Innovative ‘Active Mass Damper’ banishes bad vibrations

Downsizing engines and reducing the number of cylinders, together with a rise in motor torque, tends to increase vibrations at the expense of comfort. And at the same time, the requirement for comfort continues to increase.

To solve this problem, Hutchinson offers an active anti-vibration compensation system with three components: a sensor, a control unit and an actuator. And for this innovation, Hutchinson won the Silver Trophy in the International Grands Prix for Automotive innovation in the OEM & New Technologies category at the Equip Auto 2013 exhibition in Paris.

The sensor identifies vibrations in the passenger compartment. The information is processed by the control unit that causes the actuator to send a counter vibration to limit or cancel the initial vibration. Effective while the vehicle is running, the active system also works during stop-start city traffic, reducing the idling that often generates vibrations, and also reducing consumption.