Has anyone been working on an electromagnetic powered vehicle for personal transportation?

Question

Has anyone been working on an electromagnetic powered vehicle for personal transportation?

Answer 1

Here's a patent taken out on just such a vehicle.  The patent developers are:

William E. Schmitz

Pierre A. Zuber

William M. Truman

Fred J. Dimasi

Richard P. Ames

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of electromagnetic interference detection and control in an electrically powered vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

converting direct current (DC) electrical power supplied to the vehicle to a power output at a first level;

providing the power output to an electric motor in the vehicle;

monitoring the DC electrical power for an alternating current (AC) signal appearing thereon;

determining at least one of an amplitude and duration of the AC signal; and

adjusting the power output as a function of the at least one of the amplitude and duration of the AC signal.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjusting step includes the steps of:

maintaining the power output to the electric motor at the first level in response to the AC signal being less than a first amplitude for a first interval of time;

reducing the power output to the electric motor from the first level to a second level in response to the AC signal being greater than the first amplitude for the first interval of time; and

withholding the power output from the electric motor in response to the AC signal being greater than a second amplitude for the first interval of time, wherein the second amplitude is greater than the first amplitude.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the maintaining step includes maintaining the output power to the motor at the first level in response to the AC signal being greater than the first amplitude but for less than the first interval of time.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said adjusting step includes the step of:

isolating the vehicle from the supply of DC electrical power in response to the AC signal being greater than the second amplitude for a second interval of time, wherein the second interval is greater than the first interval.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said isolating step stops the operation of one of the converting step and the providing step.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the frequency of the AC signal monitored matches a frequency of a control signal for track signaling equipment used in connection with said vehicle.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the frequency of the AC signal monitored is at least one of 60 Hz, 100 Hz and a frequency within the audio spectrum.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

stimulating a current transducer with an alternating current;

detecting an output signal of the transducer in response to the stimulation;

determining at least one of a frequency, amplitude and duration of the output signal; and

providing power output to the electric motor as a function of the at least one of the frequency, amplitude and duration of the output signal.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the power output is provided to the electric motor if the amplitude and duration of the output signal at a selected frequency is greater than a reference amplitude and duration at the selected frequency.

10. An apparatus for electromagnetic detection and control in an electrically powered vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

means for converting direct current (DC) electrical power supplied to the vehicle to a power output at a first level;

means for providing the power output to an electric motor in the vehicle;

means for monitoring the DC electrical power for an alternating current (AC) signal appearing thereon;

means for determining at least one of an amplitude and duration of the AC signal; and

means for adjusting the power output as a function of the at least one of the amplitude and duration of the AC signal.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 further including:

means for maintaining the power output to the electric motor at the first level in response to the AC signal being less than a first amplitude for a first interval of time;

means for reducing the power output to the electric motor from the first level to a second level in response to the AC signal being greater than the first amplitude for the first interval of time; and

means for withholding the power output from the electric motor in response to the AC signal being greater than a second amplitude for the first interval of time, wherein the second amplitude is greater than the first amplitude.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein the maintaining means maintains the output power to the motor at the first level in response to the AC signal being greater than the first amplitude but for less than the first interval of time.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12 further including means for isolating the vehicle from the supply line in response to the AC signal being greater than the second amplitude for a second interval of time, wherein the second interval is greater than the first interval.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the isolating means isolates one of the converting means and the providing means from the supply of DC electrical power.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 further including:

means for stimulating a current transducer with an alternating current;

means for detecting an output signal of the transducer in response to said stimulation;

means for determining at least one of a frequency, amplitude and duration of the output signal; and

means for enabling the providing means to provide power output to the electric motor as a function of the at least one of the frequency, amplitude and duration of the output signal.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, further including:

means for determining a value of filter capacitance of an input filter of the means for converting; and

means for selectively adjusting the power output as a function of the value of the filter capacitance.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, further including:

means for verifying the integrity of a fuse associated with one or more capacitors of an input filter of the means for converting; and

means for selectively adjusting the power output as a function of the integrity of the fuse.

18. An electromagnetic interference detection and control apparatus for use with a mass transit vehicle having an electric motor for providing motive force to the vehicle and a propulsion system for converting electrical power supplied to the vehicle via a supply line to an electrical power useable by the motor, wherein the propulsion system supplies the converted electrical power to the motor at a first level, said apparatus comprising:

a current transducer for detecting AC current on the supply line and for providing an output signal related thereto; and

an EMI processor receiving the output signal of the current transducer and connected to the propulsion system for analyzing the detected AC current over a first interval of time and for causing the electrical power supplied to the motor by the propulsion system to be adjusted as a function thereof.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein the EMI processor signals the propulsion system to maintain the electrical power supplied to the motor by the propulsion system at the first level in response to the detected AC current being less than a first amplitude.

20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein the EMI processor reduces the electrical power supplied to the motor by the propulsion system from the first level to a second level in response to the detected AC current exceeding a first amplitude for said first interval of time.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein the EMI processor restores electrical power to the motor to the first level in response to the AC current falling below the first amplitude for a predetermined interval of time.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein the EMI processor generates a signal that causes the propulsion system to cease providing electrical power to the motor when the detected AC current exceeds a second amplitude for said first interval of time, with said second amplitude being greater than the first amplitude.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein the vehicle further includes a circuit breaker disposed between the supply line and the propulsion system, the EMI processor causing the circuit breaker to open and isolate the propulsion system from the supply line in the absence of the propulsion system acknowledging the EMI processor signal to cease providing electrical power to the motor.

24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 23 wherein the EMI processor causes the circuit breaker to open and isolate the propulsion system from the supply line in response to the detected AC current exceeding the second amplitude for a second interval of time, with the second interval being greater than said first interval.

25. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 further including means for stimulating said transducer to detect current exceeding a predetermined amplitude for a predetermined interval of time.

26. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein the EMI processor monitors the output of the current transducer at a frequency corresponding to a control signal frequency for track signaling equipment utilized in conjunction with the vehicle.

27. An electrically propelled vehicle comprising:

an electric motor for imparting motive force to the vehicle;

a propulsion system for converting DC electrical power supplied to the vehicle via a supply line to an electrical output useable by the motor, with the electrical output provided at a first level; and

an EMI detector including:

a current transducer for detecting noise on the supply line and for providing an output related thereto; and

a controller connected to the transducer and to the propulsion system for determining when the output of the transducer exceeds a first amplitude for a first interval of time and for signaling the propulsion system to reduce the electrical output from the first level to a second level in response thereto.

28. The vehicle as set forth in claim 27 wherein the controller monitors the output of the transducer at one or more of a predetermined frequency and a band of frequencies.

29. The vehicle as set forth in claim 27 wherein the second level is 50% of the first level.

30. The vehicle as set forth in claim 27 wherein the controller causes the propulsion system to reduce power output to 0% in response to the transducer output being in excess of a second amplitude for the first period of time, with the second amplitude greater than said first amplitude.

31. The vehicle as set forth in claim 30 further including a circuit breaker disposed between the supply line and the propulsion system and connected to the controller, with the controller causing the circuit breaker to open and isolate the propulsion system from the supply of DC electrical power in response to the output of the transducer being in excess of the second amplitude for a second interval of time, with the second interval being greater than said first interval.

32. The vehicle as set forth in claim 30 wherein the propulsion system signals the controller when output power is reduced to 0%.

33. The vehicle as set forth in claim 32 wherein the controller signals a circuit breaker to open thereby isolating the propulsion system from the supply line in the absence of receiving the signal from the propulsion system when output power is reduced to 0%.

Answer 2

Check out www.tritrack.net.  This car uses a linear motor to reach high speeds.  It's a personal car for the masses, that the inventor would love to build, but doesn't have $1 million in his pocket.

Answer 3

Every electric motor driven car is electromagnetically powered even now.

If the question is about powering a vehicle using electromagnetic radiation, this is in the realm of sci fi right now.

Answer 4

I know a man who is but he's not employed by Ford or Toyota. He's doing it privately with his own money. It's coming along, he says.

Answer 5

Looks like its headed more this way:

A ground-based electrically-powered launcher could significantly reduce the complexity and cost of space launches for moderate-weight payloads. The electromagnetic launch complex could greatly reduce the amount of fuels handling, reduce the turn-around time between launches, allow more concurrence in launch preparation, reduce the manpower requirements for launch vehicle preparation and increase the reliability of launch by using more standardized vehicle preparations. The launch requires high acceleration, so the satellite package must be hardened. This paper presents results of a study to estimate the required launcher parameters, and estimate the cost of such a launch facility. This study is based on electromagnetic gun technology which is constrained to a coaxial geometry to take advantage of the efficiency of closely-coupled coils. The launcher energy and power requirements fall in the range of 40{endash}260 GJ and 20{endash}400 GW electric. Parametric evaluations have been conducted with a launcher length of 1{endash}2 km, exit velocity of 1{endash}6 km/s, and payloads to low earth orbit of 100{endash}1000 kg.{copyright}{ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}