Circular Guideway Electromagnetic Launcher
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional electromagnetic launchers face safety and reliability issues due to high power consumption and large size, which limits their application in confined spaces and requires significant electric power with potential interference with other equipment.
Innovation Solution
An electromagnetic launcher with a closed-loop guideway, such as a circular or spiral shape, that uses conductive coils to create an electromagnetic field for accelerating projectiles, allowing for higher speeds with reduced power consumption and compact design by maintaining the projectile within the guideway for a longer duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If traditional electromagnetic propulsion methods are used to achieve high velocities, then projectile speed is improved, but power consumption increases and device size expands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a circular guideway configuration where the projectile travels along a curved path rather than a straight line. This curvature allows the electromagnetic launcher to recycle the projectile multiple times through the same guideway, effectively multiplying the acceleration benefit without proportionally increasing power consumption or device size.
Solution Approach 2:
The circular guideway enables continuous acceleration cycles where the projectile repeatedly passes through the electromagnetic field. This continuous action allows the system to maintain high velocities over time without requiring proportionally increasing power input, as the same electromagnetic field is reused across multiple acceleration cycles.
2Speed
If traditional electromagnetic launchers are designed to achieve high velocities, then projectile speed is improved, but device volume increases due to long barrel lengths and large capacitor banks
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning from a linear barrel to a circular guideway, the patent compactes the acceleration path into a confined spatial footprint. The curved configuration allows the projectile to traverse a longer effective acceleration path while occupying minimal external volume, eliminating the need for long barrels and large capacitor banks.
Solution Approach 2:
The circular guideway design nests the acceleration path within a compact toroidal or circular structure, allowing the projectile to complete multiple acceleration cycles within the same physical envelope. This nesting effect enables high velocities to be achieved without proportionally increasing the overall device volume.
3Speed
If traditional electromagnetic launchers are used, then high velocities are achieved, but safety and reliability issues arise due to high power requirements and electromagnetic interference
Solution Approach 1:
The circular guideway system employs periodic activation of electromagnetic fields as the projectile passes through different segments of the circle. This periodic action allows for controlled, pulsed acceleration that reduces peak power demands and minimizes electromagnetic interference compared to continuous high-power operation, thereby improving safety and reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables high-speed projectile acceleration with low power consumption and compact size, addressing safety and reliability concerns while fitting into confined spaces without significant interference.
Implementation Method 1
The launcher includes conductive coils in or around the guideway that may be electrically connected to a power supply to create an electromagnetic field along the guideway
Implementation Method 2
The projectile accelerates along the guideway by way of an electromagnetic force
Implementation Method 3
The rails may be positioned on a wall of the guideway toward which a centripetal force is primarily directed so that the centripetal force aids in maintaining contact between the connectors and the rails
Data Source
AI summary
An electromagnetic launcher with a closed-loop guideway and conductors for launching a projectile. The projectile is accelerated along the guideway using electromagnetic forces until it reaches a desired speed, then the projectile is launched in a desired direction. The direction of the launch of the projectile is determined by orienting the guideway in the desired direction using an actuator. The guideway may include a door or aperture allowing the projectile to be launched therefrom, tangent to the curvature of the guideway.