JP2023131669A - Side seal and linear motion guide device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To inhibit deterioration of a foreign object eliminating function with a simple structure and easy work.SOLUTION: A side seal 50 is joined to an end surface as seen in a moving direction of a slider body 21 which is installed crossing a guide rail 3 of a linear motion guide device 1 in a manner that enables movement of the slider body relative to the guide rail. The side seal includes: a housing 51 having a space S therein; and a side seal body 52 disposed in the space S. A lip part 53 which slidably contacts with the guide rail 3 of the side seal body 52 protrudes from the space S to the side of the guide rail 3. The housing 51 has a medium supply part 54 for supplying a medium to the space S. The supply of the medium may press the side seal body 52 to the side of the guide rail 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a side seal and a linear motion guide device using the same.

Conventionally, a linear motion guide device includes a guide rail extending in the axial direction and a slider that straddles the guide rail so as to be relatively movable, and the slider circulates between rolling grooves formed in the guide rail and the slider. The slider moves relative to the guide rail in the axial direction via a plurality of rolling elements (balls). Such linear motion guide devices are often used in linear motion mechanisms of various production equipment.

Further, the linear motion guide device is provided with dustproof side seals on both ends of the slider in the moving direction. The side seal generally has a lip portion that slides against the guide rail. The lip portion closes the space between the guide rail and the slider and has a role of preventing foreign matter such as dirt, dust, dust, etc. from entering the inside of the slider, that is, has a foreign matter exclusion function.

The lip portion slides while contacting the guide rail when the slider moves. If such sliding is repeated, the lip portion will wear out and a gap will be created between the guide rail and the lip portion, which may reduce the foreign matter removal function including the dustproof function.

Patent Document 1 aims to provide a linear guide device in which the deteriorated sealing performance can be easily restored. In the linear guide device, even if a gap with the guide rail occurs due to wear or damage of the seal on the laminate, by peeling off the outermost seal, the second seal from the outside can be attached to the guide rail. Since the gap formed between the seal and the seal can be filled, sealing performance is maintained. Therefore, the deteriorated sealing performance can be easily restored without replacing the sealing device.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-163482

In the linear guide device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the seal, which is a laminate, is worn out and a gap is created between the seal and the rail, the outermost seal is peeled off and the seal is placed in the second position. The spring forces the seal against the rail, restoring contact.

However, with the seal of Patent Document 1, it takes time and effort to assemble the laminated structure and the spring, and it is also necessary to stop the linear guide device and peel off the seal.

The present invention provides a side seal and a linear motion guide device using the side seal that can suppress deterioration of the foreign matter removal function with a simple configuration and simple operation.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A side seal that is joined to an end surface in the moving direction of a slider body that straddles a guide rail of a linear motion guide device so as to be relatively movable,
A housing having a space inside;
a side seal body disposed in the space;
Equipped with
The side seal body has a lip portion that slides into contact with the guide rail, and the lip portion protrudes from the space toward the guide rail,
The housing has a medium supply unit for supplying a medium to the space, and the side seal body can be pressed toward the guide rail by supplying the medium.
side seal.
(2) the side seal body is divided into an upper surface portion facing the upper surface of the guide rail and a side surface portion facing the side surface of the guide rail;
The side seal described in (1).
(3) a guide mechanism for guiding the side seal body toward the guide rail is provided in the space;
The side seal according to (1) or (2).
(4) the medium is air or oil;
The side seal according to any one of (1) to (3).
(5) The medium is oil having a function as a lubricant,
The casing includes an oil passage for supplying oil to a side of the guide rail.
The side seal according to any one of (1) to (3).
(6) The medium is oil that functions as a lubricant,
the side seal body includes an oil passage for supplying oil to the lip portion;
The side seal according to any one of (1) to (3).
(7) A linear motion guide device comprising the side seal according to any one of (1) to (6).

According to the present invention, with a simple configuration and simple operation, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the foreign matter removal function of the side seal.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a linear motion guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams showing a linear motion guide device including a side seal according to the first embodiment, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view (including a sectional view). be. FIG. 3 is a front view of a linear motion guide device including a side seal according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view of a linear guide device including a side seal according to a third embodiment. 5(a) and (b) are partial sectional views of the side seal of the fourth embodiment, in which (a) the oil passage is provided in the housing, and (b) the oil passage is in the side seal body. This is the aspect provided in . FIGS. 6(a) to 6(f) are diagrams showing various modifications of the lip portion of the side seal. (a) is an example in which a one-stage lip portion is provided, and (b) is an example in which a two-stage lip portion is provided. (c) is an example in which one step of inclined lip portion is provided, (d) is an example in which three steps of inclined lip portion are provided, and (e) is an example in which two steps are provided with sloped lip portions in opposite directions. An example in which lip portions are provided, (f) is an example in which a three-step inclined lip portion is provided, and a one-step inclined lip portion is provided in the opposite direction to the two-step inclined lip portions.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of a side seal and a linear guide device according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be implemented with arbitrary changes within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a linear motion guide device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The linear motion guide device 1 includes a guide rail 3 extending in one direction, and a slider 20 having a C-shaped cross section that is attached to straddle the guide rail 3 and is movable in the axial direction with respect to the guide rail 3. ing. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction represents the direction in which the slider 20 moves along the guide rail 3, and the left-right direction represents the width direction of the slider 20 attached to the guide rail 3.

The guide rail 3 is made of metal, and two rail-side rolling grooves 5 are formed along the axial direction of the guide rail 3 on the left and right side surfaces 3b thereof. The guide rail 3 has a plurality of rail attachment holes 4 that penetrate in the height direction of the guide rail 3, and these rail attachment holes 4 include holes (not shown) for fixing the guide rail 3 to a surface to be attached (not shown). The rail fixing bolts are inserted.

The slider 20 includes a slider body 21 having sleeve portions on both left and right sides of the guide rail 3, a pair of end caps 30, 30 attached to both ends of the slider body 21 in the front and back direction, and a pair of end caps 30, 30 inside these end caps 30, 30. The guide rail 3 includes a return guide (not shown) that is incorporated into each set, and a pair of side seals 50, 50 that seal the gap between the guide rail 3 and the end caps 30, 30.

The end caps 30, which are joined to both the front and rear ends of the slider body 21, are, for example, injection molded products of synthetic resin, and have a C-shaped cross section like the slider body 21. The end cap 30 and the side seal 50 are provided with a plurality of mounting screw insertion holes (not shown). Then, the end cap 30 and the side seal 50 are fastened to the end surface of the slider body 21 by a mounting screw (not shown) inserted into the mounting screw insertion hole. Further, the upper surface of the slider body 21 is provided with a driven body fixing screw insertion hole 25 through which a bolt for fixing a driven body such as a table to the slider 20 is inserted.

On the inner surface of the sleeve portion of the slider body 21, two slider-side rolling grooves (not shown) facing the rail-side rolling grooves 5 of the guide rail 3 are formed on both left and right sides. The rail-side rolling grooves 5 and the slider-side rolling grooves arranged to face each other constitute two load rolling paths (not shown) on each of the left and right sides. Further, the slider 20 is provided with an unloaded rolling path (not shown) that communicates one end of the loaded rolling path with the other end, and the loaded rolling path and the unloaded rolling path connect the rolling element rolling path. is configured.

A total of four rolling element rolling paths are provided inside the slider 20, and a plurality of balls (not shown) (rolling elements) are filled in the rolling element so as to be able to roll freely. , the slider 20 is movable relative to the guide rail 3 in the axial direction.

The side seal 50 is joined together with the end cap 30 to the end surface in the moving direction of the slider body 21 that straddles the guide rail 3 of the linear motion guide device 1 so as to be relatively movable. The side seal 50 closes the space between the guide rail 3 and the slider 20 and serves to prevent foreign matter such as dirt, dust, dust, etc. from entering the slider 20.

FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams showing the linear motion guide device 1 including the side seal 50 of the first embodiment, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view (including a sectional view). ). The side seal 50 is attached to one surface of the end cap 30 and includes a housing 51 having a space S therein, and a side seal body 52 disposed in the space S. In addition, in FIG. 2(a), only the side seal main body 52 is shown with diagonal lines. In addition, in FIG. 2(b), only the portion of the left side seal 50 above the guide rail 3 is shown in cross section along line BB in FIG. 2(a), and the section below the guide rail 3 is shown. The details are omitted and are shown only by broken lines.

The casing 51 is a box-shaped member having a space S therein, and is made of metal, resin, or the like, but the material is not particularly limited. As will be described later, the casing 51 includes a medium supply section 54 on the front thereof that can supply a medium such as air or oil to the space S.

The side seal main body 52 is the part that plays the main function of the side seal 50. The side seal body 52 is made of an elastic material that can be elastically deformed, such as rubber or resin. The lip portion 53 of the side seal body 52 facing the guide rail 3 is in contact with the surface of the guide rail 3 at a level that does not impede movement of the slider 20. That is, the lip portion 53 of the side seal body 52 is in sliding contact with the guide rail 3, and slides while contacting the guide rail 3 when the slider 20 moves.

Most of the side seal body 52 is disposed within the space S of the housing 51, but at least a portion of the lip portion 53 protrudes from the space S toward the guide rail 3. A lip portion of an upper surface portion 52a of the side seal body 52 that faces the upper surface 3a of the guide rail 3 extends downward from the space S and comes into sliding contact with the upper surface 3a. In the side seal body 52, a lip portion of a side surface portion 52b facing the left and right side surfaces 3b of the guide rail 3 extends laterally from the space S and comes into sliding contact with the left and right side surfaces 3b.

As described above, the casing 51 includes the medium supply section 54 on the front thereof, which can supply a medium such as air or oil to the space S. In this embodiment, the medium supply section 54 is configured by a through hole that communicates the outside of the housing 51 and the space S. The form, position, etc. of the medium supply section 54 are not particularly limited.

The lip portion 53 of the side seal body 52 slides while contacting the guide rail 3 when the slider 20 moves. If such sliding is repeated, the lip portion 53 will wear, and there is a risk that the sealing allowance will be lost and the foreign matter removal function (sealing performance) including the dustproof function will deteriorate. In particular, if the tip of the lip portion 53 separates from the guide rail 3, there is a high possibility that the foreign matter removal function will deteriorate.

Therefore, when the tip of the lip portion 53 is worn out and a gap is created between the side seal body 52 and the guide rail 3, the user should move the medium supply portion 54 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2(b). Supply the medium from The supplied medium flows from the medium supply section 54 into the space S, and can press the side seal body 52 toward the guide rail 3 in accordance with the arrow in FIG. 2(a). The shapes of the space S and the side seal body 52 will be detailed later.

According to this embodiment, the side seal main body 52 is pressed toward the guide rail 3 as shown by the arrow in FIG. , the lip portion 53 protrudes toward the guide rail 3 side. Therefore, even if the lip portion 53 is once worn, the sealing margin by the lip portion 53 is restored by this operation, so that it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the foreign matter removal function of the side seal 50. For example, even if the tip of the lip portion 53 completely separates from the guide rail 3 due to wear, this operation will cause the tip of the lip portion 53 to come into contact with the guide rail 3 again and eliminate the gap, allowing the lip portion 53 to seal the gap. is generated, and the seal performance can be restored.

In addition, in this embodiment, two rolling element rolling paths are configured on each of the left and right sides of the slider 20, and an example is shown in which balls are used as the rolling elements, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rolling elements may be rollers. Moreover, one rolling element rolling path may be formed on each side of the slider 20, or a plurality of rolling element rolling paths may be formed.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the linear motion guide device 1 including the side seal 50 of the second embodiment. Note that in FIGS. 3 to 6(f) shown below, the same or equivalent parts as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the explanation thereof will be omitted or simplified. In the first embodiment, the side seal main body 52 is constituted by an integral elastically deformable member. In the second embodiment, the side seal body 52 is divided into an upper surface portion 52a facing the upper surface 3a of the guide rail 3 and a side surface portion 52b facing the left and right side surfaces 3b of the guide rail 3. The lip portion of the upper surface portion 52a extends downward from the space S and comes into sliding contact with the upper surface 3a. The lip portion of the side surface portion 52b extends laterally from the space S and comes into sliding contact with the left and right side surfaces 3b. As a result, the amount of protrusion of the lip portion of the upper surface portion 52a and the amount of protrusion of the lip portion of the side portion 52b can be controlled independently from each other, and the sliding contact of the side seal body 52 with respect to the guide rail 3 can be finely adjusted. I can do it.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the linear motion guide device 1 including the side seal 50 of the third embodiment. The side seal 50 of the third embodiment includes a plurality of guide mechanisms 60 that guide the side seal main body 52 toward the guide rail 3 side. The guide mechanism 60 includes a convex portion 55 formed on the end surface of the side seal body 52 on the side opposite to the guide rail 3 side, and a concave portion 57 formed on the space S side and into which the convex portion 55 is inserted. That is, when the convex part 55 is fitted into the concave part 57, it can move linearly in the direction toward or away from the concave part 57 along the direction in which the convex part 55 protrudes.

When the medium is supplied to the space S, the side seal body 52 is pressed toward the guide rail 3 by the medium. At this time, since the guide mechanism 60 is provided, the convex portion 55 of the side seal body 52 is guided along the wall surface of the concave portion 57, and the side seal body 52 is directed against the upper surface 3a and left and right side surfaces 3b of the guide rail 3. is pressed vertically. Thereby, the side seal main body 52 can be accurately pressed toward the guide rail 3 in the direction of eliminating the gap between the lip portion 53 and the guide rail 3.

The type of medium to be supplied is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include air, oil, and the like. In particular, when the medium is oil that functions as a lubricant, the sliding properties of the side seal 50 can also be ensured.

5(a) and (b) are partial sectional views of a side seal 50 according to a fourth embodiment, in which (a) shows an oil passage 56 provided in a housing 51, and (b) shows an oil passage 56 provided in a case 51. This is the form in which the side seal main body 52 is provided. The medium represented as lubricant L in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) is, for example, oil.

A structural example of the side seal 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 5(a). The space S includes, for example, a communication section S1 that communicates with the medium supply section 54, a wide section S2 that is wider in the front-rear direction than the communication section S1, and a wide section S2 that is formed to have the same width as the communication section S1, and a side It is constituted by a support portion S3 that supports the seal body 52. The side seal main body 52 also includes a head 61 formed to be thicker in the front-rear direction than the support portion S3, a center portion 62 sandwiched between the front and rear walls of the support portion S3, and a surface of the guide rail 3. It has a lip portion 53 that makes contact. The head 61 of the side seal body 52 is movable within the wide portion S2 in the direction toward or away from the guide rail 3. Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIG. 5A, the housing 51 includes an oil passage 56 for supplying the lubricant L on the end cap 30 side of the head 61 of the side seal body 52.

In the side seal 50 configured as described above, before the lip portion 53 wears out, the side seal main body 52 is moved such that the head 61 is located above in the wide portion S2, that is, at a position far from the guide rail 3. is supported by the support portion S3. Then, when the lip portion 53 is worn and a gap is created between the lip portion 53 and the guide rail 3, the user supplies lubricating oil L from the medium supply portion 54. Then, the lubricating oil L flows from the medium supply section 54 to the communication section S1 and presses the head 61 of the side seal body 52 in the direction of the guide rail 3. Therefore, the side seal body 52 moves in a direction approaching the guide rail 3, and the lip portion 53 comes into contact with the surface of the guide rail 3 again. As a result, the sealing performance of the side seal 50 can be maintained.

In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(a), since the oil passage 56 is formed, the lubricating oil L presses the head 61 of the side seal body 52 and is applied to the surface of the guide rail 3 through the oil passage 56. Supplied. Thereafter, since the lubricating oil L is supplied between the lip portion 53 and the guide rail 3, the sliding properties of the side seal 50 can also be ensured.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5(b), the structure of the side seal 50 is the same as that of FIG. 5(a), so parts that are the same or equivalent to those in FIG. Omit or simplify. In the embodiment of FIG. 5(b), the side seal body 52 includes an oil passage 56 for supplying the lubricant L. Specifically, the side seal body 52 has a slit near the center in its thickness direction that penetrates from the head 61 toward the center portion 62, and this slit constitutes the oil passage 56. . Therefore, the lubricating oil L supplied from the medium supply section 54 presses the head 61 of the side seal body 52 in the direction of the guide rail 3 and is supplied to the surface of the guide rail 3 through the oil path 56. After that, the lubricating oil L is supplied between the lip portion 53 and the guide rail 3, so that the sealing performance of the side seal 50 can be maintained and the sliding performance of the side seal 50 can also be ensured. .

6(a) to 6(f) are diagrams showing various modifications of the lip portion 53 of the side seal 50. FIG. FIG. 6(a) shows an example in which one stage of lip portion 53 is provided, and FIG. 6(b) shows an example in which two stages of lip portion 53 are provided. The two-stage lip portions 53 are provided at both ends of the side seal body 52 in the thickness direction.

FIG. 6(c) shows an example in which one stage of inclined lip portion 53 is provided, and FIG. 6(d) shows an example in which three stages of inclined lip portion 53 are provided. The three-stage lip portion 53 is provided at both ends and at the center of the side seal body 52 in the thickness direction. Furthermore, all the lip portions 53 are inclined outward, that is, toward the opposite side of the slider body 21.

FIG. 6(e) shows an example in which two stages of lip parts 53 are inclined in opposite directions, and FIG. 6(f) shows an example in which two stages of inclined lip parts 53 are provided. On the other hand, this is an example in which one step of lip portion 53 is provided that is inclined in the opposite direction. Some of the lip portions 53 are inclined outward, that is, toward the opposite side of the slider body 21, and other lip portions 53 are inclined inward, that is, toward the side of the slider body 21.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited.

1 Linear motion guide device 3 Guide rail 3a Top surface 3b Left and right side surfaces 5 Rail side rolling groove 20 Slider 21 Slider body 30 End cap 50 Side seal 51 Housing 52 Side seal body 52a Top surface portion 52b Side surface portion 53 Lip portion 54 Medium supply portion 56 Oil passage 60 Guide mechanism L Lubricant S Space

Claims (7)

A side seal joined to an end surface in a moving direction of a slider body that straddles a guide rail of a linear motion guide device so as to be relatively movable, the side seal comprising:
A housing having a space inside;
a side seal body disposed in the space;
Equipped with
The side seal main body has a lip portion that slides into contact with the guide rail, and the lip portion protrudes from the space toward the guide rail,
The housing has a medium supply unit for supplying a medium to the space, and the side seal body can be pressed toward the guide rail by supplying the medium.
side seal. The side seal body is divided into an upper surface portion facing the upper surface of the guide rail and a side surface portion facing the side surface of the guide rail.
The side seal according to claim 1. a guide mechanism that guides the side seal body toward the guide rail is provided in the space;
The side seal according to claim 1 or 2. the medium is air or oil;
The side seal according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The medium is oil having a function as a lubricant,
The casing includes an oil passage for supplying oil to a side of the guide rail.
The side seal according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The medium is oil having a function as a lubricant,
the side seal body includes an oil passage for supplying oil to the lip portion;
The side seal according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A linear motion guide device comprising the side seal according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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