Patent Application
20230191916
This invention pertains generally to electromagnetic propulsion and levitation. More specifically, the invention is directed to technology utilizing plasma currents to generate a force on a field-generating plate or coil.
In one aspect of the invention, a vehicle with an electromagnetic propulsion/levitation system includes a chassis and a magnetic-field generator attached to the chassis. The magnetic-field generator may be, for example, a permanent magnet or an electromagnet or some combination of the two which generates a magnetic field (B). The vehicle further includes a charged-particle accelerator positioned relative to the magnetic-field generator such that the accelerator, in operation, will provide one or more charged particles with a velocity (v) directing the particle through a magnetic field (B) generated by the generator. The intersection of the particle having a velocity v and the magnetic field B is such that the cross product of the velocity and the magnetic field is not zero (v×B≠0). This positioning of the accelerator relative to the generator enables generation of a force between the particle and the generator (a Lorentz force) that can serve as a propulsive or lifting force on the chassis. The accelerator may include an electromagnetic accelerator (such as a laser or RF/microwave cavity) or an electrostatic generator (such as an electron/ion gun, cascade accelerator, Van de Graaf accelerator, or Pelletron accelerator). One or more electrodes may be used to provide or collect the accelerated particles. The magnetic-field generator may include multiple electromagnet coils that may be independently controlled (e.g., through selective and independent application of current to the individual coils). The magnetic-field generator may be attached to the chassis such that the generator is able to pivot with respect to the chassis and thereby change the direction of B relative to the chassis.
In another aspect of the invention, an electromagnetic propulsion system includes a chassis, a magnetic-field generator attached to the chassis, and a means for providing a stream of charged particles through and, at least in part, other than parallel or anti-parallel to a magnetic field generated by the magnetic-field generator (in operation). The generator may include permanent magnets or electromagnets, which in turn may be comprised of multiple independent coils. The means for providing the stream of charged particles includes an accelerator (e.g., an electrostatic accelerator or an electromagnetic accelerator) positioned relative to the magnetic-field generator so that the stream of accelerated particles runs adjacent to the magnetic-field generator. The proximity and direction of the stream relative to the generator enables generation of a force between the stream and generator, and thereby a force between the stream and the chassis. This force can serve as a propulsive or lifting force on the chassis.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of providing a propulsive or lifting force to a vehicle that includes a magnetic-field generator attached to a chassis includes generating a magnetic field with the generator, accelerating a stream of charged particles, and directing the stream of charged particles through the magnetic field such that at least a portion of the stream is not parallel or antiparallel to the magnetic field. The method may include controlling one or more electrical currents through one or more electromagnet coils as part of generating the magnetic field. The method may include using a permanent magnet to generate the magnetic field. The method may include using a laser beam to accelerate the particles. The light provided by the laser beam may be in the infrared, ultraviolet, or x-ray bands. The method may include changing the orientation of the generator relative to the chassis to change the direction of the magnetic field relative to the chassis in order to change the direction of the propulsive/lifting force. The method may include changing the direction of the particle stream or the direction of the magnetic field in order to change the direction or magnitude of the propulsive/lifting force. The method may include changing the magnitude of the magnetic field or the particle velocity to change the magnitude of the propulsive/lifting force. The method may include changing the particle density in the stream of particles to change the magnitude of the propulsive/lifting force.
In another aspect of the invention, a stream of one or more particles having a magnetic moment may be directed adjacent to a conductive plate to produce a force between the stream and the plate due to the eddy currents induced by the relative motion of the magnetic particles and the conductive plate. In a vehicle including a conductive plate attached to a chassis, a force may be created between a beam of magnetic particles and the chassis by directing the particles adjacent to the plate. This force can serve as a propulsive or lifting force on the chassis. The magnetic particles may be electrically charged and accelerated with a charged-particle accelerator. The magnetic particles may be electrically neutral and provided by an accelerator that utilizes a charged-particle accelerator to initiate a reaction to create moving neutral particles (e.g., a DT neutron generator). The magnitude or direction of this force may be varied by varying one or more of the density of magnetic particles in the stream, the velocity of the particles, the orientation of the plate relative to the chassis, the average orientation of the magnetic moment of the magnetic particles relative to the conductive plate, or the proximity of the particle stream to the conductive plate.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
In the summary above, and in the description below, reference is made to particular features of the invention in the context of exemplary embodiments of the invention. The features are described in the context of the exemplary embodiments to facilitate understanding. But the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. And the features are not limited to the embodiments by which they are described. The invention provides a number of inventive features which can be combined in many ways, and the invention can be embodied in a wide variety of contexts. Unless expressly set forth as an essential feature of the invention, a feature of a particular embodiment should not be read into the claims unless expressly recited in a claim.
Except as explicitly defined otherwise, the words and phrases used herein, including terms used in the claims, carry the same meaning they carry to one of ordinary skill in the art as ordinarily used in the art.
Because one of ordinary skill in the art may best understand the structure of the invention by the function of various structural features of the invention, certain structural features may be explained or claimed with reference to the function of a feature. Unless used in the context of describing or claiming a particular inventive function (e.g., a process), reference to the function of a structural feature refers to the capability of the structural feature, not to an instance of use of the invention.
Except for claims that include language introducing a function with “means for” or “step for,” the claims are not recited in so-called means-plus-function or step-plus-function format governed by 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). Claims that include the “means for [function]” language but also recite the structure for performing the function are not means-plus-function claims governed by § 112(f). Claims that include the “step for [function]” language but also recite an act for performing the function are not step-plus-function claims governed by § 112(f).
Except as otherwise stated herein or as is otherwise clear from context, the inventive methods comprising or consisting of more than one step may be carried out without concern for the order of the steps.
The terms “comprising,” “comprises,” “including,” “includes,” “having,” “haves,” and their grammatical equivalents are used herein to mean that other components or steps are optionally present. For example, an article comprising A, B, and C includes an article having only A, B, and C as well as articles having A, B, C, and other components. And a method comprising the steps A, B, and C includes methods having only the steps A, B, and C as well as methods having the steps A, B, C, and other steps.
Terms of degree, such as “substantially,” “about,” and “roughly” are used herein to denote features that satisfy their technological purpose equivalently to a feature that is “exact.” For example, a component A is “substantially” perpendicular to a second component B if A and B are at an angle such as to equivalently satisfy the technological purpose of A being perpendicular to B.
Except as otherwise stated herein, or as is otherwise clear from context, the term “or” is used herein in its inclusive sense. For example, “A or B” means “A or B, or both A and B.”
An exemplary embodiment of an electromagnetic propulsion/levitation panel is represented in
In some implementations, the particle speed (magnitude of the velocity v) or magnetic-field strength (magnitude of field B) may be varied to vary the magnitude of the force F. For example, the accelerator 104 may include an electrostatic accelerator in which the particles are accelerated across a potential difference (or a series of such differences) and the voltage(s) may be varied to vary the speed of the particles. In another example, the accelerator 104 may include an electromagnetic accelerator in which the particles are accelerated through interaction with a time-varying electric field (e.g., a RF wave or laser) and the electric-field strength may be varied to vary the speed of the particle. In another example, the number of particle-field interactions in an electromagnetic accelerator may be varied to vary the speed of the particles. In another example, the magnetic-field generator may include an electromagnet and the electromagnet current may be varied to vary the magnetic-field strength.
In some implementations, the particle or magnetic-field direction may be varied to vary the direction of the force F. In some implementations, the number of particles from the source electrode 102 may be varied to vary the aggregate magnitude of the force F due to the individual particles.
Another exemplary embodiment of an electromagnetic propulsion/levitation panel is represented in
An exemplary electromagnetically-driven vehicle 300 is depicted in
The force due to the moving particles can be used to, for example, counteract the force of gravity and cause the vehicle 300 to rise or levitate when the magnetic fields and particle velocities are appropriately oriented. More generally, the force can be used to propel the vehicle to move it in a direction determined by the magnetic fields and particle velocities. For example, the wings 320a, 320b, 320c, 320d may be pivotably attached to the chassis 330 to enable redirection of the magnetic field of one or more of the wings in order to steer and propel the vehicle 300. In another example, one or more of the magnetic-field generators 306a, 306b, 306c, 306d may include a steerable magnetic field (e.g., an electromagnet comprising multiple independent coils).
In an alternative embodiment, a vehicle may include a single source electrode and accelerator that provides a stream of charged particles to multiple magnetic-field generators.
In another alternative embodiment, a vehicle may include wings comprising conductive plates that interact with moving particles having magnetic moments, as described with reference to
While the foregoing description is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the basic scope of the invention. And features described with reference to one embodiment may be combined with other embodiments, even if not explicitly stated above, without departing from the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims which follow.
