Patent ID: 7311074

Claim:
A guide rail ( 1 , 22 ) for guiding cylindrical valve tappets ( 2 ) of an internal combustion engine, with the guide rail ( 1 , 22 ) having receptacle spaces ( 4 ), which are arranged at intervals over a longitudinal extent thereof, which are each used for receiving one of the valve tappets ( 2 ), and in which there are flattened sections ( 6 ) that are spaced apart in parallel and that interact in a positive fit with key surfaces ( 7 ) of the valve tappets ( 2 ), such that the valve tappets ( 2 ) are protected from rotating about respective longitudinal axes, with the flattened sections ( 6 ) permitting alignment of the valve tappets ( 2 ) orthogonal to the respective longitudinal axes and parallel to the flattened sections ( 6 ), the guide rail ( 1 , 22 ) comprises a metal carrier ( 3 , 25 ) and rotational protection elements ( 8 , 9 , 23 ), which are fixed in recesses ( 10 , 11 , 24 ) of the metal carrier ( 3 , 25 ), which have the flattened sections ( 6 ), and which also permit alignment of each of the valve tappets ( 2 ) orthogonal to the respective longitudinal axis and orthogonal to the flattened sections ( 6 ), in that each of the flattened sections ( 6 ) belonging to one of the receptacle spaces ( 4 ) can be displaced individually or in common orthogonal to the flattened sections ( 6 ) relative to the metal carrier ( 3 , 25 ).