Integrated Actuator-Damper Unit With Internal Energy Accumulator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuator-damper units for orthotic and prosthetic devices are bulky due to the need for external pressure accumulators, which occupy significant space and hinder compact design requirements.
Innovation Solution
The proposed actuator-damper unit incorporates a housing with a cylinder, a first piston, and a piston rod, featuring a second piston that creates a variable-volume fluid chamber for energy storage and release, allowing for a compact design by integrating energy storage and damping functions within the device, utilizing mechanical or fluid coupling and a compressible energy accumulator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If external pressure accumulators are used for energy storage, then energy storage capacity is improved, but device volume increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the energy accumulator and damper into a single integrated unit. The accumulator piston and damper piston share the same cylinder chamber, allowing energy storage and damping functions to coexist in one compact structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate external pressure accumulators, directly resolving the volume issue while maintaining energy storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The single cylinder chamber serves multiple functions: it acts as both the accumulator chamber for energy storage and the damper chamber for motion control. The piston rod mechanism simultaneously provides both energy accumulation and damping forces, enabling one component to perform multiple functions that traditionally required separate devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate components are used for actuation and damping, then functional versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator and damper functions are merged into a single piston-cylinder assembly. The accumulator piston and damper piston operate within the same chamber, sharing common structural elements. This integration reduces the number of separate components and connections required, simplifying the overall device architecture while maintaining both actuation and damping capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The single cylinder is segmented into functional zones using multiple pistons. The accumulator piston creates variable-volume chambers for energy storage, while the damper piston provides controlled flow paths for damping. This segmentation allows different functions to operate independently within a unified structure, achieving versatility without proportionally increasing 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 design enhances the compactness and versatility of the actuator-damper unit, enabling efficient energy storage and release, thereby reducing the active power required for movement assistance while maintaining adjustable damping properties.
Implementation Method 1
The third fluid chamber 43 is formed for storing mechanical energy... in particular by the compressible energy accumulator 50, which displaceably mounts on the first piston 30 and forms the third fluid chamber 43 together with the first piston 30
Implementation Method 2
Hydraulic and/or pneumatic dampers may dampen an extension or flexion of a rotational joint or a displacement movement in one direction or the other... in motion damping controlled by throttle valves
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator-damper unit for use in orthotic or prosthetic devices. The actuator-damper unit includes a housing which may be fastened on the orthotic or prosthetic device and in which a cylinder is formed. A first piston is displaceably mounted in the cylinder and is coupled to a piston rod. The piston rod is disposed, via a first end, on the first piston and may be coupled, via a second end, to the orthotic or prosthetic device. The first piston separates two fluid chambers in the cylinder from each other and forms a piston-cylinder unit, wherein at least one further piston is coupled to the first piston in order to form at least one further, variable-volume fluid chamber.