JP2012219839A - Linear motion guide device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a linear motion guide device that is capable of suppressing management costs and manufacturing costs, while preventing the entry of foreign matter from the connection of a side seal and an under seal, even when the under seal and the side seal are configured separately.SOLUTION: In a linear guide (linear motion guide device) 10, a protrusion 22 which is protruded toward the side of an under seal 16 is provided to the bottom face of a side seal 20, and the protrusion 22 is brought into contact with the upper surface 16b of a lip section 16a of the under seal 16 without gap by elastic deformation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear motion guide device including a guide rail and a slider slidably provided on the guide rail via a rolling element.

In this type of linear motion guide device, for the purpose of dust prevention, side seals and under seals are used as seal members for sliding portions of the guide rail and the slider (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The side seal is attached to the end surface of the slider in the sliding direction, and prevents foreign matter from entering the slider from the axial direction of the guide rail. In addition, the under seal is attached to the lower part of the sleeve portion of the slider that is laid across the space where there is a gap between the slider and the guide rail, so that foreign matter can enter the slider from the bottom side of the linear motion guide device. It is something to prevent.

JP 2000-18244 A JP 59-121225 A

  However, if the side seal and the under seal are separate members, a gap may be generated between the contact portions. In particular, when the linear motion guide device is used in an environment with a large amount of foreign matter such as dust or liquid, the possibility that foreign matter will enter the slider from the gap between the contact portions increases. If foreign matter enters the slider, the circulation of the rolling elements inside the slider may be hindered and the linear motion guide device may be damaged. On the other hand, if the length of the under seal in the sliding direction is strictly managed, the gap between the contact portion of the under seal and the side seal can be eliminated.

However, there is a problem that labor is required for managing the length of the under seal, and the management cost is increased.
Therefore, for example, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the side seal and the under seal are integrated. Thereby, it can prevent that a foreign material penetrate | invades from the contact part of a side seal and an under seal. However, it is not easy to manufacture such an integrated seal member, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem, and even when the under seal and the side seal are configured separately, the foreign matter from the contact portion of the side seal and the under seal An object of the present invention is to provide a linear motion guide device that can suppress the management cost and the manufacturing cost while preventing intrusion.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a guide rail and a slider straddling the guide rail, and the slider moves on the guide rail via rolling elements of the left and right sleeve portions. A linear motion guide device for sliding movement, wherein a seal member at a sliding contact portion between the guide rail and the slider is a side seal attached to an end surface of the slider in the sliding movement direction, and a slider and a guide at the lower part of the sleeve portion. An under seal attached to a portion where there is a gap between the rail and a separate part is provided as a separate part, and the bottom surface of the side seal is provided with a protrusion protruding toward the under seal side, The protruding portion is in contact with the upper surface of the lip portion of the under seal without any gap by elastic deformation.

  According to the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, since the side seal and the under seal are separate parts, the production is easy as compared with the case where the under seal and the side seal are configured integrally. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed. And, the bottom surface of the side seal is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes toward the under seal side, and this protruding portion is configured to come into contact with the upper surface of the lip portion of the under seal without any gap by elastic deformation. There is no gap in the contact portion of the under seal. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from the abutment portion, and the protrusions are configured to contact each other by elastic deformation without gaps, which facilitates dimensional management and reduces management costs. It is done.

  Here, in the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, the lip portion of the under seal has a contact surface with the protruding portion of the side seal inclined by an angle θ1 with respect to the bottom surface of the guide rail, The projecting portion has a contact surface with the lip portion of the under seal inclined by an angle θ2 with respect to the bottom surface of the guide rail, and the angle θ1 is an angle equal to or smaller than the angle θ2. Is preferred. Such a configuration is suitable for ensuring that there is no gap between the contact portions of the side seal and the under seal.

Moreover, in the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, it is preferable that two or more side seals are mounted on at least one end face of the slider. With such a configuration, since two or more side seals are stacked, the dustproof effect can be further enhanced.
Further, in the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, of the plurality of side seals attached to the slider, the tip end position of the lip portion of the outermost side seal is more than the end face in the longitudinal direction of the under seal. It is preferable that the end surface of the under seal in the longitudinal direction is located closer to the main body side of the slider than the surface of the side seal while being located on the main body side of the slider. With such a configuration, even if the length of each seal member varies in the longitudinal direction due to manufacturing errors or the like, the end face may be positioned on the side where no gap is generated in the contact portion between the side seal and the under seal. Therefore, it is more suitable for suppressing the management cost and the manufacturing cost while preventing the entry of foreign matter.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even when the under seal and the side seal are configured separately, the management cost is prevented while preventing foreign matter from entering from the contact portion between the side seal and the under seal. And manufacturing costs can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a linear guide that is an embodiment of a linear guide device according to the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure (1st example) of the under seal | sticker and side seal which concern on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the under seal concerning this invention. It is a figure explaining the relation between an under seal and a guide rail of the 1st example at the time of wearing. In the same figure, the side seal is not attached, but only the under seal is attached to the slider (end cap) Is shown. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the side seal which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the side seal of the first example at the time of mounting and the guide rail, and in the same figure, the under seal is not mounted, but shows a state where only the side seal is mounted on the slider. . It is a perspective view which shows the contact state of the protrusion part of a side seal, and the lip | rip part of an under seal. It is a figure explaining the relationship between an under seal and a side seal in the 1st example at the time of mounting, and shows the state where both the side seal and the under seal were mounted on the slider. It is a figure explaining the effect of the seal member of the 1st example at the time of mounting, and the figure shows the state where both the side seal and the under seal were mounted on the slider. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the other example (2nd example) of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the contact state of the protrusion part of a side seal and the lip | rip part of an under seal in the 2nd example shown in FIG. In the structure of the conventional seal member, it is a figure explaining the effect (insufficient point) when mounting a plurality of side seals.

Hereinafter, a linear guide which is an embodiment of a linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 1, the linear guide (linear motion guide device) 10 includes a guide rail 1 and a slider 2 that slides on the guide rail 1. A plurality of rolling element rolling grooves 4 are formed in the guide rail 1 on the left and right side surfaces of the outer surface of the guide rail 1 itself. The slider 2 has a U-shape by having sleeve portions 2a and 2b on the left and right. The slider 2 is laid across the guide rail 1 in such a posture that the U-shaped concave side faces the guide rail 1 side, and the rolling elements of the guide rail 1 are provided on the left and right sleeve portions 2a and 2b. A rolling element rolling groove 6 facing the rolling groove 4 is formed on the inner surface.

  The slider 2 also has a slider body 5 and a pair of end caps 7 attached to both end surface portions thereof. In the slider body 5, a rolling element return passage 11 is formed along the slide movement direction. Inside each end cap 7, a substantially U-shaped direction changing path 8 is formed. Each direction change path 8 connects the ends of the rolling element return path 11 and the rolling element rolling path 12 (consisting of both rolling element rolling grooves 4 and 6 of the guide rail 1 and the slider body 5). A plurality of annular endless circulation paths are constructed. In each endless circulation path, a plurality of rolling elements are fitted in the direction change path 8 of the end cap 7 and the rolling element return path 11 of the slider body 5 and are interposed in the rolling element rolling path 12. 3 is filled.

  As a result, in the linear guide 10, a plurality of filled rolling elements 3 roll in each infinite circulation path with the relative movement of the slider 2 with respect to the guide rail 1, and change the direction in one end cap 7. After the direction change in the path 8, the slider is introduced through the plurality of rolling elements 3 while circulating in such a way that it is introduced into the rolling element return path 11 and returns to the rolling element rolling path 12 again from the opposite direction changing path 8. 2 moves smoothly along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 1.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, one side seal 20 as a seal member is attached to each of the linear guides 10 on the outer side of each end cap 7. Furthermore, a protective cover 19 having a substantially similar shape to the end cap 7 and the side seal 20 is attached to the outside of each side seal 20. The protective cover 19 is manufactured from a metal plate (steel material, aluminum material, etc.). The side seal 20 is attached to the end face of the slider 2 in the sliding movement direction, and the lip portion 20a prevents foreign matters such as dust from entering the inside of the slider 2 from between the guide rail 1 and the end cap 7. Yes. Each side seal 20 is sandwiched between the protective cover 19 and the end cap 7 and fastened with a screw (not shown) to be fixed to the slider body 5.

  Further, inside the lower portions of the left and right sleeve portions 2a and 2b of the slider 2 straddling the guide rail 1, a gap is made as small as possible in a portion where there is a gap between the slider 2 and the guide rail 1. Thus, the under seal 16 as a seal member is attached by being fitted in a slit 7 m provided along the guide rail 1 on the inner side surface of the end cap 7 along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 1. The under seal 16 prevents foreign matter from entering the slider 2 from the bottom surface side of the linear guide 10.

Next, the sealing members (side seal 20 and under seal 16) will be described in more detail.
The under seal 16 is formed by integrally molding a flexible material (rubber, elastomer, etc.) on a metal plate (steel material, aluminum material, etc.). 2 and 3, the under seal 16 is a member disposed along the longitudinal direction of the slider body 5. As shown in FIG. 4, both ends 16t in the longitudinal direction are connected to the slider body 5 and the end cap. 7 is fixed to the slider 2 (end cap 7) by being fitted into a slit 7m provided along the guide rail 1 on the inner side surface. The inserted position is regulated by the step portion 16d (see FIG. 4).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the under seal 16 has a lip portion 16a formed on the surface facing the guide rail 1 so as to project obliquely downward (reference numeral shown by a one-dot chain line in the figure). A1). The lip portion 16 a is formed of a flexible material, and when the guide rail 1 is incorporated in the slider 2, the lip portion 16 a comes into contact with the guide rail 1. For this reason, when the lip portion 16a is pushed by the guide rail 1, it is elastically deformed obliquely downward from the initial position A1 indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. A state of contact (an assembly state indicated by a symbol A2 indicated by a solid line in the figure) is obtained. At this time, with the slider 2 incorporated in the guide rail 1, the upper surface 16b of the lip portion 16a of the under seal 16 is set so that the angle from the bottom surface of the guide rail 1 (parallel to the horizontal direction in the figure) is θ1. ing. In the example of the present embodiment, the angle θ1 = 51 °.

  On the other hand, as shown in an exploded perspective view in FIG. 5, the side seal 20 includes a substantially U-shaped holding plate 24 and a substantially U-shaped seal body 26 that is fitted into the concave side of the holding plate 24. ing. The holding plate 24 is an injection molded product of a hard synthetic resin (polyacetal, polyamide, etc.). The seal body 26 has a lip portion 20 a formed to follow the outer peripheral surface of the opposing guide rail 1 on the side of the U-shaped recess, and the lip portion 20 a is slidably contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the guide rail 1. This prevents foreign matter from entering the slider 2 from the axial direction of the guide rail 1.

  The seal body 26 is an injection-molded product of a highly flexible synthetic resin (polyester elastomer, urethane elastomer, etc.) or rubber (nitrile rubber, fluorine rubber, etc.). Examples of specific product names of polyester elastomers include Perprene EN1000, EN2000, EN3000, and EN5000 manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.

  Here, the lip portion 20a of the side seal 20 is integrally provided with a protruding portion 22 on the bottom surface as shown in FIG. This protrusion 22 is also formed of a flexible material. When the guide rail 1 is incorporated into the slider 2, the lip portion 20a and the protruding portion 22 come into contact with the guide rail 1, respectively. For this reason, the lip portion 20a is elastically deformed from the initial position B1 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 6 to the assembling position B2 as indicated by the solid line in FIG. At this time, with the slider 2 incorporated in the guide rail 1, the bottom surface 22b of the protrusion 22 is set so that the angle from the bottom surface of the guide rail 1 (direction parallel to the horizontal direction in the figure) is θ2. . Here, the relationship between the angle θ1 and the angle θ2 is set in advance such that θ1 ≦ θ2. In the example of the present embodiment, the angle θ2 = 55 °.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a contact state between the protruding portion 22 of the side seal 20 and the lip portion 16a of the under seal 16 described above. In the state shown in the figure, the guide rail 1 is actually incorporated, but the guide rail 1 is not shown in the figure for easy understanding. However, the side seal 20 and the under seal 16 are shown in an elastically deformed shape with the guide rail 1 incorporated.

  As shown in the figure, the side seal 20 has a tip of the lip portion 20a (a portion in contact with the surface of the guide rail 1) closer to the slider body 5 than the end surface T2 in the longitudinal direction of the under seal 16 by a distance Δ1. It is supposed to be located. Further, the under seal 16 is positioned so that the longitudinal end surface T2 of the under seal 16 is recessed by Δ2 with respect to the surface T1 of the side seal 20.

Next, functions and effects of the linear guide 10 will be described.
According to the linear guide (linear motion guide device) 10, the protruding portion 22 that protrudes toward the under seal 16 side is provided on the bottom surface of the side seal 20, and the protruding portion 22 is as shown in FIG. 8. In addition, in a state where both the side seal 20 and the under seal 16 are mounted on the slider, they contact the upper surface 16b of the lip portion 16a of the under seal 16 without any gap by elastic deformation.
Therefore, since there is no gap in the contact portion between the side seal 20 and the under seal 16, foreign matter does not enter. Further, since the protruding portion 22 is configured to contact the upper surface 16b of the lip portion 16a without elastic clearance, the size can be easily managed and the management cost can be reduced.

And according to this linear guide 10, since the side seal 20 and the under seal 16 are separate parts, manufacture is easy compared with the case where the under seal 16 and the side seal 20 are comprised integrally. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
Further, according to this linear guide 10, when the lip portion 16a of the under seal 16 and the protruding portion 22 of the side seal 20 are in contact with each other, the aforementioned angles θ1 and θ2 are θ1 ≦ θ2, so FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, when both are pushed together by the guide rail 1 toward the sleeve portions 2 a and 2 b of the slider 2, they are further elastically deformed toward the side opposite to the guide rail 1, as shown in FIG. 9. The abutting portion can be brought into close contact with no gap. At this time, since the protruding portion 22 and the lip portion 16a of the under seal 16 are both formed of a flexible material, sufficient elastic deformation can be obtained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the tip of the lip portion 20 a of the side seal 20 (the portion in contact with the surface of the guide rail 1) is closer to the slider body 5 by a distance Δ1 than the end surface of the under seal 16 in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, even if the length of the under seal 16 is shortened to a maximum Δ1 per side due to manufacturing errors or the like, there is no gap between the side seal 20 and the under seal 16.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the end face T2 in the longitudinal direction of the under seal 16 is located at a position that is deeper by a distance Δ2 with respect to the surface T1 of the side seal 20, so Even if the length is increased up to Δ2 per side, the end face of the under seal 16 does not jump out of the surface of the side seal 20. In other words, when the end surface of the under seal 16 protrudes from the surface of the side seal 20, when the protective cover 19 is attached, the end surface of the under seal 16 is pushed by the protective cover 19, and the under seal 16 is deformed. This may prevent the initial dustproof performance from being obtained, but this can be prevented.

  That is, according to the linear guide 10 of the present embodiment, a distance Δ1 + a distance Δ2 is allowed per side as a manufacturing error in the length of the under seal 16. In the example of the present embodiment, the total length L of the under seal 16 is 110 mm, and Δ1 + Δ2 = 0.4 mm. When rubber or elastomer is used as the flexible material constituting the under seal 16, it is preferable that (Δ1 + Δ2) /L=0.002 to 0.006 in consideration of manufacturing errors during injection molding.

As described above, according to the linear guide 10, even when the under seal 16 and the side seal 20 are separately configured, foreign matter enters from the contact portion between the side seal 20 and the under seal 16. The management cost and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed while preventing the problem.
The linear motion guide device according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which one side seal 20 is attached to both ends of the slider body 5 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a modification (second example) is illustrated in FIG. As shown, two or more (two in the example in the figure) side seals 20 may be attached to both ends of the slider body 5. With the configuration as in the second example, since there are two (or more) side seals 20, the dustproof effect can be further enhanced.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 11, also in the second example, the tip of the lip portion 20a of the side seal 20 located on the outer side (the place in contact with the rail surface) is more than the end face in the longitudinal direction of the under seal 16. It can be configured to be positioned on the slider body 5 side by a distance Δ1. Furthermore, the end face T2 in the longitudinal direction of the under seal 16 can be configured to be recessed by Δ2 with respect to the surface T1 of the side seal 20. With such a configuration, as in the first example, even if the length of the under seal 16 changes due to manufacturing errors or the like, adverse effects on the dustproof function can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the conventional seal member configuration, even if a plurality of side seals 122 are mounted, the configuration is not such that the lip portion 116a of the under seal 116 is brought into contact. A space S may be formed between the lip portions 122a of the side seals 122, and a sufficient dustproof effect may not be obtained. On the other hand, the linear motion guide device according to the present invention exhibits a sufficient dustproof function for such a point.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Guide rail 2 Slider 3 Rolling body 4 Rolling body rolling groove 5 Slider main body 6 Rolling body rolling groove 7 End cap 8 Direction change path 10 Linear guide (linear motion guide device)
11 Rolling body return path 12 Rolling body rolling path 16 Under seal (seal member)
19 Protective cover 20 Side seal (seal member)
22 Protruding part 24 Holding plate 26 Seal body

Claims (4)

A linear motion guide device comprising a guide rail and a slider straddling the guide rail, the slider slidingly moving on the guide rail via the rolling elements of the right and left sleeves;
As a seal member for the sliding contact portion between the guide rail and the slider, it is attached to the side seal attached to the end surface of the slider in the sliding direction, and a portion where a gap is formed between the slider and the guide rail at the lower portion of the sleeve. The under seal formed as a separate part is provided on the bottom surface of the side seal, and is provided with a projecting portion projecting toward the under seal side. A linear motion guide device that is in contact with the upper surface by elastic deformation without any gap.   In the lip portion of the under seal, the contact surface with the protruding portion of the side seal is inclined by an angle θ1 with respect to the bottom surface of the guide rail, and the protruding portion is in contact with the lip portion of the under seal. 2. The linear motion guide according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface is inclined by an angle θ <b> 2 with respect to a bottom surface of the guide rail, and the angle θ <b> 1 is an angle equal to or less than the angle θ <b> 2. apparatus.   The linear motion guide device according to claim 1, wherein two or more side seals are mounted on at least one end surface of the slider in an overlapping manner.   Of the plurality of side seals attached to the slider, the tip position of the lip portion of the outermost side seal is located closer to the slider body than the longitudinal end surface of the under seal, and the under seal The linear motion guide device according to claim 3, wherein an end face in a longitudinal direction of the seal is located closer to a main body side of the slider than a surface of the side seal.

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