Linear induction motor propulsion system

Claim 1

A linear induction motor system for propelling a plurality of independent armatures guided along a predetermined path, comprising a plurality of polyphase stator members regularly spaced apart along said path and extending each longitudinally along a portion of said path to produce, when polyphase energized, a magnetic traveling field moving along said path, a polyphase source of electric energy, and means to connect said source selectively to said stator members in positive or negative phase sequence, said stator members being associated in groups of 2 k successive units, k being an integer > OR = 2, to be connected to said source according to the same cycle, the stator members of each pair of stator members of ranks n and n + k (l < OR = n < OR = k) of each group being adapted and electrically connected to produce magnetic fields traveling in opposite directions and to be simultaneously phase sequence-reversed, each armature being dimensioned to span k successive stator members, said cycle providing the phase sequence reversing of the k pairs of stator members of each group at regularly spaced apart points of time, said cycle being at phase cycle of the order k and of such a frequency that the mean group velocity of the total thrust wave exerted on each armature is lower than the phase velocity of said magnetic traveling field.