Mar 31, 2026

US12590779 - Stead-field coilgun methods and devices

A method for operating an electromagnetic coilgun system, the method comprising: an electromagnetic coilgun comprising: a barrel and a longitudinally extended electrical excitation coil; wherein the electrical excitation coil circumferentially surrounds a bore of the barrel, energizing the electrical excitation coil to produce a steady-state magnetic field within and around the bore of the barrel, the steady-state magnetic field extending along a longitudinal axis of the barrel; loading the barrel with a magnetic dipole projectile at a breech end of the barrel, wherein the loaded magnetic dipole projectile is oriented with a first magnetic dipole moment aligned to a magnetic field orientation of the steady state magnetic field; and firing the magnetic dipole projectile by magnetically propelling the magnetic dipole along the longitudinal axis of the bore by a magnetic force produced by the steady-state magnetic field within and around the bore of the barrel.

Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
Inventors: Emil Paskalev Kartalov, Jeffrey Kyle Catterlin
Filing date: 2024-06-04

coilgunelectromagneticprojectile

The patent describes an electromagnetic coilgun system that utilizes a steady-state magnetic field to propel a magnetic dipole projectile along the barrel’s longitudinal axis. It includes a magnetic dipole moment flipper designed to reverse the dipole moment of the projectile as it travels, enhancing its propulsion efficiency.

Claim 1

1 . An electromagnetic coilgun system comprising: a barrel comprising a longitudinally extended bore, a breech end and a muzzle end; wherein an electrical excitation coil circumferentially surrounds the longitudinally extended bore of the barrel; and a magnetic dipole moment flipper located near a center of the electrical excitation coil, wherein the magnetic dipole moment flipper is configured to reverse a dipole moment of a magnetic dipole projectile traveling from the breech end of the barrel within a steady state magnetic field nearest the breech end of the barrel; wherein the loaded magnetic dipole projectile is oriented in the breech with a first magnetic dipole moment aligned to a magnetic field orientation of the steady state magnetic field. a barrel comprising a longitudinally extended bore, a breech end and a muzzle end; wherein an electrical excitation coil circumferentially surrounds the longitudinally extended bore of the barrel; and a magnetic dipole moment flipper located near a center of the electrical excitation coil, wherein the magnetic dipole moment flipper is configured to reverse a dipole moment of a magnetic dipole projectile traveling from the breech end of the barrel within a steady state magnetic field nearest the breech end of the barrel; wherein the loaded magnetic dipole projectile is oriented in the breech with a first magnetic dipole moment aligned to a magnetic field orientation of the steady state magnetic field.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12590779

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12590779