DE69718396T2 - Linear guide unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a linear guide unit as described in the preamble of claim 1.

A linear guide unit of this type is known from EP-A-0384032. This document, and also e.g. EP-A-0492750, disclose linear guide units in which a rail support and a guide rail are formed from a one-piece profile. A base portion of this one-piece profile accommodates an elliptical cylindrical channel. In an upper portion of the profile, guideways are provided to slidably guide a carriage. A piston without a piston rod is guided in the cylindrical channel. The piston defines within the cylindrical channel two working chambers which are closed at the end of the cylindrical channel. The movement of the piston is obtained by introducing and withdrawing fluid, such as gas or liquid, into and from the working chambers on both sides of the piston. The cylindrical channel is closed at its ends by end caps. A flexible tension element is passed through these end caps. The flexible tension element is a band. The band is connected to the piston and is guided through fluid sealing means at both ends of the cylinder. This band is guided towards the carriage around deflection means provided at both ends of the guide housing. The band runs between the deflection means and the carriage within a slot of the guide housing, in which slot the carriage is guided.

In the known construction according to EP-A-0384032, a construction with a relatively flat cross-section is obtained by the one-piece integration of the rail support and the guide rail, despite the The fact that the rail support additionally accommodates the cylindrical channel. The relatively low height is of considerable importance for use situations in which the linear guide unit must be accommodated in confined spaces. On the other hand, advantages should also result from the separate manufacture of the rail support and the guide rail, a solution as known e.g. from EP-A-0340751. In this known solution, with little effort, the rail support can be manufactured as an extruded profile, e.g. from light metal, and on the other hand the guide rail can be manufactured from steel, so that its guideways can be machined with high precision and can have a high degree of hardness.

However, when attempting to reduce the overall weight of the linear guide unit, there is a risk that the wall thickness of the wall defining the cylindrical channel will become so small that the cylindrical channel will be deformed under fastening and/or operating forces. Such deformation will easily render the linear guide unit inoperable.

Another linear guide unit with a belt drive is known from the German publication DE-A-38 15 595. In this linear guide unit, the belt forms a loop. This loop is stretched between respective deflection rollers at both ends of the guide housing. A section of this loop, which section is connected to the carriage in terms of drive, runs along the longitudinal opening and forms labyrinth sealing means through its longitudinal edges, which engage in grooves of plastic profiles in a sealing and guiding manner, which plastic profiles limit the longitudinal opening. Another section of the loop runs within the guide housing into a covered return channel on the underside of a base wall of the guide housing.

Linear guide units are also known, for example, from the

US-A-4417771

US-A-5501528

DE-A-4417136

EP-A-0340751 and

from Japanese Publication 2-309011, corresponding to Japanese Patent Application 1-1305751-130575 dated May 24, 1989.

For a general discussion of this technique, reference is made to EP-A-0442859, EP-A-0263214 and EP-A-0540015.

It is the object of the invention to provide a type of linear guide units in which a cylindrical channel of a cylinder-piston device can be combined with separately manufactured guide rail means while maintaining a relatively small overall height in the direction of the vertical axis and nevertheless to avoid the risk of deformation of the cylindrical channel by fastening and/or operating forces between the guide rail means and the guide support when, in view of the requirement of a low vertical height, the foot part contact surface of the rail support is close to the cylindrical channel.

This problem is solved for a linear guide unit of the generic type by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

According to the embodiment of this invention, the cylinder profile of the cylindrical channel is used to transfer the vertical fastening forces into the thickened areas of the partition, while the distance between the foot part contact surface and the crown area of the cylindrical channel is minimized in order to reduce the overall height of the unit along the vertical axis.

In order to obtain a lateral positioning of the guide rail in relation to the rail support, contact can be provided between a side surface of the foot part and a side surface contact surface of the rail support. This side surface contact surface can be a side surface that delimits a groove that is provided in the partition wall and receives the foot part of the guide rail. The at least one side surface contact surface can be an adjustment surface that ensures the parallel alignment of the longitudinal axis of the rail support and the longitudinal axis of the rail when the foot part side surface rests on the side surface contact surface.

In order to give an idea of the geometry of the rail support, it should be noted that the height dimension of the fastening means for fastening the foot part to the rail support can be reduced essentially to the height of the at least one side surface contact surface, measured in the direction of the vertical axis.

The term "fastening forces" that are to be transmitted at a distance from the vertical axis covers, on the one hand, those forces that occur when fastening the rail to the rail support; on the other hand, this term also covers those forces that occur during operation.

A preferred way of fastening the guide rail to the guide rail support comprises a plastic deformation of the material of the guide rail support in order to obtain a contact of the at least one foot part side surface and the associated side surface contact surface. This plastic deformation can be carried out with a step region of the guide rail support, which is limited by the side surface contact surface. This plastic deformation can simultaneously obtain a contact between the Foot part standing surface and the foot part contact surface are retained. Furthermore, this deformation can be used to axially secure the guide rail in relation to the guide rail support.

The plastic deformation can be achieved, for example, by impressing a notch close to the side surface contact surface. Preferably, a notch is impressed that is stable even without filler contained therein. The shape of the notch is preferably adapted to the shape of the side surface contact surface, taking into account the necessary deformation path of the side surface contact surface. In the case of a dovetail-shaped engagement between the side surface contact surface and the associated foot part side surface, a V-shaped notch is proposed. A substantially uniform approximation of the side surface contact surface to the dovetail-shaped foot part side surface can be obtained if the V-shaped notch provides a first flank that is substantially parallel to the vertical axis and is distant from the vertical axis, and a second flank that is closer to the vertical axis and is substantially parallel to the side surface contact surface. This design of the V-shaped notch allows a contact pressure effect to be achieved essentially over the entire height of the side surface contact surface. This is desirable for a good fastening of the guide rail in relation to the guide rail support.

In order to ensure a good fastening engagement of the base part with respect to the guide rail support, it is further recommended that the depth of the notch be substantially equal to the height of the side surface contact surface along the direction of the vertical axis. By dimensioning the notch in this way, a clamping effect can also be obtained along the edges of the dovetail shape.

Often the profiles of the guide rails are in relation to the vertical axis, symmetrical in order to adapt to standard runner designs. As a result, the foot part can be designed in a symmetrical dovetail shape so that both foot part side surfaces rest against a respective side surface contact surface.

It is possible that the deformation used to fasten the guide rail is made on only one side of the guide rail or on both sides. When manufacturing the rail support, e.g. by extrusion, one can obtain side surface contact surfaces with sufficient precision that can be used as adjustment surfaces. Then the foot part side surface can be used as such a high-precision adjustment surface. In this case, one can obtain further fastening by deforming the opposite side surface contact surface towards the associated foot part side surface.

However, if the side face contact surfaces are not sufficiently precise to give the guide rail the desired linearity or straightness, it can be considered that both side face contact surfaces of the recess are brought closer to the respective foot part side surfaces. In this case, the position of the guide rail can be adjusted during the deformation process by additional adjustment means. For example, the guide rail support can be positioned on an assembly bench with lateral play and the guide rail can be adjusted with respect to a reference ruler provided on the assembly bench.

The notching can provide a continuous deformation path in the longitudinal direction of the rail support axis. Such a continuous deformation path can be obtained, for example, by a notching wheel that is moved along the longitudinal axis of the guide rail support. Alternatively, it is possible for the plastic deformation by individual deformation of points that are arranged at a distance along the longitudinal axis of the guide rail support. These individual deformation points can overlap each other in the axial direction.

It may be intended that the guide rail and the guide rail support will be separated from each other at a later date, e.g. in the event of a conversion or repair. If this is the intention, the deformation is preferably carried out with individual deformation points. These individual deformation points can be removed at a later date, e.g. by drilling out.

The deformation process can be carried out by simultaneously passing the rail support and the guide rail through a stationary deformation device. This deformation device can provide a roller guide system for the rail support and a roller guide system for the guide rail. The roller guide system for the guide rail can be designed similarly to a running element, with the only difference that the running element is stationary. The roller guide system of the guide rail support can be designed so that respective groups of guide rollers rest against three mutually orthogonal longitudinal sides of the rail support. By adjusting the roller guide system of the guide rail on the one hand and the roller guide system of the rail support on the other hand, a correct adjustment of the guide rail in relation to the rail support can be obtained; the deformation or deformations can then be carried out by a notching wheel or a point-by-point notching tool. The precision that can be obtained is increased by increasing the guide length with which the rail carrier and the guide rail are guided.

It is also possible for a moving deformation device to be moved along the rail support or along the guide rail, and for a notching wheel or a point-by-point notching tool to be provided on the moving deformation device. This moving deformation device can also be constructed in such a way that it is guided on both a profile of the rail support and a profile of the guide rail. In this way, an adjustment of the guide rail in relation to the rail support can be achieved automatically.

One should always remember that the rail support and the guide rail often have large axial lengths of e.g. 6 m or more.

As regards the relative dimensions of the profile cross-section, it should be taken into account that the wall thickness of the partition wall near the vertical axis essentially corresponds to the height of at least one foot part contact surface along the vertical axis.

The cross-section of the cylindrical channel can be kept safely free from fastening forces if the foot part is supported by at least one standing surface on the at least one foot part contact surface only in those areas that are arranged at a distance from the vertical axis. This can be achieved by providing the foot part standing surface and/or the foot part contact surface in the area of the vertical axis with a depression or depressions. However, it is not excluded that the foot part standing surface is supported over its entire surface area on the foot part contact surface of the rail support. If the foot part contact surface and the foot part standing surface are well flat, full surface contact (without depression or depressions) can also be achieved in this case, which would transfers a significant part of the fastening forces outside the critical area of the cylinder cross-section.

It should not be ruled out that, instead of or in addition to mechanical fastening means for fastening the guide rail to the guide rail support, the guide rail can be secured to the guide rail support in another way, e.g. by welding. Welding is only possible if the respective material pairs are accessible to welding and if the possibility of heat dissipation is available. As a rule, securing the guide rail to the rail support using adhesive or filler or a fixing mixture is easier if this adhesive or filler or fixing mixture can be applied in a liquid or pasty state. Resins such as epoxy resins or polyurethane resins can be used, for example. These types of resin can be applied as two-component adhesives that can be easily introduced into the respective securing locations in a highly liquid state and can nevertheless apply a high adhesive strength in a short time. This enables rapid movement through the treatment station. The application of the adhesive or filler or the fixing mixture can be carried out in thin layers or thicker layers. Thin layers can be used if only an adhesive function is expected, thicker layers can be used if a filling function is expected after a previous adjustment of the guide rail in relation to the rail support. For example, an adhesive or filler or a fixing mixture can be filled into a pre-formed groove of the rail support either before or after the guide rail has been lowered into the groove. The adjustment of the guide rail can in this case be carried out before the filling step. Alternatively, the adjustment can also be carried out during the curing period of the adhesive or filler or the fixing mixture if this curing period is relatively long.

It is possible to combine the fastening by means of adhesive or filler or fixing mixture with a positive engagement. In this way, it is possible for the deformation of the side surface contact surface towards the foot part side surface as described above to take place either before the introduction of the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture or after the application of the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture. If it is decided to carry out the deformation of the side surface contact surface after the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture has been introduced, it should be ensured that the deformation takes place at a time when the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture is still sufficiently liquid or pasty. In this way, it is possible to avoid breaking or damaging an adhesive or filler or fixing mixture that has already largely hardened. When selecting the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture, care should be taken to ensure that this adhesive or filler or fixing mixture does not shrink significantly, because such shrinkage could lead to a loss of the previous linear adjustment. This applies in particular if the introduction of the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture is only carried out after the side surface contact surfaces have approached the foot part side surfaces. Basically, it is possible for the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture to be introduced between the foot part standing surface and the foot part contact surface and/or between at least one foot part side surface and the associated side surface contact surface. It is possible for the retention of the previous setting to be achieved by an adhesive or filler or fixing mixture. In this case, the adjusting means used for adjustment before filling can be a temporary adjusting means that can be removed again after the adhesive or filler or fixing mixture has been introduced. Adjustment can be carried out, for example, by means of wedges or the like, and these wedges can be removed after curing. of the adhesive or filler or the fixing mixture. Alternatively, screw means can be used for adjustment. Such adjustment by screw means is described in the German publication DE-C-4 301 435. The height adjustment and side adjustment as described in the German publication can also be used in connection with the present invention.

The rail support housing or the guide housing may have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape with a bottom wall, two side walls and an open slot opposite the bottom wall. In this case, the guide rail may be attached to one of the three walls: bottom wall and side walls. Preferably, the guide rail is attached to the bottom wall which lies above the cylindrical channel.

The invention can be implemented with the short axis or with the long axis of an elliptical cross-sectional area of the cylindrical channel parallel to the vertical axis. An arrangement such that the long axis is parallel to the vertical axis leads to a high degree of stability against deformation. This also applies if a circular cross-sectional area is selected. An arrangement of the short axis parallel to the vertical axis leads to a reduced height of the guide rail unit. Such a reduced unit is desirable in many applications.

It is possible to use stiffening measures during the fastening of the guide rail to the rail support to prevent deformation of the cylindrical channel. For example, a stiffening body can be inserted into the cylindrical channel for the duration of the fastening. This stiffening body can be reduced to the respective longitudinal sections in which the fastening forces act simultaneously.

If the cylindrical channel has an elliptical cross-sectional area and if the short axis of the elliptical cross-sectional area is substantially coincident with the vertical axis, provision should be made that vertical fastening forces are applied at a distance from the vertical axis that is greater than about 15% and preferably greater than about 20% of the length of the long axis of the elliptical cross-sectional area.

In a linear guide unit according to the invention, in which the foot part of the guide rail is attached to the rail support in the manner described above, the advantages of a positive fixation of the guide rail in the recess can be combined with the advantages of an adhesive fixation. This applies in particular when the fixing mixture at least partially fills a gap between the side surface contact surface and an associated inclined foot part side surface. This makes it easier to insert the rail into the recess because a relatively loose engagement of the foot part in relation to the recess is possible. On the other hand, the lateral play is overcome by inserting the fixing mixture. Furthermore, after hardening, the fixing mixture is not only subject to shear forces, but is also subject to compression forces when the guide rail is loaded in the sense of being lifted by the rail support or tilted about a longitudinal axis in relation to the rail support.

The gap may have a gap width of about 0.5 to 2.5 mm, preferably about 1 to 2 mm.

The fixing mixture can be a conventional adhesive, in particular a multi-component adhesive based on urethane resins or epoxy resins.

The rail is preferably designed with a symmetrical profile, and this symmetrical profile is preferably also used for the rail support.

If the rail support and the guide rail are already precisely formed before they are combined, then it is most advantageous to place one of the foot part side surfaces on the associated side surface contact surface and to fill a gap between the other foot part side surface and the associated foot part contact surface with a hardenable fixing mixture. This provides sufficiently precise positioning that can be easily carried out. Furthermore, easy assembly of the guide rail and the guide rail support is achieved and finally a play-free fixation is achieved.

The at least one carriage of the linear guide unit can be guided within the guide cavity by sliding and/or rolling means. Furthermore, the piston is preferably connected to the carriage in a driving manner by at least one flexible tension element. The flexible tension element can then run from the piston through at least one fluid sealing means that is provided adjacent to an end region of the cylindrical channel. Furthermore, this flexible tension element can run from the fluid sealing means around a tension element deflection means that is provided adjacent to a respective end region of the guide housing to the carriage.

To protect the linear guide unit, the guide cavity can be completely closed using at least one flexible covering means.

In particular, sliding and/or rolling means accommodated within the guide cavity and sections of the tension element accommodated in the guide cavity can be accommodated substantially completely within the Guide cavity can be encapsulated by using flexible covering means which cover the longitudinal opening, wherein the flexible covering means are provided in addition to the flexible tension element.

The above design principle achieves the following advantages: The guide cavity in which the sliding and/or rolling means for the carriage are housed and in which at least parts of the tension element attached to the piston and the drive of the carriage are also housed is essentially completely encapsulated by the flexible covering means. These flexible covering means are at least partially exposed to dirt and dust from the environment in the region of the longitudinal opening. If dirt or dust has access to the outside of the flexible covering means, this dirt and dust is essentially only present on the outside of the covering means. A transfer of dirt and dust from the outside of the covering means is not completely excluded according to the respective detailed design; this transfer is, however, reduced to such an extent that during normal operating periods, dirt or dust contact with the sliding and/or rolling means, which could lead to damage or destruction of the sliding and/or rolling means, is avoided. In addition, the flexible traction elements that run from the carriage through the respective deflection means and the respective fluid sealing means in the cylindrical channel and towards the piston are largely encapsulated. Thus, these sections of the flexible traction elements are not exposed to a direct risk of contamination. The possibility of dirt and dust gaining access to these flexible traction elements through leakage openings is at least small. This is important: The flexible traction elements that are introduced into the cylindrical channel through the fluid sealing means are in sliding contact with the fluid sealing means provided at the end areas of the cylindrical channel. If these traction elements were exposed to dirt and dust when running outside the cylindrical channel, the Dirt or dust, for example in the form of chips or splinters, can lead to early damage or destruction of the fluid sealants.

The basic concept of this design is to provide a separate covering means for the longitudinal opening in order to avoid the concept of using the tension elements connecting the piston to the carriage for covering purposes. This design concept appears inventive in view of the situation of a person skilled in the art. For a person skilled in the art, taking into account EPA-0384032 and German publication DE-A-3 815 595, it would be much more obvious - according to DE-A-3 815 595 - to use the flexible tension element to cover the longitudinal opening of EP-A-0384032 in an attempt to improve the encapsulation of the design according to EP-A-0384032. Due to the concept of the present invention, all critical components of the linear guide unit and in particular the flexible tension elements passing through the fluid sealing means can be kept free of dust and dirt. The inventors have found that the considerable design effort resulting from separate covering means in addition to the flexible tension elements is justified.

The guide housing is, as stated above, formed with a bottom wall and two side walls and with a longitudinal opening between portions of the side walls remote from the bottom wall. Within the guide cavity, the guide rail is attached with a foot part thereof to the bottom wall and preferably within the foot part receiving recess of the bottom wall. Thus, the guide housing and the guide rail can be manufactured separately. The guide housing can, for example, be provided at low cost as an extrusion profile. This guide housing can, for example, be extruded from aluminum or another light metal. On the other hand, the guide rail, which has the essential The guide rail, which has to fulfil guiding functions, can be made of steel, for example. The guide rail is therefore insensitive to wear and can be manufactured with high precision, at least in the area of the base part and in the areas of the guideways. The outsides of the walls forming the guide housing can be provided with fixing grooves during the extrusion process. These fixing grooves can be used to fix the guide housing to a higher-level support structure or robot structure.

The linear guide units of this invention can be used for various purposes, for example for guiding machine tool components, such as tool elements. They can also be used to guide objects to be machined on machine tools. Furthermore, the linear guide units of this invention can be used to guide measuring instruments or objects to be measured in measuring and test setups. Furthermore, the guide units of this invention can be used in robots in which an embodiment of the instrument is to be moved in the longitudinal direction.

The carriage can be guided within the guide housing on at least one guide rail by a running element. This running element can be formed with a bridge section that extends across a head part of the guide rail and with two flange sections adjacent to side surfaces of the guide rail. This design leads to particularly stable guidance conditions of the running element in relation to the guide rail. "Stable" means that considerable forces and moments can be transmitted.

The mobility essentially without friction and high precision of the carriage guidance can be achieved by at least a running element is guided on the guide rail by at least one endless loop of rolling elements, which rolling elements engage with a roller track of the guide rail on the one hand and with a roller track of the running element on the other. Such a loop comprises a load-transferring roller group, a returning roller group and two curved roller groups. In addition to such a design, other guide systems are also possible.

As far as the flexible covering material is concerned, various alternatives are possible.

According to a first alternative, the flexible covering means comprise at least one movable covering strip. A covering section of this covering strip covers the at least one longitudinal opening. This covering strip is in a drive connection with the carriage in the area of the at least one longitudinal opening and is deflected by a covering strip deflection means in at least one end area of the guide housing. In particular, a return section of the at least one covering strip can extend between respective covering strip deflection means at both end areas of the guide housing. This covering strip return section can be arranged outside the guide cavity. The return section of the covering strip preferably runs through a covering strip return channel of the guide housing.

Apart from the alternative of the movable covering means just discussed, there is another alternative according to which the flexible covering means are stationary covering means which are fixed with respect to the guide housing at the end portions thereof which are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis of the guide housing. These stationary covering means can run through the carriage in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the guide housing. According to this Alternatively, the number of mechanical components included in the construction of the guide housing and the number of components attached to the end areas of the guide housing are reduced. On the other hand, the construction of the carriage becomes complicated, especially in cases where a perfect sealing effect is required. The stationary covering means can in turn be designed as a cover band. This cover band can be made of rubber, plastic material or metal. In the design with movable cover bands discussed above, the same materials can be used.

The encapsulation effect can be further improved by providing the stationary covering means with mechanical and/or magnetic adhesives near the edge zones of the stationary covering means. This design makes it possible to achieve a high encapsulation quality at the respective location where, during the movement of the carriage, the cover strip enters or leaves a connector that connects a running element to an object to be moved.

Furthermore, the encapsulation quality can be improved in that the stationary covering means run through a guide channel of the carriage, the axially remote ends of the channel lying in a plane defined by the covering position of the stationary covering means with respect to the longitudinal opening.

As regards the flexible tension elements that drive the piston to the carriage, a design with a cross-section that avoids edges as far as possible should be ensured. For example, by means of rounded edges or transitions, the wear of the tension elements and the wear of the associated fluid sealing means can be ensured to be small and an essentially constant engagement pressure along the entire circumference of the cross-section of the flexible tension elements are present.

The cylindrical channel and the piston may have a circular cross-section; however, the use of other cross-sectional designs is also possible, and in particular elliptical or oval cross-sectional designs.

The assembly of the linear guide unit can become more difficult if - apart from the flexible tension elements, which require respective deflection means at the end regions of the guide housing - separate covering means are to be provided, and in particular if movable covering means are to be used, which also have to be provided with deflection means. In order to reduce the difficulties of assembly, it is therefore further proposed that at least one deflection means, namely at least one tension element deflection means or at least one cover strip deflection means, is provided with an end encapsulation means, so that the respective deflection means can be mounted in the respective end region of the guide housing independently of the respective encapsulation means, the deflection means being mounted before the encapsulation means. The associated flexible tension means or the cover strip can then be placed on the pre-assembled deflection means, and after that only the respective encapsulation means need to be mounted. In this way, it is possible that the flexible tension element and/or the covering means are only placed after the associated deflection means have already been mounted. The respective flexible tension elements and/or covering means can be placed before the respective encapsulation means are attached. In particular, it is possible that a tension element deflection means and a cover strip deflection means are mounted independently of one another in the end region of the guide housing and then the encapsulation means are mounted.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a method of assembling a linear guide unit according to the invention, the method comprising: inserting the foot part into the recess, introducing a flexible fixing mixture of liquid to highly viscous consistency into the recess before or after inserting the foot part into the recess.

This method further includes adjusting the guide rail before or after introducing the fixing mixture and allowing the fixing mixture to harden while maintaining the adjusted state.

A preferred procedure is that first of all the guide rail is inserted with its foot part into the recess, that the guide rail is then adjusted in relation to the rail support, that the fixing mixture is then introduced into the remaining spaces within the recess, and that the fixing mixture is then allowed to harden. This sequence of steps has the advantage that no significant location of the fixing mixture has to be initiated after the introduction of the fixing mixture and that the fixing mixture can therefore have a higher viscosity. The viscosity of the fixing mixture only needs to be selected so that the remaining spaces are sufficiently filled. The principle of the defined introduction of the fixing mixture can be implemented in such a way that the fixing mixture is introduced into at least one of two gaps that are present between the respective foot part side surfaces and the respective side surface contact surfaces.

A most preferred embodiment of the method is to adjust the guide rail within the recess by placing one of its foot part side surfaces against an associated side surface contact surface and then filling a gap which is formed between the other foot part side surface and the associated Side surface contact surface remains.

In order to obtain compression forces in addition to shear forces within the hardened fixing mixture, it is proposed that the fixing mixture be introduced into a gap that exists between a side surface contact surface and a correspondingly inclined foot part side surface.

The adjustment of the guide rail can be carried out in such a way that the rail support is pressed against an adjustment ruler of an assembly bench, and the guide rail is pressed with a foot part side surface against an associated side surface contact surface of the recess. The latter pressing process can proceed along the axis of the guide rail so that this pressing effect is always present in respective longitudinal sections where the fixing mixture is to be introduced. In the case of this embodiment of the method, the adjustment means can be considered as a reusable adjustment means. However, it is also possible to adjust the guide rails by means of wedges or the like. These wedges can be removed after the fixing mixture has hardened. However, it is also possible to leave the wedges or the like in their respective places after hardening. In this case, the wedges can be considered as a disposable adjustment means.

Since the foot of the guide rail is dovetail-shaped, for example with a symmetrical dovetail profile, and since the recess has a complementary shape, it may be impossible to insert the guide rail into the recess by a movement transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide rail. Instead, it may be necessary to slide the guide rail into the recess along its axis. In this case, the use of a fixing compound is very interesting because it facilitates the sliding of the guide rail into the recess: the foot can be made smaller than the dimensions of the dovetail groove.

The introduction of the fixative into the cavity and especially into the gap should be well controlled. For example, the fixative can be introduced by applying a bead or band of liquid or pasty fixative at the exit of the gap in question, so that this band or bead can then flow into the gap.

Alternatively, it is possible to introduce the fixing mixture into the gap through at least one filling channel, whereby this filling channel extends from an inlet position outside the recess to the respective gap.

The quality of fixation by the fixative mixture can be further increased by introducing the fixative mixture under pressure. This is possible by sealing off possible leakage zones during the injection of the fixative mixture. In particular, the fixative mixture can be injected under pressure if a filling channel is used and if the longitudinally extending exit of the gap is sealed. If necessary, the axially distant ends of the gap can also be sealed.

The various novel features which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims and form a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operational advantages, and the specific objects attained by its use, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and description in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows an overall view of the linear guide unit of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section along line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section corresponding to that of Fig. 2 with a modification of the construction according to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a linear guide unit;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modified linear guide unit;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a further modified linear guide unit;

Fig. 7 a cross-sectional view of a further modified linear guide unit during assembly of the guide rail into a guide rail housing using a fixing connection and

Fig. 8 is a modification of Fig. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A guide housing 10 is shown in Fig. 1. At the end areas of the guide housing 10, end boxes 16 and 18 are attached, which preferably have the same cross-sectional profile as the guide housing 10.

In Fig. 1 and 2 you can see that the guide housing 10 has a bottom wall 20 and two side walls 22 and 24. A guide cavity 26 is enclosed by the walls 20, 22 and 24. The guide cavity 26 is open at the top in the region of an upper boundary wall, which is composed of two flanges 28 and 30 of the side walls 22 and 24. The opening has the form of a longitudinal opening 31, which extends through essentially the entire length of the guide housing 10 between the two connection boxes 16 and 18. A recess is provided in the bottom wall 20, which is open towards the guide cavity 26. The foot section of a guide rail 36 is inserted into this recess. The foot section is designated by 38. A carriage 40 is guided on the guide rail 36 along the longitudinal direction A of the guide housing 10. The carriage 40 is composed of a U-shaped lower part 42 and a table part 44, which are connected to one another by a connecting part 46. The connecting part 46 passes through the longitudinal opening 31. The three parts of the carriage 40, ie the parts 42, 44 and 46, are formed in one piece. An object can be fastened to the carriage and in particular to the table part 44. This object can be attached, for example, by means of groove engagement elements which can be inserted into grooves 48 of the table part 44. These groove engagement elements can be provided with threaded holes (not shown) for receiving fastening bolts.

The U-shaped lower part 42 of the carriage 40 is guided on the guide rail 36 through four ball loops. The ball loops are identical to each other. A ball loop consists of a supporting row of balls, a returning row of balls and two curved rows of balls at the ends of the straight rows of balls. The carriage 40 is thus guided rollingly on the guide rail 36. A pneumatic linear drive unit 56 is provided for moving the carriage 40 along the guide rail 36 in the direction of the longitudinal axis A. This pneumatic linear drive unit comprises a elliptical cylinder space 58 which extends over the entire length of the guide housing 10. The longer axis of the elliptical cross-section is parallel with respect to the bottom wall 20 so that, for a predetermined total cross-sectional area of the cylinder space, the height of the overall arrangement is relatively low. A piston 60 is accommodated in the cylinder space 58. This piston 60 is a piston without a piston rod. The piston can be provided in a conventional manner with piston rings which are accommodated in circumferential grooves of the piston in order to seal the two working chambers separately from one another, the working chambers being provided on both sides of the piston 60. In Fig. 2 only the working chamber 62 is shown. The working chambers are connected by a compressed air line system through a valve control unit to a compressed air source and to the atmosphere. The compressed air line system is represented by only one line 64. By supplying pressure fluid to the working chambers and removing pressure fluid from them, the piston can be moved to different positions along the cylinder chamber 58.

The cylinder chamber is closed at its end regions by end walls 66. One of these end walls is shown in Fig. 2 and designated 66. This end wall 66 is axially fixed by two locking rings 68. The end wall 66 can be sealed with respect to the inner peripheral surfaces of the cylinder chamber by sealing means 67. The end wall 66 is provided with a passage 70 for a flexible tension element 74, as shown in Fig. 2. The flexible tension element 74 is connected to the piston at one end closest to the left side of the piston 60 at a connection point 76. After passing through the passage 70, the flexible tension element 74 runs around a deflection roller 78 and - from the deflection roller 78 - into the guide cavity 26. The other end of the tension element 74 is fastened to a fastening point 80 on the carriage 40. An analogous tension element (not shown in Fig. 2) runs from the right side of the piston 60 to the right end of the cylinder chamber, through a passage of a further end wall provided at the right end of the cylinder chamber, around a further deflection roller and finally to a fastening section 82 at the right end of the carriage 40. The passage 70 is provided with sealing means 72.

It is readily understandable that a movement of the piston 60 resulting from different air pressure in the working chamber results in an opposite movement of the carriage 40 along the axis 1.

The deflection roller 78 is mounted on a bearing block 82. This bearing block is arranged at the left end of the guide housing 10, as can be seen from Fig. 2. This bearing block 82 is centered by engaging in the cylinder chamber 58. The deflection roller 78 is slidably mounted on the bearing block 82 by a sliding body 84. This sliding body 84 can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction by an adjusting screw 86. The tension of the tension element 74 can be adjusted by turning the adjusting screw 86. The bearing block 82 and the deflection roller 78 are encapsulated by the end box 16. The end box 16 is centered on the guide housing 10 by dowel pins 88 and is further fastened by screw bolts (not shown).

The bearing block 82 can be attached to the guide housing 10 as a separate part from the end box 16. The bearing block 82 is attached to the guide housing 10 after the piston 60 has been inserted into the cylinder chamber 58, the end wall 66 has been mounted and secured in the cylinder chamber 58 and the tension element has passed through the end wall 66. Then the tension element 74 can be placed on the deflection roller 78 and can be attached to the carriage 40 at the point 80. The same sequence of steps can be repeated on the right side of the guide housing according to Fig. 2. Finally, the end boxes 16 and 18 can be attached to the guide housing. This considerably simplifies the positioning of the tension elements 74.

The problem now arises of closing the longitudinal opening 31 in order to prevent dust and dirt from entering the guide cavity 26. To solve this problem, a stationary cover strip or a cover strip is used, as can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2 and is designated 90. This cover strip 90 is attached to both end boxes 16 and 18, as can be seen in Fig. 2, for example by fastening screws 92. The cover strip runs through a passage 94 of the carriage 40, as can be seen in Fig. 2. The cover strip 90 engages at its end zones with edge profiles of the flanges 28, 30, so that the longitudinal opening 31 - outside the carriage 40 - is tightly covered by the cover strip 90. In the longitudinal area of the carriage 40, the longitudinal opening 31 is covered by the carriage itself. At the points where the cover strip 80 comes out of the passage 94, a good covering effect is also guaranteed. This covering effect is obtained by sliding blocks 98 at both ends of the passage 94. These sliding blocks 98 lead to an engagement of the cover strip 90 with the edge profiles of the flanges 28 and 30 in close relation to the end sides of the carriage 40. Inside the carriage 40, the passage 94 has an upwardly convex section 102. Thus, the passage 94 can be made wide enough to allow the use of a cover strip 90 that completely covers the longitudinal opening 31. The convex section 102 of the passage 94 is stabilized by a sliding block 104.

It can be seen that all components of the guide means for the carriage and all components of the drive means for the carriage are encapsulated by the cover strip 90 so that they are not exposed to any dirt coming from the environment. In particular, no dirt can get into the tension elements 74. Thus, the sealing means 72 can be used for a long time.

The end boxes 16 and 18 are provided with tool access openings 106. A clamping tool can be inserted through these tool access openings 106 to the respective adjustment screw in order to clamp the tension element 74. The guide housing 10 with the cylinder space 58 and the longitudinal grooves 108 is an aluminum extruded profile. The grooves 108 are provided for the insertion of groove engagement elements so that the guide housing can be attached to a support structure in a variety of positions. It should also be noted that three side surfaces of the guide housing 10 are available for attachment to a support structure.

The carriage can also be made of light metal. It can be formed as an extruded profile. In this case it is only necessary to machine the passage 94 after extrusion. It is also possible to produce the passage 94 as an oversized passage and to obtain the final shape of the passage by inserting sliding blocks 98 and 104, which can be pre-assembled with cover plates 110.

A header (not shown) may be provided on one end of the U-shaped lower part of the carriage. This header may accommodate arcuate rows of balls. If the U-shaped lower part 42 of the carriage is made of aluminum metal, the rolling tracks for the balls may be provided on insert plates (not shown) which may be made of steel and which may be rockingly mounted on the U-shaped lower part 42 of the carriage 40. A guide rail 36 may be attached to the bottom wall 20 as follows: A counter strip (not shown) is inserted into a fastening channel of the bottom wall 20. The counter strip is made of the same material as the guide rail 36, for example steel. The guide rail 36 is then screwed to the counter bar by means of screw bolts (not shown), the screw bolts passing through a slot which extends between the guide cavity 26 and the fastening channel.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the tension element 74 can be a monofilament made of plastic material or a multi-fiber rope. The cover tape 90 can also be made of plastic material.

The cover band 90 can contain a ferromagnetic metal. For example, a plastic band is filled with ferromagnetic powder. Thus, the band can be held in cover engagement with the flanges 28 and 30 by magnetic strips (not shown). The carriage 40 can also be composed of two separately prefabricated parts, namely a U-shaped lower part 42 and a table part 44, which also integrally contains the connecting part 46. The advantage of this design is that standard guide running elements can be used as the lower parts 42.

The above-mentioned cover tape made of plastic material can be replaced by a cover tape 90 made of metal. This metal cover tape can be held in a sealing position by magnetic strips (not shown).

The embodiment of Fig. 3 differs from the embodiment of Fig. 2 in that the stationary cover belt 90 has been replaced by a movable cover belt 130f, which is moved together with the carriage 40f. This movable belt 130f comprises a cover section 142f and a return section 148f. The cover belt 130f runs at the left end of the guide housing 10f around deflection rollers 132f, which are attached to a deflection roller carrier 134f. are rotatably mounted. The deflection roller carrier 134f is manufactured separately from the bearing block 82f so that it can be mounted separately on the guide housing 10f. This leads to a further simplification of the assembly. The assembly can be carried out, for example, as follows: after mounting the bearing block 82f on the guide housing 10f and after placing the tension element 74f on the deflection roller 78f, the deflection roller carrier 134f is fastened to the guide housing 10f. The cover strip 130f is placed on this and finally the end boxes 16f and 18f are fastened to the guide housing 10f. It is thus possible to provide a separate traction means for the deflection rollers 132f, which can be activated by tensioning tools through the end boxes 16f and 18f. Furthermore, it can be seen in Fig. 8 that the return section 148f of the cover tape runs through a cover tape return channel 150f of the bottom wall 20f.

In this embodiment, it is not necessary to pass the cover strip 130f through the carriage 40f. Instead, the cover strip is attached at both ends to axially opposite end sides of the carriage 40f, as shown at 136f. Thus, the carriage 40f has a simplified shape compared to the previously described embodiments. The edges of the cover strip 130f can be guided through guide grooves 138f of the flanges 28f, 30f of the guide housing 10f. This results in a labyrinth-like sealing means.

In all designs, the cylinder chamber is closed over the circumference. In this respect, all designs differ from such linear guide units with pneumatic drive means, in which the piston is connected to the carriage through a slot in the cylinder cavity. The designs of this invention are provided with cylinder cavities closed over the circumference and with tension elements axially penetrating the end walls of the cylinder cavity.

The pneumatic drive means shown so far require a hermetic sealing of the cylinder cavities at the passages of the tension elements through the end walls of the cylinder cavity. However, it should be noted that these sealing means are not always perfect. In order to obtain exact positions of the carriage, it is therefore advisable to provide control loops: the respective position of the carriage is monitored by position sensor means. The actual position is then compared with a predetermined target position. The difference between the actual position and the target position is used as a control signal for the valve control of the pneumatic drive means.

The designs described above only show pneumatic drive means. However, it is also possible for the compressed gas to be replaced by a liquid.

The versions with the one-piece carriage have the advantage that the dimensions can be reduced as a result of avoiding connecting elements between the various carriage components.

Looking back to the designs with stationary cover strips, it should be noted that the edges of the stationary cover strips can be snapped into an edge profile of slot limiting elements. This option is less desirable when the cover strips are driven together with the table because the friction between the cover strips and the edge profiles of the longitudinal openings could become too great.

When using the term "fluid" in the description, Liquids and gases, and especially air.

In Fig. 4, the guide housing is designated 10h. This guide housing 10h is, for example, an extrusion profile made of light metal. The guide housing 10h comprises a base wall 20h and side walls 22h, 24h. The guide housing 10h is open at the top and contains a longitudinal opening 31h. The side walls 22h and 24h are provided with T-slots 108h. The guide housing 10h can be attached to a supporting structure by means of these T-slots 108h. The base wall 20h is provided with a recess 34h for positioning a guide rail 36h. The recess 34h is limited by foot part contact surfaces 37h and side surface contact surfaces 37h. The guide rail 36h has a foot part 38h with a foot part rail support edge surface 41h and foot part side surfaces 43h.

Furthermore, the guide rail 36h has a head part 45h and side surfaces 47h, each of which is provided with two guide tracks 49h for a carriage 40h. The carriage 40h is preferably guided on the guide tracks 49h by endless roller loops, and more preferably ball loops, as described and shown in EP-A-0340751. A specimen slide 51h is mounted on the carriage 40h for joint movement therewith along the guide rail 36h. This specimen slide 51h is provided with T-slots 48h through which an object can be attached to the specimen slide 51h, either directly or through a specimen table.

A cylindrical channel 58h is provided in the guide housing 10h. This cylindrical channel 58h has an elliptical cross-sectional area. A short axis k of this cross-sectional area is parallel to the vertical axis H of the guide rail 36h, and the longer axis I is transverse to the vertical axis H. The guide rail 36h is rigidly positioned in the guide housing 10h by the side surface contact surfaces 37h on the Foot part side surfaces 43h rest against each other, whereby the foot part standing surfaces 41h are simultaneously clamped against the foot part contact surfaces 35h of the guide housing 10h. The guide rail 36h is thus fixed in relation to the guide housing 10h even against movement along its longitudinal axis F. The guide housing 10h has a longitudinal axis T, and the cylindrical channel 58h has a cylinder axis Z.

In order to secure the guide rail 36h in the recess 34h, the side surface abutment surfaces 37h are formed against the foot part side surfaces 43h by impressing notches 57h into step regions 59h of the guide housing 10h, which step regions 59h laterally delimit the recess 34h. The notches 57h may extend parallel to the axis T of the guide housing 10h over the entire length of the guide housing 10h. Alternatively, the notches 57h may be represented by a series of individual notches distributed at periodic intervals along the axis T. It is now assumed that the side surface abutment surfaces 37h are substantially parallel to the vertical axis H before the guide rail 36h is mounted to the guide housing 10h. Thus, the guide rail 36h can be inserted into the recess 34h along the direction of arrow P. The side surface contact surfaces 37h are then formed against the foot part side surfaces 43h by impressing the notches 57h. It should be noted that the depth of the notches 57h essentially corresponds to the height of the side surface contact surfaces 37h along the direction of the vertical axis H: This guarantees that when the notches are impressed, the contact pressure resulting from the notching and the effect between the side surface contact surfaces 37h on the one hand and the foot part side surfaces 43h on the other hand extends almost downwards to the edges 61h. A tight fit of the guide rail 36h in the recess 34h is thus obtained. The precise transverse positioning of the guide rail 36h in relation to the guide housing 10h can be obtained in that the Transverse dimension of the rail adjacent to the foot part standing surfaces 41h corresponds precisely to the transverse dimension of the recess 34h adjacent to the foot part contact surfaces 35h. If no such precise adjustment is present, ie if the guide rail 36h has a lateral play after it has been inserted into the recess 34h, the lateral positioning of the guide rail 36h with respect to the guide housing 10h can also be obtained in that during the deformation of the side surface contact surfaces 37h in a respective longitudinal region of the total length of the guide housing 10h the guide rail 36h is adjusted with respect to the guide housing 10h by adjusting means.

The latter adjustment method is also applicable when the guide housing 10h as supplied by the manufacturer does not have a precise linear shape with respect to the side surface contact surfaces 37h, so that the side surface contact surface 37h cannot be used to adjust the guide rail 36h. It is also possible that the guide rail 36h is corrected to an absolute linearity or straightness with respect to an adjustment ruler provided in an assembly station.

In this case, a high-precision carriage can be provided which can move on the guide rail 36h, and this carriage is adjusted to a constant lateral distance with respect to the ruler. Each time the desired lateral distance is obtained, the guide rail 36h is fixed in the recess 34h. It is also possible, depending on the relative bending stiffness of the guide rail 36h and the guide housing 10h, for the guide housing 10h to be adjusted with respect to the ruler in such a way that the linearity of the guide rail is also imposed on the guide housing. If necessary, the linearity adjustment of the guide housing can be dispensed with if there is a fear that after removal of the adjustment means, the restoring force of the guide housing could lead to a non-linear deformation of the guide rail 36h. In any case, the adjustment process is selected depending on the precision of the components 10h and 36h. If the intention is to attach the guide housing 10h to a higher-level supporting structure without an expensive adjustment process, it is necessary that the pre-produced guide housing 10h and the pre-produced guide rail 36h have a correspondingly high precision, and it must also be ensured that when the guide rail 36h is attached to the guide housing 10h, deformations in the guide housing 10h are avoided. The cylindrical channel 58h accommodates a piston 60h. This piston 60h divides the cylindrical channel 58h into two working chambers which are connected to drive fluid lines. The piston 60h is connected to a flexible traction element which extends within the cylindrical channel 58h towards the ends of the channel and passes through end cover elements of the channel. Near one end of the guide housing 10h, the traction element is deflected by deflection rollers and is connected to the slide 51h. More details of such a drive system are shown, for example, in EP-A-0384032.

From Fig. 4 it can be seen that the partition wall 65h between the foot part contact surface 35h and the cross section of the cylindrical channel 58h has a minimum wall thickness in the apex region S of the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical channel. The wall thickness at this point is substantially equal to the height of the side surface contact surface 37h, measured along the vertical axis H.

It is also possible that the guide housing 10h is prefabricated with side surface contact surfaces 37h that are already inclined towards each other before the guide rail 36h is inserted. In In this case, the guide rail 36h can be inserted by pushing the guide rail in the axial direction into the recess 34h. Fastening can then be achieved by stamping grooves on both sides. In this case, these grooves can be stamped with a smaller cross-sectional area.

The design of Fig. 5 differs from the design of Fig. 4 only in that the foot part 38i is smaller in the transverse direction. In general, the design of Fig. 4 is preferred because in the design of Fig. 4 the notches 57h are located in areas of increased wall thickness, so that the risk of deformation of the cylindrical channel shape is reduced.

In both embodiments, during the stamping of the notches 57h and 57i, one stiffening element can be inserted into the channel, using a stiffening element whose cross-sectional shape is adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the channel. The risk of deformation of the cylindrical channel is then eliminated. The stiffening element is only required in the respective longitudinal section of the channel in which the notching takes place. When the notches are stamped progressively along the respective guide housing 10h and 10i, a relatively short stiffening element can be moved synchronously with a notching tool.

The design of Fig. 6 differs from the design of Fig. 5 in that the right side surface contact surface 3Bkr is provided on a fastening strip 67k, which is screwed to the guide housing 10k by means of screw bolts 69k. With this design, the guide housing 10k can be preformed so that the side surface contact surface 37kl already has the slope shown before the guide rail 36k is inserted. Thus, the Guide rail 36k can be inserted slightly in the direction of arrow P. The fastening strip 37k can then be attached using the screw bolts 69k.

Significant advantages of the invention are also achieved in this embodiment. It can be seen that the screw bolts 69k are located in an area of large wall thickness of the partition wall 65k, so that they can be tightened without risk of deformation of the cylindrical channel and operating forces can also be transmitted without risk of deformation of the partition wall 65k and the channel profile 58k, for example when the runner or carriage is subject to forces or moments.

It can be seen that the embodiments of Figs. 4 and 5 are characterized by uncomplicated components and by non-variable positioning of the guide rail with respect to the respective guide housing 10h and 10i. Due to the fact that the respective guide rails 36h and 36i only contact the respective foot part contact surfaces 35h and 35i outside the vertical axis H, and further due to the fact that the respective notches 57h and 57i are embossed at a considerable distance from the vertical axis H, vertical forces exerted to form the respective notches 57h and 57i cannot lead to deformation of the respective cylindrical channels 58h and 58i. Furthermore, the respective guide rails 36h and 36i cannot engage the apex region S of the respective partition walls 65h and 65i, and thus cannot cause deformation of the elliptical cross section when a vertical force component is transmitted to the respective guide rails 36h and 36i by bending the respective side surface contact surfaces 37h and 37i toward the respective foot part side surfaces 43h and 43i. Also, operating forces between the guide rail 36h and 36i can be transmitted to the respective guide housing 10h and 10i without any risk of deformation of the elliptical profile. The rail unit and the linear guide units equipped with it can be used, for example, in robots and machine tools to guide tools and instruments.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4 to 6, the recesses that provide support for the guide rail outside the apex area S are provided in the respective partition walls 65h to 65k and are each designated 75h to 75k. This is a preferred embodiment because the respective recesses 75h to 75k can be formed during the extrusion of the guide housing. Alternatively, it is possible for the recesses to be provided in the foot part standing surface.

An adhesive or a filler compound can also be used to attach the guide rail to the guide housing. These fastening methods can also be used when guide rails of any cross-sectional shape are to be attached to rail carriages, as described for example in EP-A-0340751. It can be used, for example, whenever the height of the overall structure is to be reduced.

In Fig. 7, analogous parts are designated with the same reference numbers as in Fig. 4, with the index h replaced by the index m. The carrier, ie the guide housing 10m, is pressed against an adjustment ruler 79m by a pressing device 77m. The guide rail 36m is pressed into the recess 34m by a further pressing device 81m, so that it is pressed with a right foot part side surface 43m to a side surface contact surface 37m of the recess 34m and by its right foot part standing surface 41m to the right foot part contact surface 35m. This gives a gap 87m on the left side of the foot part. The carriage 40m is used to transmit the pressing force because the pressing device 81m acts on the carriage 40m. In this way, an adjustment can be obtained, if necessary, over the entire length of the guide rail 36m if the carriage 40m is moved progressively and a fixing mixture is always injected at the location of the carriage. The pressing device 81m is moved so that it follows the carriage 40m. Filling channels 85m are provided in the beam 10m to fill the gap 87m. The axial distance between these channels is chosen depending on the width of the gap 87m and the viscosity of the fixing mixture in the injected state. The filling device 83m is moved together with the carriage 40m to come into alignment with the various filling channels 85m distributed along the length of the beam 10m. Thus, the fixing mixture enters the gap 87m, which is defined between the left undercut side surface contact surface 37m and the left foot part side surface 43m. The filling device 83m is connected to a fixing mixture source by a filling pipe 89m. The upper outlet of the gap 87m is closed by a sealing bead 91m so that injection under pressure can take place without significant leakage of the fixing mixture. The dosage of the fixing mixture is controlled according to the cross-sectional area of the gap 87m so that the gap 87m can be completely filled.

Fig. 8 shows another method for filling the gap. Analogous parts are designated with the same reference numbers as in Fig. 7 where the index n replaces the index m. The filling device 83n forms a bead 91n of fastening mixture at the exit of the gap 87n so that the mixture of the bead can flow directly into the gap 87n.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail have been described to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied without departing from such principles.

The reference numbers in the claims are for ease of understanding and are in no way limiting.

Claims (50)

1. Linear guide unit having a rail support shaped as an elongated guide housing, wherein the guide housing (10h) has a rail support longitudinal axis (T) and - when viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the rail support longitudinal axis (T) - contains a guide cavity (26h) and - integral therewith - a cylindrical channel (58h) closed over the circumference, wherein the guide cavity (26h) is delimited by a bottom wall (20h) and two side walls (22h, 24h) in a substantially U-shaped mutual relationship and has an open slot (31h) remote from the bottom wall (20h), wherein the cylindrical channel (58h) accommodates a piston (60h) to form a piston-cylinder unit (58h, 60h), wherein the cylindrical channel (58h) is received in the bottom wall (20h) and has an apex region (S) which is arranged substantially in the middle between the two side walls (22h, 24h), wherein the guide cavity (26h) is separated from the cylindrical channel (58h) by a partition wall (65h), wherein the partition wall (65h) has a minimum wall thickness adjacent to the apex region (S) and an increasing wall thickness to the side of the apex region (S), wherein the guide housing (10h) further comprises guide rail means (36h) which are designed to guide at least one carriage (40h) within the guide cavity (26h) along the rail support longitudinal axis (T), wherein the carriage (40h) is designed to move along the Rail support longitudinal axis (T) is in drive connection with the piston-cylinder unit (58h, 60h), characterized in that the guide rail means (36h) - within the guide cavity (26h) - have a guide rail (36h) which is manufactured separately from the guide housing (10h) and viewed in cross section - has a vertical axis (H) which extends essentially through the apex region (S), a foot part (38h), a head part (45h) and lateral guide regions (47h) on both sides of the vertical axis (H), wherein the foot part (38h) is arranged on the side of the partition wall (65h) remote from the cylindrical channel (58h), wherein the foot part (38h) has a fastening profile with an overall dovetail-shaped cross-sectional area which engages in a complementary recess in the partition wall (65h), so that at least vertical forces resulting from operating loads on the guide rail (36h) and/or loads occurring when fastening the guide rail (36h) to the partition wall (65h) are concentrated at a distance from the apex region (S) in thickened regions of the partition wall (65h). 2. Linear guide unit according to claim 1 characterized in that the foot part (38h) has at least one foot part side surface (43h) which rests on a side surface contact surface (37h) of the rail support (10h). 3. Linear guide unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the side surface contact surface (37h) serves as an alignment adjustment surface. 4. Linear guide unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the height dimension of fastening means (37h, 43h) for fastening the foot part (38h) to the rail support (10h) is limited to a height range corresponding to the height of the at least one side surface contact surface (37h) in the direction of the vertical axis (H). 5. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that a contact between the at least one foot part side surface (43h) and an associated side surface contact surface (37h) is produced by plastic deformation of the material of the rail support (10h) in a step region (59h) of the rail support (10h), wherein the step region (59h) is delimited by the side surface contact surface (37h). 6. Linear guide unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the plastic deformation of the material of the rail support is the result of an impression of a notch (57h) near the side surface contact surface (37h), wherein the notch (57h) is substantially stable without the introduction of fillers. 7. Linear guide unit according to claim 6, characterized in that the notch (57h) is substantially V-shaped. 8. Linear guide unit according to claim 7, characterized in that the V-shaped notch (57h) has a first flank which is further away from the vertical axis (H) and is substantially parallel to the vertical axis (H), and a further flank which is closer to the vertical axis (H) and is substantially parallel to the side surface contact surface (37h). 9. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the notch (57h) has a notch depth which is substantially the same height as the side surface contact surface (37h) in the direction of the vertical axis (H) or greater. 10. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a first of two side surface contact surfaces (37h) that contact respective foot part side surfaces (43h) has a shape and a position that substantially corresponds to the shape and position as obtained during manufacture of the rail support (10h), and that a second of the side surface contact surfaces (37h) has been applied to the respective foot part side surface (37h) by deformation of the rail support (10h) as obtained from a manufacturing process. 11. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that each of two side surface contact surfaces (37h) of the recess is formed by deformation of the rail support towards a respective foot part side surface (43h). 12. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 5 to 11, characterized in that the plastic deformation is the result of a continuous deformation path (57h). 13. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 5 to 11, characterized in that the plastic deformation is the result of individual deformation points which are arranged at a distance in the longitudinal direction of the rail support axis (T). 14. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 2 to 13, characterized in that the wall thickness of the partition wall (65h) - in the region of the vertical axis (H) - approximately corresponds to the height of the at least one side surface contact surface (37h) along the direction of the vertical axis (H). 15. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the foot part (38h) rests on at least one foot part contact surface (35h) only outside the vertical axis (H) through at least one foot part standing surface (41h). 16. Linear guide unit according to claim 15, characterized in that the foot part standing surface (41h) and/or the foot part contact surface (35h) is provided with a respective recess (75h) in the region of the vertical axis (H). 17. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that fastening means for fastening the foot part (38h) to the rail support comprise a hardened adhesive or filler or a fixing mixture which has been introduced in the liquid or viscous state. 18. Linear guide unit according to claim 17, characterized in that the adhesive or filler or the fixing mixture is provided between the at least one foot part standing surface (41h) and the at least one foot part contact surface (35h) and/or between the at least one foot part side surface (43h) and an associated side surface contact surface (37h). 19. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the guide housing (10h) has a Has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape with a bottom wall (20h), two side walls (22h, 24h) and an open slot remote from the bottom wall, wherein the guide rail (36h) is arranged on one of the three walls: bottom wall (20h) and side walls (22h, 24h), wherein the guide rail (36h) is preferably attached to the bottom wall (20h). 20. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the cylindrical channel (58h) has an elliptical cross-sectional area. 21. Linear guide unit according to claim 20, characterized in that a shorter axis (k) of the elliptical cross-sectional area is parallel to the vertical axis (H). 22. Linear guide unit according to claim 20, characterized in that a longer axis of the elliptical cross-sectional area is parallel to the vertical axis. 23. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the cylindrical channel (58h) has an elliptical cross-sectional area, wherein a short axis of the elliptical cross-sectional area is substantially parallel to the vertical axis, wherein the transmission of vertical forces is concentrated substantially outwardly at a distance from the vertical axis (H), wherein the distance is greater than about 15% and preferably greater than about 20% of the length of the longest axis (I) of the elliptical cross-sectional area. 24. Linear guide unit according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the fixing mixture has a gap (87m) between a side surface contact surface (37m) and an associated foot part side surface (43m) at least partially fills. 25. Linear guide unit according to claim 24, characterized in that the gap (87m) has a gap width of about 0.5 mm to about 2.5 mm and preferably about 1 mm to about 2 mm. 26. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 24 to 25, characterized in that the fixing mixture is a conventional adhesive, preferably a multi-component adhesive based on polyurethane resin or epoxy resin. 27. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that a first side surface contact surface (37m) rests on a respective foot part side surface (37m) in order to hereby orient the guide rail (36m), and further characterized in that the gap (87m) is present between the second side surface contact surface (37m) and the respective other foot part side surface (43m). 28. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that at least one carriage (40) is guided within the guide cavity (26) by sliding and/or rolling means (50). 29. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the piston (60) is in driving connection with the carriage (40) by at least one tension element (74), wherein the tension element (74) is connected to the piston (60) and leaves the cylindrical channel (58) through at least one fluid sealing means which in an end region of the cylindrical channel (58), wherein the tension element rests on at least one tension element deflection means (78) after passing through the fluid sealing means (72) and runs from the tension element deflection means (78) to the carriage (40). 30. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 29, characterized in that the guide cavity (26) is essentially completely closed using at least one flexible covering means (90). 31. Linear guide unit according to claim 30, characterized in that the sliding and/or rolling means (50) and parts of the tension element (74) running within the guide cavity (26) are essentially completely encapsulated within the guide cavity (26) using at least one flexible covering means (90) which is provided in addition to the at least one flexible tension element (74). 32. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 31, characterized in that the carriage (40) is guided on the at least one guide rail (36) by at least one running element (42), wherein the running element (42) has a bridge part which extends transversely over a head part of the guide rail (36), wherein the head part is remote from the foot part, and further has two flange sections adjacent respective side surfaces of the guide rail (36). 33. Linear guide unit according to claim 32, characterized in that the at least one running element (42) is guided on the guide rail (36) by at least one endless rolling element loop (50) which has a load-transmitting Rolling element row (52) in simultaneous engagement with a rolling track of the guide rail (36) and a rolling track of the running element (42) and which further comprises a returning rolling element row (54) and an arcuate rolling element row at both ends of the load-transmitting rolling element row (52) and the returning rolling element row (54). 34. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 30 to 33, characterized in that the flexible covering means has at least one movable covering band (130f), wherein the covering band (130f) has a covering part (142f) which covers the at least one longitudinal opening (31f) essentially completely, wherein the at least one movable covering band (130f) is in a drive connection with the carriage (40f) in the region of the at least one longitudinal opening (31f) and is deflected by at least one covering band deflection means (132f) in at least one end region (16f) of the guide housing (10f). 35. Linear guide unit according to one of claims 30 to 33, characterized in that the flexible covering means (90) is a stationary covering means which is fastened with respect to the guide housing (10) to respective end parts (12, 14) of the guide housing (10) arranged at a distance along the longitudinal axis (A), and in that the flexible covering means (90) extends substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis (A) through the carriage (40). 36. Linear guide unit according to claim 35, characterized in that the stationary covering means (90) comprise at least one stationary covering strip (90). 37. Method for assembling a linear guide unit as described in any one of claims 17, 18 and 24 to 27, the method comprising: inserting the foot part (38m) into the recess (34m), introducing a flowable fixing mixture of liquid to highly viscous consistency into the recess (34m) before or after inserting the foot part (38m) into the recess (34m), adjusting the guide rail (36m) within the recess (34m) before or after introducing the fixing mixture and allowing the fixing mixture to harden while maintaining the setting state. 38. Method according to claim 37, characterized in that as a first step the guide rail (36m) is inserted through its foot part (38m) into the recess (34m), that the guide rail (36m) is then oriented with respect to the rail support (10m), and that the fixing mixture is then introduced into the remaining spaces within the recess (34m) and that the fixing mixture is then allowed to harden. 39. Method according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that the fixing mixture is introduced into at least one of two gaps (87m) which are present between the respective side surface contact surfaces (37m) and the respective foot part side surfaces (43m). 40. Method according to claim 39, characterized in that the guide rail (36m) is adjusted in the recess (34m), that one of two foot part side surfaces (43m) is brought into contact with an associated side surface contact surface (37m), and that a fixing mixture is introduced into a gap which is formed between a respective other foot part side surface (43m) and the respective other side surface contact surface (37m), wherein the gap is at least partially filled and then allowed to harden. 41. Method according to claim 40, characterized in that the fixing mixture is introduced into a gap (87m) which is present between a side surface contact surface (37m) and a foot part side surface (43m) entering under the side surface contact surface (37m). 42. Method according to one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that the adjustment of the guide rail (36m) is carried out using reusable adjustment means (77m, 79m, 81m, 40m) or using disposable adjustment means. 43. Method according to one of claims 37 to 42, characterized in that the guide rail (36m) is inserted into the recess (34m) in the direction of its longitudinal axis. 44. Method according to one of claims 39 to 43, characterized in that the fixing mixture is introduced into the gap (87n) through an outlet opening of the gap (87n) extending in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal axis (A). 45. Method according to claim 44, characterized in that the fixing mixture is applied to the outside of the outlet opening of the gap (87n) as a band or bead (91n) and that this band or bead is allowed to flow into the gap. 46. Method according to one of claims 39 to 43, characterized in that the fixing mixture is filled into the gap (87m) through at least one filling channel (85m), wherein the filling channel (85m) extends from a filling position outside the recess (34m) of the rail support (10m) to a respective gap (87m). 47. Method according to claim 46, characterized in that the injection of the fixing mixture is carried out under a higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure acting on the fixing mixture. 48. Method according to claim 47, characterized in that during the injection of the fixing mixture into the gap (87m) the gap is sealed against unintentional leakage of the fixing mixture. 49. Method for producing a linear guide unit according to one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the cylindrical channel (58h) is stiffened while the guide rail (36h) is attached to the rail support (10h). 50. Method according to claim 49, characterized in that during the fastening of the guide rail (36h) to the rail support (10h) a stiffening body is provided within the cylindrical channel (58h), the stiffening body being adapted in the cross-sectional area to the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical channel (58h), the stiffening element extending at least along a corresponding longitudinal section in which the material of the rail support (10h) is fastening process is affected.