Bowden Cable Vibration Isolation via Elastic Damping Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bowden cables in vehicles transmit unwanted vibrations to transmitter elements, disturbing the driver's environment due to their flexibility and robustness.
Innovation Solution
An arrangement for vibration isolation using a Bowden cable with a damping element acting as an elastic grommet, which keeps the transmitter element at a distance from the actuating element in the unactuated state and allows direct contact upon deflection, providing a precisely defined pressure point and effective damping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the transmitter element is kept close to the actuating element for direct force transmission, then the actuation force is efficiently transmitted to the Bowden cable, but vibrations from the Bowden cable are directly transmitted to the transmitter element, disturbing the driver's environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a damping element as an intermediary component between the transmitter element and the actuating element. This damping element serves as a mediator that allows force transmission while blocking vibration transmission, resolving the contradiction between efficient force transmission and vibration isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping element is made from a composite material with specific viscoelastic properties that enable it to transmit compressive forces effectively while damping vibrations. The composite nature of the material allows it to exhibit both structural support and vibration isolation characteristics simultaneously.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a damping element is introduced between the transmitter element and actuating element to isolate vibrations, then vibration transmission is reduced, but the direct force transmission path is interrupted, potentially reducing actuation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The damping element's material parameters are specifically selected to change its behavior under different loading conditions. Under static or slow dynamic loading, the material exhibits high stiffness for effective force transmission. Under high-frequency vibration, the material exhibits high damping properties, effectively isolating vibrations while maintaining force transmission capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of viscoelastic composite materials allows the damping element to exhibit both structural support properties for force transmission and vibration damping properties. The composite structure enables simultaneous achievement of force transmission efficiency and vibration isolation that would be impossible with homogeneous materials.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the transmitter element is positioned away from the actuating element to prevent vibration contact, then vibration isolation is improved, but the structural complexity increases and the actuation response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping element combines multiple functions into a single component: vibration isolation, force transmission, and mechanical coupling. By merging these functions into one element rather than using separate components for each function, the overall structural complexity is minimized while achieving the desired vibration isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping element serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it acts as a vibration isolator, a force transmission medium, and a mechanical connector between the transmitter and actuating elements. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby reducing overall structural complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively isolates vibrations, preventing their transmission to the sensor element and ensuring a comfortable driving environment by using a rubber compound with Shore A hardness between 20 to 90 for maximum damping capacity.
Implementation Method 1
a damping element acting in a form-fitting manner as an elastic grommet (38)
Implementation Method 2
the elastic grommet acting as an elastic grommet (38) with a recess (40) lying in a predetermined deflection direction (28) of the transmitter element (20)
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
Arrangement (10) for vibration isolation of Bowden cable-actuated components, comprising a Bowden cable (12), an actuating element (14) attached to the end of the Bowden cable (12) with a mounting eye (16), a damping element (18) positively arranged in the mounting eye (16), and a deflectable encoder element (20) mounted within the damping element (18) for actuating the Bowden cable (12), wherein the damping element (18) is designed as an elastic sleeve (38) with a recess (40, 42) located in a predetermined deflection direction (28) of the encoder element (20) such that the encoder element (20) assumes a center-centered position within the elastic sleeve (38) in the unactuated state and, when a deflecting actuating force (Fb) is applied, is compressed in the area of the recess (40, 42) of the elastic sleeve (38). 42) can be brought into the system with the mounting eye (16).