Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
An actuator comprising: a housing, adapted to be to be attached to a structure, vibration of which is to be compensated; a displaceable proof mass supported within said housing by elastically deformable means for constraining the displacement of said proof mass; means, coupled to said housing, for causing an acceleration of said proof mass against which said housing and any structure attached thereto react; force measurement means, integrally coupled with said proof mass, for measuring characteristics of the force produced in the course of the acceleration of said proof mass, and generating an output signal representative thereof; and means, responsive to said output signal, for controlling the manner in which said acceleration causing means causes the acceleration of said proof mass.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
An actuator comprising: a housing, adapted to be to be attached to a structure, vibration of which is to be compensated; a displaceable proof mass supported within said housing by elastically deformable means for constraining the displacement of said proof mass; means, coupled to said housing, for causing an acceleration of said proof mass against which said housing and any structure attached thereto react; force measurement means, integrally coupled with said proof mass, for measuring characteristics of the force produced in the course of the acceleration of said proof mass, and generating an output signal representative thereof; and means, responsive to said output signal, for controlling the manner in which said acceleration causing means causes the acceleration of said proof mass.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
An actuator according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means includes a force feedback loop coupled to said force measurement means through which the operation of said acceleration causing means is controlled in accordance with prescribed characteristics of said output signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
An actuator according to claim 2, wherein said controlling means includes means for controlling the operation of said acceleration causing means so as to reduce the magnitude of prescribed characteristics of said output signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
An actuator according to claim 3, wherein said displaceable proof mass comprises a magnetic field responsive element and said acceleration causing means comprises means for generating a controlled magnetic field in response to which said magnetic field responsive element is accelerated.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
80 words
An actuator according to claim 4, wherein said housing has a generally cylindrical configuration and said magnetic field responsive element comprises a first pair of generally cup-shaped pole pieces and a second pair of generally cup-shaped pole pieces coaxial with and having a diameter different than said first pair of pole pieces so as to form a generally cylindrical space therebetween, and wherein said magnetic field generating means comprises a pair of electrical coils supported within said generally cylindrical space.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
An actuator according to claim 5, wherein said elastically deformable means comprises a pair of flexures, affixed to longitudinally spaced apart portions of said housing, to which said first and second pairs of cup-shaped poles pieces are connected so as to be supported thereby in an axially translatable configuration.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
An actuator according to claim 6, wherein said magnetic field generating means comprises a generally cylindrical support member affixed to said housing within said generally cylindrical space and around which said pair of electrical coils are wound.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
An actuator according to claim 7, wherein each of said flexures comprises a multi-curve legged graphite flexure.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
An actuator according to claim 1, wherein said force measurement means comprises a first accelerometer integrally coupled with said proof mass, and further including a second accelerometer coupled with said housing for measuring vibrations in a structure to which said housing is attached and producing a vibration representative output signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
An actuator according to claim 9, further including means for controlling the operation of said acceleration causing means in accordance with the vibration representative signal.