JP2010078108A - Movement guiding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a movement guiding device which can surely prevent dislocations at connections among a direction transforming path, a load path, and a return path against a force which rolling elements include in entering a direction transforming path and thus can smooth the rolling motion of the rolling elements in an endless circulating path. <P>SOLUTION: The movement guiding device is provided with a number of the rolling elements, a track rail which includes the rolling surface of the rolling elements and a movable block which is incorporated in the track rail via the rolling elements. The movable block includes a block body which includes a load rolled surface composing the load path of the rolling elements by opposing the rolling surface of the track rail and the return path of the rolling elements and a direction transforming member which includes the direction transforming path composing the endless circulating path of the rolling elements by connecting the load path and the return path with each other. The block body includes an accommodation part which accommodates the direction transforming member and a block wall which is formed integrally with the block body and is opposed to the end of the return path via the accommodation part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a motion guide device.

  In a work table of a machine tool and linear guide portions and curved guide portions of various transfer devices, a motion guide device in which a moving block carrying a transfer object such as a table continuously moves along a track rail is frequently used. In this type of motion guide device, the track rail and the moving block are assembled via a large number of rolling elements, and the rolling element rolls while applying a load between the moving block and the track rail. Thus, the object to be transported mounted on the moving block can be easily moved along the track rail. In addition, the moving block has an infinite circulation path of rolling elements, and the moving block can move along the track rail without any restriction by circulating the rolling element in the infinite circulation path. It has become.

  A rolling surface of the rolling element is formed on the track rail along the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the moving block is composed of a block main body and a pair of lids. The block main body has a load rolling surface that faces the rolling surface of the track rail and forms a load passage of the rolling element, and the load rolling surface. A return passage for the rolling elements corresponding to the running surface is provided. Further, by fixing the lid to the front and rear end faces of the block body, the load passage and the return passage are connected, and the moving block is provided with a substantially U-shaped direction change passage for the rolling element. It has become.

As another motion guide device, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-47344 is known. In this motion guide device, an end plate portion corresponding to the lid is formed integrally with the moving member main body by insert molding, and an inner periphery guide of the direction change path is provided at a portion corresponding to the direction change path of the rolling element. A recess corresponding to the portion is formed. A deflector having an outer periphery guide portion of the direction change path is fitted into the recess, and the deflector is configured to hold the direction change path by pressing the deflector with a seal member. With this structure, accurate alignment between the direction change path of the end plate portion and the load path and return path of the moving member is ensured.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-47344

  The motion guide device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-47344 can smooth the rolling motion of the rolling element circulating in the infinite circuit of the rolling element. Since the end plate portion is mounted from the same direction as the running direction, most of the force by the rolling element acts on the deflector, and the deflector itself receiving this force vibrates. Further, a seal member that holds the deflector is partially fixed to the end plate portion by a fixing tool such as a screw. For this reason, when the deflector is pressed by the rolling element, the end plate portion itself is deformed, vibrated, etc., and the fixed position of the deflector may be deviated from the original fixed position. Due to these reasons, there is a possibility that the connecting portion between the direction change path of the lid body and the load passage and the return passage of the block body may be displaced.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the object of the present invention is to resist the force of the rolling element when entering the direction change path and the load path of the direction change path and the block body. There is provided a motion guide device capable of reliably preventing the occurrence of a shift in the connecting portion with the return passage and smoothing the rolling motion of the rolling elements in the infinite circulation path. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, a motion guide apparatus according to the present invention includes a large number of rolling elements, a track rail having a rolling surface of the rolling element along a longitudinal direction, and the track rail via the rolling elements. And a moving block to be assembled.

  The moving block has a load rolling surface that forms a load passage of a rolling element facing the track rail, a block main body having a return passage of the rolling element corresponding to the load passage, the load passage, and the return passage And a direction changing member having a direction changing path that forms an infinite circulation path of the rolling elements by connecting the passages. The block main body is formed integrally with the block main body and a pair of receiving portions that are open toward at least the track rail and receive the direction changing member, with both ends of the return passage being opened. And a block wall portion that forms a part of the housing portion and faces the end of the return passage through the housing portion.

  Moreover, the said block wall part has the positioning part of the said direction change member with respect to the said accommodating part.

  Further, the block wall portion has a locking hole at a position facing the end of the return passage through the housing portion, while the direction changing member is in the state of being housed in the housing portion. Has a protrusion to be locked to the surface.

  Furthermore, the said direction change member combines the 1st component piece which has the outer periphery guide groove of the said direction change path, and the 2nd component piece which has an inner periphery guide groove.

  According to this invention comprised as mentioned above, it is set as the structure which accommodated the said direction change member in the said accommodating part which the said block wall part makes a part, and the direction change path and block main body of the said direction change member It is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of deviation in the connecting portion between the load passage and the return passage.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the motion guide device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of a motion guide device to which the present invention is applied. This motion guide device comprises a long track rail 1 formed in a straight line and a moving block 2 assembled to the track rail 1 via a large number of balls 3. The moving block 2 is a track rail 1. It is configured to freely reciprocate on the track rail 1 so as to straddle the track.

  A rolling surface 11 of the ball 3 is formed on both side surfaces of the track rail 1 along the longitudinal direction. The rolling surface 11 has a cross-sectional circle with a radius of curvature slightly larger than the curvature of the spherical surface of the ball 3. It is formed in an arc shape. A plurality of bolt mounting holes are formed in the track rail 1 at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, and the track rail 1 is used for a bed, a column or the like of various mechanical devices by using the bolt mounting holes. It can be attached to the fixed part.

  On the other hand, the moving block 2 has a guide groove that accommodates a part of the track rail 1 and is disposed so as to straddle the track rail 1. The moving block 2 includes a horizontal portion 2a on which a mounting surface 21 for a conveyance object is formed and a pair of skirt portions 2b orthogonal to the horizontal portion 2a, and is formed in a substantially channel shape in cross section. The horizontal portion 2a is formed with a tapped hole 12 into which the mounting surface 21 and the fixing bolt of the object to be conveyed are screwed, while the load rolling surface 22 of the ball 3 is inside each skirt portion 2b. Is formed. The rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 and the load rolling surface 22 of the moving block 2 face each other, and a load passage 23 in which the ball 3 rolls while applying a load between the moving block 2 and the track rail 1. Configure.

  3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. The moving block 2 is provided with an infinite circulation path through which the balls 3 circulate. The infinite circulation path is composed of the load path 23, a return path 24 of the ball 3 perforated in the skirt portion 2b corresponding to the load path 23, and a direction change path 25. The ball 3 that has finished rolling in the load passage 23 enters the direction changing path 25, and the rolling direction is changed in the opposite direction in the direction changing path 25. Thereafter, the vehicle rolls in the return passage 24 in the direction opposite to that in the load passage 23.

  The moving block 2 includes a block body 4 having the load passage 23 and a return passage 24 and a direction changing member 5 having the direction changing path 25. When the direction changing member 5 is mounted on the block body 4, the endless circulation path is completed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the block body 4. The block main body 4 includes a pair of storage portions 41 for storing the direction changing member 5 and a block wall portion 42 formed integrally with the block main body 4. The accommodating portion 41 is formed at four corners of the block main body 4 at positions separated from the end face of the block main body 4 and corresponds to the direction change path 25 of the infinite circulation path. Further, the return passage 24 of the ball 3 described above is provided in the block body 4 by drilling, and an end portion of the return passage 24 is opened toward the housing portion 41. Further, the accommodating portion 41 is opened toward the track rail 1 so that the ball 3 that has finished rolling on the load passage 23 can be easily picked up to the direction changing path 25. The receiving portion 41 may be open at least toward the track rail 1, but in this embodiment, in order to facilitate the mounting of the direction changing member 5, the outside of the skirt portion 2 b of the block main body 4 is removed. It is also open to the side.

  On the other hand, the block wall portion 42 forms a part of the housing portion 41 and is formed on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the block body 4 from the housing portion 41. The block wall portion 42 is disposed so as to block the rolling direction of the ball 3 that rolls in the load passage 23 or the return passage 24. For this reason, a positioning portion, for example, a locking hole 43 is formed in the block wall portion 42 at a position facing the end portion of the return passage 24 as the return passage 24 is drilled. Further, a notch 44 is formed in the block wall portion 42 along with the grinding of the load rolling surface 22 of the block body 4. According to this, the process of forming the positioning part can be simplified.

  5 to 7 are perspective views showing the configuration pieces of the direction changing member 5. The direction changing member 5 includes a first component piece 51 and a second component piece 52. The first component piece 51 has an outer peripheral guide groove 53 of the direction change path 25 and a pair of concave grooves 54 formed in a semicircular shape above and below the outer peripheral guide groove 53. On the other hand, the second component piece 52 has an inner peripheral guide groove 55 of the direction changing path 25 and a pair of convex portions 56 corresponding to the concave grooves 54. When the convex portion 56 of the second component piece 52 is fitted into the concave groove 54 of the first component piece 51, the diameter of the ball 3 is slightly larger between the outer peripheral guide groove 53 and the inner peripheral guide groove 55. The said direction change path 25 of an internal diameter is completed. Moreover, you may shape | mold the said 1st component piece 51 and the 2nd component piece 52 with a different material according to use environment. For example, when the moving block 2 is moved at high speed with respect to the track rail 1, the material of the first component piece 51 having the outer peripheral guide groove 53 is made to have a lower bending elastic modulus than the second component piece 52. To do. In addition, when the diameter of the ball 3 that rolls in the endless circulation path is small, the turning radius of the direction change path 25 is also small. Therefore, the second component piece 52 may be omitted. Further, on the back surface side of the outer peripheral guide groove 53 of the first component piece 51, the protrusion 57 that is engaged with the engagement hole 43 of the block wall portion 42 and the notch portion 44 of the block wall portion 42 are engaged. A protruding portion 58 is formed.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a mounting method of the direction changing member 5 and the block body 4. The direction changing member 5 is attached to the housing portion 41 of the block body 4 by press-fitting, bonding or the like. When the direction changing member 5 is attached to the accommodating portion 41, the direction changing path 25 of the direction changing member 5 connects the load path 23 and the return path 24, and the infinite circulation path of the ball 3 is completed. In the state where the direction changing member 5 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 41, the direction changing member 5 bisects the gap where the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 and the load rolling surface 22 of the moving block 2 face each other. The surface, that is, the end of the outer peripheral guide groove 53 of the direction changing path 25 protrudes toward the track rail 1 from the center of the ball rolling in the load passage 23. In this state, the end portion of the outer peripheral guide groove 53 functions as a scooping-up portion of the ball 3 that has finished rolling on the load passage 23 and is released from the load. For this reason, the end of the outer circumferential guide groove 53 facilitates the entry of the ball 3 into the direction change path 25, and the circulation of the ball in the endless circulation path can be facilitated.

  Further, in a state where the direction changing member 5 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 41, the protrusion 57 of the first component piece 51 projects into the notch 44 in the locking hole 43 of the block wall portion 42. The parts 58 are respectively locked and positioned at two points. According to this configuration, the block wall portion 42 can reliably position the direction changing member 5 with respect to the rolling direction of the ball 3. Further, as described above, the locking hole 43 and the cutout portion 44 of the block wall portion 42 are formed with processing, so that the positioning for accommodating the direction changing member 5 on the block body 4 side is performed. There is no need to set standards. For this reason, it becomes possible to reduce the processing man-hour of the said block main body 4. FIG.

  And according to the motion guide apparatus of this application comprised as mentioned above, the said block wall part 42 hold | maintains the said direction change member 5 from the rolling direction of the ball | bowl 3, and the ball | bowl 3 becomes the direction change path 55. For example, a force that collides with the direction changing member 5 when entering the vehicle acts on the block wall portion 42. Further, since the block wall portion 42 is formed integrally with the block main body 4, the ball 3 released from the load after rolling over the load passage 23 and the return passage 24 is directed against the direction change member 5. Sufficient fixing force against the force exerted. For this reason, even if the direction changing member 5 is pressed by the ball 3, a shift occurs in the connecting portion between the direction changing path 55 of the direction changing member 5 and the load path 23 and the return path 24 of the moving block 2. Can be reliably prevented.

  In addition, considering the force with which the ball 3 released from the load after rolling through the load passage 23 and the return passage 24 collides against the direction change member 5, for example, the molding material of the direction change member 5 is: It becomes selectable for usage. Therefore, when the moving block 2 is moved at a high speed with respect to the track rail 1, the rolling speed of the ball 3 circulating in the endless circulation path is increased, so that the force with which the ball 3 collides against the direction changing member 5. Becomes larger. In this case, by making the molding material of the direction changing member 5 a material having a low bending elastic modulus, it is possible to reduce the force with which the ball 3 collides against the direction changing member 5. Examples of the material include materials such as elastomer and rubber.

  On the other hand, when the moving block 2 is moved with respect to the track rail 1 at a low speed, the force with which the ball 3 collides against the direction changing member 5 becomes small. Therefore, the molding material for the direction changing member 5 is required to be a material with low rolling resistance of the ball 3 and high wear resistance. Such a material is a material having a high bending elastic modulus. As an example, there is a material such as a composite member in which short fibers are mixed in a resin. From this viewpoint, depending on the intended use, the direction changing member 5 and the block body 4 do not necessarily have to be formed of different materials, and may be formed of the same material.

  Further, in the embodiment that has been described, one rolling surface of the ball is formed on each side surface of the track rail, but even a motion guide device having a larger number of rolling surfaces of the ball, The present invention can be applied.

  Furthermore, the motion guide device of the present invention is a concept including a linear guide device in which the track rail is formed in a linear shape, and a curved guide device in which the track rail is formed in an arc shape with a predetermined curvature. Also, the track rail need not be either linear or arcuate, and may be a combination of these. In addition, the rolling element can be applied to either a ball or a roller.

  Still further, the direction changing member 5 protrudes toward the track rail 1 from a surface that bisects a gap in which the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 and the load rolling surface 22 of the block body 4 face each other. Although it is accommodated in the accommodating portion 41, the protruding portion may be covered with the moving block 2.

It is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a motion guide device to which the present invention is applied. It is a front view of the exercise guidance device concerning an embodiment. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the block main body 4. FIG. It is a perspective view of the front side of the 1st component piece of a direction change member. It is a perspective view of the back side of the 1st component piece of a direction change member. It is a perspective view of the front side of the 2nd component piece of a direction change member. It is a perspective view which shows the mounting method of a direction change member and a block main body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Track rail, 2 ... Moving block, 3 ... Rolling body, 4 ... Block main body, 5 ... Direction change member, 11 ... Rolling surface, 23 ... Load path, 24 ... Return path, 25 ... Direction change path, 41 ... Housing part, 42 ... Block wall part

Claims (4)

A number of rolling elements, a track rail having a rolling surface of the rolling element along the longitudinal direction, and a moving block assembled to the track rail via the rolling elements,
The moving block has a load rolling surface that forms a load path of the rolling element facing the rolling surface of the rolling element of the track rail, and a block main body having a return path of the rolling element parallel to the load path. And a direction changing member having a direction changing path that connects the load path and the return path to form an infinite circulation path of the rolling element,
The block main body is open at both ends of the return passage, and is at least opened toward the track rail and accommodates the direction changing member, and is integrally formed with the block main body to store the block main body. A motion guide device comprising a block wall portion that forms a part of the portion and that faces the end portion of the return passage through the housing portion. The motion guide device according to claim 1, wherein the block wall portion includes a positioning portion of the direction changing member with respect to the housing portion. The block wall portion has a locking hole at a position facing the end of the return passage through the housing portion, while the direction changing member is engaged with the locking hole in a state of being housed in the housing portion. 3. The motion guide device according to claim 1, further comprising a protrusion that stops. 4. The direction change member is formed by combining a first component piece having an outer peripheral guide groove of the direction change path and a second component piece having an inner peripheral guide groove. The motion guide device according to 1.

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