Patent ID: 8297195

Claim:
A method for operation of a magnetic levitation railway comprised of a track path and a magnetic levitation vehicle with a plurality of supporting magnets and supporting runners allocated to these, the method comprising the steps of: maintaining the magnetic levitation vehicle by means of supporting magnets in a levitated status during travel of the magnetic levitation vehicle along a track path; settling the magnetic levitation vehicle on the track path by means of supporting runners at destination stopping points by switching-off the supporting magnets; and gradually slowing the magnetic levitation vehicle down before the magnetic levitation vehicle reaches a destination stopping point, wherein braking is solely induced or supported by switching-off at least one of the supporting magnets before the destination stopping point is reached and by settling the magnetic levitation vehicle by means of the supporting runner allocated to the at least one supporting magnet onto the track path, and brought to a standstill at the destination stopping point by exploiting frictional forces thus generated, wherein the frictional forces required to reach the destination stopping point are generated by a number of supporting runners onto which the magnetic levitation vehicle is settled and by points of time at which occurs settling of the magnetic levitation vehicle onto the number of supporting runners, wherein said braking is provided by a brake, said brake comprising a computer, said computer determining the number of supporting runners, onto which the magnetic levitation vehicle is to be settled, and the points of time at which the magnetic levitation vehicle is to be settled, depending on a velocity of the magnetic levitation vehicle and a distance from the magnetic levitation vehicle to the destination stopping point.