Means to guide and suspend a vehicle by magnetic forces

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein said permanent magnets are positioned on surface members of ferromagnetic material for concentrating the magnetic flux, said surface members being fastened to said tracks and arms.

Claim 4

The device of claim 2 and further including additional permanent magnets positioned between said rows, said additional permanent magnets being magnetized transversely to the direction of motion of said vehicle and having like poles thereon facing like poles on said magnets in said rows, said additional magnets having a higher coercivity than said vehicle and track permanent magnets.

Claim 5

The device of claim 3 wherein at least certain of said vehicle magnets are movable substantially vertically, and adjustment means for adjusting the vertical position of said movable vehicle magnets to vary the air gap between said movable vehicle magnets and certain of said track magnets.

Claim 6

The device of claim 4 wherein said covering elements for said outer ends of said tracks include heating means.

Claim 7

The device of claim 3 wherein all of said permanent magnets are formed from permanent magnet powder particles of high coercive force from the class including anisotropic strontium ferrite, barium ferrite and manganese aluminum, said magnet powder particles being mixed with a binder, said magnet powder particles in said track and vehicle magnets being mechanically or magnetically aligned substantially vertically, and said magnet powder particles in said additional magnets being mechanically or magnetically aligned substantially perpendicular to the alignment direction of said particles in said track and vehicle magnets and transversely to the direction of motion of said vehicle.

Claim 8

The device of claim 6 wherein said binder comprises a thermoplastic synthetic material.

Claim 9

The device of claim 6 wherein said binder comprises a thermosetting synthetic material.

Claim 10

The device of claim 6 wherein said binder comprises a rubber material.

Claim 11

A vehicle guided and suspended by magnetic forces along a supporting track which comprises a plurality of highly coercive permanent magnets attached to both the vehicle and the supporting track in such a way that like poles are in a substantially horizontal relation and are facing each other, which poles extend in the direction of motion and are of alternating polarity transversely to the direction of motion, electromagnetic means mounted to the vehicle for stabilizing the vehicle transversely to the direction of motion, ferro-magnetic material mounted to a substantially vertical surface of the track in face-to-face cooperation with the electro-magnetic means, control means cooperatively controlling the electromagnetic means to maintain the vehicle at a predetermined central position during its movement longitudinally of the track, there being an odd number of permanent magnetic poles extending in the direction of motion having alternating polarity transversely to the direction of motion, where the laterally outside magnets are of the same polarity, where the width (W'') of the center permanent magnet is at least twice the width (W) of the laterally outside magnets, and the space (a) between adjacent magnets is at least twice the allowable lateral movement of the vehicle, said magnets including sufficient permanent magnets to maintain an air gap of between 8 to 10 m.m. between the rails and the vehicle, where at least between about 25 percent to 50 percent of the permanent magnets on the vehicle are movable in a vertical direction relative to the plane of the supporting track, and means to adjust the vertical position of the movable magnets to control the air gap between the non-movable permanent magnets on the vehicle and the permanent magnets on the supporting track.

Claim 12

A vehicle guided and suspended by magnetic forces along a supporting track which comprises a plurality of highly coercive permanent magnets attached to both the vehicle and the supporting track in such a way that like poles are in a substantially horizontal relation and are facing each other, which poles extend in the direction of motion and are of alternating polarity transversely to the direction of motion, electromagnetic means mounted to the vehicle for stabilizing the vehicle transversely to the direction of motion, ferro-magnetic material mounted to a substantially vertical surface of the track in face-to-face cooperation with the electro-magnetic means, control means cooperatively controlling the electromagnetic means to maintain the vehicle at a predetermined central position during its movement longitudinally of the track, there being an odd number of permanent magnetic poles extending in the direction of motion having alternating polarity transversely to the direction of motion, where the laterally outside magnets are of the same polarity, where the width (W'') of the center permanent magnet is at least twice the width (W) of the laterally outside magnets, and the space (a) between adjacent magnets is at least twice the allowable lateral movement of the vehicle, said magnets including sufficient permanent magnets to maintain an air gap of between 8 to 10 m.m. between the rails and the vehicle, where at least between about 25 percent to 50 percent of the permanent magnets on the vehicle are movable in a vertical direction relative to the plane of the supporting track, and means to adjust the vertical position of the movable magnets to control the air gap between the non-movable permanent magnets on the vehicle and the permanent magnets on the supporting track.

Claim 13

A magnetic levitation system for guiding and suspending a vehicle relative to a supporting track by magnetic forces, said system inclUding a plurality of spaced-apart elongated rows of permanent magnets extending in a predetermined direction and having outer pole faces facing a plane, said pole faces being of alternating polarity transverse to said predetermined direction and parallel to said plane, additional permanent magnets positioned between said rows and being magnetized transversely to said predetermined direction and substantially parallel to said plane to have opposite pole faces facing said magnets in said rows, said additional magnets having a thickness substantially one-half the thickness of said magnets in said rows and having outer surfaces lying substantially in a common plane with said outer pole faces, said additional magnets substantially filling the space between said rows, said pole faces on said additional magnets facing poles of like polarity on said magnets in said rows.

Claim 14

A magnetic levitation system for guiding and suspending a vehicle relative to a supporting track by magnetic forces, said system inclUding a plurality of spaced-apart elongated rows of permanent magnets extending in a predetermined direction and having outer pole faces facing a plane, said pole faces being of alternating polarity transverse to said predetermined direction and parallel to said plane, additional permanent magnets positioned between said rows and being magnetized transversely to said predetermined direction and substantially parallel to said plane to have opposite pole faces facing said magnets in said rows, said additional magnets having a thickness substantially one-half the thickness of said magnets in said rows and having outer surfaces lying substantially in a common plane with said outer pole faces, said additional magnets substantially filling the space between said rows, said pole faces on said additional magnets facing poles of like polarity on said magnets in said rows.

Claim 15

The magnetic levitation system of claim 11 wherein one of said systems is attached to a vehicle and another of said systems is attached to a track in opposed facing relationship to said one system across an air gap, said magnet rows in said systems having poles of like polarity facing one another.

Claim 16

The system of claim 12 and including lateral stabilizing means for limiting lateral movement of said vehicle relative to said track to a predetermined maximum lateral movement, said magnet rows being spaced-apart a distance at least as great as said maximum lateral movement.

Claim 17

The system of claim 13 wherein said magnet rows are spaced-apart a distance at least twice as great as said maximum lateral movement.

Claim 18

The system of claim 13 wherein said lateral stabilizing means comprises spaced-apart rails of ferromagnetic material attached to said track and spaced-apart electro-magnets attached to said vehicle, and control means on said vehicle for controlling energization of said electro-magnets to attract said electro-magnets toward said rails with variable force for maintaining said vehicle within a predetermined lateral position relative to said track.

Claim 19

A magnetic levitation system for guiding and suspending a vehicle relative to a supporting track by magnetic forces, said system including a plurality of spaced-apart elongated vehicle rows of vehicle permanent magnets extending parallel to the direction in which said vehicle moves, a plurality of spaced-apart elongated track rows of track permanent magnets extending parallel to the direction in which said vehicle moves, said rows having pole faces facing one another and a common plane across an air gap, said pole faces being of alternating polarity transverse to the direction in which said vehicle moves and parallel to said plane, like pole faces on said vehicle and track rows facing one another, magnetic lateral stabilizing means for limiting lateral movement of said vehicle relative to said track within a predetermined maximum lateral movement, said rows being spaced-apart a distance at least as great as said maximum lateral movement, at least certain of said vehicle rows of permanent magnets being movable toward and away from said track rows, and adjusting means for moving said movable magnets to vary the air gap between said movable magnets and certain of said track rows of track magnets.

Claim 20

A magnetic levitation system for guiding and suspending a vehicle relative to a supporting track by magnetic forces, said system including a plurality of spaced-apart elongated vehicle rows of vehicle permanent magnets extending parallel to the direction in which said vehicle moves, a plurality of spaced-apart elongated track rows of track permanent magnets extending parallel to the direction in which said vehicle moves, said rows having pole faces facing one another and a common plane across an air gap, said pole faces being of alternating polarity transverse to the direction in which said vehicle moves and parallel to said plane, like pole faces on said vehicle and track rows facing one another, magnetic lateral stabilizing means for limiting lateral movement of said vehicle relative to said track within a predetermined maximum lateral movement, said rows being spaced-apart a distance at least as great as said maximum lateral movement, at least certain of said vehicle rows of permanent magnets being movable toward and away from said track rows, and adjusting means for moving said movable magnets to vary the air gap between said movable magnets and certain of said track rows of track magnets.

Claim 21

A permanent magnet device including a plurality of spaced-apart permanent magnets having opposite north and south pole faces, alternate ones of said magnets being reversibly positioned so that said magnets present alternate north and south outer pole faces, said outer pole faces lying in a common plane, additional permanent magnets positioned between said permanent magnets and being magnetized substantially parallel to said plane, said additional permanent magnets having opposite pole faces facing said permanent magnets, said additional permanent magnets having a thickness not greater than one-half the thickness of said permanent magnets and having outer surfaces lying substantially in said plane, said additional permanent magnets substantiallY spanning the spaces between said permanent magnets, and said pole faces on said additional permanent magnets facing poles of like polarity on said permanent magnets.

Claim 22

A permanent magnet device including a plurality of spaced-apart permanent magnets having opposite north and south pole faces, alternate ones of said magnets being reversibly positioned so that said magnets present alternate north and south outer pole faces, said outer pole faces lying in a common plane, additional permanent magnets positioned between said permanent magnets and being magnetized substantially parallel to said plane, said additional permanent magnets having opposite pole faces facing said permanent magnets, said additional permanent magnets having a thickness not greater than one-half the thickness of said permanent magnets and having outer surfaces lying substantially in said plane, said additional permanent magnets substantiallY spanning the spaces between said permanent magnets, and said pole faces on said additional permanent magnets facing poles of like polarity on said permanent magnets.