Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8095268?dq=%22Meaning-based+advertising+and+document+relevance+determination%22
Timestamp: 2015-07-28 06:47:34
Document Index: 271135175

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 10', 'Application No. 200710102263', 'Application No. 200510118494', 'Application No. 200510118494', 'Application No. 07101543', 'Application No. 07107215', 'Application No. 07101543', 'Application No. 10153741', 'Application No. 05109550']

Patent US8095268 - Active suspending - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsAn apparatus includes a force bias element coupled to a plant in a vehicle. The force bias element has a first bandwidth. An active suspension includes a linear electromagnetic actuator located within an interior of the force bias element. The linear electromagnetic actuator has a second bandwidth that...http://www.google.com/patents/US8095268?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8095268 - Active suspendingAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8095268 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/418,345Publication dateJan 10, 2012Filing dateMay 3, 2006Priority dateOct 29, 2004Also published asCN101067435A, CN101067435B, CN102661355A, EP1852302A2, EP1852302A3, US20060200287Publication number11418345, 418345, US 8095268 B2, US 8095268B2, US-B2-8095268, US8095268 B2, US8095268B2InventorsJames A. Parison, Christopher J. Breen, Richard F. O'DayOriginal AssigneeBose CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (109), Non-Patent Citations (15), Referenced by (16), Classifications (29), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetActive suspending
US 8095268 B2Abstract
An apparatus includes a force bias element coupled to a plant in a vehicle. The force bias element has a first bandwidth. An active suspension includes a linear electromagnetic actuator located within an interior of the force bias element. The linear electromagnetic actuator has a second bandwidth that is higher than the first bandwidth and is coupled to the plant.
This description relates to active suspending.
A vehicle moving in a desired direction inevitably experiences motion in other directions as well. This undesired motion often arises from disturbances in the medium through which the vehicle travels. For example, whether one travels by land, sea, or air, one might encounter bumps, waves, air pockets, and the like.
In general, in one aspect, a force bias element coupled to a plant in a vehicle, the force bias element having a low bandwidth, and an active suspension including a linear electromagnetic actuator located within an interior of the force bias element, the linear electromagnetic actuator having a high bandwidth and being coupled to the plant.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 4-7 show actively-suspended plants;
An actively-suspended plant includes a seat, or other platform, coupled to one or more active suspension elements, each providing active suspension along an axis. In many cases, it is useful, though by no means required, to have a passive suspension element cooperating with an active suspension element along one or more axes. In such cases, the active suspension element can be mounted either in series or in parallel with the passive suspension element.
In the following description, numerous references are made to the position and motion of a plant. It is understood, for facilitating the discussion in the following in light of the disclosed embodiments, that “position” means position of the plant relative to a vehicle and that “motion” means motion of the plant relative to an inertial reference frame. Accordingly, references to position signals refer to signals that carry information about the position of the plant relative to the vehicle. References to motion signals refer to signals that carry information about the motion, such as the acceleration, of the plant relative to the inertial reference frame
The term “plant” is intended to include the system that receives a control signal and whose position and motion are to be controlled. The plant can include a seat, a passenger, any fixtures associated with the seat, the seat's support structure, power electronics, and mathematical models of active and/or passive suspension elements to the extent that those elements affect the dynamic properties of the system to be controlled.
To assist in suppressing its vertical motion, the actively-suspended plant 10 includes an element for removing bias force in the actuator command force signal so the actuator experiences zero-mean load. In some embodiments, this element has the dynamic characteristic of a variable low stiffness spring. The low stiffness spring characteristic ensures that the actuator is not “fighting” a spring as it tries to perform active isolation. This reduces power consumption. Such an element, which will be referred to as a “force bias eliminator system” can be implemented as an air cylinder having an associated reservoir, as shown in FIG. 14. The force bias eliminator system provides a biasing force, thereby relieving the actuator from supplying that force. Such biases may result from factors such as the weight of the plant 16. Because of the biasing force provided by the force bias eliminator system, the vertical actuator 28 need only suppress excursions from a predetermined equilibrium position. In a preferred embodiment, the air cylinder and an associated reservoir are configured such that the actuator sustains zero mean load. As discussed below, the force bias eliminator system can also provide passive suspension, either with or without additional damping.
As shown in FIG. 6, a plant 16 can include various features or structures other than a seat 40 and its occupant. These additional features or structures are of the type that benefit greatly by being held stationary relative to the plant 16. Exemplary structures include a cup-holder 42, which often hold drinks susceptible to spillage in response to random accelerations of the vehicle, a writing surface, a data entry/retrieval device, an ashtray or other receptacle 44, a display, such as a navigation display, and controls 47, particularly controls that do not require a direct mechanical linkage to the vehicle. Exemplary controls include electronic controls for operation of heavy equipment, and controls, such as pedals or levers, for braking and acceleration. Although as shown the features or structures are attached to the plant 16, it should be noted that features or structures may be remotely located (not shown) from the plant 16 but “slaved” to the motion of the plant 16.
FIG. 9 shows an exemplary control system 48 in which a reference model includes a mathematical reference model 50 of a nominal plant in the form of that nominal plant's response, Pn(s), to complex frequency inputs, s. For brevity of expression, this mathematical model 50 of the nominal plant will be referred to simply as the “nominal plant 50.” The response, Pn(s), of the nominal plant is used by the vibration isolation module 52, together with data indicative of a real plant's position and motion, to calculate a nominal control signal un.
In most cases, however, the nominal plant 50 and the real plant 16 have similar enough dynamic characteristics so that a control signal for controlling the real plant 16, referred to herein as the “real control signal” is similar to the nominal control signal.
To compensate for the difference between the real plant 16 and the nominal plant 50, the control system 48 includes a plant estimator 62 that estimates this difference based at least in part on signals indicative of the motion experienced by the real plant 16. The plant estimator 62 then provides an error signal e(s) representative of that difference to a plant compensator 64. The plant compensator 64 then compensates for the difference by modifying the nominal control signal un before applying it to the real plant 16. The combination of the plant estimator 62 and plant compensator 64 is referred to as a “compensation system 65.” Although the plant estimator 62 and compensator 64 are shown as being separate from each other, this is done only to illustrate their separate functions. In practice, the functions of a plant estimator 62 and compensator 64 can be carried out by circuitry embodied in a single hardware element, or in software.
In essence, the plant compensator 64 uses the error signal to perturb the nominal control signal, un. The result of that perturbation is the real control signal, ur, which is applied to the real plant 16. As shown in FIG. 11, the plant compensator 64 includes a multiplier. However, the plant compensator 64 can also include a filter. Note that as used herein, “real” indicates that the control signal is to be applied to the real plant 16. It does not have its usual mathematical meaning of a signal having no imaginary component.
As described below, the active suspension system is configured to operate in a plurality of modes: a safe (passive/failsafe) mode, an active (force bias elimination) mode, and a bump stop mode. As shown in FIG. 13, the system, via the force bias eliminator module 60 or a separate fail-safe system (see details below), first detects the occurrence of a trigger event. A trigger event can occur in response to any change in a characteristic of plant 16 that may indicate an abnormal state. Exemplary trigger events include failure of an active suspension element, a severing of a power cable, or a sensor failure (step 76). Upon detection of a trigger event, the force bias eliminator module 60 causes the force bias eliminator system 86 to operate in a mode referred to as “passive mode,” “safe mode,” or “fail-safe mode” (step 78). In this mode, the position of the plant 16 is adjusted via the force bias eliminator module 60, as discussed below in connection with FIGS. 14 and 15. In some embodiments, switching to “passive mode” operation can also be implemented as a user-selectable feature. Whether or not the active suspension elements are operating can readily be determined by, for example, detecting power being supplied to them. If the system determines that the active suspension elements are currently operating, it then uses the acceleration and position signals from the real plant 16 to determine whether the vertical actuator 28 is likely to reach the end of its travel, i.e. whether the vertical actuator 28 is likely to strike one of its two bump stops (step 80). If so, the force bias eliminator module 60 causes the force bias eliminator system to operate in “bump-stop” mode (step 82). Otherwise, the force bias eliminator module 60 causes the force bias eliminator system to operate in normal mode or “active mode” (step 84), as discussed below in connection with FIGS. 14 and 15, in which the position of the plant 16 is adjusted by controlling one or more actuators.
An exemplary force bias eliminator system 86 is a pneumatic force bias eliminator (shown in FIG. 14) that includes a cylinder 88 and a matching piston 90 on which the plant 16 is supported. The cylinder volume below the piston head, i.e. the “lower cylinder chamber,” is connected either to a compressed air source (not shown), by way of a supply valve 92, or to ambient air, by way of a bleed valve 94. Alternatively, the lower cylinder chamber can be connected to either a compressed air source (not shown) or to ambient air by operating a three-way manual adjustment valve 96. The compressed air source can be a readily available on-board air source, such as a reservoir of compressed air maintained at high pressure by a pump. Hollow portions of the seat structure can also be used as air reservoirs, thereby incorporating, or integrating, the air reservoir in the seat structure itself. Alternatively, the force bias eliminator system can be a hydraulic system.
In normal mode or “active mode,” the force bias eliminator module 60 determines, based, for example, on a control signal ur as shown in FIG. 11, whether the pressure needs to be increased or decreased. If the pressure needs to be increased, the force bias eliminator module 60 causes the supply valve 92 to open and the bleed valve 94 to close, thereby flooding the lower cylinder chamber with compressed air. Conversely, if the pressure needs to be decreased, the controller causes the supply valve 92 to close and the bleed valve 94 to open. This bleeds high-pressure air from the lower cylinder chamber.
The force bias eliminator module 60 then uses the sign, or phase angle, of the low frequency components of the real control signal to determine whether to exert a bias force to offset the bias signal components in ur. For the implementation of FIG. 15, the force bias eliminator module 60, which takes the real control signal ur as an input, determines whether pressure against the piston 90 needs to be increased or decreased. The force bias eliminator module 60 then sends appropriate valve-actuation signals V to a supply valve relay (not shown) that controls the supply valve 92 and to a bleed valve relay (not shown) that controls the bleed valve 94. If the pressure needs to be increased, the force bias eliminator module 60 sends a signal to the supply valve 92 relay to open the supply valve and a signal to the bleed valve relay to close the bleed valve 94. Conversely, if pressure needs to be decreased, the force bias eliminator module 60 sends a valve-actuation signal V to the bleed valve 94 relay to open the bleed valve and a signal to the supply valve relay to close the supply valve 92. In some embodiments, relays with “backlash” (hysteresis) prevent chatter of the on-off valves around the relay's setpoint.
The force bias eliminator system 86 also includes upper and lower bump stop valves 102, 104 that are used, in “bump-stop” mode, to resist movement in those circumstances in which the vertical actuator 28 is unlikely to prevent the plant 16 from abruptly reaching the end of its travel.
The upper bump stop valve 102 provides a path between the cylinder volume above the piston head (the “upper cylinder chamber”) and the ambient air. In normal operation, this upper bump stop valve 102 is left open so that air can move freely in or out of the upper cylinder chamber. However, if the force bias eliminator module 60 detects that the vertical actuator 28 is unlikely to be able to stop the plant 16 from reaching the top of its travel, it closes the upper bump stop valve 102. This prevents air from escaping from the upper cylinder chamber as the piston 90 moves upward. As a result, the air is compressed as the piston 90 travels upward, thereby exerting a force that tends to resist further upward movement of the piston 90 (and hence the plant 16).
When the force bias eliminator module 60 determines that the active suspension element has been disabled, it sends a valve actuation signal V to seal off the upper and lower chambers by closing the upper and lower bump stop valves 102, 104 simultaneously. This causes the force bias eliminator system 86 to operate in “safe mode,” which is a mode in which the force bias eliminator system 86 functions as a spring. When operating in safe mode, the only way for air to enter and leave the cylinder 88 is through the three-way manual adjustment valve 96. The three-way manual adjustment valve 96 has: a closed position, in which no air can enter or leave the lower chamber; a bleed position, in which the lower chamber is connected to ambient air; and a fill position, in which the lower chamber is connected to a compressed-air source (not shown).
The vertical actuator 28 operates to provided forces at frequencies in the high-frequency portion 202. Such forces may be provided in response to, e.g., changing road conditions such as potholes, rumble strips, or hills in the road. Sudden changes in road conditions such as potholes or rumble strips tend to impart higher-frequency vibration to the seat than more gradual changes in road conditions such as a grade on a hill. Providing a force from the vertical actuator 28 in response to relatively gradual changes such as those associated with a hill is generally referred to as “road tracking.” Providing a force from the vertical actuator 28 in response to more sudden changes is generally referred to as “vibration isolation.” In some examples, the high-frequency portion 202 is divided in a road tracking portion 206 and a vibration isolation portion 208. For example, the road tracking portion 206 may range from the crossover frequency 208 to a pre-determined frequency such as 2 Hz. In some examples, the crossover frequency 204 is in a range between 1/10 Hz to � Hz. An example crossover frequency of ⅓ Hz is shown in FIG. 27.
Failure of the active suspension system is not the only reason to activate the fail-safe system. Any change in a characteristic of the plant 16 that may indicate an abnormal state may be a reason to activate the fail-safe system. For example, a sensor signal larger than a predetermined threshold, or a failure in any of the sensors that collect information indicative of the state of the plant, would be reasons to activate the fail safe system. Sensor or system failure can be detected by noting the absence or fluctuating presence of such signals, or by sensor signals that provide information inconsistent with physical constraints on the plant. For example, if a sensor were to indicate that an automobile was now moving at supersonic speeds, the reliability of that sensor might reasonably be called into question, in which case the fail-safe system would be activated. Alternatively, detecting that a sensor has reached the end of its useable range can also activate the fail-safe system. In some embodiments, the particular trigger event that causes transition from active mode to fail-safe mode, or “passive mode,” can also be implemented as a user-selectable feature.
In the case of an electromagnetic actuator, a stator having a coil of wire surrounds an armature on which the real plant 16 is mounted. The stator and armature together form an “electromagnetic actuator,” with the position of the armature being controllable by the current in the coil of the stator. In normal operation, the current through the coil generates a magnetic field that controls the position of the armature. Upon detection of failure, the leads of the coil are shorted, or clamped together. Under these circumstances, Lenz's law will operate to induce a current in the coil that generates a magnetic field tending to resist movement of the armature. As a result, the electromagnetic actuator functions as a damper.
Should a malfunction or instability occur, the force exerted by the actuator can have a tendency to grow very large and to stay large for long periods of time. The power needed to maintain such a large force for long periods drains the capacitance 110 and causes the voltage to the amplifier 106 to “droop.” This causes the amplifier 106 to disable itself. As a result, during instabilities, the power supply 107 imposes a power limitation that is low enough so that excess heat can be dissipated quickly, thereby avoiding thermal damage to the amplifier 106. In this way, the illustrated power supply 107 limits the power consumption of the actuator should a malfunction or instability occur. In one embodiment, the capacitors are chosen such that the stored energy can be dissipated to disable the amplifier within 55 milliseconds should a malfunction or instability occur.
In FIG. 21 the inputs and outputs for the various blocks are two-dimensional vectors. Thus, the control signal to be provided to the real plant 16 includes components for controlling two different force actuators. Before being applied to the real plant 16, the control signal is passed to a decoupling similarity transformation matrix R. Details of the procedure can be found in section 3.3 “vector spaces,” of “Control System Handbook,” published by IEEE press.
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Parison, Jr.Active suspending* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification701/37, 267/140.15, 267/140.11, 280/5.5, 267/140.5, 280/5.515International ClassificationB60G17/018, B60G17/02, G06F19/00, B60G17/00, G05D3/00Cooperative ClassificationB60N2002/0212, B60N2/508, B60N2/505, B60N2/509, B60N2/544, B60N2/501, B60N2/502, B60N2/525, B60N2/507European ClassificationB60N2/50R2, B60N2/50R4, B60N2/50H, B60N2/50D, B60N2/54C, B60N2/50C, B60N2/46H3, B60N2/52G, B60N2/50SLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionMay 3, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: BOSE CORPORATION, MASSACHUSETTSFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:PARISON, JAMES A.;BREEN, CHRISTOPHER J.;O DAY, RICHARD F.;REEL/FRAME:017872/0517Effective date: 20060503RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services