Active sensor/actuator assemblies for vibration damping, compensation, measurement and testing

The vibration control module known as IQ damper (R) had been developed as part of active vibration damping system for optical tables and other precision vibration isolated platforms. The present work describes steps to expand the application of these units to other tasks, namely, (1) dynamic testing of structures and (2) compensation of forced vibration in local areas. The sensor-actuator assembly, including signal conditioning circuits, is designed as a compact dynamically symmetric module with mechanical interface to an optical table. The test data show that the vibration control modules can be used to measure dynamic compliance characteristics of optical tables with precision comparable to that of dedicated vibration measurement systems. Stable concerted work of active vibration control modules compensating forced harmonic vibration is demonstrated experimentally.