Patent ID: 7806697

Claim:
A damping unit for an actuated motion platform, the damping unit including: a planar plate having a top surface, a bottom surface and opposed lateral plate surfaces, the bottom surface being adapted to be rigidly connected to a vibration source, the opposed lateral plate surfaces being disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface, the lateral plate surfaces including lateral projections, the lateral projections each having a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least three lateral surfaces; lateral mounting supports each receiving at least one of the lateral projections and being adapted for rigid fastening to the platform; at least one first resilient member overlying at least a portion of the top surface of the plate and being adapted to be retained between the top surface and the platform, the at least one first resilient member providing vibration absorption such as to limit vibrations transmitted from the plate to the platform in at least a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface; at least one second resilient member, each of the at least one second resilient member being disposed between the at least three lateral surfaces of at least one of the lateral projections and a corresponding one of the lateral mounting supports in a first direction substantially parallel to the top surface and in a second direction substantially parallel to the top surface, the first direction being substantially perpendicular to the second direction, such that the lateral mounting supports constrain the at least one second resilient member in at least the first and second directions, the at least one second resilient member providing vibration absorption such as to limit vibrations transmitted from the plate to the platform in at least the first and second directions, the at least one second resilient member being separate from the at least one first resilient member, the lateral mounting supports retaining the lateral projections therein and limiting movement of the lateral projection in the first and second directions in case of failure of the at least one second resilient member, the lateral mounting supports limiting rotation of the plate about an axis perpendicular to the top surface in case of failure of the at least one second resilient member; and wherein at least a selected frequency range of vibrations generated by the vibration source are dampened by the damping unit thereby limiting unwanted vibrations which are transmitted to the motion platform.