Sliding bearing arrangement with locking function

Description

1 / 14 SLIDING BEARING ARRANGEMENT WITH LOCKING FUNCTION

[001] The present invention relates to a sliding bearing arrangement comprising a rail and a linearly movable guided sliding carriage on the rail, wherein the rail has a rail body extending in a longitudinal direction, in which at least two guide sections extending in the longitudinal direction and parallel to each other at a distance from each other are provided and the sliding carriage has at least two passages to receive a guide section each, wherein the passages have a cross-section complementary to the guide sections and the passages are designed as sliding channels extending in the longitudinal direction.

[002] Such sliding bearing arrangements are used, in particular, where repeated linear displacement of components and assemblies between different positions is required. Such displacement can be carried out, for example, by mechanical drives, but also manually.

[003] It is known from document De WO 2022 / 218877 Al, for example, a sliding bearing arrangement of the type mentioned above is known.

[004] This sliding bearing arrangement comprises sliding elements made of a sliding plastic mounted on the rail guides. The track is constructed in several parts. The bearing elements are fixed to the corners of the rail body by means of screws, which fit around the guide sections of the rail with cylindrical guides. Sliding elements made of a sliding plastic are inserted into the cylindrical guides of the bearing elements. In the known sliding bearing arrangement, a first bearing element is assigned to the first guide section, where the sliding carriage has a locking section that is provided with a bearing in which the shaft Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, p. 7 / 44 A 2 / 14 articulation of a linkage lever is mounted. The linkage lever can be arranged in a first and a second position, wherein the linkage lever can be rotated from the first position to the second position with a joint movement of at least 45° around the articulation axis. The linkage lever has a short section on one side of the articulation axis forming the locking section and a long section on the other side of the articulation axis forming the actuation section. In this way, the sliding carriage can be locked or released at any point along the rail with a simple longitudinal hand movement, without the support surfaces being subjected to additional forces or the need for additional components.

[005] However, attaching the sliding carriage to the rail requires manual user intervention. The sliding carriage must be locked and released manually. Automated adjustment using a mechanical drive is difficult to implement for the known solution.

[006] The present invention is based on the objective of providing a sliding bearing arrangement of the type mentioned at the beginning, which eliminates at least partially at least one disadvantage of known sliding bearing arrangements.

[007] As a solution to the problem underlying the invention, the invention proposes a sliding bearing arrangement with the characteristics of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the characteristics of the dependent claims.

[008] One aspect of the invention relates to a sliding bearing arrangement comprising a rail and at least one sliding carriage movable on the rail, wherein the rail has a rail body extending in a longitudinal direction, in which at least two guide sections extending in the longitudinal direction and parallel to each other at a distance from each other are provided. The carriage Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, p. 8 / 44 A 3 / 14 sliding carriage has at least two passages to receive one of the guide sections assigned to it. The respective passage has a cross-section complementary to the guide section assigned to it. In a normal operating state of the sliding bearing arrangement, each of the guide sections is disposed in the passage or sliding channel assigned to it and is closed by it, so that the position of the sliding carriage relative to the rail is fixed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, while the carriage is slidingly movable in the longitudinal direction relative to the rail. Preferably, the guide sections are formed identically and each of the passages is complementary to each of the guide sections. The passages are formed as sliding channels that extend in the longitudinal direction, and the sliding channels preferably have plastic sliding surfaces.The sliding surfaces are therefore formed by a component of the sliding carriage made of plastic, in particular by the sliding carriage as a whole, in an embodiment where the sliding carriage is made entirely of plastic. Preferably, the plastic is tribologically optimized, i.e., formed as a tribopolymer, as explained in more detail below. The sliding bearing arrangement is characterized, in particular, by the fact that the rail and the sliding carriage comprise means for releasable locking of the sliding carriage in a discrete number of rail holding positions.

[009] The means for locking the sliding carriage in a releasable manner relative to the rail are preferably designed in such a way that both locking and release are possible by overcoming a predetermined resistance in the intended direction of movement of the sliding carriage, i.e., in the longitudinal direction. This makes it possible, in particular, to move the sliding carriage between defined discrete holding positions on the rail by means of a mechanical drive, Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 9 / 44 4 / 14 without the need for manual user intervention. As both the sliding carriage and the rail are designed to lock into an excellent rail retention position, the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention can be individually designed for a wide variety of applications.

[0010] A discrete number of stopping positions within the meaning of the invention shall be understood as a finite and countable number of distinct positions that can be determined by a corresponding rail design.

[0011] Preferably, at least one ball retainer is provided as a locking means.

[0012] The rail is preferably designed so that the rail guide sections are connected to the rail body by means of a connecting region and are preferably cylindrical over a partial circumference and that the sliding channels have a cylindrical cross-section complementary to the guide sections, so that the sliding channels can span the guide sections.

[0013] The rail can be designed, for example, as an extruded aluminum profile. The carriage can be formed at least partially from a plastic material.

[0014] In a particularly preferred variant of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention, the holding position is provided to be formed by a plurality of locking recesses spaced from each other in the longitudinal X direction, preferably designed as locking recesses, which cooperate with at least one spring-loaded locking ball of a locking pin provided in the carriage, which can be displaced perpendicularly to the longitudinal X direction in a Y direction, in the holding position. Preferably, the guide sections are spaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, p. 10 / 44 5 / 14 longitudinal and in the Y direction. The locking ball can be held in an extended position within a hollow hole of the locking pin by means of a compression spring. The sliding carriage is preferably locked in a specific holding position relative to the rail when the locking ball is disposed in exactly one of the locking recesses or depressions assigned to that specific holding position. The locking ball can be designed, for example, as a rounded portion of the locking pin or as a separate component, spherical or in the form of a spherical segment, wherein the locking ball is disposed in each holding position in one of the locking recesses with a rounded portion. In one embodiment, the locking ball is designed as a geometric sphere.

[0015] A plurality of locking pins may be provided on the sliding carriage. Preferably, at least one locking pin is arranged on the carriage or on the body of the sliding carriage in such a way that it is disposed between the sliding channels that extend parallel to the rail body and cooperates with locking recesses in the connection region of the rail body, which may be arranged, in particular, on the side facing the sliding carriage.

[0016] Particularly preferably, the sliding carriage and the rail are designed to match each other in such a way that the locking pin is in any position of the carriage outside of any holding position outside of locking with the rail and at a predetermined distance from the rail body. In all positions of the sliding carriage where it is not in one of the holding positions and is therefore not locked to the rail by means of the locking pin, the locking pin is spaced from the rail and is therefore not locking with it, so that the locking pin does not rest on the rail when the sliding carriage is moved in the direction Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 11 / 44 6 / 14 longitudinal tion between two adjacent retaining positions and therefore does not come into contact with it. This arrangement is particularly advantageous as the friction and wear caused by the locking pin are reduced to a minimum. In this context, out of engagement means that the locking pin or the locking ball disposed on it does not touch the rail or the rail body, so that the sliding carriage can slide relatively easily on the rail.

[0017] The locking pin may, for example, be provided with a locking thread at its distal end which fits into a corresponding threaded hole in the sliding carriage body. The distance from the tip of the locking pin is preferably adjustable and may be fixed, for example, by means of a stop, in particular a locking nut, which is supported against the sliding carriage body.

[0018] If the sliding carriage body is made of plastic, the thread for receiving the locking pin may be provided as a metal insert in the sliding carriage body.

[0019] In one embodiment, the locking recesses or locking cavities formed in the rail body are formed by locking elements inserted into the rail body. Preferably, the locking elements project from the rail body, being positioned on the side of the rail body that, in the operational state, faces the sliding carriage. The protrusion of the locking elements can ensure, in a particularly advantageous way, that the locking pin comes into contact with the rail only at the height of the locking elements. Preferably, the locking recesses or cavities project beyond the rail body, so that they are formed by an exposed front face of the locking elements. It is convenient that the locking elements inserted into the rail body are made of a sliding plastic. In this case, Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 12 / 44 7 / 14 refers to a polymeric material with a low coefficient of friction with the surface of the guide section. Suitable plastics are, in particular, thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetal, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and thermosetting phenolic resins. To further reduce friction, these plastics may contain lubricants, especially fine-particle solid lubricants such as polymeric solid lubricants, waxes, molybdenum disulfide, or graphite. These lubricant-containing polymers are also called tribopolymers or tribologically optimized sliding plastics.

[0020] The locking cavities can each be designed as spherical cap-shaped locking recesses.

[0021] The locking pin conveniently comprises a pin tip with a locking ball, preferably spring-loaded, inserted in the front face, which interacts with locking recesses or locking channels designed as a ball trap.

[0022] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement, the locking elements are provided to be formed as plastic plugs that can be inserted into holes in the rail body. In a particularly preferred manner, the plastic plugs consist at least partially of a sliding plastic, in particular, a tribopolymer. The plastic plugs may, for example, have a cylindrical or barrel-shaped base body with a mushroom-shaped head, wherein the base body is designed to be pressed into the holes in the rail body.

[0023] The locking elements conveniently comprise a head projecting from the connection area of ​​the rail body, which has at least one chamfered guide surface, in part Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 13 / 44 8 / 14 rounded cular, for the locking ball. When the sliding carriage is moved as intended relative to the rail to reach a stop position, the locking ball slides along the chamfered guide surface until it reaches the locking recess, so that the stop position is reached when the locking recess is reached. The locking ball is forced to move along the y direction explained above by the chamfer of the guide surface when the sliding carriage is moved relative to the rail to reach the stop position.

[0024] Particularly preferably, the body of the sliding car is formed entirely of a plastic, preferably a thermoplastic, wherein at least the sliding surfaces are formed of a tribologically optimized thermoplastic, preferably a tribopolymer.

[0025] The sliding car can be manufactured, for example, by two-component plastic injection molding, where only the sliding surfaces can be made of a tribopolymer, while other parts of the sliding car body can be made, for example, of a fiber-reinforced plastic, which ensures a corresponding strength of the sliding car body.

[0026] The invention is explained below with reference to an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Where: Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a first perspective view of the carriage of an embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a perspective view of an embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 14 / 44 9 / 14 second perspective view of the sliding carriage of an embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention, viewed from below; Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a second perspective view of the sliding carriage of an embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention with pressure elements inserted therein; Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view through the sliding carriage and track shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section in perspective through the embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention; Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of a perspective view through the locking element; Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of a cross-section through the sliding bearing arrangement in the locking pin area.

[0028] First, reference is made to Figures 1 to 3, which show a relatively simple first embodiment or stage of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention.

[0029] The sliding bearing arrangement comprises a sliding carriage 100, which is linearly guided on a rail 200 (Figure 2). The sliding carriage 100 comprises a sliding carriage body 110, which is essentially formed as a single body made of a thermoplastic material. It comprises two passages 101 which are approximately circular cylindrical in cross-section and which span cylindrical guide sections 202 of the rail 200. The guide sections 202 are only partially cylindrical, as they are formed by extending laterally in a longitudinal direction X in a region Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 15 / 44 10 / 14 connection 203 of a rail body 201. The rail 200 is constructed as an extruded aluminum profile. The passages 101 have a circular-cylindrical cross-section corresponding to the guide sections 202.

[0030] The sliding carriage 100 is supplied as a fully plastic sliding carriage, optionally with threaded inserts or, as in the embodiment illustrated, with insert nuts 113 for securing threaded screws of a fastening part not shown.

[0031] As can be seen in particular in the bottom view of Figure 3, the passages 101 extending parallel through the sliding carriage 100 each comprise first and second sliding sections 104, 105 with first and second sliding surfaces 102, 103. The sliding surfaces 102, 103 each enclose a clear cross-section of the respective sliding channel, wherein the first sliding surfaces 102 of the first sliding section 104 form a cylindrical outer surface enclosing the relevant guide section 202 about a larger angular circumference than the second sliding surfaces 103 of the second sliding section 105.

[0032] The first and second sliding sections 104, 105 are arranged each directly adjacent to each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis, where the second sliding sections 105 are penetrated by window-like openings 106 of the sliding carriage body 110 accessible from below, into which additional sliding elements and / or pressure elements 107 can be inserted, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0033] In the simplest case, the sliding carriage 100 according to Figure 3 can be used together with the rail 200 as a sliding bearing arrangement or as a linear guide without further ado.

[0034] For fine-tuning and bearing clearance minimization purposes, the Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, p. 16 / 44 11 / 14 sliding carriage 100 can be completed by means of pressure elements 107, as shown in the exemplary embodiment in Figures 4 and 5. In this variant of the sliding bearing arrangement, two pressure elements 107 are inserted into the passages 101 or sliding channels, which, as shown in Figure 5, are pre-tensioned with a partially cylindrical contact surface 108 under spring preload by means of a compression spring 109 against the guide sections 202 of the rail 200. The pressure elements 107, which are conveniently made of a tribopolymer, are each radially displaceable with respect to a longitudinal central axis of the sliding channels.

[0035] As can be seen in Figure 5, the pressure elements 107 each comprise extensions that form grooves 114 extending in the longitudinal X direction within the openings 106 with a U-shaped or rectangular cross-section, into which extend bars 115 formed complementarily from the body of the sliding carriage 110. In addition, each of the pressure elements 107 comprises retaining pins 116, on which a compression spring 109, in the form of a metallic helical spring, is mounted. In the installed position of the pressure elements 107, the compression spring 109 is supported, on one side, against the pressure elements 107 and, on the other, against chamfered surfaces within the openings 106 of the body of the sliding carriage 110. When the sliding carriage 100 engages with the guide sections 202 of the rail 200, the pressure elements 107 are captively arranged on the sliding carriage 100.In the removed state, the pressure elements 107 can be easily lifted by appropriate displacement.

[0036] Figures 6 to 8 show an additional finishing step of the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention. As can be seen, in particular, in the longitudinal section which is Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 17 / 44 12 / 14 extends along the longitudinal X-axis through the sliding bearing arrangement according to Figure 6. In the connection area 203 of the rail 200, several holes 204 are provided, spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction, into which plug-shaped locking elements 3, made of thermoplastic material, are pressed. The locking elements 300 each comprise an approximately cylindrical base body with a plurality of convex retaining ribs 302, which give the base body an approximately barrel-shaped configuration, so that the locking elements 300 can be captively and pre-tensionedly pressed into the holes 204. In addition, the locking elements 300 have an approximately mushroom-shaped head 303, which forms a spherical guide surface.On the axis of symmetry of the locking elements 300, a locking recess 301 is formed in the shape of a spherical cap, which, in the installed position of the locking elements 300 in Figure 6, points upwards, that is, it is open in the direction of the sliding carriage 100.

[0037] In this extension module of the sliding bearing arrangement, the sliding carriage further comprises a locking pin 111, which is screwed into a height-adjustable threaded hole 117 of the sliding carriage body 110 and secured by a locking nut 118. The locking ball 112 is spring-loaded inside the locking pin 111 or inside the tip of the locking pin 11. The compression spring provided for this purpose is not shown in the drawings for simplification purposes. The locking pin 111 is screwed into the sliding carriage body 110 in such a way that, between the retention positions defined by the locking elements 300, it neither engages nor comes into contact with the connection area 203 of the rail 200. With a corresponding displacement of the rail in the longitudinal direction X, the locking ball 112 slides on the spherical head. Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 18 / 44 13 / 14 of the locking element 300 is deflected in the Y direction, i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal X axis. The locking ball then fits into the locking recess 301, relieving the pressure on the compression spring, so that the sliding carriage 100 is fixed in the corresponding position. The sliding carriage 100 can be unlocked again from this position by applying a moderate force in the X direction.

[0038] Sliding bearing arrangement with locking function List of Reference Numerals 100 Sliding Car 101 Passages 102 First sliding surface 103 Second sliding surface 104 First sliding section 105 Second sliding section 106 Opening 107 Pressure element 108 Contact surface 109 Compression spring 110 Sliding body 111 Locking pin 112 Locking sphere 113 Insertion nuts 114 Grooves 115 Bars 116 Retaining pin 117 Threaded hole 118 Safety nut 200 Rail Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 19 / 44 14 / 14 201 Rail body 202 Guide Sections 203 Connection area 204 holes 300 Locking Elements 301 Retention recess 302 Retaining ribs 303 Headstall Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 20 / 44

Claims

1 / 3 CLAIMS 1. Sliding bearing arrangement comprising a rail (200) and at least one sliding carriage (100) movably guided on the rail (200), wherein the rail (200) has a rail body (201) extending in a longitudinal direction, in which at least two guide sections (202) are provided extending in the longitudinal direction (X) and parallel at a distance from each other, the sliding carriage (100) has at least two passages (101), which are designed to receive a respective guide section (202) assigned to them and have a cross-section complementary to the respective guide section (202) assigned to them, and at least partially encompass the guide sections (202) in an operational state of the sliding bearing arrangement, wherein the passages (101) are designed as sliding channels extending in the longitudinal direction (X),wherein the rail (200) and the sliding carriage (100) comprise means for locking the sliding carriage (100) in a releasable manner in a discrete number of rail (200) retention positions, wherein the locking means are designed such that both locking and release are possible by overcoming a predetermined resistance in the intended direction of movement of the sliding carriage (100), characterized in that at least one ball retention is provided as a locking means, that the retention positions are formed by a plurality of locking cavities spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction (X), preferably designed as locking cavities (301), which cooperate in the retention positions with at least one locking ball (112) subjected to spring pressure. Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025.pg 31 / 44 2 / 3 of a locking pin (111) provided on the sliding carriage (100) which can be moved perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction (X), and that the locking pin (111) is located in any position on the sliding carriage (100) outside any retaining position outside the engagement with the rail (200) and at a predetermined distance from the rail body (201)., 2. Sliding bearing arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide sections (202) are connected to the rail body (201) by means of a connecting region (203) and are preferably cylindrical in a partial circumference and that the sliding channels have a cylindrical cross-section complementary to the guide sections (202).

3. Sliding bearing arrangement, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the retaining positions are formed by locking cavities that are provided in the connection region (203) of the rail body (201).

4. Sliding bearing arrangement, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the locking cavities are formed by locking elements (300) inserted into the rail body (201), wherein, in particular, the locking cavities are provided each on an exposed front face of the locking elements (300), wherein, in particular, the locking elements (300) are made of a sliding plastic, in particular tribopolymer.

5. Sliding bearing arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the locking cavities are each designed as a spherical cap-shaped locking recess (301).

6. Sliding bearing arrangement, according to which Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, page 32 / 44 3 / 3 wants one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the locking pin (111) has a pin tip with a locking ball (112) formed on the front face, in particular inserted, which interacts with the locking cavities formed as a ball trap.

7. Sliding bearing arrangement, according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the locking elements (300) are designed as plastic plugs that can be inserted into holes (203) of the rail body (201), the plugs in particular consisting at least partially of a tribopolymer.

8. Sliding bearing arrangement, according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the locking elements (300) have respectively a head (302) projecting from the connection region (203) of the rail body (201), said head having at least one chamfered guide surface, in particular rounded, for the locking ball (112).

9. Sliding bearing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the sliding body (110) is preferably made entirely of a plastic, preferably a thermoplastic, and that at least the sliding surfaces (102, 103) are made of a tribologically optimized thermoplastic material, preferably a tribopolymer. Petition 870250088629, dated 09 / 30 / 2025, pp. 33 / 44

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