JP2007232050A - Return guide of linear guide apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a defective assembly of a linear guide apparatus by recognizing that a return guide is not attached due to carelessness when an end cap is fixed to a slider body by means of bolts. <P>SOLUTION: A cylindrical portion 42 to be fitted into the through-hole 22c of the end cap 22 is provided on the return guide 4. The inner peripheral portion 42d of the cylindrical portion 42 is used as a bolt inserting hole into which the stem portion 51 of the bolt 5 for fixing the end cap 22 to the slider body is inserted. If the end cap 22 is fixed to the slider body in the state in which the return guide 4 has not been fixed, the end face of the cylindrical portion 42 of the return guide 4 is not visible in the through hole 22c of the end cap 22 in inserting the bolt 5 into the cylindrical portion 42. It is easily recognized, therefore, that the return guide 4 is not attached due to carelessness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a return guide constituting a slider of a linear guide device.

A conventional example of the linear guide device will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the linear guide device with the right half of the end cap removed. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the linear guide device partially shown in cross section so that the inside of the circulation path can be seen. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an end cap and a return guide.
As shown in these drawings, the linear guide device includes a guide rail 1, a slider (also referred to as “bearing”) 2, and a plurality of balls (rolling elements) 3.

Two rolling grooves 11 extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction are formed on each side surface of the guide rail 1. The slider 2 includes leg portions 2A disposed on both sides in the width direction of the guide rail 1, and a body portion 2B that couples both leg portions 2A. Then, both inner side surfaces of the slider 2 are disposed opposite to both side surfaces of the guide rail 1.
The slider 2 is divided into a slider main body 21 and an end cap 22 in the linear motion direction, and synthetic resin end caps 22 are arranged at both ends of the metal slider main body 21 in the linear motion direction. Further, a side seal 23 is disposed outside the end cap 22. And the rolling groove 21a facing each rolling groove 11 of the guide rail 1 is formed in the both inner side surfaces of the slider main body 21. As shown in FIG. These rolling grooves 11 and 21a form the rolling passage 12 of the ball 3.

  Two straight return passages 21b are formed outside the respective rolling grooves 21a of the slider main body 21 with an interval in the vertical direction. A female screw 21c for attaching the end cap 22 and the side seal 23 is formed between the two return passages 21b. An internal thread 21 d for attaching the end cap 22 and the side seal 23 is also formed on the body 2 </ b> B of the slider body 21.

As shown in FIG. 7, the end cap 22 includes a pair of leg portions 22 </ b> A that form the linear motion direction end portions of the leg portions 2 </ b> A of the slider 2 and a trunk portion that forms the linear motion direction end portions of the body portion 2 </ b> B of the slider 2. 22B.
On the surface of each leg 22A on the slider main body 21 side, two semicircular arc-shaped concave portions 22a and a groove (return guide groove) 22b for attaching the return guide 40 are formed. Each leg portion 22A is provided with a through hole 22c extending in the axial direction at a position corresponding to the female screw 21c of the slider body 21, and the two concave portions 22a are arranged above and below the through hole 22c. Yes.

  The return guide 40 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape, and its arcuate convex surface 40 a is fitted into the return guide groove 22 b of the end cap 22. Thereby, the direction change path 24 is formed by the concave portion 22 a of the end cap 22 and the arc-shaped convex surface 40 a of the return guide 40. The return guide 40 is provided with two oil passage holes 401 corresponding to the upper and lower recesses 22a.

Further, an oil supply hole 22d for attaching a tip end N of an oil supply pipe such as a grease nipple is formed at the center in the width direction of the body portion 22B of one end cap 22 and corresponds to the female screw 21d of the slider body 21 on both sides thereof. A through hole 22e is provided.
An oil supply groove 22 f for introducing lubricating oil into the direction changing path 24 is further formed on the surface of the end cap 22 on the slider body 21 side. The oil supply groove 22f is formed so as to extend from the oil supply hole 22d to the left and right (outside in the width direction), pass through its periphery along the through hole 22e, and then bend at a right angle to reach the recess 22a.

  Therefore, the return guide 40 is fitted into the return guide groove 22 b of the end cap 22, the side seal 23 is disposed outside the end cap 22, and these are fixed to the slider body 21 by the bolt 5. As a result, an oil passage 405 (see FIG. 6) is formed between the slider body 21 and the return guide 40. As a result, the lubricating oil supplied from the tip N of the oil supply pipe enters the oil passage 405 through the oil supply groove 22f, and is then introduced into the direction change passage 24 through the oil passage hole 401. 3 is lubricated.

In addition, the rolling passage 12 and the return passage 21b are communicated with each other through the direction change path 24, and a circulation path 25 that circulates the ball 3 infinitely through each of these paths is configured. Then, as the ball 3 circulates through each circulation path 25, the slider 2 slides along the guide rail 1.
In such a linear guide device, a proposal for a return guide mounting method has been conventionally made. For example, a protrusion is provided on the back surface of the return guide (a surface opposite to the arcuate convex surface), and the protrusion is a slider. There is a method of fitting into a groove provided in the main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There is also a method in which a projection for mounting is provided on the arcuate convex surface, and this projection is fixed to the return guide groove of the end cap by “tight fit”.
JP-A-11-264414

  However, even in the case of “interference fitting”, if the processing accuracy between the protrusion and the groove is not sufficiently high, the return guide is easily detached from the groove when the slider is assembled. Therefore, it is necessary to handle carefully so that it does not come off during assembly, or to reassemble when it comes off. In addition, in the conventional slider including the one described in Patent Document 1, when the end cap is fixed to the main body with the bolt, the entire return guide is covered with the end cap, so forget to attach the return guide. You may not even notice it.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems of the prior art, and the slider is divided into a main body and an end cap in the linear motion direction, and has a curved surface that forms a direction change path together with the recess of the end cap. In a linear guide device provided with a return guide, it is an object to prevent the assembly failure of the slider so that the forgetting to attach the return guide can be recognized when the end cap is fixed to the main body with a bolt.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a return guide that constitutes a slider of a linear guide device having a curved surface that forms a direction change path of a rolling element together with a recess provided in an end cap. There is provided a return guide characterized in that a cylindrical portion fitted in an axially extending through hole provided near the concave portion is provided as a hole for inserting a shaft portion of a bolt for fixing an end cap to a slider body.
In this return guide, the cylindrical portion is fitted in the through hole of the end cap, a shaft portion of a bolt is inserted into the cylindrical portion, and a tip end of the cylindrical portion is screwed into a female screw of the slider body. Fixed to the body.

According to this return guide, in order to attach the end cap to the slider body, the return guide is attached to the end cap when the bolt is inserted from the outer surface of the end cap (the surface opposite to the slider body) while looking into the through hole. If it is not attached, the end face of the cylindrical portion of the return guide cannot be seen in the through hole. Therefore, it is understood that the return guide is forgotten when the end cap is fixed to the slider body with the bolt.
In this return guide, when the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion is larger than the diameter of the head of the bolt, when the return guide is not attached to the end cap, when fixing the end cap to the slider body with the bolt, Since the head of the bolt enters the through hole of the end cap, it is possible to better understand forgetting to attach the return guide.

  The present invention also includes a guide rail, a slider, and a rolling element, and the slider is fixed to the main body having a rolling surface of the rolling element and a return passage of the rolling element with bolts at both ends of the linear movement direction of the main body. A return having a recess for a direction change path of the rolling element on the side surface, an end cap having a through hole extending in the axial direction near the recess, and a curved surface that forms a direction change path of the rolling element together with the recess. The return guide has a cylindrical portion that fits into the through hole of the end cap, and the cylindrical portion is fitted into the through hole of the end cap. The linear guide is characterized in that the end cap with the return guide attached is attached to the main body by screwing the tip of the bolt inserted into the body into the female screw of the main body. To provide a device.

  According to the present invention, the return guide constituting the slider of the linear guide device is provided with the cylindrical portion as the bolt insertion hole for attaching the end cap to the main body, so that the return guide can be secured when the end cap is fixed to the main body with the bolt. Since it is understood that the forgetting is attached, it is possible to prevent the assembly failure of the slider.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a return guide of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view showing an end cap to which the return guide of FIG. 1 is attached. 3 is a view showing a state where the return guide of FIG. 1 is attached to the end cap of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially broken perspective view showing the linear guide device of this embodiment.

  FIG. 1A is a front view of the return guide (a view showing a surface exposed when the return guide is attached to the end cap). FIG. 1B is a rear view of the return guide (showing a surface hidden when the return guide is attached to the end cap). FIG.1 (c) is the side view which looked at this return guide from the A direction of Fig.1 (a). FIG.1 (d) is the side view which looked at this return guide from the B direction of Fig.1 (a). FIG.1 (e) is the top view which looked at this return guide from the C direction of Fig.1 (a).

FIG. 2A is a front view of the end cap (a view showing a surface on the slider main body side). FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the end cap (viewed from the lower side of FIG. 2A).
FIGS. 3A and 3B correspond to FIGS. 2A and 2B. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the linear guide device includes a guide rail 1, a slider 2, and a plurality of balls (rolling elements) 3. In FIG. 4, only one ball 3 is shown in each track, and the track is shown by a one-dot chain line. The slider 2 includes a slider body 21, an end cap 22, a side seal 23, and the return guide 4 shown in FIG. On the end surface of the slider body 21, a recess 21e is formed in the opening of the return passage 21b.

  The feature of the present invention resides in the end cap 22 and the return guide 4 of the slider 2, and the basic configuration and operation as the other linear guide device are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. Therefore, it is omitted here. Moreover, also about the structure of the end cap 22, the same code | symbol is provided to the same thing as FIGS. 5-7, and the description is partially abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, two leg portions 22 </ b> A of the end cap 22 are formed with two semicircular arc-shaped concave portions 22 a that constitute a ball direction change path on the surface of the slider body 21. A through hole 22c extending in the axial direction is formed between the two recesses 22a of each leg 22A at a position corresponding to the female screw 21c of the slider body 21. Around the opening end of the through hole 22c on the front side of the end cap, an edge surface 22h is formed on the half opposite to the return guide groove 22b. The front side of the edge surface 22h of the end cap 22 is a semicircular surface 22i. Furthermore, a semi-cylindrical protrusion 22g that fits into the recess 21e provided in the slider body 21 is formed at the end of the recess 22a on the return path side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the return guide 4 includes a curved surface 41 that forms a ball direction change path together with the recess 22 a of the end cap 22, a cylindrical portion 42 that fits in the through hole 22 c of the end cap 22, and the end cap 22. The projection 43 fits in the return guide groove 22b and the semicylindrical projection 44 disposed next to the projection 22g of the end cap 22. In the cylindrical portion 42, the front side portion 42a is larger than the back side portion 42b, and the edge surface 22h of the through hole 22c of the end cap 22 is a surface corresponding to the boundary surface 42c of these portions 42a and 42b. An oil supply groove 45 connected to the oil supply groove 22 f of the end cap 22 is formed on the front surface of the return guide 4, and an oil passage hole 45 a that penetrates the curved surface 41 is formed in the oil supply groove 45.

The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 42 is larger than the diameter of the shaft 51 of the bolt 5 that is screwed into the female screw 21c of the slider body 21, as shown in FIG. The outer diameter of the rear side portion 42 b of the cylindrical portion 42 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole 22 c of the end cap 22, and the diameter of the through hole 22 c is smaller than the diameter of the head 52 of the bolt 5.
When attaching the end cap 22 to the slider body, first, the back surface portion 42 b of the cylindrical portion 42 of the return guide 4 is inserted into the through hole 22 c of the end cap 22, and the protrusion 43 of the return guide 4 is inserted into the return of the end cap 22. Fit into the guide groove 22b.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, the front side portion 42 a of the cylindrical portion 42 of the return guide 4 fits into the semicircular surface 22 i of the end cap 22, and the boundary of the cylindrical portion 42 of the return guide 4. The surface 42c fits on the edge surface 22h of the end cap 22. A direction change path is formed by the curved surface 41 of the return guide 4 and the recess 22 a of the end cap 22. A cylindrical protrusion 26 is formed by the protrusion 22 g of the end cap 22 and the protrusion 44 of the return guide 4. The cylindrical protrusion 26 is fitted into the recess 21e of the slider body 21, and the direction changing path and the return path 21b are connected. Further, the oil supply groove 22 f of the end cap 22 and the oil supply groove 45 of the return guide 4 are connected.

In this state, the inner peripheral portion 42 d of the cylindrical portion 42 of the return guide 4 is a bolt insertion hole for inserting the shaft portion 51 of the mounting bolt 5. In this way, the end cap 22 to which the return guide 4 is attached is aligned with the bolt insertion hole 42d with the female screw 21c of the slider main body 21, the protrusion 26 is fitted into the concave portion 21e of the slider main body 21, and the bolt is applied from the outside of the end cap 22. The shaft portion 51 of the bolt 5 is inserted into the insertion hole 42d, and the tip thereof is screwed into the female screw 21c of the slider body 21. In FIG. 4, a side seal 23 is disposed outside the end cap 22 and is also attached with bolts 5 at the same time.
Here, when the end cap 22 is to be attached to the slider body 21 with the bolt 5 in a state where the return guide 4 is not attached, the cylindrical portion of the return guide 4 is inserted into the through hole 22c of the end cap 22 when the bolt 5 is inserted. Since the end face of 42 cannot be seen, it is possible to notice that the return guide 4 is forgotten.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the outer diameter of the back side portion 42 b of the cylindrical portion 42 of the return guide 4 is made larger than the diameter of the head 51 of the bolt 5, the return guide 4 is attached to the end cap 22. When the end cap 2 is not attached, the head 51 of the bolt 5 enters the through hole 22 c of the end cap 22 when the end cap 2 is fixed to the slider body 21 with the bolt 5. Therefore, even when the through-hole 22c of the end cap 22 is not seen when the bolt 5 is inserted, it is possible to notice that the return guide 4 is forgotten.
Therefore, according to the linear guide device of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent an assembly failure of the slider.

It is a figure which shows the return guide of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the end cap to which the return guide of FIG. 1 is attached. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the return guide of FIG. 1 to the end cap of FIG. It is a partial fracture perspective view showing the linear guide device of this embodiment. It is a front view which shows the prior art example of a linear guide apparatus in the state which removed the right half of the end cap. FIG. 6 is a plan view partially showing a cross section of the linear guide device of FIG. 5 so that the inside of the circulation path can be seen. It is a perspective view which shows the end cap and return guide of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Guide rail 11 Rolling groove 12 Rolling path 2 Slider 2A Slider leg 2B Slider body 21 Slider main body 21a Rolling groove 21b Return path 21c Female thread 21d Female thread 21e Recess 22 End cap 22A End cap leg 22B End Cap body 22a Recessed portion 22b for forming a direction change path 22b Return guide groove 22c Through hole 22d Oil supply hole 22e Through hole 22f Oil supply groove 22g Projection 22h Edge surface 22i Semicircular surface 23 Side seal 24 Direction change path 25 Circulation path 3 Ball (rolling element)
4 Return Guide 41 Curved Surface Constructing Direction Change Path 42 Cylindrical Part 42a Front Side Part of Cylindrical Part 42b Rear Side Part of Cylindrical Part 42c Boundary Surface of Cylindrical Part 43 Projection Fit into Return Guide Groove 44 Semi-Cylindrical Shape Projection 45 Oil supply groove 45a Oil passage hole 40 Return guide 40a Convex surface forming direction change passage 401 Oil passage hole 405 Oil passage composed of return guide and slider body 5 Bolt 51 Bolt shaft 52 Bolt head N Oil supply Tube tip

Claims (3)

A return guide that constitutes a slider of a linear guide device having a curved surface that forms a direction change path of a rolling element together with a recess provided in an end cap,
A return guide having a cylindrical portion fitted in an axially extending through hole provided near the concave portion of the end cap as a hole for inserting a shaft portion of a bolt for fixing the end cap to the slider body.   The return guide according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the cylindrical portion is larger than a diameter of a head portion of the bolt. A guide rail, a slider, and rolling elements,
A main body having a rolling surface of the rolling element and a return passage of the rolling element;
An end cap fixed with bolts at both ends of the linear movement direction of the main body, a concave portion for the direction changing path of the rolling element is formed on the surface on the main body side, and having a through hole extending in the axial direction near the concave portion;
A return guide having a curved surface that forms a direction change path of the rolling element together with the recess;
A linear guide device comprising:
The return guide has a cylindrical portion fitted into the through hole of the end cap,
This cylindrical portion is fitted into the through hole of the end cap, and the tip of the shaft portion of the bolt inserted into this cylindrical portion is screwed into the female screw of the main body, so that the end guide is attached with the return guide A linear guide device characterized in that is attached to the main body.

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