Active vibration isolation system having pressure control

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The advantages and purposes of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The advantages and purposes of the invention will be realized and attained by the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To attain the advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a first aspect of the present invention is a pneumatic control system to support a mass in a vibration isolation system.
The pneumatic control system comprises a compliance chamber filled with a fluid to pneumatically support the mass, the fluid having a fluctuating pressure level caused by external disturbances, and a sensor device connected to the compliance chamber for determining a pressure information of the compliance chamber by directly measuring the pressure level in the compliance chamber.
The pneumatic control system also comprises a controller connected to the sensor device for controlling the pressure level in the compliance chamber in response to the pressure information to minimize the effects of fluctuating pressure level in the compliance chamber.
A second aspect of the present invention is a pneumatic control device to support a mass in a vibration isolation system.
The pneumatic control device comprises a compliance chamber filled with a fluid to pneumatically support the mass, and a pressure sensor connected to the compliance chamber for measuring a pressure level in the compliance chamber and for outputting a pressure information of the compliance chamber.
The pneumatic control device also comprises a feedback control system connected to the pressure sensor for receiving the pressure information and generating a feedback control pressure signal, and a pressure control actuator connected to the compliance chamber and the feedback control system for controlling the pressure level in the compliance chamber in response to the feedback control pressure signal