JP4561568B2 - Rolling body accommodation belt for linear motion guide device and linear motion guide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rolling element accommodation belt for a linear motion guide device and a linear motion guide device including the rolling element accommodation belt.

  This type of linear motion guide device includes a guide rail having a rolling element guide surface, and a slider disposed so as to be movable relative to the guide rail. The slider has a load rolling element guide surface that faces the rolling element guide surface of the guide rail and forms a rolling element track with the rolling element guide surface. Furthermore, the slider has a pair of direction change paths respectively connected to both ends of the rolling element raceway, and a rolling element return path connected to the pair of direction change paths. The rolling element raceway, the pair of direction changing paths, and the rolling element return path constitute an infinite circulation path, and a plurality of rolling elements circulate while rolling in the infinite circulation path. A guide groove is formed inside the endless circulation path along the endless circulation path.

  Furthermore, a rolling element accommodation belt is provided in the infinite circulation path. The rolling element housing belt interconnects the plurality of spacer portions interposed between the adjacent rolling elements in the endless circulation path, and the spacer portions, and projects outward from the end surface of the spacer portion. And a connecting arm portion guided by the guide groove. And these rolling element accommodating parts are defined by the spacer part and the connecting arm part, and the rolling elements are individually accommodated in the rolling element accommodating part with a predetermined distance in the arrangement direction in the infinite circulation path. They are arranged (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

Here, in Patent Document 1, in order to hold the rolling elements (balls) from the rolling element accommodating belts so as not to fall off, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, between the spacers 151 facing each rolling element accommodating part 155. A linear motion guide device including a rolling element housing belt 150 in which the size W of the opening is smaller than the outer diameter of the rolling element 146 is disclosed.
Further, in Patent Document 2, a rolling element (ball) is used as a core, and after forming a rolling element accommodation belt by injection molding, a special treatment such as oiling or water absorption is performed between the rolling element and the rolling element accommodation portion. A linear motion guide device including a rolling element housing belt in which an escape portion is formed is disclosed.

Patent Document 3 discloses a linear motion guide device that includes a rolling element accommodation belt provided with a rolling element accommodation portion that accommodates a rolling element without being held.
Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a linear motion guide including a rolling element housing belt that regulates the thickness of a predetermined range of the spacer portion so that the spacer portion can move toward the inner and outer peripheral sides of the infinite circulation path. An apparatus is disclosed.
Japanese Patent No. 2607993 Japanese Patent No. 3447849 Japanese Patent No. 3299450 JP 2002-130272 A

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the size of the opening of the rolling element housing portion is smaller than that of the rolling element, when the rolling element is incorporated into the rolling element housing portion, the alignment between the rolling element and the rolling element housing portion is performed. It is necessary to press the rolling element against the rolling element housing part with an appropriate pressing force after accurately performing the above. Therefore, the assembling work is troublesome and automation is difficult.
In particular, as shown in FIG. 19, when the rolling elements 146 </ b> B are incorporated in the central rolling element housing part after the rolling elements 146 </ b> A are incorporated in the adjacent rolling element accommodation parts, the adjacent rolling elements 146 </ b> A are located between the spacers. In order to prevent the elastic deformation of 151, the rolling element 146B must be pushed into the rolling element housing portion 155 with a considerably large pressing force F. Therefore, such a large pressing force F may cause deformation or damage to the spacer portion 151 so that its shape does not return to its original shape. In addition, if the rolling elements are assembled sequentially from one end to the other end of the rolling element accommodation belt, the spacer portion on the side where the rolling elements are not incorporated is easily deformed, so that it can be incorporated with a relatively light force. . However, such an assembling operation is troublesome and requires skill, and thus becomes a factor that hinders easy manufacturing.

Moreover, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to align rolling elements in a mold during injection molding, and a special process is required after injection molding, which is easy to manufacture. Absent.
On the other hand, in the technique described in Patent Document 3, the rolling element housing portion is configured to be detachably accommodated without holding the rolling body in the front and back directions, so that the assembly work of the rolling body to the rolling element housing portion is performed. Easy.

  However, in the rolling element accommodation belt described in Patent Document 3, the relative positions of the rolling element accommodation belt and the rolling element are not determined in the front and back direction of the rolling element accommodation portion. Therefore, the rolling element housing belt is likely to be shaken due to external vibrations to the linear motion guide device, the influence of gravity, or the like. Further, as described above, in this type of linear motion guide device, the connecting arm portion of the rolling element housing belt is guided by the guide groove provided along the infinite circulation path. Therefore, the friction between the connecting arm portion and the guide groove is also generated. Such vibration or friction hinders smooth circulation of the rolling element housing belt, and thus hinders smooth operation of the linear motion guide device.

Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 4, a rolling element housing belt is provided in which the thickness of the spacer portion in a predetermined range is restricted. However, even in this configuration, the rolling element housing belt is incorporated in an infinite circulation path. In this state, the spacer can move within the predetermined range in the direction of the front and back of the rolling element housing. Therefore, similarly to the technique described in Patent Document 3, there is a problem that the rolling element housing belt swings and friction with the guide groove occurs, which becomes a factor that hinders the smooth operation of the linear motion guide device.
Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and facilitates the work of assembling the rolling element into the rolling element accommodation belt, as well as the deflection of the rolling element accommodation belt, the guide groove, It is an object of the present invention to provide a rolling element accommodation belt for a linear motion guide device capable of suppressing the friction of the linear motion and a linear motion guide device including the rolling element accommodation belt.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided such that a guide rail having a rolling element guide surface and a guide rail are disposed so as to be relatively movable with respect to the guide rail and face the rolling element guide surface. A rolling element guide surface that forms a rolling element raceway together with the rolling element guide surface, a pair of direction change paths that respectively connect to both ends of the rolling element raceway, and a rolling element return path that communicates with the pair of direction change paths A plurality of rolling elements that circulate while rolling in an infinite circulation path composed of the rolling element raceway, the pair of direction change paths, and the rolling element return path, and the infinite circulation path. And a plurality of spacers interposed between the adjacent rolling elements, and the spacers are connected to each other. And from the end face of the spacer The endless circulation path has a connecting arm portion that protrudes to the side and is guided by the guide groove, and the rolling elements are individually accommodated in a rolling element accommodating portion defined by the spacer portion and the connecting arm portion. In the rolling element housing belt that is aligned in the direction in which the rolling elements are housed, the rolling element housing section allows the rolling elements housed in the rolling body housing section to drop off at least in one of the front and back directions, and the infinite A plurality of spacers simultaneously positioned in the rolling element raceway in a state of being incorporated in the circulation path so that movement in the inner circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path is impossible from the state of incorporation. A spacer having an outer contact surface that contacts the rolling element, and an inner side that contacts the rolling element so that movement in the outer circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path is impossible from the assembled state. Each including at least one spacer having a contact surface. It is characterized in that that is so.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rolling element housing portion is configured to allow the rolling element housed in the rolling body housing portion to drop in at least one of the front and back directions of the rolling body housing portion. As a result, when the rolling element is incorporated into the rolling element accommodating portion of the rolling element accommodating belt, the rolling element can be accommodated simply by placing the rolling element on the rolling element accommodating portion from the side that allows the rolling element to fall off. . Therefore, there is no need for troublesome work such as pressing and incorporating the rolling element into the rolling element housing portion. Therefore, it is easy to incorporate the rolling elements into the rolling element accommodation belt.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one spacer portion of the spacer portions positioned on the rolling element raceway in a state of being incorporated in the endless circulation path is more than the state of being incorporated. It has an outer abutting surface that abuts against the rolling element so that movement toward the inner circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path is impossible, and at least of the spacers located in the rolling element raceway One spacer portion has an inner abutting surface that abuts against the rolling element so that movement in the outer circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path is impossible from the assembled state. Therefore, the rolling element housing belt has at least one outer contact surface and one inner contact surface in contact with the rolling elements in the rolling member raceway, so that the inner circumferential side of the infinite circulation path and The movement of the relative position between the rolling element housing belt and the rolling element is restricted on either side of the outer peripheral side. Therefore, even if there is external vibration to the linear motion guide device, the influence of gravity, etc., it is possible to suppress vibration of the rolling element housing belt and friction with the side wall surface of the guide groove.

The invention according to claim 2 is the rolling element accommodation belt for the linear motion guide device according to claim 1, wherein the rolling element accommodation belt is formed in an end shape, and the rolling element accommodation belt is formed. The spacer part located in the both ends which make the said end shape among the parts has the said inner side contact surface, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the spacer portion located on the most distal end side of the rolling element housing belt, the inward contact surface of the spacer portion comes into contact with the rolling element, whereby the endless circulation path is formed. The movement of the spacer is restricted in the outer circumferential direction. As a result, even when the rolling element housing belt is used with its ends being ended, when the slider is removed from the guide rail, the tip of the rolling element housing belt may jump out of the opening of the infinite circulation path. Absent. Therefore, the rolling element accommodation belt which makes handling of the linear motion guide device easier can be provided.

The invention according to claim 3 is the rolling element housing belt for a linear motion guide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spacer is further infinitely circulated from the inward contact surface. It has a relief part in the part facing the said rolling element in the edge part of the inner peripheral side of a path | route.
According to invention of Claim 3, even if the distance between adjacent spacer parts becomes narrow in the inner peripheral side of a direction change path by rolling-element accommodation belt bending in a direction change path, Mutual interference can be suppressed by the escape portion formed in the portion facing the rolling element on the inner peripheral side. Therefore, the rolling element housing belt can be circulated more smoothly.

The invention according to claim 4 is the rolling element housing belt for the linear motion guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spacer portion is at least inside the connecting arm portion. The portion located on the circumferential side is characterized by a thin plate shape.
According to the invention described in claim 4, when the distance between the spacer portions adjacent on the inner peripheral side of the direction change path becomes narrow, even when the spacer portion and the rolling element interfere with each other, The seat can bend more easily. Therefore, the rolling element housing belt can be circulated more smoothly.

The invention described in claim 5 is a linear motion guide device, and includes the rolling element housing belt for linear motion guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. .
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a linear motion guide device that exhibits the effect of the rolling element housing belt for the linear motion guide device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

The invention according to claim 6 is the linear motion guide device according to claim 5, wherein the guide groove has the connecting arm portion at least in the direction change path of the infinite circulation path. It is characterized by being formed so as to circulate closer to the inner circumference of the infinite circulation path than the central locus.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the rolling element housing belt is bent in the direction change path, the adjacent spacers are mutually connected, as compared with the case where the connecting arm portion is circulated on the center locus of the rolling elements. It can be opened widely. Thereby, since the distance between adjacent spacer parts spreads, interference with the spacer part and rolling element in a direction change path can be suppressed more suitably. Therefore, the rolling element accommodation belt of the linear motion guide device of the present invention can be circulated more smoothly.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the linear motion guide device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the slider covers the inner surface of the slider except for a portion serving as the load rolling element guide surface. The rolling element row guide member is formed with the guide groove, and the guide groove formed in the rolling element row guide member has a side wall surface of the guide groove and the connection arm portion. It is characterized in that it is provided only on one side with respect to at least one.

The invention according to claim 8 is the linear motion guide device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the guide groove is formed other than the rolling element raceway.
According to the invention described in claim 7 or 8, at least the side wall surface of the guide groove in the rolling element raceway is not formed on one side. Thereby, with respect to the configuration in which the side wall surfaces of the guide groove are provided on both sides, the space necessary for forming the guide groove can be reduced. Therefore, the groove of the rolling element guide surface of the guide rail can be made deeper by that amount. Therefore, since the contact length between the rolling element and the rolling element guide surface can be kept larger, the load capacity of the linear motion guiding device can be increased.

  According to the present invention, the rolling element housing belt can be easily assembled into the rolling element housing belt, and the rolling element housing belt can be prevented from swinging and friction between the connecting arm portion and the guide groove. A moving body accommodation belt and a linear motion guide device can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a rolling element housing belt for a linear motion guide device and a linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a linear guide according to a first embodiment of a linear guide apparatus including a rolling element housing belt for a linear guide apparatus according to the present invention. 2 is an explanatory view showing the slider of the linear guide of FIG. 1 in a transverse section, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the linear guide of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the linear guide 10 includes a guide rail 12 having a rolling element guide surface 14 and a slider 16 straddling the guide rail 12 so as to be movable relative to the guide rail 12. And.
The guide rail 12 has a substantially square cross-sectional shape, and a total of four rolling element guide surfaces 14 are formed on each side of the guide rail 12 along the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the slider 16 includes a slider body 17 and end caps 22 attached to both ends of the slider body 17 in the axial direction. The shape of the slider body 17 and the end cap 22 that are continuous in the axial direction is a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape.
As shown in FIG. 2, the slider body 17 has a substantially semicircular load rolling element guide surface facing the respective rolling element guide surfaces 14 of the guide rail 12 inside the substantially U-shaped sleeves. A total of 4 strips are formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the end cap 22 is formed with a pair of direction change paths 24 respectively connected to both ends of the load rolling element guide surface 18. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slider body 17 communicates with the pair of direction change paths 24, and is a rolling element return path formed of a through hole having a circular cross section parallel to the load rolling element guide surface 18. 20 is formed inside the sleeve.

As shown in FIG. 3, a space sandwiched between the rolling element guide surface 14 of the guide rail 12 and the load rolling element guide surface 18 of the slider body 17 facing the rolling member guide path 12 forms a rolling element track 26. ing. Then, a total of four infinite circulation paths 28 that are annularly continuous are formed by the pair of direction changing paths 24, the rolling element return paths 20, and the rolling element raceways 26.
Further, as shown in the figure, each infinite circulation path 28 is loaded with a plurality of balls 46 as rolling elements. The plurality of balls 46 in each endless circulation path 28 constitute a rolling element row 62 together with the rolling element accommodation belt 50 by the rolling element accommodation belt 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the rolling element containing belt 50 has a guide arm 60, 38 b in which a connecting arm portion 61 protruding in the width direction in the endless circulation path 28 is formed in the endless circulation path 28 of the slider 16. , 24b (see FIG. 3).

Next, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 will be described in detail.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the rolling element housing belt. FIG. 4 (a) is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the rolling element housing belt in a developed state, and FIG. 4 (b) is developed. The front view of a rolling element accommodation belt and the figure (c) are explanatory views expanding and showing a part of rolling element accommodation part shown in the figure (b).

  This rolling element accommodation belt 50 is formed in an end shape, and as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, there are three types interposed between the adjacent balls 46 in the endless circulation path 28. The spacer portions 51, 52, and 53 are provided. These three types of spacers 51, 52, 53 are connected by a pair of connecting arms 61 on both sides in the width direction of the infinite circulation path 28. The spacer portions 51, 52, 53 and the connecting arm portion 61 are integrally formed from a flexible resin material, and are defined by the spacer portions 51, 52, 53 and the connecting arm portion 61. Three types of rolling element accommodating portions A, B, and C (described later) are configured in the space. As a result, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 moves the balls 46 to the three kinds of rolling element accommodation portions A, B, and C by a predetermined distance (in this embodiment, the distance between the centers of adjacent balls is 5.2 mm). The rolling elements can be arranged separately as a rolling element row 62 in the arrangement direction in the endless circulation path 28. And this rolling element accommodation belt 50 is integrated toward the outer peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28, as shown in FIG. In the expanded state, the alignment direction of the balls 46 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the rolling element housing belt 50.

  More specifically, the connecting arm portion 61 is a thin and long belt-shaped member, and a ball receiving hole 61a (FIG. 4A) that opens in a substantially circular shape in the front and back direction (thickness direction) of the connecting arm portion 61. )) Is formed side by side in the longitudinal direction in the same manner for each of the rolling element accommodating portions A, B, and C. The inner diameter of the ball accommodating hole 61a is slightly larger than the diameter of the accommodated ball 46 so that the ball 46 can freely engage and disengage in the front and back direction of the connecting portion 52. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the ball 46 is 4.7625 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the three types of spacers 51, 52, and 53 are substantially rectangular in shape as seen from the direction in which the balls 46 are arranged, and the short sides of the substantially rectangular shape are connected in a belt shape. The arm portions 61 are provided substantially parallel to the width direction. And each spacer part 51,52,53 is each connected by the said connection arm part 61 at the approximate center of the substantially rectangular long side which is the both sides of the width direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, each of the spacers 51, 52, 53 has a height (the length of the long side) V that is lower than the diameter A of the ball 46. Further, the predetermined interval T at which the spacers adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction of the balls 46 face each other is slightly wider than the diameter of the ball 46, and the connecting arm portion 61 is located between each of the predetermined intervals T. The seats 51, 52, and 53 are connected to each other. Note that the thickness U of the connecting arm portion 61 (see FIG. 4C) is thin as long as necessary and sufficient strength can be maintained (0.44 mm in this embodiment), and a guide groove 60 described later. And slightly smaller than the groove width of the guide groove 38b. Therefore, the connecting arm portion 61 of the rolling element housing belt 50 can be slidably engaged in the guide groove 60 and the guide groove 38b.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the front shapes of the spacers 51, 52, and 53 are different from each other.
Specifically, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4C, the front shape of the spacer portion 51 is a thin plate shape, and extends from the substantially center to the front and back sides of the connecting arm portion 61 with the same width. It is almost rectangular. A pair of rolling element contacts corresponding to the spherical surface S, which is the rolling surface of the balls 46, are formed by the two planes formed by the long sides of the substantially rectangular shape, respectively, in the direction in which the balls 46 are arranged in the endless circulation path 28. A surface 51f is formed. That is, these rolling element contact surfaces 51f are formed so that one rolling element contact surface 51f faces the adjacent one ball 46 side, and the other rolling element contact surface 51f is adjacent to the other adjacent ball 46 side. The one rolling element contact surface 51f is formed so as to face the opposite side.

  On the other hand, the spacer 52 and the spacer 53 have front shapes that are symmetrical to each other about the vertical straight line VL passing through the center O of the ball 46 as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. Yes. As shown in the figure, the spacers 52 and 53 have flat surfaces respectively facing in the direction in which the balls 46 are arranged as rolling element contact surfaces 52f and 53f formed in the same manner as the spacer 51, respectively. Furthermore, with respect to only one side in the front and back direction of the connecting arm portion 61, starting from the substantially central portion connected to the adjacent ball 46 by the connecting arm portion 61, toward the end portion on the one side. The width (thickness) is gradually widened. A plane formed by the ridgeline of the widened portion toward the balls 46 is formed as a contact surface that contacts the balls 46 at a predetermined angle α (for example, 15 °) with respect to the arrangement direction. That is, this contact surface is formed only on one side (upper side in the figure) in the front and back direction of the connecting arm portion 61 on one side in the direction in which the balls 46 are arranged. On the other side in the direction (left side in the figure), it is formed only on the other side (lower side in the figure) in the front and back direction of the connecting arm portion 61.

  More specifically, this contact surface is incorporated in the endless circulation path 28 in the spacer 52, and the contact surface on the right side in FIG. An inward contact surface 52u that comes into contact with the ball 46 so that the spacer 52 cannot be moved toward the outer periphery of the ball 46 is formed. In addition, the left abutting surface in the figure is in the outer side where it abuts the ball 46 so that the spacer 52 cannot move toward the inner circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path 28 from the assembled state. It is a contact surface 52s.

  On the other hand, in the spacer 53, the right abutment surface in the same figure in the state where the spacer 53 is incorporated in the endless circuit 28 is directed toward the inner circumferential direction of the endless circuit 28 from the incorporated state. The outer contact surface 53s is in contact with the ball 46 so that the seat portion 53 cannot be moved. In addition, the left abutting surface in the figure is inwardly abutted against the ball 46 so that the spacer portion 53 cannot move toward the outer circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path 28 from the assembled state. It is a contact surface 53u.

Further, the spacer portions 51, 52, 53 are arranged with a predetermined relationship in the direction in which the balls 46 are arranged, and are connected by the connecting arm portion 61. Here, the predetermined relationship is arranged such that the rolling element housing portion allows the balls 46 housed in the rolling body housing portion to drop off at least in one of the front and back directions.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, there are three types of directions that allow the ball 46 to drop off, that is, one side, the other side, and both sides of the rolling element housing belt 50. In the figure, an image in a direction in which the ball 46 is allowed to drop is indicated by a white arrow (hereinafter, the same applies to other examples).

  That is, in the three types of rolling element accommodating portions, when the spacer portions adjacent in the arrangement direction of the balls 46 are arranged in the order of the spacer portion 52 and the spacer portion 53 in this order from the left side to the right side, As for the rolling element accommodating part formed in this, the inner side contact surfaces 52u and 53u are arrange | positioned at the inner peripheral side. Thereby, the movement of the ball 46 is restricted on the inner peripheral side in the front and back direction of the rolling element housing portion, and the ball 46 can be detached from the outer peripheral direction of the endless circulation path 28, and the ball 46 is only on the outer peripheral side. It becomes the rolling-element accommodating part A which accept | permits dropping-out.

  Similarly, when the spacer portion 53 and the spacer portion 51 are arranged in this order, or when the spacer portion 51 and the spacer portion 52 are arranged in this order, the rolling element housing portion formed therebetween is The outer contact surface 53s or the outer contact surface 52s is disposed on the outer peripheral side. Thereby, the movement of the ball 46 is restricted on the outer peripheral side in the direction of the front and back of the rolling element housing portion, and the ball 46 is detachable in the inner peripheral direction of the endless circulation path 28, and the ball 46 is only on the inner peripheral side. It becomes the rolling element accommodating part B which accept | permits dropping of 46.

Similarly, when the spacer portion 51 is disposed together, the rolling element housing portion formed therebetween does not restrain the ball 46. Therefore, the rolling element housing portion C is detachable in both the inner and outer circumferential directions of the endless circulation path 28 and permits the balls 46 to drop off on both sides in the front and back directions.
As described above, in this embodiment, the spacers 51, 52, 53 are arranged in the arrangement direction of the balls 46 in any of the above-described arrangement directions, and the adjacent spacer parts are arranged in the arrangement direction of the balls 46. A rolling element housing portion formed between them is configured as one of these three types of rolling element housing portions A, B, and C.

  And the ball 46 accommodated in each said rolling element accommodating part A, B, C is a pair of rolling element formed toward the alignment direction of the ball 46 in the infinite circulation path 28 on both sides of the alignment direction. In contact with the contact surfaces 51f, 52f, and 53f, the inner contact surfaces 52u and 53u or the outer contact surfaces 52s and 53s of the rolling element housing portions A and B are arranged in the arrangement direction. It abuts at a position of a predetermined angle α and thereby contacts at two points, so that the ball 46 can be held while being rotatably supported between the adjacent spacer portions 51.

  The spacer 52 includes an outer contact surface 52s on one of the surfaces facing the arrangement direction of the balls 46, and an inner contact surface 52u on the other. On the other hand, the spacer 53 includes an outer contact surface 53s on one of the surfaces facing the alignment direction of the balls 46, and an inner contact surface 53u on the other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the spacer 52 and the spacer 53 are incorporated in the endless circulation path 28 by the contact surfaces of the spacers 52 and 53 being in contact with the balls 46. The rolling element housing belt 50 does not move to either side in the front or back direction. Since the spacer 51 does not have the abutment surface, it moves to some extent on either side in the direction of the front and back of the rolling element containing belt 50 while being incorporated in the endless circulation path 28. However, the movement is suppressed by the adjacent spacer 52 or 53. In FIG. 4B, an image in which each spacer moves in the front and back direction is indicated by black arrows and symbols “O” and “X”, and the symbol “O” indicates a movable image. The symbol “x” represents an image that cannot be moved (the same applies to other examples below).

Here, as described above, the rolling element housing belt 50 is formed in an end shape, and the spacer portions located at both ends forming the end shape are respectively connected to the spacer portion 52 and the spacer portion 53. It has become. Note that the ball 46 is not accommodated outside the end portion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the spacer portion (in this example, the spacer portion 52) of both end portions is only the rolling element contact surface 52f (or the rolling element contact surface 53f). (Hereinafter, the same in other embodiments).
Each spacer 51, 52, 53 is a portion where the rolling element contact surface 51f or the inner contact surfaces 52u, 53u and the ball 46 face each other at the upper end in FIG. Are provided with clearance portions 51e, 52e, and 53e, respectively.

Next, the linear guide 10 in which the rolling element row 62 described above is incorporated will be described in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 2, the inner side surface of the slider body 17 is covered with a rolling element row guide member 40 made of synthetic resin except for a portion that becomes the load rolling element guide surface 18. A slight space is formed between the rolling element row guide member 40 and the surface of the guide rail 12 facing the rolling element row guide member 40. A groove into which the above-described rolling element row 62 is inserted is constituted by the load rolling element guide surface 18 and the rolling element row guide member 40 inside the substantially U-shape of the slider body 17.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the rolling body row guide member 40 forms a guide wall 36 b of the rolling body row 62 to form a groove. The distance between the guide walls 36 b is slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 46. And the guide groove 38b which engages the connection arm part 61 of the rolling-element accommodation belt 50 is formed in the guide wall 36b continuously in the longitudinal direction. The groove width G of the guide groove 38 b is slightly larger than the thickness U of the connecting arm portion 61. Therefore, the connection arm part 61 of the rolling element accommodation belt 50 can be slidably engaged in the guide groove 38b.

  Here, the guide groove 38b is usually formed at a position where it can engage with the rolling element row guide member 40 so as to hold the connecting arm portion 61. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Further, the rolling element row guide member 40 on the lower side of the figure is provided with a side wall surface 38c only on one side in the thickness direction of the connecting arm portion 61, and the guide groove 38b is opened toward the guide rail 12 side. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6A, the thick portion of the sleeve portion of the substantially U-shaped slider body 17 is substantially parallel to each load rolling element guide surface 18 with a predetermined distance therebetween. An extending ball return passage 20 is formed. The ball return passage 20 includes a through hole 32 having a circular cross section that is continuous in the longitudinal direction, and a circulation tube 30 inserted into the through hole 32. This circulation tube 30 is a tube made of synthetic resin, and the cross-sectional shape continuous in the longitudinal direction of the internal space of the circulation tube 30 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 46 so that the ball 46 can pass through the inside. It has a substantially circular shape. This substantially circular inner wall surface serves as a guide wall 36 a for the rolling element row 62.

  On both sides in the width direction of the guide wall 36a, there are guide grooves 60 having a guideable width 60 while engaging a pair of connecting arm portions 61 of the rolling element housing belt 50 moving in the circulation tube 30. It is formed continuously in the longitudinal direction. The groove width J of the guide groove 60 is slightly larger than the height U of the connecting arm portion 61. Therefore, the connecting arm portion 61 of the rolling element housing belt 50 can be slidably engaged in the guide groove 60. Therefore, the ball 46 and the rolling element accommodation belt 50 can move smoothly in the space in the circulation tube 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the end cap 22, a pair of curved direction change paths 24 that are respectively connected to both ends of the rolling element raceway 26 are formed. The direction change path 24 is a curved through hole having a circular cross section that communicates with the ball return path 20 and is continuous in the longitudinal direction. The guide walls 36a and 36b are formed continuously with the direction change path 24 in between. Inside the direction change path 24, the rolling element row 62 moves while the connecting arm portion 61 is elastically deformed and the entire rolling element row 62 rotates. Therefore, the width of the guide groove 24b that guides the connecting arm portion 61 is increased in the direction change path 24 in consideration of the curvature matched to the deformation range of the connecting arm portion 61.

  Here, the guide groove 24b in the direction change path 24 has a locus RL drawn by the center in the width direction of the connecting arm portion 61 and the center of the ball 46 as shown in FIG. It is formed closer to the inner periphery of the infinite circulation path 28 with respect to the drawn track CL. More specifically, in this embodiment, the center locus CL drawn by the center of the ball 46 is an arc having a radius of 4 mm, whereas the locus RL drawn by the center in the width direction of the connecting arm portion 61 is the direction change path 24. An arc having a radius of 3.3 mm is formed near the center of the inner guide groove 24b. A guide groove is formed in the endless circulation path 28 other than the direction change path 24 so that the locus RL drawn by the center of the connecting arm portion 61 in the width direction and the center locus CL of the ball 46 substantially coincide with each other. Yes.

Next, functions and effects of the linear guide 10 will be described.
When the slider 16 is relatively moved in the axial direction of the guide rail 12, the linear guide 10 moves while the ball 46 rotates in the endless circulation path 28, and the rolling element accommodation belt 50 is also moved in the endless circulation path 28 together with the ball 46. To move. At this time, each spacer 51, 52, 53 of the rolling element housing belt 50 pushes the ball 46 in front of its own moving direction in the endless circulation path 28, and the ball 46 is further forward of its own moving direction. The spacers 51, 52, 53 are pressed. Then, the rolling element row 62 moves in the direction opposite to the slider 16 in the rolling element raceway 26 and enters one direction changing path 24 that is continuous from one end of the rolling element raceway 26 to change the moving direction. The circulation is repeated by entering the ball return path 20 from the direction changing path 24 and moving in the same direction as the slider 16, entering the other direction changing path 24, changing the moving direction again, and returning to the rolling element track 26. That is, the entire rolling element row 62 can circulate in the endless circulation path 28.

And according to this linear guide 10, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 can comprise the rolling element row | line | column 62 by accommodating the ball | bowl 46 in three types of rolling element accommodation parts A, B, and C. FIG.
And according to this linear guide 10, since the spacers 51, 52, 53 are interposed between the balls 46 in the endless circulation path 28, the balls 46 are not in direct contact with each other. In addition, the occurrence of noise and wear due to the friction between the balls 46 is prevented. Since the spacers 51, 52, 53 are connected to each other by the connecting arm 61 to form the rolling element accommodation belt 50, the balls 46 are infinite while maintaining a predetermined distance from each other by the rolling element accommodation belt 50. The circulating path 28 can move as a rolling element row 62 while maintaining stable rotation.

  According to this linear guide 10, the rolling element housing belt 50 has a predetermined interval T between the spacer portions 51, 52, 53 (a pair of rolling element contact surfaces) slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball 46. Wide. Furthermore, each rolling-element accommodating part A, B, C is a structure which permits drop-off | omission of the ball 46 accommodated in each rolling-element accommodating part A, B, C at least one of the front and back directions of the infinite circuit 28. . As a result, when the ball 46 is assembled into each of the rolling element accommodating portions A, B, and C of the rolling element accommodating belt 50, the rolling element accommodating portion 55 is inserted into the rolling element accommodating portion 55 from the side that allows the balls 46 to drop off in the unfolded state. The ball 46 can be accommodated by simply placing it on the surface. Therefore, the efficiency of accommodating the ball 46 between the spacer portions is improved, and there is no need for troublesome work such as pressing and incorporating the ball 46 into each rolling element accommodating portion A, B, C. Therefore, the work of assembling the ball 46 into the rolling element housing belt 50 is easy.

  Furthermore, according to this linear guide 10, the connecting arm portion 61 of the rolling element accommodation belt 50 is guided in the endless circulation path 28 along the guide grooves 60, 38b, 24b, so that the rolling element accommodation belt 50 moves. The swinging of the rolling element row 62 is restricted and the entire rolling element row 62 can be moved accurately and smoothly in the endless circulation path 28. Of the spacer portions that define the rolling element accommodating portions A, B, and C, the spacer portions 52 and 53 are inner contact surfaces 52u that are contact surfaces of the spacer portions 52 and 53, respectively. When the outer contact surfaces 52 s and 53 s are in contact with the ball 46, the spacer portions 52 and 53 cannot be moved in any of the inner and outer circumferential directions of the endless circulation path 28. . As a result, the rolling element housing belt 50 restricts the movement of the relative position between the rolling element housing belt 50 and the ball 46 on either the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side of the endless circulation path 28 in the rolling element raceway 26. Is done. Therefore, even if there is an external vibration to the linear guide 10 or the influence of gravity, the vibration of the rolling element housing belt 50 and the friction between the connecting arm portion 61 and the guide groove can be suppressed.

  According to this linear guide 10, the ball 46 receives resistance in the rolling element raceway 26, but each ball 46 is pushed by the spacer portions 51, 52, 53 from the rear, and therefore the rolling element raceway 26. It can move smoothly inside. Further, in the rolling element raceway 26, the interval between the guide walls 36b of the rolling element row 62 is only slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 46, and the connecting arm portion 61 of the rolling element accommodation belt 50 is a guide wall. It is guided in the guide groove 38b of 36b. For this reason, it is prevented that each spacer part 51,52,53 falls in the rolling element track 26, and the arrangement of the rolling element row 62 is disturbed and its smooth movement is prevented. The

  Further, according to the linear guide 10, the guide groove 38 b is provided with only the side wall surface 38 c on one side as the side wall surface of the guide groove 38 b with respect to the connecting arm portion 61. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the space required for forming the guide groove 38b is reduced, and the groove depth D1 of the rolling element guide surface 14 of the guide rail 12 is formed deeper by that amount. can do.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8B as a comparative example, when the side wall surface of the guide groove 38b is formed on both sides, a space S1 for forming the side wall surface is required in the left and right directions in FIG. Become. Therefore, the groove depth D2 of the rolling element guide surface 14 must be formed shallower than the groove depth D1 shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C as a comparative example, a configuration in which the connecting arm portion 61 is connected by an offset amount S2 from the center O of the ball 46 closer to the inner periphery of the infinite circulation path is also conceivable. The groove depth W2 of the load rolling element guide surface 18 must be formed shallower than the groove depth W1 shown in FIG. 8A by an amount corresponding to the offset amount S2. Thus, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the rolling elements of the guide rail 12 can be obtained without reducing the groove depth of the load rolling element guide surface 18 compared to the configuration in which the side wall surfaces are provided on both sides of the guide groove. The groove of the guide surface 14 can be formed deeper. Therefore, the contact length between the ball 46 and the rolling element guide surface 14 can be kept longer, and the load capacity of the linear guide 10 can be increased.

  Further, according to this linear guide 10, the rolling element housing belt 50 is formed in an end shape, and the spacer portions located at both end portions forming the end shape are inwardly abutting against the ball 46. It is comprised by the spacer parts 52 and 53 each provided with the contact surface 52u and the inner side contact surface 53u. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the spacers 52, 53 at both ends are in contact with the ball 46 at the inner contact surfaces 52u, 53u, and the outer circumferential direction (same as the same) Engage the spacers 52 and 53 at both ends in the direction of the arrow Z (downward in the figure) so that they cannot be moved. On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 9B as a comparative example, a rolling element accommodation belt having only a spacer 51 having no surface abutting in the front and back direction of the ball 46 and the rolling element accommodation belt is provided. In the configuration, the end spacer 51 moves in the outer circumferential direction of the endless circulation path 28 (downward arrow Z direction in the figure). As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, even when the slider 16 is pulled out from the guide rail 12, the spacer portions 52 and 53 at both ends prevent the rolling element row 62 from falling off the slider 16. Therefore, the tip of the rolling element housing belt 50 does not jump out from the opening of the endless circulation path 28. Therefore, handling of the linear guide 10 can be made easier.

  Further, according to this linear guide 10, the guide groove 24 b in the direction change path 24 of the endless circulation path 28 circulates the connecting arm portion 61 closer to the inner circumference of the endless circulation path 28 than the center locus CL of the ball 46. It is formed to let you. Here, as shown in a comparative example in FIG. 10, when the connecting arm portion is circulated on the central locus CL of the ball 46 (ie, CL = RL), assuming that there is no deformation in each portion, reference numeral Y1 in FIG. Interference between the spacer 51 and the ball 46 occurs at the black portion in the circle indicated by. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when the rolling element housing belt 50 bends in the direction change path 24, the adjacent spacer portions in the direction change path 24 are separated. It can be opened widely. As a result, the distance between the adjacent spacers increases, so that the ball 46 can afford to escape radially outward, and the interference between the spacer and the ball 46 in the direction change path 24 is more suitably suppressed. Can do. Therefore, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 of the linear guide 10 can be circulated more smoothly.

Moreover, according to this linear guide 10, each spacer part 51,52,53 is the ball 46 accommodated in the rolling element accommodating part A, B, C in the edge part of the inner peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28, and Escape portions 51e, 52e, and 53e are provided in the opposing portions, respectively.
Here, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), when the spacer portion does not include the relief portion at the end thereof, as shown in FIG. When the accommodation belt 50 is bent, the distance between the adjacent spacer portions 51 is narrowed on the inner peripheral side of the direction change path 24. At this time, assuming that each portion is not deformed, the spacer portion 51 and the ball 46 are separated from each other. In a portion facing on the inner peripheral side (a black portion in a circle indicated by a symbol Y2 in the same figure), interference between the spacer portion 51 and the ball 46 occurs slightly. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when the rolling element housing belt 50 bends in the direction change path 24, the distance between the adjacent spacer portions 51 is the direction change path. 24, even if it becomes narrow on the inner peripheral side, the interference portions 51e, 52e, and 53e formed on the inner peripheral side face each other to suppress mutual interference. it can. Therefore, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 of the linear guide 10 can be circulated more smoothly.

  Moreover, according to this linear guide 10, the spacer part 51 has the fixed width | variety which makes the thin plate-like substantially rectangular shape in the front shape. Thereby, when the distance between the adjacent spacer portions 51 becomes narrow on the inner peripheral side of the direction change path 24, even if the spacer portions 51 and the ball 46 interfere with each other, the thin and plate-like shape In the substantially rectangular portion, the spacer 51 can be easily bent. Therefore, the rolling element accommodation belt 50 of the linear guide 10 can be smoothly circulated.

  Further, the spacer portions 52 and 53 also have a gap between the spacer portions 52 and 53 and the ball 46 on the rolling element contact surfaces 52f and 53f side where no contact surface is formed. For example, the degree of interference between the spacers 52 and 53 and the ball 46 can be reduced compared to a spacer having a contact surface on each side of the front and back sides on both sides of the spacer. it can.

  The rolling element return passage is not limited to the configuration exemplified above, and may be configured as shown in FIG. 6B, for example. That is, instead of the circulation tube 30, a member 30 </ b> A having a substantially crescent-shaped cross section is inserted into the through hole 32 provided in the slider body 17 to configure the ball return passage 20. Thereby, the guide groove 60 is comprised by the through-hole 32 and the substantially crescent-shaped member 30A. By adopting such a configuration, it becomes easy to reduce the diameter of the through hole as compared with the case using the circulation tube as described above. As a result, the thickness of the slider body can be increased accordingly, so that the rigidity of the slider body can be increased. Therefore, a highly rigid linear guide can be provided.

Next, a second embodiment of the linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that the configuration of the rolling element accommodation belt is partially different, so that the rolling element accommodation belt is the same. Differences are described, and other descriptions are omitted.
As shown in FIG. 12, in this rolling element accommodation belt 72, as a spacer part, two types of spacer part 54 and spacer part 55 are provided, and these are alternately arranged in the arrangement direction. Two types of rolling element accommodating portions, a rolling element accommodating portion A and a rolling element accommodating portion B, are alternately configured in the direction in which the balls 46 are arranged. The spacers 54 and 55 have a circular shape when viewed from the arrangement direction thereof, and the surfaces serving as the rolling element contact surface and the contact surface of the spacers 54 and 55 are respectively curved surfaces. This is different from the rolling element housing belt 50 of the first embodiment.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the spacers 54 and 55 have front shapes that are symmetric with respect to each other about the vertical straight line VL passing through the center O of the ball 46. In the example shown in the figure, the surface to be the contact surface is formed by the respective conical surfaces 54u, 54s, 55u, and 55s that contact the ball 46 at the angle α with the straight line VL as an axis. Here, the conical surface 54u and the conical surface 55u correspond to the inward contact surface, and the conical surface 54s and the conical surface 55s correspond to the outer contact surface. Further, the surface corresponding to the rolling element contact surface is formed by respective cylindrical surfaces 54f and 55f having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 46 to be accommodated around the straight line VL. As for the both ends of the rolling element housing belt 72, the spacers 54 and 55 are connected to the conical surface 54u and the conical surface 55u, which are the respective inner contact surfaces, as in the first embodiment. It is arranged toward the side. And this rolling-element accommodation belt 72 is integrated in a linear guide like the said 1st embodiment by making the upper side of the same figure into the inner peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28. FIG.

  Even in such a configuration, the balls 46 accommodated in the respective rolling element accommodating portions A and B are detachable with respect to either the outer peripheral direction or the inner peripheral direction of the infinite circulation path 28 and are allowed to drop off. Is done. Therefore, the work of assembling the ball 46 into the rolling element housing belt 72 is easy. In addition, each spacer 54, 55, except for the spacer disposed at the end, the curved contact surface abuts on the ball 46, so that either the outer circumference or the inner circumference of the infinite circulation path 28 is Does not move to the side. Further, the end spacers are restrained from moving in the inner and outer peripheral directions of the endless circulation path 28 by the adjacent spacers 54 and 55. Therefore, vibration of the rolling element housing belt 72 and friction between the connecting arm portion 61 and the guide groove can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a linear guide that exhibits the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment. In particular, according to the second embodiment, since all the spacers are provided with the contact surfaces with the balls 46, the effect of suppressing the deflection of the rolling element housing belt 72 in the endless circulation path 28 is high. .

  Moreover, according to this 2nd embodiment, since the spacers 54 and 55 of the rolling element accommodation belt 72 are surfaces corresponding to the rolling element contact surface and the contact surface, both are concave curved surfaces. The movement of the spacers 54 and 55 in the lateral direction (the width direction of the rolling element housing belt 72, the vertical direction of the paper surface in FIG. 5B) is also restrained by the ball 46. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the own vibration associated with the circulation of the rolling element housing belt 72 and to obtain a smoother circulation.

  Furthermore, according to this 2nd embodiment, it is the structure which has arrange | positioned two types of rolling element accommodating parts A and B alternately by the arrangement direction. Therefore, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5C, the spacers 54 and 55 located on the left and right of one rolling element housing portion (the rolling element housing portion A in the example in the same figure) are adjacent to each other on the outside. The surface facing the ball 46 does not have the contact surface. And the side which does not have this contact surface is arrange | positioned along with the same side in the direction of front and back.

  With such a configuration, even when the ball 46 is assembled into one rolling element housing part from the side where the ball does not fall out after the balls 46 are incorporated into the adjacent rolling element accommodation parts, Since there is a gap between the seats 54 and 55 and the ball 46 on the side having no contact surface, the seats 54 and 55 on both sides can be elastically deformed so as to easily spread. Accordingly, a large pressing force F as shown in FIG. 19 is not required, and the ball 46 can be easily inserted into one rolling element housing portion with a light force. Further, there is no possibility that the spacers 54 and 55 are deformed so that the shapes of the spacers 54 and 55 do not return to the original shape or damaged. Further, the order in which the balls 46 are inserted into the respective rolling element accommodating portions is not restricted. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the ball 46 can be incorporated from either one of the front and back sides. That is, since the balls 46 can be easily accommodated from the same side in all of the rolling element accommodating portions without turning over the rolling element accommodating belt 72, the assembling work can be further facilitated. It is also possible to incorporate the rolling element housing belt 72 into the slider 16 and then incorporate the balls 46 into the respective rolling element accommodation portions by pushing the balls 46 from the openings.

Next, a third embodiment of the linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described. The third embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiments except that the configuration of the rolling element-accommodating belt is partially different from that of the above-described embodiments. The point will be described, and other description will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 13, in this rolling element accommodation belt 73, as a spacer part, it has two types, a spacer part 56 and a spacer part 57, and these are alternately arranged in the arrangement direction. The point which comprises two types of rolling element accommodating parts, the rolling element accommodating part A and the rolling element accommodating part B, differs from the rolling element accommodating belt 50 of said 1st embodiment.

  The spacers 56 and 57 have a substantially rectangular shape as viewed from the arrangement direction as in the first embodiment, but the front shape is a thin plate shape. The seat thickness is 0.44 mm. Furthermore, the front shapes of the spacers 56 and 57 are formed symmetrically with respect to each other about a straight line VL passing through the center O of the ball 46 as shown in FIG. The spacer portions 56 and 57 are curved surfaces 56u, 56s, 57u, and 57s, respectively, that have a surface that also serves as the rolling element contact surface and the contact surface, and is curved in a substantially S shape so as to follow the surface of the ball 46. It is configured. Here, the curved surface 56u and the curved surface 57u correspond to the inward contact surface, and the curved surface 56s and the curved surface 57s correspond to the outward contact surface. The rolling element accommodating portions A are respectively defined at both ends of the rolling element accommodating belt 73, and the spacers 56 and 57 have the curved surfaces 56u and 57u on the balls 46 side. It is arranged toward. And this rolling-element accommodation belt 73 is integrated in a linear guide by making the upper side of the figure the inner peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28 like the said 1st embodiment.

  Even in such a configuration, the balls 46 accommodated in the rolling element accommodating portions A and B can be applied to either the outer circumference or the inner circumference direction of the infinite circulation path 28 as shown in FIG. It is free to leave and is allowed to drop. Therefore, the work of assembling the ball 46 into the rolling element housing belt 73 is easy. Further, the spacers 56 and 57, except for the spacers disposed at the end portions, have their curved surfaces in contact with the balls 46, so that the spacers 56 and 57 can be placed on either the outer circumference or the inner circumference of the endless circulation path 28. Do not move. Further, the spacer disposed at the end can move to one side in the inner and outer circumferential directions of the endless circulation path 28, but the movement is suppressed by the spacer that does not move to the other side in the vicinity. It has been. Therefore, vibration of the rolling element housing belt 73 and friction between the connecting arm portion 61 and the guide groove can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a linear guide that exhibits the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment. In particular, according to the third embodiment, since all the spacers are provided with curved surfaces that are in contact with the balls 46, the deflection of the rolling element containing belt 72 is suppressed in the endless circulation path 28. High effect.

  Furthermore, according to this 3rd embodiment, each spacer part 56 and 57 is formed in the thin plate shape in the front shape. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, when the distance between the adjacent spacers becomes narrower on the inner peripheral side of the direction change path 24, the part where the spacer and the ball 46 face each other on the inner peripheral side. Even when the spacer portion and the ball 46 interfere with each other (the portion indicated by the symbol Y3 in the same figure), since the spacer portion is a thin plate, it can be bent more easily. Therefore, the force generated by the interference between the spacers 56 and 57 and the ball 46 is very small, and the rolling element housing belt 73 of the linear guide can be circulated more smoothly. In addition, in the part shown with the code | symbol Y3 of the same figure, the spacer part deform | transforms and the image which is suppressing interference is shown with the dashed-two dotted line.

  The interference as described above can be avoided by shifting the connecting arm portion 61 further toward the inside in the direction changing path 24. However, if the connecting arm portion 61 is moved too far inward, the bending radius of the connecting arm portion 61 becomes small, and a large bending stress is generated in the connecting arm portion 61. When such a large stress is applied, the connecting arm portion 61 is damaged. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent such a large bending stress from acting on the connecting arm portion 61, the bending radius of the connecting arm portion 61 in the direction change path 24 is relatively large. Thereby, even when the spacer and the ball 46 interfere with each other, smooth circulation is not impaired.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiments except that the configuration of the rolling element housing belt is partially different, and the other configuration is the same. The point will be described, and other description will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 15, the rolling element accommodation belt 74 includes a spacer portion 58 instead of the spacer portion 51 of the first embodiment. It is different from the belt 50.
The spacer 58 is different in the front shape from the spacer 51 of the first embodiment.

  The front shape of each spacer 58 has a shape that widens from the center to the end on the outer peripheral side (lower side in the figure) of the endless circuit 28, and the other side (in the figure). On the upper side) has a certain width. That is, in the lower side of the figure, it has a substantially trapezoidal shape, and the portion connected by the connecting arm portion 61 is the upper base, the lower base side is the end portion, and its width (thickness is increased). ) Is gradually widened. On the other hand, in the upper side of the figure, it is a thin plate-like substantially rectangular shape that extends upward with the same width as the upper base of the substantially trapezoidal shape. In this frontal shape, the slopes on both sides of the substantially trapezoidal shape have the same configuration as the outer contact surface, that is, in the state of being incorporated in the endless circulation path 28, the The ball 46 is formed so as to contact the ball 46 so that the ball 46 cannot move in the outer circumferential direction.

  An appropriate number of spacers 58 are arranged to define the rolling element accommodating part B, and the spacers 52 and 53 are arranged from the left to the right in FIG. Is defined. The rolling element accommodating portions A are defined at both ends of the rolling element accommodating belt 74, and the spacers 52 and 53 are respectively inwardly contacted to the inner side as in the first embodiment. The contact surface 52u and the inward contact surface 53u are arranged toward the ball 46 side. And this rolling-element accommodation belt 74 is integrated in a linear guide by making the upper side of the figure into the inner peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28 like each said embodiment.

  Even in such a configuration, the balls 46 accommodated in the respective rolling element accommodating portions A and B are detachable with respect to either the outer peripheral direction or the inner peripheral direction of the infinite circulation path 28 and are allowed to drop off. Is done. Therefore, the work of assembling the ball 46 into the rolling element housing belt 74 is easy. In addition, the spacers 52 and 53, except for the spacers arranged at the end portions, are in contact with the balls 46 on the outer peripheral and inner peripheral sides of the endless circulation path 28. Do not move. Further, the spacers 52 and 53 and the spacers 58 arranged at the end are movable to one side in the inner and outer circumferential directions of the endless circulation path 28, but the adjacent spacers 52 or spacers are adjacent to each other. Since the movement is suppressed by the portion 53, it is possible to suppress the deflection of the rolling element housing belt 72 and the friction between the connecting arm portion 61 and the guide groove. Therefore, it is possible to provide a linear guide that exhibits the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the linear motion guide device according to the present invention will be described. The fifth embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiments except that the configuration of the rolling element housing belt is partially different, and the other configurations are the same. The point will be described, and other description will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 16, this rolling element accommodation belt 75 is provided with three types of spacers 51, 58, 59, and among the three types of spacers, the spacers 51, 58 are described above. The spacer part 59 is different from the rolling element accommodation belts of the above-described embodiments in that the spacer part 59 has a shape obtained by inverting the spacer part 58 in the front and back direction of the rolling element accommodation belt 75. And these spacer parts are arranged suitably like the figure, and the rolling element accommodating parts A and B are defined. Note that spacers 59 are disposed at both ends of the rolling element housing belt 75, and the inner contact surfaces thereof face the balls 46. And this rolling-element accommodation belt 75 is integrated in a linear guide by making the upper side of the figure the inner peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28 like the said each embodiment.

  Even in such a configuration, the balls 46 accommodated in the respective rolling element accommodating portions A and B are detachable with respect to either the outer peripheral direction or the inner peripheral direction of the infinite circulation path 28 and are allowed to drop off. Is done. Therefore, the work of assembling the ball 46 into the rolling element housing belt 74 is easy. Further, the contact surfaces of the spacer portions 51, 58, 59 are in contact with the ball 46, and do not move to either the outer peripheral side or the inner peripheral direction of the infinite circulation path 28. Each spacer 51, 58, 59 including the spacer disposed at the end is movable to one side in the inner and outer circumferential directions of the endless circulation path 28, but to the other side in the vicinity. Since the movement is restrained by the spacer portion that does not move, the deflection of the rolling element housing belt 72 and the friction between the connecting arm portion 61 and the guide groove can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a linear guide that exhibits the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment.

As described above, according to each of the above embodiments, the work of assembling the ball 46 into the rolling element housing belt is facilitated, and the deflection of the rolling element accommodation belt and the friction between the connecting arm portion and the guide groove are suppressed. The rolling element accommodation belt and linear guide which can be provided can be provided.
The linear motion guide device according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the lower rolling element row guide member 40 is provided with the side wall surface 38c only on one side in the thickness direction of the connecting arm portion 61, and the guide groove 38b toward the guide rail 12 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the guide groove in the rolling element raceway 26 may not be provided on both sides of the connecting arm portion 61. Even with such a configuration, according to the rolling element housing belt of each of the above embodiments, the spacer portion does not move to the outer peripheral side of the endless circulation path 28, and thus an effect of preventing the rolling element accommodation belt from popping out is obtained. It is done. Since the space necessary for forming the guide groove can be reduced, the groove on the rolling element guide surface of the guide rail can be made deeper by that amount.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the locus RL drawn by the center in the width direction of the connecting arm portion 61 and the center locus CL of the ball 46 substantially coincide with each other has been described. As shown in FIG. 18, the connecting position is configured at a position shifted by an offset amount S2 on the inner peripheral side of the infinite circulation path 28, and in accordance with this, a guide groove is also provided closer to the inner periphery in the linear portion of the infinite circulation path 28. It may be provided. However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 8C, the connecting arm portion 61 is connected by the offset amount S2 from the center O of the ball 46 toward the inner periphery of the infinite circuit, so that the load rolling element guide is provided. The groove depth W2 of the surface 18 is formed shallower than the groove depth W1 in the above embodiments by an amount corresponding to the offset amount S2. Therefore, in order to keep the contact length between the ball and the rolling element guide surface longer and increase the load capacity of the linear guide, the configurations in the above embodiments are preferable.

Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the surface which faces outside at the edge part of a rolling element accommodation belt is only a rolling element contact surface, ie, only a plane, it is not limited to this, The surface which faces outside at an edge part, It is good also as a structure which left the contact surface as it is like other spacers.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the linear guide 10 having the ball 46 as the rolling element has been described as an example. However, the linear guide device is not limited to this, and the linear guide device can also be applied to a roller guide having a roller as the rolling element. .

It is a perspective view which shows the linear guide which concerns on 1st embodiment of a linear motion guide apparatus provided with the rolling element accommodation belt for linear motion guide apparatuses which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the slider of the linear guide of FIG. 1 in a cross section. It is sectional drawing in the XX line part in the linear guide of FIG. It is a figure explaining a rolling element accommodation belt, The figure (a) is a perspective view which expands and shows a part in the state which expanded and extended the rolling element accommodation belt, The figure (b) is a rolling element accommodation belt. FIG. 3C is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged cross-section of a part of the rolling element housing portion shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing perpendicular | vertical to the longitudinal direction in the rolling element track of the linear guide shown in FIG. The figure (a) is a sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in the rolling element return passage of the linear guide shown in FIG. FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining a modification thereof. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the part of the direction change path of the linear guide shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the linear guide which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the linear guide which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the linear guide which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the linear guide which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of 2nd embodiment of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of 3rd embodiment of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the linear guide of 3rd embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of 4th embodiment of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of 5th embodiment of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the modification of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the modification of the linear motion guide apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the rolling element accommodation belt which concerns on a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Linear guide 12 Guide rail 14 Rolling body guide surface 16 Slider 17 Slider main body 18 Load rolling body guide surface 20 Rolling body return path 22 End cap 24 Direction change path 26 Rolling body track 28 Endless circulation path 38c Side wall surface 24b, 38b, 60 Guide groove 40 Rolling element row guide member 46 Ball (rolling element)
50 Rolling element housing belts 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 Spacer portions 52s, 53s Outer contact surfaces 52u, 53u Inner contact surfaces 51e, 52e, 53e 54u, 54s, 55u, 55s Conical surface (contact surface)
61 connecting arm part 62 rolling element row 72, 73, 74, 75 rolling element accommodation belt A, B, C rolling element accommodation part

Claims (7)

A guide rail having a rolling element guide surface, and a load rolling element that is disposed so as to be relatively movable with respect to the guide rail and that forms a rolling element raceway with the rolling element guide surface so as to face the rolling element guide surface. A slider having a guide surface, a pair of direction changing paths respectively connected to both ends of the rolling element raceway, and a rolling element return passage communicating with the pair of direction changing paths, the rolling element raceway, and the pair of direction changing paths And a plurality of rolling elements that circulate while rolling in an infinite circulation path constituted by the rolling element return passages, and a guide groove formed inside thereof along the infinite circulation path. A plurality of spacers that are used in the apparatus and are interposed between the adjacent rolling elements, and the spacers are connected to each other, and projecting outward from an end surface of the spacers to the guide grooves. Has a guided arm to be guided In the rolling elements accommodation belt aligning the rolling elements housed individually in the rolling element accommodating portion defined by the connecting arm portion and the spacer portion in the alignment direction in the endless circulation passage,
The rolling element housing portion allows the rolling elements accommodated in the rolling element accommodation portion to fall off in at least one of the front and back directions and is incorporated in the endless circulation path. A plurality of spacers simultaneously positioned on the outer surface have outer contact surfaces that contact the rolling elements so that they cannot move in the inner circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path from the assembled state. At least one each of a seat portion and a spacer portion having an inward contact surface that comes into contact with the rolling element so that movement in the outer circumferential direction of the infinite circulation path from the assembled state is impossible. Are included ,
The spacers are provided with two types arranged alternately in the arrangement direction, and these two types of spacers have a rectangular shape when viewed from the arrangement direction, and the front shape is a thin plate. The adjacent spacers are symmetrically formed with respect to a vertical straight line passing through the center of the rolling element and the contact surface of either the outer contact surface or the inner contact surface. A rolling element housing belt for a linear motion guide device, characterized in that each of the curved surfaces is formed by a surface that curves in an S shape so as to follow the surface of the rolling element. The rolling element housing belt is formed in an end shape,
2. The rolling element for a linear motion guide device according to claim 1, wherein spacers located at both ends of the end of the rolling element housing portion have the inward contact surfaces. 3. Containment belt.   The said spacer part has a relief part in the part which opposes the said rolling element in the edge part of the inner peripheral side of the said infinite circuit further than the said inner side contact surface. The rolling element accommodation belt for linear motion guide apparatuses as described in 2. A linear motion guide device comprising the rolling element housing belt for the linear motion guide device according to claim 1. The guide groove is formed so as to circulate the connecting arm portion closer to the inner periphery of the endless circulation path than at the center locus of the rolling element in at least the direction change path of the endless circulation path. The linear motion guide device according to claim 4 . The slider includes a rolling element row guide member that covers an inner surface thereof excluding a portion that becomes the load rolling element guide surface, and the guide groove is formed in the rolling element row guide member.
Guide grooves formed on the rolling element row guide member, the side wall surface of the guide groove, according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it is provided only on one side to at least one of the connecting arm portion Linear motion guide device. The linear motion guide device according to claim 4 , wherein the guide groove is formed other than the rolling element raceway .

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