GB1376897A - Railway system - Google Patents

Abstract

1376897 Magnetically guided rail vehicles MESSERSCHMITT - BOLKOW - BLOHM GmbH 10 Dec 1971 [11 Dec 1970] 57497/71 Heading B7L A railway system comprises a vehicle 1, 2 whose lateral position relative to a rail or rails 6 of the system is determined by the energization of guide electromagnets 3 on the vehicle which form air gaps 8 with the rails, such energization being controlled in dependence on any change in the ratio between the arithmetic mean value and the actual values at any instant of the widths of at least one pair of opposed air gaps formed between parts of the vehicle and a rail or rails. The opposed air gaps may be the same as the electromagnet air gaps 8 or, as shown in Fig. 2, may be gaps 13 defined between the cooperating parts 11 and 12 of a linearmotor. The vehicle may be levitated by supporting magnets (not shown), may have flangeless wheels or may be of the hovercraft type. The energization is preferably confined to that guide magnet associated with the larger air gap of the pair. Additional energization can be provided to counteract extransous forces such as wind gusts.