Design, implementation, and testing of a single axis levitation system for the suspension of a platform

This paper describes the design and implementation of a single axis DC attraction type suspension system, where a platform (vehicle structure) of around 14 kg mass is made to remain suspended at the desired operating gap under a ferromagnetic guide-way. The prototype has four electromagnetic actuators of attraction type and four inductive gap sensors, all located at the corners of the platform. The four actuators are controlled independently through four identical controllers, and the stable levitation of the platform is achieved through the single input and single output (SISO) control of each air-gap. The emphasis of this work is on the design and development of the switched mode power amplifier cum controller unit for the four actuators. The proposed single switch-based power circuit simplifies the overall hardware, and it can be extended to any number of magnet-coils. A cascade lead compensation control scheme utilizing an inner current loop and outer position loop has been designed and implemented for the stabilization of such a highly unstable and strongly nonlinear system. The prototype has been successfully tested, and stable levitation was demonstrated with the desired operating gap.