SLIDE FOR A LINEAR GUIDE SYSTEM AND LINEAR GUIDE SYSTEM WITH SUCH A SLIDE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a carriage for a linear guide system, wherein the linear guide system comprises a rail element with two mutually facing running surfaces and the carriage which is movable relative to the rail element in and against an extension direction, wherein the carriage has a base body, a first pair of support elements in the form of sliders and at least one first support spring element, wherein each of the sliders from the first pair of support elements is mounted on the base body so as to be movable in a vertical direction perpendicular to the extension direction, such that each of the sliders can be brought into frictional engagement with one of the running surfaces, and wherein the at least one first support spring element is mounted on the base body in such a way that the at least one first support spring element pretensions the sliders of the first pair of support elements away from one another in the vertical direction.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a linear guide system having such a carriage and a rail element, wherein the rail element has two running surfaces facing each other, wherein the carriage and the rail element are linearly displaceable relative to each other in and against the extension direction, wherein each of the sliders of the first pair of support elements is in frictional engagement with one of the running surfaces.

[0003] Linear guide systems with a carriage and a rail element, with rolling elements fixed to the carriage between the carriage and the running surfaces of the rail element, are known from the prior art. They are used in various household appliances, but also in automotive engineering and many other applications. To enable the carriage to move relative to the rail element with as little friction as possible, rolling elements are arranged between the rail element and the carriage. During a relative movement of the carriage and the rail element, the rolling elements roll on the surface of the running surfaces of the rail element or perform a sliding movement relative to the surface of the running surfaces. The resulting rolling and / or sliding friction is lower than direct sliding friction between the carriage and the rail element.However, in such a linear guide system design, it is difficult to precisely adjust the force required to move the carriage relative to the rail element. Furthermore, the position of the carriage relative to the rail element cannot be precisely defined by the rolling elements.

[0004] Therefore, WO 2021 / 209301 A1 discloses a modified carriage for a linear guide system of the type mentioned above as well as a linear guide system with such a carriage and a rail element.

[0005] In contrast, the present invention is based on the object of providing a carriage for a linear guide system which has a reduced play relative to the rail element.

[0006] To achieve this object, a carriage for a linear guide system according to independent claim 1 of the present application is proposed. For this purpose, the carriage for a linear guide system of the type mentioned at the outset additionally has a second pair of support elements and at least one second support spring element, wherein the second pair of support elements is arranged at a distance from the first pair of support elements in the extension direction, wherein each of the support elements from the second pair of support elements is mounted on the base body so as to be movable in the vertical direction, such that each of the support elements can be brought into engagement with one of the running surfaces, and wherein the at least one second support spring element is mounted on the base body in such a way that the at least one second support spring element pretensions the support elements of the second pair of support elements away from one another in the vertical direction.

[0007] The present invention relates first of all to such a carriage for a linear guide system independent of the rail element required for the linear guide system.

[0008] It has been found that linear guide systems with carriages that have only a single, first pair of support elements that are preloaded onto the running surfaces of the rail element, and for example a plurality of rolling elements that are rotatably mounted relative to the base body and roll on the running surfaces of the rail element, have a comparatively large vertical play relative to the rail element. For the purposes of the present invention, vertical play is understood to mean play of the base body relative to the rail element, specifically in a vertical direction of the rail element, i.e. perpendicular to the extension direction and essentially parallel to the back of the rail of the rail element. When corresponding forces or moments are introduced, vertical play leads to a movement of the carriage relative to the rail element. Such vertical play has acoustic and haptic disadvantages for the user of such a linear guide system.

[0009] The second pair of support elements on the carriage according to the invention serves to compensate for play along the vertical direction and, if necessary, as a torque support for absorbing torques that act on the carriage and rotate it about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the back of the rail.

[0010] Sliders, which form the support elements of the first pair of support elements and optionally at least the support elements of the second pair of support elements or the support elements of the third pair of support elements, are components that, due to their geometric design and / or their mounting or attachment to the base body, can only slide on the running surfaces but cannot roll. An example of such a slider is a component with a cylindrical surface, wherein the cylinder axis is essentially aligned in the extension direction of the carriage. It is understood that such a component can slide on the respective running surface but cannot roll on it.

[0011] In one embodiment of the invention, at least the two sliders of the first pair of support elements and the first support spring element, or the two support elements of the second pair of support elements and the second support spring element, or the two support elements of the third pair of support elements and the third support spring element each form a functional unit, since exactly one first support spring element, or exactly one second support spring element, or exactly one third support spring element preloads the two sliders or support elements of a pair away from each other and thus towards the running surfaces of the rail element. In this way, a defined frictional force is provided between the carriage, namely the support elements provided on the carriage, and the rail element. Furthermore, in such an embodiment, the two support elements of the respective pair of support elements position the carriage.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, at least the two sliders of the first pair of support elements, or the support elements of the second pair of support elements, or the support elements of the third pair of support elements are each preloaded toward the respective running surface by their own first support spring element, second support spring element, or third support spring element. In such an embodiment, the carriage has at least two first support spring elements, two second support spring elements, or two third support spring elements, which are supported on the carriage or on each other.

[0013] In one embodiment of the invention, exactly one first support spring element and the two sliders of the first pair of support elements are mounted floatingly on the base body in the vertical direction. This means that exactly one first support spring element is supported exclusively on the two sliders in the vertical direction, but not on the base body of the carriage. In this way, the spring force exerted on the two sliders is independent of the exact position of the base body in the vertical direction. In particular, in one embodiment, the spring force exerted on the two sliders is equal. It is understood that such a floating bearing can also be provided for exactly one second support spring element and the support elements of the second pair of support elements, as well as for exactly one second support spring element and the support elements of the second pair of support elements.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, at least the spring force exerted by the at least one first support spring element on the sliders or by the at least one second support spring element on the support elements of the second pair of support elements or by the at least one third support spring element on the support elements of the third pair of support elements is adjustably variable. Such adjustability of the spring force can be achieved both with a fixed mounting of the respective support spring element on the base body and with a floating mounting of the respective support spring element relative to the base body. Adjustability of the support spring element means that the spring force can be varied and adjusted either before the slide is mounted or when the slide is already mounted in the rail element.In one embodiment of the invention, the adjustability of the spring force is achieved by adjusting the distance between the abutments for the support spring element on the two support elements for a given distance between the two running surfaces of the rail element. This allows the installation space available for the support spring element between the two support elements in the vertical direction to be adjusted, and the spring preload of the support elements to be varied.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, at least the at least one first support spring element or the at least one second support spring element or the at least one third support spring element is a coil spring. Coil springs can be manufactured easily and inexpensively and installed with a defined spring force. In one embodiment of the invention, a single coil spring is supported by both support elements of the first pair of support elements and presses them away from each other toward the running surfaces of the rail element. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, the respective support spring element does not transmit any forces into the base body of the carriage in the vertical direction.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the two sliders of a pair of support elements are made of plastic, preferably by injection molding.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the slider has a T-shaped section, with the crossbar of the T-shape forming the part of the slider that comes into sliding engagement with the respective running surface of the rail element. The vertical bar, on the other hand, serves to accommodate the support spring element. If the support spring element is a coil spring, the vertical bar extends into the interior of the coil spring in one embodiment.

[0018] In one embodiment, the slider has at least one, but in particular exactly two, guide pins. Each such guide pin engages with a guide bushing in the base body of the slide, so that the slider is guided in the extension direction while being floating in the vertical direction.

[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the guide pin is cylindrical and has a circular cross-section. In one embodiment, the guide bushing is designed as a hollow cylinder, complementary to the guide pin.

[0020] There are a variety of designs for the realization of the second pair of support elements.

[0021] In one embodiment, in addition to the first and second pairs of support elements, the carriage also has a third pair of support elements and at least one third support spring element. Each of the support elements of the third pair of support elements is mounted on the base body so that it can move in the vertical direction, such that each of the support elements can be brought into engagement with one of the running surfaces. The at least one third support spring element is mounted on the base body in such a way that the at least one third support spring element pretensions the support elements of the third pair of support elements away from each other in the vertical direction. The support elements of the second pair of support elements are arranged in front of the sliders of the first pair of support elements in the extension direction, and the support elements of the third pair of support elements are arranged behind the sliders of the first pair of support elements in the extension direction.

[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, the support elements of the second pair of support elements and the third pair of support elements are rolling elements, in particular balls. In other words, in such an embodiment, an arrangement with a first pair of support elements in the form of sliders is combined with two pairs of rolling elements preloaded onto the running surfaces of the rail element. Depending on the friction between the rolling element and the respective running surface of the rail element, a rolling element can perform a sliding or rolling movement, or a combined sliding / rolling movement, relative to the running surface.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the rolling elements of the second and third pair of support elements are received on the base body in such a way that the rolling elements can roll at least on the two running surfaces or perform a sliding movement relative to the two running surfaces.

[0024] A rolling element, as defined in this application, is a rotating body that, as an element of a guide, significantly reduces friction between the carriage and the rail element, thus facilitating relative movement of the carriage relative to the rail element. Examples of rolling elements include balls, rollers, barrels, needles, or cones.

[0025] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, at least the support elements of the second pair of support elements or the third pair of support elements are each sliders. In one embodiment of the invention, the sliders of each pair of support elements have an extension in the extension direction, wherein the extension of each slider of the second pair and the third pair of support elements in the extension direction is smaller than the extension in the extension direction of each slider of the first pair of support elements. Such a configuration is very similar to a configuration of the second and / or third pair of support elements as rolling elements, whereby a rolling movement of the sliders on the running surfaces of the rail element is excluded.

[0026] In one embodiment of the invention, the base body defines a position of each support element of the second and / or third pair of support elements in the extension direction relative to the base body.

[0027] In one embodiment of the invention, the support elements of the second and third pair of support elements have the same distance in the extension direction from the sliders of the first pair of support elements.

[0028] In one embodiment of the invention, a stop is provided on the base body for each of the support elements of the second pair of support elements and the third pair of support elements. This stop limits the spring travel of the support elements in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction and counteracts the spring force of the second and third support spring elements. By limiting the spring travel of the support elements of the second pair and the third pair of support elements, increased stability of the carriage is achieved against pitching relative to the rail element. At the same time, the play is still compensated and dampened by the spring force of the support spring elements.

[0029] In one embodiment of the invention, the carriage has exactly a first, a second and a third pair of support elements.

[0030] In one embodiment of the invention, the support elements of the second pair of support elements are sliders just like the support elements of the first pair of support elements.

[0031] It is understood that in such an embodiment, the sliders of the second pair of support elements have an identical design to the sliders of the first pair of support elements or a shape that differs from the design of the slider of the first pair of support elements. An embodiment of the invention in which the support elements of the first pair and the support elements of the second pair of support elements are essentially identical sliders is also referred to as a tandem shoring.

[0032] In one embodiment of the invention, the carriage has only the first pair of spring-loaded support elements in the form of sliders and the second pair of spring-loaded support elements in the form of sliders and no further spring-loaded support elements.

[0033] In one embodiment of the invention, in which the carriage has a first pair of support elements in the form of sliders and a second pair of support elements in the form of sliders, in a further embodiment the carriage additionally has a plurality of rolling elements, wherein the plurality of rolling elements is received on the base body in such a way that the plurality of rolling elements can roll at least on the two running surfaces or perform a sliding movement relative to the two running surfaces and that the plurality of rolling elements are spaced apart from the first and second pair of support elements in the extension direction, and wherein the base body determines a position of each of the plurality of rolling elements in an extension direction relative to the base body. In one embodiment, the rolling elements are not resiliently preloaded away from one another or onto the running surfaces of the rail element.

[0034] In one embodiment of the invention, the sliders of the first pair of support elements and the second pair of support elements, which are in contact with a running surface, are arranged, preferably symmetrically, between two rolling elements in the extension direction. If rolling elements are provided in front of and behind the sliders in the extension direction, the sliders also fulfill a position-stabilizing function with regard to the positioning of the base body of the carriage relative to the rail element.

[0035] In one embodiment of the invention, the carriage has exactly four rolling elements, wherein the two sliders of the first and second pair of support elements, which engage with exactly one of the running surfaces of the rail element, are arranged between two rolling elements which engage with the same running surface.

[0036] In one embodiment, the two sliders of the first and second pair of support elements, which engage with exactly one running surface of the rail element, are arranged symmetrically between at least two rolling elements which engage with the same running surface.

[0037] In one embodiment of the invention, a locking body and a locking spring are additionally provided on the slide, wherein the locking spring preloads the locking body in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction and in the vertical direction or perpendicular to the vertical direction. Such a locking body engages with a locking recess or a locking ramp formed on the rail element and enables discrete positioning or locking of the slide relative to the rail element.

[0038] In one embodiment of the invention, the locking body is a locking ball. In one embodiment of the invention, such a locking ball has a smaller diameter than the rolling elements or balls, which in one embodiment of the invention form the support elements of the second and third pair of support elements. In another embodiment, the locking spring is a spiral spring.

[0039] In one embodiment of the invention, the detent spring is supported on a slider of the first pair of support elements. Such an embodiment is particularly useful when the sliders of the first pair of support elements are arranged symmetrically on the slide with respect to the extension direction, i.e. in the center of the slide. The detent body can then also be arranged in the center of the rail element at the same time if it is only supported on the slider. Furthermore, the integration of the detent body and the detent spring in the slider enables reduced effort during system integration, i.e. the assembly of the individual elements on the slide. It is understood that in such an embodiment, the detent body is guided in a recess in the respective slider.

[0040] In one embodiment of the invention, the detent spring and the first support spring element are designed as spiral springs, wherein the detent spring and the first support spring element are arranged coaxially to one another, ie their center axes coincide.

[0041] While the realization of a locking function was previously considered as an option for the carriage according to the invention with a second pair of support elements, a carriage with a pair of support elements in the form of sliders and a locking body and a locking spring, as described in detail below, also forms an independent invention without the carriage being designed with a further pair of support elements.

[0042] The present application therefore also relates, from a further aspect, to a carriage for a linear guide system, which comprises a rail element with two mutually facing running surfaces and the carriage movable relative to the rail element in and against an extension direction, wherein the carriage has a base body, precisely one pair of support elements, wherein the pair of support elements is designed in the form of sliders, and at least one support spring element, wherein each of the sliders from the pair of support elements is mounted on the base body so as to be movable in a vertical direction perpendicular to the extension direction, such that each of the sliders can be brought into frictional engagement with one of the running surfaces, and wherein the at least one support spring element is mounted on the base body in such a way that the at least one support spring element prestresses the sliders of the pair of support elements away from each other in the vertical direction,A locking body and a locking spring are additionally provided on the slide, the locking spring preloading the locking body in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction and in the vertical direction or perpendicular to the vertical direction. Such a locking body engages with a locking recess or a locking ramp formed on the rail element and enables discrete positioning or locking of the slide relative to the rail element.

[0043] In one embodiment of the invention, the locking body is a locking ball. In one embodiment of the invention, such a locking ball has a smaller diameter than the rolling elements or balls, which are arranged on the base body in addition to the sliders and roll on the running surfaces of the rail element without being resiliently preloaded onto the running surfaces. In another embodiment, the locking spring is a spiral spring.

[0044] In one embodiment of this second invention, the detent spring is supported on a slider of the pair of support elements. Such an embodiment is particularly useful when the sliders of the pair of support elements are arranged symmetrically with respect to the extension direction on the carriage, i.e. in the center of the carriage. The detent body can then also be arranged in the center of the rail element at the same time if it is only supported on the slider. Furthermore, the integration of the detent body and the detent spring in the slider also leads to reduced effort in system integration, i.e. the assembly of the individual elements on the carriage. It is understood that in such an embodiment, the detent body is guided in a recess in the respective slider.

[0045] In one embodiment of the second invention, the detent spring and the support spring element are designed as spiral springs, wherein the detent spring and the support spring element are arranged coaxially to each other, ie their center axes coincide.

[0046] In one embodiment of the invention, the base body of the slide is made of metal or plastic. In particular, a plastic embodiment of the base body allows the base body to be manufactured cost-effectively, preferably in one piece (single-piece), for example by injection molding, in large quantities. Furthermore, plastic allows for weight reduction.

[0047] When the linear guide system is installed, a mobile component, such as a drawer in a motor vehicle, is mounted on the base body of the carriage. For this purpose, in one embodiment, the base body has at least one threaded bore or hole into which a fastening means, such as a screw, engages to secure the mobile component.

[0048] In an embodiment which has support elements in the form of rolling elements or additional, non-spring-loaded rolling elements, the base body of the carriage also serves as a rolling element cage for the rolling elements, which determines the positions of the rolling elements in the extension direction relative to the base body.

[0049] For the purposes of the present application, the extension direction refers to the direction in and against which the carriage can be moved linearly relative to the rail element when installed.

[0050] For the purposes of the present application, the vertical direction is understood to mean a direction perpendicular to the extension direction, which extends essentially parallel to a rail spine of the rail element. In other words, the vertical direction is parallel to the spring force exerted by the at least one first support spring element on the slider.

[0051] The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a linear guide system which comprises a rail element with two mutually facing running surfaces and a carriage according to one of the embodiments as previously described, wherein the carriage and the rail element are linearly displaceable relative to one another in and against the extension direction, and wherein each of the sliders of the first pair of support elements is in frictional engagement with one of the running surfaces, and wherein each of the support elements of the second pair of support elements is in engagement with one of the running surfaces.

[0052] In one embodiment of the invention, the linear guide system is selected from a group consisting of a pull-out guide, a telescopic rail, and a linear guide. The generic term “linear guide system” includes a sliding guide, a ball guide, and a roller guide. When reference is made to a linear guide system in the context of the present application, this term is to be understood in such a general way that it includes not only linear guides in which the carriage is significantly shorter than the rail element and the carriage can only move within the length of the rail element, but also linear guides in which the base body of the carriage is so long that, upon reaching at least one end position, it projects beyond the length of the rail element, thus forming a partial extension.

[0053] The linear guide system according to the invention itself, in one embodiment, is in turn a component of a more complex linear guide. In one embodiment, the carriage of the linear guide system is connected to a further first rail element of a telescopic rail, so that the carriage cannot move relative to the further first rail element. In such an embodiment, the telescopic rail also has a further second rail element, which is mounted on the further first rail element so that it can move relative to the further first rail element.

[0054] In one embodiment of the invention, the rail element is made at least in sections from metal, in particular from steel or aluminum, or from plastic.

[0055] In an embodiment of the invention, in which the carriage has a locking body and a locking spring in addition to the sliders and support elements or to the sliders alone, the rail element has a locking recess, preferably in one of the two running surfaces, wherein the locking recess is arranged such that the locking body or a rolling element of at least the second or the third pair of support elements can be locked in the locking recess.

[0056] Further advantages, features, and possible applications of the present invention will become clear from the following description of embodiments and the accompanying figures. In the figures, identical elements are designated by identical reference numerals. Figure 1 is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a carriage according to the invention. Figure 2 is a partially transparent side view of the carriage of Figure 1Figure 3 is a sectional view of the carriage from the Figures 1 and 2 Figure 4 is an isometric view of a linear guide with the carriage from the Figures 1 to 3 and a rail element. Figure 5 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a carriage according to the invention. Figure 6 is a side view of the carriage from Figure 5 Figure 7 is a bottom view of the carriage from the Figures 5 and 6 Figure 8 is an isometric view of a linear guide with the carriage from the Figures 5 to 7 and a rail element. Figure 9 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a carriage according to the invention. Figure 10 is a side view of the carriage from Figure 9 Figure 11 is a partially broken away sectional view through a linear guide with the carriage from the Figures 9 and 10 and a rail element. Figure 12 is an isometric view of the linear guide made of Figure 11. Figure 13 is a sectional view through another carriage. Figure 14 is an enlarged, partially broken away and partially sectioned view of an embodiment of a linear guide according to the invention. Figure 15 is a partially broken away sectional view through a linear guide with the carriage of the Figures 1 to 3 and an alternative rail element.

[0057] The carriages 1 shown in the figures serve to realize a linear movement along a linear or straight path in a rail element 30. The respective carriage 1, together with the rail element 30, forms a linear guide system in the form of a linear guide 31.

[0058] Such a rail element 30 of a linear guide 31 generally has a rail back 32 connecting two legs 33 to one another, wherein the legs 33 support the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30. For this purpose, the legs 33 of the rail element 30 are bent in a partially circular shape, resulting in an overall approximately C-shaped profile. The carriage 1 is accommodated within the C-shaped profile, wherein the carriage 1 is supported there by the support elements described in more detail below and is thus guided by the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30.

[0059] Each slide 1 has a base body 2, which serves as a support for a mobile component attached to the base body 2. Such a mobile component is, for example, a drawer that is intended to undergo a linear extension movement relative to a stationary component connected to the rail element. For this purpose, the base body 2 of the slide has fastening means, in the illustrated embodiments, internal threads 4, which can be connected with screws.

[0060] The base bodies 2 of the carriages 1 each have convexly curved guide surfaces 3. These guide surfaces 3 are essentially complementary to the running surfaces of the respective rail element and therefore face away from each other on the two side surfaces of the respective carriage 1. However, the guide surfaces 3 of the base body 2 only serve as emergency running surfaces in the event that the other elements on the base body 2 provided for guiding the respective carriage are loaded beyond a specified level. Therefore, when the carriage is installed, the guide surfaces 3 of the carriage 2 have a clearance relative to the running surfaces 34 of the respective rail element 30.

[0061] The actual guidance of the carriages 1 is provided by a plurality of support elements that are resiliently preloaded onto the running surfaces 34 of the respective rail element 30. These support elements are always arranged in pairs such that a first support element of a pair points toward and is preloaded onto a first running surface 34 of the rail element 30, and a second support element of the same pair is preloaded onto the second running surface 34 of the same rail element 30. In other words, the support elements of each pair of support elements are preloaded away from each other in the vertical direction 12 of the linear guide.

[0062] The first embodiment of the carriage 1 according to the illustrations of Figures 1 to 4has three pairs 5, 6, 7 of support elements. The first pair of support elements 5 is formed by two sliders 8. These sliders 8 have essentially partially cylindrical sliding surfaces 9, which are in frictional engagement with the running surfaces 34 of the respective rail element 30. Due to the geometric design of their sliding surfaces 9 (which have a shape complementary to the running surfaces of the rail element) as well as due to their mounting or fastening to the base body 2, the sliders 8 can only perform a sliding movement along the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30. A rolling movement or a combined rolling / sliding movement is excluded.

[0063] The carriages 1 are provided for linear movement in and against an extension direction 10 on the respective rail element. The direction perpendicular to the extension direction 10 and essentially parallel to the rail back 32 of the rail element 30 or parallel to the surface 11 of the base body 2 shown in the figures is referred to as the vertical direction 12 of the carriage 1 or the rail element 30 or the linear guide 31 as a whole.

[0064] As can be seen from the Figures 2 and 3As can be seen, the sliders 8 are mounted in a floating manner on the base body 2 in the vertical direction 12. This means that the sliders 8 can move freely relative to the base body 2 in the vertical direction 12. The two sliders 8 are biased away from each other and onto the running surfaces of the rail element by a single coil spring 13. The coil spring 13 forms the first support spring element within the meaning of the present application. The coil spring 13 is also mounted in a floating manner on the base body 2 and is supported exclusively on corresponding bearing surfaces 14 of the two sliders 8.

[0065] While the sliders 8 are mounted in the vertical direction 12 so that they can move freely relative to the base body 2, the mounting in the other directions is designed so that the sliders 8 form a support. For this purpose, each of the two sliders 8 has two cylindrical guide pins 15, which are guided in hollow cylindrical guide bushings on the base body 2.

[0066] Apart from the guide pins 15, each of the sliders 8 has a T-shaped basic form, with the crossbar of the "T" carrying the sliding surface 9, while the vertical part of the "T" engages and guides the spiral spring 13.

[0067] The two sliders 8 are arranged in the middle of the base body 2 and symmetrically on the base body 2 with respect to the extension direction 10.

[0068] It has been found that the two sliders 8, which are spring-loaded onto the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30, do not always provide sufficient stability for guiding the base body 2 of the carriage 1. The carriage 1 has a certain amount of play, particularly with larger dimensions, which has a tactile and acoustic effect on the user.

[0069] Therefore, the carriage 1 consists of the Figures 1 to 4a second pair 6 of support elements and a third pair 7 of support elements are provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the support elements of the second and third pair 6, 7 of support elements are formed by rolling elements in the form of bearing balls 16. The bearing balls 16 are arranged symmetrically in front of and behind the sliders 8 of the first pair 5 of support elements in the extension direction 10. The bearing balls 16 are each preloaded away from one another and towards the running surfaces of the rail element by means of a spiral spring 17 (second and third support spring element) received on the base body 2. These preloaded bearing balls 16 absorb forces and moments acting on the base body 2 or transfer them via the spiral spring 17.

[0070] In the embodiment of the Figures 1 to 4The coil springs 17 of the second and third pairs 6, 7 of support elements are not installed floating in the base body 2, but exhibit a high frictional force against the base body 2. Therefore, the base body 2 transfers the forces and moments acting on it via the respective coil spring 17 to the balls 16. In this way, the balls 16 and their support spring elements 17 serve to support the base body 2 in the rail element 30.

[0071] The guidance of the bearing balls 16 is designed such that the balls have a defined spring travel in the vertical direction 12 during compression against the spring force of the coil spring 17. This limitation of the spring travel due to the design of the ball receptacles in the base body 2 prevents excessive pitching and movement of the base body 2 relative to the rail element.

[0072] Compared to the design of the Figures 1 to 4 is the support principle of the carriage 1 from the Figures 5 to 8in a modified manner. The carriage 1 of the Figures 5 to 8 has a first pair 5 of sliders 8 as support elements and a second pair 6 of sliders 8 as further support elements. These two pairs 5, 6 of sliders 8 are mounted on the base body 2 of the carriage 1 at a distance from one another in the extension direction 10, wherein the sliders 8 are distributed symmetrically over the base body 2 in the longitudinal direction along the extension direction 10. As previously described for the first pair 5 of support elements of the embodiment of the Figures 1 to 3 As described above, the sliders 8 and their respective support spring elements 13, 18 each have a floating bearing in the vertical direction 12. The sliders 8 of the two pairs 5, 6 of support elements are all designed identically.

[0073] In addition to these two pairs 5, 6 of sliders 8, the base body 2 carries four bearing balls 19 which are not resiliently preloaded on the running surfaces to reduce the sliding friction in the event of a force or moment being introduced into the slide 2 which exceeds the spring force of the first and second support spring elements 13, 18.

[0074] In addition to improved guidance or mounting of the respective carriage 1 on the rail element, the inventive design of the carriage also makes it possible to implement an additional locking function.

[0075] In the embodiment of the carriage 1 from the Figures 9 to 12Such a locking function is realized in that on each slider 8 of the first pair 5 of support elements, a locking ball 21 is provided, pre-tensioned by means of a locking spring 20 supported on the respective slider 8. This locking ball 20 locks into one or more locking recesses 35 spaced apart from one another in the extension direction 10, which are pressed into the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30. The locking recesses 35 are clearly visible in the sectional view of Figure 11 and the isometric view from Figure 12 of the linear guide 31 of this embodiment. The detent spring 20 is arranged coaxially and concentrically with the spiral spring 13 of the sliders 8. This configuration makes it possible not only to mount the pair of sliders 8 centrally, i.e., symmetrically with respect to the extension direction 10, on the base body 2, but also to simultaneously mount the detent ball 21 symmetrically with respect to the extension direction 10 on the base body 2.

[0076] In the embodiments of the Figures 9 to 12 and 13 The locking ball 21 has a significantly smaller diameter than the bearing balls 19. In this way, the bearing balls 19 roll over the locking recesses 35 provided in the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30 without the user perceiving this as excessively annoying or as a locking action. Rather, the locking recesses are adapted to the diameter of the locking ball 21, so that they fall into the locking recesses 35.

[0077] Figure 13 shows a realization of a locking function by integrating a locking ball 20 into a first pair of sliders 8, wherein, however, the carriage 1 is designed without additional support elements in the form of balls pre-tensioned onto the running surfaces 34 of the rail element 30 (as in the embodiments of Figures 1 to 4 and 9 to 12) or in the form of a second pair of sliders 8 (as in the embodiment of the Figures 5 to 8). The balls 19 shown are not spring-loaded onto the running surfaces 24 as is the case for the embodiment of Figures 5 to 8 The integration of the locking ball 21 into the slider 8 is the same as described in the Figures 9 to 12 shown and described.

[0078] Figure 14 shows an alternative implementation of a locking function on the carriage 1 from the Figures 1 to 4 . Figure 14 is an enlarged, partially broken away view of the bearing ball 16 of the third pair 7 of support elements of the embodiment of the Figures 1 to 4 , wherein a corresponding locking projection 23 is embossed on the running surface 24 of the rail element 22. A locking function can also be provided in this way.

[0079] Figure 15 shows the carriage 1 from the Figures 1 to 4in a linear guide 31 with a rail element 30, which has openings in the legs 33 and thus in the running surfaces 34 as locking recesses 35. The locking recesses 35 are designed such that the bearing balls 16 of the second and third pair of support elements 6, 7 can engage in these locking recesses 35, as shown in Figure 15 is shown. In such an embodiment of a linear guide, the preload of the bearing balls 16 of the second and third pair of support elements 6, 7 is simultaneously used to provide the locking function.

[0080] For the purposes of original disclosure, it is noted that all features as they become apparent to a person skilled in the art from the present description, the drawings, and the claims, even if they were specifically described only in conjunction with certain other features, can be combined both individually and in any combination with other features or groups of features disclosed herein, unless this has been expressly excluded or technical circumstances make such combinations impossible or pointless. A comprehensive, explicit presentation of all conceivable combinations of features is omitted here solely for the sake of brevity and readability of the description.

[0081] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, this illustration and description are given by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0082] Modifications of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the drawings, the description, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain features are claimed in different claims does not exclude their combination. Reference signs in the claims are not intended to limit the scope of protection. List of reference symbols

[0083] 1Slide 2Base body 3Guide surface 4Internal thread 5First pair of support elements 6Second pair of support elements 7Third pair of support elements 8Slider 9Sliding surface 10Extension direction 11Surface 12Vertical direction 13Coil spring (first support spring element) 14Bearing surface 15Guide pin 16Bearing ball 17Coil spring (second and third support spring elements) 18Coil spring (second support spring element) 19Bearing balls 20Detent spring 21Detent ball 22Rail element 23Detent projection 24Running surface 30Rail element 31Linear guide 32Rail back 33Leg 34Running surface 35Detent recess

Claims

1. A carriage (1) for a linear guide system (31) comprising a rail element (22) with two running surfaces facing each other and the carriage (1) movable relative to the rail element (22) in and against a pull-out direction (10), wherein the carriage (1) comprises a base body (2), a first pair (5) of support elements in the form of sliders (8), and at least one first support spring element (13), wherein each of the sliders (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements is movably mounted on the base body (2) in an upward direction (12) perpendicular to the pull-out direction (10), so that each of the sliders (8) is frictionally engageable with a respective one of the running surfaces, and wherein the at least one first support spring element (13) is mounted on the base body (2) such that the at least one first support spring element (13) biases the sliders (8) of the first pair of support elements away from each other in the upward direction (12), characterised in that the carriage additionally comprises a second pair (6) of support elements and at least one second support spring element (17, 18), wherein the second pair (6) of support elements (8, 16) is spaced apart from the first pair (5) of support elements in the pull-out direction (10), wherein each of the support elements (8, 16) of the second pair (6) of support elements (8, 16) is movably supported on the base body (2) in the upward direction (12) so that each of the support elements (8, 16) is engageable with a respective one of the running surfaces, and wherein the at least one second support spring element (17, 18) is mounted on the base body (2) such that the at least one second support spring element (17, 18) biases the support elements (8, 16) of the second pair (5) of support elements (8, 16) away from each other in the upward direction (12).

2. The carriage (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the carriage (1) comprises a third pair (7) of support elements (16) and at least one third support spring element (17), wherein the support elements (16) of the second pair (6) of support elements (16) are arranged in front of the sliders (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements in the pull-out direction (10), wherein the support elements (16) of the third pair (7) of support elements (16) are arranged behind the sliders (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements in the pull-out direction (10), wherein each of the support elements (16) of the third pair (7) of support elements (16) is movably supported on the base body (2) in the upward direction (12) so that each of the support elements (16) is engageable with a respective one of the running surfaces, and wherein the at least one third support spring element (17) is mounted on the base body (2) such that the at least one third support spring element (17) biases the support elements (16) of the third pair (7) of support elements (16) away from each other in the upward direction (12).

3. The carriage (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein at least the support elements (16) of the second pair (6) of support elements (16) or of the third pair (7) of support elements are rolling elements (16), or wherein at least the support elements of the second pair (6) of support elements or of the third pair (7) of support elements are sliders (8), wherein the sliders (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements comprise a first extension in the pull-out direction (10), the sliders of the second pair (6) of support elements comprise a second extension in the pull-out direction (10) and the sliders of the third pair (7) of support elements comprise a third extension in the pull-out direction (10), wherein the second extension and the third extension are smaller than the first extension.

4. The carriage (1) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support elements (16) of the second and of the third pair (6, 7) of support elements (16) have the same distance in the extension direction (10) from the sliders (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements.

5. The carriage (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a stop is provided on the base body (2) for each of the support elements (16) of the second pair (6) of support elements and of the third pair (7) of support elements, which stop limits a spring travel of the support elements (16) in a direction perpendicular to the pull-out direction (10) and against a spring force of the second and of the third support spring elements (17).

6. The carriage (1) according to claim 1, wherein the support elements of the second pair (6) of support elements are sliders (8).

7. The carriage (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein each of the sliders (8) of at least one of the first pair (5) of support elements and the second pair (6) of support elements comprises a T-shaped portion, wherein a transverse beam of the T-shaped portion is frictionally engageable with a running surface of the rail element (22) and a vertical beam receives the at least one first or second support spring element (13, 18).

8. The carriage (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein each of the sliders (8) of at least the first pair (5) of support elements or the second pair (6) of support elements comprises at least one, preferably cylindrical, guide pin (15), wherein the guide pin (15) engages in a respective, preferably hollow-cylindrical, guide bush in the base body (2), so that each of the sliders (8) is guided in the pull-out direction (10) while it is floating in the upward direction (12).

9. The carriage (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the carriage (1) comprises a plurality of rolling elements (19), wherein the plurality of rolling elements (19) is accommodated on the base body (2) in such a way that the plurality of rolling elements (19) can roll at least on the two running surfaces or perform a sliding movement relative to the two running surfaces, and in such a way that the plurality of rolling elements (19) is spaced apart in the pull-out direction (10) from the first and the second pair (5, 6) of support elements (8), and wherein the base body (2) defines a position of each of the plurality of rolling elements (19) in the pull-out direction (10) relative to the base body (2).

10. The carriage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a detent body (21) and a detent spring (20) are additionally provided on the base body (2), wherein the detent spring (20) biases the detent body (21) in a direction perpendicular to the pull-out direction (10) and in the upward direction (12) or perpendicular to the upward direction (12).

11. The carriage (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the detent spring (20) is supported on a slider (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements.

12. The carriage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage comprises at least exactly one first support spring element (13) or exactly one second support spring element (17, 18) or exactly one third support spring element (17).

13. The carriage (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein at least the first support spring element (13) or the second support spring element (17, 18) or the third support spring element (18) is mounted in a floating manner on the base body (2) in the upward direction (12).

14. The carriage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the first support spring element (13) or the second support spring element (17, 18) or the third support spring element (17) is a spiral spring.

15. A linear guide system (31) comprising a rail element (2), which rail element (2) comprises two running surfaces (24) facing each other, and a carriage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage (1) and the rail element (2) are linearly displaceable relative to each other in and against the pull-out direction (10), wherein each of the sliders (8) of the first pair (5) of support elements is frictionally engaged with a respective one of the running surfaces (24), and wherein each of the support elements (8, 16) of the second pair (6) of support elements is engaged with a respective one of the running surfaces (24).