Disclosed herein is an apparatus for variable fluid damping. The apparatus comprises a mount. The apparatus also comprises a damper coupled to the mount to apply a damping force in response to movement of the mount. The apparatus further comprises an electrical element positioned to correspond to the damper. The apparatus additionally comprises a rheological fluid disposed in the damper. The rheological fluid changes viscosity in response to a change in an output of the electrical element to change the damping force of the damper. The apparatus also comprises a controller to provide input to the electrical element in response to a normal operating condition or an emergency operating condition.

Provided a suspension control apparatus including a vehicle behavior detection unit (acceleration sensors), an electrorheological damper provided between a vehicle body (1) and each wheel (2), and a controller configured to execute control so that a damping force of each electrorheological damper is adjusted based on a detection result obtained by the vehicle behavior detection unit. The controller includes a target voltage value setting unit (damping force command calculation unit) configured to obtain a target voltage value to be applied to an electrode tube based on the detection result obtained by the vehicle behavior detection unit, a temperature estimation unit configured to detect or estimate temperature of ERF, and a target voltage value correction unit (output limiting unit) configured to change the target voltage value so that a piston speed (V) is adjusted based on a value obtained by the temperature estimation unit.

The present disclosure relates to an energy absorbing three dimensional (3D) structure. The structure may have an outer shell formed from a shell material. The outer shell may have a void forming a core volume. A transformative feedstock is contained in the void. The transformative feedstock is encapsulated within the outer shell, within the void, and provides enhanced energy absorbing properties to the 3D structure.

A voltage converter of a high voltage driver generates a high voltage applied to an electrorheological damper. The voltage converter and the electrorheological damper are electrically connected together through a connecting portion. The connecting portion comprises an electrode pin that connects the voltage converter and an electrode cylinder of the electrorheological damper; a ground pin that connects an external cylinder of the electrorheological damper and ground, and a ground detection pin disposed separately from the ground pin and connected to the ground through the external cylinder and the ground pin. When the ground detection pin and the ground are disconnected, the voltage converter discontinues the voltage generation with or without a command (control signal) of a sub-controller.

A method for reshaping an electric drive signal of a real-time damper in a sprung mass system includes detecting a periodic frequency and magnitude of a target periodic vibration of a sprung mass. The periodic vibration has velocity and elasticity components that are 90 degrees out-of-phase. An electric drive signal to the real-time damper is reshaped by a controller depending on polarity of the velocity component to thereby generate a composite drive signal. The damper is energized using the composite drive signal to modify a damper force. Reshaping the electric drive signal includes injecting a force and/or an intermittent drive suppression component onto the electric drive signal based on the frequency and magnitude. The sprung mass system may have a frame and body, motion and wheel speed sensors, the real-time dampers, road wheels, and a controller programmed to perform the method.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for variable fluid damping. The apparatus comprises a mount. The apparatus also comprises a damper coupled to the mount to apply a damping force in response to movement of the mount. The apparatus further comprises an electrical element positioned to correspond to the damper. The apparatus additionally comprises a rheological fluid disposed in the damper. The rheological fluid changes viscosity in response to a change in an output of the electrical element to change the damping force of the damper. The apparatus also comprises a controller to provide input to the electrical element in response to a normal operating condition or an emergency operating condition.

A hydraulic fluid system is disclosed and that utilizes a hydraulic motor or gear pump and a magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) brake that is interconnected with an output of the hydraulic motor. The MRF brake may utilize a rotatable rotor that is disposed within a magneto-rheological fluid and that is interconnected with an output (e.g., a rotatable output shaft) of the hydraulic motor. An electrical control signal may be provided to the MRF brake (e.g., to a magnetic coil) to adjust the viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid, and thereby a braking torque exerted on the output of the hydraulic motor.

A hydraulic fluid system is disclosed herein. The hydraulic fluid system includes a hydraulic motor including an output shaft, a reduction gear box having a first side and an opposing second side, the reduction gear box being coupled to the output shaft at the first side and coupled to a reduction shaft at the second side, and a magneto-rheological fluid brake (MRF) brake coupled to the reduction shaft.

A squeeze mode giant electrorheological fluid damper is disclosed. The squeeze mode giant electrorheological fluid damper comprises a support, a container and a connecting structure, wherein the support comprises a bottom plate, guide shafts and a top plate, the guide shaft is vertically fixed on the bottom plate, and the top plate is slidably arranged on the guide shaft; the container comprises a container body and two spiral spring pieces coaxially arranged in the container body, the container body is fixed on the bottom plate, the bottoms of the two spiral spring pieces are fixed to the bottom of the container, the two spiral spring pieces are not in contact with each other and are spaced by 180°; the top of the connecting structure is fixedly connected with the top plate, and the bottom of the connecting structure is fixedly connected with the tops of the two spiral spring pieces.

A task of the present invention is to provide an electro-rheological fluid composition and a cylinder device which allow a large ER effect to be obtained, while reducing a current density. An electro-rheological fluid composition (8) of the present invention includes a fluid (32) and a particle (28) having an ion conductivity, the particle (28) having the ion conductivity has a first layer (29) forming a surface of the particle (28) and a second layer (30) forming a part of the particle (28) interior to the first layer (29), and an ion conductivity of the first layer (29) is lower than an ion conductivity of the second layer (30).