Magnetic and inertial propulsion system

• US 7,610,861 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William J. Colclasure
• Original Assignee: William J. Colclasure
• Inventors: Colclasure, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano; S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith; Jason C
• Application Number:
  US11/557,228
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 104/290, 104/292, 104/DIG.1, 446/129, 446/168, 446/173, 446/174, 446/444, 446/445
• US Class Current: 104/292
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 13/00 Electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways; Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles tracks for Maglev-type trains E01B25/30; electromagnets per se H01F7/06; linear motors per se H02K41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/00 Power lines or rails specially adapted for electrically-propelled vehicles of special types, e.g. suspension tramway, ropeway, underground railway
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 53/00 Alleged dynamo-electric perpetua mobilia

Abstract

A propulsion system that uses an alternating series of magnetic forces, inertia, and gravitational drops to propel a magnetic object along a pathway. The pathway can be an undulating track that can retain an object thereon. A plurality of magnet pairs are placed along the track, one of each pair on either side of the track, the pairs in spaced relation from each other along the track. The magnet pairs are positioned and aligned so as to propel the object up each up-slope to a crest, at which point the object falls through gravity down the down-slope and gains inertia. The track can be configured linearly or in a circle, for example, depending upon the desired orientation. In an alternate embodiment, a magnet can be positioned atop the track to attract the object up the slope.

Claims

1. A propulsion system comprising:

an undulating track having a plurality of peaks and valleys with up- and down-slopes therebetween and extending between a beginning point and an end point;

an axle configured to travel along a long axis of the track and having a magnetic component oriented perpendicular to the track long axis, the magnetic component having a first polarity adjacent a first side of the track and a second polarity opposite the first polarity adjacent a second side of the track opposed to the first side; and

a plurality magnets affixed in opposed pairs on either side of the track, a top end of each magnet oriented adjacent and on an up-slope side of each crest, each magnet top adjacent the track first side having the second polarity, and each magnet top adjacent the track second side having the first polarity;

wherein the axle is pulled along the track up-slope by the magnet pairs to the track peaks, and falls along the track down-slope under the influence of gravity.

2. The propulsion system recited in claim 1, wherein the axle comprises a cylindrical array of cylindrical magnets oriented in a stacked configuration with unlike poles facing, and two cylindrical wheel elements affixed at either end of the cylindrical array, and the track comprises a top surface having grooves therein along the long axis dimensioned to permit the wheel elements to ride therein.

3. The propulsion system recited in claim 1, wherein the axle comprises a cylindrical array of cylindrical magnets oriented in a stacked configuration with unlike poles facing, and two cylindrical wheel elements affixed at either end of the cylindrical array, and the track comprises a top surface having a pair of upwardly extending tracks therealong along the long axis dimensioned to permit the wheel elements to straddle the tracks.

4. The propulsion system recited in claim 1, wherein the track is one of substantially linear and substantially circular.

5. The propulsion system recited in claim 1, further comprising a field modifier positioned adjacent each magnet top for decreasing an influence of a magnetic field of each magnet in a downstream direction.

6. The propulsion system recited in claim 5, wherein the field modifier comprises an arcuate element having an inner arc facing the respective magnet top.

7. The propulsion system recited in claim 6, wherein the arcuate element comprises one of a ferrite material and a mu-metal.

8. The propulsion system recited in claim 1, wherein the magnets each comprise a substantially cylindrical stack of substantially cylindrical magnets having unlike poles facing, each stack having a long axis positioned pointing downstream and at an angle to the long axis of the track between 0 and 60 degrees, and further at an angle to the horizontal between 30 and 60 degrees.

9. The propulsion system recited in claim 8, wherein the cylindrical magnet stack comprises a primary cylindrical magnet stack, and further comprising a secondary substantially cylindrical stack of substantially cylindrical magnets having unlike poles facing, each secondary stack having a long axis positioned pointing downstream and substantially parallel to the primary stack, having a bottom end positioned upstream of a bottom end of the primary stack, and having a length less than a length of the primary stack.

10. The propulsion system recited in claim 8, wherein the cylindrical magnet stack comprises a primary cylindrical magnet stack, and further comprising a tertiary substantially cylindrical stack of substantially cylindrical magnets having unlike poles facing, each tertiary stack having a long axis positioned pointing downstream at an angle to the track long axis greater than the angle of the primary stack to the track long axis, having a bottom end positioned downstream of a bottom end of the primary stack and farther from the track than that of the primary stack, and having a length less than a length of the primary stack.

11. The propulsion system recited in claim 1, further comprising a transverse magnet positioned beneath the track downstream of and adjacent each valley, the transverse magnet having a directionality substantially opposite that of the axle.

12. A propulsion system comprising:

an undulating track having a plurality of peaks and valleys with up- and down-slopes therebetween;

an axle configured to travel along a long axis of the track and having a magnetic component oriented perpendicular to the track long axis, the magnetic component having a first polarity adjacent a first and a second side of the track opposed to the first side and a second polarity in a center of the axle opposite the first polarity; and

a plurality magnets affixed above the track, a top end of each magnet oriented adjacent and on an up-slope side of each crest, each magnet top having a polarity and positioned to attract the axle;

wherein the axle is pulled along the track up-slope by the magnets to the track peaks, and falls along the track down-slope under the influence of gravity.

13. The propulsion system recited in claim 12, further comprising a support positioned above the track, and wherein the magnets are affixed to the support above a center of the track, the magnets having the first polarity facing the track.

14. The propulsion system recited in claim 13, wherein each of the magnets comprises a set of spaced-apart magnets affixed to the support and along the track and upstream of each track crest, the set of magnets having a spacing therebetween that decreases from an upstream end of the set to a downstream end of the set.

15. The propulsion system recited in claim 13, further comprising a secondary magnet affixed to the support above the track crest, the secondary magnet having an end facing the track crest of the second polarity for repelling the axle down the down-slope of the track.