Magnetic translator bearings

A magnetic bearing system for enabling translational motion comprising:

• carriage means;
• shaft means for movably supporting said carriage means;
• two magnetic bearing means, each of said magnetic bearing means being fixed to one of said carriage and shaft means and slidably received in channel means of the other of said carriage and shaft means;
• said channel means being generally "U" shaped with two side walls and a back wall, and each said magnetic bearing means including a magnetic bearing having a pair of spaced magnetic pole pieces, each pole piece having a pair of electromagnetic coil means mounted on poles on opposite ends of said pole piece proximate said side walls and having a third electromagnetic coil means mounted on a pole of the pole piece proximate said back wall;
• means for sensing motion, translationally along two axes and rotationally about three axes, of the carriage means and shaft means relative to each other;
• and
• means, responsive to said means for sensing, motion for generating correction signals to drive said coils to compensate for any misalignment sensed between the carriage means and shaft means.