A three-degrees-of-freedom Maglev system with actuators and permanent magnets

A magnetic suspension system with linear actuators and permanent magnets (instead of electromagnets) has been developed. In this system the bearing forces are controlled by adjusting the air gaps between permanent magnets and the levitated object (a circular disk). This system uses less energy and exhibits none of the overheating of coils typical of systems employing electromagnets. This paper describes a disk suspension system with three degrees of freedom. The system can operate either with a decentralized (distributed) feedback control system or with a centralized (lumped) one. Feedback gain matrices are calculated for each type of control system. The performances of the two types of control systems are compared by numerical simulations and experiment. This work is part of an effort to develop a magnetic levitation conveyer system.