Inter-vehicle Damper for Multi-directional Vibration Suppression

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing inter-vehicle body damper devices for railway vehicles are ineffective in suppressing vibrations in the yaw and roll directions, leading to reduced riding comfort, and increasing the number of dampers to address this issue increases manufacturing and maintenance costs.

Innovation Solution

A formation vehicle equipped with inter-vehicle body damper devices that include strategically placed up-down, left-right, and front-rear dampers between coupled vehicles to generate damping forces in multiple directions, reducing the number of dampers required while effectively suppressing bending, yaw, and roll vibrations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the number of dampers is increased to suppress vibrations in multiple directions, then the vibration suppression effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing and maintenance costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevibration suppression effectivenessVSAvoidmanufacturing and maintenance costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The damper device is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously by generating damping forces in up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions through a single integrated structure. The first and second dampers work together to suppress vibrations in all three directions, eliminating the need for separate dampers for each direction and reducing overall costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention combines multiple damping functions into a single damper device. The first damper and second damper are integrated into one unit that can generate damping forces in multiple directions simultaneously, reducing the total number of components needed while maintaining comprehensive vibration suppression.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If only up-down dampers are installed to reduce bending vibration, then the bending vibration suppression is improved, but the yaw and roll vibrations are not suppressed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebending vibration suppressionVSAvoidmulti-directional vibration suppression capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The damper device is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously by generating damping forces in up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions through a single integrated structure. The first and second dampers work together to suppress vibrations in all three directions, eliminating the need for separate dampers for each direction and reducing overall costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extends the damping capability from a single up-down direction to three-dimensional space by incorporating left-right and front-rear damping components. The spatial arrangement of the first and second dampers enables the system to address vibrations in multiple dimensions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

The solution effectively improves riding comfort by reducing vibrations in multiple directions with fewer dampers, thereby decreasing manufacturing and maintenance costs associated with the dampers.

Implementation Method 1

an inter-vehicle damper device that suppresses up-down vibration of an end in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and prevents bending vibration by bridging a pair of up-down dampers in the up-down direction between the vehicles and on both sides of a penetration-path between the coupled vehicle bodies to generate a damping force with respect to an up-down relative speed generated between the coupled vehicle bodies

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDamping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

generate a damping force corresponding to left-right vibration of the vehicle body caused by the track irregularity in left-right direction and vibration in a yaw direction of the vehicle body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDamping: Damping

Data Source

PatentEP3489108B1Assembled vehicle provided with between-body damper device
Publication Date: 2021.10.27 HITACHI LTD
  • EP3489108B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3489108B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3489108B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An object of the invention is to provide a formation vehicle provided with inter-vehicle body damper devices that can reduce bending vibration and vibration in a roll direction of a vehicle body, and can effectively reduce left-right vibration and vibration in a yaw-direction of the vehicle body to further improve riding comfort of the vehicle. A formation vehicle 1 includes: first inter-vehicle body damper devices A1 provided between a leading vehicle 20 and a first intermediate vehicle 30a and between a trailing vehicle 40 and a third intermediate vehicle 30c; and inter-vehicle body damper devices (A2, A3) provided at both ends in a longitudinal direction of the intermediate vehicles. The inter-vehicle body damper devices (A2, A3) include up-down dampers 4a (4b) provided on one side in the width direction of an end plate of a second intermediate vehicle along an up-down direction.