A Linear Motor Design Provides Close and Secure Vehicle Separation of Many Transit Vehicles on a Guideway

Automated urban transit systems have been proposed for some time with limited attention to propulsion and control of many vehicles on a guideway. This is a particular critical requirement for personal rapid transit systems and an urban maglev transit system proposed by MagneMotion, the M³. The linear synchronous motor (LSM), as proposed for M³, has severe limitations. A modification of LSM is described, called "individual pole excitation linear motor" (IPELM), to meet the requirements of M³. The armature of IPELM consists of individual coils, incorporated in the guideway, which are powered separately under central control. An outline of IPELM design is presented for consideration and further development. Safety issues are reviewed for this linear motor. The main advantage of IPELM over LSM is the ability to control many vehicles on the same guideway with a very short headway and space between vehicles. A further development of IPELM makes it possible to design a continuous nonstop transit system with a high schedule speed between many online stations