KR101004511B1 - Magnetic suspension system - Google Patents

Abstract

Magnetic levitation methods and apparatus employ arrays of vehicle magnets that provide three forces: suspension, guidance and propulsion. The magnets may be permanent magnets or superconducting magnets operating in a continuous current mode, the magnets being associated to provide a controllable attractive force to a laminated steel rail. It has control coils. The control coils adjust the gap between the magnets and the rails to achieve a stable balance without significant power dissipation in the control coils. These same magnets and steel rails also provide lateral guide forces for holding the vehicle on the track and steering the vehicle upon rotation. Suspension control coils can provide lateral damping by magnets that are offset in suspension arrays. The windings of the transverse slots of the steel rails are excited with a current that repels the magnetic field generated by the vehicle magnets to cause vehicle propulsion. Even when the number of winding slots per wavelength along the rail is small, the size of the magnet is adjusted so that the cogging force provided is negligible. Means are used to mitigate end effects so that multiple magnet pods can be used to support the vehicle.

Suspension force, guiding force, driving force, cogging force, magnetic levitation, magnetic force, magnet, vehicle, control coil, superconductor,

Description

Magnetic suspension system {MAGNETIC SUSPENSION SYSTEM}

This application claims the benefit of priority disclosed in US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 415,013, filed Oct. 1, 2002, entitled "Suspension, Guide, and Propulsion Vehicle Using Magnetic Force." This application is part of a serial application of US Patent Application No. 10 / 262,541, filed Oct. 1, 2002, titled Synchronous Machine Design and Manufacturing Method. The contents of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to maglev transport systems and methods, and more particularly to a maglev transport system and method for the suspension, guide and propulsion of a vehicle using magnetic force.

The use of magnetic force to suspend, guide and propel a vehicle has been extensively studied and several full-scale display models have been manufactured. In spite of proven advantages such as fast, comfortable, quiet and effective operation, magnetic levitation has been recognized as expensive and mainly suitable for very high speed operation. Applications for the use of urban areas have been limited by the proposed design performance to effectively compete with conventional guide systems such as high speed transport, light rails, monorails, commuter rails and highway bus lanes.

In practice, all magnetic levitation designs that are seriously considered for transportation applications are characterized by either ElectroDynamic Suspension (EDS) or Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS). EDS designs use the forces generated by the interaction of induced currents with alternating magnetic fields to generate currents, while EMS designs use the magnet's attrative force against ferromagnetic materials. EDS and EMS designs have been designed and tested at speeds above 150 m / s (336 mph, 540 km / h) that are known to be feasible.
Each design has advantages and disadvantages, while EDS has the advantage of operating with a larger magnetic gap than EMS, but has the fundamental disadvantage of generating high drag at low speeds and not providing any suspension force at rest. EMS, on the other hand, has the advantage of working very well at low speeds, but has the disadvantage that the magnetic gap should be much smaller than the practical gap in EDS designs.

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According to the Japanese high-speed test track, at least 150 m / s (353 mph) can be achieved with an EDS system with a gap of 100 mm, and 125 m / s (280 mph) according to the German shipping EMS test track. Reliable operation has been demonstrated for gaps of 10 mm at speeds of. For urban applications, EMS is seen to have many advantages, and if magnetic gaps increase, the advantages will be greater for both low and high speed designs.

In view of the prior art disclosed in the existing patent publications, it is beneficial to review the existing patent publications to understand how different from the prior art and how to improve it.

U.S. Patent No. 3,638,093 (a magnetic suspension and propulsion system granted to James Ross on January 25, 1972) is an early example of a design that combines suspension and propulsion. This patent publication refers to some of the old important patents circa 1889. This design requires power to be transferred to the vehicle to propel the vehicle and requires substantial power since the suspension does not use permanent magnets.

U.S. Patent No. 3,842,751 (transportation system using electromagnetic suspension, guides, and propulsion vehicles granted to Richard Torton and Henry Colm on October 22, 1974) is a single set of superconductors for suspension, guiding, and propulsion of vehicles. Or how to use permanent magnets, but based on EDS technology without the need to control other unstable suspensions. This design requires the use of a wheel for low speed operation, but is not suitable for low speed operation due to the high speed drag.

U.S. Patent No. 3,860,300 (substantially zero powered magnetic suspension issued to Joseph Leeman on January 14, 1975) discloses the use of permanent magnets in suspension systems, but the design is for magnetic bearings and It requires a totally independent structure for the electromagnet. This patent did not solve the problem of guide or propulsion.

U.S. Patent No. 3,937,148 (substantially zero powered linear magnetic bearing to Paul A. Simpson, dated February 10, 1976) discloses how Patent 3,860,300 can be used for transportation, but is an independent electromagnet. The issue of guidance and propulsion has not been solved.

U.S. Patent No. 4,088,379 (a variable permanent magnet suspension system granted to Lloyd Pepper as of May 9, 1978) is intended to solve the problem in Patent No. 3,860,300, but can be applied directly to magnetic levitation using EMS. There is no.

US Pat. No. 5,722,326 (Magnetic Levitation System for Object Movement, issued to Richard Post on March 3, 1998) is a modification of the above Patent No. 3,842,751 that uses a Halbach array of permanent magnets. This publication is specific to EDS and does not describe how permanent magnets are used in EMS designs.

U.S. Patent No. 3,860,300 (substantially zero powered magnetic suspension granted to Joseph Leeman on January 14, 1975) discloses how permanent magnets are used to provide magnetic suspension, but the disclosed design is an independent electromagnet. Are not required and are not readily applicable to transportation applications.

U.S. Patent No. 3,937,148 (substantially zero powered linear magnetic bearing to Paul A. Simpson, dated February 10, 1976) discloses how the preceding patent is used for transportation applications, but requires an independent electromagnet. And did not solve the problem of guide and promotion.

While the above-mentioned patents indicate the importance of the purpose of the patents disclosed herein, they do not consider the important components.

By the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for maglev, and in particular to provide a method and apparatus for the suspension, guide and / or propulsion of a vehicle using magnetic force.

Another object is to provide the above method and apparatus such that the vehicle weight is reduced so that the guide, suspension and propulsion costs are reduced.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a method and apparatus that can operate at short forward and high speeds, in particular to reduce both latency and travel time.

A related object is to provide such a method and apparatus that are economically manufactured.

The foregoing describes, in some aspects, the use of a single magnetic structure, or multiple structures, if necessary, to provide vertical suspension force, lateral guide force, and longitudinal thrust force. Some of the objects obtained by the present invention for providing a magnetic levitating device. In one aspect of the invention, the magnetic structure (s) comprises a magnet that provides a suspension. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, this may be a permanent magnet. Coils wrapped around (or disposed adjacent to) the magnet control the suspension to stabilize in any predetermined direction.

According to a related feature of the invention, the coils described above are excited by a current which controls the magnetic gap such that the weight of the vehicle is equal to the attraction of the magnets, for example. These control currents can be generated by the feedback control system to actively attenuate heavy, pitch, yaw, roll and / or sway.

In another aspect, the magnetic levitation device as described above may apply a control current to generate a force against any perturbation that changes the magnetic gap from a predetermined value.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a magnetic levitation device as described above in which the magnets are staggered, whereby the same control coils can be used to provide active control of the lateral motion.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a magnetic levitation device as described above arranged in a gap (or larger gap) twice as large as practical in prior art systems.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a magnetic levitation device as described above in which superconducting magnets are used instead of (or in addition to) the permanent magnet described above. In a related aspect of the invention, these superconductor magnets can be operated in a persistent mode without the need for control of the superconductor current.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a vehicle utilizing the magnetic levitation device as described above. These can be, for example, passenger vehicles, baggage vehicles, or other traveling devices that drive at short headway.

The systems and methods according to the present invention have advantages in many respects, one of which is that high accelerations are provided so that high speed operation is possible, even if it is often necessary to make rapid turns or stops at low speeds.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a method of operating a passenger vehicle, baggage vehicle, and other maglev devices in parallel with the functions described above.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a maglev guideway and suspension system according to the present invention with a magnet module in which each side of the vehicle provides a combined suspension, guide and propulsion;

FIG. 2A is a side view of a magnet module and structure portion of the center of the system of FIG. 1; FIG.

FIG. 2B is a distal end view of the system of FIG. 1 to equalize magnetic flux and reduce cogging. FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the suspension, guide and propulsion forces for the 1-wavelength section of the magnet pods shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B in the case of an 80 mm wide rail. Graph.

4 shows a short stator section according to the invention showing (a) stator lamination with a propulsion winding, and (b) a controllable magnet at the center, equalizing flux And a three-dimensional illustration of a vehicle magnet pod with specific end magnets that minimize cogging and pitching forces.

5 is a block diagram of a suspension control system in accordance with the present invention.

6 is a block diagram of a linear synchronous motor (LSM) control system in accordance with the present invention.

7 shows a vehicle according to the invention with four pods turning in two dimensions to allow for compromise of horizontal and vertical rotation.

8 shows how the magnetic pods as shown in FIG. 7 are attached to a vehicle according to the invention, showing any mechanical mechanism according to the invention for damping vibrations of the pods relative to the vehicle. .

FIG. 9 shows how magnets are offset relative to a suspension rail, such that in a system according to the invention, the suspension control system attenuates lateral oscillations.

10 shows a system according to the invention in which permanent magnets are replaced by superconducting magnets.

The system according to the invention uses a magnetic structure for providing suspension, propulsion and guides. In one embodiment, the suspension can raise about 10 times the weight of the magnetic structure, and the integrated propulsion system can be operated with an average efficiency of at least 90%. Transport systems using these suspensions, propulsions and guides have light vehicles, consume less energy, reduce noise, higher upper speeds, higher acceleration and maintenance associated with wheel-based systen. Has the advantage of known magnetic levitation designs such as none.

Choice of Dimensions

1 shows a cross-sectional view of a reference suspension design in a system according to the invention. The vehicle is supported by a series of magnets on each side, which generate attractive forces against the stacked steel rails on the guideway. The dimension shown in FIG. 1 is selected in consideration of several factors as follows.

(Iv) Vehicle widths shall be employed at least in the range of 2.0 to 3.2 m (6.6 to 10.5 ft) to accommodate various applications. These ranges include the widths of vans, buses and trains, where larger widths are suitable for high speeds and larger capacities, while smaller widths are suitable for lower speeds and smaller capacities.

(Ii) Maglev vehicle weight is expected to be about 0.9 tonnes (0.9 Mg or 2,000 lbs) per meter of length, depending on the load on the market. In the illustrated embodiment, assuming that the magnet pod extends over most of the vehicle length, each pod should support about 0.5 tonnes per meter. Also in the embodiment shown, this is achieved using readily available permanent magnets having a magnetic gap of about 20 mm and steel rails of about 80 mm width (but other types of magnets, different sized gaps and rails, And rails of other materials are also available.)

(Iii) It is preferable that the same magnets providing the lifting force also provide the guide force. Lateral guide force conditions can be as high as 0.4 g, for example under worst case conditions of rotation and high wind. The inventors have realized that if the steel rails on the guideway are four times wider than the nominal magnetic gap, this condition is achieved. This coincides with, for example, the 20 mm magnetic gap and the 80 mm wide rail as described above.

(Iii) The center-to-center spacing of the steel rails is chosen to be 1700 mm, as shown, which is somewhat larger than a typical train rail with a distance of 1435 mm between the inner edges of the rails.

The dimensions of other embodiments may vary to suit their application. For example, it is appropriate to use a narrow rail gauge for low-speed Group Rapid Transit (GRT) applications, and high loads per meter of the guideway for very high speeds or heavy loads. It is preferable to use wider steel rails having

Choice of Pole Pitch and Magenet Size

A side view of the suspension of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2A. The magnetic field is repeated at so-called wavelengths. The optimum value of the wavelength can vary over a wide range depending on the requirements for vehicle size, speed, weight and acceleration. For the dimensions shown in FIG. 1, the wavelength is preferably chosen to be about 0.5 m (but other sizes are also available). This leads to propulsion coils that are approximately square in cross section and impart an acceptable small propulsion winding inductance. For a 0.5 m wavelength and a vehicle speed of 45 m / s (101 mph), the linear synchronous motor (LSM) excitation frequency is 90 Hz. Embodiments with longer wavelengths use more back iron on stator rails and for vehicle magnets (which can increase guideway costs and vehicle weight). Embodiments with shorter wavelengths have higher excitation frequencies (which can increase the problems of eddy current loss and winding inductance).
3 is a graph showing the suspension force and the guide force as a lateral displacement function for one wavelength (0.5 m) section and 80 mm rail width of the vehicle magnets in the system as described above. This graph was created using 3D finite element analysis with periodic boundary conditions for magnets generating 40 Mega Gauss Oersted (MGO) energy. Normal operation has 20 mm vertical displacement and zero horizontal displacement, with a suspension force of 2,700 N per wavelength as shown in the graph. In this case, the suspension supports a 550 kg mass per meter of length of the magnet pod. Two half-magnets on the ends of the pods generate an additional lifting force of 630 N total for magnets having the dimensions and position as shown in FIG. 2B. Four pods, each 3 m long, will injure 6,700 Kg, which is the approximate weight of a small bus-sized vehicle that is typically loaded (ie, 75% of the seat is filled).

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In the illustrated embodiment, the dimensions of the stator claim the priority of US patent application Ser. No. 60 / 326,278, filed Oct. 1, 2001, and entitled "Synchronous Machine Design and Manufacturing Method." As disclosed in the patent application. Both applications have been assigned to this assignee, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

In order to minimize inductance and simplify the propulsion winding, the winding slots in the stator have vertical sides without any pole tips extension. In order to minimize the cogging force, the longitudinal length of the magnets can be selected as discussed in the original application above. For example, for three slots per wavelength, if the slot width is equal to the tooth width, the magnet length that minimizes cogging is either 0.45 or 0.77 times half the wavelength. For a 500 mm wavelength, the optimum magnet length is about 112 mm or 186 mm. Both of these choices give very little cogging, and short magnets give only 70% suspension force (hence, it is usually better to choose long magnets). In order to minimize cogging in terms of edge effect along rail width, a magnet length of 186 mm is a good choice for the above mentioned dimensions.

The slot width can vary over a wide range, but by making the slot width the same as the tooth width, stator stacks can be made without scrap. In some embodiments, it is desirable to change the relative winding slot width to achieve a certain effect, whereby it will also be necessary to use different length magnets to minimize cogging. Can be.

The height (ie thickness) of the magnets is chosen to be about 25% more than the air gap, ie 25 mm when this gap is 20 mm. Higher magnets impart a lot of attraction and propulsion, but involve a lot of ampere-turns in the control coil and an increase in magnet weight. Smaller values reduce manpower and reduce propulsion. Selecting 25% appears to be nearly optimal for some applications.

In order to reduce the resistive power loss in the winding to an acceptable level during hopping, the height of the control coil needs to be greater than the height of the magnet. By placing the magnets on pedestals it is possible to do this. In some applications, it is desirable to compromise between weight gain and power loss, so that the height of the control coil is 40 mm.
Magnet Type and Configuration

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In the current art, a good choice of magnet material is niodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB). In choosing among the classes, it is desirable to evaluate the coercive force required for maximum energy yield and demagnetization at the maximum possible operating temperature. In the illustrated embodiment, the material is used with a condition that the magnetic flux is substantially self-erasing when driven to zero at a temperature of 50 ° C., with an energy yield of 40 MGO. NdFeB magnets with energy outputs in excess of 40 MGO may be used as currently available materials, which tend to self-erasing easily. For some embodiments of the present invention, in selecting the material, in order to increase the gap when the gap is at a minimum, the magnetic erasure is sufficiently small at a significant part of the magnet when the control current reduces the magnetic flux to the required level. We aim to do it. Other magnet shapes, such as Hallbatch arrays, may be used in other embodiments, but this does not substantially affect the design.

End Magnets
In the system according to the invention, the vehicle magnet array is typically only a few wavelengths long. When determining the end magnet arrangement, it is desirable to consider the following:

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1. It is desirable for the magnets to terminate the magnetic flux from the periodic part of the array so that the stator magnetic flux becomes very similar to when the vehicle array is very long.

2. If the periodic array does not generate a cogging force, it is desirable that the end magnets do not cause cogging.

3. The end magnets preferably do not generate excessive pitching forces on the array.

This results in the following form in some embodiments.

1. The magnets are approximately as long as the prescribed magnet, but have a reduced height. Their size and placement are chosen so that half of the magnetic flux from adjacent magnets is directed in each longitudinal direction.

2. The length and spacing of the end magnets are chosen so that there is no cogging.

3. An even number of magnets are used in the periodic array and a carefully calculated size and placement is used so that the pitching force produced by the end magnets is very small.

The relevant dimensions shown in FIG. 2B are selected according to this criterion. A magnet pod with four full magnets and two end magnets is shown in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 2B, the end magnets are not full height and do not have control coils. The reduced height reduces the attractive force when the magnetic gap is small, which reduces the peak current required in the control coils. In some embodiments, the control coil is disposed around the end magnets. The design of the end magnets will be very different if the magnet array is very short or high suspension force is required, which is envisioned herein.

Suspension Control

In the system according to the invention, in coils wound around suspension magnets, the change of current controls the vertical suspension force. The two purposes of control are as follows.

1. Convert an unstable equilibrium point to a stable balance point.

2. Adjust the magnetic gap to a value that minimizes power dissipation in the control coils.

Control systems that accomplish this task are typically configured as two independent feedback control loops. Fast loops using gap and acceleration sensors provide stabilization, while slower loops using current sensors minimize control current.

Stabilization is used because the system of static electromagnets is inherently unstable in at least one degree of freedom. The design described herein is unstable in the vertical direction but stable in all other directions. In normal operation, if the magnetic gap is designed at 20 mm with a nominal load, the length of the magnet pods is such that 20 mm is the balance point when the suspension magnetic force closely matches the load force with a small current in the control coils. Select. As the load increases, the fast response portion of the control system immediately applies a control current that hinders the increased load, and over time, a zero-power control loop results in a smaller control current required near the balance. To reduce the suspension gap. A typical vehicle has a load that changes approximately ± 20% relative to its nominal value, which causes the magnetic gap to change from its nominal value to about ± 3 mm, requiring a small gap at heavy loads (see Figure 3). .

5 is a simplified block diagram of a control system for a conventional pod in accordance with the present invention. The pod may have any number of control coils, denoted by n, each of which is alternately controlled by an H-bridge controlled by a digital signal processor (DSP). Controlled. The gaps and acceleration sensors at each end of the pod provide the sensor inputs needed to maintain a stable gap. In practice, there may be more than one processor to spare in case of failure of the control system.

LSM and Its Control

The linear synchronous motor (LSM) of the illustrated embodiment is based on the above-mentioned applications (US Patent Application No. 60 / 326,278 and an application filed on the same day as the present application under the same name), or other designed methods ( Conventional methods or other methods) can be used. The LSM and suspension design is preferably selected so that there is sufficient lateral force so that no additional magnetic structure for providing the guide is needed. If the gap is small, it may involve dividing the suspension rail into two or more parts, each of which provides a guide, for example in the manner of the HSST maglev system in Japan. The LSM may be controlled by a microprocessor driving a multiphase inverter as shown in the control system block diagram in FIG.

Position sensing in the illustrated embodiment is accomplished as described in US Pat. No. 6,011,508 "Accurate Positioning and Communication for Guideway Operated Vehicles," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. May or may not be used). The position sensing system is integrated in the LSM, which controls the switching of the inverter. When the required thrust is low, the current is synchronized with the motor back-voltage, and the sign of the current determines whether the motor provides a forward thrust or a rear thrust. Preferably, it is desirable to operate the inverter. Operating in-phase minimizes power dissipation in the LSM windings.

For the typical application of the illustrated embodiment, the inductance of the LSM is quite large, and when the thrust is large, the LSM control can be used to achieve the required thrust and speed with minimal power dissipation in the windings. The phase angle between the currents needs to be adjusted. In this case, the current and the back voltage will not be tuned, and the control becomes more complicated. This situation is not common with rotary motors, since rotary motors usually have small air gaps and have magnetic fields of magnetic fields that excite all windings, so that the per-unit inductance is not large. to be.

Damping of Lateral Force

The designs shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B are capable of carrying out rotation and generate sufficient lateral forces to be able to resist lateral wind forces. In order to provide this lateral force attenuation, the pairs of magnets are offset as shown in FIG. 9, which shows four full-length magnets 91, 92 and two Top view of a short magnet pod according to the invention with two end magnets 93.

In order to create a significant lateral force, an offset can be used that provides only a small reduction in vertical suspension force. For example, if the control coils increase the force of coils (and magnets) that are offset in one direction and decrease the force of coils (and magnets) that are offset in the opposite direction, there is no change in vertical force at all. There can be pure lateral forces. By using sensors to detect the lateral movement of the magnets relative to the rail, these currents can be controlled to damp the vibrations. This control is not intended to provide lateral guide forces, but merely attenuates vibrations associated with lateral kinetic resonance.

If a magnet is mounted on the pod and several pods are used to support the vehicle, lateral forces can be used to dampen some form of motion. For example, swaging is a side-to-side movement of a vehicle and rolling is a rotational movement about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The two modes combine because some lateral force exerted by the suspension magnet under the vehicle creates swaging and rolling. By controlling the vertical and lateral magnetic forces, swaging and rolling can be attenuated.

Yawing is the rotational movement of the vehicle about the vertical axis of the vehicle, which can be damped by applying a lateral force to the front pod in a direction opposite to the lateral force applied to the rear pod. These lateral forces applied under the vehicle can produce a small amount of rolling, which rolling must be damped as described above.

In many cases, it will also be desirable to add mechanical damping of one or more degrees of freedom. However, in low speed systems it may be possible to eliminate all or most mechanical attenuation and use only magnetic force for control.

Use of Superconducting Magnets

In one embodiment according to the invention, superconducting magnets may be used in addition to or in place of the permanent magnet. This can be done, for example, by controlling the current in the superconductor coil to stabilize the gap, or by operating the superconductor coil in a permanent current mode and using an external control coil as in the case of the permanent magnet suspension described above. The latter approach has the advantage that superconductor magnets can be significantly simplified.

A preferred method of using superconductor magnets is to replace the permanent magnet structure with a structure similar to that shown in FIG. The superconductor coils 102a, 102b here can be composed of high temperature superconductors, laminated steel poles with pole tips 104 used to distribute magnetic flux in a manner that minimizes cogging forces. steel poles) (103). The use of a steel core for the coil has the advantage of reducing the size of the superconducting coil required and the size of the control coil. It also reduces eddy current loss in superconductors that occur at low temperatures.

In FIG. 10, the superconductor windings are configured independently and can be inserted over the pole tip and control windings.

Use of a Single Overhead Suspension Rail

Additional embodiments of the present invention use a single overhead suspension rail that supports the vehicle in a similar manner as the cable car is supported by the overhead cable. This suspension method has several advantages as follows.

(Iii) Only one suspension rail and one propulsion winding are needed, thus saving costs.

(Ii) It is easier to design a switch that acts quickly.

(Iii) The support beam may be smaller and less curved.

For use indoors such as airports, overhead systems can be a good choice. When the vehicle is stationary or moving slowly, there may be mechanical guide wheels to resist swing movement, and without wind the swing movement can be suppressed. Overhead suspension may also be desirable for use in tunnels. In this case there may be a magnet that generates a repulsive force to suppress swing motion, and the overhead suspension enables smaller diameter tunnels and lower cost suspension and propulsion systems.

Scaling

The size of the suspension system according to the invention fits well to move a person but may not be optimal to move an object. For example, a smaller scale version may be used for use in a clean room, such as in a semiconductor manufacturing facility where contamination from wheel-based suspension may be a problem. May be required. Another example is for moving radioactive material, in which case the vehicle can be operated inside a closed duct and the propulsion winding is arranged outside the duct. In addition, by using a wider suspension rail to handle more force, the design can be extended, or can be designed to have larger gaps and longer wavelengths for higher speeds. All these variations are possible, and the design principles discussed here are still applicable.

What has been described above are systems and methods for achieving certain goals. It is to be understood that the embodiments disclosed and discussed herein are merely examples of the invention and other embodiments that utilize such variations are included in the scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

A magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, at least one control coil and a first control system, The guideway includes one or more ferromagnetic rails, and at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprises windings for a linear synchronous motor. To; The vehicle comprises one or a plurality of arrays of magnets, wherein at least one of the magnet arrays (i) exerts magnetic attraction forces on at least one guideway rail. (Ii) induce lateral restoring forces on the vehicle, and (i) in response to a current in one or a plurality of windings, thereby applying longitudinal forces Cause; The at least one control coil is wound around magnets to stabilize a vertical gap between the one or more magnet arrays and the one or more ferromagnetic rails; The first control system for controlling the at least one control coil; Magnetic suspension system. delete The method of claim 1, And a second control system for driving the windings of the synchronous motor. The method of claim 1, A magnetic suspension system further comprising at least a pair of magnets arranged in a lateral offset manner to dampen sway and yaw forces. The method of claim 1, A magnetic suspension system further comprising one or a plurality of devices disposed on the vehicle for damping heavy, roll, swiveling, and yawing vibrations. The method of claim 1, A magnetic suspension system further comprising a linear synchronous motor for generating thrust forces without generating cogging forces. The method of claim 1, And a position sensing system for determining the position of the vehicle relative to the guideway. The method of claim 1, The magnet array further comprises end magnets having size and position to reduce end effects and cogging forces. The method of claim 8, The magnet array further comprises at least a pair of magnets disposed laterally offset. The method of claim 8, A magnetic suspension system further comprising one or a plurality of devices disposed on the vehicle for damping hiving, swaging and yawing vibrations. A magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, and a system, The guideway comprises one or a plurality of ferromagnetic rails, at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprising windings for a linear synchronous motor; The vehicle comprises one or a plurality of arrays of superconducting magnets, wherein at least one of the superconducting magnet arrays is (i) magnetic attraction against at least one guideway rail. forces), (ii) induce lateral restoring forces on the vehicle, and (i) in response to current in one or a plurality of windings, longitudinal forces forces); The system stabilizes the vertical gap; Magnetic suspension system. The method of claim 11, A magnetic suspension system comprising a winding contro system for generating acceleration forces. Magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, at least one control coil, a first control system, and a second control system As The guideway comprises one or a plurality of ferromagnetic rails, at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprising windings for a linear synchronous motor; The vehicle comprises one or a plurality of arrays of superconducting magnets, wherein at least one of the superconducting magnet arrays is (i) magnetic attraction forces against at least one guideway rail. (Ii) induce lateral restoring forces on the vehicle, and (i) in response to current in one or a plurality of windings, longitudinal forces Results in; The at least one control coil is wound around the magnets to result in a stable vertical gap; The first control system controls the coils; The second control system includes: driving windings to accelerate the vehicle; Magnetic suspension system. A magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, at least one control coil and a first control system, The guideway comprises one or a plurality of ferromagnetic rails, at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprising windings for a linear synchronous motor; The vehicle comprises one or a plurality of arrays of magnets, wherein at least one of the magnet arrays is magnetically attracted across a gap that is (i) planar to at least one guideway rail. lateral restoring forces sufficient to result in magnetic attraction forces and (ii) provide guidance for the vehicle, without the need for additional structures, throughout the same planar gap as above. (I) in response to a current in one or a plurality of windings, resulting in longitudinal forces across the gap which is coplanar as above; The at least one control coil is wound around magnets to stabilize a vertical gap between the one or more magnet arrays and the one or more ferromagnetic rails; The first control system for controlling the at least one control coil; Magnetic suspension system. delete The method of claim 14, And a second control system for driving the windings of the synchronous motor. A magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, at least one control coil and a first control system, The guideway comprises one or a plurality of ferromagnetic rails, at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprising windings for a linear synchronous motor; The vehicle comprises one or a plurality of arrays of magnets, wherein at least one of the magnet arrays is magnetically attracted over a gap that is (i) planar to at least one guideway rail. lateral restoring force sufficient to cause magnetic attraction forces and (ii) to perform at least one rotation and to resist lateral wind forces throughout the same planar gap as above. results in restoring forces, and (i) in response to a current in one or a plurality of windings, results in longitudinal forces across the gap which is coplanar as above; The at least one control coil is wound around magnets to stabilize a vertical gap between the one or more magnet arrays and the one or more ferromagnetic rails; The first control system for controlling the at least one control coil; Magnetic suspension system. A magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, and a system, The guideway comprises one or a plurality of ferromagnetic rails, at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprising windings for a linear synchronous motor; The vehicle comprises one or a plurality of arrays of magnets, wherein at least one of the magnet arrays is magnetically attracted across a gap that is (i) planar to at least one guideway rail. lateral restoring force sufficient to cause magnetic attraction forces and (ii) to perform at least one rotation and to resist lateral wind forces throughout the same planar gap as above. results in restoring forces, and (i) in response to a current in one or a plurality of windings, results in longitudinal forces across the gap which is coplanar as above; The system stabilizes the vertical gap; The one or the plurality of magnet arrays comprise any one or both of superconductor magnets and permanent magnets; Magnetic suspension system. Magnetic suspension system comprising a guideway, a vehicle, at least one control coil, a first control system, and a second control system As The guideway comprises one or a plurality of ferromagnetic rails, at least one of the ferromagnetic rails further comprising windings for a linear synchronous motor; The vehicle includes one or a plurality of arrays of magnets, wherein at least one of the magnet arrays (i) has a magnetic attraction across the gap that is planar with respect to at least one guideway rail. lateral restoring sufficient to cause magnetic attraction forces and (ii) be able to perform at least one rotation and resist lateral wind forces throughout the same planar gap as above. forces, and (i) in response to a current in one or a plurality of windings, results in longitudinal forces across the gap which is coplanar as above; The at least one control coil is wound around the magnets to result in a stable vertical gap; The first control system controls the coils; The second control system drives the windings to accelerate the vehicle; The one or the plurality of magnet arrays comprise any one or both of superconductor magnets and permanent magnets; Magnetic suspension system.

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