System and Method for Vehicle Position Sensing with Use of Propulsion Windings

• US 20100212537A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Atomics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: General Atomics, Inc.
• Inventors: Gurol, Husam, Borowy, Bogdan S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,499,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 104/284
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 13/06 Means to sense or control vehicle position or attitude with respect to railway
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles

Abstract

A system and method are provided for determining the position of a vehicle on a guideway. For operation, the vehicle includes a magnet system having a wavelength “λ”. Further, the guideway includes a propulsion winding for carrying a propulsion current. Structurally, the propulsion winding includes a series of sections, with each section having a wavelength “λ”. Further, the propulsion winding includes “N” coils linearly aligned along the guideway, with a phase difference of “λ/N” between adjacent coils. Importantly, a transmitter is located on the vehicle for emitting a position current that interacts with the propulsion winding to produce a signal in each coil. Also, the system includes a trap connected to each coil for receiving each respective signal, and a processor for resolving the respective signals to determine the position of the vehicle on the guideway.

Claims

1. A system for determining a position of a vehicle on a guideway which comprises:

a magnet system mounted on the vehicle, wherein the magnet system has a wavelength “

λ

”

;

a propulsion winding located on the guideway for carrying a propulsion current, wherein the propulsion winding includes at least one section having a wavelength “

λ

”

, and each section has “

N”

coils linearly aligned along the guideway, with a phase difference of “

λ

/N”

between adjacent coils in the section;

a transmitter located on the vehicle for emitting a position current, with said position current interacting with the propulsion winding to produce a signal in each coil therein; and

a processor for collectively normalizing the respective signals from each of the coils to determine the position of the vehicle on the guideway for use in maximizing an interaction of the propulsion current in the propulsion winding along the guideway with the magnet system on the vehicle, for propulsion of the vehicle.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a trap connected to each coil in the propulsion winding for receiving each respective signal.

3. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein N=3, and wherein the propulsion winding includes a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil, wherein the first coil, the second coil, and the third coil are linearly aligned in each section of the propulsion winding, and wherein the first coil is connected to a first trap, the second coil is connected to a second trap, and the third coil is connected to a third trap.

4. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein each trap is tuned to receive a high frequency signal.

5. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein each trap comprises a resonant circuit tuned to the high frequency signal.

6. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein each signal is high frequency narrow-band.

7. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein each signal has a frequency of about 100 kHz.

8. A system for determining a position of a vehicle on a guideway which comprises:

a magnet system mounted on the vehicle, wherein the magnet system has a wavelength “

λ

”

;

a propulsion winding located on the guideway for carrying a propulsion current, wherein the propulsion winding includes at least one section having a wavelength “

λ

”

, and each section has “

N”

coils linearly aligned along the guideway, with a phase difference of “

λ

/N”

between adjacent coils in the section;

a means mounted on the vehicle for emitting a position current, with said position current interacting with the propulsion winding to produce a signal in each coil therein; and

a means for resolving the respective signals from each of the coils to determine the position of the vehicle on the guideway for use in maximizing an interaction of the propulsion current in the propulsion winding along the guideway with the magnet system on the vehicle, for propulsion of the vehicle.

9. A system as recited in claim 8 further comprising a means for isolating each respective signal from noise on each respective coil in the propulsion winding.

10. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein each isolating means is a trap tuned to receive a high frequency signal.

11. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the isolation means includes a first trap, a second trap, and a third trap, wherein the propulsion winding includes a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil that are linearly aligned in each section of the propulsion winding, and wherein the first coil is connected to the first trap, the second coil is connected to the second trap, and the third coil is connected to the third trap.

12. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein each trap comprises a resonant circuit tuned to the high frequency signal.

13. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein each signal is high frequency narrow-band.

14. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein each signal has a frequency of about 25 kHz to about 100 kHz.

15. A method for determining a position of a vehicle on a guideway which comprises the steps of:

mounting a magnet system on the vehicle, wherein the magnet system has a wavelength “

λ

”

;

locating a propulsion winding on the guideway for carrying a propulsion current, wherein the propulsion winding includes at least one section having a wavelength “

λ

”

, and each section has “

N”

coils linearly aligned along the guideway, with a phase difference of “

λ

/N”

between adjacent coils in the section;

placing a transmitter on the vehicle;

emitting a position current from the transmitter, with said position current interacting with the propulsion winding to produce a signal in each coil therein; and

resolving the respective signals from each of the coils to determine the position of the vehicle on the guideway for use in maximizing an interaction of the propulsion current in the propulsion winding along the guideway with the magnet system on the vehicle, for propulsion of the vehicle.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 further comprising the step of isolating each respective signal from noise on each respective coil in the propulsion winding before the resolving step.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of connecting a trap to each coil to perform the isolation step.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein each trap is tuned to receive a high frequency signal.

19. A method as recited in claim 18 wherein each signal has a frequency of about 100 kHz.

20. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein the propulsion winding includes a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil that are linearly aligned in each section of the propulsion winding, and wherein the first coil is connected to a first trap, the second coil is connected to a second trap, and the third coil is connected to a third trap.