JP2009085333A - Linear guide apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retainer easily attachable without using machine screws or a fastening claw, not applying machining to a slider for retainer attachment, not limiting a shaft of an end cap, having high attachment strength. <P>SOLUTION: The retainer 4c is integrally formed with an upper side retaining part 4a retaining an upper part of an upper side cylindrical roller 3, a lower side retaining part 4b retaining a lower side of a lower side cylindrical roller 3, and a middle retaining part 4c retaining a lower side of the upper side cylindrical roller 3 and an upper part of the lower side cylindrical roller 3. An object comprising a tabular part 51 with a length corresponding to a total length of a slider body 21 and front and rear end caps 22, a fastening part 52 provided on length direction both ends of the tabular part 51, and a protrusion 53 corresponding to a recess 4d of the retainer 4 is used as a reinforcement member 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear guide device.

  The linear guide device includes a guide rail, a slider (also referred to as “bearing”), and a plurality of rolling elements. The guide rail and the slider have a rolling groove (a rolling surface when the rolling element is a “roller”) that are arranged to face each other and form a rolling passage of the rolling element. The slider further includes a return passage of the rolling element, and a direction changing path that connects the return passage and the rolling passage. The rolling path, the return path, and the direction changing path constitute a circulation path of the rolling element, and the rolling element circulates in the circulation path so that one of the guide rail and the slider is relative to the other. Move in a straight line. The rolling element rolls while being held by the cage in the rolling path.

  In the slider of such a linear guide device, end caps are fixed to both ends of the slider body in the linear motion direction. The slider main body and the end cap include leg portions disposed on both sides in the width direction of the guide rail, and a trunk portion that extends in a direction orthogonal to the both leg portions and connects the both leg portions. The end cap is formed with an outer groove of the direction change path of the rolling element on the surface of the both sides of the slider body, and an oil supply port is formed on the body portion. The end cap is formed with an oil passage from the oil supply port toward the direction change passage.

  The method of attaching the linear guide device to the slider of the cage is described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 below. In Patent Document 1, an upper holding part that holds the upper part of the upper rolling element, a lower holding part that holds the lower part of the lower rolling element, a lower part of the upper rolling element, and an upper part of the lower rolling element The intermediate holding part to be held is a separate body, the upper holding part is screwed to the lower surface of the body of the slider body, the intermediate holding part is locked to the recess provided in the leg part of the slider body, and the lower holding part Is screwed to the lower surface of the leg of the slider body.

  Patent Document 2 has a guide surface that holds the lower part of the upper rolling element and a guide surface that holds the upper part of the lower rolling element, has a convex part between the two guide surfaces, and is opposite to the convex part. A retainer comprising a retaining plate provided with a locking groove and a fixing band for fixing the retaining plate to an end cap is described. The fixing band includes a long band, a bent portion whose both ends are bent by 90 °, and a locking claw whose tip of the bent portion is further bent by 90 °. Then, the band part of the fixed band is fitted into the engaging groove provided on the inner surface of the leg part of the end cap and the holding plate, and the bent part is fitted into the engaging groove provided on the end face of the end cap. The retainer is fixed to the slider by locking the locking claw in the locking hole provided in the slider.

In Patent Document 3, an upper holding part that holds the upper part of the upper rolling element, a lower holding part that holds the lower part of the lower rolling element, a lower part of the upper rolling element, and an upper part of the lower rolling element It is a cage in which the intermediate holding part to be held is a separate body, and it is described that the upper holding part and the lower holding part are screwed into attachment holes provided in the end cap.
JP-A-5-87135 JP 7-91446 A JP-A-10-281153

However, in the method of Patent Document 1 described above, since a groove and a screw hole are provided in the slider body for screwing, the number of processing steps increases and the cost increases.
In the method of Patent Document 2, the end cap is provided with a locking hole for locking a locking claw provided at the tip of the fixed band, so that the position of the oil supply groove or the like is limited. Further, when the locking groove provided on the inner surface of the leg portion of the end cap is lengthened in order to increase the attachment strength, the end cap becomes thick and the slider length becomes long.

In the method of Patent Document 3, since the position of the screw hole for attaching the cage is determined by the shape of the cage, the shape of the end cap is limited.
The present invention was made in order to solve such problems of the prior art, without using screws or locking claws, and without performing processing for attaching the cage to the slider, It is an object of the present invention to provide a cage that has a high mounting strength and can be easily mounted without limiting the shape of the end cap.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a linear guide device having two-by-four circulation paths and having end caps and side seals fixed to both ends of the slider body in the linear motion direction. Side seal positioning protrusions are formed between the upper and lower raceway surfaces opposite the slider body side, and the rolling element retainer includes an upper holding part for holding the upper part of the upper rolling element, and a lower side The lower holding part that holds the lower part of the rolling element and the intermediate holding part that holds the lower part of the upper rolling element and the upper part of the lower rolling element are integrally formed on the guide rail side of the intermediate holding part. A plate-like portion having a recess and having a length corresponding to the total length of the slider main body and the front and rear end caps, and a latch that engages with the protrusions provided at both ends in the length direction of the plate-like portion. And a convex part that fits into the concave part of the intermediate holding part. It has a reinforcing member formed on the body, the convex part of the reinforcing member is fitted into the concave part of the cage, and the locking part is locked to the protrusion of the end cap, so that the cage is fixed to the slider via the reinforcing member A linear guide device is provided.

  In the linear guide device of the present invention, the retainer is fixed to the slider via the reinforcing member by fitting the convex portion of the reinforcing member into the concave portion of the retainer and engaging the engaging portion with the protrusion of the end cap. Therefore, at the time of assembly, without using screws or locking claws, the slider is not processed for mounting the cage, the shape of the end cap is not limited, and it is easy enough A cage is attached.

  According to the linear guide device of the present invention, at the time of assembly, the screw cap and the locking claw are not used, the slider is not processed for attaching the cage, and the shape of the end cap is limited. The cage is easily installed with sufficient strength.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of the linear guide device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the linear guide device includes a guide rail 1, a slider 2, a cylindrical roller 3, a cage 4, and a reinforcing member 5. In the slider 2, end caps 22 are fixed to both ends of the slider body 21 in the linear motion direction, and end caps 22 are formed with cylindrical projections 23 for positioning side seals. The end cap 22 is also formed with a roller insertion opening, and the right half of FIG. 1 shows a state in which the roller insertion opening is closed with the lid 6. The roller insertion port and the lid 6 are formed in a structure that does not interfere with the reinforcing member 5 when the roller insertion port is covered with the lid 6.

The left half of FIG. 1 shows a state where the end cap 22 is removed from the slider body 21. The through hole 24 in the leg portion of the end cap 22 communicates with the screw hole 24 a of the slider body 21. The through hole 25 in the body portion of the end cap 22 communicates with the screw hole 25 a of the slider body 21. The recess 25b around the through hole 25 is for accommodating the head of the mounting bolt when the end cap 22 is fixed to the slider body 21.
2 is a plan view of the cage 4, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. Further, the left half cage 4 of FIG. 1 also shows the AA cross section of FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the cage 4 includes an upper holding portion 4a that holds the upper portion of the upper cylindrical roller 3, a lower holding portion 4b that holds the lower portion of the lower cylindrical roller 3, and an upper cylinder. A lower portion of the roller 3 and an intermediate holding portion 4c that holds the upper portion of the lower cylindrical roller 3 are integrally formed. As a result, an upper pocket 41 and a lower pocket 42 are formed in the cage 4. Further, a guide groove 43 for guiding the arm portion 31 of the holding piece is formed. Further, a concave portion 4d is formed on the guide rail side of the intermediate holding portion 4c.

4 is a plan view of the reinforcing member 5, FIG. 5 is a side view of the reinforcing member 5, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the reinforcing member 5 has a plate-like portion 51 having a length corresponding to the total length of the slider body 21 and the front and rear end caps 22 and both ends of the plate-like portion 51 in the length direction. It consists of a locking portion 52 provided and a convex portion 53 corresponding to the concave portion 4 d of the cage 4.
As shown in FIG. 6, the locking portion 52 is a member that rises vertically from the plate-like portion 51, and includes a disc portion 52 b having a through-hole 52 a that fits into the cylindrical protrusion 23 of the end cap 22, It consists of a plate-like portion 51 and a rising portion 52c that connects the disc portion 52b.

The material of the cage 4 is POM, and the material of the reinforcing member 5 is spring steel.
When assembling the linear guide device, in this example, first, end caps 22 are arranged at both ends of the slider body 21, bolts are screwed into the screw holes 24 a through the through holes 24, and the through holes 25 are inserted. Then, the end cap 22 is fixed to the slider body 21 by screwing a bolt into the screw hole 25a. Next, the front end portion 45 of the upper holding portion 4a and the front end portion 46 of the lower holding portion 4b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the retainer 4 are attached to the attachment grooves 22a and 22b formed in the end cap 22. The holder 4 is attached to the slider by fitting the holding window to the tongue portion of the end cap 22. Thereafter, the convex portion 53 of the reinforcing member 5 is fitted into the concave portion 4 d of the cage 4, and the disc portion 52 b of the locking portion 52 of the reinforcing member 5 is externally fitted to the cylindrical protrusion 23 of the end cap 22, thereby 5 is fixed to the slider.

Next, the cylindrical roller 3 and the holding piece are alternately fitted into the pockets 41 and 42 of the cage 4 from the roller insertion opening of the end cap 22, and the arm portion 31 of the holding piece is fitted into the guide groove 43. . After all the insertion is complete, the lid 6 is put on the roller insertion slot.
According to the linear guide device of the first embodiment, by using the retainer 4 and the reinforcing member 5, the slider is processed for attaching the retainer without using screws or locking claws. In addition, the shape of the end cap is not limited, and the cage can be easily attached with sufficient strength.

  FIG. 8 is a front view showing a second embodiment of the linear guide device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the linear guide device includes a guide rail 1, a slider 2, a cylindrical roller 3, a cage 40, and a reinforcing member 50. In the slider 2, end caps 22 are fixed to both ends of the slider body 21 in the linear motion direction, and end caps 22 are formed with cylindrical projections 23 for positioning side seals. The end cap 22 is also formed with a roller insertion opening, and the right half of FIG. 8 shows a state in which the roller insertion opening is closed by the lid 6. The roller insertion port and the lid 6 are formed in a structure that does not interfere with the reinforcing member 50 when the roller insertion port is covered with the lid 6.

The left half of FIG. 8 shows a state where the end cap 22 is removed from the slider body 21. The through hole 24 in the leg portion of the end cap 22 communicates with the screw hole 24 a of the slider body 21. The through hole 25 in the body portion of the end cap 22 communicates with the screw hole 25 a of the slider body 21. The recess 25b around the through hole 25 is for accommodating the head of the mounting bolt when the end cap 22 is fixed to the slider body 21.
9 is a plan view of the cage 40, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. Further, the left half cage 4 of FIG. 9 also shows an AA cross section of FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the cage 40 includes an upper holding portion 40a that holds the upper portion of the upper cylindrical roller 3, a lower holding portion 40b that holds the lower portion of the lower cylindrical roller 3, and an upper cylinder. The lower part of the roller 3 and the intermediate holding part 40c for holding the upper part of the lower cylindrical roller 3 are integrally formed. As a result, an upper pocket 41 and a lower pocket 42 are formed in the cage 40. Further, a guide groove 43 for guiding the arm portion 31 of the holding piece is formed. A recess 4e is formed on the guide rail side of the intermediate holding portion 40c. The recess 4e extends over the entire length of the cage 40. Unlike the first embodiment, both ends in the length direction of the recess 4e are not closed.

11 is a plan view of the reinforcing member 50, FIG. 12 is a side view of the reinforcing member 50, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the reinforcing member 50 has a plate-like portion 51 having a length corresponding to the total length of the slider main body 21 and the front and rear end caps 22 and both ends of the plate-like portion 51 in the length direction. It consists of a provided locking portion 52 and a convex portion 54 provided in the entire length direction. Unlike the first embodiment, the convex portion 54 is provided in the entire length direction.
As shown in FIG. 13, the locking portion 52 is a member that rises vertically from the plate-like portion 51, and includes a disc portion 52 b having a through-hole 52 a that fits into the cylindrical protrusion 23 of the end cap 22, It consists of a plate-like portion 51 and a rising portion 52c that connects the disc portion 52b.

The material of the cage 40 is POM, and the material of the reinforcing member 50 is spring steel.
When assembling the linear guide device, first, the end cap 22 is fixed to the slider body 21 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, the front end portion 405 of the upper holding portion 40 a and the front end portion 406 of the lower holding portion 40 b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cage 40 are attached to the attachment grooves 22 a and 22 b formed in the end cap 22. The holder 40 is attached to the slider by fitting the holding window to the tongue portion of the end cap 22. Thereafter, the convex portion 54 of the reinforcing member 50 is fitted into the concave portion 4 e of the retainer 40, and the disc portion 52 b of the locking portion 52 of the reinforcing member 50 is externally fitted to the cylindrical protrusion 23 of the end cap 22. 50 is fixed to the slider.

Next, the cylindrical roller 3 and the holding piece are alternately fitted into the pockets 41 and 42 of the cage 40 from the roller insertion port of the end cap 22, and the arm portion 31 of the holding piece is fitted into the guide groove 43. . After all the insertion is complete, the lid 6 is put on the roller insertion slot.
According to the linear guide device of the second embodiment, by using the retainer 40 and the reinforcing member 50, the slider is processed for attaching the retainer without using screws or locking claws. In addition, the shape of the end cap is not limited, and the cage can be easily attached with sufficient strength.

It is a front view which shows 1st Embodiment of the linear guide apparatus of this invention. It is a top view of the holder | retainer 4. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. 3 is a plan view of a reinforcing member 5. FIG. 3 is a side view of a reinforcing member 5. FIG. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is a front view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the linear guide apparatus of this invention. It is a top view of the holder | retainer 40. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. 3 is a plan view of a reinforcing member 50. FIG. 4 is a side view of a reinforcing member 50. FIG. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Guide rail 2 Slider 21 Slider body 22 End cap 22a Retainer mounting groove 22b Retainer mounting groove 23 Cylindrical protrusion 24 Leg through hole 24a Screw hole 25 Body through hole 25a Screw hole 25b Recess 3 Cylindrical roller 31 Arm part of holding piece 4 Cage 4a Upper side holding part 4b Lower side holding part 4c Middle holding part 4d Recessed part 40 Cage 40a Upper side holding part 40b Lower side holding part 40c Middle holding part 40e Recessed part 41 Upper pocket 42 Lower pocket 43 Guide groove 45 Tip portion of upper holding portion 4a 46 Tip portion of lower holding portion 4b 405 Tip portion of upper holding portion 40a 406 Tip portion of lower holding portion 40b 5 Reinforcing member 50 Reinforcing member 51 Plate-like portion 52 Locking portion 52a Through-hole 52b Disc part 52c Standing part 53 Convex part 54 Convex part 6 Cover of roller insertion port

Claims (1)

In a linear guide device having two to four rows of circulation paths and having end caps and side seals fixed to both ends of the slider body in the linear motion direction,
A protrusion for positioning the side seal is formed between the upper and lower raceway surfaces opposite the slider body side of the end cap,
The rolling element cage includes an upper holding part that holds the upper part of the upper rolling element, a lower holding part that holds the lower part of the lower rolling element, a lower part of the upper rolling element, and a lower rolling element. The intermediate holding part that holds the upper part is formed integrally, and has a recess on the guide rail side of the intermediate holding part,
A plate-like portion having a length corresponding to the total length of the slider main body and the front and rear end caps, a latching portion for latching the projection provided at both ends in the lengthwise direction of the plate-like portion, and the intermediate holding portion And a convex part that fits into the concave part of the reinforcing member formed integrally,
A linear guide device characterized in that the retainer is fixed to the slider via the reinforcing member by fitting the convex portion of the reinforcing member into the concave portion of the retainer and engaging the engaging portion with the protrusion of the end cap. .

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