Semi-Active Magnetic Levitation System for Education

Gisela Pujol-Vázquez,Alessandro N Vargas,Leonardo Acho,Saleh Mobayen

doi:10.3390/app11125330

Abstract

This paper describes how to construct a low-cost magnetic levitation system (MagLev). The MagLev has been intensively used in engineering education, allowing instructors and students to learn through hands-on experiences of essential concepts, such as electronics, electromagnetism, and control systems. Built from scratch, the MagLev depends only on simple, low-cost components readily available on the market. In addition to showing how to construct the MagLev, this paper presents a semi-active control strategy that seems novel when applied to the MagLev. Experiments performed in the laboratory provide comparisons of the proposed control scheme with the classical PID control. The corresponding real-time experiments illustrate both the effectiveness of the approach and the potential of the MagLev for education.

Highlights

Known in the literature as MagLev, the magnetic levitation system comprises an actuator, usually a coil, producing an electromagnetic force that actuates upon an object
This paper shows how a prototype of a magnetic levitation system (MagLev) can be built
Creating the MagLev from scratch can be an enriching learning experience, helping instructors and students learn about essential components covered in the curriculum of electrical engineering [22]

Summary

Introduction

Known in the literature as MagLev, the magnetic levitation system comprises an actuator, usually a coil, producing an electromagnetic force that actuates upon an object. The object, usually containing either metal or a magnet, levitates according to the actuator’s electromagnetic force. Levitating an object through an electromagnetic force is usually accompanied by a feedback loop. In this case, a sensor measures the object’s position and sends the position information to the controller, which is responsible for regulating the current passing through the coil. The regulated current produces a corresponding electromagnet force that keeps the object levitating at the desired position. As largely documented in the literature, controlling the object’s position is difficult, mainly because the MagLev shows a nonlinear, unstable behavior (e.g., [11,12,13])

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion