Sliding Device Side-Mounted Lead Screw for Height Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding devices are too tall for confined spaces and compromise mechanical stiffness when attempting to reduce height, making them unsuitable for applications with varying design specifications and high load capacities.
Innovation Solution
A sliding device with a guide rail and a slider where the lead screw is positioned parallel and external to the guide rail, using bracket bearings for support, allowing for easy adjustment and maintenance, and incorporating a ball-nut screw system with a motor for compact and reduced overall height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lead screw is positioned above the slider as in prior sliding devices, then the slider can be detachably connected with a ball nut mating with the lead screw, but the overall height from the bottom of the guide rail to the top surface of the slider becomes too tall for confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The lead screw is repositioned from a vertical arrangement (above the slider) to a horizontal arrangement (parallel to and alongside the guide rail). This dimensional change allows the ball-nut screw unit to be mounted on the side of the guide rail rather than above it, significantly reducing the overall height while preserving the detachable connection capability for maintenance operations.
2Length of stationary object
If a U-shape recess and rectangular window are made in the slider to accommodate the ball-nut screw unit, then the overall height is reduced, but the slider loses mechanical stiffness and cannot handle large load capacities
Solution Approach 1:
The ball-nut screw unit is extracted from the interior of the slider and mounted externally on the side of the guide rail. This eliminates the need for U-shape recesses and rectangular windows in the slider, preserving the slider's structural integrity and mechanical stiffness while achieving reduced overall height through the external side-mounted configuration.
3Manufacturing precision
If the slider head rises in height above the tops of the sides of the guide rail, then the guide rail and slider can be combined with fixed surfaces of reference for accurate positioning, but the device becomes too tall for height-constrained environments
Solution Approach 1:
The lead screw and ball-nut screw unit are repositioned to run horizontally alongside the guide rail rather than vertically above it. This allows the slider to maintain its reference surfaces for accurate positioning while the overall height is reduced because the drive mechanism no longer extends above the guide rail's top surface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces the overall height of the sliding device while maintaining mechanical strength and allowing for customization and easy maintenance, making it suitable for installations in height-constrained environments with varying design specifications.
Implementation Method 1
a lead screw lying out of the guide rail in a way extending by the side of and in parallel with the guide rail... and a ball nut mounted to the slide table to mate with the lead screw to move for reciprocation along the lead screw
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding device is provided in which a ball-nut screw system is disposed in a relation lying out of a guide rail and extending by the side of and in parallel juxtaposition with the guide rail, thereby making it possible to reduce the sliding device in the overall height. The ball-nut lead screw system may be easily mounted and/or demounted from the sliding device and easily made varied depending on design considerations. The sliding device includes the lead screw carried for rotation by bracket bearings in a way lying out of a guide rail in a way extending by the side of and in parallel juxtaposition with the guide rail, and a ball nut mounted to a slide table. The lead screw is actuated by a motor carried in a bracket bearing.