CONTROL SYSTEM CONCEPT FOR A PASSENGER CARRYING MAGLEV VEHICLE

In the past few years, considerable effort has gone into the development of trains with speeds approaching 500 kilometres per hour. One of the most promising approaches is the use of electromagnets to replace wheels, which have poor performance at high speeds. This paper describes the design of the control system for a passenger car with secondary suspension using bogy-type configurations of sideways and vertical electromagnets for suspension and guidance. The deterministic and stochastic properties of the guideway, combined with the requirements for passenger comfort, curve and grade following capability, and power consumption are used to determine the vehicle configuration and control system specifications. The control system layout for the vertical channel of such a vehicle is presented along with the expected system performance.