PROPULSION DEVICE AND METHOD
EMPLOYING ELECTRIC FIELDS FOR PRODUCING THRUST

WO0058623 also issued as AU3722400
H. Serrano, Gravitec, Inc., Kissimmee, FL
Espace.net link

Cross Reference To Related Application
This application incorporates by reference and claims priority to
Provisional Application Serial No. 60/123,086 for"FIELD PROPULSION
APPARATUS AND METHOD" having a filing date of March 5,1999, and commonly
owned with the instant invention. 

ABSTRACT
Thrust is provided to a vehicle (12) using a self-contained device (10)
for producing the thrust through a preselected shaping of an electric
field. The device (10) includes a core (28) carried by a housing (18),
with both the core (28) and the housing (18) formed from a material having
a high dielectric constant. A plurality of cells (22) are carried by the
housing (18) and formed around the core (28), with each cell (22) having a
high dielectric (36) sandwiched between an electrode (38) and a lower
dielectric (40). Multiple plates (26) are stacked along a longitudinal
axis (24) of the core (28) with the electric wire (46) carried through the
high dielectric (36) for connection with the electrodes (38) of each plate
(26). Positive and negative voltage is provided to adjacent plates (26) at
a rapidly changing rate to provide thrust resulting from non-linear
electric field paths created through the device (10) as a result of the
cell (22) and surrounding material (42, 28) configuration. 




Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to conversion of energy, and in particular
to the use of electrical potentials for producing forces to cause motion
of a structure by direct operation of electric fields, thus providing a
thrust sufficient for propelling a vehicle.

Background
Field propulsion is an electrical phenomenon, which employs an electric
field and electric field effects for generating propulsion forces. As
disclosed in U. S. Patent Nos. 2,949,550 and 3,187,206 to T. T. Brown,
through an electrokinetic phenomenon, electrical energy can be converted
to mechanical energy which is then used to provide a force for providing
movement to a structure. However, except for insignificantly small forces
of electrostatic attraction and repulsion, electrical energy has not been
used for the direct production of force and motion. As of this writing,
decades later, a practical use of available electrokinetic effects has not
been provided. 

As is well known in the art, and as emphasized by Brown, the elimination
of machinery for intermediate conversion of energy provides a great cost
savings, and greatly reduced weight and space. Such is desirable in
self-propelled vehicles including aircraft and especially space craft.
Since any conversion of energy from one form to another is accompanied by
losses due to friction, radiation or conduction of heat, hysteresis, and
the like, as well as serious reductions in availability of the energy by
increases in entropy of the system, it is apparent that great increases in
efficiency may be achieved through the use of the direct production of
forces to produce motion from electrical energy, the subject of the
present invention.

By way of further example regarding use of field in moving bodies, U. S. 
Patent No. 3,662,554 to DeBroqueville discloses an electromagnetic
propulsion device including annular electrodes disposed on an outside
dielectric surface of a body for providing a propulsion electromagnetic
force field around the body to decrease overpressure in front of the
moving body within a surrounding fluid for reducing a shock wave resulting
from the overpressure. U. S. Patent No. 5,207,760 to Dailey et al.
discloses an electric engine useful in sustaining space travel. The
electric engine includes a pulses inductive magnetic thruster powered by a
nuclear reactor. A gas is discharged against an inductor comprising a
series of parallel coils arranged in a spiral fashion with capacitors
connected thereto for charging and discharging simultaneously by a trigger
generator immediately after a puff of propellant gas reaches the inductor.
Current and magnetic field in the ionized gas drives the gas away from the
coils creating a thrust which drives the spaceship. 

As further disclosed in U. S. patent No. 4,891,600 to Cox, by way of
example, when a spacecraft is in space or in an orbit, it is desirable to
have a ratio of thrust produces to a rate of consumption of fuel to be as
high as possible, thus producing a high specific impulse. One such
propulsion system is an electrostatic propulsion system, wherein the
thrust is created by electrostatic acceleration of ions created by an
electron source in an electric field. However, where a large amount of
thrust is needed, the weight of such an electrostatic system is
excessively high. A dipolar force field propulsion system is disclosed by
Cox which includes electric and magnetic field formed to create a spacial
force field into which a particle is transported causing the dipole of the
particle to be driven into a cyclic motion at a frequency which
accelerates the particle. The acceleration of the particle in a space
craft having the induced dipole electromagnetic propulsion system is
accelerated by a reactive thrust. However, in spite of such developments
since the disclosures of Brown, there still remains a need for providing a
propulsive force within a relatively simple and inexpensive engine capable
of being driven by well accepted power sources, while maintaining a high
specific impulse that results from a generally light weight structure. 

Summary of Invention
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefor an object of the
present invention to provide a device for a practical conversion of energy
of an electrical potential to a mechanical force suitable for propelling a
transport vehicle.

This and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are
provided by a device for producing thrust through a preselected shaping of
an electric field. The device comprises a housing and a core carried by
the housing, wherein the core and the housing are formed from a material
having a high dielectric constant. A cell having a high dielectric is
sandwiched between an electrode and a lower dielectric, with a plurality
of cells carried by the housing and formed around the core. A channel is
formed between each cell for spacing thereof, wherein the channel is
filled with a material having a dielectric property of the lower
dielectric. Electrical connection means is provided for connection between
an electrical power source and each electrode of each cell for providing
power thereto.

In one preferred embodiment, the core comprises a cylindrical shape having
a longitudinal axis extending along a direction of thrust. The core can be
extended beyond a top surface and a bottom surface of a cell assembly for
providing a structural attachment to a vehicle with which the device is
operable. 

One set of cells extends radially from a longitudinal axis of the core to
form a circular plate with each cell within the plate uniformly positioned
therein. The electrical connection means comprise a wire carried through
the high dielectric for connection with the electrode at a generally
central location thereof. A plurality of wires extends radially from one
cell to an adjacent cell within the plate for the connection to the
electrical power source. A bridge conduit extends between adjacent cells
within one plate having the adjacent cells therein. The bridge conduit
provides a wire path for connection of the electrodes carried within the
one plate, the bridge conduit further formed from a dielectric material
having the dielectric properties of the high dielectric for the cell. An
electric power supply provides voltage and current to the electrodes, with
positive and negative signal connections to adjacent plates. 

In a method aspect of the invention, the electrodes are provided with a
rapidly changing charging voltage and/or changing current for enhancing
the thrust provided from the self-contained device.

An electric field can either be of and alternating current (AC) or direct
current (DC) type. As will herein be described, one preferred embodiment
of the present invention includes the use of AC fields. A field propulsion
device can operate using either an AC or DC electric field to cause a
non-liner field geometry to form between at least two electrode plates.
This non-linearity is accomplished even in a fully geometrically
symmetrical capacitor through a polarity difference between plates. The
polarity difference between positive and negative potentials has a flux
density that is higher at the positive pole then at the negative pole thus
creating a relative non-linearity for even the geometrically symmetrical
capacitor. All capacitors share this phenomenon as described, by way of
example, in U. S. Patent Nos. 3,187,206; 3,518,462; 3,022,430; 2,949,550;
and 1,974,483 to Brown. However, none have been optimized to take
advantage of this effect, as herein described for the present invention.
This nonlinearity will cause a thrust effect to be generated in the
direction of largest flux density, in other words, in the direction of
largest field curvature, no mater the charge polarity of capacitor plates
relative to each other.

Brief Description of Drawings
A preferred embodiment of the invention, as well as alternate embodiments
are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a capacitive circuit;
FIG. 2 and 3 are plots of voltage versus time illustrating charging and
discharging time, respectively, for a capacitor in a DC circuit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 and 5 are plots illustrating relationships of reactance Xc caused
by capacitance and frequency in an AC powered capacitor, respectively;
FIG. 6 is a plot illustrating a relationship between power, voltage and
current within an AC circuit; 
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-section view of a vehicle illustrating one
embodiment of a device of the present invention; 
FIG. 8 is a partial perspective and cross-section view of one field
propulsion device of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a partial top plan view of one embodiment of the present
invention illustrating one preselected arrangement of cells;
FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of cells forming a plate of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a partial perspective and cross-section view illustrating an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a partial top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 9
illustrating an alternate arrangement of electrical wire routing to cells
; 
FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of the cells forming the plate of FIG. 12
; and
FIG. 14 is a partial perspective cut-away view of one embodiment
illustrating a staggered adjacent plate orientation.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of
the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many
different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments
set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope
of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like
elements throughout.

By way of further background, and with reference initially to FIG. 1, in a
capacitive circuit, the amount of power absorbed by a field developed
within a dielectric is equal to the amount of the power returned to the
circuit when the field collapses. Further, a capacitor will absorb power
for one half of an applied AC cycle and return the power to the circuit
during the next half of the cycle. By way of example, a DC charged
capacitor is limite, because even by placing components in a fashion that
orientates an electric field for generating thrust in one direction, no
mater the relative polarity, a DC charged capacitive device can not
operate as well as an AC powered capacitor because it can not make use of
charging rates of change in voltage as easily as can an AC powered device.

However, a pulsing DC is for all intents and purposes a regular direct
current that will charge the capacitor and unless the capacitor dissipates
that energy before the next pulse occurs, the capacitor will still have a
residual charge that will remain until the next pulse. It has been
discovered that a preferred effect occurs when the capacitor is initially
charging, not when it is constant charged as in a typical DC system. The
charging time is associated with a drift velocity of charges. The DC
device of the present invention operates with a constant charge rate that
will, as the capacitor is increased in power, reach a saturation level of
the capacitor and begin to create a leakage current. The leakage current
will continue to build up until the device suffers a dielectric breakdown
where arcing occurs, thus limiting the maximum energy that can be induced
unto a DC device, significantly more than in a typical AC powered device.

While an AC powered device can experience similar effects as does a DC
powered device, its reversal of polarity and rate of cycles can take
advantage of the superior thrust generated at the first few micro seconds
of the charging time.

This has the effect of generating more thrust with the same amount of
energy input. As a result, higher power input levels can be reached
without exceeding the rated power of the capacitor. The cycles reverse
themselves before the maximum power rating is reached and a relative
reversed polarity state compared to the previous cycle is induced. Since
an AC cycle first charges the capacitor and then discharges it, followed
by a relative polarity reversa, the capacitor can take full advantage of
the best charging cycle frequency to power ratio and can thus generate a
superior thrust effect. Charging and discharging time in a DC circuit is
illustrated, by way of example, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As
illustrated, the charging of the capacitor is rapid at first, but slows
down considerably as it reaches a full charge. The same holds true for the
discharge rate. Reactance causes the slowing down in both cases, with the
charges repelling each other during the charging and discharging process.
Reactance is the resistance that charged particles experience as the
capacitor charges. Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate relationships of reactance Xc
caused by capacitance and frequency in an AC powered capacitor,
respectively. As frequency increases capacitance decreases. As frequency
decreases, reactance increases without changing the structure of the
capacitor. If we were to increase capacitance by changing the structure of
the capacitor, and if we increase capacitance, the reactance decreases. If
we decrease capacitance, reactance increases.

As a result of the arrangement of capacitor plates, a polarity reversal
has the same effect on both the positive and negative cycle and thus
generates thrust at both sides of the cycle. With reference to FIG. 6,
power being absorbed and returned to the circuit is illustrated within
shaded areas under a positive and negative voltage cycle. The shaded areas
above and below the baseline represent power that is absorbed by the
capacitor. The solid curve line represents a current level rising and
dropping as the AC cycles reach their peak to peak values. The dashed
curve line represents voltage. Values for both the current and the voltage
curve lines are dependent on a structure of the capacitor and a form of
the power input. The amount of current that goes through a capacitor
depends on the potential difference and the properties of that capacitor.

However, in a capacitor, at any preselected AC potential difference, the
current is greater at higher frequencies.

As a result, an AC system, especially a capacitive as will herein be
described in further detail, can use the charging time to its advantage as
well as the polarity reversal cycle. Be reminded that the reversal of
polarity in a cycle is always a positive energy input. Thus, positive and
negative polarity will have the same effect, and can both take advantage
of the above charging time effect.

Also in a DC capacitor, the use of materials having a relatively low
dielectric constant, the degree to which a material can resist flow of an
electric charge, is effective in creating thrust because it is such a
material through which currents will flow. In a DC system, this has the
effect of charging the capacitor, while on the other hand, an AC current
can travel through a material that normally 
DC could not, given the same amount of capacitance to hold the voltage,
because of the charging time frequency advantage. Further, while a DC
powered capacitor must use low rated dielectrics which limit the total
capacitance, the AC powered devices can use high rated dielectrics and
thus allow for extremely high rated capacitors to be made that can thus
have even higher power ratings. This added to the charging time advantages
results in a higher thrust without a significant increase in size of such
capacitors, and thus devices. Since the AC device uses the energy more
efficiently by generating thrust in the first moments of the charging
cycle, then the same power (e. g. watts) yields more force.

As illustrated with reference to FIG. 7, a device 10 of the present
invention provides an engine 12, by way of example, for a vehicle 14 when
employing the above described techniques, with such an engine being
self-contained and carrying its own environment. Thus, the engine 14 can
operate within the vehicle 14 without the need for direct exposure to the
surrounding environment 16 through which the vehicle is moving. As a
result, since the device 10 employing field propulsion can propel itself
without exhausting any matter in the opposite direction of vehicle motion,
it can propel itself without being exposed to the environment 16 through
which it is moving.

Such self-containment serves multiple purposes. First it makes the device
10 of the present invention safer by allowing the device to have a casing
or housing 18 for operation of the device with minimum danger to users.
Second the housing 18 is useful because it can be made into an RF or
electromagnetic shield. Third, since the device 10 is electrical in
nature, the housing 18 provides protection for the device against foreign
objects or grounding contacts that could cause short circuits. The housing
18 also provides a convenient means from which to transfer propulsive
forces created by the device 10 to the vehicle 14 such as a spacecraft, as
herein described by way of example, automotive vehicles, marine vehicles,
and aircraft.

With reference to FIG. 8, one embodiment of the device 10 includes a
plurality of engine cells 22 arranged about an axis 24 of the device. In
the embodiment herein described, by way of example, the plurality of cells
22 are juxtaposed radially outward from the axis 24 and longitudinally
along the axis. As illustrated with reference to FIGS. 9, a preselected
number of cells 22 will be arranged to meet the need for providing desired
forces to be delivered, the more cells, the more power, the more thrust.
As illustrated with reference to FIG. 10, the radial arrangement of cells
22 form a plate 26. Thus, with the formation of the plate 26, as desired,
stacking of the plates will provide the desired size. Further, and as
illustrated with reference to FIG. 11, neighboring plates will be supplied
with opposing positive and negative charge, with the thrust directed
toward the positive charge.

As further illustrated with reference to FIG. 11, and again to FIGS. 8 and
9, the cells 22 are assemble circumferentially around and longitudinally
along a core 28, which core extend to and, if desirable, beyond top and
bottom surfaces 30,32 of a cell assembly 34 formed therefrom. With the
core 28, formed from a high dielectric material, a connection to a
structure of the vehicle 14 can be made.

The core material should preferably be made from a relatively strong
material with a high dielectric constant, for facilitating construction of
the device 10 and transferring of forces generated by the engine cells 22.

As an alternative, and as earlier described with reference to FIG. 7, the
device 10 is attached via the housing 18. Each cell 22, in a preferred
embodiment herein described by way of example, includes a high dielectric
36 sandwiched between a conductive material forming an electrode 38 and a
lower dielectric 40. Generally, the electrodes 38 will be formed from a
copper sheet material, aluminum sheet material, and the like. The high
dielectric 36 is preferably has similar dielectric properties as the core
28, for generally preventing current flow therethrough. While the lower
dielectric 40 includes dielectric properties that permit current flow, and
thus a field path therethrough. Preferably, the cell 22 is positioned with
the electrode 38 placed to form a top of each cell, with the high
dielectric 36 having a larger thickness than the lower dielectric 40, to
further discourage an electric field path through the high dielectric, as
herein illustrated.

With reference again to FIGS. 9 and 11, each neighboring cell 22 is
separated by a lower dielectric forming a channel 42. The channel 42 fills
a gap between the cells 22 and functions as a circumferential spacer
therebetween.

Preferably, the material forming the channel 42 has similar dielectric
properties and the lower dielectric 40 forming a part of the cell 22. In
this way, the channel 42 and the lower dielectric 40 provide an electric
field path shaping that is further formed around the high dielectric
material 36, thus providing the desirable non linear path for producing
thrust. It is also preferred that the material used to form the housing 18
has similar dielectric properties as does the high dielectric 36. A bridge
power conduit 44 is further provided at a plurality of locations within
the channel 42 for carrying electrically conductive wire 46 from cell to
cell, as illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 9 and 10. Material
filling the conduit preferably includes similar dielectric properties as
the high dielectric 36. The electrical wire 46 is connected to the
electrodes 38 of cells 22 within one plate 26, as illustrated with
reference again to FIG. 9, and alternatively by way of example, with
reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. Preferably, the connection of the wire 46 is
made at a generally central location of the electrode 38, with such
connection of the wire 46 to each cell 22 within a plate 26 distributing
energy evenly between all the electrodes in that plate. The electrical
wire 46 is carried through a power input conduit 48 within each cell 22.

In an alternate embodiment, and as illustrated with reference to FIG. 14,
a staggered arrangement of plates 26 is provided, which arrangement serves
to further increase non-linearity of the electric field, and therefore
thrust.

As a result, the device 10 of the present invention, generates a useful
motive force using non-liner AC or DC electric fields applied between at
least two electrodes divided by a dielectric. As earlier described, it is
intended that the device 10 be preferably used with AC generated electric
fields to take advantage of the charging time phenomenon to extract the
maximum amount of force from the input energy field. Further, the
materials that make up elements of the device 10 also serve the purpose of
transferring a mechanical force of the device to a support 20 or directly
to the vehicle 14, as illustrated again with reference to FIG.

7. 

With the formation of non-liner fields created by the above described
structure for the device 10, the device can be used on the outside of a
vehicle to create a propulsive force on the entire mass of the vehicle.
The combined use of the internal engines 12 in combination with outer
propulsion effect will produce a more efficient control of the vehicle 14.
Further, the use of a vehicle skin 50 or outer hull for carrying the
electrodes on a dielectric allows the entire vehicle to be used to create
thrust. As herein described, by way of example, the use of the internal
engine 14 allows the device 10 to induce lines of force to collapse
towards an area where the engine is positioned, thus increasing the
non-linearity of the field.

By way of further detail regarding the preferred embodiment herein
described by way of example, and with reference again to FIG. 11, the
channels 42 and the lower dielectric 40 of the cell 22, as well as the
high dielectric 36 improve performance of a set of neighboring plates 26
by increasing the amount of energy being used in a device and allowing
that energy to generate a respective thrust without any increase in size.
The channels 42 also increase the field effect by allowing the lines of
force to be in a generally parallel arrangement, which, as is appreciated
by one of skill in the art, increases the Lorentz force effect and
therefore the field propulsion effect. The Lorentz force has been observed
through experimentation as an important factor in the thrust-generating
phenomenon. The more parallel the lines of force are relative to each
other, the larger the force effect for a given energy input. The Lorentz
force is a recognized phenomenon that works partially by the forces
generated between drift velocities of charges.

The geometrical shape of the cell assembly 34, by way of example,
cylindrical, circular, square, and the like, is not as important as what
is done with the shape to optimize the drift velocity of the charges or
energy input. The segmentation of the cells 22 for the device 10 as herein
described, allows for control of the field by the variation of the
potential of the cells and plates themselves and its intensity between the
cells and plates, which is accomplished by an electronic control.

Further, the routing of the wire 46 providing power lines to the
respective plate 26 through the high dielectric material 36 serves the
useful purpose of keeping arcing events to a minimum by distributing the
energy over the plates and not at any one single wire point location. This
prevents arcing at the leads and so maintins the needed power balance.
Furthermore, the multi-port input to a plate 26, as described earlier with
reference to FIG. 12, and shared connection of input, as illustrated with
reference again to FIGS. 9 and 12, by way of example, are used to more
equally distribute the energy. 

As earlier described with reference to FIG. 11, the dielectric material in
the channel 42 is preferably of a relatively lower dielectric constant
than the dielectric 36 on which the electrode 38 is placed to allow for a
non-liner relationship to form between plates 26 and their respective
electrodes. Further, there is a layer of dielectric material between the
cells 22 created by the lower dielectric 40 of lower dielectric strength
as for material in the channels environment through which the vehicle 12
is traveling. As illustrated with reference again to FIG. 7, an hydraulic
system 62 is one example of a means of vectoring the engine 12 side to
side to maneuver the vehicle 12. For the device 10 herein described with
reference to FIG. 11, by way of example, generated a thrust in a direction
as indicated by arrow 64. In contrast, the vehicle skin propulsion can
provide a thrust vector by charging a section of its skin at higher
potential relative to the other sections and thus generate more thrust
from that section than from others.

It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and
advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing
description, together with details of the structure and function of the
invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in
detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts
within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.





That Which Is Claimed Is:
1. A device (10) for producing thrust by a preselected shaping of an
electric field, the device (10) comprising:
a housing (18) ; 
a core (28) carried by the housing (18), the core (28) and the housing
(18) formed from a material having a high dielectric constant;
a cell (22) having a high dielectric (36) sandwiched between an electrode
(38) and a lower dielectric (40), wherein a plurality of cells (22) are
carried by the housing (18) and formed around the core (28);
a channel (42) formed between each cell (22), wherein the channel (42) is
filled with a material having a dielectric property of the lower
dielectric (40); and
electrical connection means (46) for connection between an electrical
power source (52) and each electrode (38) of each cell (22) for providing
power thereto.

2. The device (10) according to Claim 1, wherein the core (28) comprises a
cylindrical shape having a longitudinal axis (24) extending along a
direction (64) of thrust.

3. The device (10) according to Claim 2, wherein core (28) extends beyond
a top surface (30) and a bottom surface (32) of a cell assembly (34) for
providing a structural attachment to a vehicle (14) with which the device
(10) is operable.

4. The device (10) according to Claim 1, wherein a first set of cells (22)
extends radially from a longitudinal axis (24) to form a circular plate
(26) with each cell (22) within the plate (26) uniformly positioned
therein.

5. The device (10) according to Claim 1, wherein the electrical connection
means comprise a wire (46) carried through the high dielectric (36) for
connection with the electrode (38) at a generally central location
thereof. 

6. The device (10) according to Claim 5, wherein a plurality of wires (46)
extends radially from cell (22) to adjoining cell (22) within the plate
(26) for the connection to the electrical power source (52).

7. The device (10) according to Claim 1, further comprising a bridge
conduit (44) extending between adjacent cells (22) within one plate (26)
having the adjacent cells (22) therein, the bridge conduit (44) providing
a wire path for connection of the electrodes (38) carried within the one
plate (26), the bridge conduit (44) further formed from a dielectric
material having the dielectric properties of the high dielectric (36) for
the cell (22).

8. The device (10) according to Claim 1, further comprising an electrical
power source (52) for providing a rapidly changing voltage and/or current
to each of the electrodes (38) within each cell (22).

9. The device (10) according to Claim 8, wherein the electrical power
source (52) is operably connected for providing opposing positive and
negative voltage and/or current signals to adjacent plates (26).

10. A method for providing thrust to a vehicle (14) from the shaping of an
electric field between electrodes (38) arranged within a cell assembly
(34) including at least one cell (22) having positively charged and
opposing negatively charged electrodes (38) with dielectric material
(36,40) carried therebetween, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a cell (22) from a high dielectric (36) sandwiched between an
electrode (38) and a lower dielectric (40);
positioning a plurality of cells (22) around a core (28) to form a plate
(26) extending radially outward therefrom, wherein the core (28) is formed
from a material having a similar dielectric property as the high
dielectric (40); 
forming a channel (42) between each cell (22), wherein the channel (42) is
filled with a material having a dielectric property of the lower
dielectric (40); 
positioning a plurality of plates (26) for providing a cell assembly (34)
having a plurality of electrodes (38);
making an electrical connection (46) between an electrical power source
(52) and each electrode (38) of each cell (22) for providing power
thereto; and
providing power to each cell (22) with opposing charging of adjacent
electrodes (38) for providing a preselected field path through the channel
(42) and lower dielectric (40), and thus thrust to the vehicle (14) to
which the cell assembly (34) is connected.

11. The method according to Claim 10, wherein the cell (22) forming step
comprises the step of providing the high dielectric (36) with a larger
thickness dimension than the lower dielectric (40) to further reduce
chances of an electric field path therethrough.

12. The method according to Claim 10, further comprising the steps of : 
providing a housing (18) formed from a material having a similar
dielectric property as the core (28); and
carrying the cell assembly (34) and core (28) within the housing (18) for
providing a self-contained device (10) used to provide thrust to the
vehicle (14).

13. The method according to Claim 10, wherein the plate (26) stacking step
comprises the steps of longitudinally stacking a plurality of plates (26)
along an axis (24) of the core (28), which axis (24) is a longitudinal
axis of a cylindrical shaped core (28).

14. The method according to Claim 13, wherein the core (28) extends beyond
a top surface (30) and a bottom surface (32) of the cell assembly (34) for
providing a structural attachment to the vehicle (14).

15. The method according to Claim 10, wherein a first set of cells (22)
extends radially from a longitudinal axis (24) to form a circular plate
(26) with each cell (22) within the plate (26) uniformly positioned
therein. 

16. The method according to Claim 10, wherein the power providing step
comprises the step of extending a wire (46) through the high dielectric
(36) for connection with the electrode (38) at a generally central
location thereof.

17. The method according to Claim 16, wherein a plurality of wires (46)
extends radially from the cell (22) to the adjoining cell (22) within the
plate (26) for the connection to the electrical power source (52).

18. The method according to Claim 17, further comprising the steps of:
providing a bridge conduit (44) extending between neighboring cells (22)
within one plate (26) having the neighboring cells (22) therein ; and
extending the wire (46) through the bridge conduit (44) for providing a
wire path for connection of the electrodes (38) carried within the one
plate (26), wherein the bridge conduit (44) is formed from a dielectric
material having the dielectric properties of the high dielectric (36) for
the cell (22).

19. The method according to Claim 10, wherein the power providing step
includes the step of providing a rapid power change to the electrodes (38)
for enhancing the thrust. 

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