System and method for causing an object to hover over a surface

• US 7,772,951 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cedar Ridge Research LLC
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrera, Ramon M
• Application Number:
  US12/463,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 335/285, 335302-306, 310/90.5
• US Class Current: 335/306
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/02 for manufacturing cores, coils, or magnets H01F41/14 takes precedence; for dynamo-electric machines H02K15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0278 for generating uniform fields, focusing, deflecting electrically charged particles for magnetic separation by Lorentz force B03C1/023; specially adapted for NMR applications G01R33/383
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0284 using a trimmable or adjustable magnetic circuit, e.g. for a symmetric dipole or quadrupole magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0266 using field effect transistors as protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49073 by assembling coil and core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49075 including permanent magnet or core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49904 Assembling a subassembly, then assembling with a second subassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53091 for work-holder for assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5313 Means to assemble electrical device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

An improved field emission system and method is provided that involves field emission structures having electric or magnetic field sources. The magnitudes, polarities, and positions of the magnetic or electric field sources are configured to have desirable correlation properties, which may be in accordance with a code. The correlation properties correspond to a desired spatial force function where spatial forces between field emission structures correspond to relative alignment, separation distance, and the spatial force function.

Claims

1. A system for causing an object to hover over a surface, comprising:

a first magnetic field emission structure associated with a first side of said object, said first field emission structure having a first plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a first code modulo of a first code;

a second magnetic field emission structure associated with said surface, said second field emission structure having a second plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a first partial code modulo of a second code and a successive second partial code modulo of said second code, said second code being complementary to said first code, said second code corresponding to a second code modulo, said first partial code modulo not having a beginning portion of said second code modulo and said second partial code modulo not having an ending portion of said second code modulo; and

a hover channel corresponding to the outer boundary of said second magnetic field emission structure enabling said object to be placed over said surface within said hover channel, said first side of said object facing said surface, said first magnetic field emission structure and said second field emission structure producing a first repel force, said first repel force causing said object to hover over said surface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first code is one of one-dimensional code or two-dimensional code.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first code is in accordance with at least one of a Barker code, a Gold code, a Kasami sequence, a hyperbolic congruential code, a quadratic congruential code, a linear congruential code, a Welch-Costas array code, a Golumb-Costas array code, a pseudorandom code, a chaotic code, an Optimal Golomb Ruler code, a deterministic code, or a designed code.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said first code is in accordance with a desired spatial force function.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first magnetic field structure is produced using a first plurality of electromagnets.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a control system to control the polarities and magnetic field strengths of said first plurality of electromagnets.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third magnetic field emission structure associated with a second side of said object, said second side of said object being on a opposite side of said object than said first side of said object, said third field emission structure having a third plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a third code modulo of a third code; and

a fourth magnetic field emission structure associated with an additional surface, said fourth field emission structure having a fourth plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a third partial code modulo of a fourth code and a successive fourth partial code modulo of said fourth code, said fourth code being complementary to said third code, said fourth code corresponding to a fourth code modulo, said third partial code modulo not having a beginning portion of said fourth code modulo and said fourth partial code modulo not having an ending portion of said fourth code modulo, said second side of said object facing said additional surface, said third magnetic field emission structure and said fourth magnetic field emission structure producing a second repel force.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said third magnetic field structure is produced using a second plurality of electromagnets.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a control system to control the polarities and magnetic field strengths of said second plurality of electromagnets.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said control system can also control the polarities and magnetic field strengths of said first plurality of electromagnets.

11. A method for causing an object to hover over a surface, comprising the steps of:

associating a first magnetic field emission structure with a first side of said object, said first field emission structure having a first plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a first code modulo of a first code;

associating a second magnetic field emission structure with said surface, said second field emission structure having a second plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a first partial code modulo of a second code and a successive second partial code modulo of said second code, said second code being complementary to said first code, said second code corresponding to a second code modulo, said first partial code modulo not having a beginning portion of said second code modulo and said second partial code modulo not having an ending portion of said second code modulo; and

placing said object over said surface within a hover channel, said hover channel corresponding to the outer boundary of said second magnetic field emission structure, said first magnetic field emission structure and said second field emission structure producing a first repel force, said first repel force causing said object to hover over said surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said first code is one of one-dimensional code or two-dimensional code.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said first code is in accordance with at least one of a Barker code, a Gold code, a Kasami sequence, a hyperbolic congruential code, a quadratic congruential code, a linear congruential code, a Welch-Costas array code, a Golumb-Costas array code, a pseudorandom code, a chaotic code, an Optimal Golomb Ruler code, a deterministic code, or a designed code.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said first code is in accordance with a desired spatial force function.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said first magnetic field structure is produced using a first plurality of electromagnets.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

controlling the polarities and magnetic field strengths of said first plurality of electromagnets.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating a third magnetic field emission structure with a second side of said object, said second side of said object being on a opposite side of said object than said first side of said object, said third field emission structure having a third plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a third code modulo of a third code; and

associating a fourth magnetic field emission structure with an additional surface, said fourth field emission structure having a fourth plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities in accordance with a third partial code modulo of a fourth code and a successive fourth partial code modulo of said fourth code, said fourth code being complementary to said third code, said fourth code corresponding to a fourth code modulo, said third partial code modulo not having a beginning portion of said fourth code modulo and said fourth partial code modulo not having an ending portion of said fourth code modulo, said second side of said object facing said additional surface, said third magnetic field emission structure and said fourth magnetic field emission structure producing a second repel force.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said third magnetic field structure is produced using a second plurality of electromagnets.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

controlling the polarities and magnetic field strengths of said second plurality of electromagnets.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

controlling the polarities and magnetic field strengths of said first plurality of electromagnets.