Attractive-levitation experiments of 1/2-scale controlled-PM LSM Maglev vehicle under an extremely unbalanced condition of one controlled-PM

This paper presents the local control approach for a 1/2-scale controlled-PM LSM Maglev test vehicle in our Laboratory. Under an extremely unbalanced condition of one controlled-PM of which a coercive force is reduced strongly, the 256 kg-heavy-vehicle has been levitated in a dynamically stable state with compensating slowly bending motions of the beams connecting the four controlled-PM's. Minimum power-loss control method for stationary levitation mode and constant-gap-control method for Maglev-starting and -stopping mode have been carried out by using an optimum robust control theory of the digital feedback levitation system. Experimental system is discussed and the experiment results are presented. It is also shown that the control system has provided minimum power-loss levitation and satisfied constant-gap control without noise.