Velocity-proportional active vibration damping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316283-B2
Application number	US-201213630812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2012
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

An active vibration damper has a damping device arranged on a vibration-susceptible mechanical structure. A force can be injected directly into the vibration-susceptible mechanical structure with the damping device. A damping force which damps a vibration of the mechanical structure is determined by a control device of the active vibration damper with reference to an absolute movement of the mechanical structure in space. A damping drive of the damping device which is arranged on the mechanical structure is activated by the control device in accordance with the determined damping force such that the determined damping force is injected into the mechanical structure with the damping drive. The control device determines the damping force such that the damping force is proportional at all times to the instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents of the elements recited therein:

1. A method for operating an active vibration damper having a damping device arranged on a vibration-susceptible mechanical structure, comprising the steps of:
capturing, with a control device, a temporal course of a magnitude of a movement of the mechanical structure in space over an extended time period,
determining with the control device, based on the magnitude of the movement of the mechanical structure in space, a damping force damping a vibration of the mechanical structure, wherein the damping force is proportional at all times to an instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure,
controlling with the control device a damping drive of the damping device, which is constructed as an electric direct linear drive and arranged on the mechanical structure, commensurate with the determined damping force,
determining, with the control device, whether a predefined natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in a predefined manner, and
directly injecting with the damping drive the determined damping force into the mechanical structure so as to automatically track a proportionality factor between the instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure and the damping force exerted on the mechanical structure, such that the natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in the predefined manner.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a resulting damping of a vibration of the mechanical structure is no greater than a maximal damping that is required for attaining a non-periodic limit of a natural vibration of the mechanical structure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electric direct linear drive comprises a stator which is permanently connected to the mechanical structure and which operates on both the mechanical structure and on an armature that is movable relative to the mechanical structure.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the steps of:
determining with the control device a displacement of the mechanical structure from a reference position,
determining a reference velocity of the armature relative to the mechanical structure such that the reference velocity is at all times proportional to the instantaneous displacement of the mechanical structure from the reference position, and
indirectly determining, from the reference velocity, the damping force which is proportional at all times to the instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the steps of:
integrating an activation of the damping drive according to the determined damping force into a superordinate position control, and
in response to a displacement of the armature caused by the determined damping force from a rest position associated with the mechanical structure,
superimposing, with the superordinate position control, a return movement of the armature to the rest position or to a region containing the rest position, or
limiting, with the control device, travel of the armature to a permitted region of travel which includes the rest position.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein an additional mass is arranged on the armature of the electric direct linear drive.

7. A control program stored on a non-transitory medium and comprising machine code which, when executed by a control device operating an active vibration damper having a damping device arranged on a vibration-susceptible mechanical structure, causes the control device to operate the active vibration damper by
capturing a temporal course of a magnitude of a movement of the mechanical structure in space over an extended time period,
determining, based on the magnitude of the movement of the mechanical structure in space, a damping force damping a vibration of the mechanical structure, wherein the damping force is proportional at all times to an instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure,
determining whether a predefined natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in a predefined manner,
controlling a damping drive of the damping device, which is constructed as an electric direct linear drive and arranged on the mechanical structure, commensurate with the determined damping force, and
directly injecting with the damping drive the determined damping force into the mechanical structure so as to automatically track a proportionality factor between the instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure and the damping force exerted on the mechanical structure, such that the natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in the predefined manner.

8. A control device for controlling an active vibration damper having a damping device arranged on a vibration-susceptible mechanical structure, wherein the control device configured to operate the active vibration damper by:
capturing a temporal course of a magnitude of a movement of the mechanical structure in space over an extended time period,
determining, based on the magnitude of the movement of the mechanical structure in space, a damping force damping a vibration of the mechanical structure, wherein the damping force is proportional at all times to an instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure,
determining whether a predefined natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in a predefined manner,
controlling a damping drive of the damping device, which is constructed as an electric direct linear drive and arranged on the mechanical structure, commensurate with the determined damping force, and
directly injecting with the damping drive the determined damping force into the mechanical structure so as to automatically track a proportionality factor between the instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure and the damping force exerted on the mechanical structure, such that the natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in the predefined manner.

9. An active vibration damper, comprising:
a damping device arranged on a vibration-susceptible mechanical structure and comprising a damping drive configured to directly inject a damping force into the mechanical structure,
at least one sensor configured to measure a magnitude of a movement of the mechanical structure in space, and
a control device connected with the at least one sensor for data transfer for receiving values measured by the at least one sensor and connected with the damping drive for controlling the damping drive, wherein the control device is configured to:
capture a temporal course of an absolute movement of the mechanical structure in space over an extended time period,
determine, based on the magnitude of the movement of the mechanical structure in space, a damping force damping a vibration of the mechanical structure, wherein the damping force is proportional at all times to an instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure,
determine whether a predefined natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in a predefined manner,
control a damping drive of the damping device, which is constructed as an electric direct linear drive and arranged on the mechanical structure, commensurate with the determined damping force, and
directly inject with the damping drive the determined damping force into the mechanical structure so as to automatically track a proportionality factor between the instantaneous velocity of the mechanical structure and the damping force exerted on the mechanical structure, such that the natural vibration of the mechanical structure is damped in the predefined manner.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Ladra Uwe
• Schäfers Elmar
• Schür Torsten

Classifications

• F16F7/1011

  by electromagnetic means · CPC title

• B66C13/066

  for minimising vibration of a boom · CPC title

• F16F15/002 Primary

  characterised by the control method or circuitry (control of mechanical oscillations per se G05D19/00) · CPC title