# US 10,308,133 B2 · Superconducting power and transport system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,308,133 B2 - Document ID: US10308133B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/140,231 - Filed: 2016-04-27 - Published: 2017-03-23 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2008-10-20 - Applicants: Metadigm LLC - Inventors: Victor B. Kley; Melvin J. Bulman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308133B2 ## CPC - B60L 13/10: Combination of electric propulsion and magnetic suspension or levitation - B61B 1/00: General arrangement of stations, platforms, or sidings; Railway networks; Rail vehicle marshalling systems (shunting humps and shunting devices B61J; construction of platforms E01F1/00; time-tables G09D) - B61B 13/08: Sliding or levitation systems (vehicles with air cushions between rails and vehicles B60V3/04) - B61B 13/10: Tunnel systems (pneumatic tubes conveyors B65G {; B61C15/045 takes precedence}) - B61C 3/00: Electric locomotives or railcars (characterised by power transmission B61C9/00; electrical features B60L; H02) - B61K 13/00: Other auxiliaries or accessories for railways - G06Q 50/165: {Land development} - B60L 2200/26: Rail vehicles - Y02T 30/00: Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B61B: RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (lifts or hoists, elevators, escalators, moving walkways B66B) - B61C: LOCOMOTIVES; MOTOR RAILCARS (vehicles in general B60; frames or bogies B61F; special railroad equipment for locomotives B61J, B61K) - B61K: AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR RAILWAYS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A transport and power system having a plurality of tubes or tunnels, a magnetic levitation and linear motor train, and a superconducting power cable. One of the tubes can be an escape, power distribution, and maintenance tunnel. These tubes can be above ground, below ground, at ground, or under water. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a tube infrastructure that includes one or more tubular structures disposed along a path; a transport subsystem, disposed within the tube infrastructure, that includes a magnetic levitation mechanism for supporting and moving one or more magnetic levitation cars within at least one of the one or more tubular structures; and an electric power distribution subsystem, disposed within the tube infrastructure, that distributes electrical power to locations along the path, and that also provides power to the transport subsystem's magnetic levitation mechanism, the electric power distribution subsystem including one or more electrical transmission lines; wherein the tube infrastructure is shared between the transport subsystem and the electric power distribution subsystem, wherein the one or more cars have an active seal system of seal structures disposed on the outside thereof such that each of the seal structures is not in contact with a wall of the tubular structure when an interior of the seal structure is at less than a local ambient air pressure, each of the seal structures is in contact with the wall of the tubular structure when the interior of the seal structure is at the local ambient air pressure, and each of the seal structures is in closer compliant contact with the wall of the tubular structure when the seal interior is above ambient air pressure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the electric power distribution subsystem gives rise to associated magnetic fields; and the associated magnetic fields electrical power are also used by the transport subsystem. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein one or more train cars store energy in the form of kinetic energy. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: one or more cars are provided with linear motors; and at least some kinetic energy of a given car having a linear motor is returned to the electric power distribution subsystem as electrical energy in a process of regenerative braking using that car's linear motor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein one or more cars are operational in a closed tunnel or tube associated with the tube infrastructure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the electrical transmission lines include one or more superconducting elements; air is removed from one or more of the tubular structures to obtain a low air pressure and reduce or eliminate air friction in connection with moving one or more cars, improve the electrical isolation of electrically charged system elements, and provide thermal isolation to maintain a constant temperature around the electrical transmission lines and any superconducting elements thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: air is reintroduced into one or more of the tubular structures from which air had been removed; and the reintroduction of air into one or more of the tubular structures from which air had been removed can by itself cause one or more moving cars to come to a near complete stop. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: one or more cars is provided with one or more passive sealing members; and one or more of the passive sealing members cause the motion of the car to move and compress gas and/or air in the direction of the motion, and create a partial vacuum in the opposite direction. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: one or more cars is provided with one or more active sealing members; and one or more of the active sealing members cause the motion of the car to move and compress gas and/or air in the direction of the motion, and create a partial vacuum in the opposite direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: at least one car is provided with one or more active sealing members; at least one car is provided with one or more passive sealing members; and one or more of the active and passive sealing members cause the motion of the car to move and compress gas and/or air in the direction of the motion, and create a partial vacuum in the opposite direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: at least one car is provided with one or more active sealing members; at least one car is provided with one or more passive sealing members; and one or more of the active and passive sealing members seal against the tube or tunnel on one or more given cars at rest, referred to as sealing cars, and provide a region in the tube or tunnel in which air may be introduced and loading/unloading operations take place without permitting air to enter the tube/tunnel regions beyond the at rest sealing cars. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, and further comprising an active seal system in which a gas is introduced at varying pressures to obtain close sealing or contact and compliant sealing with adjacent walls. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, and further comprising an emergency support and braking system employing brake pads that contact a low-speed rail to support and decelerate the car in the event of failure of the magnetic levitation mechanism. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the tube infrastructure includes a closed-loop tubular structure; at least one of the cars is provided with a linear motor; the at least one car is movable within the closed-loop tubular structure such that the at least one car can be maintained in continuous motion within the closed-loop tubular structure, thereby storing power in the form of kinetic energy of the at least one car; and when the at least one car is slowed or stopped, the linear motor operates as a generator to convert at least some of the kinetic energy of the at least one car to electrical energy. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one of the cars is adapted to carry cargo. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the tube infrastructure includes at least a first closed-loop tubular structure and a second closed-loop tubular structure connected to each other such that the at least one of the cars is transferable between the first closed-loop tubular structure and the second closed-loop tubular structure. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12 wherein the gas is air. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein two of the cars are positioned such that a space between the two cars provides a sealed-off section of the tubular structure when the two cars are stopped. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18 wherein the sealed-off section is filled with air to create a loading zone. ### Claim 20 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein one or more cars has an airflow surface along a long axis of the car and wherein, when air is reintroduced into one or more of the tubular structures while the car is moving at high speed, the airflow surface causes the car to behave as an airfoil. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20 wherein the one or more cars is also provided with one or more air sweeps to provide lift under low pressure and wherein, when air is reintroduced into one or more of the tubular structures while the car is moving at high speed, the one or more air sweeps break away from the one or more cars.