20130056944 | Magnetic Eddy Current Speed Retarding System and Wheeled Conveyance - A magnetic braking, governing, or speed retarding system for use with a wheeled conveyance may take advantage of eddy currents induced when a magnet moves past a non-magnetic conductor. A plurality of magnets may be disposed within a rotor that rotates as a wheel axle rotates. The magnets rotate past one or more relatively stationary stators to generate eddy currents that create a resistance on the rotor, thereby acting to retard or slow the rotational speed of the rotor and the axle. The system may be particularly well-suited with a wheeled conveyance such as a sled that is gravity driven and travels downhill along a track. The speed governing system may apply lesser force in relatively flat sections of the track, due to slower wheel rotational speeds, and greater force as the conveyance attempts to pick up speed, e.g., in steeper sections. | 03-07-2013 |