Shock Absorber Dynamic Damping Adjustment for Mass Variations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial shock absorbers face challenges in consistently stopping workpieces of different masses within a specified distance, leading to potential malfunctions due to varying kinetic energies and temperature-dependent damping rate fluctuations, which affect the stopping accuracy and safety in transport systems.
Innovation Solution
A remote-controllable drive unit is integrated into the shock absorber to adjust the damping characteristics dynamically by changing the effective throttle cross-section, allowing for precise adaptation to the mass of each workpiece and compensating for temperature-induced viscosity changes, ensuring consistent deceleration and preventing premature stopping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the shock absorber is adjusted for maximum mass workpieces, then heavy workpieces can be stopped within the required distance, but light workpieces stop too early and may not reach the prescribed standstill position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a drive device that can dynamically adjust the damping characteristics of the shock absorber by rotating the pressure tube to different angular positions, changing which throttle bores are effective. This allows the system to adapt to different workpiece masses in real-time, resolving the contradiction between optimizing for maximum mass and maintaining functionality for lighter masses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the effective throttle cross-section parameter by rotating the pressure tube to different angular positions, thereby altering the damping force. This parameter change enables the shock absorber to be optimized for different workpiece masses, allowing light workpieces to achieve sufficient deceleration distance while preventing heavy workpieces from reaching dead center position.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment is used to change damping characteristics, then the shock absorber can be adapted to different workpiece masses, but the adjustment process is time-consuming and requires manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a drive device that can automatically adjust the pressure tube angular position based on control signals, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The system can self-adjust the damping characteristics by actuating the drive device through electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic means, significantly reducing adjustment time and enabling rapid adaptation to different workpiece masses.
3Reliability
If the damping rate is increased to prevent heavy workpieces from reaching dead center, then heavy workpieces are stopped safely, but light workpieces experience excessive deceleration force and may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a drive device to dynamically adjust the pressure tube rotation angle, which changes the effective throttle cross-section and thereby modulates the damping force. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to apply higher damping forces for heavy workpieces to prevent dead center position while using lower damping forces for light workpieces to avoid damage, resolving the force contradiction.
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 ensures that workpieces of varying masses are reliably brought to a standstill within the desired distance, minimizing the risk of malfunctions and maintaining safety by automatically adjusting the damping characteristics based on real-time temperature and pressure measurements, thus enhancing the operational efficiency and reliability of transport systems.
Implementation Method 1
Either certain throttle bores in the pressure tube can be closed and others with a different cross-section released, or certain throttle bores can be changed in terms of their throttle cross-section, for example by varying the overlap of the throttle bores by means of helical webs in the housing tube
Implementation Method 2
The kinetic energy of the workpiece including the transport pallet is converted into thermal energy during the braking process in shock absorbers as a result of the movement of the piston, i.e. the displacement of the working fluid through the throttle cross sections
Implementation Method 3
The storage space of the known shock absorbers is often filled with a flexible, closed-cell foam that is displaced and compressed by the penetrating fluid
Implementation Method 4
the return being carried out by a helical spring, which returns the fluid back into the working space and thus the stop element back into promoted to its original position
Data Source
Figure 1~1e
Figure 2~2g
AI summary
The absorber (1) has a pressure pipe (4) and a piston (5), which is axially movable due to shock provided on a piston rod (8) guided from the absorber into the pressure pipe. The pressure pipe encloses a workspace (12), from which a fluid e.g. oil, of the piston is displaced by a throttle (11) in a storage space (19). An adjusting device adjusts characteristics of the absorber by a cross section of the throttle. A measuring device e.g. thermocouple (29), measures operating temperature of the fluids, and a control device controls the adjusting device depending on the operating temperature. An independent claim is also included for a method for adjusting a shock absorber.