Abstract: An axial flux brushless permanent magnet electrical machine having a stator and at least one rotor. The rotor includes a Halbach array of magnets with at least four magnets per magnetic cycle. The rotor magnets are contained within pockets in the rotor. The pockets are formed with magnet pocket walls being radial walls, active surface walls, and/or inactive surface walls where the walls retain the magnets within the pockets.

Abstract: An axial flux brushless permanent magnet electrical machine having a stator and at least one rotor. The rotor includes a Halbach array of magnets with at least four magnets per magnetic cycle. The rotor magnets are contained within pockets in the rotor. The pockets are formed with magnet pocket walls being radial walls, active surface walls, and/or inactive surface walls where the walls retain the magnets within the pockets.

Abstract: An axial flux brushless permanent magnet electrical machine having a stator and at least one rotor. The rotor includes a Halbach array of magnets with at least four magnets per magnetic cycle. The rotor magnets are contained within pockets in the rotor. The pockets are formed with magnet pocket walls being radial walls, active surface walls, and/or inactive surface walls where the walls retain the magnets within the pockets.

Abstract: An axial flux brushless permanent magnet electrical machine having a stator and at least one rotor. The rotor includes a Halbach array of magnets with at least four magnets per magnetic cycle. The rotor magnets are contained within pockets in the rotor. The pockets are formed with magnet pocket walls being radial walls, active surface walls, and/or inactive surface walls where the walls retain the magnets within the pockets.

Abstract: A magnetically levitated transportation system employs permanent magnet rails along a guideway that interact with permanent magnets on a vehicle. The rails are optimized to reduce magnetic mass and cost of materials, while maximizing lift force. The vehicle is stabilized in the lateral and yaw directions with feedback controlled lateral control coils that interact with the permanent magnet rails on the guideway. A track switching structure employs permanent magnet rails that gradually widen along a segment of track and separate into two identical diverging rails. Feedback controlled lateral control coils in a moving vehicle stabilize that vehicle over one or the other pairs of diverging rails, as directed by a control computer, thereby causing the vehicle to continue along one path or the other, with no moving or active elements required in the track.

Abstract: Arrays of magnets configured to create linear or rotary magnetic springs with multiple equilibrium points. Some of the equilibrium points are stable, while others are unstable. No mechanical contact is required between moving and stationary elements of the magnetic springs, resulting in a virtually unlimited lifetime. The magnetic springs can be utilized in conjunction with low force electromagnetic actuators to implement multi-step linear or rotary actuators with high force, very short movement time between unstable equilibrium points, and with near-zero holding power required to maintain actuator position at any unstable equilibrium point. Specific applications that embody the present invention may include, but are not limited to, optical filters, linear valves, or any mechanism that would benefit from an efficient magnetic spring.

Abstract: One or more permanent magnets, or one or more permanent magnet arrays are used to produce shear force levitation. A primary application of shear force levitators is a levitated ring energy storage device. Such a levitated ring energy storage device includes a round support structure having a first magnetic levitator or levitator array encircling its outer periphery, and a ring encircling the support structure and having a second magnetic levitator or levitator array encircling its inner periphery, such that the first and second magnetic levitators (or levitator arrays) interact to produce a vertical force that levitates the ring.

Abstract: A magnetically levitated transportation system employs permanent magnet rails along a guideway that interact with permanent magnets on a vehicle. The rails are optimized to reduce magnetic mass, while maximizing lift force. In one example, the arrays are composed of arrays of magnets having rotating magnetizations, such as Halbach arrays. In another example, the arrays are cup-shaped to provide stronger magnetic field forces in the central portion of the array, relative to the lateral portion of the array. The vehicle may be stabilized in the lateral and yaw directions with feedback controlled lateral control coils that interact with the permanent magnet rails on the guideway. Vertical, pitch and roll motions may be controlled or damped with eddy-current damper coils or plates or with active feedback control to control the coils.

Abstract: A magnetically levitated transportation system employs permanent magnet rails along a guideway that interact with permanent magnets on a vehicle. The rails are optimized to reduce magnetic mass, while maximizing lift force. In one example, the arrays are composed of arrays of magnets having rotating magnetizations, such as Halbach arrays. In another example, the arrays are cup-shaped to provide stronger magnetic field forces in the central portion of the array, relative to the lateral portion of the array. The vehicle may be stabilized in the lateral and yaw directions with feedback controlled lateral control coils that interact with the permanent magnet rails on the guideway. Vertical, pitch and roll motions may be controlled or damped with eddy-current damper coils or plates or with active feedback control to control the coils.

Abstract: One or more permanent magnets, or one or more permanent magnet arrays are used to produce shear force levitation. A primary application of shear force levitators is a levitated ring energy storage device. Such a levitated ring energy storage device includes a round support structure having a first magnetic levitator or levitator array encircling its outer periphery, and a ring encircling the support structure and having a second magnetic levitator or levitator array encircling its inner periphery, such that the first and second magnetic levitators (or levitator arrays) interact to produce a vertical force that levitates the ring.

Abstract: An apparatus has a ball that bounces vertically on a vibrating piston. The system demonstrates the complex dynamics impact systems for education and research in dynamical systems theory and feedback control.