Opportunity
Vibration poses a significant challenge across numerous engineering systems, negatively impacting the accuracy of precision equipment, reducing the service life of instruments, and causing structural fatigue damage. Traditional vibration suppression solutions, including linear passive isolators, active/semi-active systems, and nonlinear quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) isolators, often lack the necessary flexibility and adaptability. Their mechanisms are typically pre-designed with fixed parameters such as size, material, mass, and loading capacity tailored to specific use cases. Once manufactured, these parameters are difficult to modify without partial or complete disassembly. This rigidity limits the ability to fine-tune vibration isolation performance for varying engineering requirements, payloads, or environmental conditions. Consequently, there is a clear need for a vibration suppression system that offers enhanced adjustability and flexibility post-assembly to achieve superior, customizable isolation performance across a broader range of applications without the need for structural redesign or component replacement.
Technology
The patent discloses a novel passive vibration suppression system that ingeniously integrates a non-adjustable support structure with an adjustable support structure. The first, non-adjustable structure forms a foundational X-shaped framework, while the second, adjustable structure is coupled to it, featuring its own set of support members and rotation joints. The core innovation lies in the adjustable mechanism within the second support structure, which allows for the real-time adjustment of distances between key rotation joints while the system remains fully assembled. This is achieved through specialized bracket assemblies. These brackets house support members and incorporate adjustment members (e.g., set screws) that can be tightened to fix the bracket's position along a support member or loosened to allow sliding translation. By adjusting these positions, the effective lengths of the support members between rotation joints are altered, which in turn changes the system's geometric configuration and stiffness characteristics. This integrated design enables the system to provide adjustable nonlinear stiffness and damping properties simultaneously in all three spatial directions (x, y, and z). The technology allows for on-the-fly tuning of static and dynamic performance metrics—such as loading capacity, effective working zone (QZS zone), and vibration isolation bandwidth—to meet specific application demands without replacing springs or dismantling the unit.
Advantages
- Provides adjustable nonlinear stiffness and damping characteristics in all three (x, y, and z) directions.
- Enables easy post-assembly tuning of vibration isolation performance (e.g., QZS zone, loading capacity) without disassembly or part replacement.
- Exhibits excellent ultra-low-frequency vibration suppression with a larger operational bandwidth.
- Features a wider Quasi-Zero Stiffness (QZS) zone and a broader vibration isolation band.
- Offers a larger loading capacity compared to many conventional isolators.
- Maintains stable vibration isolation performance even under external excitations with large amplitudes, avoiding frequency jumping and softening/hardening effects.
- Demonstrates high flexibility, allowing parameters like rod segment length ratios and spring connection points to be tailored for diverse application requirements.
Applications
- Precision manufacturing and measurement equipment (e.g., semiconductor lithography machines, coordinate measuring machines).
- Sensitive laboratory and scientific instruments (e.g., atomic force microscopes, optical tables).
- Vehicle seating and cabin suspension systems to isolate occupants from road-induced vibrations.
- Aerospace and aviation applications for isolating avionics or payloads.
- Industrial machinery mounts to protect equipment and reduce noise.
- Civil engineering structures for seismic or wind-induced vibration mitigation.
- Any scenario requiring customizable, multi-directional, low-frequency vibration isolation.
