or more of:
interpreting a request associated with modifying one or more of object velocity and object position;
interpreting guidance from a chamber database;
establishing the desired response to include facilitating the second range of shear rates to slow down the object when detecting that the piston position is greater than a maximum piston position threshold level;
establishing the desired response to include facilitating the first range of shear rates to speed up the object when detecting that the piston position is less than a minimum piston position threshold level;
establishing the desired response to include facilitating the second range of shear rates to slow down the object

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

• F16F2228/14

  progressive · CPC title

• F16F9/19 Primary

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

• F16F9/53

  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

• F16F9/30

  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

• F16F9/006

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