JP2007198546A - Rolling element receiving belt, and linear motion guide - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rolling element receiving belt which can reduce circulation resistance caused by the rubbing of the tip end of the rolling element receiving belt with the inside wall or the guide groove of an endless circulation path without reducing the load capacity and the rigidity of a linear motion guide, and further to provide the linear motion guide. <P>SOLUTION: The linear guide 10 (a linear motion guide) has a guide groove 60 formed inside the endless circulation path 28 so as to extend along it. The rolling element receiving belts 50 guided by the guide groove 60 to circulate are built in the respective endless circulation paths 28. The rolling element receiving belts 50 are formed so as to have both terminals, and have a plurality of rolling element receiving portions for individually receiving balls 46. Connecting arm portions 52 for defining the rolling element receiving portions located at both terminal portions among the rolling element receiving portions are formed so as to have thin walled portions 56 thinner than other connecting arm portions 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear motion guide device used in various machines such as a manufacturing apparatus, a processing machine, or a measuring instrument, and in particular, has a plurality of rolling element accommodating portions that individually accommodate rolling elements, and the rolling element accommodation BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rolling element accommodation belt that accommodates rolling elements in a section and aligns them as a rolling element row in an arrangement direction in an infinite circulation path, and a linear motion guide device including the rolling element accommodation belt.

  This type of linear motion guide device includes, for example, a guide rail 12, a slider 16 disposed so as to be relatively movable with respect to the guide rail 12, and these guide rails as in the linear motion guide device 100 shown in FIG. 12. And a plurality of rolling elements that roll while applying a load between the slider 16 and the slider 16 (in this example, balls 46). The guide rail 12 has a rolling element guide surface 14 on which the ball 46 rolls. The slider 16 includes a slider body 17 and a pair of end caps 22 attached to both ends in the moving direction.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13 in which the main part of the slider 16 is shown in a sectional view along the infinite circulation path, the slider body 17 is opposed to the rolling element guide surface 14 of the guide rail 12, and this rolling element guide is provided. A load rolling element guide surface 18 constituting a rolling element raceway 26 which is a region where a load acts on the rolling elements together with the surface 14 is formed. Further, the slider body 17 is formed with a rolling element return passage 20 in which the unloaded ball 46 rolls. Further, the pair of end caps 22 are formed with direction change paths 24 respectively connected to both ends of the rolling element track 26 and the rolling element return path 20. The rolling element raceway 26, the pair of direction changing paths 24, and the rolling element return path 20 form a plurality of infinite circulation paths 28, and a plurality of balls 46 roll in each infinite circulation path 28. The slider 16 can be moved relative to the guide rail 12.

Here, as a rolling element accommodation belt used in this type of linear motion guide device, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known.
In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the rolling element accommodation belt is formed in an end shape like a rolling element accommodation belt 150 shown in FIG. 13, for example, and a spacer portion 151, a connecting arm portion 152, It is configured with.

  The spacer 151 has a pair of rolling element contact surfaces 154 a and 154 b that slidably contact the outer periphery of the ball 46. The connection arm portion 152 is a band-shaped member made of a flexible thin material, and connects the adjacent spacer portions 151 to each other. A portion for accommodating the rolling elements (hereinafter referred to as “rolling element accommodating portion”) is defined between the adjacent adjacent spacers 151. The pair of rolling element contact surfaces 154a and 154b are concave curved surfaces that hold the balls 46 accommodated in the respective rolling element accommodating portions in a slidable manner while being restrained in all directions. Hold the ball between the parts. Then, as shown in the figure, the balls 46 are accommodated in the rolling element accommodating portion to form a rolling element row 162, and the rolling element row 162 is guided in the guide groove 60 while passing through the endless circulation path 28. It comes to circulate. Thereby, rubbing and competition between the balls are suppressed, and the circulation of the balls is improved.

Furthermore, the rolling element accommodation belt described in Patent Document 1 is a thin plate protruding in the direction of circulating movement at the tip of a spacer portion 159 located at the end, like the rolling element accommodation belt 150 illustrated in FIG. A guide piece 153 having a shape is provided. The guide piece 153 is engaged with a guide groove 60 formed along the endless circulation path 28. This intends to prevent the tip of the rolling element housing belt from rubbing against the inner wall of the infinite circulation path and to obtain smooth circulation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-2241

However, with the technique described in Patent Document 1, although rubbing between the inner wall of the infinite circulation path and the tip of the rolling element housing belt can be prevented, it is not possible to prevent the guide piece from rubbing against the guide groove. For this reason, friction between the rolling element housing belt and the guide groove is generated, so that there is still room for examination in order to sufficiently reduce the circulation resistance.
In particular, the guide piece has a thin plate shape, and the material of the rolling element housing belt is generally a flexible resin material. Therefore, this guide piece portion is easily deformed during handling, and the degree of bending thereof changes. And since this guide piece protrudes greatly from the rolling element located at the end, changes such as bending are likely to occur, and depending on the degree of bending, the degree of rubbing with the guide groove becomes larger, and the circulation resistance further increases. There is a risk.

  Moreover, since the protruding guide piece protrudes greatly from the rolling element located at the end, the two ends of the rolling element accommodation belt cannot be brought close to each other by the protruding amount. Therefore, a portion where the rolling elements are not arranged in the vicinity of the end of the rolling element housing belt exists over a long range. Therefore, when the end of the rolling element housing belt reaches the rolling element raceway, the number of rolling elements to be loaded is reduced, so that the load capacity and rigidity of the linear motion guide device are reduced. It will be.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and without reducing the load capacity and rigidity of the linear motion guide device, the inner wall or guide groove of the infinite circulation path and the rolling element housing belt. An object of the present invention is to provide a rolling element housing belt and a linear motion guide device that can relieve the circulation resistance caused by rubbing against the tip of the roller.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a guide rail having a rolling element guide surface, and is arranged so as to be relatively movable with respect to the guide rail, and faces the rolling element guide surface so as to face the rolling element guide. A slider having a rolling element guide surface that forms a rolling element raceway with a surface, a pair of direction change paths that respectively connect to both ends of the rolling element raceway, and a rolling element return path that communicates with the pair of direction change paths; A plurality of rolling elements that circulate while rolling in an infinite circulation path constituted by the rolling element raceway, the pair of direction change paths, and the rolling element return path, and along the infinite circulation path And a plurality of spacers interposed between the adjacent rolling elements, and the spacers are mutually connected, and the spacers are used in a linear motion guide device having a formed guide groove. Projecting outward from the end face of the section A connecting arm portion guided by the guide groove, and individually accommodating the rolling elements in a rolling element accommodating portion defined by the spacer portion and the connecting arm portion. In the rolling element housing belt formed in an end shape to be aligned in the alignment direction, the connecting arm portion that defines the rolling element housing portion positioned at the end of the connecting arm portion includes the other rolling element housing portion. Compared with the connecting arm portion to be defined, the flexibility in the inner and outer circumferential directions of the infinite circulation path is high.

  Here, among the connecting arm portions, the connecting arm portion that defines the rolling element housing portion located at the end is wider than the connecting arm portion that defines the other rolling element housing portion. A configuration having a thin portion formed by reducing the thickness in the direction is preferable. If it is such a structure, since the connection arm part which defines the rolling-element accommodating part located in an edge part has a thin part thin compared with another connection arm part, it bends easily in the thin part. be able to. That is, the flexibility can be increased as compared with other connecting arm portions.

Further, in such a configuration, the thin wall portion can be compared with other connecting arm portions if the thin wall portion is formed by providing a concave portion in the central portion in the arrangement direction in the endless circulation path. It is suitable for increasing the flexibility.
In addition, if the thin portion is formed by reducing the thickness of the entire rolling element housing portion located at the end portion, it is possible to increase flexibility as compared with other connecting arm portions. Is preferred.

Moreover, the said thin part can be provided with respect to the surface which faces any one side in the inner-periphery direction of the said infinite circulation path.
Moreover, the said thin part can each be provided with respect to the surface which faces the both sides in the inner-periphery direction of the said infinite circuit.
Furthermore, the present invention is a linear motion guide device characterized by using the rolling element accommodation belt according to the present invention.

  According to the present invention, the rolling element accommodation belt includes a connecting arm portion that defines a rolling element accommodation portion located at an end of the rolling element accommodation portion, and a connection arm portion that defines another rolling element accommodation portion. Since the flexibility is higher than that of the arm portion, when the end portion of the rolling element housing belt reaches, for example, a direction change path in the use state attached to the linear motion guide device, the tip is It is easy to bend following the inner wall or guide groove of the infinite circulation path. Therefore, circulation resistance due to friction between the inner wall or guide groove of the infinite circulation path and the tip of the rolling element housing belt can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to this invention, the rolling element accommodation belt can be set as the structure which does not have a part which protrudes from an edge part like the guide piece illustrated above, for example. Therefore, since the both ends can be brought close to each other in the usage state mounted on the linear motion guide device, the number of rolling elements subjected to a load is not reduced. Therefore, the load capacity and rigidity of the linear motion guide device are not reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the circulation resistance due to friction between the inner wall or guide groove of the infinite circulation path and the tip of the rolling element housing belt is reduced without reducing the load capacity and rigidity of the linear motion guide device. It is possible to provide a rolling element housing belt and a linear motion guide device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated about the part similar to the conventional linear motion guide apparatus demonstrated above.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a linear guide of a first embodiment of a linear guide device according to the present invention. 2 is an explanatory view showing the slider of the linear guide of FIG. 1 in a transverse section, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the linear guide of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the linear guide 10 includes a guide rail 12 having a rolling element guide surface 14 and a slider 16 straddling the guide rail 12 so as to be movable relative to the guide rail 12. And.
The guide rail 12 has a substantially square cross-sectional shape, and a total of four rolling element guide surfaces 14 are formed on each side of the guide rail 12 along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the slider 16 includes a slider body 17 and end caps 22 that are a pair of lid members attached to both ends of the slider body 17 in the axial direction. The shape of the slider body 17 and the end cap 22 that are continuous in the axial direction is a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slider body 17 has a substantially semicircular load rolling element guide surface facing the respective rolling element guide surfaces 14 of the guide rail 12 inside the substantially U-shaped sleeves. A total of 4 strips are formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the end cap 22 is formed with a pair of direction change paths 24 respectively connected to both ends of the load rolling element guide surface 18.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slider body 17 communicates with the pair of direction change paths 24, and is a rolling element return path formed of a through hole having a circular cross section parallel to the load rolling element guide surface 18. 20 is formed inside the sleeve.
As shown in FIG. 3, a space sandwiched between the rolling element guide surface 14 of the guide rail 12 and the load rolling element guide surface 18 of the slider body 17 facing the rolling member guide path 12 forms a rolling element track 26. ing. The pair of direction change paths 24, the rolling element return paths 20, and the rolling element raceways 26 constitute a total of four rows of infinite circulation paths 28 (see FIG. 2).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each infinite circulation path 28 is loaded with a plurality of balls 46 as rolling elements that roll while applying a load between the guide rail 12 and the slider 16. The plurality of balls 46 in each infinite circulation path 28 constitute a rolling element row 62 together with the rolling element accommodation belt 50 by a single rolling element accommodation belt 50 formed in an end shape.
Here, in this first embodiment, the rolling element housing belt 50 is opposed to each other in the non-contact state in the endless circulation path 28 between the opposite ends, The ball 46 is not incorporated. As shown in FIG. 2, the rolling element containing belt 50 has a groove-like shape in which a connecting arm portion 52 projecting in the width direction in the endless circulation path 28 is formed in the endless circulation path 28 in the slider 16. The guide groove 60 is guided on both sides in the width direction.

Hereinafter, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 will be described in more detail.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the rolling element housing belt. FIG. 4A is an enlarged plan view showing a part including an end portion in a state where the rolling element housing belt is expanded and extended. FIG. (B) is a side view thereof.
The rolling element housing belt 50 is formed by injection molding from a synthetic resin material having flexibility, and is interposed between adjacent balls 46 to revolve each ball 46 as shown in FIG. A spacer portion 51 that partitions in the direction and a spacer portion 59 located at the end portion are provided. The spacer portions 51 and 59 are connected by a pair of connecting arm portions 52.

  Specifically, the pair of connecting arm portions 52 are thin and long belt-like (belt-shaped) members, and the portions where the pair of connecting arm portions 52 face each other are in the direction of the front and back of the connecting arm portion 52 (thickness). The ball receiving hole 53 (see FIG. 4A) is opened in a substantially circular shape in the direction). Each ball accommodation hole 53 is formed side by side in the longitudinal direction of the rolling element accommodation belt 50, and the inner diameter thereof is such that the ball 46 can be freely engaged and disengaged in the direction of the front and back of the connecting arm portion 52. It is slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 46 to be accommodated.

On the other hand, each of the spacer portions 51 and 59 is a short cylindrical member having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the ball 46, and the short cylindrical axis is in the longitudinal direction of the rolling element housing belt 50. Match.
The spacer part 59 is a spacer part located in the both ends of the rolling element accommodation belt 50 formed in the end shape. A spacer portion other than the spacer portion 59 is a spacer portion 51. These spacers 51 and 59 are arranged on both sides of each ball receiving hole 53 at a predetermined distance, and are connected by a pair of connecting arm parts 52 on both sides in the width direction of the infinite circulation path 28. Thereby, as for this rolling element accommodation belt 50, the part defined between the adjacent spacer parts and the ball accommodation hole 53 is comprised as the rolling element accommodation part 55 which accommodates each ball | bowl 46 separately. Here, the position where the pair of connecting arm portions 52 connect the spacer portions 51 and 59 is the inner circumference of the infinite circulation path 28 when used with respect to the line CL connecting the centers of the balls 46 to be accommodated. On the side, the position is offset by an offset amount T.

  Furthermore, each spacer 51, 59 has a pair of rolling element contact surfaces 54a, 54b that slidably contact the outer periphery of the ball 46. The pair of rolling element contact surfaces 54a, 54b are concave curved surfaces that follow the curved surface of the ball 46 at the center of the surfaces facing the balls 46 to be accommodated among the short cylindrical end surfaces of the spacers 51, 59. The inner diameter dimension DW formed by (concave spherical surface) is slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 46 accommodated so that the ball 46 can roll. The pair of opposing rolling element contact surfaces 54a and 54b are concave curved surfaces that hold the balls 46 accommodated in the respective rolling element accommodating portions 55 in a slidable manner while being restrained in all directions. The ball is held between the adjacent spacers.

That is, in the rolling element accommodation belt 50, the spaces defined by the ball accommodation holes 53 of the spacer portions 51 and 59 and the connecting arm portion 52 are a plurality of rolling element accommodation portions 55. The balls 46 are individually accommodated in the moving body accommodating portion 55 at a predetermined interval, and as shown in FIG.
Here, in this rolling element accommodation belt 50, as shown in FIG. 4, the rolling element accommodation portion 55 located at the end of the rolling element accommodation belt 55 has a recess formed on one surface of a pair of connecting arm portions 52 that define the rolling element accommodation portion 55. 56 are formed.

  Specifically, the concave portion 56 is provided only in the connecting arm portion 52 that defines the rolling element housing portion 55 located at the end portion. In other words, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the concave portion 56 is a connecting arm portion located between the spacer portion 59 located at the end and the spacer portion 51 adjacent to the spacer portion 59. 52 is formed only on each. And this recessed part 56 is the width direction of the rolling element accommodation belt 50 in the surface which faces the outer peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28 in the use condition with which the linear guide 10 was mounted | worn with the center part of the longitudinal direction of the connection arm part 52. It is formed from the concave curved surface of the circular arc (subordinate arc) shape extended in. The depth in the thickness direction is about ½ of the thickness H of the connecting arm portion 52.

As a result, the connecting arm portion 52 located at this end portion has a portion where the concave portion 56 is formed by the depth of the concave curved surface in the thickness direction with respect to the thickness H of the other connecting arm portion 52. The thin portion is thin, and the flexibility in the inner and outer peripheral directions of the infinite circulation path 28 is higher than that of the other connecting arm portions 52.
Next, functions and effects of the linear guide 10 will be described.

  As described above, according to the linear guide 10, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 is connected to the connecting arm portion 52 that defines the rolling element accommodation portion 55 located at the end of the rolling element accommodation portion 55. The concave portion 56 is provided, and the portion where the concave portion 56 is formed is a thin portion having a thickness smaller than the thickness of the other connecting arm portion 52, so that the concave portion 56 can be easily bent. it can. In other words, the connecting arm portion 52 located at the end portion is more flexible than the other connecting arm portions 52.

  Therefore, when the end portion (spacer portion 59) of the rolling element housing belt 50 reaches the direction change path 24 as shown in FIG. Can be deformed following the inner wall of the infinite circulation path 28 or the guide groove 60, and can be easily bent. And the force which generate | occur | produces between the rolling element accommodation belt 50 and the guide groove 60 at this time is slight. Therefore, the friction caused by the friction between the inner wall of the infinite circulation path 28 or the guide groove 60 and the tip of the rolling element housing belt 50 can be kept small. That is, an increase in circulation resistance due to friction between the rolling element housing belt 50 and the guide groove 60 can be mitigated. Therefore, the linear guide can be operated smoothly.

  Furthermore, this rolling element accommodation belt 50 can be made into the structure which does not have a part which protrudes from an edge part (spacer part 59) like the guide piece illustrated above, for example. Therefore, both ends can be made to approach in the use state with which the linear guide 10 was mounted | worn. Therefore, the number of balls 46 that are subjected to a load is not reduced. Therefore, the load capacity and rigidity of the linear guide 10 are not reduced.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The linear guide of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above only in the configuration of the rolling element housing belt, and the other configurations are the same. Other explanations are omitted.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the rolling element accommodation belt in the second embodiment, and FIG. 6A is a partially enlarged view including an end portion in a state where the rolling element accommodation belt is expanded and extended. The plan view shown in the figure, (b) is a side view thereof.

  Here, in the rolling element accommodation belt 50 in the first embodiment described above, the pair of rolling element contact surfaces 54a and 54b in each rolling element accommodation portion 55 restrain the ball 46 accommodated in all directions. In the second embodiment, the rolling element accommodating portions accommodate the balls 46 accommodated between the facing spacer portions on both the inner and outer circumferences of the endless circulation path 28. It is an example that can be freely engaged and disengaged.

As shown in FIG. 6, this rolling element accommodation belt 70 is configured to include spacers 51B and 59B. The spacer portions 51B and 59B are short columnar members each having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the ball 46, like the spacer portions 51 and 59 in the first embodiment. In addition, compared with the said spacer parts 51 and 59, the outer diameter is large and thickness is thin.
Each spacer 51B, 59B has a pair of rolling element contact surfaces 54c, 54d that slidably contact the outer periphery of the ball 46. The pair of rolling element contact surfaces 54c and 54d are provided on both sides of each ball receiving hole 53 with the same inner diameter DW as each ball receiving hole 53, as shown in FIG. Cylindrical surfaces extending toward the circumferential side are formed to face each other. Thereby, each rolling element accommodation part 55B can engage / disengage the ball | bowl 46 which accommodates it in the inner and outer periphery both sides in the infinite circulation path 28. FIG.

  In the first embodiment described above, the position at which the pair of connecting arm portions 52 connect the spacer portions 51 and 59 is infinite with respect to the line CL connecting the centers of the balls 46 to be accommodated. In the second embodiment, the pair of connecting arm portions 52 have the spacer portions 51B and 59B. However, in the second embodiment, the pair of connecting arm portions 52 has the spacer portions 51B and 59B. Are connected to a line CL connecting the centers of the balls 46 to be accommodated, and are symmetrical on the front and back sides (inner and outer circumferential directions in the endless circulation path 28) (see FIG. 4B). .

  Here, in this rolling element accommodation belt 70, as shown in the figure, the rolling element accommodation portion 55B located at the end thereof has recesses on both surfaces of the pair of connecting arm portions 52 that define the rolling element accommodation portion 55B. 56 are formed. Each concave portion 56 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above except that the depth in the thickness direction is about 1/3 of the thickness H of the connecting arm portion 52. .

Even with such a configuration, an increase in circulation resistance due to friction between the rolling element housing belt 70 and the guide groove 60 can be mitigated, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the linear guide can be operated smoothly. Moreover, since both ends can be made to approach, the load capacity and rigidity of the linear guide are not reduced.
In particular, according to the rolling element housing belt 70, the front and back sides are symmetrical, and therefore it is not necessary to distinguish between the front and the back when the rolling element accommodation belt 70 is incorporated in the endless circulation path 28. Therefore, assembly is easy.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The linear guide of the third embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment only in the configuration of the rolling element housing belt, and the other configurations are the same. Other explanations are omitted.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the rolling element accommodation belt according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7A is a partially enlarged view including an end portion in a state where the rolling element accommodation belt is expanded and extended. The plan view shown in the figure, (b) is a side view thereof. Moreover, in the figure (c), in the use condition with which the linear guide was mounted | worn, a part including the edge part of a rolling element accommodation belt is expanded and shown in the cross section.

In the linear guide of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the rolling element containing belt 80 is formed with a recess 56 c on one surface of a pair of connecting arm portions 52 located at the ends thereof. However, only the point that the convex portion 56e is formed on the other surface is different from the second embodiment.
Specifically, the concave portion 56 c is formed on a surface that becomes the outer peripheral side of the endless circulation path 28 when the rolling element accommodation belt 80 is incorporated into the endless circulation path 28. The concave portion 56c has a step portion 56d at a position closer to the spacer portion 51B adjacent to the spacer portion 59B than the center of the ball 46 positioned at the end portion in a side view, and the position of the step portion 56d. As shown in FIG. 5B, the entire end portion is formed on the inner peripheral side as a surface lowered by one step. The depth is about ½ of the thickness H of the connecting arm portion 52.

  On the other hand, the convex portion 56 e is formed on a surface that is on the inner peripheral side of the endless circulation path 28 when the rolling element accommodation belt 80 is incorporated into the endless circulation path 28. This convex portion 56e has a step portion 56f at a position closer to the spacer portion 59B than the center of the ball 46 located at the end portion in a side view, and from the position of the step portion 56f to the inner peripheral side, As shown in FIG. 4B, the entire end portion is lowered by one step to form a convex portion. The height of the stepped portion is about ½ of the thickness H of the connecting arm portion 52.

  Accordingly, in the pair of connecting arm portions 52 having the concave portion 56c and the convex portion 56e, the step portion 56d of the concave portion 56c is closer to the spacer portion 51B, and the step portion 56f of the convex portion 56e is closer to the spacer portion 59B. Therefore, the portion located between the step portion 56d and the step portion 56f is formed as a thin portion (see FIG. 5A). And since the recessed part 56c and the convex part 56e have shifted | deviated to the direction which becomes the inner peripheral side of the infinite circuit 28 by about 1/2 of the thickness H of the connection arm part 52, respectively, the center of the ball | bowl 46 located in an edge part On the side closer to the end portion than the both side portions, an offset amount T2 is provided on the side that becomes the inner circumference of the infinite circulation path 28 when used with respect to the line CL connecting the centers of the balls 46 accommodated over the entire end portion. The position is deviated by (about 1/2 of the thickness H).

  Even with such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 7C, for example, when approaching the direction change path 24, the tip thereof is deformed following the inner wall of the infinite circulation path 28 or the guide groove 60, and easily Can bend. As in the first embodiment, an increase in circulation resistance due to friction between the rolling element housing belt 70 and the guide groove 60 can be mitigated. Therefore, the linear guide can be operated smoothly. Moreover, since both ends can be made to approach, the load capacity and rigidity of the linear guide are not reduced.

In particular, according to this rolling element housing belt 80, the pair of connecting arm portions 52 located at the end portions are biased at the opposite ends toward the inner circumference of the infinite circulation path 28 when used.
When the tip of the rolling element housing belt 80 contacts the guide groove 60, the degree of bending can be moderated. That is, as can be seen by comparing FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 (c), in the linear guide of the third embodiment, the degree of bending of the tip of the rolling element housing belt is compared with that of the first embodiment. You can relax.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The linear guide of the fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above only in the configuration of the rolling element housing belt, and the other configurations are the same. Other explanations are omitted.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the rolling element accommodation belt in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 8A is an enlarged view of a part including an end portion in a state where the rolling element accommodation belt is expanded and extended. The plan view shown in the figure, (b) is a side view thereof. Moreover, Fig.9 (a) has shown the cross section which cut | disconnected the rolling element accommodation belt by the plane orthogonal to the row direction of a rolling element. In addition, FIG.9 (b) has shown the rolling element accommodation belt in 1st embodiment demonstrated above in the same cross section.

  In the linear guide of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 9A, the rolling element housing belt 90 excludes the vicinity of the tip (the portion located at the end of the connecting arm portion 52). A substantially columnar reinforcing member 57 is included in both edges. The reinforcing member 57 is made of a flexible synthetic resin or metal material, and is effective in increasing the strength of the rolling element housing belt and preventing damage such as cutting. Such a rolling element accommodation belt can be obtained by arranging a reinforcing member to be included in an injection mold and injecting a synthetic resin constituting the main body of the rolling element accommodation belt.

  Here, although the strength of the rolling element containing belt enclosing such a reinforcing member is increased, there is a drawback in that it is difficult to obtain a smooth operation due to insufficient flexibility particularly near the tip. However, according to the rolling element housing belt 90 of the present embodiment, since the reinforcing member 57 is not included in the connecting arm portion 52 located at the end portion thereof, the connecting arm portion 52 located at the end portion is allowed. Flexibility can be increased. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, an increase in circulation resistance due to friction between the rolling element housing belt 90 and the guide groove 60 can be mitigated. Therefore, the linear guide can be operated smoothly.

The rolling element accommodation belt and the linear motion guide device according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the example in which the rolling element is a ball has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the rolling element is a roller, the same action and effect can be obtained.
Further, for example, the above embodiments can be variously combined with each other without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, FIG. 10 shows a first modification. This example is an example in which the concave portion 56c in the third embodiment is adopted in place of the concave portion 56 in the configuration of the thin-walled portion in the first embodiment.
For example, FIG. 11 shows a second modification. In this example, in the first embodiment, instead of the recessed portion 56, the surface of the thin portion is similar to the recessed portion 56c in the third embodiment. Adopted on both sides.

  That is, in the second modification, as shown in the figure, when the rolling element housing belt 80 is incorporated into the endless circulation path 28, a concave portion 56g is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the endless circulation path 28. A concave portion 56h is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the infinite circulation path 28 to form a thin portion. Both the recess 56g and the recess 56h are formed as surfaces that are stepped down toward the center of the thickness of the connecting arm portion 52, as shown in FIG. The depth is about 1/3 of the thickness H of the connecting arm portion 52, respectively. Thus, the pair of connecting arm portions 52 located at the end portions are thin portions over the entire region on the end portion side rather than the both side portions at the center of the ball 46 located at the end portion.

Also with the configuration of each of such modifications, an increase in circulation resistance due to friction between the rolling element housing belt and the guide groove 60 can be mitigated, as in the above embodiments. Therefore, the linear guide can be operated smoothly. Moreover, since both ends can be made to approach, the load capacity and rigidity of the linear guide are not reduced.
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments or modifications, the connecting arm portion located at the end has a thin portion formed by reducing the thickness in the width direction of the guide groove compared to the other connecting arm portions, By increasing the flexibility by this thin part, it is easy to bend following the inner wall or guide groove of the infinite circuit, but the configuration to increase the flexibility of the connecting arm part located at the end is It is not limited to the thin part illustrated above. For example, the flexibility can be increased by forming a through hole that penetrates the connecting arm portion in the thickness direction. Further, the material of the connecting arm portion positioned at the end portion may be integrally formed using a material having higher flexibility than other portions. However, in order to increase the flexibility of the connecting arm portion located at the end portion using the same material and with a simple configuration, the connecting arm portion located at the end portion is provided with a thin portion as illustrated above. A configuration is preferable.

It is a perspective view which shows the linear guide which concerns on 1st embodiment of the linear guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the slider of the linear guide of FIG. 1 in a cross section. It is sectional drawing in the XX line part in the linear guide of FIG. It is a figure explaining the rolling-element accommodation belt in 1st embodiment, The figure (a) is a plane which expands and shows a part including the edge part in the state which expand | deployed and extended the rolling-element accommodation belt. The figure and the figure (b) are the side views. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the rolling element accommodation belt in 1st embodiment, In the same figure, in the use condition with which the linear guide was mounted | worn, a part including the edge part of a rolling element accommodation belt is expanded, and it is a cross section. Is shown. It is a figure explaining the rolling element accommodation belt in 2nd embodiment, The figure (a) is a plane which expands and shows a part including the edge part in the state which unfolded and extended the rolling element accommodation belt. The figure and the figure (b) are the side views. It is a figure explaining the rolling-element accommodation belt in 3rd embodiment, The figure (a) is a plane which expands and shows a part including the edge part in the state which expand | deployed and extended the rolling-element accommodation belt. The figure and the figure (b) are the side views. Moreover, in the figure (c), in the use condition with which the linear guide was mounted | worn, a part including the edge part of a rolling element accommodation belt is expanded and shown in the cross section. It is a figure explaining the rolling-element accommodation belt in 4th embodiment, The figure (a) is a plane which expands and shows a part including the edge part in the state which expand | deployed and extended the rolling-element accommodation belt. The figure and the figure (b) are the side views. The figure (a) has shown the cross section which cut | disconnected the rolling element accommodation belt in 4th embodiment by the plane orthogonal to the row direction of a rolling element. Moreover, the same figure (b) has shown the rolling element accommodation belt in 1st embodiment in the cross section similar to the same figure (a). It is a figure explaining the modification (1st modification) of 1st embodiment, The figure (a) expands a part including the edge part in the state which expand | deployed and extended the rolling-element accommodation belt. The plan view shown in the figure, (b) is a side view thereof. Moreover, in the figure (c), in the use condition with which the linear guide was mounted | worn, a part including the edge part of a rolling element accommodation belt is expanded and shown in the cross section. It is a figure explaining the modification (2nd modification) of 1st embodiment, The figure (a) expands a part including the edge part in the state which expand | deployed and extended the rolling-element accommodation belt. The plan view shown in the figure, (b) is a side view thereof. It is a perspective view explaining an example of the conventional linear motion guide apparatus, In the same figure, it has shown in the state fractured | ruptured. It is a figure explaining an example of the conventional linear motion guide apparatus, In the same figure, the part of the infinite circulation path is shown with sectional drawing in the arrangement direction of a rolling element.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Linear guide 12 Guide rail 14 Rolling element guide surface 16 Slider 17 Slider body 18 Load rolling element guide surface 20 Rolling element return path 22 End cap 24 Direction change path 26 Rolling element track 28 Endless circulation path 46 Ball (Rolling element)
50, 70, 80, 90 Rolling body housing belt 51 Spacer portion 52 Connecting arm portion 53 Ball housing hole 55 Rolling body housing portion 56 Recessed portion (thin wall portion)
57 Reinforcing member 59 Spacer (located at the end) 60 Guide groove 62 Rolling element row

Claims (3)

A guide rail having a rolling element guide surface, and a load rolling element that is disposed so as to be relatively movable with respect to the guide rail and that forms a rolling element raceway with the rolling element guide surface so as to face the rolling element guide surface. A slider having a guide surface, a pair of direction changing paths respectively connected to both ends of the rolling element raceway, and a rolling element return passage communicating with the pair of direction changing paths, the rolling element raceway, and the pair of direction changing paths And a plurality of rolling elements that circulate while rolling in an infinite circulation path constituted by the rolling element return passages, and a guide groove formed inside thereof along the infinite circulation path. A plurality of spacers that are used in the apparatus and are interposed between the adjacent rolling elements, and the spacers are connected to each other, and projecting outward from an end surface of the spacers to the guide grooves. The guided arm The rolling elements are individually formed in the rolling element accommodating portions defined by the spacer portions and the connecting arm portions, and the rolling elements are formed in an end shape so as to be aligned in the alignment direction in the endless circulation path. In the moving object housing belt,
Among the connecting arm portions, the connecting arm portion that defines the rolling element housing portion positioned at the end is in the inner and outer circumferential directions of the infinite circulation path compared to the connecting arm portion that defines the other rolling element housing portion. A rolling element housing belt for a linear motion guide device, characterized in that the flexibility of the linear motion guide device is high.   Of the connecting arm portions, the connecting arm portion that defines the rolling element housing portion positioned at the end portion is larger in the width direction of the guide groove than the connecting arm portion that defines the other rolling element housing portion. The rolling element housing belt for a linear motion guide device according to claim 1, further comprising a thin portion having a reduced thickness.   A linear motion guide device using the rolling element housing belt according to claim 1.

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