Electromagnetic launcher with circular guideway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10218251-B2
Application number	US-201615163924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2016
Priority date	May 25, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An electromagnetic launcher with a closed-loop guideway and conductors for launching a projectile. The projectile is accelerated along the guideway using electromagnetic forces until it reaches a desired speed, then the projectile is launched in a desired direction. The direction of the launch of the projectile is determined by orienting the guideway in the desired direction using an actuator. The guideway may include a door or aperture allowing the projectile to be launched therefrom, tangent to the curvature of the guideway.

First claim

Having thus described one or more embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

1. An electromagnetic launcher comprising:
a closed-loop-shaped guideway made of non-conductive material and configured for moveably retaining a projectile therein; and
conductive coils wound around, within, or embedded in the guideway, wherein the conductive coils are operable to be electrically connected to a power supply, such that the power supply provides an electric current to the conductive coils creating an electromagnetic field along the guideway for accelerating the projectile within the guideway.

2. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the guideway is rotatable along one or more axes and thus configured to be tangentially pointed in a plurality of directions.

3. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the guideway forms a toroidal shape and has at least one launch site, wherein the launch site comprises
a door openable when the projectile within the guideway reaches a critical speed such that the projectile exits the launch site tangent to the guideway in a desired direction.

4. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the closed-loop-shaped guideway is jointed so that a length of the guideway is disconnectable and straightenable, thus releasing the projectile accelerated within the guideway in a direction tangent to the guideway.

5. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the closed-loop-shaped guideway is hinged on an inner wall of the guideway so that a length of an outer wall of the guideway is openable for releasing the projectile tangent to the guideway.

6. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , further comprising the projectile that is movably retained on or within the guideway, wherein the projectile is configured to be accelerated along the guideway due to the electromagnetic field via the conductive coils.

7. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the launcher is a stator and the conductive coils are stator coils wound around, within, or embedded in the guideway in a first direction, wherein the stator coils are operable for accelerating the projectile movably retained on or within the guideway, wherein the projectile includes a solid object and rotor coils made of conductive material and wound around, within, or embedded in the solid object in a second direction, wherein the first direction and second direction may be identical or opposite directions.

8. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 7 , wherein the projectile further comprises
an energy storage device that provides power to the rotor coils, and
magnets configured to cause the projectile to levitate along the guideway via the electromagnetic field provided by the stator coils.

9. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 7 , wherein the stator coils are controlled by a controller configured for activating only a portion of the stator coils nearest to the projectile.

10. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 7 , further comprising conductive contacts configured to movably retain the projectile on or within the guideway and configured to supply electric power to the rotor coils and stator coils, wherein the conductive contacts comprise:
a pair of rails comprising a positive rail and a negative rail that are positioned along the guideway;
two sets of connectors comprising
a first set of connectors configured for connecting a first end of the rotor coils to the positive rail and a second end of the rotor coils to the negative rail so that an electromagnetic field is induced due to a current traveling through the rotor coils on the projectile, and
a second set of connectors connecting a first end of the stator coils to the positive rail and a second end of the stator coils to the negative rail so that the connectors activate ones of the stator coils closest to the projectile so that an electromagnetic field is induced due to a current traveling through the stator coils.

11. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 10 , wherein the two sets of connectors are configured to independently switch polarities of the electromagnetic fields induced on the rotor coils or the stator coils.

12. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 10 , wherein the conductive contacts comprise ball or cylindrical bearings to reduce friction and springs to absorb shock.

13. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 7 , further comprising a controller configured to selectively activate a number or section of stator coils or rotor coils.

14. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the guideway comprises two toroidal guideways, including:
an external guideway with a first portion of the conductive coils wound around, within, or embedded in the external guideway; and
an internal guideway that is located within the external guideway, with a second portion of the conductive coils wound around, within, or embedded in the internal guideway;
wherein the external guideway and the internal guideway are radially spaced apart from each other and configured for cooperatively movably retaining a projectile along the outside of the internal guideway and along the inside of the external guideway.

15. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , further comprising one or more projectiles, wherein the one or more projectiles are fan or propeller blades.

16. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , further comprising a projectile, wherein the projectile is a sled that launches an object held in the sled when the sled reaches a desired speed or position along the guideway.

17. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , further comprising one or more projectiles, wherein the one or more projectiles comprise at least one of a spacecraft, aircraft, payload, satellite, nail, train, artillery shell, ammunition, and amusement park ride.

18. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the guideway is a handheld gun.

19. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the conductive coils are configured to accelerate a projectile within the guideway until the projectile breaks through the guideway.

20. The electromagnetic launcher of claim 1 , wherein the guideway is a toroid, circle, oval, figure eight, or infinity-symbol shape.

21. An electromagnetic launcher comprising:
a toroidal, circular, oval, figure eight, or infinity-symbol shaped guideway made of non-conductive material, wherein the guideway is rotatable and thus configured to be tangentially pointed in any direction;
conductive coils made of conductive material wound around, within, or embedded in the guideway in a first direction forming one or more stator coils, wherein the stator coils are operable to be electrically connected to a power supply, such that the power supply provides an electric current to the stator coils creating an electromagnetic field along the guideway;
a projectile that is movably retained on or within the guideway wherein the projectile is a rotor comprising:
a solid object configured to be accelerated along the guideway, and
a rotor conductor wound around, within, or embedded in the solid object in a second direction forming one or more rotor coils, wherein the first direction and second direction may be identical or opposite directions;

a pair of rails comprising a positive rail and a negative rail that are positioned along the guideway, wherein
the rails are positioned on a wall of the guideway toward which a centripetal force is primarily directed so that the cen

Assignees

• Honeywell Federal Mfg & Tech Llc

Inventors

• Hartman Seth
• Timpson Erik

Classifications

• H02K41/031 Primary

  of the permanent magnet type · CPC title

• H02K41/02 Primary

  Linear motors; Sectional motors · CPC title