Sliding structure

• US 7,637,683 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Original Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Inventors: Snel, Jaap-Jan, Lang, Werner, Centmayer, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Stodola; Daniel P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kennedy; Joshua T
• Application Number:
  US11/899,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 403/70, 403/71, 403/87, 403/94, 403/96, 403/119, 403/123, 403/145, 248/477, 248/479, 248/481, 359/872, 359/874, 359/876
• US Class Current: 403/87
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0604 Construction of the male part
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2208/04 Glass fibres
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2208/60 Polyamides [PA]
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/20 Sliding surface consisting mainly of plastics F16C33/22 - F16C33/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32 Articulated members
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32286 Clamping screw traverses sliding complementary arcuate bearing surfaces

Abstract

A sliding structure and a joint member, which are provided with a sliding means which substantially eliminates the so-called Stick-Slip effect. This is achieved through the provision of free ends of a plurality of projections, sliding upon the surface of a complementary opposed and facing surface. By appropriately dimensioning the individual free end contact surfaces of the projections and by selectively varying in the number of the projections per area unit, the difference between the initial still-stand holding effect and the sliding friction in the case of selected material pairings is considerably reduced. The force, which is necessary to set the two sliding components into motion, relative to one another, is then only insignificantly greater than the force necessary to overcome dynamic or sliding friction. The Stick-Slip effect is known and unavoidable in a case with a sliding pair of unfavorable materials and, in this manner, can be effectively reduced. The final result is that materials can now be employed in accord with the invention, which are selected for advantageous properties, such as, for example, structural strength. In this way, the expensive installation of an auxiliary sliding plate or special sliding layer is eliminated.

Claims

1. A mirror adjustment apparatus including a sliding structure forming a movable connection between at least two components, comprising:

a first spherically curved sliding part having a first sliding surface and a central bore;

a second spherically curved sliding part having a second sliding surface facing and complementary of said first sliding surface and a central bore;

a connector passing through said central bores binding said first and second sliding surfaces together under pressure, which is less than 10 N/mm²; and

one of said first and second of said sliding surfaces having a base surface having a plurality of projections each being rounded off to present a convex surface having tangential sliding surfaces in sliding contact with and complementary of, the oppositely disposed sliding surface forming a contact surface contacting the other of said first and second of said sliding surfaces;

such that the force required to overcome the static friction between said first and second sliding surfaces is increased, but is only slightly greater than the force necessary to overcome sliding friction, thus substantially eliminating hysteresis-lag.

2. The sliding structure of claim 1 wherein the sliding surfaces are flat.

3. The sliding structure of claim 1 wherein the sliding surfaces are in the shape of the outer casing of a circular cylinder.

4. The sliding structure of claim 1 wherein the sliding surfaces are shell-like.

5. The sliding structure of claim 1 wherein the area of a cross-section of a surface in a position, which represents one-half of the height of a projection above the base surface, is less than 50% of the areal value of the base surface area.

6. The sliding structure of claim 1 wherein the number of the projections per square centimeter is a ratio within a range of 0.1 to 100.

7. The sliding structure of claim 1, wherein the number of projections per areal unit is constant over the entire sliding area.

8. The sliding structure of claim 1 wherein said first material in both sliding parts consist of a different material than said second material different materials, at least in the area of the sliding surfaces.