Spring-damper system for use in bearings or as a damper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9625000-B2
Application number	US-201414497958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A spring-damper system for use in bearings or as a damper, in particular as a spring-damper system in active engine bearings includes a coupling device which can be coupled to a load and to a supporting device at a bearing or damping point, in order to mount the load in such a way that it can vibrate on the supporting device. The coupling device is designed to transmit a load input generated by the load substantially without loss to a spring-damper device and to absorb a reaction thereto by the spring-damper device and to feed said reaction back to the load, in order to counteract the load input in a vibration-damping fashion. In this context, the spring-damper device can be arranged and/or is arranged spatially separate from the bearing or damping point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spring-damper system for use in bearings or as a damper, comprising:
a spring-damper device; and
a coupling device having a first part and a second part, the first part configured to be coupled to a load and to a supporting device at a bearing or damping point to mount the load relative to the supporting device so that the load can vibrate on the supporting device, wherein the first part of the coupling device transmits a load input generated between the load and the supporting device substantially without loss from the bearing point to the second part of the coupling device arranged at the spring-damper device, the first part and the second part are coupled by a first connector element so that a displacement of the first part in response to the load input causes a corresponding displacement of the second part, the corresponding displacement being applied to the spring-damper device to absorb a reaction thereto, and the coupling device feeds said reaction back to the load to counteract the load input to effect a vibration-damping between the load and the supporting device,
wherein the spring-damper device is connected to the bearing point only through the coupling device.

2. The spring-damper system according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling device configured to be coupled to the load and the supporting device at a plurality of bearing or damping points.

3. The spring-damper system according to claim 1 , wherein the spring-damper device is a sensor actuator unit and is configured to detect the transmitted load input and to counteract the transmitted load input by an actuator.

4. The spring-damper system according to claim 1 , wherein the spring-damper device:
comprises at least one of a first sensor determining a first control variable dependent on a bearing force of the load input, and a second sensor determining a second control variable dependent on a bearing displacement of the load input, and
is configured to at least one of:
change at least one of the damping properties and the spring properties of the spring-damper device as a function of at least one of the first control variable and the second control variable, and
generate an opposing force to the transmitted load input by an actuator, as a function of at least one of the first control variable and the second control variable.

5. The spring-damper system according to claim 1 , wherein the first part is a first fluidic lifting cylinder arranged at the bearing or damping point, the second part is a second fluidic lifting cylinder arranged at the spring-damper device, and the first connector element is a first fluid line, the first fluidic lifting cylinder and the second fluidic lifting cylinder are movably coupled via the first fluid line so that a displacement of the first fluidic lifting cylinder in response to the load input causes a corresponding displacement of the second fluidic lifting cylinder.

6. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , wherein the spring-damper device comprises at least one of a first sensor determining a first control variable dependent on a bearing force of the load input, and a second sensor determining a second control variable dependent on a bearing displacement of the load input, and
wherein at least one of:
the first sensor is a pressure sensor and the spring-damper device is configured to determine, as the first control variable, a fluid pressure in the second lifting cylinder, and
the second sensor detects, as the second control variable, a spring travel of the spring-damper device.

7. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , further comprising a fluid reservoir connectable to a fluid circuit formed by the first fluidic lifting cylinder, the second fluidic lifting cylinder, and the first fluid line for varying the fluid volume in the fluid circuit.

8. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , further comprising a second fluid line via which the first fluidic lifting cylinder and the second fluidic lifting cylinder are movably coupled, wherein the first fluid line and the second fluid line respectively open into the first fluidic lifting cylinder and the second fluidic lifting cylinder on opposite sides of a reciprocating piston in each of the first fluidic lifting cylinder and the second fluidic lifting cylinder.

9. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first fluidic lifting cylinder and the second fluidic lifting cylinder is prestressed.

10. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , wherein the coupling device comprises a plurality of first lifting cylinders configured to be coupled to the load and to the supporting device at various respective bearing or damping points, wherein the plurality of first lifting cylinders are fluidically coupled in a movable fashion to the second lifting cylinder in one of a parallel connection and a series connection.

11. The spring-damper system of claim 10 , wherein each respective one of the first lifting cylinders is assigned a separate fluid reservoir for varying the fluid volume in the respective one of the first lifting cylinders.

12. The spring-damper system of claim 1 , wherein the spring-damper device includes a spring loaded element and a damping element.

13. The spring-damper system of claim 1 , wherein the spring-damper device comprises a dynamically adjustable damping element that operates one of electrorheologically and magnetorheologically.

14. The spring-damper system of claim 1 , wherein the spring-damper device includes a spring element with a dynamically adjustable hardness, the spring element comprising one of a mechanical spring with variable prestress and a gas spring with a variable volume or filling quantity.

15. The spring-damper system of claim 1 , wherein the spring-damper device comprises a moving coil.

16. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , wherein the lifting cylinders are hydraulic cylinders and contain an incompressible fluid.

17. The spring-damper system according to claim 3 , wherein the spring-damper device is embodied as a linear motor controlled as a function of the detected load input such that the linear motor generates elasticity and damping properties which counteract the transmitted load input in response to an actuator.

18. The spring-damper system according to claim 1 , wherein one of:
the supporting device is an engine frame and the load is an engine;
the supporting device is a vehicle body and the load is a chassis or a loading device of a vehicle;
the supporting device is a supporting structure for a vehicle seat; or
the supporting device is a structure which is rigid with respect to vibration, and the load is a machine or an assembly device or transportation device.

19. An active vibration-damping bearing with a spring-damper system according to claim 3 , the active vibration-damping bearing comprising one of an engine bearing, a chassis bearing, and a machine bearing.

20. The spring-damper system according to claim 5 , wherein the spring-damper device comprises a sensor sensing at least one of a displacement of the spring-damper device and a fluid volume that flows through the first fluid line.

Assignees

• Man Truck & Bus Ag

Inventors

• Hoffmann Joerg

Classifications

• F16F15/022 Primary

  using dampers and springs in combination · CPC title

• F16F13/00

  Units comprising springs of the non-fluid type as well as vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or fluid springs (F16F5/00, {F16F6/00, F16F9/003} take precedence) · CPC title

• F16F15/02

  Suppression of vibrations of non-rotating, e.g. reciprocating systems; Suppression of vibrations of rotating systems by use of members not moving with the rotating systems ({F16F15/005 takes precedence } ; layered products B32B; suppression of vibration in ships B63; {relieving load on bearings, using magnetic means F16C39/06}) · CPC title

• F16F13/26 Primary

  characterised by adjusting or regulating devices responsive to exterior conditions {(F16F13/101 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F16F2230/08

  Sensor arrangement · CPC title