LINEAR DRIVE WITH CONTROL HOUSING

Abstract

Linear drive with a gear housing extending along a longitudinal axis, in which a spindle is rotatably mounted with a worm wheel connected to it in a rotationally fixed manner, a spindle nut running on the spindle, which is adjustable on the spindle between a retracted position and an extended position and which acts on a lifting tube. The spindle nut is arranged in the retracted position guide tube and retracted in the region of a rear end of the guide tube, and thus the lifting tube is also retracted into the guide tube. The spindle nut is arranged at a front end of the guide tube in the extended position. An electric motor drives the screw, which extends along a transverse axis extending transversely to the longitudinal axis, wherein the electric motor is accommodated in a motor housing which is connected to the gear housing. Furthermore, a control system is arranged in a control housing. In order to simplify the assembly of the control housing, a connection is formed between the control housing and the drive housing, which is designed in such a way that the latter is simultaneously electrically connected to the drive housing during the mechanical attachment.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A linear drive with a gear housing extending along a longitudinal axis, in which a spindle extending along the longitudinal axis is rotatably mounted with a worm wheel connected to it in a rotationally fixed manner, a spindle nut running on the spindle, which is adjustable on the spindle between a retracted position and an extended position and which acts on a lifting tube, wherein the spindle nut in the retracted position is arranged retracted in a stationary guide tube receiving the spindle nut in the region of a rear end of the guide tube and thus the lifting tube is retracted into the guide tube, wherein the spindle nut is arranged at a front end of the guide tube in the extended position and thus the lifting tube is extended out of the guide tube, a worm driven by an electric motor extending along a transverse axis extending transversely to the longitudinal axis, meshes with the worm wheel, and wherein the electric motor is accommodated in a motor housing which is connected to the gear housing, and a control system arranged in a control housing, wherein a connection is formed between the control housing and the drive housing, which is adapted to simultaneously realize an electrical connection when mechanically fastened to the drive housing.

12. The linear drive according to claim 11, wherein the control housing comprises a first and a second housing wall which enclose between them a housing angle which is preferably a right angle or an acute angle, in that an insertion system is formed between the first housing wall and the gear housing adjoining the latter in the installed position, and in that a connector system is formed between the second housing wall and the gear housing adjoining the latter.

13. The linear drive according to claim 12, wherein the insertion system is designed as a linear guide system.

14. The linear drive according to claim 12, wherein the connector system comprises a plug on one mating partner and a complementary socket on the other mating partner.

15. The linear drive according to claim 14, wherein the connector system comprises a union nut.

16. The linear drive according to claim 14, wherein the plug is designed for the power supply and separately for the data supply.

17. The linear drive according to claim 17, wherein the plug comprises a first power supply connector part (plus/minus) and a second data supply connector part.

18. The linear drive according to claim 12, wherein the connection comprises the connector system.

19. The linear drive according to claim 12, wherein the connection comprises the connector system and the insertion system.

20. The linear drive according to claim 12, wherein the insertion system comprises a dovetail guide.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The figures show as follows:

[0036] FIG. 1: shows a top view of a linear drive according to the invention;

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a magnified view of the connection area between the control housing and the gear housing; and

[0038] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged isometric front view of the control board connector with the control housing removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a top view of the linear drive according to the invention, essentially comprising a gear housing 2, a motor housing 4 accommodated therein, a guide tube 6 with a lifting tube 8 movable therein relatively in the longitudinal direction, and a control housing 10 connected to the drive.

[0040] The guide tube 6 and the lifting tube 8 arranged therein so as to be relatively movable define the longitudinal axis X of the linear drive. The motor housing 4 extends transversely to this longitudinal direction in a transverse direction Y.

[0041] The gear housing 2 is formed in two parts with a rear housing part 2a and a housing cover 2b connected to the latter, which are joined together in a sealing manner at the joint.

[0042] Inside the gear housing 2, the worm wheel is accommodated, which is seated in a rotationally fixed manner on a spindle that drives a spindle nut, which in turn is connected to the rear end of the lifting tube 8 arranged in the guide tube 6. A front clevis 12 is seated on the front end of the lifting tube 8. At the rear end of the gear housing 2, which is opposite the end for accommodating the guide tube 6, a rear clevis 14 is inserted into the gear housing 2. The devises 12, 14 can be connected in a known manner to shafts of furniture, so that the furniture or furniture components can be adjusted in relation to each other. Such a linear drive or drive is particularly preferred for adjusting head and foot sections of hospital beds. Other areas of application are patient lifts, treatment couches, dentist's chairs and the like.

[0043] The rear housing part 2a comprises a circular-cylindrical receiving socket of corresponding size, into which a complementary hollow-cylindrical socket of the motor housing 4 or alternatively of the gear housing 2 is inserted, which receives the electric motor rotatably along the rotor longitudinal axis extending transversely to the longitudinal direction.

[0044] A worm at the front end of the rotor shaft drives the worm wheel for the variable speed drive inside the gear housing 2.

[0045] This electric motor is controlled by the control electronics housed in the control housing 10.

[0046] The control housing is also formed as a substantially rectangular plastic housing, which has a greater length than width and height. The control housing 10 is substantially box-shaped, formed as a rectangular box, which has at least two housing walls 10a, 10b standing at a housing angle of 90° to each other, wherein a shorter housing end wall 10a is fixed to the receiving section of the transmission housing 2 for the guide tube 6, which extends along the longitudinal direction of the drive. On this receiving section, mutually spaced insertion legs of a linear guide/insertion system are formed, into which a corresponding insertion section on the housing end wall 10a of the control housing 20 can be inserted in the longitudinal direction, so that during insertion the correct alignment of the control housing 10 in relation to the gear housing 2 is realized, i.e. only in the correct alignment does the mating between control housing 10 and gear housing 2 become possible.

[0047] The control housing 10 is pushed onto the gear housing 2 in the longitudinal direction relative to the latter until the plug 18 of the connector system provided on the housing longitudinal wall 10b engages in the socket 2c formed at the corresponding location on the gear housing 2 and the union nut 16 can then be tightened, in order to draw the control housing 10 into the final mounting position on the gear housing 2 and to fix it in the mounting position in such a way that the electrical and data connection between the control housing 10 and the gear housing 2 is realized at the same time.

[0048] Furthermore, however, the insertion system can have at least one insertion leg and/or insertion section designed in the manner of a dovetail guide.

[0049] In this context, the plug 18 shown enlarged in FIG. 3 is inserted into the socket 2c. The plug 18 is arranged on a plug plate 22, which is arranged extending transversely on the control board 24 within the control housing 10.

[0050] The plug 18 basically comprises two separate connector parts, a first connector part for the power supply and a second connector part for the data supply.

[0051] Both connector parts can be designed as individual plugs or as a group of plugs. Furthermore, individual plugs can also have several plug contacts. Furthermore, a plug contact which is designed as a ground contact or as a shield contact has a longer contact which protrudes with respect to the other contacts and, during the establishment of the electrical connection during plugging together, can be electrically conductively connected as a first plug contact to the complementary other plug contact of the other plug and is thus protruding and thus designed to realize the first contact.

[0052] For electrical contacting, the first connector part comprises a positive pole and a separate negative pole, each of which is arranged in the rectangular plug extensions and each of which has an opening at one end for engagement with the complementary mating partner within the socket 2c of the transmission housing 2.

[0053] To the side of this first connector part, the second connector part is formed for implementing the data connection between the plug housing 10 and the gear housing 2, which in this case comprises a total of six separate connections in a 2×3 grid on a rectangular end face.

[0054] Both connector parts are IP protected by the union nut 20, so like the rest of the drive against water ingress.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0055] 2 Gear housing [0056] 2 Rear housing part [0057] 2b Housing cover [0058] 2c Socket [0059] 4 Motor housing [0060] 6 Guide tube [0061] 8 Lifting tube [0062] 10 Control housing [0063] 10a Housing end wall [0064] 10b Housing longitudinal wall [0065] 12 Front clevis [0066] 14 Rear clevis [0067] 16 Linear guide [0068] 18 Plug [0069] 20 Union nut [0070] 22 Plug plate [0071] 24 Control board