JP3421946B2 - Cross roller connecting body and linear motion guide device incorporating the cross roller connecting body - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to various fields such as machine tools, industrial robots, and precision measuring instruments.
The present invention relates to an improvement of a cross roller connecting body used for guiding a movable body provided movably along an orbital axis and a linear motion guide device using the cross roller connecting body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of machine tools, industrial robots, etc., it is indispensable to have a technique for freely moving a moving body back and forth in one direction. For example, in a wafer grinder that constitutes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the grinding device is movable along a track axis provided in a horizontal direction, rough grinding is performed at a predetermined position of this track axis, and another predetermined It is configured to perform finish grinding at a position. As described above, a linear motion guide device has been widely used as a device for reciprocating the grinding device in one direction.

20 and 21 show an example of a conventionally known linear motion guide device. A conventional linear motion guide device will be briefly described below based on the examples shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. The linear motion guide device has a long track shaft 40, a main body 41, and side lids 42 and 42 fixed to both ends of the main body 41 in the length direction (front and back directions in FIG. 20, left and right directions in FIG. 21). And a movable body 43 provided so as to be movable along the track axis 40, and these movable bodies 4
3 and a plurality of cylindrical rollers 45, 45 incorporated in a circulation path 44 formed in the orbital shaft 40 and supporting the moving body 43 on the orbital shaft 40.

The orbital shaft 40 extends in the axial direction (front and back directions in FIG. 20, left and right in FIG. 21), and has a V-shape extending in the axial direction on both sides in the width direction (left and right in FIG. 20). It has track grooves 46, 46. On the other hand, the main body 41 that constitutes the moving body 43 has a shape that is capable of straddling the track shaft 40. V-shaped raceway groove 4 formed on the raceway shaft 40.
V-shaped raceway grooves 47,
Forming 47. The pair of V-shaped raceway grooves 46,
A rolling passage 48 is formed by 47 so that the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 can roll freely. Further, in the main body 41, return passages 49, 49 provided in parallel with the V-shaped raceway groove 47 are provided.
And the inner peripheral portions 50, 50 of the direction change passage that are continuous with both ends of the return passage 49, respectively. Further, the side lids 42, 42 constituting the moving body 43 have a vertical cross-sectional shape which is the same as the vertical cross-sectional shape of the main body 41, and a direction changing passage outer peripheral portion 51 is formed on the inner side surface thereof. The circulation path 44
Is an oval (track-shaped) formed by the rolling passage 48, the return passage 49, and the direction changing passage 52 formed by the direction changing passage inner peripheral portion 50 and the direction changing passage outer peripheral portion 51. Have a shape.

As shown in FIG. 21, the cylindrical rollers 45 and 45 are aligned in the circulation path 44 with their central axes of rotation alternately changed by 90 degrees (crossed). . Incidentally, the structure of the illustrated example is a so-called cross roller, and such a cross roller type can receive loads from all directions in one line, so that the front and rear and left and right of the moving body 43 can be received. It is applied to a device to which a load is applied.

The operation of the conventionally known linear motion guide device constructed as described above is as follows. That is, as the moving body 43 slides on the track shaft 40, the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 circulate in the circulation path 44 and support the moving body 43 on the track shaft 40.
That is, the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 roll from the start end to the end of the rolling passage 48, and then are sent to the return passage 49 via one direction changing passage 52. Furthermore, this return passage 4
After shifting to 9, the sheet is sent to the starting end of the rolling path 48 through the other direction changing path 52. Of the large number of cylindrical rollers 45, 45, the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 located on the rolling passage 48 support the moving body 43. The other cylindrical rollers 45, 45 move in the direction changing path 52 and the return path 49 as the moving body 43 moves. Therefore, in the present specification, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the portion of the rolling path 48 on which the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 support the moving body 43 is moved to the load load region (hereinafter, simply referred to as a load region), and the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 move. The portion which is not supported by the body 43 but is simply moved (the direction changing path 52 and the return path 49) is set as a load no-load area (hereinafter, simply referred to as a no-load area). As described above, since the many cylindrical rollers 45, 45 support the moving body 43 while circulating in the circulation path 44, the moving body 43 is movable along the track shaft 40.

[0007]

However, in the case of the above-described structure, it is not possible to maintain the evenly-spaced arrangement of the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 in the direction changing path portion 52, so that the direction changing path 52 is smoothly slid. Therefore, in the conventional device as shown in the figure, the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 are skewed, and in a remarkable case, the circulation of the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 is stopped. Further, when the skew is generated, a so-called edge load is generated due to the extremely concentrated load generated on the one half side, so that the cylindrical rollers 45, 4 are formed.
5 and the circulation path 44 such as the direction changing path 52 portion are damaged and durability is deteriorated. Moreover, the occurrence of such damage causes a change in vibration and rolling resistance when the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 circulate in the circulation path 44, and from this point also prevents smooth movement of the cylindrical rollers 45, 45. I will end up.
The above-mentioned "skew" means the rotation axis (center axis) of the roller.
In the circulation path (rolling path, turning path and return path) has an angle with respect to the planned rotation axis.

In order to eliminate the above-mentioned inconvenience, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-11024 discloses a cross roller assembly having a structure as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. This prior art structure is based on the cylindrical roller 4 described above.
A holding member 53 is provided to hold 5, 45 in an aligned state. The holding member 53 includes spacers 54, 54 for holding the outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical rollers 45, 45,
Belt-shaped member 5 that connects these spacers 54, 54 to each other
5, and is provided. In the case of such a configuration, due to the existence of the holding member 53, the above-described FIG.
0 and the conventional structure shown in FIG. 21 are less likely to cause skew, and the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 can be slid smoothly.

However, in the above-described cross roller connecting body according to the prior art, the holding member 53 is the concave grooves 56, 56 formed in the track shaft and the moving body (not shown in FIGS. 22 and 23; see FIG. 20). It is configured to be guided by. The concave grooves 56, 56 are provided in the holding member 53.
Since it is necessary to process the dimensions with high precision in order to guide the device, it takes much labor and cost to manufacture, and the cost of the entire device increases. Further, in the case of the structure according to the above-mentioned prior art, there are many steps such as a step of incorporating the cylindrical roller 45, and a lot of time is required for manufacturing. That is, a sheet-shaped member (thin metal plate) is scraped off by a press, bent and formed, and then the cylindrical rollers 45, 45 are incorporated. Then, by forcibly bending the whole into a track shape, a cross roller connected body as shown in the figure is obtained. Therefore, since the number of manufacturing steps is large and it takes time to manufacture, an increase in manufacturing cost cannot be avoided.

The present invention was devised in order to eliminate all of the above-mentioned inconveniences, and the purpose thereof is to almost completely prevent the skew or the like which causes the smooth circulation of the roller, thereby achieving a smooth circulation. An object is to provide a cross roller connected body that can perform guidance at low cost. Another object of the present invention is to provide a linear motion guide device that enables smooth movement of a moving body by using such a cross roller connected body.

[0011]

Among the cross roller connected body according to the present invention and the linear motion guide device using this cross roller connected body, the invention relating to the cross roller connected body is as described in claim 1. A guide bearing provided with a large number of rollers and a holding member which is made of a flexible and slippery material, and which holds the plurality of rollers in alignment with their center axes of rotation alternately changed by 90 degrees. The movable body that constitutes the device is movably supported along the track axis.

Particularly, in the roller connecting body according to the first aspect, the holding member has a plurality of spacers arranged in series and spaced from each other, and the lengths of the adjacent spacers respectively. A side plate portion that connects both end portions in the vertical direction and a connecting portion that connects side surfaces of adjacent spacer portions that do not hold the roller are provided. The surface of the spacer portion facing the roller is formed into a concave curved surface having a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of the side surface of the roller. Further, the side plate portion is formed with both inner and outer side surfaces being flat surfaces, and the inner side surface thereof is at least the outer peripheral side portion of the end surface of the roller,
The outer side surface thereof is slidably contactable with the side wall surface of the rectangular circulation path in which the cross roller connected body is incorporated.

The basic operation of the cross roller connecting body according to claim 1 configured as described above when the moving body is supported on the track axis is the same as that of the conventional structure described above.
In the cross roller connected body according to the present invention, particularly when in use (when the cross roller connected body is circulating in the circulation path), the roller is guided by the holding member to roll or slide in the circulation path. At this time, the end surface of the flat roller is rolling or sliding while slidingly contacting the inner surface of the side plate portion which is also flat. At this time, the distance between the pair of side plates slidably contacting both end surfaces of the roller is a predetermined constant value and does not change in the middle, so that the posture of the roller is kept constant and the rotation of the roller is prevented. The shaft does not swing in the traveling direction of the roller.

That is, in the present invention, the skew of the roller is regulated by the presence of the side plate portion. In particular, since the side plate portion is in sliding contact with at least the outer peripheral side portion of the end surface of the roller, the posture of the roller is reliably maintained, and swing of the rotation shaft of the roller is prevented as much as possible.

Further, in the present invention, the outer surface of each side plate portion moves while slidingly contacting the respective side wall portions of the direction changing passage and the return passage forming the circulation passage. Since each of them has a flat surface, its manufacture is easier than that of the above-mentioned prior art.

That is, in the case of the above-mentioned prior art, concave portions into which the end portions of the belt-shaped member are loosely fitted are formed in the side walls of the return passage and the pair of direction changing passages forming the circulation passage. In the structure according to the present invention, the side walls of the return passage and the pair of direction changing passages and the outer surface of the side plate portion are simply flat surfaces. Since it is good, it is extremely easy to manufacture.

Further, according to the present invention, since the contact area between the outer side surface of the side plate portion and the both side walls can be increased, the runout of the holding member itself in the traveling direction is regulated by the both side walls. The roller skew can be effectively prevented.

Further, when passing through the above-mentioned turning path, the roller tends to be attracted to the inner circumferential side of the turning path.
In the present invention, since the outer peripheral side portion of the end surface of the roller and the inner side surface of the side plate portion are always in contact with each other, the posture of the roller is regulated in the direction in which the rotation center axis thereof is orthogonal to the traveling direction,
Also in this respect, the skew of the roller can be prevented.

Further, the roller rolls or slides while its posture is regulated by the holding member as described above,
The holding member moves while being guided by the roller when the inner surface of the side plate and the end surface of the roller are in sliding contact with each other. Therefore, the roller and the holding member act so as to smoothly move each other while regulating the postures of each other, so that the runout of the roller and the holding member of the holding member, which have conventionally been the cause of the skew of the roller. The runouts can be regulated to each other to smoothly operate the roller connected body.

Needless to say, a lubricant (grease) is interposed between each part of the roller and each part of the holding member which are in contact with each other. The presence of such a lubricant, and
By manufacturing the holding member with a flexible and slippery material, mutual friction resistance is prevented from increasing and smooth movement of the entire cross roller assembly is achieved.

Further, in the case of the cross roller connected body according to the present invention, the lubricant is retained in the space (so-called grease pocket) between the spacer of the holding member and the roller adjacent via the spacer. Be circulated. For this reason, mutual friction between the rollers is prevented, and the lubricating oil holding performance is improved, and the durability of the entire cross roller assembly can be significantly improved.

According to the present invention, as described in claim 2, an engaging concave portion or an engaging convex portion is provided in the central portion of both end surfaces of the roller, and the central portion of the inner surface of the side plate portion is provided. Then, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which an engaging convex portion or an engaging concave portion that can be engaged with the engaging concave portion or the engaging convex portion is provided at a position aligned with the engaging concave portion or the engaging convex portion. Alternatively, as described in claim 3, there is adopted a structure in which an inner surface of the side plate portion is provided with a concave portion in which the end portion of the roller is freely fit, and the end portion of the roller is loosely fitted in the concave portion. You can also

If the construction described in claim 2 or 3 is adopted, the engagement concave portion and the engagement convex portion are engaged with each other (in the case of claim 2) or into the concave portion of the roller end portion. By loose fitting (in the case of claim 3), the effect of preventing the skew of the roller is increased. In particular, when passing through the direction change path portion having a semi-circular shape, the roller maintains the same posture as when passing through the other portion forming the circulation path, and the position with respect to the holding member, It is possible to prevent skew and suppress an increase in contact surface pressure with respect to a part of the holding member of the roller, and it is possible to more smoothly circulate the cross roller connected body. Moreover, the above engagement or loose fitting is
It also has a function of preventing the roller from falling off the holding member. Therefore, maintenance and inspection work of the cross roller connected body is facilitated.

Further, as a material constituting the holding member described in each of the above claims, specifically, as described in claim 4, a synthetic resin such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is used. be able to. If such a synthetic resin is adopted, the cross roller connected body can be manufactured by injecting (insert molding) a resin material into the cavity in a state where the roller is previously inserted in the mold of the holding member.

After the insert molding, a minute gap is created between the roller and the holding member by sinking during hardening of the resin or by immersing the whole in oil or the like. The sliding resistance between them is small. Therefore,
When insert molding, which is a kind of such injection molding, is adopted in the present invention, the step of assembling the roller in the holding member is not required, the productivity can be improved, and the manufacturing of the cross roller assembly is facilitated. , Can be simplified.

Further, according to the present invention, as the roller, a cylindrical roller may be used as described in claim 5, or a chamfering roller may be used as described in claim 6. Either may be used.

Of the cross roller connected body according to the present invention and the linear motion guide apparatus using the cross roller connected body, the invention relating to the linear motion guide apparatus is as described in claim 7, The orbital shaft, a substantially U-shaped main body provided with a pair of hanging parts on both ends of the horizontal portion, and side lids fixed to both ends of the main body, and movably provided along the orbital axis. And a cross roller connecting body that is incorporated in a circulation path formed in the moving body and the raceway shaft and supports the moving body on the raceway shaft.

Further, the circulation path is formed by a pair of rolling surfaces respectively formed on the surfaces of the raceway shaft and the main body which face each other, and a return path penetrating the main body. And a direction change path formed by the direction change path inner circumference formed continuously at both ends of the return path and the direction change path outer circumference formed on the inner surface of the side lid. There is.

The cross roller connected body is constituted by the cross roller connected body according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the circulation path is circulated freely.

The basic operation of the linear motion guide device according to claim 7 configured as described above is substantially the same as that of the conventional structure described above, but in the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, a cross motion is provided. Since the cross roller connected body according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is adopted as the roller connected body, the skew of the roller can be effectively prevented, and the smooth movement of the cross roller connected body can be prevented. Can be achieved. As a result, smooth operation of the linear motion guide device becomes possible. Moreover, as the skew is effectively prevented, the durability of the roller and other constituent members, and thus the linear motion guide device as a whole, is improved.

[0031]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 19 show a linear motion guide device M according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This linear motion guide device M has a long track axis 1 and a width direction of the horizontal portion 7a (left and right direction in FIG. 2, up and down direction in FIG. 3, up and down direction in FIG. 4, front and back direction in FIG. The left-right direction of FIG. 6, the up-down direction of FIG. 7, the front-back direction of FIG. 8, the left-right direction of FIG. 9) The main body 7 provided with a pair of hanging parts 7b, 7b on both ends, and the longitudinal direction of the main body 7 (FIG. 2 front / back direction, FIG. 3 left / right direction, FIG. 4 left / right direction, FIG. 5 left / right direction, FIG. 6 front / back direction, FIG. 7 left / right direction, FIG. 8 left / right direction, FIG. 9 front / back direction) The movable body 2 that is composed of the side lids 8 and 8 that are movable along the track axis 1 and the endless circulation path 12 formed in the movable body 2 and the track axis 1, And a cross roller connecting body 13a for supporting the moving body 2 on the track shaft 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the orbit shaft 1 has recesses 3 and 3 each having a substantially triangular shape formed on both side surfaces of the upper end portion (both left and right side surfaces in FIG. 2). The front side surfaces of the recesses 3 and 3 are rolling surfaces 5a and 5a.

Therefore, in the track shaft 1 in the illustrated example, the two roller coupling bodies 13a, 13a are mounted,
Moreover, the vertical cross-sectional shape is formed so as to be symmetrical with respect to the central axis a.

On the other hand, the moving body 2 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, a metallic main body 7 and side covers 8 and 8 attached to both longitudinal end surfaces of the main body 7 (FIGS. 1 and 2). 3 and FIG. 10 to FIG. 12). this house,
The main body 7 is a highly rigid block body having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a horizontal portion 7 a facing the upper surface of the orbit shaft 1 and the horizontal portion 7 a.
From both ends in the width direction of the track axis 1 in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 2)
A pair of hanging parts 7b, 7 which hang down so as to sandwich both side surfaces.
b. A pair of rolling surfaces 5b, 5b corresponding to the pair of rolling surfaces 5a, 5a formed on the raceway shaft 1 are formed on the inner surface of the hanging portion 7b.

Further, the body 7 has the rolling surfaces 5b, 5
b inner circumferential portions 10a, 10a continuous with b and through holes 9, 9 provided in the length direction of the main body 7 and having a circular cross section.
Inner peripheral portions 10a, 10a of the direction change path formed inside
And the return passages 9a, 9a having a rectangular cross section.

The return passages 9a, 9a and the inner peripheral portions 10a, 10a of the direction changing passages are in a state in which a core having a predetermined shape is arranged in the through holes 9, 9 in the state shown in FIGS. It is formed by injecting a molten synthetic resin (for example, PTFE). The portion of the core located in the through holes 9, 9 has a rectangular cross section, so that the return passage 9a is formed.
Both side wall portions of the are formed into flat surfaces. As a result, the main body 7 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and FIGS. 7 to 9 is formed.

In FIGS. 1 and 4 to 8, reference numeral 23,
Reference numeral 23 is a screw hole for fixing members such as the grinding device and the table on the upper surface of the moving body 2. Also, reference numeral 2
Reference numerals 4 and 24 are screw holes for attaching the side lids 8 and 8.
Further, reference numeral 25 in FIG. 2 is a through hole for inserting a bolt for fixing the track shaft 1 to a table or the like (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 to 12, the pair of side covers 8 and 8 have an outer shape of the main body 7.
The same shape as the end shape of the
The outer peripheral portions 10b and 10b of the direction change paths forming the reference numerals 2 and 12 are formed. In order to fix the side lids 8 and 8 to the main body 7, through holes 11 and 11 are provided at positions facing the screw holes 24 and 24 formed on both end surfaces of the main body 7 in the length direction.

Therefore, side covers 8 and 8 are attached to both end faces in the length direction of the main body 7, and further bolts (not shown) inserted into the through holes 11 and 11 are screwed into the screw holes 24 and 24. By doing so, the side covers 8 and 8 can be fixed to the main body 7. As described above, the moving body 2 is constituted by the main body 7 and the side covers 8 and 8.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, by straddling the moving body 2 on the raceway axis l, the rolling surfaces 5a and 5b formed on the main body 7 and the raceway axis 1 respectively Rolling paths 5 and 5 are obtained.

These rolling passages 5 and 5 are the return passages 9a.
In addition, the endless circulation paths 12 and 12 are configured together with the direction changing path 10 including the inner and outer peripheral portions 10a and 10b of the direction changing path. Of the infinite circulation paths 12, 12, the rolling path 5,
As shown in FIG. 3, the five parts form the load part α, and the main body 7
Return paths 9a, 9a and direction changing paths 10, 10 provided in the
The portion forms an unloaded portion β as shown in FIG. In the case of the structure of the illustrated example, as is clear from the description of FIG.
Infinite circulation paths 12, 12 are formed.

Roller connecting bodies 13a and 13a as described below are incorporated in the infinite circulation paths 12 and 12, respectively. In the case of the structure of this embodiment, the roller connecting body 13a is formed.
Is a plurality of cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a, and these cylindrical rollers 14a, as shown in FIGS.
And a holding member 15 that holds 14a. Of these, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are formed such that both end surfaces thereof are flat and engaging recesses 16, 16 are formed in the central portion thereof as shown in FIG. 19 (A).

Further, the holding member 15 has a large number of spacers 18 and 18 arranged in series at a distance from each other and a lengthwise direction of the adjacent spacers 18 and 18 (see FIG. 13). (Up-down direction) circular side plate portions 20 and 2 that connect both end portions to each other
0, the cylindrical roller 1 of the spacers 18, 18 adjacent to each other
Connecting portions 19 and 19 for connecting side surfaces that do not hold 4a
And, and is configured in an end strip shape.

Further, as shown in FIG. 19 (A), at the positions aligned with the engaging recesses 16 and 16 in the central portions of the inner side surfaces of the side plate parts 20 and 20, the engaging recesses 16 and 16 are provided. Engagement engaging projections 21, 21 are provided.

The roller connecting body 13a injects molten PTFE into the cavity formed in the mold with the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a placed (inserted) in the mold not shown. By doing so (so-called insert molding). By adopting such insert molding, it is not necessary to carry out the step of incorporating the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a in the holding member 15, and the productivity is improved. Therefore, the production of the cross roller connected body 13a can be facilitated and simplified. .

The cylindrical roller 14a has a pair of spacers 1
In order to be able to roll between 8 and 18, the cylindrical roller 1
A gap is required between 4a and these spacers 18, 18. Such a gap has a holding member 15 (of course, the cylindrical roller 14a is also integrated) after the insert molding.
It is formed by expanding the holding member 15 by immersing the holding member 15 in oil or the like.

Further, by forming the holding member 15 in the shape of an end strip as described above, the roller connecting body 13a can be easily attached to the main body 7. Although the holding member 15 may be formed in an endless shape, the infinite circulation paths 12, 1
The end strip is superior in terms of easiness of assembling to 2.

Furthermore, the side walls 17 of the infinite circulation paths 12, 12 are
Although 17 functions as a guide wall for guiding the roller connecting body 13a, the outer side surfaces of the side plate portions 20, 20 of the holding member 15 forming the roller connecting body 13a are in sliding contact with the side walls 17, 17. These side plate portions 20, 20 and side walls 17, 17
Since it is made of PTFE as described above, it is slippery.
Therefore, there is no resistance when the side walls 17, 17 and the side plate portions 20, 20 are in sliding contact with each other, and smooth sliding is possible. Further, since the side plate portion 20 and the side walls 17, 17 are both flat surfaces, they are easy to process, and the disadvantages of the prior art described above are eliminated.

The basic operation of the linear motion guide device M according to the present embodiment configured as described above is almost the same as that of the conventional structure described above. Particularly, in the linear motion guide device M according to this embodiment, since the cross roller connected body 13a as described above is adopted, the cylindrical roller 14
It is possible to smoothly transfer a from the no-load area β to the load area α and prevent skew of the cylindrical roller 14a.

That is, the cross roller connected body 13a is formed.
In the above, since the holding member 15 that holds the large number of cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a at a predetermined interval is provided, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a do not come into contact with each other, so that the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a rub against each other. The noise due to is suppressed and the cylindrical roller 14a,
It is possible to prevent the wear of 14a from progressing faster.

Since the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are held one by one in the roller holding holes 19, 19, respectively.
With the central axes of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a held in parallel with each other, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a roll smoothly from the unloaded region β to the loaded region α while maintaining a predetermined interval.

That is, when the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a enter the load area α from the no-load area β of the infinite circulation paths 12, 12, the resistance increases and tends to lag, but the cylinders already located in the load area α. Since the remaining cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a are drawn into the load range α via the holding member 15 that moves with the rolling of the rollers 14a and 14a, the cross roller connected body 13a smoothly moves through the infinite circulation paths 12 and 12. Circulate to.

In order to prevent skew, it is important for the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a to move (roll) in a direction perpendicular to the central axis thereof. In the case of the structure of the present embodiment, the pair of side plate portions 20, 20 are cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a.
To prevent shaft runout.

That is, the cylindrical roller 1 formed flat
Since the end surfaces of 4a and 14a roll or slide while slidingly contacting the inner surfaces of the side plate portions 20 and 20 which are also formed flat, the rotation axes γ of these cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a are changed by the side plates 20 and 20. The cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a are regulated so as not to swing in the traveling direction.

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the engaging concave portions 16, 16 provided on the cylindrical roller 14a and the engaging convex portion 21 provided on the side plate portion 20 are engaged with each other, the cylindrical roller is also from this point. The posture of 14a is maintained and skew is prevented. Therefore, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are
Based on the existence of the pair of side plate portions 20, 20 and the engagement between the engagement concave portion 16 and the engagement convex portion 21, the posture thereof is regulated and maintained, and the transition (rolling) is performed. As a result, the cylindrical roller 14
a and 14a refer to the infinite circulation path 12 and the cylindrical roller 1
It shifts to a direction perpendicular to the central axis of 4a, and skew is surely prevented.

Particularly, in the case of this embodiment, the side plate portion 20,
20 is a circular plate having an area slightly smaller than the end faces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a. Therefore, the side plate portions 20, 20
Is in slidable contact over substantially the entire end faces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a. Therefore, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14
Rotational axis runout of a is reduced as much as possible.

The shape and size of the side plate portion 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is smaller than the size of the end surface of the cylindrical roller 14a and can be slidably contacted with the outer peripheral portion of the end surface of the cylindrical roller 14a. However, in consideration of easiness of manufacturing and the like, a disk as shown in the drawing is used, and 80% of the area of the end surface of the cylindrical roller 14a is
Those having an area of about 95% to 95% can be preferably adopted. The posture of the cylindrical roller 14a may be slightly displaced as long as the shape and size are such that the cylindrical roller 14a simply slides on the center of the end face. That is, the skew of the cylindrical roller 14a will occur. Therefore, the side plate portion 20
The shape and size of the above are configured as described above.

Since the cross roller connected body 13a is manufactured by insert molding, the surface of the spacers 18, 18 facing the cylindrical roller 14a is a side surface (cylindrical surface) of the cylindrical roller 14a. Is formed into a concave curved surface having a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of. In other words, the side surface of the cylindrical roller 14a is covered by the concave curved surface of the spacer 18 with a minute gap therebetween. Therefore, the shaft portions of the cylindrical roller 14a are also prevented by the spacer portions 18, 18.

Cross roller connected body 13a according to this embodiment
In combination, the side plate portions 20, 20 and the spacer portions 18, 18 and the synergistic skew prevention function by the engagement between the engagement concave portion 16 and the engagement convex portion 21 are combined, so that the skew can be surely prevented.

The curvature is the reciprocal of the radius of the circle that most closely approximates the curve at a given point on the curve.
The side surface of the cylindrical roller 14a is a convex curved surface and the side surface of the spacer portion 18 is a concave curved surface, but "the curvatures are substantially equal".
Is a state in which the curvature of the convex curved surface and the curvature of the concave curved surface are substantially equal to each other, and the concave curved surface wraps the convex curved surface.

Further, the engaging protrusions 21 and 21 formed on the inner surfaces of the side plate portions 20 and 20 and the cylindrical rollers 14a and 14 are formed.
The cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are prevented from falling off the holding member 15 by the engagement with the engaging recesses 16, 16 formed on both end faces of a and the curved surface of the spacer 18.
Therefore, when the moving body 2 is extracted from the track axis 1,
The cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are reliably prevented from falling off.

Further, the side plate portions 20 and 20 are provided with the circulation paths 12 and 1 when the cross roller connecting body 13a is circularly moved.
It is guided while slidingly contacting the side walls 17, 17 existing on both sides of 2. Since the side plate portions 20, 20 and the side walls 17, 17 are made of slippery synthetic resin, the movement of the side plate portions 20, 20 is smooth, which contributes to good rolling and skew prevention of the cross roller connected body 13a as a whole.

Moreover, the outer side surfaces of the side plate portions 20 and 20 have the direction changing passages 10 and 12 which form the endless circulation passages 12 and 12, respectively.
10 and the return passages 9a, 9a move while being in sliding contact with the respective side wall portions. Further, since the outer side surfaces of the side plate portions 20 and 20 and the side walls 17 and 17 are both flat surfaces, they are easy to manufacture.

Further, the side plate portions 20, 20 and the side walls 17, 1,
Since the contact area with 7 is large, the shake of the holding member 15 itself in the traveling direction is suppressed, and also from this point, the skew of the roller is prevented.

Further, when passing through the direction changing paths 10 and 10, the cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a are turned to the direction changing paths 10 and 1, respectively.
However, in this case as well, the end faces of the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a and the side plate portion 2 are likely to be attracted to the inner peripheral side of 0.
Since the inner side surfaces of 0 and 20 are in contact with each other and the engagement concave portion 16 and the engagement convex portion 21 are engaged with each other, the cylindrical roller 14a,
The posture of 14a is regulated in the direction in which the rotation center axis γ is orthogonal to the traveling direction, and also the skew is prevented.

Further, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a are
As described above, the holding member 15 regulates its posture and rolls or slides. Further, the holding member 15 is
The side plates 20, 20 and the inner surface of the cylindrical roller 14a,
Sliding contact with the end surface of 14a causes the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a to move while being guided. Therefore, the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a and the holding member 15 promote their movement while their postures are regulated. Therefore, the cylindrical roller 1 is connected to the skew of the cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a.
4a, 14a runout and holding member 15 runout is prevented,
The cross roller connected body 13a smoothly circulates in the infinite circulation path 12.

The cylindrical rollers 14a, 1 which are in contact with each other
A lubricant (grease) is interposed between each part of 4a and each part of the holding member 15. The lubricant is the holding member 1
It is circulated while being held in the space (so-called grease pocket) between the spacers 18, 5 and the cylindrical rollers 14a, 14a adjacent to each other via the spacers 18, 18. Therefore, the mutual friction between the cylindrical rollers 14a and 14a is prevented, and the lubricating oil holding performance is improved, which contributes to the improvement of the durability of the entire cross roller connected body 13a. The presence of such a lubricant and the fact that the holding member 15 is made of a flexible and slippery material prevent the mutual frictional resistances from increasing, and the cross roller connected body 13a as a whole smoothly. Can be moved easily.

Although not shown, the cylindrical roller 1 is not shown.
Instead of 4a, as shown in FIG. 19B, a chamfering roller 14b whose both ends have a smaller diameter toward the edges.
May be adopted. Further, when the chamfering roller 14b is adopted, a concave portion 26 is formed on the inner side surface of the side plate portions 20 and 20 so that the end portion of the chamfering roller 14b can be loosely fitted, and the end portion is loosely fitted in the concave portion 26. A configuration can also be adopted. In this structure, the chamfering roller 14b is used as a roller.
It is possible when adopting. However, the cylindrical roller 14a
If the convex portions having a smaller diameter than the end surfaces are provided on both end surfaces of the above, the cylindrical roller can be used as the roller in the structure in which the concave portion 26 is provided. The operation and effect of these configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the holding member 15 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
Although it is manufactured from a slippery synthetic resin material such as the above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be composed of other materials. However, if the holding member 15 is made of synthetic resin, it can be integrally molded by insert molding, and smoother sliding can be performed as compared with the case of being manufactured by another material. The structure is preferred. Further, in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, the engaging recesses 16 and 16 are formed on the rollers 14a and 14b,
The example in which the engaging projections 21 and 21 are provided on the side plate portions 20 and 20 has been described, but conversely, the roller 14 is provided.
The engaging projections may be provided on a and 14b, and the engaging recesses may be provided on the covering members 20 and 20, respectively.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the engaging projections 21, 2 are formed on the side plate portions 20, 20 constituting the holding member 15.
It is also possible to adopt a structure in which 1 is not provided. That is,
The side plates 20 and 20 themselves have rollers 14a and 14a.
It has a function to regulate the posture of b. However, the roller 14
The function of preventing the a and 14b from falling off and the function of regulating the position with respect to the holding member 15 when passing through the direction changing path 10 are lost. The fall prevention is performed by the rollers 14a and 14b.
Can be achieved by the spacers 18, 18 whose surfaces facing each other are curved surfaces substantially the same as the curved side surfaces of the rollers 14a, 14b. Further, even if the position regulation with respect to the holding member 15 is lost, there is no practical problem because smooth sliding is performed. Therefore, the engaging projections 21,
Even with the configuration in which 21 is not provided, smooth circulation without practical problems is possible. Further, in this case, even if the engaging recesses 16 and 16 are provided as the rollers 14a and 14b,
Even if it is not provided, any one can be adopted. Rollers 14a, 14b provided with engaging recesses 16, 16
In this case, the engaging recesses 16, 16 can function as a lubricating oil reservoir.

In the above embodiment, the cross roller connected body 13a is manufactured by insert molding, but the cross roller connected body 13a is manufactured by performing the step of incorporating the rollers 14a and 14b into the holding member 15. You may. In this case, except for the case where the engaging projections or engaging recesses are not formed on the side plate portions 20, 20, the spacers 18, 1 are formed.
The surface of the roller No. 8 facing the rollers 14a and 14b may be a flat surface.

[0073]

The cross roller connecting body and the linear motion guide device using the cross roller connecting body according to the present invention are
Since the device is constructed and operates as described above, it has the following effects. First, in the cross roller assembly according to the present invention, the holding member and the side plate portion can hold the rotation center axis of the roller in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction, so that the skew of the roller is prevented. Moreover, even when the roller enters the load area from the no-load area of the circulation path,
The roller smoothly rolls from the no-load area to the load area. Further, the surface of the spacer portion facing the roller is formed into a curved surface corresponding to the side surface of the roller, or a structure in which an engaging concave portion and an engaging convex portion are provided on the roller and the side plate portion respectively, or the end of the roller on the side plate portion is provided. When the portion is provided with a recessed portion that can be loosely fitted, it is possible to prevent the roller from falling off. Further, it is needless to say that the presence of the holding member has an effect of preventing interference between the rollers and preventing generation of noise and early wear due to friction between the rollers.

Next, in the linear motion guide device according to the present invention, since the cross roller connecting body having the above-mentioned various effects is adopted, the moving body can be smoothly moved along the track axis, and the guide device can be used. The smooth operation of is secured.
Further, as the effect of preventing skew of the cross roller connected body is improved, indentations and the like are less likely to occur, so that the durability of the entire apparatus can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an outline shape of a linear motion guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a main body that constitutes the same mobile body in a state before the manufacturing of the circulation path.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a main body forming a moving body in a state where a circulation path is manufactured. It is also a rear view.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a side cover.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the same.

12 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a cross roller connected body.

14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG.

FIG. 15 is likewise a sectional view taken along line EE.

FIG. 16 is likewise a sectional view taken along line FF.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line GG of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a state where the cross roller connected body is used.

19A and 19B show an engagement state between a holding member and an end portion of a roller. FIG. 19A is an example of this embodiment, FIG. 19B is an example of using a chamfering roller as a roller, and FIG. It is a half part side view showing an example, respectively.

FIG. 20 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a conventional cross roller type linear motion guide device.

FIG. 21 is likewise a transverse sectional view.

FIG. 22 is a partial vertical perspective view showing a part of a cross roller connected body according to the prior art.

FIG. 23 is a front view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

M linear motion guide device 1 orbital axis 2 moving body 3 recess 5a, 5b Rolling surface 5 Rolling road 7 body 7a Horizontal part 7b hanging part 8 side lid 9 through holes 9a Return passage 10 turning paths 10a Directional change road inner circumference 10b Directional road outer periphery 11 through holes 12 Infinite circuit 13a roller connected body 14a cylindrical roller 15 Holding member 16 Engagement recess 17 Side wall 18 Space 19 Connection 20 Side plate 21 engaging protrusion 23, 24 screw holes

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A large number of rollers, and a holding member which is made of a slippery material having flexibility and which holds the large number of rollers in alignment with their central axes of rotation alternately changed by 90 degrees. In the cross roller connected body having the above-mentioned holding member, the holding member is a side plate connecting a plurality of spacers arranged in series at a distance from each other and the respective longitudinal end portions of the adjacent spacers. And a connecting portion that connects the side surfaces of the adjacent spacer portions that do not hold the roller to each other, and the surface of the spacer portion that faces the roller has a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of the roller side surface. The side plate portion has inner and outer both side surfaces formed into flat surfaces, the inner side surface thereof is at least the outer peripheral side portion of the end surface of the roller, and the outer side surface thereof is the cross roller connected body. Rectangular shape to be incorporated A cross roller connected body characterized in that it is slidably contactable with the side wall surface of the circuit. 2. An engaging concave portion or an engaging convex portion is provided at a central portion of both end faces of the roller, and at a position aligned with the engaging concave portion or the engaging convex portion at an inner side surface central portion of the side plate portion. The cross roller assembly according to claim 1, wherein the engaging concave portion or the engaging convex portion is provided with an engaging convex portion or an engaging concave portion that is freely engageable. 3. The cross roller connected body according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion is formed on an inner surface of the side plate portion so that an end portion of the roller can be freely fitted therein. 4. The flexible material, which is slippery, is a synthetic resin.
The cross roller connected body according to any one of 1. 5. The cross roller connected body according to claim 1, wherein the roller is a cylindrical roller. 6. The cross roller connected body according to claim 1, wherein the roller is a chamfering roller. 7. A long orbital shaft and 1 on each end of the horizontal portion.
A movable body, which is composed of a substantially U-shaped main body provided with a pair of hanging parts and side lids fixed to both ends of the main body, and is provided so as to be movable along the track axis, and these. A cross roller connecting body that is incorporated in a circulation path formed in the moving body and the raceway shaft and supports the moving body in the raceway shaft, and the circulation path is a surface of the raceway shaft and the main body facing each other. Rolling passages formed by a pair of rolling surfaces respectively formed on the return passage, a return passage provided through the main body, and an inner peripheral portion of the direction change passage formed continuously at both ends of the return passage. And a direction change path formed by a direction change path outer peripheral portion formed on the inner surface of the side lid,
The cross roller linked body according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the linear motion guide device, the cross roller linked body is configured to freely circulate in the circulation path. A linear motion guide device characterized in that