Guide Carriage End Cap Lubricant Flow Path Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guide carriages face challenges in sealing lubricant flow paths effectively due to the need to route them past fastening bores at a small distance, leading to potential lubricant leakage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a first cavity between fastening bores and screws, with a U-shaped design and multiple lubricant flow paths that converge through a central second cavity, ensuring consistent lubricant flow and sealing, and using a plastic end cap with injection molding for cost-effectiveness and reduced parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the lubricant flow path is routed past the fastening bore at a small distance, then the structure remains simple, but sealing against lubricant escape becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The end cap is segmented into multiple cavities (first cavity, second cavity, third cavity) that are integrated into the injection-molded component. This segmentation allows the lubricant flow path to be routed through these cavities, maintaining a sufficient distance from the fastening bore while preserving the overall structural simplicity of the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant flow path is nested within the cavities of the end cap structure. The first cavity, second cavity, and third cavity are arranged in a nested configuration where lubricant flows through the first cavity, then to the second cavity, and finally to the third cavity before reaching the rolling elements. This nesting allows the flow path to be contained within the end cap without requiring external routing that would pass near the fastening bore.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple lubricant flow paths are provided with different lubrication connections, then lubrication versatility is improved, but flow resistance variation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second cavity serves as a universal intermediate chamber that receives lubricant from multiple different lubrication connections (first lubrication connection, second lubrication connection, third lubrication connection). Regardless of which connection is used, the lubricant converges in the second cavity before proceeding to the third cavity and rolling elements, making the system multi-functional while maintaining consistent flow characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The second cavity is positioned upstream relative to the first cavity in the flow direction, creating an equipotential configuration where lubricant from any of the multiple lubrication connections enters the second cavity at similar pressure conditions. This arrangement ensures that flow resistance to all rolling bodies can be dimensioned approximately the same, as the central second cavity arranges the flow paths to have comparable resistance characteristics.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 3a~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a guide carriage for use with an elongated guide rail, wherein the guide carriage (20) has at least one series of rolling elements which are received in an associated endless recirculating channel (22), wherein the recirculating channel (22) has a support section and a return channel which are connected to each other at their opposite ends via a curved deflection channel (24), wherein the support section is bounded by a carriage race extending in a longitudinal direction (11) on the guide carriage and a rail race on the guide rail, wherein the deflection channel (22) is arranged within a separate end cap (50), wherein the end cap (50) bears at least indirectly against a longitudinal end face of a main body of the guide carriage, wherein the end cap (50) has at least one fastening bore (52) which is penetrated by an associated fastening screw.which is screwed into the main body, wherein at least one lubricant flow path (60) is provided in the end cap (50), which extends from a lubrication port (61; 61a; 61b; 61c) to one of the at least one row of rolling elements. According to the invention, at least between one of the at least one mounting bore (52) and the associated mounting screw, a first cavity is provided, which is part of one of the at least one lubricant flow path (60).