Propulsion and control for a magnetically lifted vehicle

• US 9,254,759 B1
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arx Pax LLC
• Original Assignee: Arx Pax LLC
• Inventors: Henderson, D. Gregory, Moran, Shauna, Dougherty, Mitchell, Espinoza, Victor, Melvin, Robert William, Janicki, James, Olynick, David P
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/737,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20160033970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 243 Days
• Field of Search: 310/90.5, 310/103, 310/104, 104281-283, 180/180
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 13/04 Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2027 whilst maintaining constant speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/22 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/26 Transition between different drive modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/26 Controlling the braking effect
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/09 : with magnetic bearings
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 15/00 : Holding or levitation devices using magnetic attraction or repulsion, not otherwise provided for electric or magnetic devices for holding work on machine tools B23Q3/15 ; monorail vehicle propulsion or suspension B60L13/00; sliding or levitation devices for railway systems B61B13/08; material handling devices associated with conveyors incorporating devices with electrostatic or magnetic grippers B65G47/92; separating thin or filamentary articles from piles using magnetic force B65H3/16; delivering thin or filamentary articles from magnetic holders by air blast or suction B65H29/24; bearings using magnetic or electric supporting means F16C32/04; relieving bearing loads using magnetic means F16C39/06; magnets H01F7/00; dynamo-electric clutches or brakes H02K49/00 ; electric furnaces with simultaneous levitation and heating H05B6/32
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 15/02 : by Foucault currents
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

Electromechanical systems using magnetic fields to induce eddy currents and generate lift are described. Magnet configurations which can be employed in the systems are illustrated. The magnet configuration can be used to generate lift and/or thrust. Lift and thrust predictions for various magnet configurations are provided. Arrangements of hover engines, which can employ the magnet configurations, and an associated guidance, navigation and control system, are described. Finally, a number of different applications, such as trains, elevators and printing, which utilize embodiments of the electromechanical systems described herein, are presented.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a first hover engine, a second hover engine, a third hover engine and a fourth hover engine, each of the first, the second, the third and the fourth hover engines having,

an electric motor including a winding, a first set of permanent magnets and a first structure which holds the first permanent magnets wherein an electric current is applied to the winding to cause one of the winding or the first set of permanent magnets to rotate;

a second structure, configured to receive a rotational torque from the electric motor to rotate the second structure,

the second structure holding a second set of permanent magnets wherein the second set of permanent magnets are rotated to induce eddy currents in a substrate such that the induced eddy currents and the second set of permanent magnets interact to generate forces which cause the vehicle to hover above and/or translate from location to location along the substrate;

one or more speed controllers coupled to the first hover engine, the second hover engine, the third hover engine and the fourth hover engine;

a chassis;

a first actuator coupled to the chassis and the first hover engine wherein the first hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the first actuator including a first controller configured to receive first commands from a guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system and in response to the first commands generate a first force which causes the first hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;

a second actuator coupled to the chassis and the second hover engine wherein the second hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the second actuator including a second controller configured to receive second commands from the GNC system and in response to the second commands generate a second force which causes the second hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;

a third actuator coupled to the chassis and the third hover engine wherein the third hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the third actuator including a third controller configured to receive third commands from the GNC system and in response to the third commands generate a third force which causes the third hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;

a fourth actuator coupled to the chassis and the fourth hover engine wherein the fourth hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the fourth actuator including a fourth controller configured to receive fourth commands from the GNC system and in response to the fourth commands generate a fourth force which causes the fourth hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;

wherein the first, the second, the third and the fourth hover engines are each independently rotatable relative to the chassis and one another;

the GNC system communicatively coupled to the first controller, the second controller, the third controller and fourth controller and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), the GNC system configured to receive sensor data from the IMU, generate a guidance solution which includes an orientation and velocity of the vehicle as a function of time, generate control commands to send to the first, second, third and fourth actuators to implement the guidance solution; and

an on-board electric power source that supplies the electric current to the first hover engine, the second hover engine, the third hover engine and the fourth hover engine and the first actuator, the second actuator, the third actuator and the fourth actuator.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the on-board electric power source are one or more batteries.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising one or more speed controllers, electrically disposed between the on-board electric power source and the first, the second, the third and the fourth hover engines, configured to control the electric current received by the motors to control a rotation rate of the motors.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the GNC system is communicatively coupled to the one or more speed controllers and configured to communicate with the one or more speed controllers to control a rotation rate of each of the motors.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising four electronic speed controllers, each electrically disposed between one of the hover engines and the on-board electric power source, each electronic speed controller configured to control the electric current received by one of the motors to control a rotation rate of the one of the motors.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the guidance solution further includes a hover height as a function of time and wherein the GNC system is further configured to control one or more of a tilt position of each of the four hover engines or a lift output of each of the four hover engines to control the hover height as the function of time.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the guidance solution further includes an acceleration rate as a function of time and wherein the GNC system is further configured to control one or more of a tilt position of each of the four hover engines to generate the acceleration rate as the function of time.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the GNC system is further configured to control the first, second, third and fourth actuators to rotate the vehicle in place while the vehicle remains in approximately over a first position on the substrate.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein, while the vehicle is hovering in a stationary position, the GNC system is further configured to control the first, second, third and fourth actuators, to move the vehicle in a first linear direction and then to move the vehicle in a second linear direction perpendicular to the first linear direction without rotating the vehicle to move in the second linear direction.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the GNC system is configured to communicate, via a wired or wireless communication interface, with a mobile control unit.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the GNC system is configured to receive a directional input command from the mobile control unit and in response generate control commands for each of the first, second, third and fourth actuators to implement to the direction input command.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first hover engine is configured to tilt around a first rotation axis relative to the chassis, wherein the second hover engine is configured to tilt around a second rotation axis relative to the chassis, wherein the third hover engine is configured to tilt around a third rotation axis relative to the chassis and wherein the fourth hover engine is configured to rotate about a fourth rotation axis relative to the chassis.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first rotation axis is orientated at an angle of ninety degrees relative to the second rotation axis, the first rotation axis is orientated at an angle of ninety degrees relative to the third rotation axis, wherein the first rotation axis is parallel to the fourth rotation axis and wherein the second rotation axis is parallel to the third rotation axis.

14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first rotation axis is orientated at an angle relative to the second rotation axis, the first rotation axis is orientated at one hundred eighty degrees minus the angle relative to the third rotation axis, wherein the first rotation axis is parallel to the fourth rotation axis and wherein the second rotation axis is parallel to the third rotation axis.

15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein one or more of the first hover engine is configured to rotate through at least an angle range of twenty degrees about the first rotation axis, the second hover engine is configured to rotate through at least an angle range of twenty degrees about the second rotation axis, the third hover engine is configured to rotate through at least an angle range of twenty degrees about the third rotation axis or the fourth hover engine is configured to rotate through at least an angle range of twenty degrees about the fourth rotation axis.

16. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a single magnet configuration of the second set of permanent magnets including a volume of magnets and a polarity arrangement pattern is used on each of the first, second, third and fourth hover engines.

17. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a first magnet configuration of the second set of permanent magnets including a first volume of magnets and a first polarity arrangement pattern is used on the first hover engine and a second magnet configuration of the second set of permanent magnets including a second volume of magnets and second polarity arrangement pattern is used on the second hover engine.

18. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a fifth hover engine and a fifth actuator coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate the fifth hover engine relative to the chassis.

19. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a fifth hover engine secured in a fixed orientation relative to the chassis.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the fifth hover engine is configured to output more lift than either of the first hover engine, the second hover engine, the third hover engine or the fourth hover engine.

21. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a fifth actuator, the fifth actuator configured to rotate the first hover engine and the first actuator relative to the chassis.

22. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the substrate is inclined.

23. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein the GNC system is configured to control the first, second, third and fourth actuators to hover the vehicle in a stationary position on the inclined substrate.

24. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the IMU includes accelerometers and is configured to send acceleration data in the sensor data to the GNC system.

25. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the IMU includes gyroscopes and is configured to send rotation data from the gyroscopes in the sensor data to the GNC system.

26. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the guidance solution further includes an angle orientation of the vehicle as a function of time and wherein the GNC system is further configured to control one or more of a tilt position of each of the four hover engines or a lift output of each of the four hover engines to control the angle orientation of the vehicle as the function of time.

27. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein GNC system is further configured to control the first, second, third and fourth actuators to rotate and translate the vehicle simultaneously along the substrate.