Transportation system unitizing permanent magnets for levitation of a vehicle

In a transportation system using magnetic levitation for vehicles:

• an elevated track support structure providing clearance for a vehicle movable along the underside of said structure;
• a levitation track consisting of two parallel spaced members composed of ferromagnetic material running along the underside of said structure;
• a control track consisting of two parallel spaced members composed of ceramic material running on the underside of said structure parallel with and spaced from said levitation track, said control track having transverse polarity orientation;
• a vehicle positioned in spaced relation with said levitation and control tracks;
• at least one permanent levitation magnet in said vehicle spaced vertically under each of said levitation track spaced members;
• at least one permanent control magnet in said vehicle spaced vertically under each of said control track spaced members in magnetic repulsion relationship thereto, and in which the control magnets exert a vertically downward thrust on the vehicle with a force which declines more rapidly than the attraction force between the levitation magnets and levitation track as the gap between the track and magnets increases and in which the control magnets exert a downward thrust on the vehicle with a force which increases more rapidly than the attraction force between the levitation magnets and levitation track as the gap between the track and magnets decreases;
• and means for effecting relative vertical movement of said levitation and control magnets to maintain a state of magnetic levitation of said vehicle within a range of changing load conditions in said vehicle.