Vibration Isolating Table With Damping Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vibration isolating tables with damping mechanisms lack initial rigidity, causing vibration isolation subjects to sway even under slight floor vibrations, leading to inadequate protection during large vibrations like earthquakes.

Innovation Solution

A vibration isolating table with a damping mechanism that incorporates freely movable plates and rotary dampers, where circulation belts transmit rotational motion to rotationally driven members, providing resistance and initial rigidity to prevent sway during low vibration energy inputs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a frictional member is used to provide damping force through press contact with rails, then damping effect is improved, but initial rigidity deteriorates causing the movable plate to sway under slight vibrations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamping effectVSAvoidinitial rigidity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The frictional member is designed to dynamically change its state from non-contact to press contact based on vibration intensity. During normal operation with slight vibrations, the frictional member remains separated from the rail, providing no damping force and allowing the elastic member to maintain initial rigidity. During large vibrations, the frictional member makes press contact with the rail to provide damping force, thus resolving the contradiction between initial rigidity and damping effect

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The damping coefficient is changed based on vibration amplitude. When vibration amplitude is small, the damping coefficient is effectively zero (no contact). When vibration amplitude exceeds a threshold, the damping coefficient increases as the frictional member presses against the rail. This parameter change allows the system to maintain rigidity during normal operation while providing damping during large vibrations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If elastic members are stretched between the frictional member and plate to provide restoring force, then vibration isolation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional damping mechanism components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevibration isolationVSAvoiddamping mechanism structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The damping function is extracted as a separate, optional component (frictional member) that can engage or disengage independently from the basic vibration isolation mechanism (elastic member). This allows the core vibration isolation function to remain simple while adding damping capability only when needed, thus improving vibration isolation reliability without significantly increasing overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The frictional member acts as an intermediary between the movable plate and the rail, providing damping force only when necessary. This intermediary component allows the system to maintain simplicity during normal operation while enabling complex damping behavior during large vibrations, thus improving vibration isolation without making the entire device complex

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 isolates vibration isolation subjects from floor vibrations, preventing sway and ensuring reliable protection during both low and high vibration events by imparting initial rigidity and damping forces as needed.

Implementation Method 1

the frictional member rotates due to the tensile force of the elastic members so that the frictional member is brought into press contact with the Y-directional rail or the X-directional rail. As a result, a frictional resistance force is generated.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

each of the elastic members is stretched between one end of the frictional member and the intermediate plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

The rotary dampers impart the resistance to the rotational motion of the rotationally driven members

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectViscous damping: Viscous Damping

Data Source

PatentEP2472141B1Base isolation table with damping mechanism and base isolation table unit using the same
Publication Date: 2014.05.07 THK CO LTD
  • EP2472141B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2472141B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2472141B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Provided are a vibration isolating table (1) with damping mechanism having initial rigidity so that a vibration isolation subject is not swayed under a state in which no vibrations act, and configured to function in a case where vibrations act so that the vibration isolation subject can be protected, and a vibration isolating table unit (15) using the vibration isolating table (1). The vibration isolating table includes a fixed plate (2) ; a guiding member (42) provided so as to be freely movable in an X direction relative to the fixed plate (2); a movable plate (3) provided so as to be freely movable relative to the guiding member (42) in a Y direction orthogonal to the X direction; an X-directional circulation belt (6) configured to circulate in accordance with X-directional movement of the guiding member (42) relative to the fixed plate (2); a Y-directional circulation belt (9) configured to circulate in accordance with Y-directional movement of the movable plate (3) relative to the guiding member (42); and rotary dampers (7, 10) respectively provided to the fixed plate (2) and the movable plate (3), and respectively including rotationally driven members (70, 100) around which the X-directional circulation belt (6) and the Y-directional circulation belt (9) are respectively looped, the rotary dampers (7, 10) being configured to respectively impart resistance to rotational motion of the rotationally driven members (70, 100).