JP2000104734A - Roller combination, and rectilinear motion guide device incorporating with same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To operate rectilinear motion guide devices reliably by keeping their roller combination smoothly slidable. SOLUTION: A roller combination 13a comprises a multitude of cylindrical rollers 14a and a holding member 15. The holding member 15 comprising a slippery synthetic resin material has roller holding holes by which the cylindrical rollers 14a are aligned with one another. The holding member 15 especially includes side plate parts 20 each opposed to an associated end face of the cylindrical roller 14a set in each roller holding hole to cover this end face. The side plate parts 20 avoid skews to provide the cylindrical rollers 14a with smooth rolling motion. Engagement between an engaging recess in each end face of the cylindrical rollers 14a and an engaging projection on the inner surface of the side plate parts 20 prevents the cylindrical rollers 14a from slipping down or disengaging.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to various fields such as machine tools, industrial robots and precision measuring instruments.
The present invention relates to a roller connected body used for guiding a movable body movably provided along a track axis, and an improvement of a linear motion guide device using the roller connected body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of machine tools, industrial robots, and the like, a technique for making a moving body reciprocable in one direction is indispensable. For example, in a wafer grinding machine constituting a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the grinding apparatus is movable along a track axis provided in a horizontal direction, and rough grinding is performed at a predetermined position on the track axis to perform other grinding. It is configured to perform finish grinding at a predetermined position. As described above, as a device for making the grinding device reciprocally movable in one direction,
Conventionally, linear motion guide devices have been widely used.

Various types of linear motion guide devices are known. The linear motion guide device is basically composed of a long track shaft, a main body, and side covers fixed to both ends of the main body. The vehicle includes a movable body movable along the orbital axis, and a number of rollers that are incorporated in a circulation path formed in the movable body and the orbital axis and support the movable body on the orbital axis.

[0004] The main body constituting the moving body has a shape that can be laid over the track axis. On the opposing surfaces of the main body and the track axis, opposing rolling surfaces are formed, and by each of these pairs of rolling surfaces,
A rolling path on which the rollers can freely roll is formed. Further, the main body is provided with a return passage formed in a through hole provided in a length direction of the main body, and a direction change path inner peripheral portion continuous with both ends of the return passage. ing. Furthermore,
The side lid constituting the moving body has a vertical cross-sectional shape that is the same as the vertical cross-sectional shape of the main body, and has a direction change path outer peripheral portion formed on an inner surface thereof. The circulation path has an elliptical (track-like) configuration including the rolling path, the return path, and a turning path formed by the inner circumference of the turning path and the outer circumference of the turning path. It has a shape. The rollers are mounted so as to freely circulate in this circulation path.

[0005] A ball (steel ball) can be used instead of the roller. However, while the sphere makes a point contact with the raceway surface, the roller makes a line contact with the raceway surface. For this reason, when the roller is used, the load to be supported can be increased as compared with the case where the ball is used. Therefore, in an apparatus which needs to support a relatively large load, it is common to use a roller as described above, and the demand is high.

[0006] The operation of the conventional linear motion guide device configured as described above is as follows. That is, as the moving body slides on the track axis, the roller circulates in the circulation path and supports the moving body on the track axis. That is, the roller rolls from the start end to the end of the rolling path, and is sent to the return path via one of the turning paths. Further, after passing through the return path, it is sent out to the start end of the rolling path through the other direction changing path. Among the many rollers, the roller located on the rolling path supports the moving body. The other rollers move along the turning path and the return path as the moving body moves. Therefore, in the present specification, for convenience of explanation, the rolling path portion where the roller supports the moving body is referred to as a load load area (hereinafter, simply referred to as a load area), and a portion where the roller is simply shifted without supporting the moving body. (The direction change path and the return path) are referred to as a no-load area (hereinafter simply referred to as a no-load area). As described above, since a large number of rollers support the moving body while circulating in the circulation path, the moving body can move smoothly along the track axis.

[0007]

By the way, in order to make the linear motion guide device constructed as described above operate smoothly, it is most important to make the circulation of the rollers smooth. Factors that hinder the smooth circulation of the roller include an increase in frictional resistance and a skew (runout of the roller rotating shaft) at the contact portion between the roller and the circulation path or each of the constituent members. In the present specification, the run-out of the roller rotation axis means that the rotation axis (center axis) of the roller is at an angle with respect to the planned rotation axis in a circulation path (rolling path, turning path, and return path). To have.

For example, as shown in FIG. 53, a roller (a cylindrical roller in the illustrated example) 14a moves from the end of the direction change path 10 which is the no-load area β to the start end of the rolling path 5 which is the load area α. When the roller 14a is skewed (when the roller rotation axis γ oscillates where it should be in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 53 and is in the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 53), one half of the roller 14a is earlier The load area α, and the circulation of the roller 14a is temporarily stopped. Therefore, smooth movement of the roller 14a is hindered.

Further, when the skew occurs, a so-called edge load occurs because an extremely concentrated load is generated on the half portion side, and the roller 14a and the rolling path 5
Will be damaged and durability will be degraded. In addition, the occurrence of such damage causes vibration and changes in rolling resistance when the roller 14a circulates in the circulation path 12, which also hinders smooth movement of the roller 14a.

Further, smooth circulation of the rollers is also impaired by, for example, an increase in frictional resistance due to contact between the rollers or uneven contact between the rollers and a part of the circulation path. Such an increase in frictional resistance due to the contact between the rollers and the like generally occurs frequently in the above-mentioned turning path.

Therefore, in order to move the moving body smoothly, it is necessary to prevent the skew of the rollers and the increase in frictional resistance. However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, since no measures are taken to prevent the above-mentioned rollers from contacting each other, the alignment state of the rollers is disturbed in a direction change path or the like, and the rollers contact each other at the relevant location. And it was difficult to obtain smooth circulation performance.

Further, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional structure, each side wall constituting the return passage is a guide surface for guiding the roller. However, in order for the side wall to function as a guide surface, it is necessary to provide a gap of a certain dimension between both end surfaces of the roller and the side wall. However, if such a gap is provided, the play of the roller is allowed by the gap due to the existence of the gap. Such rattling may cause skew of the roller 14a. Note that the above-described various inconveniences also occur when a spherical roller or a chamfer roller is used instead of the roller 14c.

In order to solve such inconvenience, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-110728 discloses a prior art for preventing skew as shown in FIG. In this prior art, a roller 14a is connected by a holding member 25. That is, the rollers 14a are held one by one in the roller holding holes 26, 26 of the holding member 25 formed in a ladder shape as shown. The holding member 2
The protrusions 27 are provided on both outer side surfaces in the length direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 54A, the front and back direction in FIG. 54B).
And a concave portion (not shown) is formed on each of the side walls of the return passage and the turning path, and these convex portions 27,
The roller 14a is guided by sliding contact between the recess 27 and the recess. In FIG. 54, reference numeral 18 denotes a spacer.

However, in the above prior art,
Although the skew prevention effect is improved as compared with the above-described conventional structure, the following inconvenience newly arises. That is, in the case of the prior art, when the rollers 14a pass through the semicircular arc-shaped turning path portion, the rollers 14a move in a state in which the rollers 14a are drawn to the inner peripheral side in the turning path section, so that they are adjacent to each other. Because the distance between the rollers 14a is shifted,
The alignment state is the alignment state in the return passage or the like,
It shifts. For this reason, there was a problem that the roller 14a was in strong contact with a part of the holding member 25 (a part of the roller holding hole 26) in the direction change path, so that smooth circulation was easily restricted.

Moreover, in the above prior art, the roller 14a
In order to make the transition smoothly, the above-mentioned concave portion functioning as a guide surface must be formed with high precision in the degree of parallelism and spacing over the entire turning path and return path constituting the circulation path. . Needless to say, the convexities 27 guided by the concave portions also need to be formed with high precision in the degree of parallelism and spacing, similarly to the above-mentioned concave portions. Therefore, a high level of skill is required to form the concave and convex portions 27, and the cost is increased.

Further, in the direction change path, the convex portion 27 is guided to the concave portion in a state of being elastically deformed (curved state) in accordance with the curvature of the direction change path. Since the sliding contact with the concave portion is relatively strong, the frictional resistance is increased in the sliding contact portion. In this point, the smooth circulation of the roller 14a is also hindered, and the smooth movement of the linear motion guide device is also prevented. This results in hindering proper operation.

The present invention has been made in order to solve all of the above-mentioned disadvantages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a roller connected body that can prevent a skew or the like that hinders smooth circulation of a roller as much as possible and can perform a smooth circulation guide. Another object of the present invention is to provide a linear motion guide device that enables a moving body to move smoothly by using such a roller connection body.

[0018]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, of the roller connected body according to the present invention and the linear motion guide device using the roller connected body, the invention relating to the roller connected body is described in the claims. As described in Item 1, the guide bearing device includes a plurality of rollers and a holding member made of a flexible and slippery material and holding the plurality of rollers aligned with each other. The moving body is supported movably along the track axis.

In particular, in the roller linked body according to the first aspect, the holding member has a plurality of spacers arranged in series at a distance from each other and a length of each of the adjacent spacers. It has a side plate portion connecting both end portions in the direction, a pair of adjacent spacer portions, and a roller holding hole formed by a pair of opposed side plate portions connected to these spacer portions. In addition, the side plate portion has inner and outer side surfaces formed as flat surfaces, and has an inner surface formed on at least an outer peripheral portion of an end surface of the roller, and a side wall surface of a rectangular circulation path in which the roller coupling body is incorporated. And the outer surfaces thereof are slidably disposed.

The basic operation of the roller connecting member according to the first aspect configured as described above for supporting the moving member on the track axis is almost the same as the conventional structure described above. In the roller connected body described in claim 1, in particular,
During use (when the roller assembly is circulating in the circulation path)
When the roller is guided by the holding member and rolls or slides on the circulation path, the flat end face of the roller slides or slides while slidingly contacting the inner surface of the flat plate portion. At this time, the interval between the pair of side plate portions slidably in contact with both end surfaces of the roller is a predetermined constant value and does not change in the middle, so that the attitude of the roller is always kept constant, and The rotation center axis does not swing up, down, left and right with respect to the traveling direction of the roller. That is, in the present invention, the skew of the roller is regulated by the presence of the side plate portion. In particular, since the side plate portion is in sliding contact with at least the outer peripheral portion of the roller end surface, the posture of the roller is reliably maintained, and the rotation center axis of the roller is prevented from oscillating as much as possible.

Further, in the present invention, the outer surface of each of the side plate portions moves while slidingly contacting the respective side wall portions of the turning path and the return passage which constitute the circulation path. , Since both are formed with flat surfaces,
Its manufacture is easier than in the prior art described above. That is, in the case of the above-described prior art, concave portions are formed on both side walls of the return passage and the pair of direction change paths that constitute the circulation path, and convex portions are formed on both side portions of the holding member. On the other hand, in the present invention, the outer surfaces of both side walls and the side plate portion of the return passage and the pair of direction change passages may be simply formed as flat surfaces, so that the production is extremely It will be easier.

Further, in the present invention, since the contact area between the outer side surface of the side plate portion and the both side walls can be increased, the deflection of the holding member in the traveling direction is regulated by the both side walls. Also, the skew of the roller can be effectively prevented.

Further, when the roller passes through the direction change path, the roller tends to be drawn toward the inner peripheral side of the direction change path. In the present invention, however, the outer peripheral portion of the roller end surface and the inner surface of the side plate portion are always in contact with each other. Since the rollers are in contact with each other, the attitude of the rollers is defined in a direction in which the rotation center axis is orthogonal to the traveling direction. Therefore, skew of the rotor can be prevented at this point as well.

Further, the roller rolls or slides while its position is regulated by the holding member as described above, and the holding member slides between the inner side surface of the side plate portion and the end surface of the roller. As a result, the rollers move while being guided by the rollers. Therefore, the roller and the holding member are
In order to move each other smoothly while their postures are mutually regulated, the roller run-out and the run-out of the holding member, which have conventionally been a cause of roller skew, are mutually regulated, and the roller connecting body is Can be operated smoothly.

It is needless to say that a lubricant (grease) is interposed between each part of the roller and each part of the holding member that come into contact with each other. By the presence of such a lubricant and the holding member being made of a flexible and slippery material, mutual frictional resistance is prevented from increasing and smooth movement of the entire roller connected body is achieved. . Further, in the case of the roller connected body according to the present invention, the lubricant is held and circulated between the spacer between the holding members and a portion (so-called grease pocket) between the adjacent rollers via the spacer. . For this reason, not only the mutual friction of the rollers is prevented, but also the holding performance of the lubricating oil is improved, and the durability of the entire roller connected body can be greatly improved.

According to the present invention, as described in claim 2, the surface constituting the roller holding hole of the spacer is formed as a concave curved surface having a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of the side surface of the roller. A configuration can also be employed. With this configuration, since the pair of spacers forming the roller holding hole holds the roller so as not to fall off, there is no risk that the roller will fall off the holding member during maintenance or inspection.

Further, in the present invention, as described in claim 3, instead of the side plate portion, a concave portion for loosely fitting the end of the roller is provided on the inner surface thereof, and the outer surface thereof is formed. It is also possible to employ a side plate portion which can be slidably contacted with the side wall surface of the circulation passage having a rectangular cross section in which the roller connection body is incorporated. By adopting such a configuration, the skew of the roller is also regulated. That is, since the side plate portion loosely fits the end face of the roller, the posture of the roller is reliably maintained, and the rotation shaft of the roller is prevented from oscillating as much as possible.

As described in claim 4, an engagement recess or an engagement protrusion is provided at the center of both end faces of the roller, and the engagement recess or the engagement is formed at the center of the inner surface of the side plate. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which an engagement protrusion or an engagement recess that is engageable with the engagement recess or the engagement protrusion is provided at a position matching the engagement protrusion. Various shapes are conceivable as the engaging projections provided on the end face or the side plate of the roller. For example, a short cylindrical shape or a short conical shape can be considered. Needless to say, the engaging concave portion has a shape that matches the shape of the engaging convex portion.

By engaging the engaging concave portion and the engaging convex portion in this manner, the alignment state of the rollers is forcibly maintained, and the deflection of the rotation center axis of the rollers is regulated, so that the skew prevention effect is increased. I do. In particular, when passing through the direction change path portion having a semicircular arc shape, the roller holds the same posture as when passing through another portion constituting the circulation path, and the holding position of the roller with respect to the holding member is Since the skew is maintained by the engagement of the concave and convex portions, skew can be effectively prevented, and an increase in the contact surface pressure on a part of the holding member of the roller can be suppressed, so that the circulation of the roller connected body can be further smoothly performed. Can be performed. The engagement of the concave and convex portions also has a function of preventing the roller from falling off the holding member. For this reason, maintenance, inspection work, and the like of the roller connected body are facilitated.

In the present invention, the spacer is provided with
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which constricted portions are formed from both end edges in the length direction toward the center. By providing such a constricted portion, the holding member can bend by an amount corresponding to the cut depth of the constricted portion in the short direction of the roller connecting body, so that the position of the return passage is The degree of freedom for selection is increased, and the shape of the moving body can be freely selected according to the intended use. In addition, by providing the above-mentioned constricted portion, even in a circulation path in which the roller connected body must bend and move slightly in the short direction, since it is easily bent from the constricted portion, even in a direction changing path portion. The circuit can be moved smoothly, and the degree of freedom in designing the circuit can be increased.

As a material constituting the holding member described in each of the above-mentioned claims, as described in claim 5,
Synthetic resins such as fluorinated resins can be used. If such a synthetic resin is employed, the roller connected body can be manufactured by injecting a resin material into the cavity (insert molding) with the roller inserted in the mold of the holding member in advance. Note that the roller creates a small gap between the roller and the holding member by sinking during curing of the resin or by immersing the entire resin into an oil bath or the like. The dynamic resistance is small. Therefore, when insert molding, which is a type of such injection molding, is employed in the present invention, a step of incorporating a roller into a holding member is not required, productivity can be improved, and the production of a linked roller assembly can be facilitated. And simplification.

Further, in the present invention, as the roller, a cylindrical roller may be employed as described in claim 6, or a spherical roller may be employed as described in claim 7.

According to the present invention, the side plate portion may be formed to have an area of 8 mm of the end face of the roller.
By forming the disk with a disk having an area of about 0% to 95%, the side plate portion comes into sliding contact over almost the entire end surface of the roller, so that the rotational axis of the roller can be reduced as much as possible. Can be reduced.

Further, as described in claim 9, a portion of the side plate portion and at least a portion of the circulation path may be formed to be slidably and abutting. With this configuration, a part of the side plate slides in a state of contacting a part of the circulation path, so that a skew prevention effect is improved.

Further, as described in the tenth aspect, by providing a connecting portion capable of connecting the end portions of the roller connecting member, the roller connecting member may be formed into an endless annular shape after being assembled to the circulation path. it can. Specifically, as the connecting portion, as described in claim 11, a locking convex portion formed at one end portion of the roller connecting member and a locking concave portion formed at the other end portion of the roller connecting member. When the locking projections and the locking recesses are engaged with each other, both side surfaces of the connecting portion are flush with the other side surfaces of the other portion of the roller connecting body. Further, as described in claim 12, the connecting portion can be formed by welding with, for example, a plastic welder in a state where both end portions of the roller connecting body are overlapped.

As described above, by making the roller coupling body endless annular, for example, when the roller shifts from the direction change path constituting the circulation path to the load track path, etc.
Both rollers can be moved smoothly by the pulling force or pushing force of the rollers before and after the rollers, and the smooth transition of the rollers and the smooth transfer of the moving block accompanying this can be performed, and the stopping accuracy of the moving block can be improved. Improvement can be achieved.

In the case where the connecting portion is welded, a first aspect is provided.
As described in 3, in the circulating path to which the roller linked body is assembled, a direction change path portion exposed to an end of the moving body with one side lid constituting the moving body removed is attached to each other. This is performed by locating both end portions of the overlapped roller connected body and further melting and fixing the overlapped portion using a conventionally known welder or the like. Further, as described in claim 14, a holding portion is formed in a part of the side plate portion, and a holding portion for holding the holding portion in at least a load side passage of the circulation path. A configuration in which a portion is formed can be employed. By adopting such a configuration, stable guidance is performed when the roller connected body circulates in the circulation path,
Vibration and noise are effectively prevented.

Next, among the roller connecting body according to the present invention and the linear motion guiding apparatus using this roller connecting body, the invention relating to the linear motion guiding apparatus is characterized in that the long track is used. A shaft, a substantially U-shaped main body provided with a pair of hanging portions at both ends of a horizontal portion, and side covers fixed to both ends of the main body, and a movable body along the track axis; A moving body and a roller connecting body that is incorporated in a circulation path formed on the track shaft and supports the moving body on the track shaft. Further, the circulation path, a rolling path formed by a pair of rolling surfaces formed respectively on the surfaces of the track shaft and the body facing each other, a return path provided through the body, A direction change path formed by a direction change path inner peripheral portion formed continuously at both ends of the return path and a direction change path outer peripheral portion formed on the inner side surface of the side cover. And the said roller connection body is comprised by the roller connection body in any one of said Claim 1 thru | or Claim 14, and is mounted so that the said circulation path can be circulated freely.

The basic operation of the linear motion guide device according to the fifteenth aspect configured as described above is substantially the same as that of the above-described conventional structure. In particular, in the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, , As a roller linkage,
Since the roller connector according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is employed, skew of the roller can be effectively prevented, and smooth movement of the roller connector can be achieved. As a result, the linear motion guide device can operate smoothly. In addition, since the skew is effectively prevented, the durability of the components including the roller and the entire linear motion guide device is improved.

In the linear motion guide device as described above, it is necessary to consider the arrangement positions of the plurality of roller connecting members in order to distribute the load evenly and to smoothly move the moving member. . As described in claim 16, such a roller coupling body is provided in two rows between the upper surface of the track shaft and the lower surface of the horizontal portion of the main body. A configuration in which one row is provided between both side surfaces in the width direction and the inner side surfaces of the pair of hanging portions formed on the main body may be adopted.

In general, the linear motion guide device often takes a form in which various devices are fixed and used on the upper surface of a moving body.
In such a case, a load directed vertically downward is applied to the moving body. The structure described in claim 16 is effective when used in such a usage form. In this case, claim 1
As described in 7, the contact angle of a roller forming a roller connecting body interposed between the upper surface of the track shaft and the lower surface of the horizontal portion of the main body is inclined by approximately 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane, and The contact angle of the roller forming the roller coupling body interposed between the both side surfaces in the width direction of the shaft and the inner surfaces of the pair of hanging portions formed on the main body is inclined approximately 30 degrees obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane. If you adopt a configuration that allows
The load applied vertically downward can be sufficiently supported.

The roller connecting member may be disposed between the both side surfaces in the width direction of the track shaft and the inner surfaces of a pair of hanging portions formed on the main body, as described in claim 18. A configuration in which a total of four rows of roller connected bodies are mounted in two rows in the vertical direction can be employed.

Further, in the case of such a configuration, the first aspect
As described in 9, the contact angle of the roller that constitutes the roller connection body located on the upper side of the four rows of roller connection bodies is defined by a hanging part formed on the main body from the track axis side with respect to a horizontal plane. And a contact angle of a roller constituting a roller connecting body positioned on the lower side with an angle of approximately 4 obliquely downward with respect to a horizontal plane.
A configuration inclined by 5 degrees can be adopted. Alternatively, as another example, as described in claim 20, the contact angle of a roller that constitutes an upper roller connection member among the four rows of roller connection members is set to be equal to the track axis with respect to a horizontal plane. From the side toward the hanging part formed on the main body, the contact angle of the roller constituting the roller coupling body positioned at the lower side is inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the control is performed. In such a configuration, the loads applied vertically downward and horizontally can be equally supported, respectively.
The movement of the moving body can be further smoothed.

In addition, particularly, as described in claim 21, by providing a connecting portion capable of connecting the end portions of the roller connecting member, the roller connecting member is formed into an endless annular shape after being assembled to the circulation path. The connecting portion includes a locking convex portion formed at one end of the roller connecting body and a locking concave portion formed at the other end of the roller connecting body. In a state in which the both sides of the connecting portion are in the same plane as the both sides of the other portion of the roller connected body, the engaging concave portion and the engaging convex portion which engage with each other, The welding is performed in such a direction that one of the side passages constituting the moving body is removed from the end of the moving body in the circulation path in which the roller connecting body is assembled. The roller train engaged with each other is connected to the turning path portion. This is performed by locating both ends of the body and melting and fixing the ends. Further, a portion to be held is formed in a part of the side plate portion, and at least a passage on the load side of the circulation path. Further, a configuration in which a holding portion for holding the held portion is formed can be adopted. In the case of such a configuration, the moving body can be smoothly moved and accurately stopped together with the improvement of the skew prevention effect.

[0045]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 13 show a linear motion guide device M according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The linear motion guide device M includes a pair of hanging portions 7b at both ends of a long orbit shaft 1 and horizontal portions 7a in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2, the up-down direction in FIG. 3, and the left-right direction in FIG. 4). The track shaft 1 is composed of a main body 7 provided with a main body 7b and side covers 8, 8 fixed to both ends of the main body 7 in the longitudinal direction (front and back in FIG. 2, right and left in FIG. 3, and front and back in FIG. 4). And a roller connecting body 13a incorporated in the endless circulation path 12 formed in the moving body 2 and the track shaft 1 to support the moving body 2 on the track shaft 1.
And

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the orbital shaft 1 has substantially triangular concave portions 3 and 3 formed on both side surfaces at the upper end (on both right and left sides in FIG. 2). Then, one surface side of the recesses 3 and 3 and both ends (the left and right ends in FIG. 2) of the upper surface of the track shaft 1 are rolling surfaces 5a and 5a.

Therefore, in the track shaft 1 in the illustrated example, four roller connecting bodies 13a, 13a are mounted,
Further, it is formed so that its vertical cross-sectional shape is symmetric with respect to the central axis a (FIG. 2).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the moving body 2 has a metal main body 7 and side covers 8, 8 attached to both longitudinal end surfaces of the main body 7 (see FIGS. 1 and 10). 6 to 10). The main body 7 is
A high-rigidity block having a substantially U-shaped cross section, a horizontal portion 7a facing the upper surface of the orbital shaft 1, and both side surfaces in the width direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 2) of the orbital shaft 1 from both ends in the width direction of the horizontal portion 7a. And a pair of hanging parts 7b, 7b that hang down so as to sandwich the same.

On the lower surface of the horizontal portion 7a, a pair of rolling surfaces 5b, 5b corresponding to a pair of rolling surfaces 5a, 5a formed on the upper surface of the track shaft 1 are formed. In addition, hanging parts 7b, 7
Rolling surfaces 5b, 5b corresponding to the rolling surfaces 5a, 5a formed in the concave portions 3, 3 of the track shaft 1 are provided on the inner side surface of the track shaft 1 one by one. Further, the main body 7 has inner peripheral portions 10a, 10a, 10b, 10c of turning directions continuous with the rolling surfaces 5b, 5b.
a, and the turning direction inner peripheral portion 10 formed in the through holes 9 having a circular cross section provided in the longitudinal direction of the main body 7.
a, 9a, return passages 9a, 9a having a rectangular cross section continuous with 10a
And are provided.

The return passages 9a and 9a and the inner peripheral portions 10a and 10a of the direction change path are formed by injecting a molten synthetic resin in a state where a core having a predetermined shape is arranged in the through holes 9 and 9. Form. Portions of the core located in the through holes 9, 9 are rectangular in cross section, so that the return passage 9a is formed.
Can be formed with flat surfaces.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numerals 23, 23
Screw holes for fixing members such as the grinding device and the table on the upper surface of the moving body 2. Reference numerals 24, 24
Is a screw hole for attaching the side lids 8,8.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the outer shape of the pair of side covers 8, 8 is the same as the shape of the end of the main body 7, and the endless circulation paths 12, 12 are provided inside. Are formed.
Then, in order to fix the side lids 8, 8 to the main body 7, screw holes 24, 2
The through holes 11 and 11 are provided at positions opposed to the holes 4. Therefore, the side covers 8 are attached to both end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the main body 7, respectively, and the bolts (not shown) inserted through the through holes 11 are screwed into the screw holes 24. , The side lids 8, 8 can be fixed to the main body 7. The moving body 2 is constituted by the main body 7 and the side covers 8 and 8 as described above.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moving body 2 is straddled on the orbit axis 1 so that the rolling surfaces 5a and 5b formed on the main body 7 and the orbit axis 1, respectively, The rolling paths 5, 5 are obtained. These rolling paths 5, 5
The return passage 9a and the inner and outer peripheral portions 10a, 10a, 1
0b and the endless circuit 1
2 and 12 are constituted. As shown in FIG. 10, the rolling paths 5 and 5 of the endless circulation paths 12 and 12 form a load portion α, and the return paths 9 a and 9 a and the direction change paths 10 and 10 provided in the main body 7 are formed. As shown in FIG. 10, the no-load portion β is formed. In the case of the structure of the illustrated example, as is apparent from the description of FIG. 2, a total of four endless circulation paths 12 are formed.

Rollers 13a, 13a described below are incorporated in the endless circulation paths 12, 12, respectively. In the case of the structure of the present embodiment, the roller connecting body 13a
As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, two rows are provided between the upper surface of the orbital shaft 1 and the lower surfaces of the horizontal portions 7 a and 7 a of the main body 7, and both side surfaces in the width direction of the orbital shaft 1. And a pair of hanging portions 7b formed on the main body 7 and inner surfaces of a pair of hanging portions 7b.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the roller connecting body 13a according to this embodiment includes a plurality of cylindrical rollers 14a.
a, 14a and a holding member 15 for holding the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a. Of these, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are formed such that both end surfaces thereof are formed flat and engaging recesses 16, 16 are formed in the center thereof.

The holding member 15 is provided with a plurality of spacers 18, 18 arranged in series at a distance from each other.
The length direction of each of the adjacent spacers 18, 18 (FIG. 11)
(A) (vertical direction in FIG. 12A). Circular side plate portions 20, 20 connecting both end portions, a pair of adjacent spacer portions 18, 18 and these spacer portions 18, 18. Roller holding holes 19, 19 formed by a pair of opposed side plate portions 20, 20, which are connected to each other, are formed in an end band shape.

Further, at the center of the inner side surfaces of the side plate portions 20, 20, the engagement projections 21, which are engageable with the engagement recesses 16, 16 are located at positions matching the engagement recesses 16, 16. 21
Is provided. In the case of this example, the shape of the engaging projection 16 is a short axis, but various shapes such as a short conical shape can be adopted. Engaging recess 21
Needless to say, the concave portion has a shape that matches the shape of the engaging convex portion 16.

The roller connecting body 13a is a state in which the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are mounted (inserted) in a mold (not shown), and the synthetic resin melted in a cavity formed in the mold is formed. It is manufactured by injection (so-called insert molding). By adopting such insert molding, it is not necessary to perform the step of incorporating the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a into the holding member 15, and the productivity is improved, so that the manufacture of the roller connecting body 13a can be facilitated and simplified.

In order to allow the cylindrical roller 14a to freely roll in the roller holding hole 19 of the holding member 15, a gap is required between the cylindrical roller 14a and the peripheral edge of the roller holding hole 19. Such gaps, after the insert molding,
The holding member 15 (of course, the cylindrical roller 14a is also integrated) is formed by immersing the holding member 15 in oil or the like to expand the holding member 15. In addition, by forming the holding member 15 in the shape of an end band as described above, the roller connecting body 13a can be easily attached to the main body 7.

Further, the side walls 17 of the endless circulation paths 12, 12
Reference numeral 17 functions as a guide wall for guiding the roller connecting body 13a, and the outer side surfaces of the side plates 20, 20 of the holding member 15 constituting the roller connecting body 13a are in sliding contact with the side walls 17, 17. These side plates 20, 20 and side walls 17, 17
Is made of a synthetic resin as described above, so that it is slippery.
Therefore, there is no resistance at the time of sliding contact between the side walls 17, 17 and the side plates 20, 20, and smooth sliding is possible. Further, since the side plate portion 20 and the side walls 17, 17 are both flat surfaces, the processing is easy, and the inconvenience of the prior art described above is eliminated.

In the case of this embodiment, the contact angle of the cylindrical roller 14a constituting the roller connecting body 13a interposed between the upper surface of the track shaft 1 and the lower surface of the horizontal portion 7a of the main body 7 is as follows.
It is inclined approximately 90 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane.

The contact angle of the cylindrical roller 14a constituting the roller connecting body 13a interposed between the both side surfaces in the width direction of the track shaft 1 and the inner surfaces of the pair of hanging parts 7b formed on the main body 7 respectively. Is inclined approximately 30 degrees obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane. By setting the respective contact angles as described above, the linear motion guide device according to the present embodiment can sufficiently support a load applied vertically downward. The magnitude of these contact angles can be appropriately determined according to the magnitude of the load to be supported.

The basic operation of the linear motion guide device M according to the present embodiment configured as described above is substantially the same as that of the conventional structure described above. In particular, since the linear motion guide device M according to this embodiment employs the above-described roller connecting body 13a, the cylindrical roller 14a can smoothly transfer from the no-load region β to the load region α, Roller 1
4a can be prevented from skew. That is, since the roller connecting body 13a is provided with the holding member 15 for holding a large number of cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a at predetermined intervals,
Since these cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a do not come into contact with each other, noise caused by friction between the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a is suppressed, and the cylindrical roller 1
The progress of wear of 4a and 14a is prevented from being accelerated.

Further, since the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are held one by one in the roller holding holes 19, 19, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are held in parallel with each other in a predetermined state while the central axes of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are held parallel to each other. Smoothly from the no-load area β to the load area α while maintaining the interval of. In other words, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a have a tendency to stagnate due to high resistance when they enter the load area α from the no-load area β of the endless circulation paths 12, 12, but the cylindrical rollers 14 already located in the load area α.
The remaining cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are drawn into the load area α via the holding member 15 that moves with the rolling of the rollers a, 14a, so that the roller connected body 13a smoothly circulates through the endless circulation paths 12, 12. I do.

The cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a
Shifting (rolling) in a direction perpendicular to the center axis is important for preventing skew. In the case of the structure of the present embodiment, the pair of side plates 20, 20 are formed by cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a.
To prevent shaft runout. In other words, the end faces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a formed flat are in contact with the inner surfaces of the side plates 20, 20, which are also formed flat, so that they roll and slide. Center axis γ
Are cylindrical rollers 14a, 1
It is regulated so as not to swing in the traveling direction of 4a.

In the case of this embodiment, the cylindrical roller 14a
Since the engaging concave portions 16 provided on the side plate 20 and the engaging convex portions 21 provided on the side plate portion 20 are engaged with each other, the attitude of the cylindrical roller 14a is maintained from this point, and skew is prevented. Therefore, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a move and roll with their postures being regulated and maintained based on the presence of the pair of side plate portions 20, 20 and the engagement between the engaging concave portions 16 and the engaging convex portions 21. ). As a result, the cylindrical roller 14
a, 14a are connected to the cylindrical roller 1 through the endless circulation path 12;
The direction shifts to a direction perpendicular to the center axis of the center 4a, and skew is reliably prevented.

In particular, in the case of the present embodiment, the side plate portion 20,
Reference numeral 20 denotes a disk having an area slightly smaller than the end surfaces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a. For this reason, the side plate portions 20, 20
Comes into sliding contact over substantially the entire end surfaces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a. Therefore, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14
The rotation axis runout of a is reduced as much as possible.

The shape and size of the side plate portion 20 are not particularly limited as long as the side plate portion 20 can slide on the outer peripheral portion of the end face of the cylindrical roller 14a. However, in consideration of easiness of manufacture and the like, it is preferable to use a disc as shown having an area of about 80% to 95% of the area of the end face of the cylindrical roller 14a. If the shape and size of the cylindrical roller 14a are merely such that they are in sliding contact with the center portion of the end face, the attitude of the cylindrical roller 14a can be slightly shifted. That is, skew of the cylindrical roller occurs. For this reason, the shape and size of the side plate portion 20 are configured as described above.

The roller connection body 13a is manufactured by insert molding, so that the spacer 1
The surfaces of the cylindrical rollers 14 and 8 facing the cylindrical roller 14a are formed as concave curved surfaces having a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of the side surface (cylindrical surface) of the cylindrical roller 14a. In other words, the side surface of the cylindrical roller 14a is covered with the concave curved surface of the spacer 18 via the minute gap. Accordingly, the shaft runout of the cylindrical roller 14a is also prevented by the spacers 18, 18. Note that the curvature refers to the reciprocal of the radius of a circle that best approximates a curve at a given point. The cylindrical roller 14
The side surface of a is a convex curved surface, and the side surface of the spacer 18 is a concave curved surface. In this specification, “the curvatures are substantially equal” means that the curvature of the convex curved surface is substantially the same as the curvature of the concave curved surface. Equally, a state in which the concave curved surface wraps the convex curved surface.

The roller connecting body 13a according to this embodiment has a synergistic skew preventing function by the engagement of the side plate portions 20, 20 and the spacer portions 18, 18 and the engagement concave portion 16 with the engagement convex portion 21. Together, skew can be reliably prevented.

Further, the engaging projections 21, 21 formed on the inner surfaces of the side plates 20, 20, and the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14
The engagement of the engaging recesses 16 formed on both end surfaces of the a and the curved surface of the spacer portion 18 prevent the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a from falling off from the holding member 15.
Therefore, when the moving body 2 is pulled out from the track shaft 1, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are reliably prevented from falling off.

Further, when the roller connecting body 13a circulates, the side plate portions 20, 20 are guided while slidingly contacting the side walls 17, 17 existing on both sides of the circulation paths 12, 12.
Since the side plates 20, 20 and the side walls 17, 17 are made of a slippery synthetic resin, their movements are smooth, which contributes to favorable rolling and skew prevention of the entire roller connecting body 13a. Moreover, the side plate portions 20, 2
The outer surface 0 moves while slidingly contacting the side wall portions of the direction change paths 10 and 10 and the return paths 9a and 9a constituting the endless circulation paths 12 and 12, respectively. And the said side plate part 20,
The outer surface and the side walls 17, 17 of the 20 are both flat surfaces, so that manufacture is easy.

The side plates 20, 20 and the side walls 17,
Since the contact area with the contact member 17 is large, the swing of the holding member 15 itself in the traveling direction is suppressed, and the skew of the roller is also prevented from this point.

Further, when passing through the direction change paths 10, 10, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a
10, the end faces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are in contact with the inner surfaces of the side plates 20, 20, and the engaging recess 16 and the engaging convex 21 is engaged with the cylindrical roller 14.
The postures of a and 14a are defined in a direction in which the rotation center axis γ is orthogonal to the traveling direction, and the skew is also prevented.

Further, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a
Rolling or sliding while the posture is regulated by the holding member 15 as described above. The holding member 15
The inner side surfaces of the side plates 20, 20 and the cylindrical roller 14
When the end surfaces of the cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a come into sliding contact with each other, they move while being guided by the cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a. Therefore, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a and the holding member 15 urge each other to move while their postures are regulated. For this reason, run-out of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a and run-out of the holding member 15, which lead to skew of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a, are prevented, and the roller connecting body 13a smoothly circulates in the infinite circulation path 12.

Incidentally, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 1
A lubricant (grease) is interposed between each part of 4a and each part of the holding member 15. The above-mentioned lubricant is applied to the holding member 1.
5 and is circulated while being held at a portion (so-called grease pocket) between the adjacent cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a via the spacers 18, 18. For this reason, not only the mutual friction between the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a is prevented, but also the lubricating oil holding performance is improved, and the durability of the roller connecting body 13a as a whole can be improved.
The presence of such a lubricant and the fact that the holding member 15 is made of a flexible and slippery material prevent the frictional resistance between each other from increasing, and the roller connecting body 1
3a can be smoothly moved as a whole.

Next, FIGS. 14 to 16 show a second embodiment of the linear motion guide device according to the present invention.
The roller connecting body 13b according to the present embodiment is the same as the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a (FIG.
) Are employed instead of spherical rollers 14b. The spherical roller 14b has a via-barrel shape as shown in the figure. In the case of the present embodiment, with the use of the spherical roller 14b, each of the rolling path 5, the direction changing portion 10, and the return path 9a constituting the circulation path 12 is formed as a concave surface that matches the outer shape of the spherical roller 14b. I have. In the case of such a configuration, even if a deviation of the formation position of the circulation path 12, an error in the parallelism of the mounting surface of the moving body to the track axis, and a torsion or deformation due to a large load of the linear motion guide device occur, The spherical roller 14b makes a line contact with the rolling surface over the entire length of the spherical roller 14b based on the automatic adjustment action. For this reason, the bearing of the load and smooth rolling can be achieved. In addition, the life of the roller is prolonged. Further, by the automatic adjustment operation of the spherical roller 14b, it is not necessary to improve the precision of forming the rolling surface so much, so that the manufacturing of the rolling surface is facilitated. Other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and therefore, reference numerals used in the first embodiment are assigned to the drawings, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 17 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, as a roller,
A chamfered cylindrical roller 14c is used in which both ends are tapered so as to have a smaller diameter toward the tip. At the same time, the engagement recess 2 formed on the inner surface of the side plate 20
Both ends of the roller 14c are loosely fitted in the roller 14a. By employing such a roller connecting body 13c, the skew of the roller is also regulated. That is, since the side plate portion 20 loosely fits the end surface of the roller 14c, the posture of the roller 14c is reliably maintained, and the rotation of the rotating shaft of the roller 14c is prevented as much as possible.

Next, FIG. 18 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a total of four rows are provided in two rows in the vertical direction between both side surfaces of the track shaft 1 in the width direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 18) and inner surfaces of a pair of hanging portions 7b formed on the main body 7. This shows a case where the row of roller connecting bodies 13a is mounted. In this case, for example, the contact angle of the cylindrical roller 14a constituting each roller connecting body 13a is set as follows. That is, the contact angle of the cylindrical roller 14a constituting the roller connector 13a located on the upper side of the roller connector 13a of the four rows in total is determined by the above-described track axis 1 relative to the horizontal plane.
From the side toward the above-mentioned hanging part 7b, approximately 45 obliquely upward.
Incline. On the other hand, the roller connecting body 13 located on the lower side
The contact angle of the cylindrical roller 14a constituting a is inclined approximately 45 degrees obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane. In such a configuration, the loads applied vertically downward and in the horizontal direction can be equally supported, so that the sliding resistance can be equalized, and further smooth movement can be obtained.

Next, FIG. 19 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a total of 4 rows are arranged vertically in two rows between both side surfaces in the width direction of the track shaft 1 (left-right direction in FIG. 19) and inner surfaces of a pair of hanging portions 7b formed in the main body 7. In the configuration in which the row of roller connecting bodies 13b are mounted, the contact angle of the spherical roller 14b constituting the roller connecting body 13b located on the upper side is set obliquely downward from the track axis 1 side toward the hanging part 7b with respect to the horizontal plane. The figure shows a case where the contact angle of the spherical roller 14b constituting the roller connecting body 13b located on the lower side is set to be inclined approximately 45 degrees obliquely upward with respect to the horizontal plane, while being inclined at approximately 45 degrees. With this configuration, even in the case of the present embodiment, similarly to the structure of the above-described fourth embodiment, the loads applied vertically and horizontally can be equally supported, so that the sliding resistance can be equalized. And smoother movement can be obtained.

In the fourth and fifth embodiments, each contact angle can be determined according to the load to be supported. Further, in the above-described first to fifth embodiments, the disposition position and the number of the roller connecting bodies 13a, 13b, 13c can be appropriately determined according to the magnitude of the load to be supported, the shape of the device, and the like. .

Next, FIGS. 20 and 21 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The roller connecting body 13a according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the width direction of the spacers 18, 18 constituting the holding member 15 (FIG. 2).
0 (A), up and down direction in FIG. 21 (A), front and back directions in FIG. 20 (B) and FIG. 21 (B)), constricted portions 22, 22 formed from both end edges toward the center. Is provided. With this configuration, the holding member 15 is attached to the roller connecting body 13a in the short direction (FIGS. 20 and 2).
1 (up and down direction), it is possible to bend by an amount corresponding to the cut depth of the constricted portions 22, 22.

That is, the traveling direction of the roller 14a is changed from the return path 9a to the rolling path 5 (or, conversely, from the rolling path 5 to the return path 9a).
In the portion, since it bends slightly in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction (the short direction of the roller connecting body 13a),
The rotation center axis γ of the roller must be tilted in accordance with the amount of this bend, but in the structure of the present embodiment, the constricted portion 2
By providing the rollers 2 and 22, even the infinite circulation path 12 in which the roller connecting body 13a needs to bend slightly in the short direction and move can be smoothly moved.
Therefore, the degree of freedom in selecting the position of the return passage 9a is increased, and the shape of the moving body 2 can be freely set according to the intended use. In the present embodiment, other configurations, functions, and effects are the same as those in the above-described first embodiment, and therefore, the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the first embodiment. The detailed description is omitted here.

Next, FIGS. 22 and 23 show a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, in the structure of the above-described second embodiment, the constricted portions 22 formed on both ends of the spacers 18 forming the holding member 15 from the both end edges toward the center are provided. Provided. With this configuration, the same effect as in the sixth embodiment can be obtained. In this embodiment,
Other configurations and operations / effects are the same as those in the above-described second embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings as those used in the second embodiment, and the detailed description thereof is herein omitted. Omitted.

In each of the above embodiments, the holding member 15 is made of a slippery synthetic resin such as a fluorinated resin. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Instead, it may be made of another material. However, if the holding member 15 is made of a synthetic resin, it can be integrally molded by insert molding, and can slide more smoothly than a case where the holding member 15 is made of another material. The configuration of the embodiment is preferred. In the case of the above-described first, second, fourth, and fifth embodiments, the engagement recesses 16, 1
6 has been described with respect to the example in which the engaging protrusions 21 and 21 are provided on the side plate portions 20 and 20, respectively. Conversely, the engaging protrusions are provided on the rollers 14a and 14b and the side plate portions 20 and 20 are provided. The same effect can be obtained even when the configuration in which the engagement concave portions are provided is provided.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the engaging projections 21 and the side plates 20 and 20 constituting the holding member 15 are provided.
A structure without 21 may be adopted. That is, the side plates 20, 20 are provided with the rollers 14a, 14b themselves.
It has a function to regulate the posture of the user. However, the rollers 14a,
The function of preventing the 14b from falling off and regulating the position with respect to the holding member 15 when passing through the turning path 10 is lost. The falling-off prevention can be achieved by the spacers 18, 18 whose surfaces facing the rollers 14a, 14b are curved surfaces substantially equal to the curved side surfaces of the rollers 14a, 14b. Even if the positioning of the holding member 15 is lost, there is no practical problem because smooth sliding is performed. Therefore, the engaging projections 21, 2,
Even with the configuration without 1, smooth circulation without practical problems is possible. Further, in this case, even if the rollers 14a and 14b are provided with the engagement concave portions 16 and 16,
Even if it is not provided, any one can be adopted. Rollers 14a, 14b provided with engagement recesses 16, 16
In this case, the engagement recesses 16 can function as a lubricating oil reservoir.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the roller coupling bodies 13a, 13b, and 13c are manufactured by insert molding is shown.
b, 14c to perform the process of incorporating
3a, 13b and 13c may be manufactured. In this case, the rollers 14 a of the spacers 18, 18, except for an example in which no engaging protrusion or engaging recess is formed in the side plate portions 20, 20.
The surface facing 14b can be a flat surface.

As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 and the modified examples shown in FIGS.
4b may be provided continuously with the spacer 18 so as to cover the entire area in the length direction. The presence of such a cover 18a can be expected to improve the skew prevention effect.

Next, FIGS. 28 to 30 show an eighth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is the same as the above-described first embodiment except that the roller connected body is configured as shown in FIGS. That is, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, the roller connected body 13b according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of spherical rollers 14b, 14b and a holding member 15 for holding the spherical rollers 14b, 14b. Among them, the spherical rollers 14b have a substantially barrel shape. Further, the holding member 15 has a large number of spacers 18, 1 arranged in series at a distance from each other.
8 and the length direction of the adjacent spacers 18, 18 (vertical direction in FIG. 28A, vertical direction in FIG. 29A)
Circular side plates 20, 20 connecting both ends, a pair of adjacent spacers 18, 18, and these spacers 18, 1
And a roller holding hole 19 formed by a pair of side plate portions 20 facing each other. Even in such a configuration, an improvement in the skew prevention effect can be expected.

As in the structure of the ninth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 31, the width direction of the orbit shaft 1 (FIG. 31)
(Right and left direction) A total of four rows of roller connecting bodies 13b may be mounted in two rows in the vertical direction between both side faces and the respective inner side faces of the pair of hanging parts 7b formed in the main body 7. Further, as in the tenth embodiment shown in FIG. 32, each of the circulation paths 12 is moved so as to cross each other on the same side of the pair of left and right roller connectors 13 b in a state of crossing each other. May be determined. Each of these states is determined according to the magnitude of the load supported by the moving body.

In this structure, the chamfered cylindrical roller 14c is used as shown in FIGS. 33 to 34, or the spherical roller 14b is used as shown in FIGS. 35 to 36.
37, or as shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, a cover 18a can be provided as shown in FIGS. The examples shown in FIGS. 33 to 34, the examples shown in FIGS. 35 to 36, and the examples shown in FIGS.
In the example shown in FIG. 8, instead of the rollers 14b and 14c, a chamfered spherical roller 14d formed by chamfering both ends of the spherical roller 14b as shown in FIG. 39 may be adopted. Further, although not shown, constrictions 22, 22 formed from both end edges toward the center may be provided at both ends in the width direction of the spacers 18, 18.

Next, FIGS. 40 to 45 show an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. In the case of the present embodiment, a connecting portion 50 capable of connecting the ends of the roller connecting body 13a to each other.
Is provided, the roller connecting body 13a is formed into an endless annular shape after being assembled to the endless circulation path 12. Further, a part of the side plate portion 20 and the roller connector 13a
20a located inside the endless ring
Are horizontally cut out to form the held portion 51 as shown in FIGS. 40 to 45, and to the rolling path 5, the direction change path 10, and the return path 9 constituting the endless circulation path 12, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 45 to FIG.
The holding portion 52 that slides on the holding portion 52 is formed. This holding part 52
Can be easily formed by forming the core used when forming the infinite circulation path 12 into a predetermined shape. In this embodiment, the holding unit 5 extends over the entire area of the infinite circulation path 12.
2 is formed, but it is effective if provided at least on the rolling path 5 forming the load area α.

By adopting the above configuration,
When the roller connecting body 13a circulates in the infinite circulation path 12, the held part 51 slides against the holding part 52, so that the posture holding effect is improved, stable guiding is performed, and vibration and noise are effectively reduced. Is prevented. Further, the connecting portion 50 includes a half split portion 50a formed at one end of the roller connected body 13a,
It is formed by bringing the half-split part 50b formed at the other end into contact with each other. Each of the half-split portions 50a and 50b has a shape obtained by dividing one side plate portion 20 into two, and by bringing the respective half-split portions 50a and 50b into contact with each other, a side plate portion having the same shape as the other side plate portion 20 is formed. Is done. Thus, by making the roller connecting body 13d an endless ring,
For example, when the roller 14a moves from the turning path 10 constituting the infinite circulation path 12 to the rolling path 5 which is a load area, any of the rollers 14a
The roller 14a can be smoothly shifted by the pulling force or the pushing force of a, and the smooth shift of the roller 14a and the smooth transfer of the moving body 2 associated therewith can be achieved, so that the stopping accuracy of the moving body 2 can be improved. .

When the half-split portions 50a and 50b are connected to each other, the roller connecting body 13d is incorporated into the infinite circulation path 12 with the one side cover 8 removed, and then is connected to the one turning path 10 portion. connect. After the connection, the side cover 8 is assembled. By assembling the side cover 8, the roller connecting body 13a incorporated in the endless circulation path 12 is provided.
The side surface of the side plate portion 20 is the side wall 1 of the infinite circulation path 12.
Sliding contact with 7 parts. Therefore, the connecting portion 50 does not come off, and the roller connecting body 13d does not lose its endless annular shape.

As shown in FIG. 43 (A), the connecting portion 50 is brought into contact with each of the half-split portions 50a, 50b to form the same engagement as that formed on the other side plate portions 20, 20. The shape is such that the protrusion 21 is formed. This engaging projection 21
Is the engaging projection described in the claims,
The cylindrical roller 14a is engaged with an engaging recess 16 provided on the cylindrical roller 14a to maintain the attitude of the cylindrical roller 14a, thereby preventing skew. The effect of the provision of the engaging projections 21 and the engaging recesses 16 has been described in the first embodiment described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 46, the roller in the eleventh embodiment may be a spherical roller 14b. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the eleventh embodiment.

Next, FIGS. 47 to 48 show a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 5
The reference numeral 0 denotes a locking piece 54 which is a locking protrusion formed at one end of the roller connecting body 13a, and an overlapping piece 5 having a locking recess 55 formed at the other end of the roller connecting body 13a.
6. In a state where the locking projections 54 are engaged with the locking recesses 55, as shown in FIG.
a is the same plane as both side surfaces of the other portion. Further, in the present embodiment, the locking projections 54 forming the connecting portion 50 are used.
After being overlapped with each other in the locking recess 55, they are fixed by welding. In this welding, after the roller connecting body 13d was incorporated into the infinite circulation path 12 with one side cover removed, both ends of the roller connecting body 13d were exposed to the direction change path 10 where the side cover 8 was removed. State (FIG. 47)
In the state shown on the right end side of FIG. 4A), the process is performed using a conventionally known plastic welder 60 as shown in FIG. That is, the connecting portion 50 is located in the one turning path 10 portion with the side cover 8 removed, and a pair of holding pieces 61 of the plastic welder 60, as shown in FIG. Hold the overlapped portion. Then, by energizing the plastic welder 60, the pair of overlapping portions is welded. As a result, the roller connecting pair 13a has an endless annular shape. The effect of the endless annular roller connection body 13a is the same as that of the above-described eleventh embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, the side plate 20
The holding part 50 and the holding part 51 are formed in the infinite circulation path 12, respectively.
The effect of providing 1 is also the same as that of the above-described eleventh embodiment. The connecting portion 50 can be fixed by a conventionally known bonding method other than the above-described welding.

Next, FIG. 49 shows a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 50 includes a locking projection 54a, which is a locking projection formed at one end of the roller connector 13a, and a locking recess 55a formed at the other end of the roller connector 13a. And an overlapping piece 56a having the following. In a state where the locking projections 54a are engaged with the locking recesses 55a, both side surfaces of the connecting portion 50 are flush with both side surfaces of the other portion of the roller connecting body 13a. Also, on the inner surface of the overlapping piece 56a,
A recess 20a similar to that of the third embodiment is provided so that both ends of the chamfered cylindrical roller 14c can be loosely fitted. The operation and effect of forming the roller connecting body 13a into an endless ring and the operation and effect of forming the held portion 51 and the holding portion 52 are the same as those of the eleventh embodiment, and the other operations and effects are the same as those of the third embodiment. , Respectively. Also, in the case of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 50 is welded, but the means, operation and effect when performing this welding are the same as those of the twelfth embodiment.

Next, the structure shown in FIG. 50 shows a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the case of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 50 is composed of an overlapping piece 56b having a locking concave portion 55b formed at one end of the roller connecting body 13a, and a locking convex portion formed at the other end of the roller connecting body 13a. And the locking convex piece 54b. Of course, in a state where the locking projections 54b are engaged with the locking recesses 55b, both side surfaces of the connecting portion 50 are connected to the roller connecting body 13a.
To be flush with both sides of the other part. or,
A concave portion 20a similar to that of the third embodiment is provided on the inner surface of the overlapping piece 56b so that both ends of the chamfered cylindrical roller 14c can be loosely fitted. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the thirteenth embodiment.

FIG. 51 shows a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the case of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 50 is
Locking recess 5 formed at one end of the roller connecting body 13a
The overlapping piece 56c having the engaging protrusion 5c and the engaging convex piece 54 which is an engaging convex portion formed at the other end of the roller connecting body 13d.
bc. Of course, in a state where the locking projections 54c are engaged with the locking recesses 55c, both side surfaces of the connecting portion 50 are made flush with both side surfaces of the other portion of the roller connecting body 13a. The cylindrical roller 1 having the engaging projections 21 provided on the inner surface of the overlapping piece 56c and the engaging recesses 16 at both ends is provided.
Both ends of 4a can be loosely fitted. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the thirteenth embodiment.

Next, FIG. 52 shows a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the case of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 50 is
Engagement recess 5 formed at one end of the roller link 13b
The overlapping piece 56d having 5d and the locking convex 54, which is a locking convex formed on the other end of the roller connector 13b.
d. Of course, these locking projections 5
In a state where 4d is engaged with the locking recess 55d, both side surfaces of the connecting portion 50 are made to be flush with both side surfaces of the other portion of the roller connecting body 13b. Also, the inner surface of the overlapping piece 56d has the same recess 20a as in the third embodiment.
Are provided so that both ends of the spherical roller 14b can be loosely fitted. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the thirteenth embodiment.

Various other modified examples are conceivable. In short, the present invention is included in the present invention as long as it can be joined in a state where the end portions are overlapped so that the roller connected body can easily be formed into an endless annular shape. In the case where the roller connected body has an endless annular shape, for example, the rollers 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d
When the vehicle shifts from the turning path 10 constituting the infinite circulation path 12 to the rolling path 5 which is also a load area, any of the rollers 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d has its front and rear rollers 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d. Can be smoothly moved by the pulling force or the pushing force of the roller, and the smooth movement of the rollers 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d and the smooth transfer of the moving body 2 accompanying the smooth movement can be achieved.
The stopping accuracy of the moving body 2 can be improved. When the roller connecting body is not in the form of an endless ring, the rollers 14a, 14b, 1
4c, 14d is the direction change path 1 constituting the infinite circulation path 12
When shifting from 0 to the rolling path 5 which is also a load area, the rollers 14a, 14b,
When preload is applied to the rollers 14c and 14d, the rollers 14a and
Since the rollers 14b, 14c, and 14d are deformed (albeit very slight) and enter the load area, the rollers 14a, 14c, and 14d are temporarily
The transition of the rollers 14b, 14c and 14d is stopped, and the rollers 14
There is a possibility that the transition between a, 14b, 14c, and 14d may not be performed smoothly. However, in the case where the roller connection body has an endless annular shape, as described above, the rollers 14a, 1
4b, 14c and 14d are also rollers 14a and 14
b, 14c, and 14d can smoothly move by the pulling force or the pushing force.
4b, 14c, and 14d can be smoothly moved and the moving body 2 can be smoothly moved with the movement, thereby improving the stopping accuracy of the moving body 2 and the like.

[0103]

The roller connection according to the present invention and the linear motion guide device using the roller connection have the following effects because they are constructed and operated as described above. First, in the roller connecting body according to the first aspect of the present invention, during use (when the roller connecting body circulates in the circulation path), the roller is guided to the holding member and the circulation path is used. When rolling or sliding, the end surface of the flat roller is rolled or slid while sliding on the inner surface of the side plate portion also formed flat. At this time, the interval between the pair of side plate portions slidably in contact with both end surfaces of the roller is a predetermined constant value and does not change in the middle, so that the attitude of the roller is always kept constant, and The rotation center axis does not swing up, down, left and right with respect to the traveling direction of the roller. That is, the skew of the roller is regulated by the presence of the side plate portion. In particular, since the side plate portion is in sliding contact with at least the outer peripheral portion of the roller end surface, the posture of the roller is reliably maintained, and the rotation center axis of the roller is prevented from oscillating as much as possible.

Further, the outer surface of each of the side plate portions moves while sliding on the side wall portions of the turning path and the return passage forming the circulation path, and both the outer surface and the side wall of the side plate portion are flat. Since it is formed by a surface, its manufacture is easier than that of the above-mentioned prior art. That is, since the outer surfaces of both side walls and the side plate portions of the return passage and the pair of direction change passages may be simply formed as flat surfaces, the manufacture thereof is extremely easy.

Further, according to the present invention, the contact area between the outer side surface of the side plate portion and the both side walls can be increased, and the deflection of the holding member in the traveling direction is regulated by the both side walls. Also, the skew of the roller can be effectively prevented.

Further, when the roller passes through the direction change path, the roller tends to be drawn toward the inner peripheral side of the direction change path. In the present invention, however, the outer peripheral portion of the roller end face and the inner surface of the side plate always remain in contact with each other. Since the rollers are in contact with each other, the attitude of the rollers is defined in a direction in which the rotation center axis is orthogonal to the traveling direction. Therefore, skew of the rotor can be prevented at this point as well.

The roller rolls or slides while its position is regulated by the holding member as described above, and the holding member slides between the inner side surface of the side plate portion and the end surface of the roller. As a result, the rollers move while being guided by the rollers. Therefore, the roller and the holding member are
In order to move each other smoothly while their postures are mutually regulated, the roller run-out and the run-out of the holding member, which have conventionally been a cause of roller skew, are mutually regulated, and the roller connecting body is Can be operated smoothly.

Next, the invention according to claim 2 employs a configuration in which the surface forming the roller holding hole of the spacer is formed as a concave curved surface having a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of the side surface of the roller. By doing so, the pair of spacers constituting the roller holding hole holds the roller so as not to fall off,
There is no risk that the roller will fall off the holding member during maintenance or inspection.

Next, according to the third aspect of the present invention, instead of the side plate portion, a concave portion for loosely fitting the end of the roller is provided on the inner surface thereof, and the outer surface thereof is connected to the roller connecting portion. Since the side plate portion slidably contacting the side wall surface of the circulation passage having a rectangular cross section into which the body is incorporated is employed, the skew of the roller is also effectively prevented. That is, since the side plate portion loosely fits the end face of the roller, the posture of the roller is reliably maintained, and the rotation shaft of the roller is prevented from oscillating as much as possible.

Next, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, by engaging the engaging concave portion and the engaging convex portion, the alignment state of the roller is forcibly maintained, and the rotation center shaft of the roller is rotated. The skew prevention effect is increased because the runout is regulated. In particular, when passing through the direction change path portion having a semicircular arc shape, the roller holds the same posture as when passing through another portion constituting the circulation path, and the holding position of the roller with respect to the holding member is Since the skew is maintained by the engagement of the concave and convex portions, skew can be effectively prevented, and an increase in the contact surface pressure on a part of the holding member of the roller can be suppressed. Can be performed. The engagement of the concave and convex portions also has a function of preventing the roller from falling off the holding member.
For this reason, maintenance, inspection work, and the like of the roller connected body are facilitated.

Next, in the invention according to the fifth aspect, the resin material is injected into the cavity with the roller connected body inserted in the mold of the holding member in advance (insert molding). In this way, it can be manufactured, which contributes to simplification of the manufacturing.

Next, according to the inventions described in the sixth and seventh aspects, the use of a cylindrical roller (claim 6) and a spherical roller (claim 7) has led to the use of a ball which has been conventionally used. The bearing force is improved as compared with, and the practical effect is great.

Next, in the invention according to the eighth aspect, the side plate portion is formed to have an area of 80% to 9% of the area of the end face of the roller.
Since the side plate portion is slidably contacted over substantially the entire end surface of the roller by forming the disk with a disk having an area of about 5%, it is possible to reduce the rotational shaft runout of the roller as much as possible. Can be.

Next, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a part of the side plate part and at least a part of the circulation path are connected to each other.
By making the shape free to slide and abutting, a part of the side plate slides in a state of abutting on a part of the circulation path, thereby improving a skew prevention effect.

Next, according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, by providing a connecting portion capable of connecting the end portions of the roller connecting member to each other, the roller connecting member is connected to the circulation path so that the roller connecting member is in an endless annular shape. Therefore, for example, when the rollers shift from the direction change path constituting the circulation path to the load track path, etc., any roller can be smoothly shifted by the pulling force or the pushing force of the rollers before and after the rollers, The smooth transfer of the rollers and the accompanying smooth transfer of the moving blocks are possible, and the stopping accuracy of the moving blocks can be improved.

Next, in the invention according to the eleventh aspect, the connecting portion is formed at one end of the roller connected body and at the other end of the roller connected body. A locking recess, and in a state in which the locking projection and the locking recess are engaged, both side surfaces of the connecting portion are flush with both side surfaces of another portion of the roller connecting body. Therefore, the connection work can be facilitated. Claim 1
In the invention described in 2, the connecting portion is welded in a state where both end portions of the roller connecting body are overlapped, so that the connecting portion is easily fixed and the connecting portion is accidentally detached. Is effectively prevented, and the effect of making the roller connected body endless annular can be maintained for a long period of time. Further, in the case of the invention described in claim 13, a part of the circulating path to which the roller connecting body is assembled is exposed to an end portion of the moving body with one side cover constituting the moving body removed. In order to perform the fixing by melting and fixing the overlapped portion using a conventionally known welder or the like, the endless annular shape of the roller linked body is positioned. Can be easily and reliably performed.

Next, in the invention according to claim 14, a held portion is formed in a part of the side plate portion,
At least in the passage on the load side of the circulating path, since a configuration in which a holding portion for holding the held portion is formed is adopted, when the roller coupling body circulates in the circulating path,
Stable guidance is provided, and vibration and noise are effectively prevented.

Next, in the linear motion guide device using a roller connecting body, in the invention according to claim 15, the roller connecting body according to any one of the above-mentioned claims 1 to 14 is used as the roller connecting body. Since the connecting member is employed, the skew of the roller can be effectively prevented, and the smooth movement of the roller connecting member can be achieved. As a result, the linear motion guide device can operate smoothly. In addition, since the skew is effectively prevented, the durability of the components including the roller and the entire linear motion guide device is improved.

Next, claim 16, claim 17, claim 1
In the invention described in claim 19, even if a load directed vertically downward is applied to the moving body, the moving body can be sufficiently supported, so that the durability is improved and the practical effect is large. According to the twentieth aspect of the present invention, since the loads applied vertically downward and horizontally can be equally supported, the movement of the moving body can be further smoothed.

Next, according to the present invention, the moving body can be smoothly moved along the track axis, and the smooth operation of the guide device can be ensured. Further, as the skew-preventing effect of the linked roller body is improved, indentations and the like are less likely to occur, so that the durability of the entire apparatus can be improved. Therefore, in addition to the improvement of the skew prevention effect, the moving body can be smoothly moved and accurately stopped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an outline shape of a linear motion guide device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof being omitted.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main body constituting the moving body.

FIG. 4 is also a front view.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main body, corresponding to a section taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a side cover.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the same.

8 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to a cross section taken along line BB of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the roller connected body is mounted.

11A and 11B show a holding member, wherein FIG.
(B) is a side view.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show a linked roller body, where FIG. 12A is a plan view, FIG. 12B is a side view, and FIG. 12C is a front view.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a state in which the roller connected body is used.

14A and 14B show a holding member according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 14A is a plan view and FIG. 14B is a side view.

15A and 15B show a roller connected body, in which FIG. 15A is a plan view, FIG. 15B is a side view, and FIG. 15C is a front view.

FIG. 16 is a view showing a use state and corresponding to a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a view showing a third embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to an AA cross section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to an AA cross section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to an AA cross section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 shows a holding member according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a plan view and (B) is a side view.

FIGS. 21A and 21B show a linked roller body, where FIG. 21A is a plan view and FIG. 21B is a side view.

FIGS. 22A and 22B show a holding member according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 22A is a plan view and FIG. 22B is a side view.

23A and 23B show a roller connection body, where FIG. 23A is a plan view and FIG. 23B is a side view.

FIGS. 24A and 24B show another example of a retainer that constitutes a linked roller body, where FIG. 24A is a plan view and FIG. 24B is a side view.

FIGS. 25A and 25B show another example of a linked roller body, where FIG. 25A is a plan view and FIG. 25B is a side view.

26 (A) and 26 (B) show still another example of the cage constituting the roller connected body, wherein FIG. 26 (A) is a plan view and FIG. 26 (B) is a side view.

FIG. 27 shows still another example of the roller connected body,
(A) is a plan view and (B) is a side view.

FIG. 28 shows a holding member of a roller connected body, showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

29 (A) is a plan view, FIG. 29 (B) is a side view, and FIG. 29 (C) is a front view.

30 is a view showing a use state and corresponding to an AA cross section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 31 is a view showing a ninth embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to an AA cross section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 32 is a view showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention and corresponding to an AA cross section in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 33A and 33B show modified examples of the retainer in each embodiment, where FIG. 33A is a plan view and FIG. 33B is a side view.

34A and 34B show a modified example of the linked roller body in each embodiment, where FIG. 34A is a plan view, FIG. 34B is a side view, and FIG. 34C is a front view.

35A and 35B show another modified example of the retainer, wherein FIG. 35A is a plan view and FIG. 35B is a side view.

FIG. 36 shows another modified example of the roller connected body;
(A) is a plan view, (B) is a side view, and (C) is a front view.

FIG. 37 shows still another modified example of the cage,
(A) is a plan view and (B) is a side view.

FIGS. 38A and 38B show still another modified example of the linked roller body, wherein FIG. 38A is a plan view, FIG. 38B is a side view, and FIG.

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a main part of another modification.

FIG. 40 is a side view showing a state in use of the roller connected body in the eleventh embodiment of the present invention;

41A and 41B show a holding member, and FIG.
(B) is a side view.

FIGS. 42A and 42B show a linked roller body, where FIG. 42A is a plan view and FIG. 42B is a side view.

43A and 43B show a connecting portion, where FIG.
(B) is a side view of a main part.

FIG. 44 shows a state in which the connected roller assembly is incorporated;
It is a figure corresponding to the BB cross section of FIG.

FIG. 45 is a diagram corresponding to the AA cross section of FIG. 1;

FIG. 46 shows a modification of the eleventh embodiment, and FIG.
Is a plan view, and (B) is a side view.

47A and 47B are views for explaining a welding operation in the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG.
The figure corresponding to the B section, (B) is the principal part sectional view which shows the state which attached the side cover after welding, (C) is FF of the figure (A).
It is sectional drawing.

FIG. 48 is a main-portion cross-sectional view for explaining the welding operation;

FIGS. 49A and 49B show a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 49A is a sectional view of a main part, and FIG.

FIGS. 50A and 50B show a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 50A is a sectional view of a main part, and FIG.

FIGS. 51A and 51B show a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 51A is a cross-sectional view of a main part, and FIG.

52A and 52B show a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 52A is a sectional view of a main part, and FIG. 52B is a side view of a main part.

FIG. 53 is a partial longitudinal perspective view showing a part of an infinite circulation path for explaining a problem in a conventional structure.

54 (A) and 54 (B) are perspective views showing a part of the structure according to the prior invention, and FIG. 54 (B) is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 54 (A).

[Explanation of symbols]

 M Linear motion guide device 1 Track axis 2 Moving body 3 Recess 5a, 5b Rolling surface 5 Rolling path 7 Main body 7a Horizontal portion 7b Hanging portion 8 Side cover 9 Through hole 9a Return path 10 Turning path 10a Inner circumference of turning path 10b Outer peripheral portion of direction change path 11 Through hole 12 Infinite circulation path 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d Roller connection body 14a Cylindrical roller 14b Spherical roller 14c Chamfered cylindrical roller 14d Chamfered spherical roller 15 Holding member 16 Engagement recess 17 Side wall 18 Spacer 18a Covering part 19 Roller holding hole 20 Side plate part 20a Engagement concave part 20b part 21 Engagement convex part 22 Narrow part 23, 24 Screw hole 50 Connecting part 50a, 50b Half-break part 51 Held part 52 Holding part 54, 54a, 54b , 54c, 54d Locking convex pieces 55, 55a, 55b, 55c, 55d Locking recesses 56, 56a, 5 b, 56c, 56d overlay strip 60 of plastic welder 61 clamping piece

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A moving body constituting a guide bearing device, comprising: a plurality of rollers; and a holding member made of a flexible, slippery material and holding the plurality of rollers aligned with each other. In the roller connected body movably supported along the track axis, the holding member includes a plurality of spacers arranged in series at intervals from each other, and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the adjacent spacers. A side plate connecting the parts, a pair of adjacent spacers, and a roller holding hole formed by a pair of opposing side plates connected to the spacers. Both side surfaces are formed as flat surfaces, and the inner surface is slid on at least the outer peripheral portion of the end surface of the roller, and the outer surface is slid on the side wall surface of the rectangular circulation path into which the roller coupling body is incorporated. Arranged freely Roller connecting body, wherein the door. 2. The roller coupling body according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the spacer portion that forms the roller holding hole is formed as a concave curved surface having a curvature substantially equal to a curvature of a side surface of the roller. . 3. In place of the side plate portion, a concave portion for loosely fitting an end portion of the roller is provided on the inner surface thereof, and the outer surface thereof is formed on a side wall surface of a rectangular circulation path in which the roller connecting body is incorporated. The roller connecting body according to claim 1, further comprising a side plate that is slidably contacted. 4. An engaging concave portion or an engaging convex portion is provided at a center portion of both end surfaces of the roller, and at a position corresponding to the engaging concave portion or the engaging convex portion at a center portion of an inner surface of the side plate portion. 4. The roller connecting body according to claim 1, wherein said engaging concave portion or said engaging convex portion is provided with an engaging convex portion or an engaging concave portion which is freely engageable. 5. The flexible material according to claim 1, wherein the slippery material is a synthetic resin.
5. The linked roller body according to any one of the above. 6. The roller assembly according to claim 1, wherein the roller is a cylindrical roller. 7. The roller assembly according to claim 1, wherein the roller is a spherical roller. 8. The side plate portion has an area of 8 mm of the end face of the roller.
The roller connecting body according to claim 1, wherein the roller connecting body is formed of a disk having an area of about 0% to 95%. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the side plate part and at least a part of the circulation path are slidably contacted with each other. The linked roller body as described in the above. 10. An endless annular connection of the roller link after the roller link is assembled to the circulating path by providing a connecting portion that can freely connect the ends of the roller link. Item 10. A roller connected body according to any one of Items 9 to 10. 11. The connecting portion comprises: a locking projection formed at one end of the roller connection body; and a locking recess formed at the other end of the roller connection body. 11. The device according to claim 10, wherein, in a state in which the portion and the locking concave portion are engaged, both side surfaces of the connecting portion are flush with both side surfaces of another portion of the roller connecting body. Roller assembly. 12. The roller connecting body according to claim 10, wherein the connecting portion is welded with both ends of the roller connecting body overlapped. 13. The welding is performed in a direction change path portion of the circulation path to which the roller connection body is assembled, the direction change path section being exposed at an end of the moving body with one side cover constituting the moving body removed. 13. The roller connecting body according to claim 12, wherein the both ends of the roller connecting body overlapped with each other are positioned, and the overlapping portion is melted and fixed. 14. A holding portion is formed in a part of the side plate portion, and a holding portion for holding the holding portion is formed at least in a passage of the circulation path on a load side. The roller connecting body according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein 15. An elongated track shaft, a substantially U-shaped main body provided with a pair of hanging portions at both ends of a horizontal portion, and side covers fixed to both ends of the main body, along the track axis. A movable body, and a roller linking body incorporated in a circulation path formed on the moving body and the track axis to support the moving body on the track axis. A rolling path formed by a pair of rolling surfaces respectively formed on surfaces facing each other with the main body, a return path provided through the main body, and formed continuously at both ends of the return path. And a direction change path formed by a direction change path outer peripheral portion formed on the inner side surface of the side cover, and the roller connecting member is circulated freely in the circulation path. A linear motion guide device, wherein The linear motion guide device being characterized in that the roller connecting body according to any one of claims 1 to 14. 16. The roller connecting body is provided in two rows between the upper surface of the track shaft and the lower surface of the horizontal portion of the main body, and a pair of both side surfaces in the width direction of the track shaft and the main body formed on the main body. The linear motion guide device according to claim 15, wherein one row is provided between each of the hanging portions and the inner side surface. 17. A contact angle of a roller constituting a roller connecting body interposed between the upper surface of the track shaft and the lower surface of the horizontal portion of the main body is substantially 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane, and The contact angle of the roller constituting the roller coupling body interposed between the width direction both side surfaces of the main body and the inner surfaces of the pair of hanging portions formed on the main body is inclined approximately 30 degrees obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein
4. The linear motion guide device according to 1. 18. A total of four rows of roller connecting bodies, two in the vertical direction, being mounted between both side faces in the width direction of the track shaft and the inner faces of a pair of hanging parts formed in the main body. The linear motion guide device according to claim 15, characterized in that: 19. The roller connecting body having a total of four rows,
The contact angle of the rollers constituting the roller coupling body located on the upper side is inclined approximately 45 degrees obliquely upward from the track axis side toward the hanging part with respect to the horizontal plane, and the roller coupling body located on the lower side 20. The linear motion guide device according to claim 18, wherein the contact angle of the roller constituting the tilt angle is approximately 45 degrees obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal plane. 20. The roller connecting body having a total of four rows,
The contact angle of the roller constituting the roller coupling body located on the upper side is inclined approximately 45 degrees obliquely downward from the track axis side toward the hanging part with respect to the horizontal plane, and the roller coupling body located on the lower side 20. The linear motion guide device according to claim 18, wherein the contact angle of the rollers constituting the slant is inclined approximately 45 degrees obliquely upward with respect to the horizontal plane. 21. By providing a connecting portion that can connect the ends of the roller connecting member to each other, the roller connecting member is formed into an endless annular shape after being assembled to the circulation path, and the connecting portion is connected to one end of the roller connecting member. And a locking concave portion formed at the other end of the roller coupling body, and when the locking convex portion and the locking concave portion are engaged with each other, the connection is performed. The both side surfaces of the portion are made to be flush with the both side surfaces of the other portion of the roller coupling body, and the engaging concave portion and the engaging portion that engage with each other are welded, and this welding is performed. In the circulation path to which the roller coupling body is assembled, the roller coupling bodies engaged with each other on a direction change path portion exposed at an end of the moving body with one side cover constituting the moving body removed. Position both ends of
It is performed by melting and fixing the end portion,
Further, a portion to be held is formed in a part of the side plate portion, and a holding portion for holding the held portion is formed at least in a passage on the load side of the circulation path, The linear motion guide device according to any one of claims 15 to 20.