As a rule, vehicles of a magnetic levitation track feature an essentially rigid coach body, to which propulsion and supporting devices are attached. The propulsion and supporting devices must follow the track, and therefore also be able to follow the radius of the track according to the given space curve. In addition, the permissible gaps between the propulsion and supporting devices of the vehicle and the track are extremely low, such that, particularly if there are smaller radii of the track, the propulsion and supporting devices must be designed as mobile relative to the coach body. As such, the kinematics requires mobility between the coach body and the drive. The mobility of the propulsion and supporting devices relative to the coach body can be 90 mm or more.
The type of mounting of the propulsion and supporting device in relation to the coach body is significant for the driving comfort of the people traveling in the coach body. As such, in order to enable the most comfortable ride for the passengers of the coach body, the propulsion and supporting devices are equipped with spring suspension systems, which are able to gently and evenly absorb both the centrifugal forces and the transverse offset of the propulsion and supporting device in relation to the coach body.
A spring suspension system, by which a part of the propulsion and supporting system is supported on leaf springs, is known from DE 28 11 161 A1. In addition, a vibration damper and a spring is provided on the side, in order to dampen the side movement of the vehicle caused by the track and external forces in a satisfactory manner, and in order to obtain a softer coupling between the vehicle and the track.
A vehicle that features modules that are shifted transversely at the coach body is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,361 B2. The coach body is supported at each of the modules. Moreover, the modules feature means for the lateral guidance of the vehicle on the rail of the track and for the propulsion of the vehicle. The modules are connected to each other, and can be shifted relative to the coach body by a levitation device. Air springs, on which the coach body is mounted, are arranged at the junctions of the modules.
What is disadvantageous with the known solutions is, on the one hand, the low mobility of the propulsion and supporting device in respect of the coach body, allowing for relatively large radii of the track, and, on the other hand, a very costly structuring of the levitation device in terms of design.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds