Chain of rolling elements chain arrangement

A chain of rolling elements, comprising:

• a plurality of rolling elements, having a radius r, arranged in close succession in a direction L;
• and
• an elongate guide belt having:
• (1) a plurality of spacers, each of said spacers extending laterally in a direction Q substantially orthogonal to said direction L;
• and
• (2) at least one elongate flexible connecting element extending longitudinally in said direction L and being connected with lateral edge portions of the spacers in such an arrangement that, between the spacers projecting in said transverse direction Q from the connecting element, a plurality of recesses are formed for the loose take-up of the rolling elements;
• said spacers having on each side thereof facing an adjoining recess a rolling-element guide surface, said guide surface being configured (1) to contact a rolling element within said adjoining recess so as to guide rolling motion of said rolling element in the longitudinal direction L and (2) to be free of contact with said rolling element in a height direction H substantially orthogonal to both said longitudinal direction L and said transverse direction Q;
• and
• the thickness of the lateral edge portions of the spacers in the longitudinal direction L is smaller than the radius r of the rolling elements,
• whereby said rolling elements are guided, but not retained, within said recesses by said spacers and said rolling elements are substantially free of bending-induced forces from said guide belt.

A rolling element chain arrangement, comprising at least one chain of rolling elements with

• a plurality of rolling elements and
• an elongate supporting and/or guiding belt having
• a plurality of recesses for the take-up of the rolling elements,
• a plurality of retainers and/or spacers for the rolling elements taken up in the recesses, and
• at least one elongate flexible element for connecting the retainers and/or spacers,
• wherein, between a leading longitudinal end of a chain of rolling elements and a trailing end of a chain of rolling elements, a separating rolling element is arranged which keeps these two longitudinal ends at a distance.