Linear guide assembly with positively guided cage

Details Linear guide assembly with positively guided cage Linear guide assembly with positively guided cage

1999-04-07

2001-08-21

Hannon, Thomas R. (Department: 3682)

Bearings

Linear bearing

Roller bearing

C074S465000, C074S110000, C384S047000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06276830

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to linear guide assemblies of the type having two guide rails, which can be moved with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction and having prismatic or similarly designed raceways, on which rolling elements, guided in a cage, can roll. At least one gear wheel connected to the cage is provided, which engages in toothed racks or the like, each of which is connected to a guide rail for positive guidance of the cage.
To prevent the cage from wandering as a result of external influences such as nonuniform clamping or as a result of internal influences such as very small deviations in the shape of the raceways, it is known in the field of linear guides that the cage can be positively guided with respect to the guide rails. For this purpose, the cage is provided with gear wheels, which engage in racks installed between the guideways (DE-PS 1,192,462). In these known designs, the racks are made as separate parts, which must be attached to the guide rails or their supports by screws. This is complicated and expensive. There is also the problem of fitting these toothed racks into standard designs with standardized dimensions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the task of the present invention to provide a linear guide assembly of the general type described above with positive guidance of the cage, which is characterized by fewer individual parts and obviates the need for additional fastening means.
To this end, in accordance with the present invention the gear wheel consists of a disk having axial projections on at least one of the lateral surfaces distributed around the periphery thereof, and providing rows of uniformly spaced recesses in the guide rods into which the projections on the disk can engage.
As a result of the projections on the end surfaces of the disk of the gear wheel, which are preferably arranged near the outside circumference of the disk, the recesses can be machined into the corner areas of the raceways wherein we assume the guide rails are of prismatic design. This means not only that separate toothed racks and their fastening means can be eliminated but also that nothing is taken away from the load-bearing width of the raceways. In accordance with another feature of the invention, the projections are designed as portions of a sphere, as a result of which they are better able to engage in the recesses in the guide rails. In accordance with another feature of the invention, the guide rails are preferably designed as hollow, spherical shapes. In addition to the projections on the end surfaces, it is quite possible to provide the disk with teeth on its lateral surface as well, the spacing of which would be the same as that of the projections.
The recesses in the guide rails, which, according to additional features of the invention, can be provided either over the entire length of the guide rails or only over parts of it, can be produced either by plastic deformation such as a rolling or pressing operation or by a cutting method such as erosion, milling, etc. The recesses do not have to be very deep, which means that the cross sections of the guide rails are not weakened significantly and are therefore not at risk of fracture. Thus, a compact and simple construction is obtained, because there is no need for the attachment of separate toothed racks or the like.
According to additional features of the invention, the gear wheel can be installed in one of the pockets of the cage or in a separate housing, which can be arranged between sections of the cage or at the ends of the cage.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2294665 (1942-09-01), Jackson
patent: 5076715 (1991-12-01), Saoyama et al.
patent: 5427454 (1995-06-01), Tsuboi
patent: 5607238 (1997-03-01), Sherman
patent: 1 192 462 (1959-12-01), None

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