Directional Force Weighting for Active Vibration Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing active vibration control systems face difficulties in quickly and accurately identifying an optimal solution for combined operation of multiple actuators, leading to slow convergence and poor performance when placed close together.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a directional force weighting system using an array of force generators, where each generator is configured to produce individual component forces, and a controller adjusts these forces to achieve a desired total force vector, employing transformation matrices and adaptive algorithms to optimize actuator control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple actuators are placed close together to increase controllability of vibration modes, then the controllability is improved, but the adaptive algorithms take significantly longer to find the minimal solution (slow convergence)

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrollability of vibration modesVSAvoidconvergence time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the control problem by dividing the array of force generators into pairs, where each pair is controlled independently to produce a specific force component. This segmentation allows the adaptive algorithm to converge faster by solving smaller, decoupled sub-problems rather than optimizing all actuators simultaneously, thus resolving the contradiction between controllability and convergence time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the control problem from a single-dimensional optimization (finding one optimal solution) to a multi-dimensional solution space by allowing multiple valid combinations of actuator outputs. By introducing directional force weighting and pairing strategies, the system creates additional degrees of freedom in the control space, enabling faster convergence while maintaining controllability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple actuators are placed close together to increase controllability of vibration modes, then the controllability is improved, but the algorithm has difficulty finding a unique solution and oscillates (poor performance)

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrollability of vibration modesVSAvoidsolution uniqueness

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different weighting factors to different directional components of the force generators. Each pair of force generators is assigned a specific weighting strategy based on its spatial orientation and the vibration mode it is intended to control. This local differentiation creates unique, stable solutions for each subsystem while maintaining overall system controllability, preventing the oscillation and instability that would occur with uniform control across all actuators.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes control parameters (weighting factors) based on the specific vibration mode being controlled and the spatial configuration of the force generators. By adjusting these parameters locally for each actuator pair rather than using a single global set of parameters, the system achieves unique stable solutions while maintaining the ability to control multiple vibration modes, thus resolving the contradiction between controllability and solution uniqueness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple actuators are placed close together to increase controllability of vibration modes, then the controllability is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrollability of vibration modesVSAvoidactuator control complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges pairs of force generators into functional units that work together to produce a combined force output. By pairing actuators and controlling them as coordinated units rather than independent elements, the system reduces control complexity while maintaining enhanced controllability. The merging of adjacent actuators into pairs simplifies the control architecture compared to managing each actuator separately, thus resolving the contradiction between controllability and system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10293925B2Systems and methods for implementing directional force weighting with circular force generators

Publication Date: 2019.05.21 LORD CORP

AI summary

Systems, methods, and computer program products for directional force weighting of an active vibration control system involve arranging a plurality of force generators in an array, identifying individual component forces corresponding to force outputs of each of the plurality of force generators, determining a combination of the individual component forces that will produce a desired total force vector, and adjusting the outputs of each of the plurality of force generators such that the combination of the individual component forces are at least substantially similar to the desired force vector.