CONTROL METHOD OF ELECTRIC VISCOUS FLUID, DETECTION METHOD OF CHARACTERISTIC VALUE AND DETECTION METHOD OF STATE

摘要

PURPOSE: To control ER fluid electrically or detect the characteristic value or state of the ER fluid electrically. ;CONSTITUTION: In controlling the static yielding value of ER fluid electrically a control circuit 21 outputs a command to a voltage source 23 so that its output voltage value is made variable in a change rate in primary proportion to a change rate required for making the static yielding value correspond to an aimed static yielding value suggested by aimed value setting means 22. In detecting the characteristic value of ER fluid 11 electrically a characteristic value detection circuit 21 obtains a characteristic value corresponding to a detected current value according to a current vs characteristic value relation stored in a nonvolatile memory 28 as well as a current value detected by a current detection circuit 24. In detecting the state of ER fluid 11 electrically a state detection circuit 21 compares a relation between the current value detected by the circuit 24 and a voltage value detected by a voltage detection circuit 25 with a relation between respective currents and voltages when the ER fluid 11 is in a low viscous state, a high viscous state and a solidified state and then extracts a corresponding relation to thereby detects the state of the ER fluid at each time.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO