초록 ▼

A ground-based capsule pipeline with greatly improved speed, energy efficiency, and cost for transportation of freight and/or people. Passive magnetic levitation is used to suspend inert, rugged capsules within an air-evacuated pipeline, where they are propelled by a linear motor. Permanent magnet p

A ground-based capsule pipeline with greatly improved speed, energy efficiency, and cost for transportation of freight and/or people. Passive magnetic levitation is used to suspend inert, rugged capsules within an air-evacuated pipeline, where they are propelled by a linear motor. Permanent magnet pole arrays incorporated in the capsules interact with inductively-enhanced conductive loops on the interior of the pipeline to produce a low "take-off" speed, high lift, and a high lift-drag ratio.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A transportation system comprising:a pipeline having a generally concave-shaped interior extending along a pipeline axis and provided with an electrically conductive structure that generally conforms to the concave shape of the interior of the pipeline; a capsule disposed within the pipeline inte

1. A transportation system comprising:a pipeline having a generally concave-shaped interior extending along a pipeline axis and provided with an electrically conductive structure that generally conforms to the concave shape of the interior of the pipeline; a capsule disposed within the pipeline interior and moveable along the axial dimension of the pipeline, the capsule having at least one magnet array positioned to induce current into the electrically conductive structure of the pipeline of sufficient magnitude to levitate the capsule within the pipeline, as the capsule moves through the pipeline; and means for propelling the capsule through the pipeline at a speed sufficient to provide lift force by the interaction of the magnet array on the capsule and the conductive structure of the pipeline, to levitate the capsule within the pipeline.