A center bearing assembly rotatably supports an intermediate portion of a vehicle
driveshaft assembly during use. The center bearing assembly includes a rigid bracket
that is secured to a support surface of the vehicle, a support member that is supported
within the rigid bracket, and an annular bearing that is supported within the support
member for rotatably supporting the intermediate portion of the vehicle driveshaft
assembly. The support member is formed from a resilient material and has a cavity
formed therein. A plurality of bladders is disposed within the cavity formed in
the support member. Each of the bladders is filled with a quantity of a rheological
fluid. Fluid communication between adjacent pairs of the bladders is provided by
respective control valves. A control circuit is provided for selectively generating
and applying an energy field to each of the control valves so as to vary the ability
of the rheological fluid to flow therethrough between the associated pair of bladders.
As a result, the vibration dampening characteristics of the support member can
be varied.
