JP5092083B2 - Linear motion guide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear guide device using a guide post, and more specifically to a positioning mechanism for a retainer that holds a large number of rolling elements such as balls and rollers, and the retainer is regulated by a rack and pinion mechanism. As for what prevents the position from shifting in the axial direction, the retainer and the sleeve can be easily assembled to the guide post, and the assembly position can be easily and accurately defined.

A linear motion guide device in which a retainer and a sleeve are slidably fitted to a guide post and the sleeve is guided by the guide post via a rolling element with high accuracy is conventionally known. In such a linear guide device, the rolling element microslips against the guide post and the rolling surface of the sleeve due to inertia and gravity due to reciprocating motion, slippage during operation, etc., and the longitudinal position of the retainer shifts, In extreme cases, the retainer may pop out and become inoperable at the top dead center and bottom dead center of the reciprocating motion.
In order to prevent the position shift of the retainer as described above, there is a type in which a coil spring is fitted to the guide post to support the retainer, and there is a type in which the reciprocating movement of the retainer is mechanically restricted by a rack and pinion mechanism. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-346064: Patent Document 1).

  The linear guide device for driving the retainer by the rack and pinion mechanism is as shown in FIG. 15, and the rack and pinion mechanism is constituted by the rack gear 41a of the guide post 41, the rack gear 42a of the sleeve 42, and the pinion gear 44 of the retainer 43. Has been. If the sleeve 42 slides while the rack and pinion mechanism is engaged, the retainer 43 is reliably reciprocated at a speed half that of the reciprocating movement of the sleeve 42 by the driving force of the rack and pinion mechanism. There is no deviation of the direction position. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 30 denotes a rolling element such as a ball that is held by the retainer 43 and disposed between the guide post 41 and the sleeve 42.

  By the way, in the prior art (FIG. 15), the rotation shaft of the pinion gear 44 is inserted into the shaft hole of the retainer 43 and supported rotatably, and the rack gear 41a on the outer surface of the guide post 41 and the inner surface of the sleeve 42 are supported. Each rack gear 42a is provided over the entire length. In this linear motion guide device, a retainer 43 is fitted to a guide post 41, its pinion gear 44 is engaged with a rack gear 41a of the guide post 41, moved to a predetermined assembly start position A position, and stopped at the position A. 42, the rack gear 42a of the sleeve 42 is engaged with the pinion gear 44, the sleeve 42 is moved to the assembly position B, and the assembly is completed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, a linear motion guide device in which a slide member 52 is guided in a horizontal direction on a support rail 51 and restricts the reciprocation of the retainer 53 by a rack and pinion mechanism. The held pinion gear 54 can be detachably attached to the retainer 53, and the retainer 53 is assembled to a predetermined position of the support rail 51, and then the pinion gear 54 is inserted into the elongated hole 53 of the retainer 54 at that position. The shaft 54b is dropped into the recess 53c opened on the upper surface and supported and assembled, and meshed with the rack gear 51a of the support rail 51, and then the slide member 52 is assembled to mesh the rack gear 52a with the pinion gear 54. (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-4091: Patent Document 2).

  Unlike the guide post 41 shown in FIG. 15, the linear guide device shown in FIG. 17 does not need to be engaged with the pinion gear 54 from the end of the rack gear 51a of the support rail 51, and is thus supported at an arbitrary position. The pinion gear 54 can be meshed with the rack gear 51a of the rail 51, and the rack gear 52a of the slide member 52 can be brought close to the support rail 51 at that position to mesh the rack gear 52a with the pinion gear 54 (FIG. 17). In this case, since the assembly position of the slide member 52 with respect to the support rail 51 can be arbitrarily selected, the operating range of the linear motion guide device can be appropriately selected at the time of assembly.

In Patent Document 1, the pinion gear 44 is inserted into the elongated hole of the cylindrical retainer 43 and held by the retainer 43, and the shaft of the pinion gear 44 is inserted into the shaft hole and held rotatably. Must be divided, and its structure becomes complicated. Further, in this case, if the assembled linear motion guide device is inadvertently placed vertically, the sleeve 42 may fall by its weight (FIG. 16), and the rack gears 41a and 42a may come off from the pinion gear 44.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, since the retainer 53 is provided with a long hole 53 and a bearing recess 53c, and the shaft 54b of the pinion gear 54 is dropped into the recess 53c, the structure of the retainer 53 is simple (FIG. 17 ( b) (c)).

  By the way, in the linear motion guide device using the guide post that drives the retainer with the rack and pinion mechanism (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707), the sleeve 43 is fitted with the pinion gear 44 engaged with the rack gear 41a of the guide post, and at this time the pinion gear is fitted. 44 is engaged with the teeth of the outer end of the rack gear 42 a of the sleeve 42. Further, the sleeve 43 is pushed in with the teeth at the end of the rack gear 42 a of the sleeve 43 engaged with the pinion gear 44. At this time, together with the sleeve 42, the retainer 43 moves forward with respect to the guide post 41 at a speed ½ of the traveling speed, and the retainer 43 fits into the sleeve 42 while moving backward with respect to the sleeve 42.

The sleeve 43 reciprocates with a predetermined stroke at the assembled position. In order for the retainer 43 to be accommodated in the sleeve 42 when the sleeve 42 advances to the predetermined operating position and the assembly is completed, the pinion gear 44 is moved to the sleeve at the predetermined assembly start position A (FIG. 15) defined with respect to the guide post 41. Although it is necessary to mesh the rack gear 42a of 42 with the pinion gear 44, it is not easy to position the pinion gear 44 with respect to the guide post 41 accurately and easily.
On the other hand, in a linear guide device using a guide post, it is most important to have a predetermined linear motion accuracy, low sliding resistance, and high durability. It is important that the retainer and the sleeve be assembled in a predetermined operating position accurately and reliably with respect to the guide post.
Therefore, the above problem is a very serious problem for a highly accurate linear motion guide device.
JP 2000-346064 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-4091

The present invention relates to a linear motion guide device in which the rack pinion gear of the retainer is engaged with the rack gear of the guide post and the rack gear of the sleeve, and the reciprocating motion of the retainer is driven by the rack and pinion mechanism.
The task is to devise the structure of the retainer and the rack gear of the guide post so that the position of the retainer relative to the guide post at the start of assembly, i.e., the assembly start position of the pinion is mechanically accurately and easily defined. To do.

A means for solving the above-mentioned problem is that a cylindrical sleeve is inserted into the guide post, and a cylindrical retainer holding a large number of rolling elements is disposed in the gap between the guide post and the sleeve. The following (a) and (b) are based on a linear motion guide device in which the rack and pinion gears of the retainer are meshed with the rack gear of the sleeve and the rack gear of the sleeve and the reciprocation of the retainer is regulated by the rack and pinion mechanism.
(A) The pinion gear is detachably disposed in the retainer window hole,
(B) A land portion where no gear is engraved is provided at one end of the rack gear of the guide post, and this land portion defines an assembly start position of the pinion gear and sets an operation position of the sleeve and the retainer after the sleeve is assembled. Be a positioning reference member.

[Action]
With the retainer window hole aligned with the rack gear of the guide post, the retainer is fitted to the guide post, the pinion gear is fitted into the window hole and meshed with the rack gear of the guide post, and the land portion at the end of the rack gear is engaged. Make contact. When this position is set to an assembly start position, the sleeve is fitted, the rack gear of the sleeve is meshed with the pinion gear, and the sleeve is moved, the sleeve and the retainer are assembled at a predetermined operation position with respect to the guide post.

  The land portions can be provided at both ends of the guide post. In this case, the retainer and the sleeve can be assembled in the same manner from either of the left and right ends. When the pinion gear hits the land portion opposite to the assembly side, the retainer and the sleeve are further prevented from proceeding. Therefore, the retainer and the sleeve do not come off the guide post to the side opposite to the assembly side of the sleeve.

  The rack gear and the land portion of the guide post are divided into a rack portion in which the rack gear is engraved and a land portion in which the rack gear is not provided in an axial groove provided in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the guide post. A band plate material formed on another member or the same member can be fixed. The rack gear of the sleeve can be configured by fixing a strip plate material in which the rack gear is engraved in an axial groove provided on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve over the entire axial length. In this way, by configuring the rack gear and land portion separately from the guide post and sleeve, the strip plate material forming the rack gear and land portion can be easily produced by pressing or the like. By preparing them in advance and fixing them to the guide posts and sleeves, the guide posts and sleeves provided with rack gears and land portions can be manufactured easily and in a short period of time. In addition, if the rack part and the land part are formed of strip members that are formed as separate members, the length of the rack gear and the position of the land part in the guide post can be easily set. On the other hand, when the rack portion and the land portion are formed of the same member, a structure for assembling the rack portion and the land portion to the guide post can be easily formed.

  The rack gear and the land portion of the guide post can be formed directly on the outer peripheral surface of the guide post. As described above, the rack gear and the land portion are integrally formed on the guide post, and compared with a case where the rack gear and the land portion are separately formed, the guide post is used for fixing the band plate material forming the rack gear and the land portion. Since it is not necessary to form an axial groove, the rigidity of the guide post can be maintained in a strong state.

  In addition, a bearing for disposing the pinion gear shaft is formed in the window hole provided in the retainer, and this bearing is formed larger than the outer diameter of the pinion gear shaft so that the pinion gear is arranged forward and backward in the advance direction of the retainer. You may make it provide the clearance gap (play) which becomes movable. In this case, when the sleeve is fitted to the guide post and assembled, when the rack gear of the sleeve comes into contact with the pinion gear at the assembly start position, the pinion gear moves back and forth in the advance direction of the retainer and engages with the rack gear of the sleeve. The alignment position is automatically adjusted. Therefore, the pinion gear is smoothly meshed with the rack gear of the sleeve, and the sleeve can be smoothly assembled to the guide post.

  Further, at the entrance of the bearing in the window hole, a tongue piece for guiding the shaft of the pinion gear can be formed facing the front and rear in the advancing direction of the retainer. In this case, the pinion gear arranged on the bearing by the tongue piece The shaft can be arranged at a substantially central position of the bearing. Accordingly, friction at the pinion gear shaft is reduced, and the pinion gear can be rotated smoothly.

  According to the present invention, the guide post is provided with a land portion that does not cut the gear at one end of the rack gear, so that the assembly start position of the retainer and the sleeve with respect to the guide post at the start of the assembly can be mechanically accurately, easily and easily performed. Can be prescribed. At the same time, the operating positions of the retainer and sleeve after assembly can be set accurately and easily.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the linear guide device according to the embodiment, a cylindrical sleeve 12 is inserted through a guide post 11, and a large number of rolling elements (rollers 31, roller) are inserted in the gap between the guide post 11 and the sleeve 12. Ball retainer 13 holding balls 32 and the like) 30 is disposed. The guide post 11 is made of a metal such as steel, cemented carbide, stainless steel, etc., is composed of a hollow shaft provided with a center hole, and has an outer peripheral surface of a polygonal shape (hexagonal shape). It is made of metal such as steel, cemented carbide, stainless steel, etc., and its inner peripheral surface is a polygonal shape (hexagonal shape) similar to the outer peripheral surface of the guide post 11. The retainer 13 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a polygonal (hexagonal) cylindrical shape that matches the shape and size of the gap between the guide post 11 and the sleeve 12. A number of rollers 31 and balls 32 are rotatably held by the retainer 13 as rolling elements 30. That is, the roller 31 is disposed on each planar portion of the retainer 13, and the ball 32 is disposed at two corners straddling one corner. The roller 31 and the ball 32 are made of various metals, ceramics, and the like. The rollers 31 and the balls 32 are sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the guide post 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 12 so as to freely roll. In the guide post 11, a semicircular groove is formed at the corner corresponding to the ball 32.

  Referring also to FIG. 2, the guide post 11 is provided with two axial grooves 15 on its outer peripheral surface so as to face each other. It is provided over the entire length of the moving part. The axial groove 15 is provided at a corner of the polygonal cross section of the guide post 11. Each axial groove 15 is fitted and fixed with a rack member 11a made of a strip plate material in which a rack gear is engraved on one side and a land member 20 having a land portion made of a flat surface. The land member 20 is a positioning reference member that is assembled to the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13, and is provided at both ends of the guide post 11 in contact with the end of the rack member 11 a. The land member 20 is a member having a land portion that is formed of a band plate material but is not provided with a rack gear. The land members 20 at both ends of the guide post 11 are set to the same length.

  Further, referring also to FIG. 2, the sleeve 12 is provided with two axial grooves 16 on the inner peripheral surface thereof, and these axial grooves 16 are provided over the entire length of the sleeve 12. Yes. The axial groove 16 is provided at a corner of the polygonal cross section of the sleeve 12 and faces the axial groove 16 of the guide post 11. In each axial groove 16, a rack member 12a made of a strip plate material having a rack gear engraved on one side is fitted and fixed over the entire length.

  The land member 20 and the rack member 11a of the guide post 11 and the rack member 12a of the sleeve 12 can be formed of a material such as a metal such as steel or stainless steel, a ceramic, or a synthetic resin. The rack gears of the rack members 11a and 12a can be formed by pressing, molding, cutting, electric discharge machining, or the like, but the tooth mold itself may be formed as a complete gear as shown in FIG. However, it may be an incomplete gear (FIG. 3B) in which a large number of grooves are formed on a plane.

  On the other hand, referring also to FIG. 4, the retainer 13 is provided with two window holes 18 facing the axial center position at the corners of the polygonal peripheral wall. These window holes 18 are formed in a cross shape including a through hole 18a extending in the axial direction and a bearing 18b having a recess extending in the circumferential direction. A pinion gear 14 is disposed in each window hole 18.

  As the pinion gear 14, for example, a metal shaft provided with a resin gear, all of which are made of resin, metal, ceramic, or the like can be used. As shown in FIG. 5, various tooth shapes such as an involute shape (FIG. 5 (a)) and a cycloid shape (FIG. 5 (b)) are adopted as the tooth shape in the pinion gear 14. Therefore, a shape approximating a cycloid curve in which the tooth root is thick is preferable.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the bearing 18 b of the window hole 18 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the shaft of the pinion gear 14 so that the pinion gear 14 can move back and forth in the advancing direction (axial direction) of the retainer 13. (Gap 19) is provided. Further, a tongue piece 18c for guiding the shaft of the pinion gear 14 is formed at the entrance of the bearing 18b so as to oppose the front and rear (FIG. 6 (a)). The shaft of the pinion gear 14 arranged on the bearing by these tongue pieces 18c is arranged at a substantially central position of the bearing. Accordingly, friction at the shaft of the pinion gear 14 is reduced, and the rotation of the pinion gear 14 can be made smooth. As a means for arranging the shaft of the pinion gear 14 at a substantially central position of the bearing 18b, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, a pair of coil springs 18d is attached to the bearing 18b instead of the tongue 18c. Various other means may be used such as one that pinches the shaft of the pinion gear 14.

  Further, since the gap 19 is provided in the bearing 18 in the retainer 13, when the sleeve 12 is fitted to the guide post 11 and assembled, the rack gear in the rack member 12 a of the sleeve 12 contacts the pinion gear 14 at the assembly start position. When contacted, the pinion gear 14 moves back and forth in the advance direction of the retainer 13 and the meshing position of the sleeve 12 with the rack gear is automatically adjusted. Therefore, the pinion gear 14 is smoothly meshed with the rack gear of the sleeve 12, and the sleeve 12 can be smoothly assembled to the guide post 11.

The linear motion guide device is assembled in the following procedure.
First, the retainer 13 is fitted to the guide post 11 with the window hole 18 of the retainer 13 matched with the rack member 11 a of the guide post 11, and the pinion gear 14 is fitted to the window hole 18 to fit the rack member 11 a of the guide post 11. The retainer 13 is moved and brought into contact with the land member 20 at the end of the rack member 11a. The retainer 13 is stopped at this position where the pinion gear 14 is in contact with the land member 20, the rack member 12 a of the sleeve 12 is matched with the rack member 11 a of the guide post 11, and the sleeve 12 is fitted to the guide post 11.

As shown in FIG. 7, a state where the pinion gear 14 of the retainer 13 reaches the end of the land member 20 of the guide post 11 and the end of the sleeve 12 reaches the pinion gear 14 is an assembly start position A. Then, the sleeve 12 is moved from the assembly start position A so that the pinion gear 14 is engaged with the rack gear of the rack member 12 a of the sleeve 12, and the sleeve 12 is further moved and fitted into the guide post 11. Then, the pinion gear 14 meshes with the rack gears of the rack members 11a and 12a to assemble the rack and pinion mechanism. At the same time, the retainer 13 is in the same direction with respect to the guide post 11 by 1/2 of the axial movement amount of the sleeve 12. It moves into the sleeve 12 while moving. As a result, the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13 are naturally assembled to the guide post 11 at a predetermined operation position. In other words, at the initial position B of this operation position, the retainer 13 is a position that has reached the substantially central position of the sleeve 12. Therefore, in the linear guide device assembled in this way, each rolling element 30 held by the retainer 13 during the reciprocating motion of the sleeve 12 is between the outer peripheral surface of the guide post 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 12. It is pinched and can be rolled.
In this way, the assembly of the linear motion guide device is completed.

  Since the land members 20 at both ends of the guide post 11 have the same length, the sleeve 12 can be assembled at a predetermined operating position by the above procedure without distinguishing both ends of the guide post 11. It is also possible to make the lengths of the land members 20 at both ends different. In this case, the assembly start position A differs depending on the length of the land member 20, and the operation position after the assembly differs. 20 can be selected and used.

  As described above, according to the linear motion guide device according to the present embodiment, rack gears are provided on the guide post 11 and the sleeve 12, and the pinion gear 14 is provided on the retainer 13, thereby constituting a rack and pinion mechanism. The reciprocating motion of the retainer 13 is regulated by the pinion mechanism, thereby preventing the retainer 13 from being displaced and slipping on the rolling surface of the rolling element 30 (the outer peripheral surface of the guide post 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 12). be able to. Therefore, during the relative reciprocation of the sleeve 12, the rolling elements 30 held by the retainer 13 are always held between the outer peripheral surface of the guide post 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 12 and roll. Therefore, even if this linear motion guide device is used for a long period of time, it is possible to greatly suppress aging degradation.

  Further, if the preload in the linear motion guide device is low preload of, for example, 2 μm or less, the rolling elements are likely to slip. Therefore, the rack and pinion mechanism has a retainer of such a low preload. This is effective for regulating positional deviation. In this case, since the preload of the linear motion guide device is low, the sliding resistance is small and durability is high, and the rack and pinion mechanism prevents the retainer from being displaced. The accuracy can be demonstrated over a long period of time.

  In particular, according to the linear motion guide device, the land member 20 provided at the end of the rack member 11 a in the guide post 11 serves as a positioning reference member for assembling the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13 to the guide post 11. Therefore, by providing this land member 20, the position of the retainer 13 and the sleeve 12 relative to the guide post 11 at the start of assembly, that is, the assembly start position A of the rack and pinion mechanism is mechanically accurately and easily defined. be able to. At the same time, the operating positions of the retainer 13 and the sleeve 12 after assembly can be set accurately and easily.

  If the land member 20 is shortened, the predetermined operating position of the sleeve 12 can be set to the position of the guide post 11 close to the assembly side, and conversely, if the land member 20 is lengthened, it is farther from the assembly side. The operating position of the sleeve 12 can be set at the position of the guide post 11. In this manner, the sleeve 12 can be mechanically and accurately assembled at a predetermined operating position simply by adjusting the length of the land member 20.

  Further, after assembling the linear motion guide device, when the pinion gear 14 hits the end of the land member 20 on the side opposite to the assembly side, the retainer 13 cannot be advanced any further, and the retainer 13 does not move on the land member 20 on the opposite side. It does not escape in the direction (see FIG. 8). Therefore, even if the land member 20 on the opposite side is positioned downward and the upper portion of the guide post 11 is gripped and lifted, the pinion gear 14 contacts the land member 20 and the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13 are inadvertently inadvertent. You will not fall out of it. In other words, the sleeve 12 is externally fitted to the guide post 11 so as to sandwich the rolling element 30 with the guide post 11 in a preload state, and therefore, the sleeve 12 is not moved unless the rolling element 30 slips. Thus, the land member 20 also serves as a stopper for preventing the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13 from falling off.

  The linear motion guide device includes two rack and pinion mechanisms including rack members 11a and 12a and a pinion gear 14, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis. As a result, the driving force by the rack and pinion mechanism acts symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the retainer 13, so that the reciprocating motion of the retainer 13 is smoother than that when acting in a biased manner. The load due to the reciprocating motion is distributed to each pinion gear 14.

(Other)
Although two pinion gears 14 are arranged on the retainer 13 so as to face each other, the pinion gear 14 may be arranged only in one window hole 18 and the pinion gear 14 may not be arranged in the other window hole 18. Thereby, since it assembles by meshing | engaging one pinion gear 14, the assembly | attachment of the retainer 13 and the sleeve 12 can be performed easily.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the retainer 13, a plurality of (for example, two) pinion gears 14 can be arranged side by side in the same axial direction. Thereby, even if one pinion gear 14 is damaged, it can be avoided that the linear motion guide device becomes inoperable due to the remaining pinion gear 14. In this case, even if the length of the land member 20 is constant, any one pinion gear 14 is selected and brought into contact with the land member 20, so that the pinion gear 14 determines the assembly start position A of the sleeve 12. Since the reference gear is used, the operating positions of the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13 can be appropriately changed.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the retainer 13, a plurality of window holes 18 may be provided side by side in the same axial direction, and the pinion gear 14 may be disposed in any one of the window holes 18. In this case, even if the length of the land member 20 is constant, the assembly start position A of the sleeve 12 is determined by the position of the window hole 18 in which the pinion gear 14 is disposed, so that the operating position of the sleeve 12 and the retainer 13 is determined. Can be changed as appropriate.

  The window hole 18 of the retainer 13 may be a cross hole in which the bearing 18b on which the shaft of the pinion gear 14 is disposed is also a through hole. Thereby, formation of the said window hole 18 becomes easy. In this case, the pinion gear 14 is disposed in the window hole 18 in a state in which the retainer 13 is fitted to the guide post 11, and the pinion gear 14 is rotatably disposed on the retainer 13 by externally fitting the sleeve 12. It becomes a state.

Further, when the window hole 18 is a through hole, the window hole 18 has a size that forms a gap 19 that allows the pinion gear 14 to move forward and backward in the advancing direction of the retainer 13 as shown in FIG. You may make it form the tongue piece 18c before and behind the hole 18. FIG.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the window hole 18 of the retainer 13 may be a rectangular through hole, for example, and the bearing member G on which the pinion gear 14 is disposed may be fitted into the window hole 18. . This facilitates the formation of the window hole 18 in the retainer 13. At the same time, it becomes easy to process the bearing member G into various forms. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, it is easy to form the hole g31 and the recesses G2 to G4 in the bearing member G separate from the retainer 13 so that the shaft holding portion of the pinion gear 14 becomes the elastic portion D. Thus, the pinion gear 14 can be moved back and forth in the advance direction of the retainer 13.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the bearing member G can be loosely fitted to the window hole 18 formed by the through hole of the retainer 13 so as to be movable forward and backward in the advance direction of the retainer 13. In addition, the pinion gear 14 together with the bearing member G can be moved back and forth in the advance direction of the retainer 13.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a pinion gear 14 having a shaft diameter R larger than the thickness t of the side wall of the retainer 13 can be used. In this case, the strength of the shaft of the pinion gear 14 is increased and is not easily broken. Therefore, it is advantageous in that the pinion shaft can be made of plastic as well as the pinion gear, and the pinion gear can be integrally formed of plastic.

  Two rack gears of the guide post 11 are provided, but only one rack gear may be provided. In this case, the manufacturing man-hour of the guide post 11 is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. Similarly, if only one rack gear of the sleeve 12 is provided, the man-hours for manufacturing the sleeve 12 are reduced, and the manufacturing cost is also reduced.

  The land member 20 can also be formed integrally with the end of the rack member 11a. In this case, the assembly structure of the land member 20 and the rack member 11a to the guide post 11 can be simplified.

  The rack gear and land portion of the guide post 11 may be formed directly on the outer peripheral surface of the guide post 11, and the rack gear of the sleeve 12 may be formed directly on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 12. In this way, the rack gear and the land portion are formed integrally with the guide post 11 and the sleeve 12, so that the rack gear and the land portion are formed on the guide post 11 and the sleeve 12 as compared with the case where the rack gear and the land portion are separately formed. Since it is not necessary to form the axial grooves 15 and 16 for fixing the belt plate material to be performed, the rigidity of the guide post 11 and the sleeve 12 can be kept strong.

  The land portion may be disposed only on one end side of the rack gear. Thereby, the manufacturing man-hour of the guide post 11 is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

  The guide post 11, the sleeve 12, and the retainer 13 can employ various shapes such as those having various polygonal shapes and circular shapes. In addition, the rolling elements 30 can be of various shapes such as various rollers 31 and balls 32.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the linear motion guide apparatus by embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the linear guide apparatus by embodiment. It is the model which shows the example of the tooth type of the rack gear of a guide post and a sleeve, The figure (a) is what was formed in the perfect gear, The figure (b) is what was formed in the incomplete gear, respectively. Show. It is a side view of a retainer. It is a schematic diagram which shows the form of a pinion gear, The figure (a) shows the thing of an involute tooth type, and the figure (b) shows the thing of a cycloid tooth type, respectively. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the window hole provided in the retainer, The figure (a) shows what provided the tongue piece in the window hole, and the figure (b) shows what attached the coil spring to the window hole, respectively. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the assembly of the linear guide apparatus by embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state in which the pinion gear contact | abutted to the land part on the opposite side to the assembly side in the linear motion guide apparatus by embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which has arrange | positioned two pinion gears. It is a side view showing an example which provided a plurality of window holes in a retainer. It is a block diagram which shows a modification as a window hole which arrange | positions the pinion gear of a retainer. It is a block diagram which shows another modification as a window hole which arrange | positions the pinion gear of a retainer. It is a block diagram which shows another modification as a window hole which arrange | positions the pinion gear of a retainer. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a pinion gear. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the linear motion guide apparatus of a prior art. It is explanatory drawing of the state which the sleeve and retainer of the linear guide device of a prior art fall. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the other linear motion guide apparatus of another prior art.

Explanation of symbols

11: Guide post 11a: Rack gear 12 of guide post 12: Sleeve 12a: Rack gear 13 of sleeve 13: Retainer 14: Pinion gear 18: Window hole 19: Clearance 20: Land portion

Claims (6)

A cylindrical sleeve is inserted into the guide post, and a cylindrical retainer holding a number of rolling elements is disposed in the gap between the guide post and the sleeve. The rack gear of the guide post and the rack gear of the sleeve are pinion gears of the retainer. Is a linear motion guide device in which the reciprocating motion of the retainer is regulated by a rack and pinion mechanism,
The pinion gear is detachably disposed in the retainer window hole,
A positioning reference member in which a land portion where no gear is engraved is provided at one end of the rack gear of the guide post, the land portion defines an assembly start position of the pinion gear, and an operating position of the sleeve and the retainer after the sleeve assembly is set A linear motion guide device.   The linear motion guide device according to claim 1, wherein the land portions are provided at both ends of the guide post. The rack gear and the land portion of the guide post are different from each other in that the rack portion in which the rack gear is engraved in the axial groove provided in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the guide post and the land portion in which the rack gear is not provided are separate members or the same. It is configured by fixing the strip material formed on the member,
The linear guide according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rack gear of the sleeve is configured by fixing a strip plate material in which the rack gear is engraved in an axial groove provided on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve over the entire axial length. apparatus.   4. The linear guide device according to claim 1, wherein the rack gear and the land portion of the guide post are formed directly on the outer peripheral surface of the guide post.   The window hole is formed with a bearing for disposing the pinion gear shaft, and this bearing is formed larger than the outer diameter of the pinion gear shaft so that the pinion gear can move forward and backward in the advance direction of the retainer. The linear guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is provided.   6. A linear motion guide device according to claim 5, wherein a tongue piece for guiding the shaft of the pinion gear is formed at the entrance of the bearing so as to oppose the front and rear in the advance direction of the retainer.

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