DRAWER GUIDE

Abstract

A drawer guide is provided, having at least one first guide rail and a second guide rail displaceably guided by means of a roller body arrangement on the first guide rail. The roller body arrangement has at least one ball cage with roller bodies. To provide the drawer guide with both a high load-bearing capacity, a low level of rolling noise, and a low level of rolling resistance, the roller body arrangement may have at least two different types of roller bodies. A roller body of a first type comprises a first material with a first hardness and a roller body of a second type comprises a second material with a second hardness. The first hardness of the first material is lower than the second hardness of the second material, and the roller body of the first type is larger than the roller body of the second type.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International application No. PCT/EP2011/067534 filed on Oct. 7, 2011 and claims the benefit of German application No. 10 2010 042 180.4 filed on Oct. 8, 2010, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a drawer guide, which comprises at least one first guide rail and a second guide rail displaceably guided by means of a roller body arrangement on the first guide rail, the roller body arrangement comprising at least one ball cage with roller bodies.

BACKGROUND

Drawer guides of this type with roller body-mounted guide rails, in particular in the form of so-called C-profile ball drawer guides, are used, for example, in the area of kitchen furniture.

Known C-profile ball drawer guides have a relatively high level of rolling noise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based on the object of providing a drawer guide of the type mentioned at the outset, which has both a high load-bearing capacity and a low level of rolling noise and preferably a low level of rolling resistance.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a drawer guide having the features of the preamble of claim 1 in that the roller body arrangement comprises at least two different types of roller bodies, one roller body of a first type comprising a first material with a first hardness and a roller body of a second type comprising a second material with a second hardness,

the first hardness of the first material being lower than the second hardness of the second material and the roller body of the first type being larger than the roller body of the second type.

The larger roller bodies of the first type, in particular have a larger diameter (D) in a direction perpendicular to the roller body running tracks of the guide rails than the smaller roller bodies of the second type (diameter d).

Since the roller bodies of the second type are smaller than the roller bodies of the first type, the roller bodies of the second type, in the unloaded state of the drawer guide and during normal operation of the drawer guide, do not take on a support function and therefore neither do they contribute anything to the rolling noise of the drawer guide.

Rather, the rolling noise of the drawer guide in the unloaded state and during normal operation of the drawer guide is determined by the softer roller bodies of the first type, which have a lower level of rolling noise than the roller bodies of the second type, so the drawer guide can be pulled out or pushed in with only low noise generation.

It is particularly favourable if the roller body of the second type has a diameter (d), which is at least 1% smaller than the diameter (D) of the roller body of the first type (the percentage deviation being related to the diameter D of the roller body of the first type).

The softer roller body of the first type may, for example, comprise a plastics material and preferably be substantially completely formed from a plastics material.

The roller body of the first type preferably comprises a thermoplastic material, for example polyamide. In particular, the roller body of the first type may substantially be completely formed from a thermoplastic material, for example of polyimide.

It may furthermore be provided that the roller body of the first type comprises glass fibres and/or glass balls in addition to the plastics material.

Furthermore, it may also be provided that the roller body of the first type comprises a metallic material, which is softer than steel, which is generally used for the roller bodies of C-profile ball guides.

The roller body of the first type may, for example, comprise aluminium, zinc and/or tin. In particular, the roller body of the first type may substantially completely be formed from aluminium, zinc and/or tin.

The roller body of the second type, on the other hand, preferably comprises a steel material, which has a greater hardness than the material of the roller bodies of the first type. In particular, it may be provided that the roller body of the second type is substantially completely formed from a steel material.

As an alternative or in addition to this, it may also be provided that the roller body of the second type comprises a plastics material, which is harder than the first material. For example, the roller body of the second type may comprise a thermoplastic material containing glass fibres and/or glass balls.

The roller bodies of the roller body arrangements are preferably substantially spherical.

In order to achieve the fact that the roller bodies of the first type take on the main carrying function of the roller body arrangement during normal operation of the drawer guide, it is favourable if those roller bodies of the roller body arrangement, which adopt the first position or the last position of the roller body arrangement, viewed in the drawer direction, are roller bodies of the first type. The roller bodies arranged in these positions of the roller body arrangement normally absorb the greatest load due to the lever action. If a roller body of the second type were now to be seated at one of these positions, this roller body of the second type would also take on the primary support function during normal operation of the drawer guide, so the noise generation of the drawer guide would then be determined by the roller body of the second type.

Since the roller bodies of the second type in the roller body arrangement are moved further inward and neither adopt the first position nor the last position of the roller body arrangement, it is achieved that at small to medium loads, the roller bodies of the first type take on the support function of the drawer guide and therefore determine the noise generation of the drawer guide in these load cases, while the harder roller bodies of the second type only take on their role of limiting downward movement at high loads and excess loads.

It is particularly favourable for this reason if those roller bodies of the roller body arrangement, which adopt the second position or the penultimate position in the roller body arrangement, viewed in the drawer direction, are also roller bodies of the first type.

In a preferred configuration of the invention it is provided that each ball cage of the drawer guide has two or more, preferably four or more, roller bodies of the first type.

Furthermore, it is favourable for the reduction in noise generation of the drawer guide if the number of roller bodies of the first type in the roller body arrangement is greater than the number of roller bodies of the second type. It is particularly favourable if the number of roller bodies of the first type is at least twice as great as the number of roller bodies of the second type.

Furthermore, it is favourable if at most two roller bodies of the second type are adjacent to one another in the drawer direction.

At least the regions of the ball cage, which come into contact with the roller bodies of the first type, are preferably formed from a material, which is not harder than the first material in order to avoid damage to the roller bodies of the first type.

A further reduction in noise generation during the movement of the drawer guide and particularly easy running of the drawer guide are achieved if the drawer guide is assembled without prestressing or with light prestressing.

In an assembly of the drawer guide without prestressing, the added diameters of a roller body of the first type, which rolls on the upper roller body running tracks, and of a roller body of the first type, which rolls on the lower roller body running tracks, are smaller than, or at most equal in size, to the spacing of the upper roller body running track and the lower roller body running track of the first guide rail less the spacing of the upper roller body running track and the lower roller body running track of the second guide rail.

In an assembly of the drawer guide with light prestressing, the added diameters of a roller body of the first type, which rolls on the upper roller body running track, and of a roller body of the first type, which rolls on the lower roller body running track, are greater by at most 0.04 mm than the spacing of the upper roller body running track and the lower roller body running track of the first guide rail less the spacing of the upper roller body running track and the lower roller body running track of the second guide rail.

An assembly of the drawer guide without prestressing or with only light prestressing is also called a “light assembly” of the drawer guide in this description.

In order to correct an undesired cage migration of a ball cage of the drawer guide relative to the adjacent guide rails of the drawer guide (in other words an offset of the position of the ball cage relative to the guide rails, which occurs because the movement of the roller bodies on the roller body running tracks is not a pure rolling movement but contains a sliding component), it is favourable if at least one ball cage of the drawer guide is provided with at least one stop element, which cooperates with a stopper on one of the guide rails in such a way that the displacement of the ball cage relative to the guide rail is limited by the stopper.

The stop element may be configured in one piece with the ball cage or be configured as a separate component.

A stopper system of this type in which the roller bodies are not stopped by wedging on projections on the roller body running tracks, but instead the ball cage, in particular the cage back of the ball cage, itself is stopped, in particular provides the advantage that no additional contact pressing force, with which a stopped roller body is wedged on the roller body running track, has to be overcome when the drawer guide is actuated again after stopping.

It is particularly favourable if at least one ball cage of the drawer guide is provided with two stop elements, which each cooperate with an associated stopper on one of the guide rails in such a way that the displacement path of the ball cage relative to the guide rail is limited by the stoppers both in the drawer direction and counter to the drawer direction. As a result, an undesired migration of the cage is corrected both when the drawer guide is pulled out and when it is pushed in.

In addition to the first guide rail and the second guide rail guided displaceably on the first guide rail by means of a roller body arrangement, the drawer guide according to the invention can also comprise one or more further guide rails, which are displaceable guided on the first guide rail or one the second guide rail by means of further roller body arrangements.

In this case, these further roller body arrangements also preferably comprise two different types of roller bodies, a roller body of a first type comprising a first material with a first hardness and a roller body of a second type comprising a second material with a second hardness, the first hardness of the first material being lower than the second hardness of the second material and the roller bodies of the first type being larger than the roller bodies of the second type.

Further features and advantages of the invention are the subject of the following description and the graphical view of an embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a drawer guide, which comprises a first guide rail and a second guide rail displaceably guided by means of a roller body arrangement on the first guide rail, the roller body arrangement comprising a ball cage with roller bodies with two different degrees of hardness;

FIG. 2 shows a sectional side view of the drawer guide from FIG. 1, with the viewing direction from an inside of the drawer guide;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic longitudinal section through the drawer guide from FIGS. 1 and 2 in the completely pulled-out state, the sectional plane running through stop elements of the roller body cage and stop elements on an outer rail of the drawer guide;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic longitudinal section through the drawer guide from FIG. 3 in a completely pulled-out state, the sectional plane running through the centre points of the roller bodies of the ball cage;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic longitudinal section corresponding to FIG. 3 through the drawer guide in the completely pushed-in state;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic longitudinal section corresponding to FIG. 4 through the drawer guide in the completely pushed-in state;

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the region I from FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross-section through the drawer guide; and

FIG. 9 shows a schematic perspective view of the drawer guide, concealed lines being reproduced in a broken manner.

The same or functionally equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals in all the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A drawer guide designated 100 as a whole and shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 comprises a first guide rail 102, which is configured, for example, as an outer rail 104, and a second guide rail 106, which is configured, for example, as an inner rail 108, the first guide rail 102 and the second guide rail 106 being displaceably guided on one another by means of a roller body arrangement 110 in such a way that the second guide rail 106 is configured to be pulled out in a drawer direction 112 relative to the first guide rail 102.

In the embodiment shown here of a drawer guide 100, the first guide rail 102 and the second guide rail 106 are configured as C-rails, which have a substantially C-shaped cross-section.

In this case, the first guide rail 102 has a rail back 113 (oriented vertically in the installed state of the drawer guide 100), from which an upper leg 114 and a lower leg 116 protrude toward the second guide rail 106.

A lower side of the upper leg 114 forms an upper roller body running track 118 of the first guide rail, and an upper side of the lower leg 116 forms a lower roller body running track 120 of the first guide rail 102.

The second guide rail 106 has a rail back 122 (also oriented substantially vertically in the installed state of the drawer guide 100), from which an upper leg 124 and a lower leg 126 protrude toward the first guide rail 102.

An upper side of the upper leg 124 forms an upper roller body running track 128 of the second guide rail 106, and a lower side of the lower leg 126 forms a lower roller body running track 130 of the second guide rail 106.

The roller body arrangement 110, by means of which the second guide rail 106 is displaceably guided on the first guide rail 102, comprises a ball cage 132 with a cage back 134 (oriented substantially vertically in the installed state of the drawer guide 100) (see FIGS. 3 and 5), from the upper edge of which an upper holding strip 136 projects into the intermediate space between the upper roller body running track 118 of the first guide rail 102 and the upper roller body running track 128 of the second guide rail 106 and from the lower edge of which a lower holding strip 138 projects into the intermediate space between the lower roller body running track 120 of the first guide rail 102 and the lower roller body running track 130 of the second guide rail 106.

As can best be seen from the side view of FIG. 2, each of the holding strips 136 and 138 in each case has a plurality of receiving openings 140 passing through the holding strip 136 or 138 to receive a respective roller body 142.

The roller bodies of each holding strip 136, 138 follow one another in the drawer direction 112.

In the embodiment shown, the upper roller bodies 142a and the lower roller bodies 142b are in each case divided into two roller body groups, namely into a front roller body group 144a and a rear roller body group 144b, the rearmost roller body 142 of the front roller body group 144a having a spacing L from the foremost roller body of the rear roller body group 144b, which is greater than the spacing I between consecutive roller bodies 142 of the same roller body group 144a or 144b (see FIG. 2).

The roller bodies 142 can basically have any desired shape, which is suitable, on the one hand, to roll on a roller body running track 118 or 120 of the first guide rail 102 and, on the other hand, to roll on a roller body running track 128 or 130 of the second guide rail 106.

In particular, the roller bodies 142 can be configured as substantially cylindrical rollers or, as provided in the embodiment shown, as balls.

The ball cage 132 comprises two different types of roller bodies, which differ from one another with regard to their form and with regard to their material.

The roller bodies of the first type are designated 146 below and in the ball cage 132 preferably adopt the—viewed in the drawer direction 112—first position and last position (these roller bodies of the first type are designated 146a in the figures).

Furthermore, roller bodies 146 of the first type preferably also adopt the—viewed in the drawer direction 112—second position and the penultimate position in the ball cage 132 (these roller bodies of the first type are designated 146b in the Figures).

Roller bodies of a second type, which are called 148 below and are shown darker in the Figures than the roller bodies 146 of the first type, preferably adopt in the ball cage 132 positions lying further inward, for example the—viewed in the drawer direction 112—third position from the front and the third position from the rear.

In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the roller bodies 148 of the second type therefore in each case adopt the central position in the respective roller body group 144a, 144b.

The remaining roller bodies of the ball cage 132 lying still further inward are again roller bodies 146 of the first type in the embodiment shown and are designated 146c or 146d in the figures.

The roller bodies 146 of the first type are formed from a first material with a first hardness and the roller bodies 148 of the second type are formed from a second material with a second hardness, the first hardness of the first material being lower than the second hardness of the second material.

For example, it may be provided that the roller bodies 146 of the first type are formed from a plastics material, in particular from a thermoplastic material, for example polyamide.

The material of the roller bodies 146 of the first type may furthermore comprise glass fibres in addition to the plastics material.

The roller bodies 148 of the second type, on the other hand, are preferably formed from a steel material, which has a greater hardness than the plastics material of the roller bodies 146 of the first type.

In an alternative embodiment, it may also be provided that the roller bodies 146 of the first type are formed from a metallic material, which is softer than the material of the roller bodies 148 of the second type, in other words, in particular softer than a steel material.

For example, in this case, the roller bodies 146 of the first type may be formed from aluminium, zinc and/or tin.

It is furthermore provided that the roller bodies 146 of the first type are larger than the roller bodies 148 of the second type and, in particular, have a diameter D, which is larger than the diameter d of the roller bodies 148 of the second type.

The diameter d of the roller bodies 148 of the second type is preferably smaller by at least 1% than the diameter D of the roller bodies 146 of the first type.

Since the roller bodies 148 of the second type are smaller than the roller bodies 146 of the first type, the roller bodies 148 of the second type do not take on a support function in the unloaded state of the drawer guide 100 and during normal operation of the drawer guide 100 and therefore do not contribute anything to the rolling noise of the drawer guide 100 either.

During normal operation of the drawer guide 100, the roller bodies 146 of the first type instead take on the main carrying function and guide function of the roller body arrangement 110.

As the roller bodies 146 of the first type are formed from a soft, noise-absorbing material, the roller bodies 146 of the first type have a lower level of rolling noise than the roller bodies 148 of the second type, so the drawer guide 100 can be pulled out or pushed in with only low noise generation.

The soft roller bodies 146 of the first type could not, however, alone absorb any extreme loads, for example in the event of severe twisting of the guide rails 102 and 106 relative to one another, because of their elastic deformation. Damage or even destruction of the drawer guide 100 could therefore occur if exclusively roller bodies 146 of the first type were used.

In the case of extreme loading of this type of the drawer guide 100, for example during the action of high, persistent dynamic loads or upon the action of temporary static loads (for example if the drawer device guided by means of the drawer guide 100, for example a drawer, remains in the pulled-out state for a relatively long time), which lead to a loading of the roller body guide exceeding the bearing capacity of the roller bodies 146 of the first type, the roller bodies 146 of the first type compress, and the harder roller bodies 148 of the second type then take on the support function of the drawer guide 100.

The roller bodies 148 of the second type are in particular formed from a hard material with a high bearing capacity and pressure resistance, so they are suitable to take on high loads.

Such high loads may, for example, be static excess loads, which, for example, occur due to the drawer device remaining for a relatively long time in the pulled-out state or when compressive forces or torsional forces are exerted on the drawer guide 100 when handled by the user, if the user is supported, for example, on the drawer device held by means of the drawer guide 100.

Since such high loads, which exceed the load-bearing capacity of the roller bodies 146 of the first type, are absorbed by the roller bodies 148 of the second type, the roller bodies 146 of the first type are prevented from flattening out when a loading lasts for a relatively long time and then producing a rumbling running noise when a movement starts up again, because of their out-of-roundness.

Furthermore, this prevents the roller bodies 146 of the first type deforming beyond the resilient range during long-term operation of the drawer guide 100 and thereby being destroyed.

The roller bodies 146 of the first type, on the one hand, and the roller bodies 148 of the second type, on the other hand, thus take on different tasks in the roller body arrangement 110:

The softer and larger roller bodies 146 of the first type take on the support function of the drawer guide 100 during its normal operation and ensure lower noise generation when pulling out or pushing in the drawer guide 100.

The harder and smaller roller bodies 148 of the second type take on loads, which exceed the load-bearing capacity of the roller bodies 146 of the first type, and therefore ensure the operating ability of the drawer guide 100 and prevent a destruction of the roller bodies 146 of the first type in the event of excess loading.

The roller bodies 148 of the second type are therefore preferably not used at the positions at the two ends of the ball cage 132, as when a roller body guide is in the pulled-out state, the roller bodies 142 installed at the outer ends of the ball cage 132 absorb the greatest load, because at these points, due to the lever action and the vertical installation position of the drawer guide 100, the gap between the roller body running tracks 118 and 120 of the first guide rail 102, on the one hand, and the roller body running tracks 128 and 130 of the second guide rail 106, on the other hand, is smallest in the event of a load-related twisting of the guide rail 102 and 106.

If a roller body 148 of the second type were now to be seated at the respective end of the ball cage 132, this roller body 148 of the second type would also take on the primary support function during normal operation of the drawer guide 100, so the noise generation of the drawer guide 100 would then be determined by the roller bodies 148 of the second type.

Since the roller bodies 148 of the second type are moved further inward in the ball cage 132 and preferably neither adopt the foremost nor the rearmost position, in particular also neither adopt the second position from the front nor the penultimate position, it is achieved that in the case of small to medium loads, the roller bodies 146 of the first type take on the support function of the drawer guide 100 and therefore, in these load cases, determine the noise generation of the drawer guide 100, while the harder roller bodies 148 of the second type only take on their role as the lowering limitation in the case of high loads and excess loads.

A further reduction of noise generation during the movement of the drawer guide 100 is achieved in that the drawer guide is assembled from the components, first guide rail 102, second guide rail 106 and roller bodies 142, without prestressing or with light prestressing.

During assembly of the drawer guide 100 with strong prestressing, the added diameter (D) of a roller body 146 of the first type, which rolls on the upper roller body running tracks 118 and 128, and of a roller body 146 of the first type, which rolls on the lower roller body running tracks 120 and 130, is greater by more than 0.04 mm than the spacing between the upper roller body running track 118 and the lower roller body running track 120 of the first guide rail 102 (spacing S_a) less the spacing between the upper roller body running track 128 and the lower roller body running track 130 of the second guide rail 106 ( spacing S_i; see FIG. 8). As a result, the legs of the C-profile of the first guide rail 102 (outer rail 104) are bent apart in the elastic area and the legs of the C-profile of the second guide rail 106 (inner rail 108) are bent toward one another in the elastic area. One then refers to a “heavily assembled” drawer guide 100 or a drawer guide 100, which is assembled under strong prestressing, in which the rolling noise of the roller bodies 142 is loud.

In contrast to this, the pull-guide 100 shown in the drawings is preferably “lightly assembled”, in other words assembled only under light prestressing or free from prestressing.

With a “light assembly” of this type, the added diameters of a roller body 146 of the first type (diameter D), which rolls on the upper roller body running tracks 118 and 128, and of a roller body 146 of the first type (diameter D), which rolls on the lower roller body running tracks 120 and 130, are smaller than, of equal size to, or greater by at most 0.04 mm than the spacing of the upper roller body running track 118 and the lower roller body running track 120 of the first guide rail 102 (spacing S_a) less the spacing of the upper roller body running track 128 and the lower roller body running track 130 of the second guide rail 106 (spacing S_i).

The rolling noise of the roller bodies 146 of the first type in the profile of the first guide rail 102 and of the second guide rail 106 (preferably a steel profile in each case) is substantially reduced by a “light assembly” of this type, as the noise generation during the movement of a roller body guide with reducing prestressing, under which the components, guide rails and roller bodies, are assembled with respect to one another, reduces greatly.

As, in particular, is to be seen from FIGS. 3 to 6, the ball cage 132 of the drawer guide 100 shown is furthermore provided with stop elements 150, which cooperate with stoppers 152 arranged on one of the guide rails 102, 106, in particular on the first guide rail 102, in such a way that the displacement path of the ball cage 132 relative to the guide rail concerned, in other words, in particular, relative to the first guide rail 102, is limited.

In this case, each of the stop elements 150 is arranged on one of the two ends of the cage back 134 and projects from the cage back 134 toward the rail back 113 of the first guide rail 102.

The stop elements 150 may also be configured in one piece with the cage back 134.

The two stoppers 152 are arranged on the inside of the rail back 113 of the first guide rail 102 facing the ball cage 132 and project from there toward the inner rail 108.

In a completely pulled-out state of the drawer guide 100 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front stop element 150a of the ball cage 132 located at the front in the drawer direction 112 strikes against the front stopper 152a of the first guide rail 102 located at the front in the drawer direction 112, so the ball cage 132 is stopped in its drawer movement relative to the first guide rail 102 and cannot be displaced further relative to the first guide rail 102.

In the completely pushed-in state of the drawer guide 100 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the other hand, the rear stop element 150b located at the rear in the drawer direction 112 strikes against the rear stopper 152b of the first guide rail 102 located at the rear in the drawer direction 112, so the push-in movement of the ball cage 132 relative to the first guide rail 102 is stopped and the ball cage 132 cannot be displaced further relative to the first guide rail 102 counter to the drawer direction 112.

The presence of the stop elements 150 and the stoppers 152 cooperating therewith is, in particular, advantageous when the drawer guide 100 is assembled without prestressing or with light prestressing, as such “lightly assembled” drawer guides 100 tend to so-called cage migration, in particular under a high load. The effect is called cage migration, where during a movement of the guide rails 102 and 106 of the drawer guide 100 relative to one another, the ball cage 132 does not travel precisely half the distance, by which the two guide rails 102 and 106 are displaced relative to one another, as would be the case if the movement of the roller bodies 142 was a pure rolling movement on the roller body running tracks without a sliding component.

The offset, brought about by the cage migration, of the position of the ball cage 132 relative to the guide rails 102 and 106 adds up over the movement cycles of the drawer guide 100, and after a certain number of such movement cycles, the drawer guide 100 can no longer be completely pulled out on the provided drawer path.

This cage migration can be corrected by forceful pulling on one of the guide rails 102, 106 (so-called cage correction).

As a user of the drawer guide is frequently reluctant to exert a large force on the guide rails 102 or 106 in order to carry out the cage connection, because he fears damage to the drawer guide 100, it is a substantial advantage to correct the cage migration by a stopper system, in which the roller bodies 142 are not stopped, but the ball cage 132 is stopped instead. A stopper system of this type, compared to other stopper systems, in which roller bodies 142 are wedged in a stop position by means of projections on the roller body running tracks, provides a substantial advantage, because, in a stopper system stopping the ball cage 132, in particular the cage back 134, no roller body 142 is wedged between the guide rails 102, 106 and therefore no self-reinforcing contact pressing force occurs, with which the stopped roller bodies 142 are pressed against the roller body running tracks.

In the described stopper system, in which stop elements 150 on the ball cage 132 are stopped by a respective associated stopper 152, when the drawer guide 100 is actuated, no additional contact pressing force, with which a stopped roller body 142 is retained in the stop position, has to be overcome.

In the stopper system described, a cage correction can be carried out with a small correction force in that the ball cage 132 is displaced by means of the stoppers 152 in the drawer direction 112 or counter to the drawer direction 112.

Claims

1. Drawer guide, comprising at least one first guide rail and one second guide rail displaceably guided by means of a roller body arrangement on the first guide rail, the roller body arrangement comprising at least one ball cage with roller bodies,

wherein the roller body arrangement comprises at least two different types of roller bodies, one roller body of a first type comprising a first material with a first hardness and a roller body of a second type comprising a second material with a second hardness,

wherein the first hardness of the first material is lower than the second hardness of the second material and wherein the roller body of the first type is larger than the roller body of the second type.

2. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein the roller body of the second type has a diameter, which is at least 1% smaller than the diameter of the roller body of the first type.

3. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein the roller body of the first type comprises a plastics material.

4. Drawer guide according to claim 3, wherein the roller body of the first type comprises a thermoplastic material.

5. Drawer guide according to claim 3, wherein the roller body of the first type comprises glass fibres and/or glass balls in addition to the plastics material.

6. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein the roller body of the first type comprises a metallic material, which is softer than steel.

7. Drawer guide according to claim 6, wherein the roller body of the first type comprises aluminium, zinc and/or tin.

8. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein the roller body of the second type comprises a steel material or a plastics material, which is harder than the first material.

9. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein those roller bodies of the roller body arrangement, which adopt the first position or the last position of the roller body arrangement, viewed in the drawer direction, are roller bodies of the first type.

10. Drawer guide according to claim 9, wherein those roller bodies of the roller body arrangement, which adopt the second position or the penultimate position in the roller body arrangement, viewed in the drawer direction, are roller bodies of the first type.

11. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein the number of roller bodies of the first type in the roller body arrangement is greater than the number of roller bodies of the second type.

12. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein at most two roller bodies of the second type are adjacent to one another in the drawer direction.

13. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein the drawer guide is assembled without prestressing or with light prestressing.

14. Drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein at least one ball cage of the drawer guide is provided with at least one stop element, which cooperates with a stopper on one of the guide rails in such a way that the displacement path of the ball cage relative to the guide rail is limited by the stopper.

15. Drawer guide according to claim 14, wherein at least one ball cage of the drawer guide is provided with two stop elements, which cooperate with one respective associated stopper on one of the guide rails in such a way that the displacement path of the ball cage relative to the guide rail is limited by the stoppers both in the drawer direction and counter to the drawer direction.