Wheel preload device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9869348-B2
Application number	US-201515110147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2015
Priority date	Jan 22, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a carriage assembly 16 including a carriage 50 , a wheel bar 90 that is deflectable relative to the carriage 50 , and a plurality of wheels 92, 94, 96 mounted to the bar 90 for rotation around a respective axis 98, 100, 102 , the axis 100 of at least one of the wheels 94 being offset from the axis 98, 102 of at least one of the other wheels 92, 96 in a direction of the wheel bar deflection. The wheel bar 90 is deflected relative to the carriage 50 to allow the wheels 92, 94, 96 to engage respective rails 32, 34 in a track 30 to eliminate or reduce play between the wheels and the track.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carriage assembly including:
a carriage extending in a longitudinal direction;
at least one deflectable wheel bar extending in the longitudinal direction and being deflectable relative to the carriage in a normal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a lateral direction; and
a plurality of wheels spaced longitudinally along the bar and mounted to the bar for rotation around a respective axis extending in the lateral direction,
wherein the axis of at least one of the wheels is offset in the normal direction from the axis of at least one of the other wheels.

2. The carriage assembly according to claim 1 , further including a fixing device for fixing the deflectable wheel bar in a deflected state to the carriage against deflection.

3. The carriage assembly according to claim 1 , further including a holding device for restricting longitudinal movement of the wheel bar relative to the carriage in at least one direction.

4. The carriage assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one of the wheels is longitudinally spaced from the holding device such that the wheel bar can flex to allow the at least one wheel to move in the normal direction relative to the second wheel.

5. The carriage assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the carriage includes a body and at least one channel extending longitudinally along the body, and wherein the deflectable wheel bar is configured to be received in the channel.

6. The carriage assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the carriage includes three channels spaced ninety degrees from an adjacent one of the channels.

7. The carriage assembly according to claim 6 , further including three deflectable wheel bars and three sets of wheels, each set of wheels being mounted to a respective one of the deflectable wheel bars, wherein the wheel bars are configured to be received in a respective one of the three channels.

8. The carriage assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the deflectable wheel bar includes a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of wheels respectively, and wherein an axle extends through each wheel and the respective opening to rotatably couple the wheels to the wheel bar.

9. The carriage assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel bar includes a plurality of projections extending laterally outward to which the wheels are respectively coupled for laterally spacing the wheels from the wheel bar.

10. The carriage assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wheels includes a first wheel, a second wheel and a third wheel spaced longitudinally along the bar and mounted to the bar for rotation around a respective axis extending in the lateral direction, wherein the axis of the third wheel is aligned with the axis of the first wheel.

11. The carriage assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the first and third wheels are each longitudinally spaced from a side of the second wheel.

12. The carriage assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the wheel bar includes a cutout on each side of the second wheel.

13. A carriage assembly including:
a carriage extending in a longitudinal direction;
a wheel bar extending in the longitudinal direction;
a body including at least one channel extending longitudinally along the body, wherein the wheel bar is configured to be received in the channel; and
a plurality of wheels each having a diameter and being mounted to the wheel bar for rotation around a respective axis extending in a lateral direction;
wherein the bar is flexible to allow at least one of the wheels to move in a normal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction relative to the other of the plurality of wheels,
wherein the axis of at least one wheel movable in the normal direction is offset in the normal direction from the axis of at least one of the other wheels such that when the plurality of wheels are inserted into a channel of a module body having upper and lower rails spaced from one another a distance less than the offset between the wheels plus the diameter of one of the wheels, the at least one wheel movable in the normal direction engages one of the upper or lower rail and the at least one of the other of the plurality of wheels engages the other of the upper or lower rail.

14. The carriage assembly according to claim 13 , further including a fixing device for fixing the deflectable wheel bar in a deflected state to the carriage against deflection.

15. The carriage assembly according to claim 13 , further including a holding device for restricting longitudinal movement of the wheel bar relative to the carriage in at least one direction.

16. The carriage assembly according to claim 15 , wherein at least one of the wheels is longitudinally spaced from the holding device such that the bar can flex to allow the at least one wheel to move in the normal direction relative to the other wheels.

17. The carriage assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the carriage includes three channels spaced ninety degrees from an adjacent one of the channels.

18. The carriage assembly according to claim 17 , further including at least three deflectable wheel bars and at least three sets of first and second wheels, each set of wheels being mounted to a respective one of the deflectable wheel bars, wherein the wheel bars are configured to be received in a respective one of the three channels.

19. A module including:
a track body having a length extending in a longitudinal direction, a width extending in a lateral direction and a height extending in a normal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and lateral direction, the track body including at least one channel extending in the longitudinal direction, the at least one channel having upper and lower rails spaced from one another; and
a carriage assembly movable relative to the track body, the carriage assembly including:
a carriage extending in the longitudinal direction;
a wheel bar deflectable from a normal state to a deflected state, the wheel bar being fixed to the carriage in the deflected state; and
a plurality of wheels spaced longitudinally along the wheel bar and mounted to the wheel bar for rotation around a respective axis extending in the lateral direction, the axis of the at least one of the wheels being offset in the normal direction from the axis of at least one of the other wheels,

wherein when the wheels of the carriage assembly are inserted into the channel, at least one of the wheels engages the upper rail and at least one of the wheels engages the lower rail.

20. The module according to claim 19 , wherein the upper and lower rails are spaced apart in the normal direction a distance less than the offset between the wheels plus a diameter of the wheels.

21. The module according to claim 19 , wherein the carriage includes a body and at least one channel extending longitudinally along the body, and wherein the wheel bar is configured to be received in the channel and fixed in the channel.

22. The carriage assembly according to claim 21 , wherein the carriage includes three channels spaced ninety degrees from an adjacent one of the channels.

23. The carriage assembly according to claim 22 , further including three deflectable wheel bars and three sets of wheels, each set of wheels being mounted to a respective one of the deflectable wheel bars, wherein the wheel bars are configured to be received in a respective one of the three channels.

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp

Inventors

• Baric Thomas James
• Bridges Michael D
• Halimic Adis

Classifications

• F16C2322/39

  General buildup of machine tools, e.g. spindles, slides, actuators · CPC title

• F16C29/123 Primary

  using elastic means · CPC title

• F16H2019/0686

  the flexible member being directly driven by a pulley or chain wheel · CPC title

• F16C29/045

  having rolling elements journaled in one of the moving parts · CPC title