DE29706034U1 - Rail assembly for a linear guide device - Google Patents

Description

PATENT ATTORNEYS

•»&Rgr;&Agr;««.· JtS.

Wing. F. A. WEICKMANN

DlPLiHEM B. HUBER

DR.-ING. H. LISKA

DIPL. PHYS DR J. PRECHTEL

DlPL-CHEM. DR. B. BÖHM

DIPL-CHEM. DR. W. WEISS

DIPL-PHYS. DR. J. TIESMEYER

D1PL.PHYS.DR. M. HERZOG

PO BOX 860 820

81635 MUNICH

•
KOPERNIKUSSTRASSE 9

81679 MUNICH

TELEPHONE (089) 4 55 63-0 TELEX 5 22 621 FAX (089) 4 70 50 68 eMail weickmann@compuserve.com

Our sign:
15941G DE/CMfi

Applicant:

Deutsche Star GmbH
Ernst-Sachs-Strasse 90

97424 Schweinfurt

Rail assembly

•C

Rail assembly Description

The invention relates to a rail assembly for a linear guide device, this rail assembly comprising a rail support with a rail support longitudinal axis and at least one guide rail with a rail longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the rail support longitudinal axis for guiding at least one runner of the linear guide device along the rail longitudinal axis,

The guide rail - viewed in cross section - has a vertical axis, a foot area, a head area and lateral

has guideway areas on both sides of the vertical axis and

wherein the foot area is fastened to the rail support - with at least one foot support surface resting on at least one foot support surface of the rail support in the direction of the vertical axis by fastening means that transmit at least vertical fastening forces.

Such rail assemblies are known, for example, from the

US 4 417 771,
US 5 501 528,

DE 44 17 136 Al,

EP 0 340 751 A2 and

from Japanese laid-open publication 2-3 09011 corresponding to Japanese patent application 1-130575 dated May 24, 1989.

From EP 0 384 032 Bl and from EP 0 492 750 Al, rail assemblies are known in which the rail support and the guide rail are formed from a one-piece profile, wherein an elliptical cylinder channel is accommodated in a base part of this profile and guideways for the sliding guide of a runner are mounted in an upper part of the profile. A piston is located within the cylinder channel

The piston separates two working spaces within the cylinder channel, which are closed off at the ends of the cylinder channel. A strand is led out through the end closures of the cylinder channel, which is guided at both ends of the profile via deflection means and is connected to the latter to drive the rotor.

In the known solution according to EP 0 384 032 Bl, the one-piece combination of the rail support and

The guide rail in the form of a profile tube allows for a low height of the rail assembly in the direction of the vertical axis, even though the cylinder channel is also housed in the rail support. This low height is advantageous for applications in which the rail assembly has to be housed in confined spaces.

On the other hand, it can also be advantageous to manufacture the rail support and the guide rail separately, as is known, for example, from EP 0 340 751 A2. With such a solution, the rail support can be manufactured inexpensively as an extruded profile, e.g. from light metal, and on the other hand the guide rail can be manufactured from steel and designed with finely machined running surfaces of greater hardness.

The invention is based on the object of creating a rail assembly of the basic design described at the beginning, in which, while maintaining a low construction height in the direction of the vertical axis, it is possible on the one hand to accommodate the cylinder channel in the rail support and, on the other hand, it is nevertheless possible to accommodate a separate guide rail within the small construction height in the direction of the vertical axis, without there being a risk that the profile of the cylinder channel will suffer deformation due to fastening forces between the guide rail and the rail support if, due to the requirement for a low construction height, the foot support surface comes to lie close to the outline of the cylinder channel.

To solve this problem, the invention proposes, when accommodating a cylinder channel within the rail support on the side of the foot support surface remote from the head region, namely a cylinder channel which runs with its cylinder axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail support and which is intended to form, together with a piston, a piston-cylinder unit suitable for driving the rotor, an arrangement is made such that an apex region of the cylinder channel circumference pointing towards the guide rail lies approximately in the region of the vertical axis and an intermediate wall of the rail support which supports the foot region and delimits the cylinder channel has a minimal wall thickness in the region of the vertical axis and a greater wall thickness with increasing distance from the vertical axis, whereby the transmission of the vertical fastening forces takes place at least in part in the thickened regions of the intermediate wall.

In the embodiment according to the invention, the cylinder profile of the cylinder channel is used to transfer the vertical fastening forces to thickened areas of the partition wall and at the same time to minimize the distance between the support surface and the apex area of the cylinder channel in order to keep the overall height in the direction of the vertical axis low.

In order to create a lateral positioning of the guide rail in relation to the rail support, it can be provided that the foot area rests with at least one foot area side surface on a contact surface of the rail support. The contact surface can be formed by a lateral boundary surface of a groove recessed in the intermediate wall, which accommodates the foot area of the guide rail. The at least one contact surface can serve as a straightening surface, which causes a parallelization of the longitudinal axis of the rail support and the longitudinal axis of the rail when the system is manufactured.

In order to provide an indication of a filigree design of the rail support, it should be noted that the height extension of the fastening means can essentially be limited to a height range corresponding to the height of the at least one contact surface in the direction of the vertical axis.

Preferably, it is provided that the fastening means are formed by profiles of the at least one foot area side surface and the associated contact surface of the rail support that are at least partially matched to one another. However, the possibility should not be excluded that the foot area of the rail is designed, for example, as a fastening flange that extends wide in the transverse direction to the vertical axis, in the edges of which screws for fastening in the

is material of the rail support can be set.

If it has been stated above that vertical "fastening forces" are to be transmitted at a distance from the area of the vertical axis, the term "fastening forces" is to be applied both to those forces that occur during the fastening process and to those forces that are transmitted during operation from the guide rail to the rail support and vice versa.

If the connection between the guide rail and the rail support is to be made by means of a profile form fit, it is particularly recommended that at least one side surface of the foot area and the associated contact surface of the rail support lie against one another in a dovetail shape.

A preferred embodiment for fastening the guide rail to the rail support consists in that the contact of the at least one foot area side surface and the associated contact surface is produced by plastic deformation of the material of the rail support in a step area of the rail support delimited by the contact surface towards the guide rail. Such plastic deformation

This allows the foot support surface of the foot area to rest on the foot support surface of the rail support and the side surface of the foot area to rest on the support surface at the same time and, if required, the axial fixing of the guide rail to the rail support.

For example, the plastic deformation of the material can be formed by a notch in the step area close to the contact surface, preferably a notch that is inherently stable without filler. The shape of the notch should be adapted as far as possible to the shape of the contact surface and to the necessary deformation path of the contact surface. In the case of a dovetail-shaped engagement between the contact surface and the foot area side surface, it is recommended that the notch is essentially V-shaped. An approximately uniform approximation of the contact surface to a dovetail-shaped foot area side surface can be achieved if the V-shaped notch has a flank further away from the vertical axis, approximately parallel to the vertical axis, and a flank closer to the vertical axis, approximately parallel to the contact surface. In this way, a pressing effect can be achieved almost over the entire height of the contact surface or foot area side surface, which is beneficial for a secure hold of the guide rail on the rail support.

With regard to secure anchoring of the foot area in the rail support, it is also recommended that the notch has a depth that is approximately equal to the height of the contact surface in the direction of the vertical axis. This measure can ensure that - for example, if the foot area is designed in a dovetail shape - a clamping effect is also achieved in the edges of the dovetail end.

The rail profiles are often designed symmetrically in relation to the vertical axis in order to adapt to common runner designs. Accordingly, the guide rail can be attached to the

Rail supports should be designed so that the foot area is approximately dovetail-shaped and that a contact surface of the rail support rests on both side surface areas of the foot area.

In principle, it is up to you whether you only deform one side of the guide rail to facilitate fastening or both sides. If you have contact surfaces available as high-precision alignment surfaces from the manufacture of the rail support and the straightness of these alignment surfaces is sufficient for the straightness of the guide rail in the finished product, you can think of having one side surface of the foot area rest against an undeformed alignment surface, as you would in the

is the manufacturing process of the rail support, for example during extrusion and can then be attached simply by deforming the opposite contact surface in the direction of the associated foot area side surface.

If, however, the position accuracy and surface accuracy of the contact surfaces is not sufficient to give the guide rail the desired course, you can also think of adjusting both contact surfaces to the respective

2s foot area side surfaces approximate. When the contact surfaces are deformed in the direction of the respective foot area side surface, the position of the guide rail is then adjusted during the deformation process using additional adjustment means, for example in such a way that during the fastening process the rail support is supported on a fastening bench with transverse play over its entire length and the guide rail is adjusted relative to a reference ruler of the fastening bench.

The deformation can be designed as a deformation track that runs continuously in the direction of the rail support axis. Such a deformation track can be created, for example, by a notched wheel that is moved in the axial direction. Alter-

It is possible that the plastic deformation is formed by individual deformation points spaced apart in the direction of the rail support axis with or without mutual overlap.

If you plan to separate the guide rail and rail support again at a later date, e.g. during refurbishment or repair, you will prefer to choose a solution with individual fastening points, which can be removed at the time of removal, for example using a drilling tool or a hand milling tool.

To carry out the deformation processes, either the rail support and the rail can be supported together by a stationary

is lead through a deformation station, whereby in this deformation station, for example, both a roller guide for the rail support and a roller guide for the rail are provided. The roller guide for the rail can be designed in a similar way to an associated runner, with the only difference being that this runner must be attached to a stationary bearing. On the other hand, the roller guide for the rail support can be designed in such a way that, for example, it rests with a group of rollers on three orthogonal longitudinal surfaces of the rail support. By adjusting the roller guide for the guide rail and the roller guide for the rail support to each other, the correct adjustment of the guide rail relative to the rail support can be achieved, after which the deformation takes place using the notching wheel or using the notching tools.

The longer the guide area for the rail support and the guide rail, the greater the accuracy that can be achieved.

Conversely, it is also possible to move a moving deformation device on the rail support or on the guide rail and to attach notching wheels, notching chisels or the like to this moving deformation device, which either

which continuously or intermittently causes the deformation required for fastening. This moving processing device can also be designed so that it is guided on the one hand along the profile of the rail support and on the other hand along the profile of the guide rail. In this way, the guide rail can be adjusted relative to the rail support. With this type of procedure, the longer the processing device is, the greater the accuracy of laying the guide rail.

In order to give an idea of practical embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that the rail support and the guide rail occasionally have considerable lengths of, for example, 6 m and more.

In order to give a practical idea of the essential dimensions of the profile cross-section, it should be pointed out that the wall thickness of the intermediate wall in the area of the vertical axis can approximately correspond to the height of at least one contact surface in the direction of the vertical axis.

An optimal relief of the cylinder channel cross-section from fastening forces in the sense defined above is achieved if the foot area with its at least one foot support surface is supported on the at least one foot support surface only outside the vertical axis. In practice, this can be achieved by the foot support surface and/or the foot support surface each having a recess in the area of the vertical axis. However, it should not be ruled out that the foot support surface rests over its entire surface on the foot support surface of the rail support. In particular, if a high level of flatness of the foot support surface and the foot support surface is ensured, a significant part of the fastening forces can also be transferred in this latter case outside the area of the cylinder channel cross-section that is at risk of deformation.

Although mechanical fastening means have been discussed so far for fastening the guide rail to the rail support, it should not be ruled out that the guide rail can also be fastened to the rail support in other ways, e.g. by welding. Welding is of course only an option if the material pairing is appropriate and if there is an appropriate heat dissipation option. The principle of connecting the guide rail and rail support using a liquid

“ or pasty adhesive or filler. For example, synthetic resins such as conventional epoxy resins or polyurethane resins can be used as adhesive or filler. These can be provided as two-component adhesives, which can be reliably introduced into the intended fastening points in a very thin state and which nevertheless develop a high adhesive strength within a short time, so that relatively rapid processing is possible while progressing along a processing station. The adhesive or filler can be applied in a thin or thick layer, depending on whether the adhesive or filler is only intended to fulfill a fastening function or also a backfill function after the guide rail has been adjusted to the rail support. For example, the possibility of filling the adhesive or filler into a pre-formed groove in the rail support before or after the guide rail has been sunk into the groove. The adjustment of the guide rail relative to the rail support can be carried out either before filling the groove or - if the filling or adhesive compound has a sufficiently long curing time - during this curing time.

It is also conceivable to combine the fastening with adhesive or filling compound with a form-fitting fastening. In particular, it is considered to carry out the deformation of the contact surfaces in the approximation to the foot area side surfaces as already described above, either before filling in the adhesive or filling compound or after the filling has taken place.

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filling. If it is decided to carry out the deformation of the contact surfaces after the adhesive or filling compound has been filled, care should be taken to ensure that the deformation takes place at a time when the adhesive or filling compound still has sufficient malleability to prevent the already largely hardened adhesive or filling compound from being splintered or damaged under the influence of the approaching contact surfaces. This is particularly the case if the filling with adhesive or filling compound is only carried out after the approach

&iacgr;&ogr; of the contact surfaces to the dovetail-shaped or otherwise undercut foot area side surfaces, care should be taken when selecting the adhesive or filling compound that it is not subject to any significant shrinkage during its hardening, since in this case a

is adjustment could be partially lost again. In principle, adhesive or filling compound can be inserted between the foot support surface and the foot standing surface and/or between at least one side surface of the foot area and the associated contact surface.

If the intention is to maintain a previously performed adjustment by adding an adhesive or filling compound, the adjustment can be carried out using only temporarily attached adjustment devices, e.g. the processing station or the processing carriage, and the adjustment devices can then be removed again after hardening or allowed to continue. Adjustments can also be made using wedges or similar and these wedges can be removed again after hardening, or adjustments can be made using screw devices, such as those described in DE 43 01 435 C2, whereby the options described there also apply to both height and lateral adjustment.

The rail support can be formed, for example, as a rail support housing of essentially rectangular cross-section with a bottom wall, two side walls and an opening slot opposite the bottom wall, - in particular

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Consider arranging the guide rail on one of the three walls: bottom wall and side walls, preferably on the bottom wall above the cylinder channel.

In principle, the inventive concept can be applied regardless of whether the short axis or the long axis of any elliptical cross-section of the cylinder channel is arranged parallel to the vertical axis. The arrangement of the elliptical cross-section with the long elliptical axis parallel to the vertical axis leads to high deformation stability, as is also achieved with a circular cross-section (which is also possible). The arrangement of the short elliptical axis in the direction of the vertical axis leads to the result of a particularly low overall height, which is desired in certain circumstances.

When producing rail assemblies according to the invention, support measures can be used to counteract the deformation of the cylinder channel. It is conceivable that support measures are used during fastening of the guide rail to the rail support in order to avoid deformation of the cylinder channel cross-section. For example, it is possible that when fastening the guide rail to the rail support, a cross-section-matched support body is provided within the cylinder channel at least where the material of the rail support is subjected to stress by fastening measures.

To give an example of dimensioning once again, it should be said that when the cylinder channel is designed with an elliptical cross-section and the short ellipse axis is arranged essentially in the area of the vertical axis, the transmission of the vertical fastening forces takes place to a large extent at a distance from the vertical axis that is greater than 15%, preferably greater than 20%, of the length of the long ellipse axis. In addition, this dimensioning will be determined in accordance with the respective ellipse cross-section and the respective guide rail cross-section.

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The invention further relates to an arrangement of a guide rail on a rail support of a rail assembly, which arrangement is particularly suitable for the rail assembly described so far, but also in another context and in particular also without the cylinder design, wherein the guide rail - viewed in cross section - has a vertical axis, a foot area, a head area and lateral guideway areas on both sides of the vertical axis and wherein the foot area is fastened to the rail support - with at least one foot support surface resting on at least one foot support surface of the rail support in the direction of the vertical axis - by fastening means that transmit at least vertical fastening forces.

For such an arrangement, it is proposed that a fixing compound is used to position and/or fix the guide rail in the positioning groove, which is introduced in a liquid state and then hardened.

Such an arrangement combines the advantages of a positive-locking fixation of the guide rail in the positioning groove with the advantages of adhesive fixation. This is especially true if the fixing compound at least partially fills a gap between the undercut contact surface and the associated foot area side surface. With such a design, on the one hand, the insertion of the rail into the positioning groove is made easier because a relatively loose fit of the foot area relative to the positioning groove can be used. On the other hand, the fixation is free of play by introducing the fixing compound. Furthermore, the fixing compound is not or not exclusively subjected to shear, at least when the guide rail is loaded in the sense of lifting or tilting around the longitudinal axis, but to a large extent to pressure.

3s The gap can, for example, have a gap width of 0.5 - 2.5 mm, preferably approx. 1-2 mm.

Conventional adhesives, especially multi-component adhesives based on polyurethane or epoxy resin, can be used as fixing compounds.

In terms of manufacturing technology, but also with regard to operational behavior, symmetrical profiles of the rail and the support are advantageous; accordingly, it is recommended that the positioning groove has undercut contact surfaces on both sides.

&iacgr;&ogr; If one can start from precisely machined starting parts, as is often the case: rail support and guide rail, then a particularly advantageous solution is obtained if one of the undercut contact surfaces on the associated foot area side surface is aligned

is fixing the guide rail and the gap formed between the other contact surface and the foot area side surface associated with the latter is filled with hardened fixing compound. This then provides an easy-to-produce, sufficiently precise positioning on the one hand and a simplified installation of the guide rail in the positioning groove on the other hand and, in addition, a play-free and yet easy-to-produce fixation.

When installing a guide rail in a positioning groove of a rail support according to the invention, one can assume that the rail support has a positioning groove that has at least one undercut lateral contact surface, wherein the guide rail, in the installed state, engages behind the undercut contact surface with a foot area side surface.

Then you can proceed in such a way that - in any order of the individual steps - you insert the guide rail and a liquid to pasty fixing compound into the positioning groove and align the guide rail within the groove and that you

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Allow the fixing compound to harden while maintaining the alignment.

A preferred way of proceeding is to first insert the guide rail with its foot area into the positioning groove, then align the guide rail with the rail support, then insert the fixing compound into the remaining spaces within the positioning groove, and then

&iacgr;&ogr; hardens. This procedure has the advantage that no significant displacement of the fixing compound has to be carried out after its introduction, which would require the fixing compound to be particularly thin. The viscosity of the fixing compound then only has to be adjusted so that it sufficiently fills the remaining spaces.

The principle of targeted introduction of the fixing compound can be implemented in particular by introducing the fixing compound into at least one of two gaps which are formed between a lateral contact surface and an associated foot area side surface.

The positioning and fixing measures can be most easily carried out one after the other if the guide rail is aligned in the positioning groove by bringing it with one foot area side surface into contact with a contact surface assigned to this foot area side surface and if a gap formed between the other foot area side surface and the other contact surface is then at least partially filled with fixing compound and hardened.

The idea mentioned above of not subjecting the fixing compound to shear or only partially to shear and the rest to compression can be achieved by placing the fixing compound in a gap which is formed between an undercut

a contact surface and the foot area side surface overlapped by it.

The alignment of the guide rail can be achieved, for example, by pressing the carrier against an adjustment ruler of an assembly device and pressing the guide rail with a foot area side surface against a lateral contact surface of the positioning groove, whereby the latter pressure can be allowed to move in the direction of the guide rail

&iacgr;&ogr; according to the section of the positioning groove that is to be filled with fixing compound. In this case, one can speak of reusable alignment means. In principle, however, one can also fix the guide rail in an adjusted position relative to the rail support using wedges or similar.

is hold and then either pull the wedges out again after the fixing compound has hardened or leave them in place. In the latter case, one can speak of lost alignment means.

If the foot area of the guide rail is dovetail-shaped, for example with a symmetrical dovetail cross-section, and if the positioning groove is correspondingly dovetail-shaped, then, unless you make use of the option of subsequently deforming the positioning groove, you generally cannot insert the guide rail into the positioning groove by means of an insertion movement directed transversely to the rail axis, but instead you will have to push the guide rail into the positioning groove in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

In this case, the use of fixing compound proves to be particularly interesting because it makes insertion easier by under-dimensioning the dovetail on the rail side compared to the dovetail cross-section of the positioning groove.

It is important to apply the fixing compound in a controlled manner into the positioning groove and especially into a gap.

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The fixing compound can be introduced through a longitudinal opening of a gap space, for example by applying the fixing compound outside the longitudinal opening of the respective gap space in the form of a band or bead and allowing this band or bead of fixing compound to flow into the respective gap space.

The fixing compound can also be filled into the respective gap through at least one filling channel, which runs from a filling point of the rail support located outside the positioning groove to the respective gap.

The quality of the fixation by the fixing compound can be increased by filling the fixing compound under

is pressure. This is basically always possible if you seal any possible leakage gaps in the spaces to be filled while filling the fixing compound. Filling under pressure is particularly easy if you use a filling channel and seal the gap to be filled at its longitudinal opening and possibly at its axially spaced ends.

The accompanying figures illustrate the invention using exemplary embodiments; they show:

Fig. 1 shows a section through a rail assembly according to the invention according to a first embodiment;

Fig. 2 shows a section through a rail assembly according to the invention according to a second embodiment;

Fig. 3 shows a section through a rail assembly according to the invention according to a third embodiment;

Fig. 4 shows a section through a rail assembly according to the invention according to a fourth embodiment;

Fig. 5 shows a section through a rail assembly according to the invention during rail installation using a fixing compound; and

Fig. 6 is a modification of Fig. 5.

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In Fig. 1, a support housing is designated with 10. This support housing 10 is made, for example, as an extruded profile made of light metal by extrusion. The support housing 10 has a base wall 12 and side walls 14 and 16 and is provided with an opening slot 18 at the top. T-grooves 20 are provided in the side walls 14 and 16, by means of which the support housing 10 can be fastened, for example, to a higher-level support. A positioning groove 22 is provided in the base wall 12 for positioning a guide rail 24. This positioning groove 22 is limited by foot support surfaces 26 and contact surfaces 28. The guide rail 24 has a foot area 30 with foot support surfaces 32 and foot area side surfaces 34.

is Furthermore, the guide rail 24 has a head area 36 and side areas 38, each with two tracks 40 for a runner or guide carriage 42. The runner or guide carriage 42 is preferably guided on the tracks 40 by endless rolling element loops, in particular ball loops, as shown for example in EP 0 340 751 A2. On the guide carriage 42 a specimen carrier 44 is mounted for joint movement along the guide rail 24. This specimen carrier 44 is provided with T-slots 46 in which an object can be mounted directly or by means of an object table.

A cylinder channel 48 is formed in the carrier housing 10, which has an elliptical cross-section, with the short axis k of the cylindrical cross-section running parallel to the vertical axis H of the guide rail 24 and the longitudinal axis 1 running transversely to the vertical axis H. The guide rail 24 is rigidly secured in the carrier housing 10 by the contact surfaces 28 being placed against the foot area side surfaces 34 and thereby simultaneously pressing the foot support surfaces 32 against the foot bearing surfaces 26 of the carrier housing 10. Due to this pressing, the guide rail 24 is also immovable against the carrier housing 10 in the direction of its longitudinal axis F.

The carrier housing 10 has a longitudinal axis T and the cylinder channel 48 has a cylinder axis Z.

To fix the guide rail 24 in the positioning groove 22, the contact surfaces 28 are formed onto the foot area side surfaces 34 by introducing notches 50 into step areas 52 of the carrier housing 10, which laterally delimit the positioning groove 22. The notches 50 can either extend parallel to the axis T of the carrier housing 10 over its entire length, but can also be individual notches that are distributed at periodic intervals along the carrier axis T.

In the example, it is assumed that the contact surfaces 28 are arranged approximately parallel to the vertical axis H before the guide rail 24 is installed in the support housing 10, so that the guide rail 24 can be inserted into the positioning groove 22 in the direction of the arrow P. By forming the notches 50, the contact surfaces 28 are then formed against the foot area side surfaces 34. Note that the depth of the notches 50 corresponds approximately to the height of the contact surfaces 28 in the direction of the vertical axis H. This ensures that when notching, the contact pressure resulting from the deformation between the contact surfaces 28 and the foot area side surfaces 34 reaches close to the edges 54, thus ensuring a particularly tight fit of the guide rail 24 in the positioning groove 22.

In the example, an exact transverse positioning of the guide rail 24 relative to the support housing 10 can be ensured by ensuring an exact adjustment of the rail transverse extension in the area of the foot support surfaces 32 to the transverse extension of the positioning groove 22 in the area of the foot support surfaces 26. If this exact adjustment is not ensured and the guide rail 24 has lateral play after being inserted into the positioning groove 22, the lateral positioning of the guide rail 24 relative to

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the carrier housing 10 can also be achieved by adjusting the guide rail 24 relative to the carrier housing 10 by means of adjusting means when the contact surfaces 28 are deformed in a certain length range of the longitudinal extension of the carrier housing 10.

The latter method of adjustment is also applicable if the support housing 10 as delivered does not have a sufficiently precise shape and straightness of the contact surfaces 28, so that none of the contact surfaces 28 can be used to adjust the guide rail 24.

It is also conceivable that the guide rail 24 is adjusted to absolute straightness with respect to an adjustment ruler which is

is available in the assembly station. In this case, for example, a high-precision runner will be run on the guide rail 24 and this runner will be brought to a constant lateral setting to the adjustment ruler and, after the desired lateral distance has been achieved, the guide rail 24 will be fixed in the positioning groove 22. Depending on the relative bending stiffness of the guide rail 24 and the support housing 10, the support housing 10 can also be aligned with respect to the stationary ruler so that it approximately maintains the straightness of the guide rail.

2s is assumed or one can dispense with linear adjustment of the carrier housing 10 if one has to fear that after the adjustment means have been released, the restoring force of the carrier housing 10 could lead to a deformation of the guide rail. In individual cases, the adjustment process will be made dependent on the precision of parts 10 and 24. If the intention is to attach the carrier housing 10 to a higher-level carrier without further complex adjustment measures, one must ensure a correspondingly high level of precision when producing the preliminary product carrier housing 10 and the preliminary product guide rail 24 and avoid distortions of the carrier housing 10 when attaching the guide rail 24 to the carrier housing 10.

The cylinder channel 48 accommodates a piston 56. This piston separates two working chambers within the cylinder channel 48, which are connected to a drive fluid circuit. The piston 56 is connected to a drive train, which runs within the cylinder channel 48 to its ends, is guided there through a cover in a sealing manner, is deflected at the ends of the carrier housing 10 via deflection rollers and is connected to the rotor 42 or the object carrier 44. Further details about such a drive device are shown, for example, in EP 0 384 032 B1.

It can be seen in Fig. 1 that the intermediate wall 58 between the foot support surface 26 and the outline of the cylinder channel 48 has a minimum in the apex area S of the cylinder cross-section. The wall thickness there is approximately equal to the height of the contact surfaces 28 measured in the direction of the vertical axis H.

It would also be conceivable to prefabricate the support housing 10 in a form such that the contact surfaces 28 are already inclined towards one another before the guide rail 24 is installed. In this case, the guide rail 24 could be installed by pushing it into the positioning groove 22 and notches with a smaller cross-section could be provided on one or both sides for fastening.

The embodiment according to Fig. 2 differs from that according to Fig. 1 only in that the foot area 30a is somewhat narrower. Basically, the embodiment according to Fig. 1 is preferred because in the embodiment of Fig. 1 the notches 50 are in the area of greater wall thickness of the intermediate wall 58 and therefore the risk of deformation of the cylinder channel cross-section is reduced. When making the notches in the intermediate wall 58, a support mandrel adapted to the cross-section 48 can be introduced so that the risk of deformation of the cylinder channel 48 is excluded. This support mandrel only needs to be present where notching is taking place. If one looks in the longitudinal direction of the carrier

housing 10 is progressively notched, a relatively short support mandrel can be advanced through the cylinder channel 48 in accordance with the feed movement of the notching tool.

Fig. 3 differs from the embodiment according to Fig. 2 in that the right-hand contact surface 28br is attached to a fastening strip 60b, which is screwed to the carrier housing 10b by screws 62b. In this embodiment, the carrier housing 10b can be in a

&iacgr;&ogr; be prefabricated in such a way that the contact surface 28bl assumes the inclination shown in Figure 3 before the guide rail 24b is installed, then the guide rail 24b can be easily inserted from above in the direction of arrow P. The retaining strip 60b is then placed and tightened using the screws 62b.

This embodiment also achieves significant advantages of the invention. In particular, it should be noted that the screws 62b are located in an area of the intermediate wall 58b with a large wall thickness, so that they can be tightened there without the risk of deformation of the cylinder channel 48b and operating forces can also be transmitted to the intermediate wall and the channel profile 48b without the risk of deformation, for example when the rotor or guide carriage is exposed to forces or moments during operation.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 4, the guide rail 24c is connected in one piece to a fastening flange 64c projecting on both sides. The contact surfaces 28c serve exclusively for lateral positioning. The fastening of the guide rail 24c is carried out by screw bolts 66c, which pass through the flange 64c and are screwed into threaded holes in the intermediate wall 58c. The essential advantage of the invention is also achieved in this embodiment, which lies in the fact that the fastening means, i.e. the screw bolts 66c, are located to the side of the apex S of the cylinder channel 48c in areas of increased wall thickness of the intermediate wall 58c.

It is readily apparent that the embodiments according to Figs. 1 and 2 are characterized by particular simplicity and by the fact that the guide rail position in relation to the carrier housing 10 is unchanged. Because the guide rail 24 with the foot support surfaces 32 rests on the foot support surfaces 26 only outside the vertical axis H and because the notches 50 are made at a considerable distance from the vertical axis H, the considerable vertical deformation forces applied in the formation of the notches 50 can neither

&iacgr;&ogr; lead directly to the deformation of the cylinder channel 48 nor can the guide rail 24 engage the intermediate wall 58 in the apex area and lead there to a deformation of the elliptical cross-section if a vertical force component is transferred to the guide rail 24 by bending the contact surfaces 28 against the foot area side surfaces 34. Here too, operating forces can be transferred between the guide rail 24c and the carrier housing without the risk of deformation of the elliptical profile.

The rail assembly according to the invention and the linear guide devices equipped with it can be used, for example, in robots for moving tools or in machine tools for moving machine tool parts.

In Figures 1-4, the recesses intended to support the guide rail outside the apex area S are provided in the intermediate wall 58 and designated 68. This is a preferred embodiment because these recesses can be formed during the extrusion of the support housing 10. Alternatively, it is also possible in principle to provide recesses in the base surface 32 of the guide rail.

The information on fastening using an adhesive or filler compound between the guide rail and the carrier housing is of general importance beyond the application in connection with the arrangement of a cylinder channel in the carrier housing. It

should also be applicable when it comes to fastening guide rails to rail supports of any shape, as described, for example, in EP 0 340 751 A2. They can also be used in such applications, especially if the construction height is to be reduced.

In Fig. 5, analogous parts are provided with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1, each supplemented by the letter d. The carrier, i.e. the carrier housing 10d, is pressed against an adjustment ruler 72d by a pressure device 70d. The guide rail 24d is pressed into the positioning groove 22d by a pressure device 74d, so that it rests with its foot area side surface 34d against the contact surface 28d of the positioning groove 22d and with its foot support surface 32d on

is snugly against the foot support surface 26d. The pressure is applied via the guide carriage 42d, which is acted upon by the pressure device 74d. In this way, the adjustment can be carried out gradually over the entire length of the guide rail 24d by moving the guide carriage 42d to where the fixing compound is to be introduced and adjusting the pressure device 74d accordingly. Where it is currently positioned, it is filled by a filling device 76d positioned on the guide carriage 42d. Filling channels 78d are provided in the carrier 10d, the distance between which is determined by

2s the gap width and the viscosity of the fixing compound during filling is determined. The filling device is brought into alignment with the guide carriage 42d with the various filling channels 78d distributed over the length of the carrier 1Od, so that the fixing compound reaches the gap 8Od, which is delimited between an undercut contact surface 28d and a foot area side surface 34d. The filling device 76d is connected to a pressurized fixing compound supply via a filling hose 82d. The upper outlet of the gap 8Od is kept closed by a sealing bead 84d, so that filling can take place under pressure without an annoying amount of fixing compound escaping. The fixing compound is dosed in accordance with the cross-section of the gap 8Od, so that

99 9 ·· ·

- 24 -

rait a complete filling of the gap 8Od can be expected.

Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the gap filling. Identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 5, but instead of the letter d, the letter e is placed behind the respective reference numeral. The filling device 76e forms a bead of fixing compound 86e at the exit of the gap 80e, which can run directly into the gap 80e. Otherwise, Fig. 6 corresponds to the embodiment according to Fig. 5.

Claims (44)

f· &psgr; Claims - 4 July 1997 Seiegexempiäf May not be changed 1. Rail assembly for a linear guide device, this rail assembly comprising a rail support (10) with a rail support longitudinal axis (T) and at least one guide rail (24) with a rail longitudinal axis (F) substantially parallel to the rail support longitudinal axis (T) for guiding at least one runner (42) &iacgr;&ogr; of the linear guide device along the longitudinal axis of the rail (F), wherein the guide rail (24) - viewed in cross section - has a vertical axis (H), a foot region (30), a head region (36) and lateral guideway regions is (38) on both sides of the vertical axis (H) and wherein the foot region (3 0) is fastened to the rail support (10) with at least one foot support surface (32) resting on at least one foot support surface (26) of the rail support (10) in the direction of the vertical axis (H) - by fastening means transmitting at least vertical fastening forces,
characterized, that within the rail support (10) on the side of the foot support surface (26) remote from the head region (36) a cylinder channel (48) of a piston-cylinder unit (48,56) intended for driving the runner (42) is accommodated with its cylinder axis (Z) parallel to the rail support longitudinal axis (T) in such a way that a vertex region (S) of the cylinder channel circumference pointing towards the guide rail (24) is located approximately in the region of the vertical axis (H) and an intermediate wall (58) of the rail support (10) supporting the foot region (30) and delimiting the cylinder channel (48) has a minimal wall thickness in the region of the vertical axis (H) and with increasing distance from the vertical axis (H) has a greater wall thickness and that the transmission of the vertical fastening forces is at least partly in Distance from the area of the vertical axis (H) in the thickened areas of the intermediate wall (58). 2. Rail assembly according to claim 1, &bgr; characterized in that the foot area rests with at least one foot area side surface (34) on a contact surface (28) of the rail support (10). &iacgr;&ogr; 3. Rail assembly according to claim 2, characterized in
that the contact surface (28) serves as a straightening surface. 4. Rail assembly according to one of claims 2 and 3, is characterized in that that the height extension of the fastening means is essentially limited to a height range corresponding to the height of the at least one bearing surface (28) in the direction of the vertical axis (H). 5. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the fastening means comprise profiles of the at least one 2s foot area side surface (34) and an associated contact surface (28) of the rail support (10) which are adapted to one another at least in regions. 6. Rail assembly according to claim 5,
characterized, that the at least one foot area side surface (34) and the associated contact surface (28) of the rail support (10) abut one another in a dovetail shape. 7. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the contact of the at least one foot area side surface (34) and the associated contact surface (28) by - 27 - plastic deformation of the material of the rail support (10) is produced in a step region (52) of the rail support (10) delimited by the contact surface (28) towards the guide rail (24). 8. Rail assembly according to claim 7,
characterized, that the plastic deformation of the material is formed by a notch (50) of the step region (52) close to the contact surface (28), preferably a notch (50) which is inherently stable without filler. 9. Rail assembly according to claim 8,
characterized, is that the notch (50) is substantially V-shaped. 10. Rail assembly according to claim 9,
characterized, that the V-shaped notch (50) has a flank further away from the vertical axis (H), approximately parallel to the vertical axis (H), and a flank closer to the vertical axis (H), approximately parallel to the contact surface (28). 11. Rail assembly according to one of claims 8-10,
characterized, that the notch (50) has a notch depth which is approximately equal to or greater than the height of the contact surface (28) in the direction of the vertical axis (H). 12. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-11,
characterized, that the foot area (30) as a whole is approximately dovetail-shaped and that a contact surface (28) of the rail support (10) rests on both side surfaces (34) of the foot area. 13. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-12, - 28 - characterized, that one of two contact surfaces (28) each adjacent to a foot area side surface (34) has a shape essentially created during the manufacture of the rail support (10) and &xgr; position unchanged and the other of the contact surfaces (28) is applied to the associated foot area side surface (34) by material deformation of the rail support (10). 14. Rail assembly according to claim 12, &iacgr;&ogr; characterized in that each of two contact surfaces (28) is placed against a respective associated foot area side surface (34) by material deformation of the rail support (10). is 15. Rail assembly according to one of claims 7-14, characterized in that that the plastic deformation is designed as a deformation track (50) running continuously in the direction of the rail support axis (T). 16. Rail assembly according to one of claims 7-15, characterized in that that the plastic deformation is formed by individual deformation points (50) spaced apart in the direction of the rail support axis (T). 17. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-16, characterized in that that the wall thickness of the intermediate wall (58) in the region of the vertical axis (H) corresponds approximately to the height of the at least one contact surface (28) in the direction of the vertical axis (H). 18. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-17, characterized in that that the foot area (30) with its at least one foot support surface (32) on the at least one foot support •&igr; · &igr;· ·»·· ■· mi« - 29 - surface (26) is only supported outside the vertical axis (H). 19. Rail assembly according to claim 18,
characterized, that the foot support surface (32) and/or the foot bearing surface (26) each have a recess (68) in the region of the vertical axis (H). &iacgr;&ogr; 20. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-19,
characterized, that the fastening means comprise an adhesive or filling compound that is introduced in a liquid to viscous state and then hardened. 21. Rail assembly according to claim 20,
characterized, that the adhesive or filling compound is provided between the at least one foot support surface (32) and the at least one foot support surface (26) and/or between the at least one foot area side surface (34) and the associated contact surface (28). 22. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-21,
characterized, that the rail support (10) is formed as a rail support housing (10) of substantially rectangular cross-section with a bottom wall (12), two side walls (14,16) and an opening slot remote from the bottom wall, wherein the guide rail (24) is arranged on one of the three walls: bottom wall (12) and side walls (14,16), preferably on the bottom wall (12). 23. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-22,
characterized, that the cylinder channel (4 8) has an elliptical cross-section. - 30 - 24. Rail assembly according to claim 23,
characterized, that the short axis of the ellipse (k) lies in the direction of the vertical axis (H). 25. Rail assembly according to claim 23,
characterized, that the long axis of the ellipse (1) lies in the direction of the vertical axis (H). 26. Rail assembly according to one of claims 1-25,
characterized, that when the cylinder channel (48) is designed with an elliptical cross-section and the short ellipse axis (k) is arranged essentially in the area of the vertical axis (H), the transmission of the vertical fastening forces takes place to a significant extent at a distance from the vertical axis (H) which is greater than 15%, preferably greater than 20%, of the length of the long ellipse axis (1). 27. Arrangement of a guide rail (24d) on a rail support (iod) of a rail assembly, in particular according to one of claims 1-26, wherein the guide rail (24d) is designed with a foot region (3Od) and is received and secured in an undercut positioning groove (22d) of the rail support (iod) on at least one side, and wherein at least one undercut lateral contact surface (28d) of the positioning groove (22d) overlaps a foot region side surface (34d) of the foot region (3Od) adapted to this contact surface (28d),
characterized, that a fixing compound introduced in a liquid state and then hardened is used to position and/or fix the guide rail (24d) in the positioning groove (22d). - 31 - 28. Arrangement according to claim 27,
characterized, that the fixing compound at least partially fills a gap (80d) between the undercut contact surface (28d) and the associated foot area side surface (34d). 29. Arrangement according to claim 28,
characterized, &iacgr;&ogr; de.3 the gap {80d) has a gap width of 0.5 - 2.5 mm, preferably about 1- 2 mm. 30. Arrangement according to one of claims 27 - 29, characterized in that is that the fixing mass is formed from a conventional adhesive, in particular a multi-component adhesive based on polyurethane or epoxy resin. 31. Arrangement according to one of claims 27 - 30, characterized in that that the positioning groove (22d) has undercut contact surfaces (28d) on both sides. 32. Arrangement according to claim 31,
characterized, that one of the undercut contact surfaces (28d) rests against the foot area side surface (34d) associated with it for the directed fixing of the guide rail (24d) and the gap (8Od) formed between the other contact surface (2Sd) and the foot area side surface (34d) associated with the latter is filled with hardened fixing compound. 33. Arrangement of a guide rail (24d) in a positioning groove (22d) of a rail support (iod), in particular according to one of claims 27 - 32, - 32 - wherein the positioning groove (22d) has at least one undercut lateral contact surface (28d) and the guide rail (24d) in the installed state engages under the undercut contact surface (28d) with a foot area side surface (34d),
characterized, that the guide rail (24d) is aligned within the positioning groove (22d) and fixed by a hardened fixing compound. 34. Arrangement according to claim 33,
characterized, that the fixing mass is introduced into at least one of two gap spaces (8Od) which are formed between a respective lateral contact surface (28d) and an associated foot area side surface (34d). 35. Arrangement according to claim 34,
characterized, that the guide rail (24d) is aligned in the positioning groove (22d) in that it rests with a foot area side surface (34d) against a contact surface (28d) assigned to this foot area side surface (34d) and that the gap (80d) formed between the other foot area side surface (34d) and the other contact surface (28d) is at least partially filled with fixing compound and this is hardened. 36. Arrangement according to claim 35,
characterized, that the fixing compound is introduced into a gap (8Od) which is formed between an undercut contact surface (2 8d) and the foot area side surface (34d) overlapped by this. 37. Arrangement according to one of claims 3 3 - 36, characterized in that - 33 - that lost alignment means are used to align the guide rail (24d). 38. Arrangement according to one of claims 33 - 36,
characterized, that in the finished state it is free of recoverable alignment means {70d,72d,74d,42d). 39. Arrangement according to one of claims 33 - 38,
&iacgr;&ogr; characterized by that the dimensions of the foot area of the guide rail (24d) and the positioning groove (22d) are coordinated with one another in such a way that the installation of the guide rail (24d) must take place in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the guide rail (24d) and the positioning groove (22d). 40. Arrangement according to one of claims 31 - 38.
characterized, that the dimensions of the foot area of the guide rail (24d) and the positioning groove (22d) are coordinated with one another in such a way that the installation of the guide rail (24d) in the positioning groove (22d) transversely to its longitudinal axis is possible. 41. Arrangement according to one of claims 34 - 40,
characterized, that the guide rail (24d) and the positioning groove (22d) form a longitudinal opening between them for introducing fixing compound into the respective gap space (8Od). 42. Arrangement according to one of claims 34 - 40,
characterized, that it comprises a filling channel (78d) for filling fixing compound into the respective gap space (8Od), which is located outside the positioning groove (22d) - 34 - a filling point of the rail support (iod) to the respective gap space (8Od). 43. Arrangement according to claim 42,
characterized, that the filling channel (78d) is designed for pressure-containing connection with a filling device. 44. Arrangement according to claim 43,
&iacgr;&ogr; characterized by that the gap (8Od) can be sealed against unintentional escape of fixing compound. wi/ANM/15 941GDE-anm 04.07.97 11:01