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Apparatus, systems and methods for levitating and moving objects are shown and described herein. The embodiments incorporate a track with lower rails having permanent magnets abutted against each other and aligned such that the upper surface of each of the lower rails has a uniform polarity; and the

Apparatus, systems and methods for levitating and moving objects are shown and described herein. The embodiments incorporate a track with lower rails having permanent magnets abutted against each other and aligned such that the upper surface of each of the lower rails has a uniform polarity; and the object with upper rails having permanent magnets aligned with the lower rails and oriented to oppose the polarity of the lower permanent magnets. Ferrous backing plates behind the lower rails and/or the upper rails may be incorporated. Embodiments may also incorporate a third rail of an electroconductive material, and a driving disc positioned near the third rail. Permanent magnets in the driving disc may be rotated with the driving disc in the presence of the third rail to accelerate the upper rails with respects to the lower rails.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for magnetically levitating and moving an object, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other along a length of the track, each first rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned with each other such

1. A system for magnetically levitating and moving an object, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other along a length of the track, each first rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned with each other such that an upper surface of each of the first rails has a uniform polarity along an operable portion of the length; the object having a plurality of second rails configured to align with the first rails, each second rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets oriented to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the corresponding first rail such that the object levitates above the track; a third rail made from an electroconductive material, the third rail extending the length of the track; and a disc coupled to the object to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the object, the disc having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the rotary axis, the disc being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the disc and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track wherein the at least one disc is movably coupled to the object to controllably move between an engaged position in which the permanent magnets in the disc are proximate the third rail, and a disengaged position in which the permanent magnets in the disc are spaced apart from the third rail by a distance sufficient to effectively eliminate the eddy current therebetween. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of first rails comprises two first rails.3. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of permanent magnets in the first rail is in contact with the adjacent permanent magnets in the respective first rail.4. The system of claim 1 wherein a lateral dimension of the permanent magnets in the first rails is different from a corresponding lateral dimension of the permanent magnets in the second rails.5. The system of claim 1 wherein a lateral dimension of the permanent magnets in the first rails is smaller than a corresponding lateral dimension of the permanent magnets in the second rails.6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of permanent magnets in at least one of the first rails.7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of permanent magnets in at least one of the first rails and a second ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of permanent magnets in at least one of the second rails.8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of permanent magnets in each of the first rails, the keeper member being positioned on a surface of the permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface of the rail.9. The system of claim 1 wherein the third rail is in the form of an elongated plate and the rotary axis is at least substantially perpendicular to the plate.10. A system for magnetically levitating and moving an object, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other along a length of the track, each first rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned with each other such that an upper surface of each of the first rails has a uniform polarity alone an operable portion of the length; the object having a plurality of second rails configured to align with the first rails, each second rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets oriented to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the corresponding first rail such that the object levitates above the track; a third rail made from an electroconductive material, the third rail extending the length of the track; a disc coupled to the object to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the object, the disc having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the rotary axis, the disc being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the disc and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track; and, further comprising a ferrous keeper and an electroconductive cover on each of the first rails, the keeper being in contact with the plurality of permanent magnets in each of first rail and being positioned on a surface of the permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface of each of the first rail, the cover being positioned over the upper surface of each of the first rail. 11. The system of claim 1, further comprising guide members coupled to the track and the object to maintain the object aligned with the track.12. A system for magnetically levitating and moving an object, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other along a length of the track, each first rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned with each other such that an upper surface of each of the first rails has a uniform polarity along an operable portion of the length; the object having a plurality of second rails configured to align with the first rails, each second rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets oriented to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the corresponding first rail such that the object levitates above the track; a third rail made from an electroconductive material, the third rail extending the length of the track; a disc coupled to the object to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the object, the disc having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the rotary axis, the disc being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the disc and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track; and further comprising guide members coupled to the track and complementary rollers coupled to the object to maintain the object aligned with the track. 13. A system for magnetically levitating and moving an object, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other along a length of the track, each first rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned with each other such that an upper surface of each of the first rails has a uniform polarity along an operable portion of the length; the object having a plurality of second rails configured to align with the first rails, each second rail carrying a plurality of permanent magnets oriented to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the corresponding first rail such that the object levitates above the track; a third rail made from an electroconductive material, the third rail extending the length of the track; a disc coupled to the object to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the object, the disc having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the rotary axis, the disc being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the disc and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track: and further comprising rollers coupled to the object, the rollers being spaced apart by a gap from the rails to maintain the object aligned with the track. 14. A system for magnetically levitating an object, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other along a length of the track; a first plurality of permanent magnets coupled to the first rails, the first plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned such that an upper surface of each of the first rails has a uniform polarity along an operable portion of the length, each of the first plurality of permanent magnets in the first rail being in contact with the adjacent permanent magnets; a ferrous first keeper in each first rail contacting the first plurality of permanent magnets; the object having a plurality of second rails at least substantially aligned with a portion of the length of the plurality of first rails; a second plurality of permanent magnets aligned to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the first rails such that the object levitates above the track; a ferrous second keeper in each second rail contacting the second plurality of permanent magnets; and further comprising an electroconductive cover, wherein the first keeper is positioned on a surface on the first plurality of permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface of the rail, and the cover is positioned over the upper surface of the first rail. 15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a third rail and a drive disc, the third rail made from an electroconductive material and extending the length of the track, the drive disc being coupled to the object to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the object, the drive disc having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the rotary axis, the drive disc being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the drive disc and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track.16. The system of claim 14 wherein a lateral dimension of the first plurality of permanent magnets is different from a corresponding lateral dimension of the second plurality of permanent magnets.17. The system of claim 14 wherein a lateral dimension of the first plurality of permanent magnets is smaller than a corresponding lateral dimension of the second plurality of permanent magnets.18. The system of claim 14 wherein the first keeper member is positioned on a surface of the first plurality of permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface of the rail.19. The system of claim 14, further comprising guide members coupled to the track and the object to maintain the object aligned with the track.20. The system of claim 14, further comprising guide members coupled to the track and complementary rollers coupled to the object to maintain the object aligned with the track.21. The system of claim 14, further comprising rollers coupled to the object, the rollers being spaced apart by a gap from the rails maintain the object aligned with the track.22. The system of claim 14 wherein the third rail is in the form of an elongated plate and the rotary axis is at least substantially perpendicular to the plate.23. A system for magnetically levitating an object having a plurality of first rails spaced laterally apart from each other, each first rail having a first plurality of permanent magnets distributed along its length, at least one of the permanent magnets in each of the first rails having a first length between opposing ends in a longitudinal direction aligned with the first rails, the system comprising:a track having a plurality of second rails positioned to be aligned with the plurality of first rails on the object when the object is levitating above the track; a second plurality of permanent magnets coupled to the second rails, the second plurality of permanent magnets having their poles aligned such that an upper surface of each of the second rails has a uniform polarity along an operable portion of the length, each of the second plurality of permanent magnets in the second rails being in contact with the adjacent permanent magnets, and at least one of the permanent magnets in each of the second rails having a second length between opposing ends in the longitudinal direction, the second length being different from the first length; and a ferrous keeper contacting the first plurality of permanent magnets, the ferrous keeper being positioned on a side of the second plurality of permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface. 24. The system of claim 23 wherein a lateral dimension of the first plurality of permanent magnets is different from a corresponding lateral dimension of the second plurality of permanent magnets.25. The system of claim 23 wherein a lateral dimension of the first plurality of permanent magnets is smaller than a corresponding lateral dimension of the second plurality of permanent magnets.26. The system of claim 23, further comprising an electroconductive cover positioned over the upper surfaces of the second rails.27. The system of claim 23, wherein a longitudinal dimension of the second plurality of permanent magnets is shorter than a corresponding longitudinal dimension of the first plurality of permanent magnets.28. A cart for levitating above and moving along a length of a track, the track having a pair of first rails each having a first plurality of permanent magnets of aligned polarity thereon, and a third rail made of electroconductive material extending along the length of the track, the cart comprising:a pair of second rails at least substantially alignable with the pair of first rails; a second plurality of permanent magnets coupled to the pair of second rails and aligned to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the first rails such that the cart levitates above the track, the second plurality of permanent magnets being coupled to the pair of second rails in a manner that allows at least some of the second plurality of permanent magnets to move laterally with respect to the respective second rails; a ferrous keeper contacting the second plurality of permanent magnets; and a disc coupled to the cart to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the cart, the disc having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the rotary axis, the disc being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the disc and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track. 29. The cart of claim 20, further comprising guide members coupled to the object to maintain the object aligned with the track.30. The cart of claim 28, further comprising rollers coupled to the cart, the rollers being positioned to be spaced apart by a gap from the first rails to maintain the cart aligned with the track.31. The cart of claim 28 wherein the third rail is in the form of an elongated plate and the wherein rotary axis is aligned to be at least substantially perpendicular to the plate.32. The cart of claim 28 wherein the second plurality of permanent magnets are movably coupled to the pair of second rails.33. The cart of claim 28 wherein the second plurality of permanent magnets are slidably coupled to the pair of second rails to move laterally with respect to the respective second rail.34. The cart of claim 28 wherein the second plurality of permanent magnets are slidably coupled to the pair of second rails to move laterally with respect to the respective second rail, and further comprising at least one guide member coupled to each of the second plurality of permanent magnets, the at least one guide member being positioned to contact one of the first rails during operation such that lateral movement of the cart with respect to the track results in lateral movement of at least one of the second plurality of magnets.35. A method for levitating an object above a track, the method comprising:fixing to the track a first plurality of permanent magnets with their polarities upwardly aligned; contacting each of the first plurality of permanent magnets with a ferrous material; providing the object having a second plurality of permanent magnets positioned to align with the track, the second plurality of permanent magnets having their polarities aligned to oppose the first plurality of permanent magnets, at least some of the second plurality of permanent magnets being configured to move laterally with respect to the object; and contacting each of the second plurality of permanent magnets with a ferrous material. 36. A method for levitating an object above a track and moving the object along the track, the method comprising:fixing to the track a first plurality of permanent magnets with their polarities upwardly aligned; contacting each of the first plurality of permanent magnets with a ferrous material, at least one of the first plurality of permanent magnets having a first length; providing an object having a second plurality of permanent magnets positioned to align with the track, the second plurality of permanent magnets having their polarities aligned to oppose the first plurality of permanent magnets, at least one of the second plurality of permanent magnets having a second length different from the first length; contacting each of the second plurality of permanent magnets with a ferrous material; positioning a rail of electroconductive material along the length of the track; and rotating a disc carrying permanent magnets in the proximity of the rail of electroconductive material such that an eddy force between the rail and the permanent magnets in the disc cause the object to move with respect to the track. 37. A system for magnetically levitating and moving an object, the system comprising:a track having at least one first rail extending along a length of the track, the at least one first rail carrying a plurality of first permanent magnets having their poles aligned with each other such that an upper surface of each of the first rails has a uniform polarity along an operable portion of the length, each first permanent magnet having a first length measured in the direction of the track; the object having at least one second rail configured to align with the at least one first rail, the at least one second rail carrying a plurality of second permanent magnets oriented to oppose the polarity of the permanent magnets in the corresponding first rail such that the object levitates above the track, each second permanent magnet having a second length measured in the direction of the track, the second length being different from the first length; a third rail made from an electroconductive material, the third rail extending the length of the track; and at least 2 pair of discs coupled to the object to rotate about a rotary axis with respect to the object, each of the discs having a plurality of permanent magnets spaced about the respective rotary axis, each of the discs being positionable with a portion thereof in close proximity to the third rail and being controllably rotatable in the presence of the third rail to create an eddy current between the permanent magnets in the discs and the electroconductive material of the third rail to accelerate and decelerate the object with respect to the track. 38. The system of claim 37 wherein the plurality of first rails comprises two first rails.39. The system of claim 37 wherein each of the plurality of first permanent magnets in the first rail is in contact with the adjacent first permanent magnets in the respective first rail.40. The system of claim 37 wherein a lateral dimension of the first permanent magnets is different from a corresponding lateral dimension of the second permanent magnets.41. The system of claim 37 wherein a lateral dimension of the first permanent magnets is smaller than a corresponding lateral dimension of the second permanent magnets.42. The system of claim 37, further comprising a ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of first permanent magnets in the at least one first rail.43. The system of claim 37, further comprising a first ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of first permanent magnets and a second ferrous keeper member in contact with the second plurality of permanent magnets.44. The system of claim 37, further comprising a ferrous keeper member in contact with the plurality of first permanent magnets, the keeper member being positioned on a surface of the first permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface of the rail.45. The system of claim 37, further comprising a ferrous keeper and an electroconductive cover the at least one first rail, the keeper being in contact with the first permanent magnets and being positioned of a surface of the first permanent magnets furthest from the upper surface of the rail, the cover being positioned over the upper surface of the first rail.46. The system of claim 37, further comprising guide members coupled to the track and the object to maintain the object aligned with the track.47. The system of claim 37, further comprising guide members coupled to the track and complementary rollers coupled to the object to maintain the object aligned with the track.48. The system of claim 37, further comprising rollers coupled to the object, the rollers being spaced apart by a gap from the rails maintain the object aligned with the track.49. The system of claim 37 wherein the third rail is in the form of an elongated plate and the rotary axis is at least substantially perpendicular to the plate.50. The system of claim 37 wherein each of the discs is movably coupled to the object to controllably move between an engaged position in which the permanent magnets in the disc are proximate the third rail, and a disengaged position in which the permanent magnets in the disc are spaced apart from the third rail by a distance sufficient to at least substantially eliminate the eddy current therebetween.