381results about "Electromagnetic launchers" patented technology

A rail gun launcher consists of an armature where a magnetic core with a multiple turn conductive coil, two parallel conductive rails on which terminals of the coil contact and slide, and a non-magnetic conductive barrel enclosing the rails and the armature. The coil partially encloses the magnetic core to shift magnetic equilibrium. When an AC power source is connected to the rails, the coil generates a source magnetism around the coil as well as an induced magnetism on the conductive barrel in an opposite direction through the magnetic core. The source magnetism and the induced magnetism are shifted in magnetic equilibrium and in opposite direction thereby repelling the armature forward. This repulsive force travels with the armature and is continuous from breech to muzzle and propels the armature forward to a high velocity without control circuitry or commutation.

An electromagnetic launcher comprising, an electric power supply, a conductive, stationary guide operatively connected to the power supply and forming a flowpath for current from the power supply, and a non-conductive projectile disposed adjacent to the guide and which is accelerated along the guide when current flows through the guide. The guide includes a plurality of conductive rails disposed in spaced, substantially parallel relation to each other, a plurality of conductive rungs interconnecting the rails and disposed in spaced relation to each other along the rails, and normally-open switches operatively associated with the rungs for selectively permitting current flow through different ones of the rungs. The projectile includes a main body and a magnet supported by the main body such that the magnet faces the guide with a small gap therebetween. The switches are passively activated only when they are disposed within a magnetic field of the projectile, such that the switches are sequentially activated as the projectile moves along the guide and create an electromagnetic pushing Lorentz force which continuously accelerates the projectile along the guide substantially in a direction parallel to the guide.

A deployment unit, for use by a provided electronic weapon, includes an electrode, a propellant, a first circuit that receives a first signal from the weapon for activating the propellant that propels the electrode toward a provided target, and a second circuit that receives a second signal from the weapon for passing a current through the electrode and through the target to interfere with locomotion by the target. The second circuit is decoupled from the first circuit to the extent that the second signal is insufficient to activate the propellant. A method performed by a deployment unit for an electronic weapon includes receiving from the weapon a first signal for activating a propellant of the deployment unit that propels an electrode of the deployment unit toward a provided target; and receiving a second signal from the weapon for passing a current through the electrode and through the target to interfere with locomotion by the target. The maximum open circuit voltage of the first signal is less than the maximum open circuit voltage of the second signal. The propellant cannot be activated without receiving the first signal. The propellant is not activated in response to receiving the second signal.

A ball tossing apparatus includes a support frame and a plurality of launch devices fixed to the support frame and arranged in a two-dimensional array. The launch devices include cylinders having a spring fixed therein, with a ball carrier fixed to the spring. The balls are retained in a loaded position (springs compressed) and then upon activation of the launch devices are launched vertically into the air to the sports player. In another embodiment, the launch devices include a rotating lever which is acted on by a biasing member to launch the ball vertically from the cylinder. A method for launching the balls includes the steps of loading the balls into a two dimensional array, and then launching the balls according to a launch sequence. An electronic control system for use with the ball tossing apparatus includes a launch module for launching the loaded balls in the plurality of launch devices according to a launch sequence. The launch sequences can be randomly generated, programmed by the sports player, or retrieved from memory. The launch of the balls can also be controlled remotely.

The present disclosure relates to a launch system, a launch vehicle for use with the launch system, and methods of launching a payload utilizing the launch vehicle and/or the launch system. The disclosure can provide for delivery of the payload at a terrestrial location, an Earth orbital location, or an extraorbital location. The launch vehicle can comprise a payload, a propellant tank, an electrical heater wherein propellant, such as a light gas (e.g., hydrogen) is electrically heated to significantly high temperatures, and an exhaust nozzle from which the heated propellant expands to provide an exhaust velocity of, for example, 7-16 km/sec. The launch vehicle can be utilized with the launch system, which can further comprise a launch tube formed of at least one tube, which can be electrically conductive and which can be combined with at least one insulator tube. An electrical energy source, such as a battery bank and associated inductor, can be provided.

The invention discloses a rotary multi-pole moment field electromagnetic propeller. The propeller mainly comprises a magnetic field coil, a projectile armature, a power supply circuit, a projectile location detection sensor and a synchronous accurate control chip, wherein the magnetic field coil adopts a multi-pole moment coil assembly, and the hierarchically arranged multi-pole moment coil assembly extends along the moving direction of the projectile armature; a flight duct is arranged between the multi-pole moment coil assembly and the projectile armature; and each coil in the multi-pole moment coil assembly is connected with the power supply circuit so as to acquire discharge pulse current. The rotary multi-pole moment field electromagnetic propeller can generate stronger axial electromagnetic accelerated thrust on the projectile armature, has the advantages of large electromagnetic accelerated force, large transmitted projectile mass, high outlet speed, balanced rotary motion, stable suspension and high efficiency and environmental friendliness, can be widely applied in the fields of locomotive thrust, rocket assist, electromagnetic forming, rotary excavation machinery and the like, and particularly in the technology of vacuum pipeline transporation.

An insulation structure and a method for forming an insulation structure on a surface provide both mechanical integrity and insulative capabilities in applications and environments involving extreme temperatures and compressive forces. The insulation structure includes aerogel agglomerates formed by combining ceramic particles with aerogel particles. The insulation structure may further include ceramic particles. The aerogel agglomerates and ceramic particles are thermally sprayed on a surface to form a graded or layered structure. The method for forming an insulation structure includes spray-drying and post-drying a mixture of ceramic particles, aerogel particles, water, and a binder.

The invention discloses an electromagnetic fire extinguishing bomb launching system for a high-rise building, and relates to high-rise building fire ground rescuing equipment. The positive end of a pulse power source is connected to one ends of multiple levels of drive coils through a plurality of closing switches. Each closing switch is correspondingly connected with the corresponding level of drive coil. The negative end of the pulse power source is connected with the other ends of the multiple levels of drive coils. A propellant projectile armature is arranged on one side of each drive coil and matched with a projectile, and the drive coils are connected with energy storage elements or energy releasing elements. A synchronous measurement and control module is arranged at the inlet end of each level of drive coil and connected with a photoelectric detecting system connected to a control system, and the control system is connected with all the closing switches. According to the electromagnetic fire extinguishing bomb launching system, the launching speed can be adjusted, and electromagnetic launching is environment-friendly, free of pollution, low in noise, good in safety and higher in safety for firefighters.

A gun barrel for firing a projectile and particularly a rail gun barrel that comprises a pair of spaced apart rails and a pair of spaced apart insulators, which separate the rails, and together define a composite bore, all disposed centrally within an outer rigid tube. A prestressed filament-wound polymeric resin shell immediately surrounds and applies compressive stress to this composite, bore-defining structure. A pressure medium, positioned between the shell and the interior surface of the outer tube, is operative to apply compressive stress to the shell at least at locations generally radially outward of the rails. The compressive stresses applied by the combination of the prestressed shell and the pressure medium are additive and effectively preload the rails and the composite bore structure to resist overall forces encountered during projectile firing which, in a rail gun, include asymmetric loads upon the rails from electromagnetic repulsion forces and also axisymmetric bursting forces.

Multi-directional currents are generated in a medium by cyclically reversing the direction of a conventional current applied to at least one of at least two electrodes so that an electromotive force (EMF) pulse travels from side of the electrode to the other, changing the direction of current in the medium. The multi-directional currents may be used to accelerate electrolytic processes such as generation of hydrogen by water electrolysis, to sterilize water for drinking, to supply charging current to a battery or capacitor, including a capacitive thrust module, in a way that extends the life and/or improves the performance of the battery or capacitor, to increase the range of an electromagnetic projectile launcher, and to increase the light output of a cold cathode light tube, to name just a few of the potential applications for the multi-directional currents.

An electromagnetic coil gun system includes a launcher having a barrel with a longitudinal bore therethrough, and a plurality of longitudinally extending electrical excitation coils arranged circumferentially around the bore of the barrel so that a magnetic field produced by an electrical current in each electrical excitation coil penetrates into the bore. Each electrical excitation coil is independently activated by the electrical current passed therethrough. There is a projectile sized to be received within the bore of the barrel and having a circumferential armature at a tail end thereof, and a nose end. The projectile placed into the bore is fired by producing a traveling sequence of propulsive currents in the electrical excitation coils moving in a direction from the breech end toward the muzzle end of the barrel, so that a traveling propulsive magnetic field produced by the electrical excitation coils interacts with the armature of the projectile to propel the projectile in the direction from the breech end toward the muzzle end of the barrel. Simultaneously, a traveling sequence of field-nulling currents in the electrical excitation coils moves in the direction from the breech end toward the muzzle end of the barrel but closer to the muzzle end of the barrel than the traveling sequence of propulsive currents and spatially leading the traveling sequence of propulsive currents. The field-nulling currents are in a circumferential direction opposite to the propulsive currents, thereby at least partially nulling the traveling propulsive magnetic field at the nose end of the projectile.

Apparatus for inductive braking of a projectile are disclosed. Embodiments include a receiver that has a unidirectional conductor having a closed conductive pathway that encircles a passageway for a moving projectile. The unidirectional conductor permits current to flow through it in substantially only one direction around the passageway. As the projectile and its associated magnetic field move past the unidirectional conductor, the moving magnetic field induces a current flow through the closed conductive pathway, which in turn generates a magnetic field behind the projectile having the same polarity as the projectile's field. The two fields attract one another, which both exerts a braking force on the projectile and tends to align the two fields. Alignment of these fields centers the projectile away from the passageway wall. Because the unidirectional conductor permits current to flow in substantially only the direction that produces a field having the same polarity as the moving field, the opposite-polarity repulsive magnetic field that would otherwise be generated ahead of the projectile, which would otherwise deflect the projectile from its path, is suppressed. Methods of inductive braking are also disclosed.

The invention provides an electromagnetic transmitter with annular connectors to overcome the defects that power is supplied to an existing electromagnetic gun through a guide rail, contact and friction exist between a warhead and the guide rail, so that the speed cannot be increased, and sparks and ablation may happen. According to the electromagnetic transmitter with the annular connectors, a warhead coil and a power source are connected through the annular connectors, power can be cut off automatically, and a warhead can be disengaged from a transmitting tube opening when the warhead flies out of the transmitting tube opening. Photoelectric controllers and electromagnetic relays are used for controlling the current of various coils and the direction of a switch, the multiple transmitting coils can exert electromagnetic force at the same time, the warhead can obtain larger electromagnetic force and higher acceleration, the manufacturing technology is very simple, and the electromagnetic transmitter is more economical and reliable and can be put into use immediately.

The electromagnetic energy superhigh speed shooting cannon consists of electromagnetic energy shooting unit, magnetic energy bullet, gun barrel, aiming and navigating system, current rectifying and controlling system, HF switching power supply, bullet feeding system, bullet speeding system, electric power system, conducting tracks, T-shaped magnetic energy collector, cooling system, air bufferingsystem, barbette, etc. The present invention shoot bullet through the combination of magnetic force and electromagnetic energy and fastens the bullet flying speed and shooting rate extremely.

The present invention considers the problem of energizing large electric current, electromagnetic driving force and acceleration in coilguns by means of electromagnetic resonant oscillations, both in the armature, that represents the oscillatory contour consisting of the coil and the capacitor and in the stator coils.

The invention discloses a superconducting electromagnetic rapid and continuous transmitting system and an implementation method of the superconducting electromagnetic rapid and continuous transmitting system. The system comprises a high-temperature superconducting magnetic suspension sub-system, a superconducting electromagnetic propelling sub-system and a superconducting magnetic suspension flywheel pulsed power supply sub-system. The high-temperature superconducting magnetic suspension sub-system comprises a suspension unit and an external magnetic excitation source. The superconducting electromagnetic propelling sub-system comprises a stator body, a transmitted body, a refrigeration device, a low-temperature heat insulation device and a foundation platform. The superconducting magnetic suspension flywheel pulsed power supply sub-system comprises a superconducting magnetic suspension flywheel and a pulse compensation motor and used for conducting energy storage through the flywheel supported by a superconducting magnetic suspension bearing. By means of the superconducting electromagnetic rapid and continuous transmitting system, non-contact transmitting of a carrier is achieved, and the propelling system can be repeatedly used for a long time; the energy storage density which is far higher than that of a super-capacitor can be achieved through the high-speed superconducting magnetic suspension flywheel, and therefore the electromagnetic force density of the propelling system can be effectively increased; the whole electromagnetic transmitting system is simple in control technology and solves the problems that a traditional electromagnetic transmitting system is large in size and complex in structure; the electromagnetic transmitting system is basically made of superconducting materials and has the capacity for conducting continuous transmitting in a short time.