Gyroscope-Based Rotation Damper for Active Chassis Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary dampers for motor vehicles do not effectively utilize gyroscopic effects to provide damping forces that can replace or enhance conventional damper elements, limiting their ability to actively manage body vibrations and chassis dynamics.
Innovation Solution
A rotary damper design featuring a flywheel mass cardanically mounted on the vehicle body, utilizing rotational inertia to introduce forces through a shaft drive and controller unit, which regulates angular velocities and torques to achieve damping and active chassis control by leveraging precession moments and rotational energy transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional damping element is used to dampen body vibrations, then the damping function is provided, but the ability to actively manage chassis dynamics and body vibrations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The flywheel assembly serves multiple functions: it provides passive gyroscopic damping through its rotational inertia while simultaneously enabling active chassis control through the shaft drive system. This multi-functional design allows a single device to replace both conventional dampers and active control actuators, thereby increasing adaptability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the rotational speed parameter of the flywheel to actively control chassis dynamics. By varying the angular velocity ωφ of the flywheel through the shaft drive, the system can adjust the gyroscopic moments in real-time to actively manage body vibrations and roll stabilization, transforming a passive damping element into an active control system
2Force
If a flywheel is cardanically mounted to provide gyroscopic damping, then rotational inertia forces are introduced, but the structural complexity of the mounting system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cardanical mounting system is segmented into distinct bearing elements: the first bearing element supports the flywheel's rotation about its axis, while the second bearing element supports the precession motion. This segmentation allows each bearing to be optimized for its specific function and enables independent control of the rotational and precessional degrees of freedom, managing structural complexity through functional decomposition
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second bearing elements act as intermediaries between the flywheel and the vehicle body. These bearing elements transmit the gyroscopic forces generated by the flywheel's rotation to the chassis while allowing the necessary rotational and precessional movements. The bearing elements mediate between the rotating flywheel and the stationary vehicle body, enabling force transmission without rigid coupling
3Force
If the angular velocity of the flywheel is increased to enhance damping effect, then the damping force increases, but the energy consumption and mechanical stress increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit monitors the vehicle's motion state and dynamically adjusts the flywheel's angular velocity through the shaft drive to achieve the required damping effect. This feedback control ensures that the flywheel rotates at the minimum necessary speed to provide adequate damping, avoiding excessive energy consumption and mechanical stress while maintaining effective damping performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by using only the necessary portion of the flywheel's rotational energy to achieve the required damping effect. Rather than maintaining the flywheel at maximum speed continuously, the control system modulates the angular velocity to match the actual damping requirements, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption and mechanical stress
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 design effectively replaces conventional damper elements by using rotational inertia to introduce forces that actively manage body vibrations and chassis dynamics, enabling both damping and active control of wheel movements, with the potential for energy feedback and extended functionality in roll stabilization and active chassis applications.
Implementation Method 1
the effect of rotational inertia is used to introduce forces into the chassis
Implementation Method 2
a rotary damper for a motor vehicle in which the damping effect is due to a gyroscopically acting flywheel
Implementation Method 3
When a torque MΘ acts on the first axis of the first bearing element, a torque Mψ arises around the second axis due to precession
Implementation Method 4
the flywheel is cardanically mounted to the vehicle body via a first bearing element and a second bearing element
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a rotation damper for a motor vehicle, comprising an oscillating mass (14) which is driven by a drive, rotates about a rotational axis (12) at an angular speed (ωφ), and is supported cardanically on the motor vehicle body (100) via a first bearing element (16) and a second bearing element (18). The oscillating mass (14) is supported on the first bearing element (16) so as to be rotatable by a rotational angle (φ). The first bearing element (16) is supported on the second bearing element (18) so as to be rotatable by a first rotational angle (θ) about a first axis (16a) which is orthogonal to the rotational axis (12) of the oscillating mass (14), and the second bearing element (18) is supported so as to be rotatable by a second rotational angle (ψ) about a second axis (18a) which is orthogonal to the first axis (16a). The invention also relates to a control unit for controlling a shaft drive. The second bearing element (18) is operatively connected to the shaft drive via a driveshaft, and the first bearing element (16) is operatively connected to a wheel support such that an inwards/outwards resilient movement of the wheel support causes a rotation of the first bearing element (16) by the first rotational angle (θ). The control unit controls the angular speed (ωψ) and/or the torque (Μψ) of the driveshaft via the shaft drive dependent on the first rotational angle (θ) and/or the torque (Μθ).