JP5321051B2 - Linear motion guide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear motion guide device that guides an object that reciprocates linearly.

  Generally, a linear motion guide device (linear guide) used in a machine tool or the like is engaged with a long guide rail formed in a straight line and straddles the guide rail so as to extend along the guide rail. And a sliding bearing. A raceway surface composed of a plurality of arc-shaped grooves is formed along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail on both sides of the guide rail and inside the bearing. A plurality of rolling elements (balls) are formed in the raceway surface. Circulating movement enables smooth reciprocating movement with extremely low frictional resistance.

In such a linear motion guide device, it is necessary to periodically replenish the lubricant through a grease nipple or the like in order to prevent seizure of the rolling elements. For this reason, the conventional linear motion guide device is a plate-like lubricant application member made of a polymer material containing a lubricant between the side seal and the end cap, as shown in, for example, Patent Document 1 below. By interposing, the lubricant is supplied to the rolling elements and the raceway surface for a long period of time to prevent seizure of the rolling elements.
JP-A-9-111551

By the way, in order to replace this lubricant application member with a new lubricant application member, it is necessary to remove parts and screws for fixing the lubricant application member each time, which requires a lot of time and labor. There is.
That is, since the conventional lubricant application member is fixed to the bearing together with the end cap by a plurality of fixing screws and fixing members, when replacing the lubricant application member, all the fixing screws are fixed together with the fixing parts to the end cap. It is necessary to remove it once and replace it after replacement, which is not easy.

Further, since all the fixing screws and fixing parts are removed from the end cap, there is a possibility that a part of the fixing screws and the fixing parts that have been removed may be lost in some cases.
Also, when trying to mount again, there is a problem that the work is difficult because the parts and fixing screws are small. In particular, when working with this linear motion guide device incorporated in a mechanical device, the work becomes even more difficult, and the removed parts and fixing screws can be dropped inside the machine or lost. There is a high possibility that it will end.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel linear motion guide device capable of easily and surely replacing the lubricant application member. .

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides:
A linear motion guide device having a case for housing a lubricant application member at an end of a bearing that slides along a guide rail, and a cover member for holding the lubricant application member in the case. A screw fixing portion in which one end of the cover member is attached to the case via a hinge portion, and the other end of the cover member is screwed to a screw fixing piece extending from the case to the case. The screw fixing portion can be screwed to the screw fixing portion, and a screw hole of the screw fixing portion is formed in a groove shape partially opened in a distal direction of the screw fixing piece, and the hinge portion is formed from the cover member. A pair of hinge pieces extending to the side surface of the case, and a pair of pins formed on the side surface of the case to be fitted in the pin holes of each hinge piece, and a protrusion in the vicinity of the pin Form With a linear guide apparatus, characterized in that the formation of the projection and the engaging portion that engages when opening the cover member to the hinge piece.

In addition, the second invention,
In the first invention,
The linear guide device is characterized in that a protrusion that engages the head of the screw is formed at the tip of the screw fixing piece .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to completely remove the cover member and the fixing screw when the lubricant application member is replaced with a new one. Therefore, the replacement operation of the lubricant application member can be performed easily and reliably in a short time. be able to. In addition, loss of the cover member and fixing screw is prevented. As a result, it is also possible to avoid a situation in which a lost member is mixed into the mechanical device and causes an unexpected trouble.

In addition, according to the second invention, even if the fixing screw fixing the screw fixing piece of the cover member is loosened during use or the like, the protrusion of the screw fixing piece is caught on the head of the fixing screw. The cover member does not open.
According to the first invention, since the protrusion is provided in the vicinity of the pin constituting the hinge part and the engaging part is formed on the hinge piece fitted to the pin, the cover member is opened from the cover member in a state where the cover member is opened widely. Since the state can be maintained even if the cover is released, the replacement work of the lubricant application member in the case can be easily performed with one hand.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 and 2 show a slide table device 200 using a linear motion guide device 100 according to the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the slide table device 200 includes a base 300 fixed at a predetermined position and a rectangular slide table 400.

The slide table 400 has a lower surface portion 410 facing the upper surface portion 310 of the base 300, and a nut 510 of a ball screw device 500 that feeds and drives the slide table 400 is fixed to the lower surface portion 410. .
The ball screw device 500 includes a screw shaft 520 that is screwed into a nut 510 via a large number of balls (not shown).

The screw shaft 520 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearing portions 530 and 530 provided on the base 300 in the vicinity of both ends, and the screw shaft 520 is fed and driven to one end portion of the screw shaft 520. A motor shaft of the ball screw driving motor 540 is connected via a coupling 550.
The ball screw driving motor 540 is fixed to the base 300, and a pair of linear motion guide devices 100 and 100 are provided on the upper surface portion 310 of the base 300 to guide the slide table 400 in the axial direction of the ball screw device 500. 100 are installed parallel to each other.

Although a combination of a ball screw and a motor is used as the drive mechanism of the slide table 400, another appropriate one such as a linear motor may be used instead. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a slide table device that does not have a drive mechanism.
The linear motion guide devices 100 and 100 each include a guide rail 110 formed in a linear shape and a pair of bearings 120 and 120 that move relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 110, as shown in FIG. In addition, a plurality of spherical rolling elements (balls) 130 are incorporated in the bearings 120 and 120 so as to be freely circulated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bearings 120, 120 face the rolling element rolling grooves 111, 111, 111, 111 respectively formed on the both side surfaces of the guide rail 110 having a rectangular cross section. A downward U-shaped bearing body 121 having rolling element rolling grooves 131, 131, 131, 131, and a pair of end caps 122, 122 attached to both ends of the bearing body 121, as shown in FIG. A plurality of return guides (not shown) incorporated in the end caps 122, 122 are provided. In FIG. 3, reference numerals 124, 124, 124, and 124 denote circulation paths through which the spherical rolling elements (balls) 130 circulate in the bearing body 121.

A plurality of screw holes 123 are formed in the upper surface portion of the bearing body 121. As shown in FIG. 3, the slide table fixing bolts 410 are screwed into the screw holes 123 to slide. The table 400 is fixed so as to be placed on the upper surface of the bearing body 121.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, end caps 122, 122 provided on both ends of the bearing body 121 are provided with cases 140, 140, respectively. Each of the side seals 150 and the lubricant application member 160 is accommodated.

As shown in FIG. 5, the case 140 is composed of a downward U-shaped case main body 141 having an open end, and is fixed to the end surface of the bearing main body 121 together with the end cap 122 by a pair of mounting screws (not shown). It has become.
Further, pins 142 and 142 for attaching a cover member 170 to be described later are provided at the upper portions on both sides of the case main body 141, and screw holes 143 and 143 are formed at the lower portions thereof.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, a protrusion 144 that maintains the open / closed state of a cover member 170 described later is formed in the vicinity of one pin 142.
In addition, a fitting portion 145 extending in the thickness direction is formed at the inner center upper portion of the case main body 141 so that a lubricant application member 160 described later can be easily and accurately set in the case main body 141. It has become.

Further, on both side surfaces of the case main body 141, windows 146 and 146 opened to the opening are formed, respectively, and a lubricant application member 160 (to be described later) is gripped with pliers or the like to be detached. The work can be done easily.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5E, slits 147 and 147 opened on the opening side are formed on the upper left and right sides of the case main body 141, and the case main body 141 in which pins 142 and 142 are formed. The side surface portion of this can be easily bent and deformed inside.
The cases 140 and 140 can be easily formed by, for example, injection molding of resin or the like.

As shown in FIG. 6, the side seal 150 is provided with a seal member 152 along the inner edge of a plate-shaped seal body 151 having a downward U-shape, and the seal member 152 is a surface of the guide rail 10. (To be precise, the upper surface of the guide rail 10 and the side surface including the rolling element rolling grooves 111, 111, 111, 111) are always in contact with foreign matter such as dust and dust attached to the surface thereof. To be sealed.
Reference numerals 153 and 153 in the drawing are through holes for passing through the mounting screws (not shown) for attaching the case 140 to the end face of the bearing body 121 together with the end cap 122.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lubricant application member 160 includes an application part 162 along the inner edge of a plate-like application member main body 161 formed in substantially the same shape as the side seal 150.
The application part 162 slides in contact with the side surface of the guide rail 110, so that the lubricant is applied to and supplied to the rolling element rolling grooves 111, 111, 111, 111 on the side surface of the guide rail 110. Yes.
Here, the application portion 162 is not particularly limited, but a polymer material containing a lubricant such as synthetic oil or mineral oil such as polyalphaolefin (PAO) (for example, polyurethane rubber, polyolefin resin, etc.). It is composed of

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a U-shaped notch 163 is formed at the center of the upper end of the application member main body 161, and when the lubricant application member 160 is accommodated in the case 140 described above. The notch 163 is fitted into the fitting portion 145 of the case 140. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 5D and 5E, a taper 145a is formed at the tip of the fitting portion 145 of the case 140 so that the mounting operation can be easily performed.

In addition, a notch-shaped relief portion 164 is formed on the upper portion of the application portion 162, and when the lubricant application member 160 is attached to and detached from the guide rail 10, as will be described later, The inside can be easily expanded.
In particular, when convex portions 168 and 168 located in the rolling element rolling groove 111 of the guide rail 10 are formed on the application portion 162 as shown in the drawing, There is an inconvenience that smooth attachment and removal cannot be performed without such a notch-shaped relief portion 164.

Moreover, since the contact area with the guide rail 10 is reduced by forming such a relief portion 164, friction with the guide rail 10 can be reduced.
In addition, gripping portions 165 and 165 projecting outward from the coating member main body 161 are formed on both sides, respectively, and the gripping portions 165 and 165 are gripped with pliers or the like to enter the case 140. Installation and removal work can be done easily.

In addition, a seal protrusion 167 protruding in the thickness direction is provided around the application portion 162, and foreign matters such as dust and dust enter the case 140 in which the lubricant application member 160 is accommodated. Even in this case, the seal protrusion 167 prevents the foreign matter from entering the application part 162.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cases 140 and 140 are provided with a plate-like cover member 170 for holding the lubricant application member 160 accommodated together with the side seal 150.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end (upper end) of the cover member 170 is attached to the upper end of the case 140 so as to be rotatable up and down via a hinge portion 180, and the other end (lower end) is attached. It can be screwed to the side surface of the case 140 via the screw fixing portion 190.
That is, the cover member 170 includes hinge portions 180 and 180 on both sides of the upper end of a cover member main body 171 having a downward U-shape as shown in FIG. 8, and screw fixing portions 190 and 190 on both lower ends of the cover member main body 171. It has a structure with each.

As shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, the hinge portion 180 is a pair of hinge pieces 181, 181 that are bent at 90 ° to both sides of the upper end of the cover member main body 171 and extend to the side surface of the case 140. Are formed with pin holes 182 and 182 respectively.
The cover member 170 is attached to the case 140 by fitting the pins 142 and 142 of the case 140 into the pin holes 182 and 182, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). The cover member main body 171 is configured to rotate up and down around the pins 142 and 142 as axes.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, engaging portions 183a and 183b that hold the open / close state of the cover member 170 are formed around the hinge piece 181 of one hinge portion 180. As shown in (b), the projections 144 formed in the vicinity of the pins 142 formed on the side surface of the case 140 are engaged with each other.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the protrusion 144 engages with the engaging portions 183a and 183b of the hinge piece 181 as the cover member 170 rotates, and the engaging portions 183a and 183b. The projections 184 in the middle interfere with each other.

  Accordingly, when one of the two engaging portions 183a and 183b is engaged with the projection 144, the cover member 170 is kept closed as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the other engaging portion 183b and the projection 144 are engaged, the cover member 170 is maintained in a horizontally opened state as shown in FIG. 4B.

On the other hand, the screw fixing portion 190 is a pair of screw fixing pieces 191 that are bent at 90 ° from both sides at the lower end of the cover member body 171 having a downward U-shape as shown in FIG. Screw holes 192 and 192 are formed in 191 respectively.
Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the cover member 170 is closed by rotating it toward the case 140 with the hinge portion 180 as an axis, and then a fixing screw 195 such as a screw is passed through the screw hole 192 so as to pass through the case 140. It can be screwed to the side surface of the case 140 by being screwed into the screw hole 143 on the side surface.

If a tapping screw or the like is used as the fixing screw 195, for example, the case 140 made of resin or the like can be easily screwed into the case 140 without processing the screw hole 143 or the like as described above.
As shown in FIG. 8, the screw hole 192 of the screw fixing portion 190 is formed in a groove shape with a part thereof opened in the tip direction of the screw fixing piece 191, and the tip of the screw fixing piece 191. Has a structure in which a protrusion 193 that interferes with the head (seat surface) of the fixing screw 195 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 8D, the protrusion 193 is formed by bending the tip of the screw fixing piece 191 by 90 °, and the fixing screw 195 fixing the screw fixing piece 191 is in use. Even if it is slightly loosened, the projection 193 is caught on the head of the fixing screw 195.
The cover member 170 can be easily formed by press molding using a metal plate such as stainless steel.

In the linear motion guide device 100 of the present invention configured as described above, even when the operation is difficult, the replacement operation of the lubricant application member 160 is extremely easy and reliable as described below. Can be done.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to replace the lubricant application member 160 accommodated in the case 140 with a new one, the cover member 170 can be easily obtained by simply loosening the fixing screws 195 of the screw fixing portions 190 and 190. Can be opened (removed).

Therefore, in this state, the side seal 150 is removed from the case 140 together with the lubricant application member 160 and replaced with a new one, and then the side seal 150 is returned to its original state, the cover member 170 is closed again, and the screw fixing portions 190 and 190 The replacement work can be completed simply by tightening the fixing screw 195.
In the structure of the present invention, since the cover member 170 is attached to the case 140 via the hinge portion 180, the cover member 170 may be lost even when the case 140 is opened. Troubles such as dropping inside the machine can be avoided.

4B, when the cover member 170 is opened to the horizontal position as shown in FIG. 4B, the engaging portion 183b of the hinge portion 180 is engaged with the projection 144 on the case 140 side and the hand is released. Since this state is maintained, the replacement operation of the lubricant application member 160 can be easily performed with one hand.
In particular, the linear motion guide device 100 is often provided in a narrow position in the mechanical device as shown in FIG. 1, and thus often requires one-handed work, and exhibits an excellent effect. it can.

Further, when the cover member 170 is closed, the state is maintained and the cover member 170 is not opened without permission, so that the lubricant application member 160 in the case 140 can be prevented from falling off. .
Moreover, it is not necessary to completely remove the fixing screw 195 at the time of this replacement operation, so that it can be prevented from being lost.

That is, as described above, the screw hole 192 of the screw fixing portion 190 of the cover member 170 is in a long groove state in which a part thereof is open in the distal direction of the screw fixing piece 191. The screw fixing piece 191 can be removed from the fixing screw 195 simply by loosening the fixing screw 195 from the state shown in FIG.
In addition, when the replacement of the lubricant application member 160 is completed and then fixed again, the screw hole 192 of the screw fixing piece 191 is inserted between the head of the fixing screw 195 in the loosened state and the screw fixing piece 191. It is only necessary to tighten the fixing screw 195 as it is.

  As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the dropped fixing screw 195 is mixed into the mechanical device and causes an unexpected trouble. Also, when the fixing screw 195 is tightened again, an operation for screwing the fixing screw 195 from the beginning is not necessary, so that the operation can be performed very easily. In particular, such a fixing screw 195 is generally a very small part, and its handling is extremely troublesome, so that the effect is great.

  On the other hand, FIG. 10 shows the attachment / detachment state when the screw hole 192 of the screw fixing piece 191 is not opened to the tip end side as described above. When replacing the member 160, the fixing screw 195 must be completely removed from the case 140. Therefore, there is a problem that the removed fixing screw 195 is lost or the work of reattaching becomes troublesome.

  Further, in the structure of the present invention, since the projection 193 is provided at the tip of the screw fixing piece 191 of the cover member 170, even when the fixing screw is loosened during use, as shown in FIG. Since the protrusion 193 of the screw fixing piece 191 is not caught by the head of the fixing screw 195 and is not removed, a trouble that the cover member 170 opens without permission can be avoided.

  That is, for example, when the case 140 is creeped with resin, the fastening force of the fixing screw 195 is weakened, and when the frictional force between the seating surface of the fixing screw 195 and the screw fixing piece 191 is lost, the fixing is released. However, by providing the protrusion 193 at the tip of the screw fixing piece 191 in this manner, even if the tightening force by the fixing screw 195 is weakened, the protrusion 193 is caught on the head of the fixing screw 195 so that the screw fixing piece 191 is detached. Can be reliably prevented.

  On the other hand, FIG. 11 omits the protrusion 193 provided at the tip of the screw fixing piece 191 and, as described above, if the fixing screw 195 is loosened during use, the cover member 190 opens without permission. There is no function to prevent this. However, since the amount of loosening can be reduced by the amount of the protrusion 193, it can be said that the detachability is superior to the above example.

That is, when the protrusion 193 is provided at the tip of the screw fixing piece 191 as shown in FIG. 9, it is necessary to loosen the seat surface of the head of the fixing screw 195 to at least a position higher than the height of the protrusion 193. Then, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the amount of loosening the fixing screw 195 becomes very small, and the workability is improved accordingly.
In this case, when the screw fixing piece 191 is inserted between the seat surface of the head of the fixing screw 195 and the case 140 after the replacement operation is completed, a taper may be formed at the tip of the screw fixing piece 191 so as to facilitate the insertion. .
In the present embodiment, the cover member 170 has substantially the same shape (downward U shape) as the lubricant application member 160 and the side seal 150. However, the lubricant application member 160 and the side seal 150 are securely disposed in the case 140. The shape of the cover member 170 is not limited to this as long as it can be fixed to the cover.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the cover member 170 may be formed in a strip shape.
That is, the configuration of FIG. 12 further engages one end portion of the cover member 170 with a hooking portion 148 formed on the side portion of the case 140 and a screw fixing portion 190 formed on the other end portion of the cover member 170. Is screwed to the side surface of the case 140.
Even with such a configuration, the same functions and effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be exhibited.

It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of the slide table apparatus 200 using the linear guide apparatus 100 which concerns on this invention. It is an AA line expanded sectional view in FIG. It is an BB line expanded sectional view in FIG. (A) is a side view of the linear guide apparatus 100 according to the present invention, and shows a state in which the cover member 170 is closed, and (b) shows a state in which the cover member 170 is opened. (A) is a front view of the case 140, (b) is a left side view thereof, (c) is a right side view thereof, (d) is a bottom view thereof, and (e) is a plan view thereof. (A) is the front view of the side seal 150, (b) is the side view. 3 is a front view of a lubricant application member 160. FIG. (A) is a front view of the cover member 170, (b) is a left side view thereof, (c) is a right side view thereof, and (d) is a bottom view thereof. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between the fixing screw 195 screwed together by the case 140, and the fixing piece 191 which has the processus | protrusion 193 at the front-end | tip. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between the fixing screw 195 screwed together by the case 140, and the fixing piece 191. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between the fixing screw 195 screwed together by the case 140, and the fixing piece 191. FIG. (A) is a top view concerning other embodiments of linear motion guide device 100 concerning the present invention, and is a figure showing the state where cover member 170 was closed, (b) is the side view, and (c) is the figure The side view which shows the state which opened the cover member 170, (d) is the front view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Linear motion guide apparatus 110 ... Guide rail 120 ... Bearing 140 ... Case 142 ... Pin 144 ... Protrusion 148 ... Hook part 150 ... Side seal 160 ... Lubricant application member 170 ... Cover member 180 ... Hinge part 181 ... Hinge piece
182 ... Pin holes 183a, 183b ... Engagement part 190 ... Screw fixing part 191 ... Screw fixing piece 192 ... Screw hole 193 ... Projection

Claims (2)

A linear motion guide device having a case for housing a lubricant application member at an end of a bearing that slides along a guide rail, and a cover member for holding the lubricant application member in the case. ,
One end portion of the cover member is attached to the case via a hinge portion, and the other end portion of the cover member is attached to the screw fixing piece extending from the case to the case side via a screw fixing portion. And can be screwed to the case,
And, the screw hole of the screw fixing part is formed in a groove shape part of which is open in the tip direction of the screw fixing piece,
The hinge portion is composed of a pair of hinge pieces extending from the cover member to the side surface of the case, and a pair of pins formed on the side surface of the case to be fitted in the pin holes of each hinge piece, In addition, the linear motion guide device is characterized in that a projection is formed in the vicinity of the pin, and an engaging portion that engages with the projection when the cover member is opened is formed on the hinge piece. In the linear motion guide device according to claim 1 ,
A linear motion guide device, wherein a protrusion engaging with a head of the screw is formed at a tip of the screw fixing piece.

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