Adjustable end cup for linear guide way structure

Details Adjustable end cup for linear guide way structure Adjustable end cup for linear guide way structure

2001-05-04

2003-02-11

Footland, Lenard A. (Department: 3682)

Bearings

Linear bearing

Recirculating

Reexamination Certificate

active

06517245

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable end cup, and more particularly to an adjustable end cup for a linear guide way structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional linear guide way structure in accordance with the prior art shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
(patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,789) comprises a guide rail
10
, a slider
11
with a guide way slot
13
moveably mounted on the guide rail
10
, and two end cups
12
each secured to the slider
11
by bolts
16
. The slider
11
has two ball return holes
141
for allowing passage of balls
15
. Each of the two end cups
12
is rested on one side of the slider
1
, and is provided with the C-shaped ball direction changing paths
142
each having an end opening
143
abutting the ball return hole
141
of the slider
11
.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, another embodiment of the prior art, the slider
11
has two end faces each defining two positioning recesses
18
, and each of the two end cups
12
is provided with two positioning projections
17
each secured in the positioning recess
18
, thereby securing the slider
11
with the end cups
12
.
In practice, the ball return hole
141
and the ball direction changing path
142
are used for allowing passage of the balls
15
, so that when the connecting point is not smooth the rolling movement of the balls
15
are not fluent, thereby producing noise, vibration, and increasing friction force during movement of the balls
15
.
However, the conventional linear guide way structure in accordance with the prior art has the following disadvantages.
1. The end cup
12
is made of plastic material. While the temperature of the mold is gradually increased during the molding injection process, the mold will vary with change of the environmental temperature, so that the size of the end cup will vary due to the change of the temperature of the mold.
2. The end cup
12
made of plastic material is easily deformed due to the influence of the environmental temperature and moisture so that the ball return hole
141
of the slider
11
can not exactly aligned with the ball direction changing path
142
of the end cup
12
during the assembly process of the slider
11
and the end cup
12
, thereby causing inconvenience.
3. When the material is expanded or contracted, the distance between the two positioning projections
17
of the end cup
12
will vary, so that one positioning projection
17
can not inserted into the positioning recess
18
when the other positioning projection
17
inserted in the other positioning recess
18
.
4. The end cup
12
is easily subjected to a deformation due to the influence of the environmental temperature and moisture so that even if the end cup
12
is assembled with the slider
11
, the ball return hole
141
of the slider
11
is easily deviated and detached from the end opening
143
of the ball direction changing path
142
of the end cup
12
due to deformation of the end cup
12
, thereby producing an apparent gap at the joint of the ball return hole
141
and the end opening
143
of the ball direction changing path
142
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantage of the conventional linear guide way structure.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adjustable end cup in combination with a linear guide way structure, the linear guide way structure comprising a guide rail, a slider having two ends each defining some ball return hole having a first-end-opening and ball groove having a second-end-opening, two adjustable end cups each having an end face rested on an end face of the slider. The adjustable end cup provided with some ball direction changing paths each having a first-mating-end-opening abutting the first-end-opening of the ball return hole, and a second-mating-end-opening abutting the second-end-opening of the ball groove.
The adjustable end cup of the present invention is provided with some adjusting slits, and at least one of the adjusting slits has a determined depth so that the adjustable end cup is made flexible at the adjusting slits, thereby adjusting the distance between the two first-mating-end-opening of each of the two ball direction changing paths of said adjustable end cup, so that the first-mating-end-opening of each of the two ball direction changing paths of the adjustable end cup can be exactly engaged with the first-end-opening of the ball return hole of the slider. And the second-mating-end-opening of each of the two ball direction changing paths of the adjustable end cup can be exactly engaged with the second-end-opening of the ball groove of the slider too.
Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5380097 (1995-01-01), Tanaka
patent: 5829885 (1998-11-01), Scheich

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