Driving an active vibration balancer to minimize vibrations at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies

Abstract

Vibrations of a principal machine are reduced at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies by driving the drive motor of an active balancer with balancing signals at the fundamental and selected harmonics. Vibrations are sensed to provide a signal representing the mechanical vibrations. A balancing signal generator for the fundamental and for each selected harmonic processes the sensed vibration signal with adaptive filter algorithms of adaptive filters for each frequency to generate a balancing signal for each frequency. Reference inputs for each frequency are applied to the adaptive filter algorithms of each balancing signal generator at the frequency assigned to the generator. The harmonic balancing signals for all of the frequencies are summed and applied to drive the drive motor. The harmonic balancing signals drive the drive motor with a drive voltage component in opposition to the vibration at each frequency.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to reducing or eliminating mechanical vibrations of a main machine by driving an active balancer coupled to the main machine such that the active balancer generates a counterbalancing force against a force generated by the main machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to the reduction or elimination of mechanical vibration not only at the fundamental operating frequency of the host machine, but also at harmonics of that fundamental frequency. Background technique [0002] Many machines vibrate due to repeated acceleration and deceleration of one or more periodically moving masses that are part of the machine. In some environments, vibrations may be uncomfortable, distracting or annoying, and in some cases, they may interfere with the operation of other equipment and may even cause damage. One way to reduce vibration is to mount the vibrating machine to another mass with an intermediate damper (w...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0004] While the passive balancer is inexpensive, it has the disadvantage that it only responds to vibration at the one resonant frequency to which it is tuned

Active balancers respond to small changes in vibration frequency and can apply compensating forces at magnitudes that better counteract vibrations, but active balancers are more expensive and require a controller to drive the active balancer at the desired magnitude and phase

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