Electromagnetic suspension and guide system particularly for vehicles

Claim 2

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a generally U-section elongated core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward said rail, said shanks being of diminishing thickness away from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-sections through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light metal or a lightmetal alloy wound upon said web, said shanks being formed with extensions longitudinally of said core along said pole faces in opposite directions beyond said coil.

Claim 3

The system defined in claim 1 wherein said coil is an oxidized aluminum-foil band wound in successive turns around said web whereby the sole insulation separating said turns electrically is an oxide layer on said band, said foil band being wrapped directly around an insulating layer applied to said web.

Claim 4

The system defined in claim 1 wherein said extensions are of diminishing cross-section in the longitudinal direction toward free extremities of the respective extension, said free extremities being formed with narrow end faces.

Claim 5

The system defined in claim 1 wherein said core is laminated and comprises a stack of nested U-shaped sheets, at least one of said sheets being set back from said pole faces further than another of said sheets.

Claim 6

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a generally U-section elongated core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward said rail, said shanks being of diminishing thickness away from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-sections through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said core being liminated and comprising a stack of nested U-shaped sheets, at least one of said sheets being set back from said pole faces further than another of said sheets, said core comprising a laminated skeleton having a web and arms extending codirectionally from said web within said shanks and of constant cross-section, a stack of sheets lying along said web and terminating at a first location along said arms, and a U-shaped plate extending along said skeleton and having arms terminating between said location and said pole faces.

Claim 7

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a generally U-section elongated core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward said rail, said shanks being of diminishing thickness away from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-sections through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said core being liminated and comprising a stack of nested U-shaped sheets, at least one of said sheets being set back from said pole faces further than another of said sheets, said core comprising a laminated skeleton having a web and arms extending codirectionally from said web within said shanks and of constant cross-section, a stack of sheets lying along said web and terminating at a first location along said arms, and a U-shaped plate extending along said skeleton and having arms terminating between said location and said pole faces.

Claim 8

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a generally U-section elongated core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward said rail, said shanks being of diminishing thickness away from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-sections through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said coil being composed of a spirally wound band of oxidized aluminum surrounding said web with successive turns insulated from one another solely by the oxide coating of said band, said foil having a width substantially equal to the width of said web, said shanks being formed with longitudinal extensions prolonging said pole faces and of diminishing cross-section in the longitudinal direction, said extensions terminating beyond said coil in the longitudinal direction, said rail being a U-shaped channel having arms juxtaposed with said pole faces, said support being a vehicle track for a magnetically suspended vehicle, said vehicle being formed with a plurality of said electromagnets in longitudinally aligned and contiguous relationship along said rail.

Claim 9

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a generally U-section elongated core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward said rail, said shanks being of diminishing thickness away from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-sections through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said coil being composed of a spirally wound band of oxidized aluminum surrounding said web with successive turns insulated from one another solely by the oxide coating of said band, said foil having a width substantially equal to the width of said web, said shanks being formed with longitudinal extensions prolonging said pole faces and of diminishing cross-section in the longitudinal direction, said extensions terminating beyond said coil in the longitudinal direction, said rail being a U-shaped channel having arms juxtaposed with said pole faces, said support being a vehicle track for a magnetically suspended vehicle, said vehicle being formed with a plurality of said electromagnets in longitudinally aligned and contiguous relationship along said rail.

Claim 10

The system defined in claim 6 wherein said core is laminated from a multiplicity of iron sheets, at least one of said sheets terminating at a first distance from the pole faces of said shanks and another of said sheets terminating at a second distance greater than said first Distance from said pole faces.

Claim 11

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a substantially U-shaped elongated core arranged such that the U-cross-section through said core is perpendicularly directed in relation to the extension of said rail and is in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, said core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-section through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light-metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said shanks being formed with extensions longitudinally of said core along said pole faces in opposite directions beyond said coil.

Claim 12

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a substantially U-shaped elongated core arranged such that the U-cross-section through said core is perpendicularly directed in relation to the extension of said rail and is in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, said core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-section through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light-metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said shanks being formed with extensions longitudinally of said core along said pole faces in opposite directions beyond said coil.

Claim 13

The system defined in claim 8 wherein said extensions are of diminishing cross-section in the longitudinal direction toward free extremities of the respective extension, said free extremities being formed with narrow end faces.

Claim 14

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a substantially U-shaped elongated core arranged such that the U-cross-section through said core is perpendicularly directed in relation to the extension of said rail and in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, said core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-section through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light-metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said core comprising a laminated skeleton having a web and arms extending codirectionally from said web within said shanks and of constant cross-section, a stack of sheets lying along said web and terminating at a first location along said arms, and a U-shaped plate extending along said skeleton and having arms terminating between said location and said pole faces.

Claim 15

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a substantially U-shaped elongated core arranged such that the U-cross-section through said core is perpendicularly directed in relation to the extension of said rail and in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, said core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-section through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of a light-metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said core comprising a laminated skeleton having a web and arms extending codirectionally from said web within said shanks and of constant cross-section, a stack of sheets lying along said web and terminating at a first location along said arms, and a U-shaped plate extending along said skeleton and having arms terminating between said location and said pole faces.

Claim 16

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a substantially U-shaped elongated core arranged such that the ''''U''''-cross-section through said core is perpendicularly directed in relation to the extension of said rail and is in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, said core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-section through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of light metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said coil being composed of a spirally wound band of oxidized aluminum surrounding said web with successive turns insulated from one another solely by the oxide coating of said band, said band having a width substantially equal to the width of said web, said shanks being formed with longitudinal extensions prolonging said pole faces and of diminishing cross-section in the longitudinal direction, said extensions terminating beyond said coil in the longitudinal direction, said rail being a U-shaped channel having arms juxtaposed with said pole faces, said support being a vehicle track for a magnetically suspended vehicle, said vehicle being formed with a plurality of said electromagnets in longitudinally aligned and contiguous relationship along said rail.

Claim 17

An electromagnetic suspension or guide system comprising a support, an armature rail fixed to said support and an electromagnet juxtaposed with said rail, said electromagnet including a substantially U-shaped elongated core arranged such that the ''''U''''-cross-section through said core is perpendicularly directed in relation to the extension of said rail and is in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal direction, said core having a web and a pair of lateral shanks extending from said web toward respective pole faces formed on said shanks to maintain the magnetic flux density substantially constant in transverse cross-section through said shank from said web toward said pole faces, and a coil composed of turns of light metal or a light-metal alloy wound upon said web, said coil being composed of a spirally wound band of oxidized aluminum surrounding said web with successive turns insulated from one another solely by the oxide coating of said band, said band having a width substantially equal to the width of said web, said shanks being formed with longitudinal extensions prolonging said pole faces and of diminishing cross-section in the longitudinal direction, said extensions terminating beyond said coil in the longitudinal direction, said rail being a U-shaped channel having arms juxtaposed with said pole faces, said support being a vehicle track for a magnetically suspended vehicle, said vehicle being formed with a plurality of said electromagnets in longitudinally aligned and contiguous relationship along said rail.

Claim 18

The system defined in claim 11 wherein said core is laminated from a multiplicity of iron sheets, at least one of said sheets terminatIng at a first distance from the pole faces of said shanks and another of said sheets terminating at a second distance greater than said first distance from said pole faces.