Wheel preload device
AssigneeParker-Hannifin Corporation
InventorsThomas James Baric, Michael D. Bridges, Adis Halimic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims25
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.
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.