Lane Louise Miller, 29Fuquay Varina, NC

5845236, Dec 1, 1998

Oct 16, 1996

8/730773

Mark R. Jolly - Holly Springs NC
Dino J. Rossetti - Chapel Hill NC
Mark A. Norris - Apex NC
Lane R. Miller - Fuquay Varina NC

Lord Corporation - Cary NC

F16F 710

702195

A hybrid active-passive system (20) for reducing noise within a passenger compartment and vibration of a fuselage of a vehicle, such as an aircraft (turboprop, turbofan, or helicopter). The hybrid active-passive system (20) includes, in combination: an active acoustic producer such as a loudspeaker (35), Active Vibration Absorber (AVA) (34), or active absorber assembly (39) for producing antinoise within the compartment (42), and a passive resonant device, such as a passive Tuned Vibration Absorber (TVA) (36), or passive TVA assembly (37) for controlling vibration of the fuselage or structural supports interconnecting the disturbance source (e. g. power plants (26), propellers (28a), gearbox (57), main rotor (28m), tail rotor (28t)) and the fuselage wall (25).

4838392, Jun 13, 1989

Aug 5, 1987

7/081841

Lane R. Miller - Raleigh NC
Charles M. Nobles - Fuquay-Varina NC
Dennis P. McGuire - Erie PA

Lord Corporation - Erie PA

F16F 952

188277

The damper assembly has improved valve means that includes at least one annular movable valve member of the voice-coil type. Such valve member is formed at least in part of composite material that increases the strength and stiffness of the member, while reducing its coefficient of thermal expansion and its weight. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the assembly includes two movable annular valve members which are driven in unison with each other such that when one occupies a flow-permitting position the other occupies a flow-inhibiting position. Check valves utilized in the assembly preferably are of a resilient split-ring type.

4907680, Mar 13, 1990

Jan 29, 1988

7/150112

Paul T. Wolfe - Apex NC
Charles M. Nobles - Fuquay-Varina NC
Lane R. Miller - Cary NC

Lord Corporation - Erie PA

F16F 946

188299

An improved isolation system for time responsive attenuation control led electromechanical valve assembly comprising the piston of motion between spaced members is provided having a remotely actuator of a fluid damper for generating motion attenuating forces. The piston valve assembly employs a moving coil valve slider moveable between first and second positions to generate damper forces independently of the fluid pressure differential between opposing fluid chambers. Direct flow passages extend through the piston valve assembly between the opposing chambers. In the first position of the valve slider, fluid flow is substantially permitted through the direct flow passages to provide a substantially nonresistant damper force. In the second position, the valve slider intersects internal porting portions of the direct flow passages to substantially restrict fluid flow therethrough and provide a resistant damper force. The valving element of the slider and the internal porting portions of the direct flow passages are relatively configured so that fluid flow through the direct flow passages meets the valve element at right angles to the direction of the slider motion.

4821849, Apr 18, 1989

Sep 29, 1986

6/913067

Lane R. Miller - Cary NC

Lord Corporation - Erie PA

F16F 918

188280

A damper of the semi-active type is controlled such that the damping forces generated by the damper, in response to relative movement between spaced members interconnected by it, are caused to be of minimal (ideally zero) magnitude when the product of the relative displacement between the members and the relative velocity between the members is greater than zero. The foregoing control policy may be implemented by purely mechanical elements, or by electronic elements of relatively simple and inexpensive types.

4881172, Nov 14, 1989

Dec 22, 1986

6/945380

Lane R. Miller - Cary NC

Lord Corporation - Erie PA

B60G 1700

36442405

The apparatus is particularly suited for control of the performance of a vehicle suspension system or similar plant having controllable semiactive dampers capable of either high or low damping modes. Different plant modes ensue from different combinations of the damper modes. The control apparatus includes observer devices that model each of the plant modes and produce estimates of the plant output or performance that would be produced in each plant mode. A cost function device identifies the optimal one of the estimates, and the dampers in the real plant are adjusted so as to cause the plant to assume the one of its modes modeled by the observer producing the optimal estimate. In an alternative reduced form of the invention, the functions of the observer and cost function devices are performed by switching function generators that produce switching functions indicative of the estimated worth of the outputs that would be produced by the plant in each of its different modes.

2016023, Aug 18, 2016

Oct 31, 2014

15/029806

- Cary NC, US
Lane R. MILLER - Fuquay-Varina NC, US

B64C 27/00
B64C 27/64
B64C 27/615

Vibration control systems, devices, and methods are provided for a rotary wing aircraft having a rotor including a plurality of blades () each attached to a hub () at its root end and capable of pitching with respect to the hub (). The systems, devices, and methods include a blade pitch adjuster () that is passively adjustable in response to aerodynamic loading on the plurality of blades () to adjust a pitch of one of the plurality of blades () with respect to the hub () based on a frequency of the aerodynamic loading. The blade pitch adjusters () can be configured to exhibit relatively high stiffness at the rotor rotating frequency and tailored dynamics at frequencies higher than the rotor rotating frequency such that hub loads at one or more higher harmonics are reduced.

2012003, Feb 9, 2012

Mar 30, 2010

13/262384

Mark R. Jolly - Raleigh NC, US
Lane R. Miller - Fuquay-Varina NC, US
Mark A Norris - Apex NC, US

B60G 17/016

701 37

The land vehicle includes a body, a power plant and a plurality of land engagers, the land engagers for engaging land and propelling the land vehicle across land. The land vehicle includes a controllable suspension system, the controllable suspension system for controlling suspension movements between the body and the land engagers. The land vehicle includes a computer system and suspension sensors located proximate the land engagers for measuring suspension parameters representative of suspension movements between the body and the land engagers and outputting a plurality of suspension sensor measurement outputs. The land vehicle includes controllable force suspension members located proximate the land engagers and the suspension sensors, the controllable force suspension members applying suspension travel forces between the body and the land engagers to control the suspension movements. The land vehicle computer system includes a controllable suspension system algorithm for controlling the controllable force suspension members to control vehicle body motion and the suspension movements between the body and the land engagers, and a health usage monitoring algorithm for monitoring sensors and assessing a health and a usage of the vehicle and its suspension components.

2008014, Jun 19, 2008

May 7, 2007

11/745270

Dennis McGuire - Erie PA, US
Lane R. Miller - Fuquay-Varina NC, US
Mark R. Jolly - Raleigh NC, US
Askari Badre-Alam - Apex NC, US

B64C 27/04
F16F 9/00

244 1727, 188378, 244 54, 2441291, 18832219

Helicopter reduced vibration axial support struts and aircraft suspension system are disclosed with at least one vibration controlling fluid containing strut. The powered struts include an outer rigid housing containing an inner rigid member and first and second variable volume fluid chambers. Fluid pressure differentials are created between the first and second variable volume fluid chambers to control motion between the strut ends. The powered fluid containing struts, support isolators, suspension systems, and methods of operation provide reduced helicopter aircraft vibrations.