Lord Corporation

Lord Corportion

Mark A Norris

Dino J Rossetti

Mark R Jolly

Lane R Miller

Steve C Southward

Douglas Edward Ivers

Douglas A Swanson

Donald L Margolis

Askari Badre-Alam

Keith R Ptak

Warren E Schmidt

Michael C Heath

Stephen F Hildebrand

Douglas A Hodgson

William S Jensen

Jonathan M Owens

John J Quinn

John H Highfill, Iii

Guy D Billoud

Stephen L Williams

Andrew D Meyers

A pumping system is provided. The pumping system includes an output conduit, a first sensor, a second second sensor, a feedforward active controller, and a fluid flow normalizer (FFN). The output conduit is associated with an output of a positive displacement pump. The first sensor is configured to measure a fluid flow characteristic (FFC) within the output conduit. The second sensor is configured to measure a phase of the positive displacement pump. The feedforward active controller is configured to receive information related to the FFC, receive information related to the phase of the positive displacement pump, and determine an FFC variability value. The first fluid flow normalizer (FFN) is configured to at least one of add fluid to the output of the positive displacement pump and remove fluid from the output of the positive displacement pump in response to a signal from the feedforward active controller.

Fluid flow normalizer

A subsea pipeline system has a subsea pipe and a pipeline vibration damper (PVD) attached to the pipe.

Method for suppression of resonant vibrations in subsea pipelines

The land vehicle includes a body, a power plant and a plurality of land engagers, the land engagers for engaging land and propelling the land vehicle across land. The land vehicle includes a controllable suspension system, the controllable suspension system for controlling suspension movements between the body and the land engagers. The land vehicle includes a computer system and suspension sensors located proximate the land engagers for measuring suspension parameters representative of suspension movements between the body and the land engagers and outputting a plurality of suspension sensor measurement outputs. The land vehicle includes controllable force suspension members located proximate the land engagers and the suspension sensors, the controllable force suspension members applying suspension travel forces between the body and the land engagers to control the suspension movements. The land vehicle computer system includes a controllable suspension system algorithm for controlling the controllable force suspension members to control vehicle body motion and the suspension movements between the body and the land engagers, and a health usage monitoring algorithm for monitoring sensors and assessing a health and a usage of the vehicle and its suspension components.

Land vehicles and systems with controllable suspension systems

An aircraft has a fuselage that defines an interior cabin and an exterior; a first housing located along one side of the fuselage exterior; a second housing located along the second side of the fuselage exterior; and an active vibration control system for limiting fuselage vibration, the vibration control system comprising a plurality of sensors located in the cabin; a controller in signal receiving relation with the sensor means; first actuator means located in the first housing and second actuator means located in the second housing and wherein the actuator means are in signal receiving relation with the controller.

Active vibration control system for helicopter with improved actustor placement

A vibration-damped machine and method including beam being capable of gross movements in space relative to a stationary frame, means including a motor for causing the beam's gross movements; the gross movements tending to induce vibration into the beam, sensors for providing a signal representative of the induced beam vibration, an linear-acting inertial actuator mounted to the beam, and control means for receiving the signal and generating an output signal to actively drive the linear-acting inertial actuator at the appropriate phase, frequency and magnitude to damp induced beam vibrations. Embodiments of the vibration-damped machine are illustrated for a gantry robot, a horizontal machining center, an adhesive dispenser and a pivoting robot. The linear-acting inertial actuator is preferably controlled according to an inertial damping control method where the actuator is forced to behave as a damper attached to ground.

Vibration-damped machine and control method therefor

A method, apparatus and controller for machining non-circular work pieces. The apparatus, method and controller are preferably used in combination with rotating, equipment, such as a turning center having an x-y table capable of gross movements. The apparatus includes at least one position sensor for deriving an angular position signal of the work piece, a preferably longitudinally-disposed, flexible tool holder attached to a rigid tool block which holds the machine tool, a preferably solid state vibration actuator imparting active vibrational forces to the end of the tool holder, thus vibrating the machine tool at high frequency to impart the desired ovality to the work piece, and a control system for generating the output signal to the vibration actuator. Preferably, the control system includes manually adjusted magnitude and phase thereby providing a non-circular work piece profile with the desired ovality and positioning thereof. The controller includes a wave form generator which provides an input signal which is phase locked to the work piece rotation regardless of small cutting speed changes.

Method, apparatus and controller for machining non-circular work pieces

An Active Structural Control (ASC) system (10) and method which includes a plurality of Active Vibration Absorbers (AVAs) (40) attached to a yoke (32) included within a pylon structure (28) preferably comprising a spar (38) and a yoke (32) which is located intermediate between an aircraft fuselage (20) and an aircraft engine (18) for controlling acoustic noise and/or vibration generated within the aircraft's cabin (44) due to unbalances in the aircraft engine (18). The ASC system (10) includes a plurality of error sensors (42) for providing error signals, and at least one reference sensor (49 or 50) for providing reference signals indicative of the N1 and/or N2 engine rotations and/or vibrations, and a preferably digital electronic controller (46) for processing the error and reference signal information to provide output signals to drive the plurality of AVAs (40) attached to the yoke (32). The AVAs (40) preferably act in a radial, tangential, or fore and aft directions and may be preferably located at the terminal end and/or at the base portion of the yoke (32). Further, the AVAs (40) may be Single Degree Of Freedom (SDOF) or Multiple Degree Of Freedom (MDOF) and may be tuned to have a passive resonance which substantially coincides with the N1 and/or N2 engine rotation and/or vibrations. In another aspect, reference signal processing is described which includes a modulo counter, a lookup table, and a digital IO.

Active structural control system and method including active vibration

A vibration control apparatus (20) and method for a calender (18) for controlling vibration between two or more rolls (ex. 22, 24) which controls vibration induced thickness variations in a medium (27) exiting from the nip. The apparatus (20) includes a frame (19), a first and second rolls (22, 24) mounted relative to the frame (19), and a force generator (32), such as an electromechanical active actuator, servo-hydraulic actuator, controllable semi-active damper, Active Vibration Absorber (AVA), or Adaptive Tuned Vibration Absorber (ATVA), provides cancelling forces to control vibration between the first and second roll (22, 24) thereby, controlling such vibration induced thickness variations in the medium (27). Preferably, the apparatus (20) includes at least one sensor (ex. 42, 42', 42', 42'') for providing a signal representative of a vibration condition of at least one of the first or second roll (22, 24), and preferably both, and a digital controller (50) for processing the signal representative of said vibration condition preferably according to a feed-forward-type control and providing a control signal to a force generator (32). Vertical and/or lateral vibration of the rolls (22, 24) may controlled simultaneously. Likewise, fundamental vibrational frequencies and their harmonics may be controlled individually, or in combination.

Vibration control apparatus and method for calender rolls and the like

Active systems and devices including active vibration absorbers (AVAS)

A hybrid active-passive system (20) for reducing noise within a passenger compartment and vibration of a fuselage of a vehicle, such as an aircraft (turboprop, turbofan, or helicopter). The hybrid active-passive system (20) includes, in combination: an active acoustic producer such as a loudspeaker (35), Active Vibration Absorber (AVA) (34), or active absorber assembly (39) for producing antinoise within the compartment (42), and a passive resonant device, such as a passive Tuned Vibration Absorber (TVA) (36), or passive TVA assembly (37) for controlling vibration of the fuselage or structural supports interconnecting the disturbance source (e.g. power plants (26), propellers (28a), gearbox (57), main rotor (28m), tail rotor (28t)) and the fuselage wall (25).

Hybrid active-passive noise and vibration control system for aircraft

Actuators for active vibrational energy control systems which are frequency focused. The high-frequency cancellation function is decoupled from the low-frequency cancellation function to enable the size, force, number and placement of the actuators to be optimized. A hybrid system employing structural actuators to cancel low-frequency vibrations and speakers to cancel higher-frequency vibrations is also taught.

Frequency-focused actuators for active vibrational energy control systems

A method and system/apparatus implementing a non-model based Decentralized Feedforward Adaptive Algorithm (DFAA) for active vibration control of an actively-driven element, such as an Active Vibration Absorber (AVA) (24). The AVA (24)preferably includes an inertial tuning mass (42) and a voice coil assembly (46) and is contained in an active vibration control system (20) wherein the method and system/apparatus reduce vibration of a vibrating member (22) at an attachment point (26) by receiving an error signal from an error sensor (28) such as an accelerometer and a reference signal from a tachometer (32) or accelerometer (34), where the reference signal is correlated to, or indicative of the frequency content of, a primary vibration source (36) and calculating an updated output signal via an electronic controller (39) using the non-model based DFAA to dynamically drive the actively-driven element, such as AVA (24). The method and system/apparatus using DFAA is effective for reduction of both tonal and broadband vibration. The method approaches the performance of Filtered-x LMS control, yet is decentralized and does not require information regarding the plant.

Method and apparatus for non-model based decentralized adaptive

An active noise and vibration cancellation system with broadband control capability. A broadband disturbance signal detector positioned within a closed compartment such as an aircraft cabin or vehicle passenger compartment provides a signal representative of the frequency spectrum and corresponding relative magnitude of a broadband signal emanating from a vibrational energy source to a controller. The controller receives the broadband disturbance signal as well as error signals from error sensors which, by virtue of adaptive filters within the controller, enhance the cancellation capability of the control signals produced by one or more actuators positioned within the compartment.

Growing community of inventors

Apex, NC, United States of America

Mark A Norris