Rail-bound maglev train

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10604898-B2
Application number	US-201615549188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A rail-bound maglev train comprising a guide rail which predefines a travel path, having at least one supra-conductive element ( 2 ) and a levitating vehicle which is arranged on the guide rail and has magnetic means ( 6 ), wherein the magnetic means interact magnetically in a contactless fashion with the travel path, and at least one supra-conductive element ( 2 ) comprises at least one supra-conductive conductor parallel to the travel path ( 4 ), and the at least one supra-conductive conductor has at least two electrical connections, wherein the respective at least two connections bound, on a strip, a strip section, arranged between said connections, as a continuous supra-conductive electrical line.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rail-bound maglev train, comprising:
a guide rail specifying a travel path, the guide rail including at least one superconducting element; and
a levitating vehicle arranged on the guide rail, the vehicle including a magnet, wherein the magnet is configured to magnetically interact with the guide rail in a contactless manner,
wherein the at least one superconducting element includes at least one superconducting conductor extending in parallel with the travel path, and
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor forms a continuous superconducting electrical line configured to transport electrical power and includes at least two electrical connections,
wherein the at least two electrical connections are positioned at a first end of the continuous superconducting electrical line and at a second end of the continuous superconducting electrical line opposite the first end, and
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is configured to both (i) transport electrical power along the travel path from the first end to the second end and (ii) generate a magnetic field that causes the vehicle arranged on the guide rail to levitate.

2. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is at least one superconducting strip and/or at least one superconducting wire.

3. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is formed by a plurality of superconducting strips connected in series.

4. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is oriented orthogonally to the magnet.

5. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is oriented in parallel with the magnet, and
wherein the magnet comprises first and second magnets that are arranged in series in the direction of the travel path and have alternatingly opposite pole directions towards the at least one superconducting conductor.

6. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 1 , wherein the superconducting element has discontinuities in geometric and/or electrical properties in the direction of the travel path.

7. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 6 , wherein the vehicle further includes optical and/or magnetic sensors configured to identify the discontinuities.

8. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 6 , wherein the vehicle further includes sensors configured to identify the discontinuities.

9. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet is formed by a vehicle-side superconducting element.

10. A rail-bound maglev train, comprising:
a guide rail specifying a travel path, the guide rail including at least one superconducting element; and
a levitating vehicle arranged on the guide rail, the vehicle including a magnet, wherein the magnet is configured to magnetically interact with the guide rail in a contactless manner,
wherein the at least one superconducting element includes at least one superconducting conductor extending in parallel with the travel path, and
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor forms a continuous superconducting electrical line configured to transport electrical power and includes at least two electrical connections, and
wherein the at least one superconducting element further includes at least one soft-magnetic material extending in parallel with the travel path and forming a laminated composite with the at least one superconducting conductor.

11. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 5 , wherein the at least two electrical connections are positioned at a first end of the continuous superconducting electrical line and at a second end of the continuous superconducting electrical line opposite the first end.

12. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is configured to both (i) transport electrical power along the travel path from the first end to the second end and (ii) generate a magnetic field that causes the vehicle arranged on the guide rail to levitate.

13. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is a plurality of superconducting conductors formed by strips of superconducting material, wherein the at least one soft-magnetic material includes a plurality of strips of soft-magnetic material, and wherein the laminated composite includes the plurality of strips of superconducting material and the plurality of strips of soft-magnetic material arranged in alternating fashion.

14. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one soft-magnetic material is configured to amplify a magnetic field generated by the super-conductor and guide the magnetic field to a surface of the guide rail.

15. A rail-bound maglev train, comprising:
a guide rail specifying a travel path, the guide rail including at least one superconducting element; and
a levitating vehicle arranged on the guide rail, the vehicle including a magnet, wherein the magnet is configured to magnetically interact with the guide rail in a contactless manner,
wherein the at least one superconducting element includes at least one superconducting conductor extending in parallel with the travel path, and
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor forms a continuous superconducting electrical line configured to transport electrical power and includes at least two electrical connections,
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is formed by a plurality of superconducting strips connected in series, and
wherein each pair of superconducting strips of the plurality of superconducting strips connected in series are connected by soft-magnetic flow-guidance connectors.

16. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 15 , wherein the soft-magnetic flow-guidance connectors create discontinuities in the electrical properties of the at least one superconducting conductor.

17. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 16 , wherein the levitating vehicle further includes optical and/or magnetic sensors configured to detect the discontinuities.

18. The rail-bound maglev train according to claim 15 , wherein the at least two electrical connections are positioned at a first end of the continuous superconducting electrical line and at a second end of the continuous superconducting electrical line opposite the first end, and
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor is configured to both (i) transport electrical power along the travel path from the first end to the second end and (ii) generate a magnetic field that causes the vehicle arranged on the guide rail to levitate.

19. A rail-bound maglev train, comprising:
a guide rail specifying a travel path, the guide rail including at least one superconducting element; and
a levitating vehicle arranged on the guide rail, the vehicle including a magnet, wherein the magnet is configured to magnetically interact with the travel path in a contactless manner,
wherein the at least one superconducting element includes at least one superconducting conductor extending in parallel with the travel path, and
wherein the at least one superconducting conductor includes at least two electrical connections, the at least two electrical connections being on one strip and in each case delimiting a strip portion arranged therebetween as a continuous superconducting electrical cable,
wherein

Assignees

• Karlsruher Inst Technologie

Inventors

• Noe Mathias
• Holzapfel Bernhard

Classifications

• E01B25/32 Primary

  Stators, guide rails or slide rails · CPC title

• B60L13/04 Primary

  Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles · CPC title

• E01B25/30

  Tracks for magnetic suspension or levitation vehicles · CPC title

• B61B13/08

  Sliding or levitation systems (vehicles with air cushions between rails and vehicles B60V3/04) · CPC title