Thrust generating mechanism

Abstract

The present invention provides a thrust generating mechanism that can cause a rotary body to rotate. The present invention comprises a rotating-side magnet 221, a fixed-side magnet 241, a rotary body 210 to which the rotating-side magnet 221 is attached and which is rotatably supported by a rotary shaft 202, and an oscillating mechanism 231 to which the fixed-side magnet 241 is attached and which oscillates the fixed-side magnet 241.

Description

Thrust generation mechanism

[0001] This relates to a thrust generating mechanism that rotates a rotor using magnetic force generated by a magnet.

[0002] A contactless propulsion device is known as a thrust generating mechanism that uses magnets to move a moving part (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, this device uses the magnetic field generated by the magnet to levitate the moving part, and is therefore unable to move the moving part sufficiently. For this reason, the inventor of the present application developed the thrust generating mechanism described in Patent Document 2.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-264846 Patent No. 6985671

[0004] The inventors of the present application have not only developed the thrust generating mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2, but have also developed a new thrust generating mechanism.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a thrust generating mechanism that can rotate a rotating body.

[0006] a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and which is rotatably supported on a rotation shaft; and a displacement mechanism to which the fixed-side magnet is attached and which displaces the fixed-side magnet, wherein the rotating-side magnet is arranged so that the direction from the first polarity to the second polarity of the rotating-side magnet is along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body, and the displacement mechanism is configured to displace the fixed-side magnet so that one end face of the fixed-side magnet faces the other end face of the rotating-side magnet when the fixed-side magnet and the rotating-side magnet are separated, and when the fixed-side magnet and the rotating-side magnet are close to each other, the displacement mechanism is configured to displace the fixed-side magnet so that the other end face of the fixed-side magnet faces the other end face of the fixed-side magnet.

[0007] In addition, the fixed side magnet may be plate-shaped extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis, and the downstream end in the rotation direction of the rotating body may be bent at a predetermined angle toward the rotating side magnet.

[0008] A thrust generating mechanism according to the present invention comprises: a rotating-side magnet having one end face with a first polarity and another end face with a second polarity different from the first polarity; a fixed-side magnet having one end face with the first polarity and another end face with the second polarity different from the first polarity; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the rotating-side magnet is arranged such that the direction from the first polarity to the second polarity of the rotating-side magnet is along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body, and the fixed-side magnet is provided so as to be movable along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body, and the fixed-side magnet is configured to be able to reciprocate between a first position where the other end face of the rotating-side magnet faces the other end face of the fixed-side magnet when the rotating-side magnet and the fixed-side magnet are facing each other, and a second position where one end face of the rotating-side magnet faces the other end face of the fixed-side magnet when the rotating-side magnet and the fixed-side magnet are facing each other, This thrust generating mechanism is characterized in that when the rotating-side magnet is located at an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side magnet in the direction of rotation, the fixed-side magnet is located at the first position, and when the rotation of the rotating body causes the rotating-side magnet to be closer to the fixed-side magnet than the upstream position, the fixed-side magnet is located at the second position.

[0009] A thrust generating mechanism according to the present invention comprises: a rotating-side magnet having one end face with a first polarity and the other end face with a second polarity different from the first polarity; a fixed-side magnet having one end face with the first polarity and the other end face with the second polarity different from the first polarity; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the fixed-side magnet is provided so as to be movable in a first direction from the side of the rotating shaft of the rotating body toward the rotating shaft and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the fixed-side magnet is configured to be able to reciprocate between a close position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is close to the other end face of the rotating-side magnet and a separated position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is separated from the close position in the second direction, and when the rotating-side magnet is located at an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side magnet in the rotation direction, the fixed-side magnet is located at the separated position, whereas when the rotating body rotates so that the rotating-side magnet is closer to the fixed-side magnet than the upstream position, the fixed-side magnet is located at the close position. This is a thrust generating mechanism characterized by the above.

[0010] a rotating body having the rotating-side magnet attached thereto and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, the fixed-side member being movable in a first direction from the side of the rotating body's axis of rotation toward the axis of rotation and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the fixed-side member being configured to be able to reciprocate between a close position where the fixed-side member is close to the rotating-side magnet and a separated position where the fixed-side member is separated from the close position in the second direction, and when the rotating-side magnet is located at an upstream position upstream of the fixed-side member in the direction of rotation, the fixed-side member is located at the separated position, while when the rotation of the rotating body causes the rotating-side magnet to be closer to the fixed-side member than the upstream position, the fixed-side member is located at the close position.

[0011] a rotating-side member made of a magnetic material and arranged to face the fixed-side magnet and capable of receiving the magnetic force of the fixed-side magnet; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side member is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the fixed-side magnet is arranged to be movable in a first direction from the side of the rotation axis of the rotating body toward the rotation axis and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the fixed-side magnet is configured to be able to reciprocate between a close position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is close to the rotating-side member and a separated position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is separated from the close position toward the second direction, and when the rotating-side member is located at an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side magnet in the rotation direction, the fixed-side magnet is located at the separated position, while when the rotation of the rotating body causes the rotating-side member to be closer to the fixed-side magnet than the upstream position, the fixed-side magnet is located at the close position.

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a thrust generating mechanism that can rotate a rotating body.

[0013] 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a thrust generating mechanism according to a first embodiment. It is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship of the thrust generating mechanism shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is a plan view of the thrust generating mechanism shown in FIG. 1, (b) is a side view showing the left side of a plate-shaped third magnet associated with the thrust generating mechanism shown in (a), and (c) is a side view showing the right side of a plate-shaped second magnet associated with the thrust generating mechanism shown in (a). It is a rear view illustrating the relationship between the thrust generating mechanism shown in FIG. 1 and a moving unit. It is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the thrust generating mechanism shown in FIG. 1 and a moving unit, where (a) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the moving unit is positioned between the plate-shaped second magnet constituting the linear first magnet unit and the plate-shaped third magnet constituting the linear second magnet unit, (b) is a side view of the moving unit shown in (a) as seen from the linear second magnet unit, and (c) is a side view of the moving unit shown in (a) as seen from the linear first magnet unit. It is a perspective view schematically illustrating a state in which the moving unit moves in the thrust generating mechanism according to FIG. 1. 10A and 10B are diagrams for schematically explaining a thrust generating mechanism according to a second embodiment, in which (a) is a plan view of the thrust generating mechanism according to the second embodiment, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the thrust generating mechanism shown in (a), and (c) is a side view for schematically explaining the connection between the arc-shaped second magnets of the annular first magnet portion, the connection between the arc-shaped third magnets of the annular second magnet portion, and the connection between the arc-shaped fourth magnets of the annular third magnet portion in the thrust generating mechanism shown in (a). 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a thrust generating mechanism according to a first variant of the first embodiment, in which (a) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped second magnet and the plate-shaped third magnet overlap each other, (b) is a side view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped second magnet and the plate-shaped third magnet overlap each other, (c) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped second magnet and the plate-shaped third magnet do not overlap each other, (d) is a side view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped second magnet and the plate-shaped third magnet do not overlap each other, (e) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped second magnet and the plate-shaped third magnet are spaced apart from each other, and (f) is a side view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped second magnet and the plate-shaped third magnet are spaced apart from each other.1A is a plan view illustrating a state in which the arc-shaped second magnet and the arc-shaped third magnet overlap each other, (b) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the arc-shaped second magnet and the arc-shaped third magnet do not overlap each other, and (c) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the arc-shaped second magnet and the arc-shaped third magnet are spaced apart from each other. 1B is a plan view illustrating a state in which the arc-shaped second magnet and the arc-shaped third magnet overlap each other, and (c) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the arc-shaped second magnet and the arc-shaped third magnet are spaced apart from each other. 1C is a plan view illustrating a state in which the arc-shaped first magnet, the arc-shaped second magnet, and the arc-shaped third magnet overlap each other, and (b) is a plan view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped first magnet, the plate-shaped second magnet, and the plate-shaped third magnet are thickened, and (c) is a perspective view showing another example of the plate-shaped first magnet. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a first variant of the plate-shaped first magnet, where (a) is a side view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped first magnet is inclined upward to the right relative to a plane, (b) is a side view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped first magnet is parallel to a plane, and (c) is a side view illustrating a state in which the plate-shaped first magnet is inclined upward to the left relative to a plane.

[0033] Fig. 1A is a diagram illustrating a magnet body, where (a) is a diagram illustrating each configuration of the magnet body, and (b) is a diagram illustrating the polarity of the magnet body.

[0034] Fig. 1B is a diagram illustrating a thrust generating mechanism according to a third embodiment, where (a) is a rear view schematically illustrating the thrust generating mechanism, and (b) is a plan view schematically illustrating the thrust generating mechanism.

[0035] Fig. 1C is a diagram illustrating a thrust generating mechanism 100 according to a fourth embodiment, where (a) is a side view schematically illustrating the thrust generating mechanism, and (b) is a plan view schematically illustrating the thrust generating mechanism. 10A and 10B are diagrams schematically showing a thrust generating mechanism 100 according to a modified example of the fourth embodiment, where (a) is a side view schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism, and (b) is a plan view schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism. 10B are diagrams schematically explaining a modified example using a tapered magnet, where (a) is a plan view showing the tapered magnet, (b) is a side view showing the tapered magnet, (c) is a side view schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet, (d) is a plan view schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet, and (e) is a side view schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet. 10C are diagrams schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet. 10D are diagrams schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet. 10E are diagrams schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet. 10F are diagrams schematically showing the thrust generating mechanism using the tapered magnet.22A and 22B are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship between the magnet body and the plate-shaped magnet in an upright state, where (a) is a rear view schematically showing this positional relationship and (b) is a side view showing this positional relationship. 22B are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship between the magnet body and the plate-shaped magnet in an upright state, where (a) is a side view schematically showing this positional relationship and (b) is a plan view showing this positional relationship. 22C are side views schematically explaining the fixed-side magnet body. 22C are diagrams schematically explaining modified examples of the moving section, where (a) is a rear view showing a state in which a moving section is provided at one end of the magnet body, and (b) is a rear view showing a state in which a moving section is provided at each end of the magnet body. 22D are rear views schematically showing the moving section of FIG. 21 in a horizontal position. 22E are diagrams schematically showing a see-through state of the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. 22F are side views showing an enlarged view of the oscillation mechanism of the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. 22F are diagrams schematically showing the flow of operation of the displacement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. 22H are diagrams schematically showing the flow of operation of the displacement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of operation of the displacement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of operation of the displacement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing a thrust generating mechanism according to a modified example of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing a thrust generating mechanism according to a modified example of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing a thrust generating mechanism according to a modified example of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing a thrust generating mechanism according to a modified example of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a fixed-side magnet according to a modified example of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram schematically showing a fixed-side magnet according to a modified example of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram schematically showing a vertical movement mechanism of the thrust generating mechanism according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically showing a thrust generating mechanism according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of operation of the vertical movement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of operation of the vertical movement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of operation of the vertical movement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the sixth embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a flow of operation of a forward / backward movement mechanism in a thrust generating mechanism according to a seventh embodiment.13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a restricting portion in a thrust generating mechanism according to a modification of the seventh embodiment, and a diagram illustrating a flow of operation of a forward / backward moving mechanism in a thrust generating mechanism according to a modification of the seventh embodiment.

[0014] 1 to 4, a thrust generating mechanism (thrust generating device) 1 according to the first embodiment includes a moving unit 3 that is movable on a plane G (see FIGS. 3 and 4) such as the ground or a floor and that has a plate-shaped first magnet (first magnet) 9 attached thereto, and a linear first magnet unit (one-side magnet unit) 5 and a second magnet unit (other-side magnet unit) 7 that are placed on the plane G and are located on both sides of the moving unit 3. Note that although there is only one moving unit 3 in this embodiment, FIG. 2 illustrates two moving units 3, one on the left and one on the right, in order to show the state in which the moving unit 3 moves from the rear side to the front side (from right to left as viewed in FIG. 2).

[0015] The moving unit 3 has a plate-shaped first magnet 9 (see FIG. 2), which is a permanent magnet, a case 11 (see FIG. 1) made of a non-magnetic material such as resin that covers the periphery of the plate-shaped first magnet 9, and four wheels 13 (see FIG. 4(a)) that are provided at the front and rear of the lower part of both sides of the case 11 and placed on a plane G, and is configured to move forward in the direction indicated by arrow A (leftward in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4). For ease of explanation, the case 11 and wheels 13 of the moving unit 3 are not shown in FIG. 2 (in other words, only the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is shown), and the case 11 of the moving unit 3 is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (in other words, only the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and wheels 13 are shown).

[0016] As shown in Figure 2(a), the lower left side surface (one surface) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 as viewed in Figure 2(a) has a magnetic north pole, and the upper right side surface (the other surface) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 as viewed in Figure 2(a) has a magnetic south pole. When the moving part 3 is placed on a plane G, the left side surface 9a and the right side surface 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 are each vertical surfaces perpendicular to the plane G (see Figure 3).

[0017] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), when the moving part 3 is placed on a plane G, when viewed from the forward direction indicated by the arrow A and from a direction perpendicular to the height direction of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 (the up-down direction in Figure 4(b)) (the direction penetrating the paper surface in Figure 4(b); hereinafter, this direction will be simply referred to as the "vertical direction"), the first center line (moving side center line) C1 passing through the center of the height direction of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is parallel to the plane G.

[0018] 2 to 4, the north pole is the white part and the south pole is the black part. This also applies to the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 described later and to Fig. 6 described later. In this embodiment, the white part is the north pole and the black part is the south pole, but it goes without saying that the white part may be the south pole and the black part the north pole.

[0019] In this embodiment, the movement direction of the moving unit 3 is restricted by each wheel 13 to either the forward direction (first direction) indicated by arrow A or the backward direction opposite to the first direction. In other words, the case 11 and the four wheels 13 on the front, rear, left, and right sides constitute a movement direction restricting unit that restricts the movement direction of the moving unit 3 to the forward and backward direction.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2(c), the linear first magnet portion 5 is formed by arranging a plurality of plate-shaped second magnets (second magnets) 15, which are plate-shaped permanent magnets, along the front-to-rear direction, and these plurality of plate-shaped second magnets 15 have the same shape. Specifically, the linear first magnet portion 5 is formed by sequentially fixing adjacent plate-shaped second magnets 15 in the front-to-rear direction to each other by gluing, welding, or the like, so that the upper half of the rear surface of the front plate-shaped second magnet 15 is connected to the lower half of the front surface of the rear plate-shaped second magnet 15, and then covering the periphery of these plate-shaped second magnets 15 with a non-magnetic case (not shown). Note that for ease of explanation, Figure 2(c) shows some of the plate-shaped second magnets 15 constituting the linear first magnet portion 5 as cut away.

[0021] The lower left side surface 15a of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 as viewed in FIG. 2(a) has a south magnetic pole, and the upper right side surface (the other side) 15b as viewed in FIG. 2(a) has the same north magnetic pole as the left side surface (one side) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the right side surface (one-side opposing surface) 15b of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 can face the left side surface (one side) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving unit 3 that moves forward between the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7, and has the same polarity as this left side surface 9a. Therefore, a repulsive force CL acts between the left side surface 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the right side surface 15b of the plate-shaped second magnet 15. Furthermore, when the linear first magnet portion 5 is placed on plane G, the left side surface 15a and the right side surface 15b of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 are each vertical surfaces perpendicular to plane G.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4(b) and (c), the lower end of the rear end of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 (for example, the lower right corner as viewed in Figures 4(b) and (c)) is in contact with plane G, while the lower end of the front end of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 (the lower left corner as viewed in Figures 4(b) and (c)) is floating above plane G. In other words, each plate-shaped second magnet 15 is inclined upward toward the front so that the inclination angle between the bottom surface of this plate-shaped second magnet 15 and plane G is a predetermined angle (acute angle). Furthermore, the inclination angles of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 are the same. Therefore, when the linear first magnet portion 5 is placed on plane G, the second center line (stationary-side first center line) C2 passing through the center of the height of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 intersects with the first center line C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 at a predetermined angle when viewed vertically.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2(b), the linear second magnet portion 7 is configured by arranging a plurality of plate-shaped third magnets 17, which are plate-shaped permanent magnets, in a front-to-rear direction, similar to the linear first magnet portion 5 described above, and these plate-shaped third magnets 17 have the same shape as each other. Specifically, the linear second magnet portion 7 is configured by sequentially fixing adjacent plate-shaped third magnets 17 in a front-to-rear direction so that the upper half of the rear surface of the front plate-shaped third magnet 17 is connected to the lower half of the front surface of the rear plate-shaped third magnet 17 by adhesive, welding, or the like, and then covering the periphery of these third magnets 17 with a non-magnetic case (not shown). Note that, as with Figure 2(c), for ease of explanation, Figure 2(b) shows only a portion of all the plate-shaped third magnets 17 that make up the linear second magnet portion 7.

[0024] The lower left side surface (opposing surface) 17a of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 as viewed in FIG. 2(a) has the same magnetic south pole as the right side surface (opposing surface) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9, while the upper right side surface 17b as viewed in FIG. 2(a) has a magnetic north pole. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the left side surface (opposing surface) 17a of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 can face the right side surface (opposing surface) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving unit 3 that moves forward between the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7, and has the same polarity as this right side surface 9b. Therefore, a repulsive force CR acts between the right side surface 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the left side surface 17a of the plate-shaped third magnet 17. Furthermore, when the linear second magnet portion 7 is placed on plane G, the left side surface 17a and the right side surface 17b of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 are each perpendicular to plane G.

[0025] 4(b) and 4(c), the lower end of the rear end of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 (for example, the lower right corner as viewed in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c)) is in contact with plane G, while the leading end of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 (the end on the left as viewed in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c)) is floating above plane G. In other words, each plate-shaped third magnet 17 is inclined upward toward the front so that the inclination angle between the bottom surface of this plate-shaped third magnet 17 and plane G is the same predetermined angle as the inclination angle between the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and plane G, and the inclination angles of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 are the same as each other. Therefore, when the linear second magnet portion 7 is placed on plane G, the third center line (second stationary center line) C3 passing through the center of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 in the height direction is parallel to the second center line C2 as viewed vertically and intersects with the first center line C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 at a predetermined angle (acute angle).

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 , the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are formed to be the same length. The linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are arranged parallel to and facing each other on plane G with a predetermined distance between them. In this state, the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are arranged such that, when viewed from the vertical direction, the tip of the linear second magnet portion 7 is located forward of the tip of the linear first magnet portion 5 by half the front-to-back length of the plate-shaped third magnet 17, which is inclined at a predetermined angle (hereinafter simply referred to as the "front-to-back length of the magnet"). In other words, when viewed from the vertical direction, the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are positioned such that the respective plate-shaped second magnets 15 and plate-shaped third magnets 17 are shifted forward and backward by half the front-to-back length of the magnets (see FIG. 1 ).

[0027] 1 , as can be seen by looking at the front-most plate-shaped second magnet 15 (the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 in FIG. 1 ) among the (plurality of) plate-shaped second magnets 15 constituting the linear first magnet portion 5, and the front-most plate-shaped third magnet 17 (the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 in FIG. 1 ) among the plate-shaped third magnets 17 constituting the linear second magnet portion 7, the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are arranged so that the lower tip of the front-most plate-shaped second magnet 15 is located in the center of the front-most plate-shaped third magnet 17. Note that it is sufficient that the respective plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the plate-shaped third magnets 17 of the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are shifted forward and backward relative to each other when viewed vertically (in other words, it is sufficient that the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 do not overlap so as to coincide when viewed vertically), and the degree of shift can be set appropriately depending on the specifications, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the linear second magnet portion 7 is shifted forward relative to the linear first magnet portion 5, but it goes without saying that instead, the linear first magnet portion 5 may be shifted forward relative to the linear second magnet portion 7.

[0028] In this embodiment, since each plate-shaped second magnet 15 and each plate-shaped third magnet 17 have the same shape, the plate-shaped second magnet 15 of the linear first magnet section 5 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 of the linear second magnet section 7 facing this plate-shaped second magnet 15 have the positional relationship described below.

[0029] That is, taking the frontmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 of the linear first magnet section 5 as an example, the front half (left half in FIG. 1 ) of this plate-shaped second magnet 15 faces the rear half (right half in FIG. 1 ) of the frontmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 of the linear second magnet section 7, and the rear half of this plate-shaped second magnet 15 faces the front half of the plate-shaped third magnet 17 (the second plate-shaped third magnet 17 from the left in FIG. 1 ) located behind the frontmost plate-shaped third magnet 17. In other words, the plate-shaped second magnet 15 faces two adjacent plate-shaped third magnets 17 (overlapping when viewed vertically), and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 also faces two adjacent plate-shaped second magnets 15.

[0030] 4(b) and 4(c), when the moving unit 3 is placed on plane G between the linear first magnet unit 5 and the linear second magnet unit 7, the first center line C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving unit 3 is less than the second center line C2 of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 of the linear first magnet unit 5 (less than the right end of center line C2 in FIG. 4(c)), and is less than the third center line C3 of each plate-shaped third magnet 17 of the linear second magnet unit 7 (less than the right end of center line C3 in FIG. 4(b)). In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a repulsive force acts between the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the plate-shaped second magnet 15 in the direction indicated by arrow D (diagonally downward to the right in FIG. 3), and a repulsive force acts between the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 in the direction indicated by arrow E (diagonally downward to the left in FIG. 3). As a result, the moving part 3 is pressed against the plane G as shown by the arrow B, and the moving part 3 does not float up from the plane G, so that the moving part 3 is placed stably and horizontally on the plane G.

[0031] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described based on the above-described configuration. First, as shown in Figure 5, the moving unit 3 is placed (disposed) at an appropriate first position between the linear first magnet unit 5 and the linear second magnet unit 7 on plane G, for example, a position between the front and rear plate-shaped third magnets 17 and the plate-shaped second magnet 15 located between them when viewed vertically (the position of the moving unit 3 on the right side in Figure 5). At this time, as described above, the moving unit 3 is stably placed on plane G, and the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of this moving unit 3 is also perpendicular to plane G (see Figure 3).

[0032] The plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 are tilted upward toward the front relative to the first plate-shaped magnet 9 and are offset from each other in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the area where the left side surface 17a of the third plate magnet 17 faces the right side surface 9b of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 (see FIG. 4(b)) is smaller than the area where the right side surface 15b of the second plate magnet 15 faces the left side surface 9a of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 (see FIG. 4(c)). (In other words, the exposed area (exposed surface area) of the right side surface 9b of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 that is not overlapped with the third plate magnet 17 is larger than the exposed area of ​​the left side surface 9a of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 that is not overlapped with the second plate-shaped magnet 15.) This results in the repulsive force CL between the first plate-shaped magnet 9 and the second plate-shaped magnet 15 being greater than the repulsive force CR between the first plate-shaped magnet 9 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 (CL > CR).

[0033] Furthermore, due to the fact that the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 are inclined upward toward the front relative to the plate-shaped first magnet 9, as shown in Figure 4(c), the area of ​​the left side surface 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 that faces the right side surface 15b of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 (the area that the plate-shaped second magnet 15 covers on the left side surface 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 when viewed vertically) is larger on the rear side than on the front side of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 (in other words, the exposed area of ​​the left side surface 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is larger on the front side than on the rear side of the plate-shaped first magnet 9). 4(b), the area of ​​the right side 9b of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 that faces the left side 17a of the third plate-shaped magnet 17 (the area of ​​the plate-shaped third magnet 17 covering the right side 9b of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 when viewed vertically) is larger on the rear side than on the front side of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 (in other words, the exposed area of ​​the right side 9b of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 is larger on the front side than on the rear side of the first plate-shaped magnet 9). As a result, the repulsive force CL between the first plate-shaped magnet 9 and the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the repulsive force CR between the first plate-shaped magnet 9 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 are both stronger on the rear side than on the front side of the first plate-shaped magnet 9, so the moving part 3 to which the first plate-shaped magnet 9 is attached moves in the forward direction indicated by arrow A.

[0034] When the moving unit 3 subsequently reaches a second position (the central position of the moving unit 3 in FIG. 5 ) between the front and rear plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 located between them, as in the first position, the moving unit 3 remains stably placed on plane G, and the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving unit 3 is also perpendicular to plane G. In this second position, unlike the first position, the area where the right side 15b of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 faces the left side 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is smaller than the area where the left side 17a of the plate-shaped third magnet 17 faces the right side 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 (in other words, the exposed area of ​​the left side 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is larger than the exposed area of ​​the right side 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9). As a result, the repulsive force CR between the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is greater than the repulsive force CL between the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the plate-shaped second magnet 15 (CR > CL).

[0035] Furthermore, even in this second position, the area of ​​left side surface 9a of first plate-shaped magnet 9 that faces right side surface 15b of second plate-shaped magnet 15 is larger at the rear of first plate-shaped magnet 9 than at the front, and the area of ​​right side surface 9b of first plate-shaped magnet 9 that faces left side surface 17a of third plate-shaped magnet 17 is larger at the rear than at the front of first plate-shaped magnet 9. As a result, the repulsive force CL between first plate-shaped magnet 9 and second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the repulsive force CR between first plate-shaped magnet 9 and third plate-shaped magnet 17 are both stronger at the rear of first plate-shaped magnet 9 than at the front of first plate-shaped magnet 9, so that moving part 3 to which first plate-shaped magnet 9 is attached moves forward in the direction indicated by arrow A.

[0036] In this way, as shown in Figure 5, the moving unit 3 moves from an initial first position (the position of the moving unit 3 on the left side in Figure 5) to an initial second position (the position of the moving unit 3 in the center in Figure 5) that is located further forward than the initial first position, and then moves to a second first position (the position of the moving unit 3 on the left side in Figure 5) that is located further forward than the second position, and then to a second second position (not shown) that is located further forward than the second first position, thereby moving forward.

[0037] The movement of the movable unit 3 is due to the constant application of magnetic forces generated by the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the movable unit 3, the plate-shaped second magnets 15 of the linear first magnet unit 5, and the plate-shaped third magnets 17 of the linear second magnet unit 7. For this reason, if at least one of these magnets 9, 15, and 17 loses its magnetic force (is demagnetized), for example, due to being heated to a temperature above the Curie point for some reason, being subjected to a prolonged strong external impact, or self-demagnetization, the factor (energy) that moves the movable unit 3 disappears, and the movable unit 3 cannot move. Therefore, it should be noted that the thrust generating mechanism 1 of this embodiment does not correspond to a so-called perpetual motion machine.

[0038] As explained above, since each plate-shaped second magnet 15 of the linear first magnet section 5 and each plate-shaped third magnet 17 of the linear second magnet section 7 are tilted, the repulsive force CL between the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the repulsive force CR between the plate-shaped first magnet 9 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 are both stronger in the rear part of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 than in the front part of the plate-shaped first magnet 9, so that a forward thrust can be generated in the moving section 3, and the moving section 3 can be moved forward sufficiently.

[0039] Furthermore, the movement of the moving part 3 can be achieved with a simple configuration that simply involves tilting the second plate-shaped magnets 15 and the third plate-shaped magnets 17. Furthermore, by adjusting the tilt angles of the second plate-shaped magnets 15 and the third plate-shaped magnets 17, the momentum of the movement of the moving part 3 can be adjusted.

[0040] Furthermore, because the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are positioned with a front-to-rear offset from each other (the respective plate-like second magnets 15 constituting the linear first magnet portion 5 and the respective plate-like third magnets 17 constituting the linear second magnet portion 7 are positioned with a front-to-rear offset), it is possible to prevent the repulsive forces CL and CR acting on both sides of the moving portion 3, which is interposed between these magnet portions 5 and 7 and moves forward, from balancing. As a result, it is possible to prevent the moving portion 3 from coming to a standstill due to the balance of magnetic forces (it is possible to prevent the balance of magnetic forces from acting as a brake on the moving portion 3), and it is possible to ensure smooth movement of the moving portion 3.

[0041] Furthermore, since the plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the plate-shaped third magnets 17 are formed in the same shape and are inclined at the same predetermined angle, and the plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the plate-shaped third magnets 17 of the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7 are positioned such that they are shifted forward and backward by half the horizontal length of the magnets, the distance from the initial first position to the initial second position (hereinafter simply referred to as the "first period"), the distance from the initial second position to the second first position (hereinafter simply referred to as the "second period"), and the distance from the second first position to the second second position (hereinafter simply referred to as the "third period") can be the same. Furthermore, since the degree of change in the repulsive forces CL and CR acting on the moving unit 3 can be the same in each of the first to third periods, the moving unit 3 can be moved at a constant speed.

[0042] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In the description, components similar to those in the first embodiment described above will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified. This also applies to the embodiments and modifications described hereinafter. In addition, in describing the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. Note that FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a thrust generating mechanism 30 according to the second embodiment.

[0043] As shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the thrust generating mechanism (thrust generating device) 30 according to the second embodiment is placed on a plane G and includes a circular first magnet portion (one-side magnet portion) 31, a circular second magnet portion (other-side magnet portion or one-side magnet portion) 33, and a circular third magnet portion (other-side magnet portion) 35, which are concentric and formed into rings, moving portions 41 and 42 located between the circular first magnet portion 31 and the circular second magnet portion 33, and moving portions 43 and 44 located between the circular second magnet portion 33 and the circular third magnet portion 35, and a moving direction regulating portion 51 that regulates the moving direction of these moving portions 41, 42, 43, and 44 (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "moving portion 41, etc.").

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6( b), the movement direction restricting unit 51 includes a rotating shaft 53 rotatably supported on a bearing (not shown) provided on the plane G, and a rod-shaped support portion 55 extending parallel to the plane G from the upper end of the rotating shaft 53. The center of the support portion 55 is attached to the rotating shaft 53, and both ends of the support portion 55 are located between the annular second magnet portion 33 and the annular third magnet portion 35. Hanging portions 63, 64 are provided at both ends of the support portion 55, respectively, and hanging portions 61, 62 are also provided at positions on the support portion 55 corresponding to the positions between the annular first magnet portion 31 and the annular second magnet portion 33. The plate-shaped first magnets 9 described in the first embodiment are fixed to the lower ends of the hanging portions 61, 62, 63, 64 so as to have a predetermined gap from the plane G (so as to float above the plane G).

[0045] That is, hanging portion 61 and plate-shaped first magnet 9 constitute moving portion 41, hanging portion 62 and plate-shaped first magnet 9 constitute moving portion 42, hanging portion 63 and plate-shaped first magnet 9 constitute moving portion 43, and hanging portion 64 and plate-shaped first magnet 9 constitute moving portion 44. The movement of these moving portions 41, etc. is restricted to the circumferential direction (rotational direction) around rotation shaft 53 by movement direction restricting portion 51 consisting of rotation shaft 53 and support portion 55. As will be described later, these moving portions 41, etc. are configured to move in a clockwise direction, which is a first direction indicated by arrow F when viewed in FIG. 6( a ).

[0046] 6(a), the annular first magnet portion 31 is formed in a circular shape centered on the rotation axis 53 by connecting a plurality of arc-shaped second magnets 65, each curved in an arc, in a circular shape. That is, the arc-shaped second magnets 65 are formed by bending the entire plate-shaped magnet into an arc that follows the annular first magnet portion 31, and each arc-shaped second magnet 65 forms a part of the annular ring of the annular first magnet portion 31. In this embodiment, each arc-shaped second magnet 65 has the same shape as each other.

[0047] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6(c), the annular first magnet portion 31 is configured by sequentially fixing adjacent arc-shaped second magnets 65, 65 to each other by adhesive, welding, or the like, the upper half of the front surface of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 on the upstream side in the direction of movement of the moving portion 41, etc. (the right side as viewed in Fig. 6(c)) and the lower half of the rear surface of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 on the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the moving portion 41, etc. (the left side as viewed in Fig. 6(c)), and then covering the periphery of these arc-shaped second magnets 65 with a non-magnetic case (not shown). Note that Fig. 6(c) shows only one pair of all the arc-shaped second magnets 65 that make up the annular first magnet portion 31 for ease of explanation.

[0048] The outer surface (one-side opposing surface) 65a of each arc-shaped second magnet 65, as viewed in Figure 6(a), has the same north magnetic polarity as the inner surface (left side surface in the first embodiment) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 41 and the inner surface (left side surface in the first embodiment) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 42, and the inner surface 65b, as viewed in Figure 6(a), has a south magnetic polarity. That is, as viewed in Figure 6(b), the outer surface 65a of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 can face the inner surface (one surface) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 41 and the inner surface (one surface) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 42, which move in the direction of arrow F between the annular first magnet section 31 and the annular second magnet section 33, and has the same polarity as these inner surfaces 9a, 9a. For this reason, a repulsive force acts between the inner surfaces 9a of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of the moving section 41 and the inner surfaces 9a of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of the moving section 42 and the outer surfaces 65a of the arc-shaped second magnets 65. Furthermore, when the annular first magnet section 31 is placed on the plane G, the outer surfaces 65a and inner surfaces 65b of the arc-shaped second magnets 65 are perpendicular to the plane G.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 6( c), the lower end of the rear end of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 (the lower right corner as viewed in FIG. 6( c)) is in contact with plane G, while the lower end of the front end of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 (the lower left corner as viewed in FIG. 6( c)) is floating above plane G. In other words, each arc-shaped second magnet 65 is inclined upward toward the front so that the inclination angle between the bottom surface of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 and plane G is a predetermined angle (acute angle). The inclination angles of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 are the same. Therefore, when the annular first magnet portion 31 is placed on plane G, the fourth center line (stationary-side first center line) C4 passing through the center of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 in the height direction is inclined so as to intersect with the first center line C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 at a predetermined angle when viewed vertically. In other words, the fourth center line C4 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the plane G (the fourth center line C4 is not parallel to the first center line C1).

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6A , the annular second magnet portion 33 is larger than the annular first magnet portion 31. The annular second magnet portion 33 is formed in a circular shape centered on the rotation axis 53 by connecting a plurality of arc-shaped third magnets 66, each of which is curved in an arc along the annular second magnet portion 33. That is, the arc-shaped third magnets 66 are formed by bending the entire arc-shaped magnet into an arc along the annular second magnet portion 33, and each arc-shaped third magnet 66 constitutes a part of the annular ring of the annular second magnet portion 33. In this embodiment, each arc-shaped third magnet 66 has the same height as the arc-shaped second magnet 65 but is longer than the arc-shaped second magnet 65. The arc-shaped third magnets 66 are also identical in shape.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6(c), the annular second magnet portion 33 is configured by sequentially fixing adjacent arc-shaped third magnets 66, 66 to each other by adhesive, welding, or the like, the upper half of the front surface of the arc-shaped third magnet 66 on the upstream side in the direction of movement of the movable portion 41, etc. (the right side as viewed in Fig. 6(c)) and the lower half of the rear surface of the arc-shaped third magnet 66 on the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the movable portion 41, etc. (the left side as viewed in Fig. 6(c)), and then covering the periphery of these arc-shaped third magnets 66 with a non-magnetic case (not shown). Note that Fig. 6(c) shows only one pair of all the arc-shaped third magnets 66 that make up the annular second magnet portion 33 for ease of explanation.

[0052] The outer surface (one-side facing surface) 66a of each arc-shaped third magnet 66, as viewed in Figure 6(a), has the same north magnetic pole as the inner surface 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 43 and the inner surface 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 44, and the inner surface (other-side facing surface) 66b, as viewed in Figure 6(a), has the same south magnetic pole as the outer surface (right side surface in the first embodiment) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 41 and the outer surface (right side surface in the first embodiment) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 42. 6(b), the outer surface 66a of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 can face the inner surface (one surface) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 43, which moves in the direction of arrow F between the annular second magnet section 33 and the annular third magnet section 35, and the inner surface (one surface) 9a of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 44, and has the same polarity as these inner surfaces 9a, 9a. Also, the inner surface 66b of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 can face the outer surface (other surface) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 41, which moves in the direction of arrow F between the annular first magnet section 31 and the annular second magnet section 33, and the outer surface (other surface) 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving section 42, and has the same polarity as these outer surfaces 9b, 9b. For this reason, a repulsive force acts between the inner surfaces 9a of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of moving sections 43 and 44 and the outer surfaces 66a of the arc-shaped third magnets 66, and between the outer surfaces 9b of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of moving sections 41 and 42 and the inner surfaces 66b of the arc-shaped third magnets 66. Furthermore, when the annular second magnet section 33 is placed on plane G, the outer surfaces 66a and inner surfaces 66b of the arc-shaped third magnets 66 are perpendicular to plane G.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6( c), the lower end of the rear end of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 (the lower right corner as viewed in FIG. 6( c)) is in contact with plane G, while the lower end of the front end of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 (the lower left corner as viewed in FIG. 6( c)) is floating above plane G. In other words, each arc-shaped third magnet 66 is inclined upward toward the front so that the inclination angle between the bottom surface of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 and plane G is a predetermined angle (acute angle). The inclination angles of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 are the same. Therefore, when the annular second magnet portion 33 is placed on plane G, the fifth center line (the stationary-side first center line or the stationary-side second center line) C5 passing through the center of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 in the height direction is inclined so as to intersect with the first center line C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 at a predetermined angle when viewed vertically. In other words, the fourth center line C4 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the plane G (the fourth center line C4 is not parallel to the first center line C1). In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the arc-shaped third magnet 66 is the same as that of the arc-shaped second magnet 65.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6A , the annular third magnet portion 35 is larger than the annular second magnet portion 33. The annular third magnet portion 35 is formed in a circular shape centered on the rotation axis 53 by connecting a plurality of arc-shaped fourth magnets 67, each of which is curved in an arc shape. That is, the arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 are formed by bending the entire arc-shaped magnet into an arc shape that follows the annular third magnet portion 35, and each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 constitutes a part of the annular third magnet portion 35. In this embodiment, each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 has the same height as the arc-shaped third magnet 66 but is longer than the arc-shaped third magnet 66. The arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 have the same shape.

[0055] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6(c), the annular third magnet portion 35 is configured by sequentially fixing adjacent arc-shaped fourth magnets 67, 67 to each other by gluing, welding, or the like, the upper half of the rear face of the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 on the upstream side in the direction of movement of the movable portion 41, etc. (the right side as viewed in Fig. 6(c)) and the lower half of the front face of the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 on the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the movable portion 41, etc. (the left side as viewed in Fig. 6(c)) so that they are connected to each other, and then covering the periphery of these arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 with a non-magnetic case (not shown). Note that Fig. 6(c) shows only one pair of all the arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 that make up the annular third magnet portion 35 for ease of explanation. In addition, in Figure 6 (c), the arc-shaped second magnet 65, the arc-shaped third magnet 66, and the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 differ only in length as described above, so for convenience of explanation, these magnets 65, 66, and 67 are shown in the same diagram.

[0056] The outer surface (one-side facing surface) 67a of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67, as viewed in FIG. 6(a), has a north magnetic pole, and the inner surface (the other-side facing surface) 67b, as viewed in FIG. 6(a), has a south magnetic pole, the same as the outer surfaces 9b of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of the moving sections 43 and 44. That is, the inner surfaces 67b of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 can face the outer surfaces 9b of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of the moving sections 43 and 44, which move in the direction of arrow F between the annular second magnet section 33 and the annular third magnet section 35, and have the same polarity as these outer surfaces 9b, 9b. Therefore, a repulsive force acts between the outer surfaces 9b of the plate-shaped first magnets 9 of the moving sections 43 and 44 and the inner surface 67b of the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67. Furthermore, when the annular third magnet portion 35 is placed on the plane G, the outer surface 67a and the inner surface 67b of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 are perpendicular to the plane G.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 6( c), the lower end of the rear end of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 (the lower right corner as viewed in FIG. 6( c)) is in contact with plane G, while the lower end of the front end of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 (the lower left corner as viewed in FIG. 6( c)) is floating above plane G. In other words, each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 is inclined upward toward the front so that the inclination angle between the bottom surface of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 and plane G is a predetermined angle (acute angle). The inclination angles of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 are the same. Therefore, when the annular third magnet portion 35 is placed on plane G, the sixth center line (second stationary-side center line) C6 passing through the center of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 in the height direction is inclined so as to intersect with the first center line C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 at a predetermined angle when viewed vertically. In other words, the fourth center line C4 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the plane G (the fourth center line C4 is not parallel to the first center line C1). In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 is the same as that of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 and the arc-shaped third magnet 66.

[0058] Next, we will explain the relative positions of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 of the annular first magnet portion 31, each arc-shaped third magnet 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33, and each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 of the annular third magnet portion 35.For ease of explanation, in Figure 6(a), a certain arc-shaped second magnet 65 will be designated by the symbol X1, and the arc-shaped second magnet 65 adjacent to this arc-shaped second magnet X1 on the downstream side of the arrow F (hereinafter simply referred to as the "downstream side", and the upstream side of the arrow F will also be simply referred to as the "upstream side") will be designated X2. Furthermore, of the arc-shaped third magnets 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33, the arc-shaped third magnets 66 that overlap at least a portion of the arc-shaped second magnets X1 and X2 and are adjacent to each other when viewed vertically will be referred to as Y1, Y2, and Y3, respectively, and of the arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 of the annular third magnet portion 35, the arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 that overlap at least a portion of the arc-shaped third magnets Y1, Y2, and Y3 and are adjacent to each other when viewed vertically will be referred to as Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4, respectively.

[0059] 6(a), the concentric annular first magnet portion 31 and the concentric annular second magnet portion 33 are arranged at a predetermined distance so as to face each other in parallel on the plane G. The concentric annular second magnet portion 33 and the concentric annular third magnet portion 35 are also arranged at the same predetermined distance so as to face each other in parallel on the plane G.

[0060] In this state, the arc-shaped second magnet X1 of the annular first magnet portion 31 is arranged so that, when viewed vertically, the left end a of the arc-shaped second magnet X1 is located between the left end e and right end f of the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 of the annular second magnet portion 33 (approximately in the center between the left and right ends e, f), and the right end b of the arc-shaped second magnet X1 is located between the left end g and right end h of the adjacent arc-shaped third magnet Y2 downstream of the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 (approximately in the center between the left and right ends g, h). Furthermore, the adjacent arc-shaped second magnet X1 on the downstream side of this arc-shaped second magnet X1 is arranged so that, when viewed vertically, the left end c of this arc-shaped second magnet X1 is located between the left end g and right end h of the adjacent arc-shaped third magnet Y2 on the downstream side of the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 (approximately in the center of the left and right ends g and h), and the right end d of the arc-shaped second magnet X1 is located between the left end i and right end j of the adjacent arc-shaped third magnet Y3 on the downstream side of the arc-shaped third magnet Y2 (approximately in the center of the left and right ends i and j).

[0061] Furthermore, when viewed vertically, the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 of the annular second magnet portion 33 is arranged so that its left end e is located between the left end k and right end l of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z1 of the annular third magnet portion 37 (approximately in the center between the left and right ends k and l), and its right end f is located between the left end m and right end n of the adjacent arc-shaped fourth magnet Z2 downstream of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z1 (approximately in the center between the left and right ends m and n). Furthermore, the arc-shaped third magnet Y2 adjacent to the downstream side of this arc-shaped third magnet Y1 is arranged so that, when viewed vertically, the left end g of this arc-shaped third magnet Y2 is located between the left end m and right end n of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z2 adjacent to it on the downstream side of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z1 (approximately in the center of the left and right ends m, n), and the right end h of the arc-shaped third magnet Y2 is located between the left end o and right end p of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z3 adjacent to it on the downstream side of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z2 (approximately in the center of the left and right ends o, p). Furthermore, the arc-shaped third magnet Y3 adjacent to the downstream side of this arc-shaped third magnet Y2 is arranged so that, when viewed vertically, the left end i of this arc-shaped third magnet Y3 is located between the left end o and right end p of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z3 (approximately in the center of the left and right ends o and p), and the right end j of the arc-shaped third magnet Y3 is located between the left end q and right end r of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z4 adjacent to the downstream side of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z3 (approximately in the center of the left and right ends q and r).

[0062] In this way, for example, the arc-shaped second magnet X1 is positioned so as to straddle the arc-shaped third magnets Y1 and Y2 when viewed vertically, with the upstream portion of the arc-shaped second magnet X1 (the left half in FIG. 6( a)) facing the downstream portion of the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 along the arrow F (the right half in FIG. 6( a)), and the downstream portion of the arc-shaped second magnet X1 facing the upstream portion of the arc-shaped third magnet Y2. Also, for example, the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 is positioned so as to straddle the arc-shaped fourth magnets Z1 and Z2 when viewed vertically, with the upstream portion of the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 facing the downstream portion of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z1, and the downstream portion of the arc-shaped third magnet Y1 facing the upstream portion of the arc-shaped fourth magnet Z2.

[0063] That is, the annular first magnet portion 31 and the annular second magnet portion 33 are arranged in a positional relationship such that, when viewed in the vertical direction, both ends of the arc-shaped third magnets 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33 are shifted circumferentially relative to both ends of the arc-shaped second magnets 65 of the annular first magnet portion 31. Furthermore, the annular second magnet portion 33 and the annular third magnet portion 35 are arranged in a positional relationship such that, when viewed in the vertical direction, both ends of the arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 of the annular third magnet portion 35 are shifted circumferentially relative to both ends of the arc-shaped third magnets 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33. As in the first embodiment described above, the annular first magnet portion 31, the annular second magnet portion 33 and the annular third magnet portion 35 only need to have their respective arc-shaped second magnets 65, arc-shaped third magnets 66 and arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 offset from each other in the circumferential direction when viewed vertically (in other words, only need to have their respective arc-shaped second magnets 65 and arc-shaped third magnets 66 and arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 not overlapping so that at least one of the opposing ends of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 and at least one of the opposing ends of the arc-shaped third magnet 66 coincide with each other when viewed vertically, and only need to have their respective arc-shaped third magnets 66 and arc-shaped fourth magnets 67 not overlapping so that at least one of the opposing ends of the arc-shaped third magnet 66 coincide with each other when viewed vertically), and the degree of offset can be set appropriately depending on the specifications, etc.

[0064] 6(c), in this embodiment, the first center lines C1 of the plate-shaped first magnets 9, such as the moving portion 41, positioned to have a gap with respect to the plane G as described above are arranged so that, as viewed in the vertical direction, they are less than or equal to the fourth center line C4 of each arc-shaped second magnet 65 of the annular first magnet portion 31, less than or equal to the fifth center line C5 of each arc-shaped third magnet 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33, and less than or equal to the sixth center line C6 of each arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 of the annular third magnet portion 35, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, as described in FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment, a repulsive force acts on the moving portions 41 and 42 between the annular first magnet portion 31 and the annular second magnet portion 33 in a direction pressing them toward the plane G (see arrow B), and a repulsive force also acts on the moving portions 43 and 44 between the annular second magnet portion 33 and the annular third magnet portion 35 in a direction pressing them toward the plane G. As a result, the moving portions 41 and the like are maintained in a stable state where they do not float above the plane G.

[0065] In this embodiment having such a configuration, similarly to the first embodiment described above, the arc-shaped second magnet 65, the arc-shaped third magnet 66, and the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 are each inclined upward toward the front with respect to the respective plate-shaped first magnets 9 of the moving section 41, etc., and are positioned at offset positions relative to one another in the circumferential direction, thereby achieving the same effect as the first embodiment, that is, movement in the direction of arrow F shown in Figure 6(a) (rotation around the rotation shaft 53). Also, in the second embodiment, since the rotation shaft 53 is rotated only by magnetic force (repulsive force), it is possible to extract electrical energy from the rotation of the rotation shaft 53 (to convert the energy generated by the rotation into electrical energy), and therefore it is also possible to generate electricity as long as the rotation shaft 53 continues to rotate by magnetic force. It should be noted that in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment described above, if at least one of the plate-shaped first magnet 9, the arc-shaped second magnet 65, the arc-shaped third magnet 66, and the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 loses its magnetic force for some reason, the moving part 41 and the like will no longer be able to move, and therefore the thrust generating mechanism 30 in this embodiment does not constitute a so-called perpetual motion machine.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0067] For example, in the first embodiment, the moving unit 3 is moved by the linear first magnet unit 5 consisting of a plurality of plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the linear second magnet unit 7 consisting of a plurality of plate-shaped third magnets 17. However, instead, the thrust generating mechanism 1 may be configured with a single plate-shaped second magnet 15, a single plate-shaped third magnet 17 positioned offset in either the front-to-rear direction relative to the plate-shaped second magnet 15, and the moving unit 3. Even in this case, movement of the moving unit 3 is possible. In this case, the front-to-rear length of the magnets in the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is preferably at least twice the front-to-rear length of the magnet in the plate-shaped first magnet 9 of the moving unit 3. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0068] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the plate-shaped third magnets 17 are configured to have the same shape and be tilted at the same predetermined angle, but instead, it is possible to change the movement speed of the moving unit 3 during movement by making some of the second magnets (or some of the third magnets) have a different shape or size from the other second magnets (or other third magnets), or by making the tilt angle of some of the second magnets (or third magnets) different from the other tilt angles. In other words, the behavior of the moving unit 3 regarding its movement may be adjusted by making the shape, size, and tilt angle of some of the second magnets or third magnets different. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0069] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is used, but instead, an arc-shaped first magnet may be used, in which the entire plate-shaped first magnet 9 is curved in an arc shape along the annular first magnet portion 31. In this case, regardless of where the arc-shaped first magnet is located between the annular first magnet portion 31 and the annular second magnet portion 33 (between the annular second magnet portion 33 and the annular third magnet portion 35), the distance between the arc-shaped first magnet and the arc-shaped second magnet 65 of the annular first magnet portion 31 (the distance between the arc-shaped first magnet and the arc-shaped third magnet 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33) and the distance between the arc-shaped first magnet and the arc-shaped second magnet 66 of the annular second magnet portion 33 (the distance between the arc-shaped first magnet and the arc-shaped fourth magnet 67 of the annular third magnet portion 35) are always the same, which allows for smoother movement of the movable portion 41, etc.

[0070] Next, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 7. This first modification is different from the first embodiment mainly in that the plate-shaped second magnets 15 constituting the linear first magnet portion 5 are spaced apart from each other, and the plate-shaped third magnets 17 constituting the linear second magnet portion 7 are spaced apart from each other.

[0071] As shown in Figure 7 (a), the multiple plate-shaped second magnets 15 are arranged at equal intervals from each other, and the multiple plate-shaped third magnets 17 are also arranged at equal intervals from each other. As shown in FIG. 7( b ), the positional relationship between the multiple plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the multiple plate-shaped third magnets 17 is such that, when viewed from the vertical direction, a plate-shaped second magnet 15 (for example, the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 in FIG. 7( a ) , hereinafter simply referred to as the “leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17”) is interposed between the downstream plate-shaped third magnet 17 of adjacent plate-shaped third magnets 17, 17 (for example, the central plate-shaped third magnet 17 immediately to the right of the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17, hereinafter simply referred to as the “central plate-shaped third magnet 17”) (between adjacent plate-shaped third magnets 17, 17). Based on this positional relationship, as shown in Figure 7(b), when viewed from the vertical direction, the downstream end of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the upstream end of the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 overlap each other, and the upstream end of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the downstream end of the central plate-shaped third magnet 17 overlap each other, creating an "overlapping positional relationship." This configuration also achieves the same effects as the first embodiment. Needless to say, the multiple plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the multiple plate-shaped third magnets 17 may be spaced apart so as not to be equally spaced apart.

[0072] 7(a) and 7(b) , the positional relationship between the plurality of plate-shaped second magnets 15 and the plurality of plate-shaped third magnets 17 is described as an "overlapping positional relationship," but this is not limited thereto and the positional relationships shown in Figures 7(c) and 7(d) or 7(e) and 7(f) may also be used, and these configurations will achieve the same effects as the first embodiment. That is, as shown in Figures 7(c) and 7(d) , the rear end face of the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 (the right end face of the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 as viewed in Figure 7(c)) and the front end face of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 (the left end face of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 as viewed in Figure 7(c)) may be in surface contact when viewed from the vertical direction, and the front end face of the central plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the rear end face of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 may be in surface contact when viewed from the vertical direction, resulting in a "non-overlapping positional relationship." 7(e) and (f), the rear end face of the leftmost plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the front end face of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 are spaced apart, and the front end face of the central plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the rear end face of the leftmost plate-shaped second magnet 15 are spaced apart; in other words, the adjacent plate-shaped third magnets 17, 17 and the plate-shaped second magnet 15 interposed between these plate-shaped third magnets 17, 17 when viewed vertically may be spaced apart from each other in a "spaced positional relationship."

[0073] Next, a first modification of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 8. In this modification, the annular first magnet portion 31 and the annular second magnet portion 33 are provided, but the annular third magnet portion 35 shown in Figure 6 is not provided. In addition, in this modification, the "overlapping positional relationship," "non-overlapping positional relationship," and "spaced positional relationship" according to the first modification of the first embodiment are generally applied to the second embodiment, and the description will mainly focus on the positional relationship between the multiple arc-shaped second magnets 65 associated with the annular first magnet portion 31 and the multiple arc-shaped third magnets 66 associated with the annular second magnet portion 33.

[0074] 8(a) to 8(c), the multiple arc-shaped second magnets 65 are disposed at equal intervals from one another, the multiple arc-shaped third magnets 66 are also disposed at equal intervals from one another, and when viewed from the vertical direction (the vertical view is omitted in FIG. 8), the positional relationship is such that the arc-shaped second magnets 65 are interposed between adjacent arc-shaped third magnets 66, 66. As with the first modified example of the first embodiment, the types of positional relationships between the multiple arc-shaped second magnets 65 and the multiple arc-shaped third magnets 66 based on this positional relationship include the "positional relationship with overlap" shown in FIG. 8(a), the "positional relationship without overlap" shown in FIG. 8(b), and the "positional relationship with space" shown in FIG. 8(c).

[0075] 8(a) shows an "overlapping positional relationship" in which the downstream end of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 overlaps with the upstream end of the downstream arc-shaped third magnet 66 of adjacent arc-shaped third magnets 66, 66, and the upstream end of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 overlaps with the downstream end of the upstream arc-shaped third magnet 66 of adjacent arc-shaped third magnets 66, 66. Also, Figure 8(b) shows a "non-overlapping positional relationship" in which the rear end surface of the downstream arc-shaped third magnet 66 and the front end surface of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 are in surface contact when viewed from the vertical direction, and the front end surface of the upstream arc-shaped third magnet 66 and the rear end surface of the arc-shaped second magnet 65 are in surface contact when viewed from the vertical direction. 8(c) shows a "spaced positional relationship" in which adjacent arc-shaped third magnets 66, 66 and the arc-shaped second magnet 65 interposed between these arc-shaped third magnets 66, 66 as viewed vertically are spaced apart from each other when viewed vertically. This first variation of the second embodiment also provides the same effects as the second embodiment.

[0076] Next, a second modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. As shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the positional relationship between the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is the "overlapping positional relationship" described above. The plate-shaped second magnet 15 is configured by fixing a plate-shaped first additional magnet 71, which is shorter than the plate-shaped second magnet 15, and a plate-shaped second additional magnet 73, which is also shorter than the first additional magnet 71, to the downstream end of its left side surface 15a, in this order, so that the magnetic force of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 is stronger on the downstream side than on the upstream side. The leading end surfaces of the first additional magnet 71 and second additional magnet 73 are flush with the leading end surface of the plate-shaped second magnet 15. Similarly, the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is configured by fixing a plate-shaped third additional magnet 75, which is shorter than the plate-shaped third magnet 17, and a fourth additional magnet 77, which is also shorter than the third additional magnet 75, to the downstream end of its left side surface 17a so that they overlap in this order, so that the magnetic force on the downstream side of the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is stronger than the magnetic force on the upstream side. The tip surfaces of the third additional magnet 75 and fourth additional magnet 77 are flush with the tip surface of the plate-shaped third magnet 17.

[0077] In this way, with the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 in an "overlapping positional relationship," the second plate-shaped magnet 15 is configured so that the magnetic force on its downstream side is stronger than the magnetic force on its upstream side, so that when the moving part 3 having the first plate-shaped magnet 9 reaches the space between the upstream end of the third plate-shaped magnet 17 and the downstream end of the second plate-shaped magnet 15 (between the upstream end of the third plate-shaped magnet 17 on the left side and the downstream end of the second plate-shaped magnet 15 on the left side in FIG. 9( a)), the repulsive force that the first plate-shaped magnet 9 receives from the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 is greater on the downstream side of the first plate-shaped magnet 9 than on the upstream side. In other words, in the moving part 3 whose movement direction is restricted by arrow A, the repulsive force received by the rear end side in the movement direction is greater than the repulsive force received by the front end side in the movement direction, so the moving part 3 is pushed in the direction of arrow A where its movement is restricted, and can move more strongly in the direction of arrow A.

[0078] In addition, strengthening the magnetic force at the downstream ends of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is not limited to providing the first additional magnet 71, second additional magnet 73, third additional magnet 75, and fourth additional magnet 77 shown in Figure 9(a). For example, as shown in Figure 9(b), the magnetic force at the downstream ends of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 can be strengthened by changing the shape of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17, such as making the thickness of the downstream end of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 greater than the thickness of the upstream end of each plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17.

[0079] 9(a), the thickness of the upstream end of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 may be made greater than the thickness of the downstream end (by tapering) to strengthen the magnetic force of the upstream end of the plate-shaped first magnet 9. In this way, the moving part 3 can be moved more strongly in the direction of arrow A. In addition to the example shown in FIG. 9(b), the plate-shaped first magnet 9 may also be configured such that additional magnets 91 to 97, each shorter than the plate-shaped first magnet 9, are stacked on the center of each of its two side surfaces, as shown in FIG. 9(c). In the example shown in Figure 9(c), the magnetic force at both ends of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is weaker than the magnetic force at its center, but it is also possible to make the magnetic force at at least one of the ends of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 weaker than the magnetic force at its center (in the case of the first magnet 9 shown in Figure 9(b), it can also be said that the magnetic force at the upstream end is weaker than the magnetic force at its center).

[0080] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments and each of the modified examples described above, the plate-shaped first magnet 9 is parallel to the plane G when the moving unit 3 is placed on the plane G, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 10(b), etc. However, this is not limited to this, and the plate-shaped first magnet 9 may be inclined with respect to the plane G (the plate-shaped first magnet 9 may be inclined so as not to be parallel to the first direction). Specifically, as shown in Figure 10(a), the size of the left wheel 13a in this figure may be made larger than the right wheel 13, so that the plate-shaped first magnet 9 (moving unit 3) is inclined to the upper right in the figure, or as shown in Figure 10(c), the size of the right wheel 13a in this figure may be made larger than the left wheel 13, so that the plate-shaped first magnet 9 (moving unit 3) is inclined to the upper left in the figure.

[0081] As shown in Figure 10(b), the first center line (moving-side center line) C1 of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 parallel to the plane G passes through the center of the diagonal of the rectangular plate-shaped first magnet 9 in the figure. In other words, it passes through the center between the highest and lowest points of the plate-shaped first magnet 9. As shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(c), in the case of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 tilted with respect to the plane G, as in the parallel case described above, the first center line C1 passes through the center between the highest point of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 (the upper left corner of the first magnet 9 as seen in Figure 10(a) and the upper right corner of the first magnet 9 as seen in Figure 10(c)) and the lowest point (the lower right corner of the first magnet 9 as seen in Figure 10(a) and the lower left corner of the first magnet 9 as seen in Figure 10(c)). 10(a) to 10(c), the first center line C1 is the same whether the first magnet 9 is parallel to the plane G or inclined therefrom, and the relationship between this first center line C1 and the second to sixth center lines described above remains unchanged. Even with this configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be achieved.

[0082] In each of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, the first magnet is in an upright state relative to plane G, in other words, the peripheral surface of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 shown in FIG. 3 (e.g., the bottom surface of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 in FIG. 3) faces parallel to plane G, and both side surfaces 9a, 9b of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 face in a direction parallel to plane G (e.g., the left-right direction in FIG. 3), and the second and third plate-shaped magnets are also in an upright state. In other words, the first to third magnets are generally positioned such that all of them are in an upright position (e.g., the positional relationship between the plate-shaped first magnet 9, the second plate-shaped magnet 15, and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 shown in FIG. 3), but instead, as shown in FIG. 11, the second and third magnets may be positioned in an upright state while the first magnet is positioned in a prostrate state.

[0083] For example, as shown in FIG. 11( a), a disk-shaped magnet 110 can be used as an example of the first magnet attached to the moving unit 3, and a magnet body 120 can be formed by stacking multiple disk-shaped magnets 110. The magnet body 120 is formed by stacking multiple disk-shaped magnets 110 and bonding them together using magnetic force (adjacent disk-shaped magnets 110 are attracted to each other and come into close contact), resulting in an integrated cylindrical shape. In addition to the magnetic bonding between the multiple disk-shaped magnets 110, the magnet body 120 may be further firmly integrated using adhesive or fasteners such as screws. Furthermore, instead of a disk-shaped magnet, the magnet body 120 may be formed by stacking plate-shaped magnets to form an integrated columnar shape, and the shape can be modified as appropriate.

[0084] Of the multiple disk-shaped magnets 110 that make up this magnet body 120, one surface (upper end surface as seen in FIG. 11( a)) 110a of the disk-shaped magnet 110 that makes up one end of the magnet body 120 (the topmost disk-shaped magnet 110 as seen in FIG. 11( a)) has a magnetic north pole (first polarity), and constitutes one surface (one end surface) 120a of the magnet body 120. Of the multiple disk-shaped magnets 110 that make up the magnet body 120, the other surface (lower end surface as seen in FIG. 11( a)) 110b of the disk-shaped magnet 110 that makes up the other end of the magnet body 120 (the bottommost disk-shaped magnet 110 as seen in FIG. 11( a)) has a magnetic south pole (second polarity), and constitutes the other surface (other end surface) 120b of the magnet body 120. The outer peripheral surfaces 110c of each of the multiple disk-shaped magnets 110 constitute the outer peripheral surface 120c of the magnet body 120. In the following description, the one end surface and the other end surface of the disk-shaped magnet 110 may be collectively referred to as both end surfaces.

[0085] 11(a) indicates the center line passing through the center of the magnetic body 120 when viewed from a direction perpendicular (left-right direction in FIG. 11(a)) to the height direction of the magnetic body 120 (up-down direction in FIG. 11(a)), in other words, the boundary line between the north and south poles of the central disk-shaped magnet 110 among the multiple disk-shaped magnets 110 that make up the magnetic body 120 (hereinafter referred to as boundary line MC). Also, plane G in FIG. 11(a) is drawn to clearly show that the disk-shaped magnet 110 is lying flat.

[0086] When the magnetic poles of the magnet body 120 were actually measured using a measuring device such as a magnetic checker, as shown in FIG. 11( b), the region R1 on the outer circumferential surface 120c of the magnet body 120, from one surface 120a of the magnet body 120 to the boundary line MC, had a north polarity, and the region R2 on the outer circumferential surface 120c of the magnet body 120, from the other surface 120b of the magnet body 120 to the boundary line MC, had a south polarity. In other words, the upper half of the region R1 on the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120 had a north polarity, and the lower half of the region R2 had a south polarity. Therefore, by placing the plate-shaped second magnet 15 shown in FIG. 1 etc. in the region R1 on the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120 in the state shown in FIG. 1, the moving part 3 will move in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. Similarly, by placing the plate-shaped third magnet 17 shown in FIG. 1 etc. in the region R2 on the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120 in the state shown in FIG. 1, the moving part 3 will also move in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. This also applies to the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 10. That is, the magnetic body 120 can be used in place of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 according to each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, and even in this case, the same effects as those of each of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be achieved.

[0087] Next, other embodiments using this magnet body 120 will be described one by one. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a thrust generating mechanism 100 according to a third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12 , the thrust generating mechanism 100 includes a magnet body 120, a moving section 3 attached so that the magnet body 120 is perpendicular to the direction of movement indicated by arrow A (the vertical direction as viewed in FIG. 11( a )), and a plate-shaped second magnet (fixed-side magnet) 15 and a plate-shaped third magnet (fixed-side magnet) 17 disposed on either side of the magnet body 120. Note that the magnet body 120 may not be perpendicular to the direction of movement indicated by arrow A (in other words, both end faces of the disk-shaped magnet 110 face in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement), but may be attached so that it is tilted, for example, to the left or right as viewed in FIG. 12( a ) (in other words, both end faces of the disk-shaped magnet 110 face in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement). In short, the installation direction of the magnetic body 120 needs to be a direction different from the direction of movement indicated by arrow A (in other words, a direction that intersects with the direction of movement, and from the perspective of the disk-shaped magnet 110, both end faces of the magnetic body 120 are in different directions from the direction of movement), and can be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications.

[0088] The moving unit 3 has a plate-shaped base member 11A made of a magnetic material such as iron, and four wheels 13 (see FIG. 12(b)) provided at the front and rear of the lower part of both sides of the base member 11A and placed on a plane G, and is movable in the forward direction indicated by arrow A (upward in FIG. 12). A magnet 120 is attached to the top surface of the base member 11A by being magnetically bonded. Note that the base member 11A may be made of a non-magnetic material such as resin, like the case 11 described above. In this case, the magnet 120 may be fixed to the base member 11A by adhesive, welding, screws, or other fasteners.

[0089] As shown in Figure 12(a) , the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 are both fixed in a lying position, spaced apart on both sides of the magnet body 120. The lower left side surface 15a of the second plate-shaped magnet 15 as viewed in Figure 12(a) has a magnetic south pole and is parallel to plane G. The upper right side surface 15b of the second plate-shaped magnet 15 as viewed in Figure 12(a) has a magnetic north pole and is parallel to plane G. Similarly, the left and right side surfaces 17a, 17b of the third plate-shaped magnet 17 have magnetic south and north poles, respectively, and are parallel to plane G. The boundary lines of the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 coincide with the boundary line MC of the magnet body 120.

[0090] As a result, the north pole portions of the outer circumferential surfaces of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 (the white portions which are the upper halves of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 in FIG. 12(a)) face each other, and the north pole portion of the outer circumferential surface of the magnetic body 120, region R1 (see FIG. 12(b)), faces each other. Similarly, the south pole portions of the outer circumferential surfaces of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the plate-shaped third magnet 17 (the black portions which are the lower half of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 in FIG. 12(a)) face each other, and the south pole portion of the outer circumferential surface of the magnetic body 120, region R2 (see FIG. 12(b)).

[0091] 12(b), the plate-shaped second magnet 15 is fixed so as to be inclined upward and left in a plan view with respect to the movement direction of the moving part 3 indicated by arrow A (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the "movement direction"). In other words, the plate-shaped second magnet 15 is fixed so that the distance between this plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the magnetic body 120 gradually increases toward the movement direction indicated by arrow A. As a result, the distance between the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the magnetic body 120 increases toward the downstream side of the movement direction indicated by arrow A (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the "downstream side"), and the distance between the downstream portion of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and the magnetic body 120 is greater than the distance between the upstream portion of the plate-shaped second magnet 15 in the movement direction indicated by arrow A (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the "upstream side") and the magnetic body 120.

[0092] Similarly, the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is fixed so as to be inclined upward and to the right in a plan view with respect to the direction of movement. In other words, the plate-shaped third magnet 17 is fixed so that the distance between the plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the magnet body 120 gradually increases toward the downstream side. As a result, the distance between the plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the magnet body 120 increases toward the downstream side, and the distance between the downstream portion of the plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the magnet body 120 is greater than the distance between the upstream portion of the plate-shaped third magnet 17 and the magnet body 120.

[0093] That is, the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 are arranged so that they are tilted and twisted in a plan view relative to the magnetic body 120, which stands perpendicular to the direction of movement of the moving unit 3. With this configuration, the moving unit 3 moves in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A due to the repulsive force generated between the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the magnetic body 120 and the repulsive force generated between the third plate-shaped magnet 17 and the magnetic body 120. Note that while left and right magnets 15 and 17 are arranged in Figure 12, it is also possible to arrange only the second plate-shaped magnet 15 or only the third plate-shaped magnet 17, and even in this case, the moving unit 3 moves in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A.

[0094] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a thrust generating mechanism 100 according to a fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13( a), the prostrate plate-shaped second magnet 15 is located within region R1 (see FIG. 11( b)) on the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120 and above boundary line MC (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "above boundary line MC"). In a side view (a front view from FIG. 13( a)), this plate-shaped second magnet 15 is inclined upward and leftward with respect to boundary line MC; in other words, the distance from boundary line MC gradually increases toward the downstream side. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13( b), the plate-shaped second magnet 15 is arranged parallel to the direction of movement.

[0095] That is, the plate-shaped second magnet 15 is arranged so that it is tilted and twisted in a side view relative to the magnet body 120, which stands perpendicular to the direction of movement. Even with this configuration, the moving part 3 moves in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A. While Figure 13 illustrates a state in which only the plate-shaped second magnet 15 is arranged above the boundary line MC, as shown in Figure 14, the prostrate plate-shaped third magnet 17 may be arranged so that it is located within region R2 (see Figure 11(b)) on the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120 and below the boundary line MC (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "below the boundary line MC").

[0096] As shown in Figure 14(a), this plate-shaped third magnet 17 is inclined downward and leftward with respect to boundary line MC in side view, in other words, inclined so that the distance from boundary line MC gradually increases toward the downstream side. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14(b), plate-shaped third magnet 17 is arranged parallel to the movement direction of moving unit 3. That is, plate-shaped third magnet 17 shown in Figure 14 is arranged in a tilted, twisted position in side view with respect to magnet body 120, which stands perpendicular to the movement direction. Even with this configuration, moving unit 3 moves in the movement direction indicated by arrow A.

[0097] 13 and 14 illustrate a state in which the second plate-shaped magnet 15 or the third plate-shaped magnet 17 is provided only on one of the two sides of the magnet body 120 and either above or below the boundary line MC. However, the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 may also be provided above the boundary line MC of the magnet body 120 and on both sides of the magnet body 120. The second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 may also be provided below the boundary line MC of the magnet body 120 and on both sides of the magnet body 120. In other words, the second plate-shaped magnet 15 or the third plate-shaped magnet 17 may be provided on at least one of the two sides of the magnet body 120 and either above or below the boundary line MC. Furthermore, a plurality of the second plate-shaped magnets 15 and the third plate-shaped magnets 17 may be arranged in a line along the movement direction (see, for example, FIGS. 4 and 7 ). In either case, the moving unit 3 moves in the movement direction indicated by arrow A.

[0098] 13 and 14, a plate-shaped second magnet 15 (plate-shaped third magnet 17) is used. However, instead, as shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b), a tapered magnet 130 can be used, which has a tapered shape such that its diameter (thickness) gradually increases in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A. As explained in FIG. 9(b), this tapered shape makes the magnetic force of the tapered magnet 130 stronger at its downstream end than at its upstream end. Note that FIG. 15(a) is a plan view of the tapered magnet 130, and FIG. 15(b) is a side view. The tapered magnets 130 are in a protruding state, and, for example, as shown in FIGS. 15(c) and 15(d), multiple tapered magnets 130 are arranged along the direction of movement indicated by arrow A on one of the two sides of the magnet body 120 and above the boundary line MC. Even with this configuration, the moving part 3 still moves in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A.

[0099] 15( e), multiple tapered magnets 130 may be arranged on one of both sides of the magnetic body 120 and below the boundary line MC, along the movement direction indicated by arrow A. Also, as shown in FIG. 16, tapered magnets 130 may be arranged both above and below the boundary line MC on the magnetic body 120. In short, it is sufficient that the tapered magnets 130 are provided on at least one of both sides of the magnetic body 120 and above or below the boundary line MC, and in either case, the moving part 3 moves in the movement direction indicated by arrow A.

[0100] As shown in Figure 17, the tapered magnet 130 may be arranged so as to be inclined in plan view with respect to the direction of movement indicated by arrow A (arranged so as to be in a twisted positional relationship with the magnet body 120), similar to the plate-shaped second magnet 15 and plate-shaped third magnet 17 described in Figure 12(b) . Even with this configuration, the moving part 3 moves in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A. Note that in Figure 17, the multiple tapered magnets 130 are arranged side by side on both sides of the magnet body 120 along the direction of movement indicated by arrow A.

[0101] 11 to 17, the fixed-side magnets, the plate-shaped second magnet 15, the plate-shaped third magnet 17, and the tapered magnet 130, are all lying flat against the rod-shaped magnet body 120, which is made by stacking multiple disk-shaped magnets 110, which are movable-side magnets, but as mentioned above, the fixed-side magnets located on both sides of the magnet body 120 may be in an upright position. Specifically, this is as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19.

[0102] As shown in Figure 18(a) , an upright plate-shaped second magnet 15 and an upright plate-shaped third magnet 17 are arranged on both sides of the magnet body 120, above and below the boundary line MC. Of the upper and lower plate-shaped second magnets 15, the upper plate-shaped second magnet 15 has one surface 15b (the right side as viewed in Figure 18(a) ) having an N pole facing the upper half region R1 (see Figure 11(b) ) of the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120, which has an N pole. Of the upper and lower plate-shaped second magnets 15, the lower plate-shaped second magnet 15 has the other surface 15a (the right side as viewed in Figure 18(a) ) having an S pole facing the lower half region R2 (see Figure 11(b) ) of the outer circumferential surface of the magnet body 120, which has an S pole. Similarly, with the plate-shaped third magnet 17, one surface 17b (left side surface as viewed in FIG. 18(a)) of the upper plate-shaped third magnet 17 having a north polarity faces the upper half region R1 of the outer circumferential surface of the magnetic body 120, and the other surface 17a (left side surface as viewed in FIG. 18(a)) of the lower plate-shaped third magnet 17 having a south magnetic polarity faces the lower half region R2 of the outer circumferential surface of the magnetic body 120. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 18(b), the plate-shaped second magnet 15 (plate-shaped third magnet 17) is inclined with respect to the boundary line MC in side view (it is in a twisted positional relationship with the magnetic body 120). Even with this configuration, the moving part 3 (not shown in FIG. 18) moves in the direction of movement indicated by arrow A.

[0103] As shown in Fig. 19(a), the plate-shaped second magnet 15 (plate-shaped third magnet 17) is parallel to the boundary line MC in side view, while as shown in Fig. 19(b), the plate-shaped second magnet 15 (plate-shaped third magnet 17) may be arranged so as to be inclined to the boundary line MC in plan view (so as to be in a twisted positional relationship with the magnetic body 120). Even with this configuration, the moving part 3 (not shown in Fig. 19) moves in the movement direction indicated by arrow A.

[0104] Although plate-shaped second magnet 15 and plate-shaped third magnet 17 are used as the fixed-side magnets, it is also possible to use a fixed-side magnet body 135 formed by stacking plate-shaped second magnets 15 (plate-shaped third magnets 17) as shown in Figure 20, and even in this case, the moving part 3 (not shown in Figure 20) moves in the movement direction indicated by arrow A.

[0105] Here, the positional relationship between the magnetic body 120 and the second and third plate-shaped magnets 15 and 17 described in Figures 12 to 14, 18, and 19 can be summarized as follows (1) to (4). In the following explanation, for simplicity, the second plate-shaped magnet 15 will be referred to as the "left" and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 will be referred to as the "right." (1) Both left and right are in a prostrate position, and both left and right are inclined in a plan view (see Figure 12). (2) Both left and right are in a prostrate position, and both left and right are inclined in a side view (see Figure 13). (3) Both left and right are in an upright position, and both left and right are inclined in a plan view (see Figure 19). (4) Both left and right are in an upright position, and both left and right are inclined in a side view (see Figure 18).

[0106] Furthermore, the positional relationship between the magnet body 120 and the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 is not limited to the above (1) to (4), but may be the following (5) to (9). The key is that the second plate-shaped magnet 15 and the third plate-shaped magnet 17 should be in a twisted positional relationship with respect to the magnet body 120. The same can be said for the tapered magnet 130 shown in Figures 15 to 17. (5) Either one of the left or right sides is in a prostrate state and the other is in an upright state, with both sides tilting in plan view. (6) Either one of the left or right sides is in a prostrate state and the other is in an upright state, with both sides tilting in side view. (7) Either one of the left or right sides is in a prostrate state and the other is in an upright state, with one of the left or right sides tilting in plan view and the other tilting in side view. (8) In any of the above prostrate states, at least one of the left or right sides is slightly tilted in a direction intersecting with the boundary line MC when viewed from behind (front). (For example, the plate-shaped second magnet 15 in FIG. 12(a) is tilted with respect to the boundary line MC.) (9) In any of the above upright states, at least one of the left or right sides is slightly tilted in a direction intersecting with the boundary line MC when viewed from behind (front). (For example, the plate-shaped second magnet 15 in FIG. 18(a) is tilted with respect to the central axis of the magnet body 120 (not shown; vertical direction perpendicular to the boundary line MC when viewed in FIG. 18(a)).

[0107] 11 to 17, a rod-shaped magnet body 120 is used, which is formed by stacking multiple disk-shaped magnets 110 serving as the movable-side magnet. However, a single movable-side magnet may be used instead. Specifically, a bar-shaped magnet (not shown) (a single bar-shaped magnet having the shape of the magnet body 120 shown in FIG. 11(b)) may be used, in which the disk-shaped magnet 110 shown in FIG. 11(b) is replaced with an elongated bar. This bar-shaped magnet may extend perpendicular to the movement indicated by arrow A, or may extend in a direction intersecting the movement direction. Furthermore, the magnet body may be formed by assembling the bar-shaped magnets, for example, in an E-shape or a square shape. In either case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be achieved.

[0108] In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the case 11 and wheels 13 are used as a movement direction restricting portion that restricts the movement direction of the moving unit 3. However, this movement direction restricting portion is not limited to the case 11 and wheels 13. Although not shown, other configurations are possible, such as a grooved rail formed on the plane G and a protrusion formed on the bottom surface of the plate-shaped first magnet 9 that is inserted into the grooved rail, or a groove into which the bottom of the case 11 of the moving unit 3 can be inserted into the plane G. Furthermore, the movement direction restricting portion may restrict movement only in the forward direction, not just the front-rear direction. Essentially, it is sufficient that the movement direction of the moving unit 3, which moves due to the magnetic force (repulsive force) from the linear first magnet portion 5 and the linear second magnet portion 7, can be restricted. A specific example of a moving unit 3 having such a movement direction restricting portion is shown in FIG. 21 .

[0109] 21(a), the moving unit 3 is placed on a plane G and includes a rail body 140 extending along the moving direction of the moving unit 3, and a moving body 150 that moves (slides) along the rail body 140. The rail body 140 is formed in a substantially H-shape by a first plate-like portion 141 that is placed on the plane G (including when it is attached to a floor or a wall of a structure), a second plate-like portion 142 that is parallel to the first plate-like portion 141, and a connecting portion 143 that connects these plate-like portions 141, 142. The movable body 150 has a plate-shaped mounting portion 151 to which the magnet body 120 is attached, first restriction portions 152, 152 that extend from both ends of the mounting portion 151 toward the plane G and restrict left and right movement of the movable body 150 as viewed in Fig. 21(a) , second restriction portions 153, 153 that extend from the inner surfaces of the first restriction portions 152, 152 toward the connecting portion 143 and restrict upward movement of the movable body 150 as viewed in Fig. 21(a) , and wheels 13, 13 attached to these second restriction portions 153, 153, respectively. With this configuration, the movable body 3 is restricted from left and right, up and down movement as viewed in Fig. 21(a) , and the direction of movement is described as either forward or backward.

[0110] In Fig. 21(a), the moving section 3 is attached to the other end of the magnetic body 120, but as shown in Fig. 21(b), moving sections 3, 3 may be attached to both ends of the magnetic body 120. Also, in Fig. 21, the magnetic body 120 is attached so as to extend in the vertical direction as viewed in Fig. 21, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, as shown in Fig. 22, the magnetic body 120 may be attached so as to extend in the horizontal direction as viewed in Fig. 22, and the installation direction is not particularly limited.

[0111] Fig. 23 is a schematic view showing a see-through state of a thrust generating mechanism according to a fifth embodiment. Fig. 24 is an enlarged side view showing a swing mechanism of the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. Figs. 25 to 28 are schematic views showing the flow of operation of a displacement mechanism in the thrust generating mechanism according to the fifth embodiment.

[0112] 23 and 24 , a thrust generating mechanism 200 according to the fifth embodiment includes a rotor 210 journaled on a rotation shaft 202 fixed in an upright position (vertical direction) on a base 201 placed on a mounting surface, three rotation-side magnets 221, 222, 223 fixed to the rotor 210 so as to extend in the same direction as and parallel to the rotation shaft 202, three oscillation mechanisms (displacement mechanisms) 231, 232, 233 (not shown in FIG. 23 , see FIG. 27( a) which is schematically shown) arranged around the rotor 210, and three fixed-side magnets 241 oscillated by the oscillation mechanisms 231, 232, 233. Note that only the fixed-side magnet 241 is shown as the fixed-side magnet, and the other two fixed-side magnets are not shown or labeled. Here, the three rotation-side magnets 221, 222, and 223 may be collectively referred to as rotation-side magnets 221, etc. Furthermore, the three fixed-side magnets will be collectively referred to as fixed-side magnets 241, etc., as described above.

[0113] As shown in Fig. 25, the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. each have a configuration similar to the magnet body 120 shown in Fig. 11(a) described above, and as shown in Fig. 11(b), the circumferential surface (end face) above the boundary line MC has a north polarity, and the circumferential surface (end face) below the boundary line MC has a south polarity. Note that the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. are depicted schematically as rectangular parallelepipeds in Fig. 23. It goes without saying that a single, elongated, rod-shaped magnet may be used as the rotation-side magnet 221 instead of the magnet body 120 shown in Fig. 11(b).

[0114] 26, the fixed-side magnets 241 and the like are tapered so that their diameter (thickness) gradually increases in the direction of rotation of the rotor 210, as indicated by arrow G. By making the fixed-side magnets 241 tapered in this manner, the magnetic force of the fixed-side magnets 241 at their downstream end is stronger than that at their upstream end, as explained above in FIG.

[0115] The rotating body 210 has a disk-shaped upper support portion 211 and a lower support portion 212 made of resin or the like, and three magnet fixing portions 213 and the like (see FIG. 25(a)) that are provided so as to hang down from the underside of the upper support portion 211. Note that only magnet fixing portion 213 is shown as the magnet fixing portion, and the other two magnet fixing portions are not shown or given reference numerals. Here, the three magnet fixing portions will be collectively referred to as magnet fixing portion 213 and the like, as described above.

[0116] The upper support portion 211 and the lower support portion 212 are each rotatably supported at their centers on the rotation shaft 202. The magnet fixing portions 213, etc. are provided so as to be equally spaced from one another along the rotation direction of the upper support portion 211 (see arrow G in FIG. 27( a) ; counterclockwise in plan view). In other words, the magnet fixing portions 213, etc. are positioned so as to form angles of 120 degrees from one another when viewed from the center (axial core) of the upper support portion 211. Rotation-side magnets 221, etc. are fixed to the magnet fixing portions 213, etc. As a result, as shown in FIG. 27( a), the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. are also positioned so as to be equally spaced from one another (so as to form angles of 120 degrees from one another) along the rotation direction of the upper support portion 211.

[0117] 23, 25, and 26, semi-elliptical projections 214, 215, and 216 projecting downward in side view are provided on the lower surface of the outer periphery of the upper support part 211 at positions corresponding to the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. (Hereinafter, these projections 214, 215, and 216 may be collectively referred to as projections 214, etc.). Also, semi-elliptical projections 217, 218, and 219 projecting upward in side view are provided on the upper surface of the outer periphery of the lower support part 212 directly below the projections 214, etc. (Hereinafter, these projections 217, 218, and 219 may be collectively referred to as projections 217, etc.).

[0118] As shown in FIG. 27 , the rocking mechanisms 231, etc. are disposed on the circumferential outside of the rotating body 210 and in the vicinity of the rotating body 210. The rocking mechanisms 231, etc. are disposed so as to be equidistant from one another along the rotational direction of the rotating body 210. In other words, the rocking mechanisms 231, etc. are also disposed so as to form angles of 120 degrees with one another when viewed from the center (axial core) of the rotating body 210. Furthermore, the rocking mechanisms 231, etc. are configured separately from the rotating body 210 and their positions are adjustable, but the rocking mechanisms 231, etc. may also be provided integrally with the rotating body 210. Note that, since the rocking mechanisms 231, etc. all have the same configuration, only the rocking mechanism 231 will be described, and descriptions of the other rocking mechanisms 232 and 233 will be omitted.

[0119] As shown in Figure 24, the oscillating mechanism 231 has a support column portion 252 fixed in an upright state (vertical direction) to a base portion 251 placed on a support surface, an upper support portion 253 extending horizontally from the upper end of the support column portion 252 toward the rotation axis 202, a first oscillating shaft portion 254 provided at the tip of the upper support portion 253 and having a fixed side magnet 241 fixed thereto, and an interlocking portion 255 that oscillates (rotates) the fixed side magnet 241 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating body 210. The interlocking portion 255 has a bottomed box-shaped holder portion 256, a second oscillating shaft portion 257 that is provided on the upper end surface of the fixed side magnet 241 and to which the holder portion 256 is fixed, a rotating shaft 258 that is provided so as to penetrate horizontally (left and right direction as seen in Figure 24) the side surface of the holder portion 256 (left and right side surface as seen in Figure 24), and a disk-shaped rotating plate 259 that is rotatably supported on this rotating shaft 258.

[0120] In the fifth embodiment, the fixed-side magnet 241 is disposed so as to be twisted relative to the rotation-side magnet 221, etc., as in the above-described embodiments. Specifically, as shown in Figures 25(a) and 26(a), the fixed-side magnet 241 is inclined so that its upper end is closer to the rotation-side magnet 221, etc., than its lower end (inclined upward to the left as viewed in Figure 25(a)), and is disposed so that its downstream end (right end as viewed in Figure 26(a)) is in a higher position than its upstream end (left end as viewed in Figure 26(a)) (inclined upward to the right as viewed in Figure 26(a)). As also shown in Figure 25(a), the fixed-side magnet 241 is positioned so that its upper end (the upper right end shown in Figure 26(a)) is at a position below a line HC that is horizontal to the upper surface of the rotating-side magnets 221, etc. In this embodiment, the fixed-side magnet 241, etc. is positioned between the center line MC and the line HC, with the upper end of the fixed-side magnet 241 tangent to the line HC.

[0121] The first oscillation shaft 254 causes the fixed-side magnet 241 fixed to the first oscillation shaft 254 to oscillate up and down. The first oscillation shaft 254 is constantly biased by a spring or the like (not shown) so that the fixed-side magnet 241 faces upward. As a result, when the rotation-side magnet 221 and the like are spaced apart from the fixed-side magnet 241 (for example, when the fixed-side magnet 241 is positioned between the rotation-side magnets 221 and 222 as shown in FIGS. 26( a) and 27(a)), the rotating plate 259 abuts against the lower surface of the upper support portion 211. In other words, this position (the position shown in FIG. 25(a)) can also be considered the initial position of the fixed-side magnet 241. In this state, the fixed-side magnet 241 is standing and tilted diagonally upward to the left as viewed in Fig. 25(a), and as shown in Fig. 28(a), the end face with south polarity (the left end face as viewed in Fig. 25(a)) faces the circumferential surface with north polarity of the rotation-side magnet 221, etc. In this case, as shown in Fig. 28(a), a strong attractive force between opposite poles acts between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, etc.

[0122] In this state, when the rotating plate 259 hits the convex portion 214, the rotating plate 259 is pushed down by the convex portion 214, as shown in Figures 25(b) and 26(b). Accordingly, when the holder portion 256 is pushed down, the fixed-side magnet 241 rotates toward the lower left as viewed in Figure 25(b) around the first oscillation shaft portion 254 against the biasing force of the spring. In other words, this position (the position shown in Figure 25(b)) can be said to be the intermediate position of the fixed-side magnet 241. Furthermore, in this state, as shown in Figures 26(b) and 27(b), the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221 are close to each other, and the fixed-side magnet 241 tilts diagonally downward and toward the left. As a result, the end face of the fixed-side magnet 241 with N polarity (the right end face as viewed in FIG. 25(a)) gradually faces the circumferential surface with N polarity of the rotation-side magnet 221, etc., as shown in FIG. 25(b). In this case, between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, etc., both an attractive force between opposite poles and a repulsive force between same poles act in approximately equal amounts, as shown in FIG.

[0123] Then, when the rotating plate 259 hits the apex of the convex portion 214, as shown in Figures 25(c) and 26(c), the rotating plate 259 is further pushed down by the convex portion 214, causing the fixed-side magnet 241 to tilt further diagonally downward. In other words, this position (the position shown in Figure 25(c)) can be said to be the final position of the fixed-side magnet 241. Accordingly, the end face with N polarity of the fixed-side magnet 241 faces further toward the circumferential surface with N polarity of the rotation-side magnet 221, etc. In this case, a strong repulsive force between like poles acts between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, etc., as shown in Figure 28(c).

[0124] Next, based on the above-described configuration, the operation of the thrust generating mechanism of the fifth embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 25(a), 26(a), and 27(a), when the fixed-side magnet 241 is positioned between the rotation-side magnets 221 and 222 ( Figure 26(a) shows the state in which the rotation-side magnet 221 has reached the upstream end of the fixed-side magnet 241), and when the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221 are separated from each other, as shown in Figure 28(a), the end face of the fixed-side magnet 241 having a south pole faces the circumferential surface of the rotation-side magnet 221 having a north pole (the upper half of the circumferential surface of the rotation-side magnet 221), and a strong attractive force between opposite poles (in this case, an attractive force between the south pole of the fixed-side magnet 241 and the north pole of the rotation-side magnet 221) acts between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, as shown in Figure 28(a). Therefore, due to the attractive force between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, the rotation-side magnet 221 is attracted to the fixed-side magnet 241, and a rotational force is applied to the rotating body 210 in the rotation direction indicated by arrow G, causing the rotating body 210 to rotate. Also, in this state, the rotating plate 259 of the swing mechanism 231 rotates while contacting the lower surface of the upper support part 211 of the rotating body 210.

[0125] 25(b), 26(b), and 27(b), when the fixed-side magnet 241 is in the intermediate position (a position where the rotation-side magnet 221 has reached a position where it faces approximately the center of the fixed-side magnet 241), both an attractive force between opposite poles and a repulsive force between same poles act between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, as shown in Fig. 28(b), reducing the effect on the rotating body 210. For this reason, it is unlikely to act as a brake on the rotating rotating body 210 (because the rotational momentum of the rotating body 210 is greater), and the rotation of the rotating body 210 continues.

[0126] 25(c), 26(c), and 27(c), when the fixed-side magnet 241 is in its final position (the position where the rotation-side magnet 221 has reached the downstream end of the fixed-side magnet 241), a strong repulsive force between like poles acts between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221, as shown in Fig. 28(c). For this reason, the repulsive force between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnet 221 causes the rotation-side magnet 221 to repel the fixed-side magnet 241, thereby applying a rotational force to the rotating body 210 in the rotational direction indicated by arrow G, causing the rotating body 210 to rotate.

[0127] This rotation of rotor 210 positions fixed-side magnet 241 between rotation-side magnets 221 and 223, and the same action is repeated thereafter, continuing the rotation of rotor 210. This also applies to the relationship between fixed-side magnets other than fixed-side magnet 241 and rotation-side magnet 221, etc.

[0128] As described above, the rotating body 210 can be smoothly rotated by swinging the fixed-side magnets 241, etc. of the swing mechanism 231, etc. relative to the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. fixed to the rotating body 210, switching between an attractive force between opposite poles and a repulsive force between same poles. Furthermore, the swing mechanism 231, etc., includes a rotatable rotating plate 259 as a member that contacts the upper support portion 211, thereby reducing resistance to the rotating body 210 during rotation and preventing interference with the rotation of the rotating body 210. For this reason, it is preferable to use a resin, metal, or the like with a low coefficient of friction for the rotating plate 259. Furthermore, the fixed-side magnet 241 has a tapered shape that increases in thickness toward the downstream side. This strengthens the repulsive force between the fixed-side magnet 241 and the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. when the fixed-side magnet 241 is positioned in its final position, thereby providing a stronger rotational force to the rotating body 210.

[0129] In this embodiment, the fixed-side magnet 241 is provided between the center line MC and the line segment HC and at a position where the upper end of the fixed-side magnet 241 contacts the line segment HC, but the position of the fixed-side magnet 241 may be, for example, as shown in Figures 29(a) to 29(c), such that the fixed-side magnet 241 is located approximately in the center between the center line MC and the line segment HC. Also, as shown in Figures 30(a) to 30(c), the fixed-side magnet 241 may be located between the center line MC and the line segment LC that is horizontal to the lower surface of the rotation-side magnet 221. In the example shown in Figures 30(a) to 30(c), the fixed-side magnet 221 is disposed at a position where the lower end of the fixed-side magnet 221 contacts the line segment LC. In this case, because the peripheral surface of the lower half of the rotation-side magnet 221 has an S-pole (see FIG. 11(b)), the fixed-side magnet 241 is fixed to the first oscillation shaft so that, in the initial position, its end face having an N-pole faces the rotation-side magnet 221 and its end face having an S-pole faces the opposite side. Furthermore, the rotating plate 259 of the oscillation mechanism 231 contacts the upper surface of the lower support portion 212 or the protrusion 217, etc. The point is that the fixed-side magnet 241 may be positioned anywhere within the range between the line segments HC and LC, and the same effects as described above will be achieved regardless of its position. It goes without saying that the fixed-side magnet 241 positioned in the position shown in FIG. 25(a) and the fixed-side magnet 241 positioned in the position shown in FIG. 30(a) may be simultaneously provided.

[0130] In this embodiment, the fixed-side magnet 241 is disposed on the outside of the rotating body 210, but instead, the fixed-side magnet 241 may be disposed on the inside of the rotating body 210, in other words, between the rotating shaft 202 and the rotating-side magnet 221, etc., or the fixed-side magnet 241 may be provided on both the outside and inside of the rotating body 210. Even in such a case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0131] In this embodiment, three rotation-side magnets 221 are provided, but the number of rotation-side magnets may be one or more than three. Furthermore, when multiple rotation-side magnets 221 are provided, they may be arranged so that the distance between them varies rather than being equally spaced. In short, the number of rotation-side magnets and their spacing can be set appropriately according to the specifications. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment are achieved.

[0132] In this embodiment, the swing mechanism 231 is provided to mechanically swing the fixed-side magnet 241. However, for example, the fixed-side magnet 241 may be swung electrically using a solenoid or the like, or may be swung by a motor or the like. The fixed-side magnet 241 may also be rotated rather than swung. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 28( a), the south pole end face of the fixed-side magnet 241 may be positioned facing the circumferential surface of the north pole of the rotation-side magnet 221, and in the state shown in FIG. 28( c), the fixed-side magnet 241 may be rotated 180 degrees to position the north pole end face of the fixed-side magnet 241 facing the circumferential surface of the north pole of the rotation-side magnet 221. Essentially, it is sufficient if the position of the fixed-side magnet 241 can be displaced either mechanically or electrically.

[0133] In this embodiment, the rotating body 210 shown in FIG. 23 is used, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32 , a rotating body 300 may be provided in which a plurality of support members 250 rotatably supported on the rotating shaft 202 and extending in the radial direction are provided, and a rotation-side magnet 221 is fixed to the tip of each of these support members 250. Alternatively, a rotation-side magnet 221A (same as the rotation-side magnet 221 but with the letter "A" added to the end for easy identification) may be attached to the side of the support member 250. In this case, a fixed-side magnet would be disposed above or below this rotation-side magnet 221A. This configuration also achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiment.

[0134] 31 and 32, the fixed-side magnet may be a plate-shaped fixed-side magnet 260 extending perpendicular to the rotation axis 202, with its downstream end in the direction of rotation bent at a predetermined angle (e.g., 30 degrees) toward the rotation-side magnet 221. In this case, for example, if the fixed-side magnet 241 in FIG. 28(c) is replaced with the fixed-side magnet 260, the right end of the fixed-side magnet 260 in FIG. 28(c) is bent toward the rotation-side magnet 221. This brings the north polarity end face of the fixed-side magnet 241 closer to the rotation-side magnet, and this end face faces the north polarity circumferential surface of the rotation-side magnet 221 more closely, thereby strengthening the repulsive force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the fixed-side magnet 241. The fixed-side magnet 260 may extend not only perpendicular to the rotation axis 202, but also at an angle to the rotation axis 202. In short, the fixed-side magnets only need to be arranged so that they extend in a direction intersecting the rotation axis 202 (so that they are in a twisted positional relationship with the rotation-side magnets).

[0135] The fixed-side magnet 260 shown in Figures 31 and 32 is bent at an angle of 30 degrees relative to the plane, but instead, a fixed-side magnet 261 bent at 90 degrees as shown in Figure 33(a), a fixed-side magnet 262 bent at 120 degrees as shown in Figure 33(b), or a fixed-side magnet 263 bent at 45 degrees as shown in Figure 34(a) may be used, and the bending angle can be set appropriately depending on the specifications. Furthermore, the plate-shaped fixed-side magnet may be bent so that a portion of the plate-shaped fixed-side magnet is raised, as shown in Figures 32(b), 33(a), and (b), or may be twisted on both sides as shown in Figure 34(b).

[0136] Next, a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 35 to 37-2. The sixth embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the fifth embodiment. The sixth embodiment differs primarily in that the swing mechanisms 231, 232, and 233 in the thrust generating mechanism shown in Figure 27(a) are replaced with thrust generating mechanisms 300, each of which is a vertical movement mechanism 310 shown in Figure 35.

[0137] As shown in FIGS. 35 to 37-2, the vertical movement mechanism 310 includes a plate-shaped magnet (fixed magnet) 320, which is a permanent magnet, and a restricting unit 330 that restricts the movement of the plate-shaped magnet 320 only in the vertical direction. The restricting unit 330 includes a storage unit 333 fixed to a support shaft 332 that is fixed in an upright (vertical) position on a base 331 placed on a flat surface (mounting surface) G (see FIG. 37-1(A)). As shown in FIG. 35(a), the storage unit 333 is made of a non-magnetic material such as resin and has a box shape with a rectangular parallelepiped internal space NK. The plate-shaped magnet 320 is stored within this internal space NK so that it can move up and down (reciprocate up and down). As shown in FIG. 35(b), a pair of rails RL extending vertically and parallel to each other are provided on the inner surface of the rear wall of the storage unit 333. In addition, a spring SP is provided on the lower surface of the upper wall of the storage section 333, which is capable of biasing the plate-shaped magnet 320 in the storage section 333 downward.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 35( a), the front end surface 320a of the plate-shaped magnet 320 (the other end surface, which is the left end surface as viewed in FIG. 35( a)) has an S polarity, and the rear end surface 320b of the plate-shaped magnet 320 (one end surface, which is the right end surface as viewed in FIG. 35( a)) has an N polarity. When the base portion 331 of the plate-shaped magnet 320 is placed on a plane G, both end surfaces 320a, 320b of the plate-shaped magnet 320 are perpendicular to the plane G and face parallel to the rotation-side magnets 221 and the like. Wheels SR1 are provided on the top and bottom of both side surfaces of the plate-shaped magnet 320. In addition, wheels SR2 are provided on the top and bottom of the center of the rear end surface of the plate-shaped magnet 320. These wheels SR2 are interposed between a pair of rails RL and move along the pair of rails RL, thereby guiding the up and down movement of the plate-shaped magnet 320. By providing these wheels SR1 and SR2, the plate-shaped magnet 320 can move up and down within the storage section 333 smoothly and reliably.

[0139] As shown in Figure 36, the rotation-side magnets 221 and the like are arranged along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 202, as described above, with the circumferential surface (one end face) above the boundary line MC having a north polarity and the circumferential surface (the other end face) below the boundary line MC having a south polarity (see also Figure 11(b)). When the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are facing each other (the state shown in Figure 37-1(c)), the plate-shaped magnet 320 stored in the storage section 333 reciprocates up and down between a first position (see Figure 36(a)) where the other end face (south pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 faces the front end face (the other end face of the south pole) 320a of the plate-shaped magnet 320, and a second position (see Figure 36(c)) where one end face (north pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 faces the front end face (the other end face of the south pole) 320a of the plate-shaped magnet 320. In the first position, a repulsive force due to like poles acts between the rotation-side magnets 221 etc. and the plate-shaped magnet 320, and in the second position, an attractive force due to unlike poles acts between the rotation-side magnets 221 etc. and the plate-shaped magnet 320. Note that the first position may be any position where the plate-shaped magnet 320 is located between the center line MC and the line segment HC, and the second position may be any position where the plate-shaped magnet 320 is located between the center line MC and the line segment LC.

[0140] Next, based on the above-described configuration, the operation of the thrust generating mechanism of the sixth embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 37-1(a), when the rotation-side magnet 221 is located upstream of the plate-shaped magnet 320 in the direction of rotation and the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are spaced apart (in other words, when the plate-shaped magnet 320 is located between the rotation-side magnets 221 and 222, and the fixed-side magnet 241 in FIG. 27(a) is replaced with the plate-shaped magnet 320. Note that the rotation-side magnet 222 is not shown in FIG. 37), the plate-shaped magnet 320 is located in a first position due to its own weight, etc., as shown in FIG. 37-1(A). In this first position, as shown in FIG. 36(a), the rotation-side magnet 221 is attracted to the plate-shaped magnet 320 due to an attractive force acting between one end face (north pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 and the front end face (south pole) of the plate-shaped magnet 320, causing the rotating body 210 to rotate.

[0141] The magnetic force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 causes the rotating body 210 to rotate (the rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), and when the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are in close proximity as shown in Figure 37-1(b), as shown in Figures 36(b) and 37-1(B), a repulsive force acts between the front end face (south pole) of the plate-shaped magnet 320 located in the first position and the other end face (south pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221, and an attractive force acts between the front end face (south pole) of the plate-shaped magnet 320 and one end face (north pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221, causing the plate-shaped magnet 320 to move upward. Note that Figures 36(b) and 37-1(B) show a state in which the center in the vertical direction of the plate-shaped magnet 320 located in the first position has moved to a central position that coincides with the center line MC.

[0142] Thereafter, the rotating body 210 rotates further (rotation of the rotating body 210 continues) due to the action of the magnetic force between the rotating side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320, and when the rotating side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are facing each other as shown in Figure 37-1 (c), in other words, when the rotating side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are closest to each other and the attractive force between them is at its greatest, as shown in Figures 36 (c) and 37-1 (C), the attractive force between the rotating side magnet 221 causes the plate-shaped magnet 320 to move further upward against the spring force of the spring SP in the storage section 333 and to be positioned in the second position.

[0143] Thereafter, the rotating body 210 rotates further due to the momentum of its rotation (rotating body 210 continues to rotate), and as shown in Figure 37-2 (d), the rotating side magnet 221 moves downstream in the direction of rotation relative to the plate-shaped magnet 320, so that when the rotating side magnet 221 and plate-shaped magnet 320 are in close proximity (in other words, the plate-shaped magnet 320 is positioned between the rotating side magnets 221 and 223; note that the rotating side magnet 223 is not shown in Figure 37), the attractive force between these magnets 221 and 320 is weaker than in the position where the rotating side magnet 221 and plate-shaped magnet 320 face each other as shown in Figure 37-1 (c), and therefore, as shown in Figure 37-2 (D), the plate-shaped magnet 320 moves downward due to the spring force of spring SP and its own weight, etc.

[0144] Thereafter, as the rotating body 210 rotates further (rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), the rotation-side magnet 221 moves further downstream in the direction of rotation relative to the plate-shaped magnet 320, as shown in Figure 37-2(e), and in a state in which the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are spaced apart, the magnetic force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 weakens further, and the plate-shaped magnet 320 is positioned in the first position, as shown in Figures 36(a) and 37-2(E). Thereafter, by repeating the same action (in other words, the same action is repeated between the rotation-side magnets 222, 223 and the plate-shaped magnet 320), the rotation of the rotating body 210 continues.

[0145] As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the rotating body 210 rotates due to the magnetic attraction between the rotating side magnets 221 etc. and the plate-shaped magnet 320, while the magnetic force between the rotating side magnets 221 etc. and the plate-shaped magnet 320 causes the plate-shaped magnet 320 to move up and down, thereby allowing the rotating body 210 to rotate smoothly due to the interaction between the rotating side magnets 221 etc. and the plate-shaped magnet 320.

[0146] In this embodiment, the fixed-side magnet 241 is disposed on the outside of the rotating body 210, but instead, the fixed-side magnet 241 may be disposed on the inside of the rotating body 210, in other words, between the rotating shaft 202 and the rotating-side magnet 221, etc., or the fixed-side magnet 241 may be provided on both the outside and inside of the rotating body 210. Even in such a case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0147] In this embodiment, three rotation-side magnets 221 are provided, but the number of rotation-side magnets may be one or more than three. Furthermore, when multiple rotation-side magnets 221 are provided, they may be arranged so that the distance between them varies rather than being equally spaced. In short, the number of rotation-side magnets and their spacing can be set appropriately according to the specifications. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment are achieved.

[0148] In this embodiment, the plate-shaped magnet 320 is moved up and down by the interaction between the rotation-side magnets 221 etc. and the plate-shaped magnet 320, but for example, the plate-shaped magnet 320 may be moved up and down mechanically using a link mechanism etc., or the plate-shaped magnet 320 may be moved up and down electrically using a solenoid, motor etc. The point is that it is sufficient if the plate-shaped magnet 320 can be moved up and down either mechanically or electrically.

[0149] Next, a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 38 to 40-2. The seventh embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the fifth embodiment. The seventh embodiment differs primarily in that the swing mechanisms 231, 232, and 233 in the thrust generating mechanism shown in Figure 27(a) are replaced with thrust generating mechanisms 400 shown in Figure 38, each of which is a forward / backward movement mechanism 410.

[0150] As shown in Figures 38 to 40-2, the forward / backward movement mechanism 410 has a first fixed side magnet 420 and a second fixed side magnet 421 that have a configuration similar to that of the rotating side magnet 221, etc., and a regulating section 430 that regulates the movement of these fixed side magnets 420, 421 only in the forward / backward direction.

[0151] 38(c), the first fixed-side magnet 420, like the rotation-side magnet 221, has a circumferential surface (one end face) above the boundary line MC that has a north polarity, and a circumferential surface (the other end face) below the boundary line MC that has a south polarity (see also FIG. 11(b)). The second fixed-side magnet 421 is similar to the first fixed-side magnet 420 except that the orientation of the first fixed-side magnet 420 is changed by 180 degrees, and the circumferential surface (one end face) above the boundary line MC has a south polarity, and the circumferential surface (the other end face) below the boundary line MC has a north polarity.

[0152] The restricting portion 430 includes a lower support portion 431 placed on the placement surface G, an upper support portion 432 extending above and parallel to the lower support portion 431, a connecting portion 433 connecting these support portions 431, 432, a swing shaft 434 supported by the upper and lower support portions 431, 432, and a case CS made of a non-magnetic material such as resin that entirely covers the fixed-side magnets 420, 421. The case CS is attached so as to be swingable relative to the swing shaft 434. Inside the case CS, first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421 are arranged on the left and right sides of the swing shaft 434 in an upright state along the swing shaft 434. In addition, on the back surface of the case CS, a spring SP1 (a so-called push spring) is provided behind the first fixed side magnet 420, which urges the first fixed side magnet 420 forward (to the left in Figure 38(b)), and a spring SP2 (a so-called pull spring) is provided behind the second fixed side magnet 421, which urges the second fixed side magnet 421 backward (to the right in Figure 38(b)).

[0153] 39 , the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421 are the same size. When the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 face each other, one end face (north pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 and one end face (south pole) of the second fixed-side magnet 421 facing this end face are of opposite poles, and the other end face (south pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 and the other end face (north pole) of the second fixed-side magnet 421 facing this other end face are of opposite poles, so an attractive force acts between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421. On the other hand, when the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first fixed-side magnet 420 face each other, contrary to when the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first fixed-side magnet 421 face each other, one end face (north pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 and one end face (north pole) of the second fixed-side magnet 421 facing this end face are of the same polarity, and the other end face (south pole) of the rotation-side magnet 221 and the other end face (south pole) of the second fixed-side magnet 421 facing this other end face are of the same polarity, so a repulsive force acts between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421. Note that Figure 39 only shows the state in which the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 face each other, and does not show the state in which the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first fixed-side magnet 420 face each other.

[0154] The first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421 can move back and forth by swinging the case CS. Specifically, when there is no or only a small magnetic force between the second fixed-side magnet 421 and the rotation-side magnets 221, etc., in other words, when the attractive force between the rotation-side magnet 221, etc. and the second fixed-side magnet 421 is smaller than the biasing force of the spring SP2, the second fixed-side magnet 421 is located in a first initial position (in other words, a first separated position separated from the rotation-side magnets 221, etc., shown in FIGS. 38 and 40-1(a)). From this state, when the case CS swings about the swing shaft 434, the second fixed-side magnet 421 moves forward. In other words, when the case CS tilts clockwise as viewed in Figure 38(b) against the force of the spring SP2, the second fixed side magnet 421 moves forward (to the left as viewed in Figure 38(b)) and is positioned close to the rotating side magnet 221, etc. (see Figures 40-1(a) to (c)).

[0155] On the other hand, when there is no or only a small magnetic force between the first fixed-side magnet 420 and the rotation-side magnets 221, etc., in other words, when the repulsive force between the rotation-side magnets 221, etc. and the first fixed-side magnet 420 is smaller than the biasing force of the spring SP1, the first fixed-side magnet 420 is located in the second initial position shown in FIGS. 38 and 40-1(a). From this state, the case CS swings about the swing shaft 434, causing the first fixed-side magnet 420 to move rearward. In other words, when the case CS tilts clockwise as viewed in FIG. 38(b) against the biasing force of the spring SP1, the second fixed-side magnet 421 moves rearward (to the right as viewed in FIG. 38(b)) and is located in a rearward position that is further rearward than the second initial position (see FIGS. 40-1(a) to 40-1(c)).

[0156] Next, the operation of the thrust generating mechanism of the seventh embodiment will be described based on the above-described configuration. As shown in FIG. 40-1( a), when the rotation-side magnet 221 is located upstream of the second fixed-side magnet 421 in the direction of rotation and the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 are spaced apart (in other words, when the second fixed-side magnet 421 is located between the rotation-side magnets 221 and 222, and the fixed-side magnet 241 in FIG. 27( a) is replaced with the second fixed-side magnet 421; note that the rotation-side magnet 222 is not shown in FIG. 40), the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421 are positioned in their respective first and second initial positions by the biasing forces of the springs SP1 and SP2. In this state, the attractive force between the second fixed-side magnet 421 and the rotation-side magnet 221 attracts the rotation-side magnet 221 to the second fixed-side magnet 421, causing the rotating body 210 to rotate.

[0157] When the rotating body 210 rotates due to the attractive force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 (rotation of the rotating body 210 continues) and the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are in close proximity, as shown in Figure 40-1 (b), the attractive force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 becomes greater than the biasing force of the spring SP1, causing the case CS to swing and the second fixed-side magnet 421 to move forward. Meanwhile, the swinging of the case CS causes the first fixed-side magnet 420 to move backward.

[0158] Thereafter, the attractive force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 causes the rotating body 210 to rotate further (rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), and as shown in Figure 40-1 (c), the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 reach a position where they face each other, in other words, when the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 reach their closest point and the attractive force between them reaches its maximum, the second fixed-side magnet 421 moves further forward and to a close position due to the attractive force between it and the rotation-side magnet 221. Meanwhile, the first fixed-side magnet 420 moves further rearward and to a rear position.

[0159] Thereafter, the momentum of the rotating body 210 causes it to rotate further (the rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), and as a result, as shown in Fig. 40-2(d), the rotation-side magnet 221 moves downstream in the direction of rotation relative to the second fixed-side magnet 421, and the attractive force between these magnets 221, 421 becomes weaker than in the position where the rotation-side magnet 221 and the second fixed-side magnet 421 face each other as shown in Fig. 40-1(c), so the second fixed-side magnet 421 moves toward the first initial position due to the biasing force of the spring SP2. Meanwhile, the first fixed-side magnet 420 also moves toward the second initial position.

[0160] Thereafter, the rotating body 210 rotates further (rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), and as shown in Figure 40-2 (e), a repulsive force acts between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first fixed-side magnet 420 at a position where they face each other (in other words, at a position where the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first fixed-side magnet 420 are closest to each other). As a result, the rotation of the rotation-side magnet 221 is pushed in the rotational direction by the repulsive force, and the rotating body 210 rotates further.

[0161] Thereafter, the rotating body 210 continues to rotate (rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), and as shown in FIG. 40-2( f ), the rotation-side magnet 221 moves further downstream in the direction of rotation relative to the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421, resulting in a state in which the rotation-side magnet 221 and the plate-shaped magnet 320 are separated from each other. In this state, the magnetic force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421 further weakens, causing the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421 to return to their respective first and second initial positions. Thereafter, the same action is repeated (in other words, the same action is repeated between the rotation-side magnets 222, 223 and the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421), thereby continuing the rotation of the rotating body 210.

[0162] As described above, in the seventh embodiment, the rotating body 210 rotates due to the magnetic attraction between the rotating side magnets 221 etc. and the second fixed side magnet 421, while the second fixed side magnet 421 moves back and forth depending on the strength of the attractive force between the rotating side magnets 221 etc. and the second fixed side magnet 421, and the rotating body 210 can be rotated smoothly due to the interaction between the rotating side magnets 221 etc. and the second fixed side magnet 421, and the rotation is pushed forward by the repulsive force between the first fixed side magnet 420 and the rotating side magnets 221 etc.

[0163] In this embodiment, two fixed-side magnets, the first and second fixed-side magnets 420 and 421, are used, but it is also possible to use only a single fixed-side magnet, which will achieve the same effects as in this embodiment.

[0164] 41 , in a modified example using only a single fixed-side magnet, a plate-shaped third fixed-side magnet 440 similar to the plate-shaped magnet 320 of the sixth embodiment is used in place of the first and second fixed-side magnets 420, 421. Furthermore, a restricting unit 430A that restricts the movement of the third fixed-side magnet 440 only forward and backward and that is used in place of the restricting unit 430 of the forward and backward movement mechanism 410 described above generally includes an outer cylinder 450 fixed to the connecting unit 433, an inner cylinder 451 that can move forward and backward within the outer cylinder 450, and a spring SP3 (a so-called extension spring) that urges the third fixed-side magnet 440 rearward. The third fixed-side magnet 440 can move forward and backward by the advancement and retreat of the inner cylinder 451. That is, when the repulsive force between the rotation-side magnet 221 etc. and the third fixed-side magnet 440 is smaller than the biasing force of the spring SP3, the third fixed-side magnet 440 is located in the third initial position shown in Fig. 42(a). From this state, when the inner cylinder portion 451 moves forward against the biasing force of the spring SP3, the third fixed-side magnet 440 moves forward, moving further forward than the third initial position and positioned in close proximity to the rotation-side magnet 221. It should be noted that in Fig. 42, the third fixed-side magnet 440 is drawn as a solid black circle to make the relationship between the magnetic poles easier to understand.

[0165] 42(a), when the rotation-side magnet 221 is located upstream of the third fixed-side magnet 440 in the direction of rotation and the rotation-side magnet 221 and second fixed-side magnet 421 are spaced apart, the third fixed-side magnet 440 is positioned in the third initial position by the biasing force of spring SP3. In this state, the rotation-side magnet 221 is attracted to the third fixed-side magnet 440 by the attractive force between the third fixed-side magnet 440 and the rotation-side magnet 221, causing the rotating body 210 to rotate.

[0166] Thereafter, when the rotating side magnet 221 and the third fixed side magnet 440 are in close proximity, as shown in Figure 42 (b), the attractive force between the rotating side magnet 221 and the third fixed side magnet 440 becomes greater than the spring force of spring SP3, causing the third fixed side magnet 440 to move forward.

[0167] 42(c), when the rotation-side magnet 221 and the third fixed-side magnet 440 are closest to each other and the attractive force between them is at its greatest, the third fixed-side magnet 440 moves further forward to a close position due to the attractive force between it and the rotation-side magnet 221. The momentum of the rotation then causes the rotating body 210 to rotate further (the rotation of the rotating body 210 continues), and as shown in FIG. 42(d), the rotation-side magnet 221 moves downstream in the rotation direction relative to the third fixed-side magnet 440, weakening the attractive force between these magnets 221, 440, and the third fixed-side magnet 440 moves toward the third initial position due to the biasing force of the spring SP3.

[0168] Thereafter, the rotation-side magnet 221 moves further downstream in the direction of rotation relative to the third fixed-side magnet 440, causing the rotation-side magnet 221 and the third fixed-side magnet 440 to become separated from each other. In this state, the magnetic force between the rotation-side magnet 221 and the third fixed-side magnet 440 weakens further, causing the third fixed-side magnet 440 to return to its third initial position. Thereafter, the same action is repeated (in other words, the same action is repeated between the rotation-side magnets 222, 223 and the third fixed-side magnet 440), thereby continuing the rotation of the rotating body 210.

[0169] In this embodiment and its modifications, permanent magnets are used on both the rotating side and the fixed side, such as the rotating-side magnet 221 etc. and the fixed-side magnets 420, 421, 440 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "the fixed-side magnets 420 etc."). However, instead of this, as shown in (1) or (2) below, either the rotating side or the fixed side may be made of a magnetic material such as iron or steel that can receive magnetic force from a magnet. Even in this case, the same effects as those of this embodiment and its modifications can be achieved. (1) Combination of a rotating-side member in which the rotating-side magnet 221 etc. is made of a magnetic material, and each fixed-side magnet 420 etc. (2) Combination of a rotating-side magnet 221 etc. and a fixed-side member in which the fixed-side magnet 420 etc. is made of a magnetic material

[0170] In this embodiment and the modified example, the fixed-side magnet 241 is disposed on the outside of the rotating body 210, but instead, the fixed-side magnet 241 may be disposed on the inside of the rotating body 210, in other words, between the rotating shaft 202 and the rotating-side magnet 221, etc., or the fixed-side magnet 241 may be provided on both the outside and inside of the rotating body 210. Even in such a case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0171] In this embodiment and the modified example, three rotation-side magnets 221 are provided, but the number of rotation-side magnets provided may be one or a number other than three. Furthermore, when multiple rotation-side magnets 221 are provided, they may be arranged so that the distance between them varies rather than being equally spaced. In short, the number of rotation-side magnets provided and their spacing can be set appropriately according to specifications. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment are achieved.

[0172] In this embodiment and the modified examples, the fixed-side magnets 420 etc. are advanced and retreated (moved back and forth) by a mechanical structure using a biasing member such as a spring, but it is also possible to use other mechanical structures such as a link mechanism, or to electrically advance and retreat the fixed-side magnets 420 etc. using a solenoid, motor, etc. In short, it is sufficient if the fixed-side magnets 420 etc. can be advanced and retreated either mechanically or electrically.

[0173] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-47075 filed with the Japan Patent Office on March 22, 2024, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-191273 filed with the Japan Patent Office on October 31, 2024, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0174] 210 Rotating body 221 Rotating side magnet 241 Fixed side magnet 231 Swing mechanism (displacement mechanism) 320 Plate-shaped magnet (Fixed side magnet) 421 Second fixed side magnet (Fixed side magnet) 440 Third fixed side magnet (Fixed side magnet)

Claims

1. A thrust generating mechanism comprising: a rotating-side magnet having one end face with a first polarity and the other end face with a second polarity opposite to the first polarity; a fixed-side magnet having one end face with the first polarity and the other end face with a second polarity opposite to the first polarity; a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft; and a displacement mechanism to which the fixed-side magnet is attached and which displaces the fixed-side magnet, wherein the rotating-side magnet is arranged so that the direction from the first polarity to the second polarity on the rotating-side magnet is along the direction of the rotational axis of the rotating body, and the displacement mechanism is configured to displace the fixed-side magnet so that one end face of the fixed-side magnet faces the other end face of the rotating-side magnet when the fixed-side magnet and the rotating-side magnet are separated, and is configured to displace the fixed-side magnet so that the other end face of the fixed-side magnet faces the other end face of the fixed-side magnet when the fixed-side magnet and the rotating-side magnet are close to each other.

2. A thrust generating mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that the fixed-side magnet is in the shape of a plate extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis, and the end on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor is bent at a predetermined angle toward the rotating-side magnet.

3. A rotating body comprising: a rotating-side magnet having one end face with a first polarity and the other end face with a second polarity different from the first polarity; a fixed-side magnet having one end face with the first polarity and the other end face with the second polarity different from the first polarity; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the rotating-side magnet is arranged so that the direction from the first polarity to the second polarity of the rotating-side magnet is along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body, and the fixed-side magnet is provided so as to be movable along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body, and the fixed-side magnet is configured to be able to reciprocate between a first position where the other end face of the rotating-side magnet faces the other end face of the fixed-side magnet when the rotating-side magnet and the fixed-side magnet are facing each other, and a second position where one end face of the rotating-side magnet faces the other end face of the fixed-side magnet when the rotating-side magnet and the fixed-side magnet are facing each other, a thrust generating mechanism characterized in that, when the rotating-side magnet is located at an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side magnet in the direction of rotation, the fixed-side magnet is located at the first position, and, when the rotation of the rotating body causes the rotating-side magnet to be closer to the fixed-side magnet than the upstream position, the fixed-side magnet is located at the second position.

4. A rotating body having a rotating-side magnet with one end face having a first polarity and the other end face having a second polarity different from the first polarity; a fixed-side magnet with one end face having the first polarity and the other end face having the second polarity different from the first polarity; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the fixed-side magnet is provided so as to be movable in a first direction from the side of the rotating shaft of the rotating body toward the rotating shaft and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the fixed-side magnet is configured to be able to reciprocate between a close position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is close to the other end face of the rotating-side magnet and a separated position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is separated from the close position in the second direction, and when the rotating-side magnet is located at an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side magnet in the direction of rotation, the fixed-side magnet is located at the separated position, whereas when the rotating body rotates so that the rotating-side magnet is closer to the fixed-side magnet than the upstream position, the fixed-side magnet is located at the close position. A thrust generating mechanism characterized by:

5. A thrust generating mechanism comprising: a rotating-side magnet; a fixed-side member made of a magnetic material arranged in a position facing the rotating-side magnet and capable of receiving the magnetic force of the rotating-side magnet; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side magnet is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the fixed-side member is arranged to be movable in a first direction from the side of the rotation axis of the rotating body toward the rotation axis and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the fixed-side member is configured to be able to reciprocate between a close position where the fixed-side member is close to the rotating-side magnet and a separated position where the fixed-side member is separated from the close position in the second direction, wherein when the rotating-side magnet is located in an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side member in the direction of rotation, the fixed-side member is located in the separated position, and when the rotation of the rotating body causes the rotating-side magnet to be closer to the fixed-side member than the upstream position, the fixed-side member is located in the close position.

6. A thrust generating mechanism comprising: a fixed-side magnet; a rotating-side member made of a magnetic material arranged in a position facing the fixed-side magnet and capable of receiving the magnetic force of the fixed-side magnet; and a rotating body to which the rotating-side member is attached and rotatably supported on a rotating shaft, wherein the fixed-side magnet is arranged to be movable in a first direction from the side of the rotation axis of the rotating body toward the rotation axis and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the fixed-side magnet is configured to be able to reciprocate between a close position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is close to the rotating-side member and a separated position where one end face of the fixed-side magnet is separated from the close position in the second direction, and when the rotating-side member is located in an upstream position that is upstream of the fixed-side magnet in the rotation direction, the fixed-side magnet is located in the separated position, while when the rotation of the rotating body causes the rotating-side member to be closer to the fixed-side magnet than the upstream position, the fixed-side magnet is located in the close position.

Images