JP2003239966A - Linear motion device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a linear motion device which ensures strength and reduces noise. <P>SOLUTION: A lid member 25 for blocking a recessed part 24 extendedly provided in the longitudinal direction on an outer peripheral face of a slider 20 is formed by laminating a resin material R and a metallic material M having smaller width than that of the resin material R. The rein material R is arranged on a side in contact with a rolling body 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a linear motion device such as a linear guide or a ball screw, and more particularly to a technique effective for realizing low noise while ensuring strength.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a linear guide as an example of a linear motion device includes a slider that is an outer member, a guide rail that is an inner member that faces the slider with a gap, and a rolling element that the slider has. A rolling element rolling groove formed by the raceway groove and the rolling element raceway groove of the guide rail, and a plurality of rolling elements that are rotatably arranged in the rolling path. Rolling along the road causes the slider to move linearly in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail.

This slider is provided with a rolling element return path through which a rolling element can penetrate in its longitudinal direction. The rolling element return path and the rolling element rolling path are provided at rolling element passage holes at both axial ends of the slider. By being connected by the rolling element, the rolling element can pass through the rolling element return path and repeatedly roll on the rolling element rolling path. Here, as this rolling element return path, a linear guide formed by providing a concave portion on the outer peripheral surface of the slider capable of accommodating the rolling element in the longitudinal direction and closing the concave portion with another member is known. There is.

For example, a resin material or a metal material is used as another member for closing the recess.

[0005]

However, when a resin material is used as the other member for closing the recess to form the rolling element return path, the strength required for the linear motion device cannot be ensured. was there. Further, when a metal material is used as the other member, there is a problem that noise is generated when the rolling element comes into contact with the other member.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the strength as a linear motion device has been improved by examining the material for forming another member that closes the recess to form the rolling element return path. It is an object of the present invention to provide a linear motion device capable of ensuring low noise while ensuring the same.

[0007]

In order to solve such a problem, the invention according to claim 1 provides an outer member, an inner member facing the outer member with a gap, and An outer member having a first rolling element raceway surface and a second rolling element raceway surface of the inner member, and a plurality of rolling elements rotatably disposed between the outer member and In a linear motion device in which a rolling element return path is formed in a space in which a recess provided on the outer peripheral surface in the longitudinal direction of the outer member is closed by another member, the other member is a rubber. It is formed by laminating a material or resin material and a metal material, and the rubber material or resin material is arranged on the contact side with the rolling element.

In the linear motion device according to the first aspect of the present invention, another member for closing a recess provided in the outer member extending in the longitudinal direction is laminated with a rubber material or a resin material and a metal material. Since the rubber material or the resin material is formed on the contact side with the rolling element, the strength of the linear motion device can be ensured by the metal material, and the rubber material or the resin material can secure the strength of the linear motion device. It is possible to reduce noise during a collision.

Here, the rubber material or the resin material and the metal material forming the other members may be in any form as long as the recesses can be closed. For example, a flat plate having the same width dimension. You may make it laminate | stack a flat rubber material or resin material and a flat metal material, and it is smaller than this rubber material or resin material in the clearance gap of the rubber material or resin material which has a cross-section substantially C-shape. You may make it laminate | stack the flat metal material which has a width dimension. When the recess is formed at the corner of the outer member, a flat plate-shaped rubber material or resin material formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section and a flat plate-shaped metal material may be laminated. Good. Further, a rubber material or a resin material may be formed so that the contact surface with the rolling element has an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the rolling element, and a flat metal material may be laminated on this surface. At this time, the rubber material or the resin material and the metal material are formed at least one layer at a time, and if the contact side with the rolling element is made of the rubber material or the resin material, for example, another member is From the contact side, rubber material or resin material, metal material,
A three-layer structure in which rubber materials or resin materials are laminated may be used.

The recess formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer member is formed by, for example, the first rolling element raceway surface of the outer member and the second rolling element raceway surface of the inner member. It may be formed at a position substantially parallel to the rolling element rolling path, or may be formed above the rolling element rolling path.
Here, the outer member means, for example, a slider when the linear motion device is a linear guide device, and a nut when the linear motion device is a ball screw. Further, the inner member refers to a guide rail when the linear motion device is a linear guide device, and similarly refers to a screw shaft when the linear motion device is a ball screw.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the metal material does not directly contact the outer member. In the linear motion device according to the second aspect, since the metal material does not directly contact the outer member, the rubber material or the resin material forming the other member comes into contact with the outer member. Therefore, the other member and the outer member come into closer contact with each other due to the elasticity of the rubber or the resin, so that it is possible to further improve the sound insulation and sealing performance.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a linear guide will be described as an example of a linear motion device. Figure 1
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a linear guide as an example of a linear motion device in the present invention. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the linear guide in FIG. 1, (a) is an overall view of the linear guide, and (b) is an enlarged view of other members in FIG. 2 (a).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the linear guide 100 includes a guide rail 10 having a substantially rectangular cross section, and a slider 20 having a substantially U-shaped cross section which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 10. And a rolling element rolling path 3 formed by the first rolling element raceway groove 20a formed in the slider 20 and the second rolling element raceway groove 10a formed in the guide rail 10.
The rolling element 30 is arranged so as to be freely rollable at 0A. Then, this rolling element 30 is the rolling element rolling path 3
The slider 20 makes a linear movement in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 10 by making a rolling movement along 0A.

The guide rail 10 is provided with a second rolling element raceway groove 10a extending in a longitudinal direction on both side surfaces thereof and having a substantially arcuate cross section. The slider 20 is composed of a slider body 21 and end caps 22 that are detachably provided at both ends of the slider 20 in the axial direction. The slider body 21 has a first rolling element raceway that extends in a longitudinal direction on the inner side surfaces of both sleeve portions 23 thereof so as to face the second rolling element raceway groove 10a of the guide rail 10 and has a substantially arcuate cross section. The groove 20a is provided. Further, in the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface of both sleeve portions 23, the first rolling element raceway groove 2 is formed.
A recess 24 extending in a position parallel to 0a is formed. The recess 24 is closed by a lid member 25 having a two-layer structure composed of a flat plate resin material R and a flat plate metal material M to form a rolling element return path 30B.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 2B, the lid member 25 is a flat plate having a width dimension smaller than the resin material R in the U-shaped gap of the resin material R having a substantially U-shaped cross section. The metal material M is laminated, and the resin material R is arranged on the contact side with the rolling element 30.

Here, examples of the resin material R include polyacetal, polyamide, polyester and the like. Further, examples of the metal material M include a steel plate, a zinc iron plate, an aluminum alloy, and the like. Note that a rubber material may be used instead of the resin material R. In this case, examples of the rubber material include NBR and polysulfide rubber.

The end cap 22 substantially connects the rolling element rolling path 30A formed between the first rolling element raceway groove 20a and the second rolling element raceway groove 10a with the rolling element return path 30B. A U-shaped rolling element passage hole (not shown) is provided, and the rolling element 30 can be repeatedly rolled in the rolling element rolling path 30A via the rolling element return path 30B. The rolling element 30 is made of a steel material such as stainless steel, or ceramics.

The linear guide 10 having such a structure
0, the lid member 25 that closes the concave portion 24 of the slider 20 to form the rolling element return path 30B is formed by laminating the resin material R and the metal material M, and the resin material R is also formed. Since the resin material R is arranged on the contact side, it is possible to reduce the contact with the rolling element 30 by the resin material R and suppress noise, and the metal material M can secure the strength as the lid member 25.

Further, the resin material R disposed on the side in contact with the rolling elements 30 is formed to be larger than the widthwise dimension of the metal material M, that is, the metal material M contacts the slider 20 which is the outer member. By not doing so, the resin material R of the lid member 25 comes into contact with the slider 20. That is, since the lid member 25 and the slider 20 are more closely contacted by the elasticity of the resin, it is possible to further improve the sound insulation and sealing performance.

Here, in the present embodiment, the lid member 2
5 has a two-layer structure composed of a flat plate-shaped resin material R and a flat plate-shaped metal material M having a smaller widthwise dimension than the resin material R, but the form of the lid member 25 can surely close the recess 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may take any form. For example, as a form of the lid member 25, as shown in FIG. 3, a contact side of the resin material R with the rolling element 30 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the rolling element 30, and a flat metal material M is formed on the other surface side. May be laminated. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the recesses 24 are formed at the corners of the outer peripheral surface of the slider 20, the flat plate-shaped resin material R and the flat plate-shaped metal which are bent into a substantially L-shaped cross section are provided. The material M may be laminated.

Further, the resin material R and the metal material M may be formed separately and then laminated by adhering them with an adhesive or the like, or they may be integrally formed. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the metal material M is formed in a flat plate shape, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as the lid member 25 can secure strength, and may be formed in a mesh shape, for example.

Further, in this embodiment, the lid member 2
Although 5 has a two-layer structure composed of one layer of resin material R and one layer of metal material M, it is not limited to this, but at least rolling element 30
If the resin material R is arranged on the contact side with, the resin material R, the metal material M, and the resin material R may be laminated in this order from the contact side of the lid member 25 with the rolling elements 30 to form a three-layer structure. I do not care.

Further, in this embodiment, one row of rolling element rolling paths 3 is provided on one side of the slider 20 and the guide rail 10.
Although the configuration in which 0A is provided has been described, the invention is not limited to this.
As shown in FIG. 5, two rows of rolling element rolling paths 30A on one side may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, two recesses 24 are formed in each sleeve 23 of the slider 20.
May be provided, and each of the recesses 24 may be closed by a lid member 25 as shown in FIG. 2, for example, to form two rows of rolling element return paths 30B. Also, FIG.
As shown in (b), one recess 24 capable of accommodating the two rolling elements 30 is provided, and the space between them is partitioned by the resin material R to form two rows of rolling element return paths 30B. Good.

Further, in the present embodiment, the rolling element return path 30B is formed in a position parallel to the rolling element rolling path 30A, but the formation position of the rolling element return path 30B is not limited to this, and FIG. As shown in, it may be formed above the rolling element rolling path 30A. The linear guide 100 in the present embodiment corresponds to the linear motion device in the claims, and similarly, the slider 20 serves as the outer member and the guide rail 1
0 is the inner member, the first rolling element raceway groove 20a is on the first rolling element raceway surface, the second rolling element raceway groove 10a is on the second rolling element raceway surface, and the lid member 25 is another member. , Respectively.

In this embodiment, the linear guide 100 has been described as a linear motion device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a ball when an end cap type ball screw is used to form a ball return passage on the outer peripheral surface of the nut. It can also be applied to other linear motion devices such as screws.

[0025]

As described above, according to the linear motion device of the present invention, another member for closing the concave portion provided in the outer peripheral surface of the outer member in the longitudinal direction is made of a rubber material or Formed by laminating a resin material and a metal material,
By arranging the rubber material or resin material on the contact side with the rolling elements, it is possible to secure the necessary strength in the linear motion device and to reduce the collision noise with the rolling elements to improve the life of the linear motion device. It is also possible to reduce noise.

In particular, since the metal material does not come into direct contact with the outer member, the other member and the outer member adhere to each other due to the elasticity of the rubber or resin, so that the sound insulation and sealing performance can be further improved. Becomes

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a linear guide as an example of a linear motion device according to the present invention.

2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the linear guide in FIG. 1, (a) is an overall view of the linear guide, and (b) is FIG.
It is an enlarged view of the other member in (a).

3A and 3B are partial cross-sectional views showing another configuration example of a linear guide as an example of the linear motion device according to the present invention, where FIG. 3A is an overall view of the linear guide, and FIG. It is an enlarged view of the member of.

4A and 4B are partial cross-sectional views showing another configuration example of a linear guide as an example of the linear motion device according to the present invention, FIG. 4A is an overall view of the linear guide, and FIG. It is an enlarged view of the member of.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the linear guide as an example of the linear motion device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of a linear guide as an example of the linear motion device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Guide rail (inner member) 10a Second rolling element raceway groove (second rolling element raceway surface) 20 Slider (outer member) 20a First rolling element raceway groove (first rolling element raceway surface) 21 Slider body 22 End cap 23 Both sleeves 24 Recess 25 Lid member (other member) 30 Rolling element 30A Rolling element rolling path 30B Rolling element return path 100 Linear guide (linear motion device) R Resin material M Metal material

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An outer member, an inner member facing the outer member with a gap, a first rolling element raceway surface of the outer member, and a second rolling member of the inner member. A plurality of rolling elements that are arranged so as to be rollable between the moving body raceway surface,
A linear motion device in which a rolling element return path is formed in a space in which a recess provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer member extending in the longitudinal direction of the outer member is closed by another member, Member is formed by laminating a rubber material or a resin material and a metal material, and the rubber material or the resin material is arranged on the contact side with the rolling element. Moving device. 2. The linear motion device according to claim 1, wherein the metallic material does not come into direct contact with the outer member.