JP2864450B2 - Rolling spline guide unit with shock absorbing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism in which a slider is slidably provided on a spline shaft having a raceway groove in a longitudinal direction with a number of rolling elements interposed therebetween.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a rolling guide unit is incorporated into a robot or other assembling apparatus, the positioning accuracy of the vertical axis, that is, the Z-axis in the robot or other assembling apparatus is often rough. When pressed against the side, the guide portion and the like may be damaged, or the assembling accuracy may be degraded. Therefore, a rolling guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism in which a shock absorbing mechanism is incorporated in a conventional rolling guide unit has been developed. As the rolling guide unit with the buffer mechanism, two shafts are fixed to a square plate on one side,
It is known that a linear ball bearing is slidably fitted on the shaft and the other square plate is attached to the outer cylinder of the linear ball bearing. Further, the rolling guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism has a structure in which a spring is arranged as a shock absorbing member between the plates, and the plates are configured to be able to slide relative to each other. The rolling guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism is applied to an industrial robot, a transfer machine, or other components of a device incorporating a sensor switch, a shock absorber, and the like.

[0003]

The rolling guide unit with the shock absorbing mechanism has two rolling guides so that the rectangular plates do not rotate, and the shaft and the shock absorbing member are arranged in parallel between the plates. Because it is located
The number of parts is large, and it is difficult to construct a lightweight and compact structure. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned rolling guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism, it is difficult to position the other plate relative to one plate in the rotational direction, mutually position each other for mounting and setting each plate, and it is difficult to accurately mount the other parts to the equipment. There is a problem that high-precision positioning cannot be performed.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can be incorporated between two parts in an industrial robot, a transfer machine, or a device incorporating a sensor switch, a shock absorber, and the like. For example, even for robots with unstable positioning or other assembly equipment, when one plate is mounted on the robot and the other plate is mounted on the tool, the plate can be positioned and mounted on the robot and tool with high precision. To enable the relative movement of the plate, that is, the slider, with a good response in response to high accuracy and high speed,
Provided is a rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism which can absorb a shock of collision even if a component collides by sliding movement, can guide the sliding movement of the slider accurately and stably, and can be configured at low cost, light weight and compact. That is.

[0005]

The present invention is configured as follows to achieve the above object. That is,
The present invention relates to a spline shaft having a first raceway groove formed on an outer surface in a longitudinal direction, a first flange fixed to one end of the spline shaft, the first raceway slidably inserted into the spline shaft and A slider having a second raceway groove on a longitudinal inner surface facing the groove, a rolling element rolling between the first raceway groove and the second raceway groove, and preventing the slider from slipping out of the spline shaft. The present invention relates to a rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism, comprising: a retaining ring attached to the other end of the spline shaft; and a shock absorbing member arranged between the first flange and the slider.

In this rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism, the slider has the second raceway groove formed therein and has an outer cylinder provided with a flange portion, and the slider is attached to both ends of the outer cylinder, respectively, and has the second raceway groove. It consists of a stop plate that closes off. Further, the stopper plate includes an end cap made of an elastic material and in contact with both end surfaces of the outer cylinder, and a shield plate disposed on an end surface of the end cap. The first flange is press-fitted into the end of the spline shaft which has been knurled or serrated, and is fixed in a non-rotating state.

Further, the cushioning member is constituted by a spring, an elastic member or a magnetic repulsion generating member provided between the first flange and the flange portion of the outer cylinder. A second flange for attaching another component is exchangeably fixed to a flange portion of the outer cylinder constituting the slider.

The retainer for holding the rolling element is disposed in the outer cylinder in a state of being pressed upward by a spring, and the rolling element performs a finite reciprocating rolling.
Alternatively, a return hole communicating with the second raceway groove is formed in the slider, and the rolling element performs endless circulation rolling on the second raceway groove and the return hole.

[0009]

The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to the present invention is constructed as described above and operates as follows. That is, the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism has a first raceway groove formed on the longitudinally outer surface of the spline shaft, a first flange fixed to one end of the spline shaft, and a second raceway groove formed on the longitudinally inner surface. The sliding slider is slidably fitted to the spline shaft, and a rolling element that rolls between the first raceway groove and the second raceway groove is incorporated to prevent the slider from coming off the spline shaft. Since a retaining ring is attached to the other end of the spline shaft and a buffer member is disposed between the first flange and the slider, positioning of the slider with respect to the spline shaft can be achieved with high accuracy, and The slider can be slidably moved satisfactorily, and responsiveness to high-speed movement of the slider can be improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism, FIG. 2 is a side view on the slider side in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view on the flange side fixed to the spline shaft in FIG. is there.

The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism has a first raceway groove 11 formed on the outer surface in the longitudinal direction.
, A first flange 2 fixed to one end of the spline shaft 4, a second flange slidably fitted on the spline shaft 4, and a second inner surface facing the raceway groove 11.
Slider 10 having the raceway groove 13, a number of rolling elements 12 rolling between the raceway groove 11 and the raceway groove 13, the slider 1
It has a retaining ring 5 attached to the other end of the spline shaft 4 and a buffer member 7 disposed between the flange 2 and the slider 10 to prevent the 0 from coming off the spline shaft 4. The slider 10 is fitted in a state where there is no gap with respect to the spline shaft 4 and can slide and move with a preload applied to the rolling elements 12. The outer cylinder 1 is provided with a flange portion 14 on its outer periphery, and the flange 3 is exchangeably attached to the flange portion 14 with bolts 6.

The slider 10 comprises an outer cylinder 1 provided with a raceway groove 13 and provided with a flange portion 14, and stopper plates attached to both ends of the outer cylinder 1 to close the raceway groove 13. The stopper plate is the outer cylinder 1 of the slider 10.
An end cap 9 for changing the direction of a rolling element 12 that rolls in the inside, and a washer or shield plate 8 that fixes the end cap 9 to the outer cylinder 1 and forms a collision surface with the retaining ring 5. Therefore, the stopper plate functions as a stopper for preventing the outer cylinder 1 from coming off the spline shaft 4. The end cap 9 is made of an elastic material such as a resin material that is in contact with both end surfaces of the outer cylinder 1, and the shield plate 8 is disposed on an end surface of the end cap 9. Further, a direction changing path (not shown) communicating with the raceway groove 13 is formed in the end cap 9 constituting the slider 10, and a return hole (not shown) communicating with the direction changing path is formed in the outer cylinder 1. Is formed. Therefore, the rolling element 12 is configured to endlessly circulate through the raceway groove 13, the turning path, and the return hole. In this embodiment, the rolling element 12 is formed of a ball made of steel, but a ceramic ball may be used to reduce the weight.

The shield plate 8 is made of a metal material and forms a surface that collides with the retaining ring 5. In some cases, the shield plate 8 may be made of a cushioning material such as rubber or plastic in order to reduce the collision with the retaining ring 5 and achieve noise prevention. The retaining ring 5 is formed of a circlip functioning as a stopper fitted in a cut groove 21 formed at an end of the spline shaft 4. The retaining ring 5 prevents the slider 10 sliding on the spline shaft 4 from slipping off the spline shaft 4 and can receive the impact force of the slider 10 generated by the sliding movement.

The cushioning member 7 is constituted by a spring provided between the flange 2 and the flange portion 14 of the outer cylinder 1, that is, a spring 7. The spring 7 is disposed coaxially outside the spline shaft 4. The flange 2 is formed with a mounting hole 22 for mounting to other parts such as a robot, a screw hole 19 for mounting a sensor or the like, and a mounting hole 18 for mounting a positioning pin or the like for preventing collision with other parts. Further, the second flange 3 is exchangeably fixed to the flange portion 14 of the outer cylinder 1 constituting the slider 10. The flange 3 is provided with mounting holes 22 for mounting other components such as tools and tools, and mounting holes 20 and 23 for mounting sensors, positioning pins and the like.
Fitting portions 24 and 25 are formed on the flanges 2 and 3 so that the fitting portions 24 and 25 can be accurately attached to other components. The fitting portion 25 provided with the flange 2 is formed in a concave portion, and the fitting portion 24 provided with the flange 3 is formed in a convex portion. In the figure, the inner diameter of the concave portion and the outer diameter of the convex portion are the same diameter, that is, the same diameter. It is formed to nominal dimensions. The flanges 2 and 3
Although it is made of cast iron, it can be made of an aluminum alloy, a synthetic resin, or the like to reduce the weight. Alternatively, one flange 2 can be made of cast iron and the other flange 3 can be made of an aluminum alloy.

As shown in FIG. 10, the end of the spline shaft 4 is provided with a knurling or serration cut indicated by reference numeral 15, and the flange 2 is pressed into the serration portion 15 at the end of the spline shaft 4. The spline shaft 4 and the flange 2 are fixed in a non-rotating state without relative rotation by the rotation. The flanges 2 and 3
In the figure, it is formed in a circular shape, but may be formed in other shapes. With respect to the spline shaft 4, the load region in which the raceway groove 11 on which the rolling element 12 rolls is formed is hardened by heat treatment such as induction hardening. The area where the knurling or serration cut for attaching the flange 2 is formed is an unhardened area.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, another embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a side view on the slider side of FIG. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the outer cylinder 1 and the flange 3 are configured so that they can be exchanged separately from each other, whereas the flange 16 for attaching other parts such as tools, that is, other equipment, is provided. Are integrally formed with the outer cylinder 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of parts can be further reduced as compared with the above embodiment. However, since the size of the flange 16 is constant, the flange 16 cannot be configured to be replaceable in accordance with other parts, and a specific device is not provided. Suitable to apply to.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, another embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism.
6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a side view on the slider side in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a side view on the flange side in FIG. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the outer cylinder 1 and the flange 16 are integrally formed, and the rolling elements 12 are held in the outer cylinder 1 by a retainer 26. The retainer 26 is supported in a state of being pressed upward by a spring 17 disposed in the outer cylinder 1 to prevent the retainer 26 from slipping downward due to its own weight or an external force.
The trajectory formed between 1 and 13 is configured to perform finite rolling. On the end face of the outer cylinder 1 on the spring 7 side,
A washer 8 is fixed with a screw 34 to receive one end of the spring 7. Further, the end of the spline shaft 4 is provided with a flange 2 which is knurled or cut by a serration 15. The flange 2 is press-fitted into the serration 15 at the end of the spline shaft 4, and is further fixed by a spring pin 35. The spline shaft 4 and the flange 2 are fixed in a non-rotating state without relative rotation by the rotation.

The spring 17 is incorporated into the outer cylinder 1 by holding the rolling element 12 with the retainer 26 and disposing it in the raceway groove 13 of the outer cylinder 1, fitting the spring 17 on the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 1, Next, the receiving plate 27 is placed in contact with the step 32 of the hole 31 having a larger diameter than the raceway groove 13, and the retaining ring 29 is fitted into the annular groove 30 formed in the outer cylinder 1, and the receiving plate 27 is attached.
A screw hole 33 is formed on the end face of the spline shaft 4, and a flat washer 34 is formed on the end face of the spline shaft 4 in the screw hole 33.
The bolt 28 is screwed through the interposition of the bolt 28. At this time, grease can be sealed for lubrication of the rolling elements 12. Further, fitting portions 24, 25 provided on the flanges 2, 16 are provided.
The fitting part 24 provided with the flange 2 is formed in a convex part,
The fitting portion 25 provided with the flange 16 is formed in a concave portion, and in the figure, the inner diameter of the concave portion and the outer diameter of the convex portion are formed to have the same diameter, that is, the same nominal diameter.

Therefore, the receiving plate 2 attached to the outer cylinder 1
7 receives the spring for preventing the displacement of the retainer 26, that is, the spring 17, and achieves the function of a collision surface against the flat washer 34 attached to the spline shaft 4. In the sliding movement of the slider 10 on the spline shaft 4, the receiving plate 27 collides with the flat washer 34, but the collision force is absorbed by the buffering action of the spring 17, so that the retainer 26 does not shift and the slider 10 Enables smooth sliding reciprocation. In addition, the spring 7 set between the flange 2 and the washer 8 on the end face of the outer cylinder 1 can mutually buffer the other components attached to the flange 2 and the flange 16.

The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to the present invention is configured as described above.
Not limited to the above embodiment, for example, the cushioning member 7 may be a rubber provided between the flange 2 and the flange portion 14 of the outer cylinder 1,
It can also be made of an elastic member such as plastic or a magnetic repulsion generating member.

[0023]

The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to the present invention is configured as described above.
It has the following effects. That is, the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism has a first raceway groove formed on the longitudinally outer surface of the spline shaft, a first flange fixed to one end of the spline shaft, and a second raceway groove formed on the longitudinally inner surface. The sliding slider is slidably fitted to the spline shaft, and a rolling element that rolls between the first raceway groove and the second raceway groove is incorporated to prevent the slider from coming off the spline shaft. Since a retaining ring is attached to the other end of the spline shaft and a buffer member is disposed between the first flange and the slider, positioning of the slider with respect to the spline shaft can be achieved with high accuracy, and The slider can be slidably moved satisfactorily, and the responsiveness can be improved.

The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism can be constituted by a single shaft consisting of a spline shaft and a slider, and can be constituted as a whole with a high moment rigidity. Moreover, the flange fixed to the end of the spline shaft and the flange provided on the slider are provided with holes for positioning pins, mounting holes, and screw holes for mounting sensors, etc. The positional relationship can be mounted with high accuracy simply by mounting the device. In addition, this rolling spline guide unit with a shock-absorbing mechanism can configure each component with high precision, can be configured with a small number of components, is inexpensive, compact and lightweight, and when incorporated in a device, In this case, the inertial force of the sliding motion portion can be reduced, smooth sliding movement can be achieved, high speed can be handled, and response can be improved. In addition, when the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism is incorporated in a robot or other assembling apparatus, even if those apparatuses have a rough Z-axis positioning accuracy, the assembling parts collide with a mating side to guide the guide. There is no damage to the parts and the like, and no change in the assembly accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the slider of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the flange side fixed to the spline shaft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the slider of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view on the slider side of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the flange side fixed to the spline shaft of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a spline shaft in the rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 outer cylinder 2 flange (first flange) 3, 16 flange (second flange) 4 spline shaft 5 retaining ring 6 bolt 7 spring (buffer member) 8 washer (stop plate) 9 end cap (stop plate) 10 slider 11 track Groove (first raceway groove) 12 Rolling element 13 Raceway groove (second raceway groove) 14 Flange part 15 Serration 17 Spring 24, 25 Fitting part 26 Cage

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-7-314375 (JP, A) JP-A-7-171643 (JP, A) JP-A 5-44487 (JP, U) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F16C 29/04-29/06 F16F 7/00 B25J 17/02

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A spline shaft having a first raceway groove formed on an outer surface in a longitudinal direction, a first flange fixed to one end of the spline shaft, and a first flange slidably fitted to the spline shaft and inserted into the first shaft. A slider provided with a second raceway groove on a longitudinal inner surface opposed to the raceway groove, a rolling element rolling between the first raceway groove and the second raceway groove, and preventing the slider from slipping out of the spline shaft; A rolling spline guide unit with a shock-absorbing mechanism, comprising: a snap ring attached to the other end of the spline shaft; and a shock-absorbing member disposed between the first flange and the slider. 2. The slider comprises an outer cylinder having the second raceway groove formed therein and having a flange portion, and stopper plates respectively attached to both ends of the outer cylinder and closing the second raceway groove. The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The end plate according to claim 2, wherein the stopper plate comprises an end cap made of an elastic material in contact with both end surfaces of the outer cylinder, and a shield plate disposed on an end surface of the end cap. A rolling spline guide unit with a buffer mechanism according to the above. 4. The spring provided between the first flange and the flange portion of the outer cylinder, wherein the cushioning member is provided.
The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rolling spline guide unit is formed of an elastic member or a magnetic repulsive force generating member. 5. The slider according to claim 1, wherein a second flange for attaching another component is exchangeably fixed to a flange portion of the outer cylinder constituting the slider. Rolling spline guide unit with shock absorbing mechanism. 6. The retainer for holding the rolling element is disposed in a state of being pressed upward by a spring in the outer cylinder, and the rolling element performs a finite reciprocating rolling. 5. The rolling spline guide unit with a buffer mechanism according to any one of 5. 7. The slider according to claim 1, wherein a return hole communicating with the second raceway groove is formed in the slider, and the rolling element rolls endlessly through the second raceway groove and the return hole. A rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 8. The spline shaft according to claim 1, wherein the first flange is press-fitted into a knurled or serrated end of the spline shaft and is fixed in a non-rotating state. 4. The rolling spline guide unit with a shock absorbing mechanism according to 1.