LINEAR MOTION GUIDE

Abstract

The invention relates to a carriage of a linear motion guide for arranging on a rail of the linear motion guide, said carriage having an at least substantially U-shaped cross-section and having at least one substantially U-shaped base body (15) which is supplemented with plastic components, wherein the carriage, in both legs of the U-shape, is in each case connected to at least one self-contained rolling body housing (7) which is kept open towards the rail in order to guide as precisely as possible on the rail and nevertheless being easy to assemble. According to the invention, at least parts of inner and outer boundary surfaces of a return channel (10) and both deflection channels (11) of one of the rolling body housings in the respective leg are formed by means of a one-piece plastic component in both legs of the carriage.

Claims

1. A carriage of a linear motion guide for arrangement on a rail of the linear motion guide, which has at least a substantially U-shaped cross-section and is provided with at least one substantially U-shaped base body, which is supplemented with plastic components, wherein the carriage is provided in both legs of the U-shape with at least one self-contained rolling body housing, which is respectively kept open towards the rail, characterized in that respectively at least portions of the inner and outer boundary surface and of both deflection channels of one of the rolling body housings in the respective leg are formed by means of a single-piece plastic component in both legs of the carriage.

2. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that both the complete inner and also the complete outer boundary surfaces of both respective deflection channels of the rolling body housings provided in each of the two legs are formed on the single-piece plastic component.

3. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that all lower, inner and outer boundary surfaces of the rolling body housings provided in both legs of the carriage are formed on the single-piece plastic component.

4. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that, for the formation of upper boundary surfaces of at least one of the rolling body housings, at least one insert insertable in or on the plastic component is provided.

5. The carriage according to claim 4, characterized in that the insertable insert is formed as a plastic component and upper boundary surfaces of both deflection channels as well as the return channel of at least one of the rolling body housings are formed upon insertion.

6. The carriage according to claim 4, characterized in that, for two rolling body housings arranged in different legs of the carriage respectively, one insert is provided for the formation of upper boundary surfaces, wherein both inserts are connected together with at least one bridge section or bridge part.

7. The carriage according to claim 6, characterized in that respectively one bridge section or bridge part is formed respectively in the zone of the upper boundary surfaces of the deflection channel, which is located above the upper boundary surfaces and over the rolling body housings and is respectively formed in one piece with the inserts.

8. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that inserts of rolling body housings of different legs of the carriage and at least one, preferably two, of the bridge parts connecting the two inserts together are formed as an overall single-piece insert component.

9. The carriage according to claim 8, characterized in that the single-piece insert component and the single-piece plastic component are releasably connected together by means of at least one snap connection.

10. The carriage according to claim 8, characterized in that the single-piece component and the base body of the carriage are releasably connected together by means of a snap coupling.

11. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that the single-piece plastic component respectively has at least one connection part in the zone of the face side deflection channel, with which respectively sections of the two circulation channels formed in the single-piece plastic component in both legs of the carriage are connected together.

12. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized in that respectively one front plate is fastened to both outer, preferably substantially flat face surfaces of the plastic component by means of a releasable connection, preferably by a snap coupling.

13. The carriage according to claim 1, characterized by a preferably metallic and substantially U-shaped in cross-section base body of the carriage, which has surfaces for load zones of the rolling body housings on parallel running legs of the base body spaced relative to one another.

14. A linear motion guide for the linear guidance of objects, provided with a rail with an upper surface as well as with two lateral surfaces, wherein respectively at least one guide surface is provided on the lateral surfaces, also provided with a carriage, which has a substantially U-shaped cross-section, wherein in each of the two legs formed from U-shaped configuration at least one self-contained rolling body housing is provided, in which the rolling bodies circulate, particularly rolling balls in a load section of the return channel and two deflection channels connecting together the load section and the return channel, wherein the rolling bodies located in the load section rest both on the rail and also on the carriage (5), characterized by a carriage (5) according to claim 1.

Description

[0021] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to embodiments shown purely schematically in the figures, which show:

[0022] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a linear motion guide according to the invention, with a guide rail and a longitudinally adjustable carriage arranged on the guide rail;

[0023] FIG. 2 a plan view of the linear motion guide of FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 a side view of the linear motion guide of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 4 a cross-sectional view of the carriage of the linear motion guide of FIG. 1, together with a side view and a plan view of the linear motion guide;

[0026] FIG. 5 a longitudinal section view of the carriage of the linear motion guide of FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 6 an exploded view of the carriage of FIG. 1;

[0028] FIG. 7 a perspective view of two respective single-piece components of the carriage of FIG. 1; in which the return and deflection channels of rolling body housings are developed, as well as a view from below of one of the two components;

[0029] FIG. 8 a perspective view of the components of FIG. 7 assembled together, as well as a base body of the carriage;

[0030] FIG. 9 a view according to FIG. 7 with a rotated perspective of the components.

[0031] A linear motion guide 1 is shown in FIG. 1, which has a guide rail 2 as well as a carriage 5 arranged on the guide rail 2 and longitudinally adjustable along the longitudinal axis 3 of the guide rail. The guide rail 2 is fastened to a suitable base by means of screw connections. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the guide rail 2 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, wherein it is provided on both of its lateral surfaces with two circulation surfaces 4 for rolling bodies. The two circulation surfaces 4 on each side are arranged at an angle of 90° to one another and contact and support of the rolling bodies of the carriage 5 is provided for. The angle definition is quoted only as an example, and other angle definitions can also be provided in connection with the present invention.

[0032] The carriage 5, which can also be called a guide carriage, has on an upper side an at least substantially flat assembly surface 6, which is provided for the accommodation, arrangement and for guided movement on the rails of a load to be moved (not shown). As can be seen particularly in FIG. 4, the carriage 5 has, as a cross-section, one with a substantially U-shape. In the illustration of FIG. 1, which illustrates the usual operating mode with an arrangement of the rail on a horizontal surface of the linear motion guide 1, the U-shape is rotated by 180°. In principle, the linear motion guide 1 is usable with any desired spatial orientation of the rail 2.

[0033] The carriage 5 of the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown here is provided with one rolling element housing 7 respectively in each of its two legs 5a resulting from the U-shape. Each of the two rolling body housings 7 is filled with balls 8, generally steel balls, as rolling bodies which, during relative movement of the carriage 5 with respect to the rail 2 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2—and hence in the movement direction of the linear motion guide—circulate in their respective rolling body housing 7. The two antisymmetric but otherwise identically constructed rolling body housings 7 each have one load zone 8 or load section situated immediately opposite the running surfaces 4 of the rail 2 running in a straight line and parallel to the longitudinal axis 3 of the rail. Each rolling body housing 7 is provided with a return channel 10 for the rolling bodies, parallel and spaced away from the respective load zone 8. The dimensions of the respective load zones 8 and of the return channels 10 are identical. The return channel 10 and the load zone 8 of each rolling body housing 7 are connected together at both their ends by means of a deflection channel 11. Each of the two deflection channels 11 of a rolling body housing 7 has a curved profile and runs along a circular arc of at last approximately 180°. The return channels 10 and the deflection channels 11 have, over their entire lengths, a constant cross-section and are completely enclosed with respect to their cross-sections. In the load zone 8, load surfaces 14 are only formed on an inner side of the respective leg of the carriage 5 which is in contact with the rolling bodies, while at the same time resting against the running surfaces 4 of the rail 2.

[0034] As emerges from FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 among others, the carriage 5 has a base body 15, particularly a metallic base body. An assembly table with a magnetic surface 6 for the arrangement of a load on the carriage 5 is formed on the metallic base body 15. The base body 15 also already has the substantially U-shape of the carriage 5. To this end, two legs of the base body 15, parallel and distant from one another, extend perpendicularly from the assembly table. According to this preferred embodiment of the invention, shown here, only the surfaces of the load zones 8 of the rolling body housings 7 are formed on the base body 15 of the two rolling element housings 7. All other channels 10, 11, and their surfaces, of the two rolling body housings are formed on only two additional components of the carriage 5, as will be explained in more detail hereafter.

[0035] In the zone of the face sides of the base body 15, it is provided with respectively one centrally arranged recess 17. Respectively one detent lug of another component can be arranged into this for the generation of a snap-lock connection, as will be further explained hereafter.

[0036] In the first of these two components preferably respectively manufactured using an injection molding method, two webs 20, 21 running parallel to one another are provided, which run with their longitudinal extensions parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail 2. The two webs 20, 21 of this single-piece plastic component 22 are connected together on their face ends by means of, in each case, one substantially U-shaped plate-shaped section 23 of the single-piece plastic components 22. The plate-shaped sections 23 have a bridge-like shape and are connected at lower ends with the end zones of the webs 20, 21. The two plate-shaped sections 23 are oriented parallel to one another and substantially transverse to the longitudinal extension of the webs 20, 21.

[0037] As can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7 among others, a straight, upwardly open gutter 24 is formed on the upper side of the webs. The cross-sectional shape of this respective gutter 24 corresponds substantially to a semicircle—upwardly open in the illustration of FIG. 4, which is continued on either side of the ends of the semicircle shape with respectively one straight section. The two straight sections run parallel to one another and have a spacing from one another which corresponds to the diameter of the semicircular shape. The lengths of the sections running parallel to one another of the cross-sectional shape correspond at least approximately to the radius of the semicircular shape. This upwardly open gutter 24 is a portion of the respective return channel 10 of the corresponding rolling body housing 7.

[0038] An additional gutter section curved towards the rail 2 is connected to both face ends of the upwardly open gutter sections of the return channel 10. These additional gutter sections are lower zones of the respective deflection channels 11 belonging to the same rolling body housing 7. With respect to the cross-sectional shapes, the gutter zones of the return channels 10 and the cross-sectional shapes of all deflection channels 11 are identical. The gutter zones of the deflection channels 11 thus have as boundary surfaces a lower wall zone 11a, as well as an inner 11 b and an outer wall zone 11 c of the respective deflection channel 11.

[0039] Thus the lower, as well as the inner and the outer wall surfaces or wall zones of the return channel 10 of the two deflection channels 11 of each of the two rolling element housings 7, entirely formed on the single-piece plastic component 22, are continuous over the entire length and provided with a constant cross-sectional shape. The entire lower, outer and inner boundary surfaces of these channels are therefore formed, particularly continuously formed, on the insert component.

[0040] It is also recognizable in FIG. 6 that a detent lug 25 of a snap-lug connection is formed on the inner side of each of the two plate-shaped sections 23 in the zone of an upper side. These detent lugs 25—provided on the inner sides of both plate-shaped sections 23 with respect to its longitudinal extension—can be deflected elastically at least slightly with respect to the plate-shaped sections 23.

[0041] Finally, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second component for the formation of the rolling body housings is shown, which hereafter will be designated the insert component 26. The insert component 26 is, with respect to its outer shape, fundamentally similarly configured to the single-piece plastic component 22. The likewise single-piece configured insert component 26 also has two webs 27, 28 oriented with constant spacing from one another, which are oriented, in their operating position on the carriage 5, parallel to the webs 20, 21 of the single-piece plastic component 22. The webs 27, 28 are connected together into a single piece by means of component sections transverse to the webs 27, 28 and respectively positioned on their face ends, which hereafter are designated bridge parts 29, 30. The spacing of the bridge parts 29, 30 from one another is less than the spacing of the plate-shaped sections 23 from one another. The bridge parts 29, 30 also have at least approximately a U-shape, by which the insert component—like the base body and the single-piece plastic component as well—can accommodate the rail 2 between its parallel legs of the U-shape.

[0042] It can be gathered from FIG. 4 that upper boundary surfaces 32 or wall zones of the return channels 10 are formed on the respective lower side of the two webs 27, 28 of the insert component 26. Likewise, the upper boundary surfaces 33 of the respective two deflection channels 11 of the two rolling body housings 7 are formed on the lower sides of the insert component 26. The respective upper boundary surface 33 of the respective deflection channel 11 merges continuously and without transition into the respective upper boundary surface 32 of the respective return channel 10 of the same rolling body housing 7. The boundary surfaces 32, 33 of the return channel 10 and of the two deflection channels 11 for each of the two rolling body housings 7 are single-piece, continuous and provided with a constant cross-sectional shape. Thus, the complete upper boundary surface of the deflection channels 10 and of the return channels 11 are formed on the insert component 26. The return channels and the deflection channels are thus self-contained in their respective circumference.

[0043] Finally, each of the respective bridge parts 29, 30 has at its two outer sides cylindrical-sector shaped bulges 36, which are located approximately at the height of the webs 27, 28. In each of the bulges 36, a through bore is additionally provided approximately above each web 27, 28. The size, shape and position of the bulges 36 are matched to the concave shaping 37 at inner surfaces of the single-piece plastic component 22. The plate-shaped sections 23 of the single-piece plastic component 22 are respectively provided with one through bore in the zone of the concave shaping 37.

[0044] It can also be noted in FIG. 6 that, on the inner side of each of the two bridge parts 29, 30, a detent lug 40 of a snap coupling is formed in the zone of an upper edge. These detent lugs 40 provided centrally on the inner sides of the two bridge parts 29, 30 can be at least slightly elastically deflected with respect to the bridge parts.

[0045] It can be observed, in the exploded view of FIG. 6 as well as in FIG. 8 that the metallic base body 15 can be inserted into the insert component 26 and the insert component 26, in turn, into the single-piece plastic component 22. Here the detent lugs 40 of the insert component 26 pass into the recesses 17 of the metallic base body 15. Due to an elastic pre-loading of the detent lugs 40, the insert component 26 is hereby locked to the base body 15 and thereby releasably fastened. In other embodiments of the invention, each of the snap or snap-lock connections described here can be formed otherwise, constructively and in detail.

[0046] Moreover, the insert component can be inserted into the single-piece plastic component. As a result the webs 27, 28 of the insert component 26 pass over the webs 20, 21 of the single-piece plastic component 22, as a result of which the upper boundary surfaces 32, 33 of the webs 27, 28 cover the gutters of the deflection and return channels 10, 11 resulting from the webs 20, 21, and thus complement these gutters to form deflection and return channels 10, 11. In addition the detent lugs 23 of the single-piece plastic component 22 also pass, by means of this insertion movement into the recesses 41 of the insert component provided on the face side, whereby the insertion component 26 and the single-piece plastic component 22 are releasably connected together. The rolling bodies can be poured into the rolling body housings by means of the respective mutually aligning recesses of the plastic component 22 and of the insert component 26. With one bracket 42 that can be fastened to the carriage 5 into acceptance grooves 42a per rolling body housing 7, the rolling bodies (balls here) are protected against falling out of the load zone 8.

[0047] As assembly and centering assistance, each web 20, 21 has a form-fitting element 46 on its side facing the base body. Likewise, each leg of the base body is provided with a form-fitting element 45 congruent with the form-fitting element of the respective web 20, 21. The two respective form-fitting elements 45, 46 interlock in the assembled carriage 5 in a predetermined manner, so that the base body and the single-piece plastic component are aligned with respect to one another in a predetermined manner. In the embodiment illustrated, the form-fitting element 45 of the base body is a concave-shaped gutter running parallel to the web. The form-fitting element 46 of the plastic component 22 is, on the contrary, a convex-shaped bar, the shape, size and length of which corresponds to the shape, size and length of the gutter of the base body 15. Thus, the bar can be arranged in an explicit predefined position in the gutter, whereby an explicit predefined position between the base body 15 and the plastic component 22, and thereby the insert component as well, results.

[0048] The recesses can be closed by means of front plates 43 insertable on both face sides of the carriage 5. Wipers can be integrated into the front plates 43, which wipe dirt from the running surfaces 4 of the rail 2.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

[0049] 1 linear motion guide

[0050] 2 guide rail

[0051] 3 longitudinal axis

[0052] 4 running surfaces

[0053] 5 carriage

[0054] 5a leg

[0055] 6 assembly surface

[0056] 7 running body housing

[0057] 8 load zone

[0058] 10 return channel

[0059] 11 deflection channel

[0060] 11a lower wall zone

[0061] 11b inner wall zone

[0062] 11c outer wall zone

[0063] 14 load surfaces

[0064] 15 base body

[0065] 17 recess (in 15)

[0066] 20 web (of 22)

[0067] 21 web (of 22)

[0068] 22 single-piece plastic component

[0069] 23 plate-shaped section

[0070] 25 detent lug (of 23)

[0071] 26 insert component

[0072] 27 web (of 26)

[0073] 28 web (of 26)

[0074] 29 bridge part

[0075] 30 bridge part

[0076] 32 upper boundary surface (of 10)

[0077] 33 upper boundary surface (of 11)

[0078] 36 bulge (of 26)

[0079] 37 concave shaping (of 22)

[0080] 40 detent lug (of 29, 30)

[0081] 41 recess (in 26)

[0082] 42 bracket

[0083] 42a acceptance groove

[0084] 43 front plates

[0085] 45 form-fitting element (of 15)

[0086] 46 form-fitting element (of 22)