Semi-Active Engine Mount With Integrated Piston Coil
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semi-active engine mounts face challenges in balancing dynamic characteristics and loss coefficient, leading to increased manufacturing costs, weight, and complexity, which affects vibration-isolating performance and riding comfort.
Innovation Solution
A semi-active engine mount design featuring an insulator, orifice plate, diaphragm, and opening/closing piston with a coil, allowing for direct communication between liquid chambers and controlled by a magnetic force, reducing dynamic characteristics during idling and increasing loss coefficient during travel, while minimizing part count and size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional semi-active mount uses a large-capacity coil to correspond to the rigidity of the rubber spring, then the vibration-isolating performance is improved, but the manufacturing costs and weight increase greatly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the coil with the piston assembly, integrating the electromagnetic actuation system into the existing hydraulic structure. This merging eliminates the need for a separate large-capacity coil and associated mounting structures, thereby reducing weight while maintaining the semi-active vibration isolation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical spring-based semi-active system with a hydraulic system actuated by a compact electromagnetic coil. This substitution allows for more efficient force transmission and enables the use of a smaller coil, reducing overall weight while improving response characteristics.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional semi-active mount uses a large-capacity coil and many parts, then the dynamic characteristics can be controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into integrated components: the piston serves both as a mechanical element and an electromagnetic actuator mounting structure, the coil is directly integrated with the piston assembly, and the hydraulic system combines damping and actuation functions. This integration maintains dynamic control capability while significantly reducing part count and assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston assembly is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a mechanical connector, a hydraulic seal chamber, and an electromagnetic actuator housing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving the ability to control dynamic characteristics.
3Reliability
If a conventional semi-active mount has a complicated structure, then the vibration-isolating performance can be optimized, but the manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing operations into fewer integrated components. The piston assembly is manufactured as a single integrated piece that incorporates sealing surfaces, electromagnetic mounting features, and mechanical connection points, eliminating the need for separate machining operations and assembly steps for each feature, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes geometric parameters of key components to achieve performance targets with simpler manufacturing processes. By carefully selecting piston diameter, coil dimensions, and hydraulic passage sizes, the design achieves the required vibration isolation performance using standard manufacturing capabilities, avoiding the need for complex custom machining or assembly procedures.
4Reliability
If a conventional semi-active mount is larger than the fluid-filled mount, then the vibration-isolating performance can be enhanced, but it becomes difficult to manufacture in a package
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the electromagnetic coil within the piston assembly, placing the coil inside the piston bore rather than mounting it externally. This nested arrangement eliminates the need for additional space around the actuator, allowing the semi-active mount to achieve enhanced vibration isolation performance while maintaining a compact size equivalent to traditional fluid-filled mounts.
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
Enhances vibration-isolating performance and riding comfort by optimizing dynamic characteristics and loss coefficient, reducing manufacturing costs and weight, and simplifying the structure to match the size of fluid-filled mounts.
Implementation Method 1
a coil mounted inside the orifice plate and configured to generate magnetic force when current is applied thereto
Data Source
AI summary
An engine mount includes: an insulator disposed in a case which has a liquid chamber; an orifice plate dividing the liquid chamber into an upper liquid chamber and a lower liquid chamber, the orifice plate dividing the upper liquid chamber together with the insulator and having an orifice therein for inducing flow of fluid between the upper liquid chamber and the lower liquid chamber; and a diaphragm disposed under the orifice plate inside the case, the diaphragm dividing the lower liquid chamber together with the orifice plate. The orifice plate has a direct passage for enabling the upper liquid chamber and the lower liquid chamber to directly communicate with each other so that liquid flows between the upper liquid chamber and the lower liquid chamber, and includes an opening/closing piston for opening or closing the direct passage.