Rail cover

Abstract

To provide a rail cover which is excellent in attachment workability to a guide rail.SOLUTION: In a rail cover 20 attached to an upper face 11 of a guide rail 10 on which a slider 30 is bridged over so as to be relatively movable, the rail cover 20 has a cover main body 21 for covering the upper face 11, and a cover presser 22 inserted with an end part 21a of the cover main body 21, having a slit 23 for gripping the end part 21a, and attached to an end face 14 of the guide rail 10 in an axial direction. The cover main body 21 has a folded part 21b which is constituted by folding the end part 21a which is gripped by the slit 23 when the cover presser 22 is attached to the end face 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in a rail cover to be attached to a guide rail. [Background technology]

[0002] A linear guide bearing device has been proposed that includes a linear guide rail and a slider that is mounted on the guide rail so as to be movable relative to the guide rail, and that is configured so that the slider can move relatively in the axial direction on the guide rail via a plurality of rolling elements (e.g., balls) that circulate between rolling element rolling grooves formed in the guide rail and the slider. This type of linear guide bearing device is attached to a base or the like by inserting a bolt into the mounting hole and tightening the screw shaft of the bolt into a screw hole of the base or the like.

[0003] The linear guide bearing device described above is used in machine tools and the like, and may be used in an environment where foreign matter such as cutting chips and welding spatters is generated, and there is a risk of foreign matter entering the guide rail or the slider. This may cause damage to the linear guide bearing device. For this reason, as a measure against foreign matter, side seals or the like are provided on the end caps provided on both ends of the slider, and a rail cover is attached to cover the top surface of the guide rail (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-128383 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in the rail cover described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in order to prevent the rail cover from coming off the guide rail, the axial end of the rail cover is bent and attached to the axial end face of the guide rail with screws or the like. Here, in order to bend the end of the rail cover, a jig such as a hammer is required, which makes the work of attaching the rail cover to the guide rail complicated. Thus, the conventional rail cover has room for improvement in terms of workability.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a rail cover that is easy to install onto a guide rail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Therefore, the above object of the present invention is achieved by the following rail cover configurations (1) to (3). (1) A rail cover that is attached to an upper surface of a guide rail on which a slider is straddled so as to be capable of relative movement, A cover body covering the upper surface; a cover holder having a slit into which an end of the cover body is inserted and into which the end is clamped, and the cover holder is attached to an end surface of the guide rail in the axial direction; The cover body is When the cover holder is attached to the end surface, the end portion sandwiched in the slit has a bent portion formed by bending the end portion. Rail cover. (2) The cover holder is A hole through which a fastening member for attachment to the end surface can be inserted is provided. The rail cover described in (1). (3) The cover holder is having a shape corresponding to the end surface; A rail cover as described in (1) or (2). Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the rail cover having the above configuration (1), the end of the cover body covering the top surface of the guide rail is inserted into and clamped in the slit of the cover holder. The cover body has a bent portion formed by bending the end held in the slit when the cover holder is attached to the end surface. In this way, when the rail cover is attached to the guide rail, the end of the cover body held in the slit is easily bent by attaching the cover holder to the end surface of the guide rail. As a result, the rail cover of this configuration can be attached to the guide rail without using a jig such as a hammer, as in the case of conventional rail covers, and is therefore easy to attach to the guide rail.

[0009] According to the rail cover of the above configuration (2), the cover holder has holes through which fastening members for mounting to the end face of the guide rail can be inserted. This allows the rail cover of this configuration to be fixed to the guide rail by the fastening members inserted into the holes. In this way, the rail cover of this configuration is easy to install on the guide rail.

[0010] According to the rail cover having the above configuration (3), the cover holder has a shape corresponding to the end face of the guide rail. This makes it possible to manufacture the cover holder in accordance with the shape of the guide rail, and is also advantageous in terms of manufacturing costs.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view for explaining an example of a linear guide bearing device including a rail cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic front view, with a portion cut away, for explaining the linear guide bearing device shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3]10 is a first schematic side view illustrating a process of attaching a rail cover to a guide rail. FIG. [Figure 4] 13 is a second schematic side view illustrating the process of attaching the rail cover to the guide rail. FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a third schematic side view illustrating the process of attaching the rail cover to the guide rail. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a fourth schematic side view illustrating the process of attaching the rail cover to the guide rail. [Figure 7] 1A is a schematic side view of the guide rail after the rail cover has been attached, and FIG. 1B is a schematic front view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An embodiment of a linear guide bearing device 1 including a rail cover 20 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A linear guide will be used as an example of the linear guide bearing device 1. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and suitable modifications and improvements are possible. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the embodiment described below are not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the linear guide bearing device 1 comprises a linear guide rail 10, and a slider 30 that is assembled so as to straddle the guide rail 10 and slidably engages with it via rolling elements R (rollers).

[0015] The guide rail 10 has rail-side track surfaces 12 formed in the axial direction on both side surfaces. The guide rail 10 also has a plurality of mounting holes 13 formed at approximately equal intervals in the axial direction, penetrating from the upper surface 11 to the lower surface. At the upper portions of the mounting holes 13, for example, countersunk holes (not shown) are formed corresponding to the respective mounting holes 13. Screws (not shown) for mounting the guide rail 10 to a base or the like are inserted into the mounting holes 13, and rail caps (not shown) for closing the mounting holes 13 are fitted into the countersunk holes.

[0016] The slider 30 includes a slider body 31 and end caps 33 attached to both axial ends of the slider body 31 .

[0017] The slider body 31 is formed in a substantially C-shape with both sleeves 32. The inner surfaces of both sleeves 32 have a slider-side raceway surface 34 facing the rail-side raceway surface 12 of the guide rail 10, and also have a rolling element return path 3. The rail-side raceway surface 12 and the slider-side raceway surface 34 define the rolling element raceway 2, which guides the rolling element R so that it can roll freely, and supports the load acting on the slider 30 via the rolling element R.

[0018] The end cap 33 is formed in a substantially C-shape, and a return guide is attached to it. The end cap 33, together with the return guide, defines a curved path that connects the rolling element raceway 2 and the rolling element return path 3. In other words, the rolling element raceway 2, the rolling element return path 3, and the curved paths at both ends define a rolling element circulating path. Rolling elements R (rollers) are loaded in the rolling element circulating path so as to be able to roll freely.

[0019] Next, the rail cover 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the rail cover 20 is composed of a strip-shaped cover body 21 that covers the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10, and a plate-shaped cover retainer 22 that is attached to the axial end surface 14 of the guide rail 10 (see Figures 3 to 5).

[0021] The cover body 21 extends in the extending direction (i.e., the axial direction) of the guide rail 10 and is formed to correspond to the upper surface of the guide rail 10. Note that the rail cover 20 may have sleeves that cover both side surfaces of the guide rail 10 and are integral with the cover body 21 as long as the relative movement (sliding) of the slider 30 to the guide rail 10 is not impeded.

[0022] In addition, the cover body 21 is configured so that, when the cover body 21 is placed on the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10, the end portion 21a protrudes in the axial direction beyond the end surface 14 of the guide rail 10 (see Figures 3 to 5).

[0023] The cover retainer 22 has an outer peripheral shape corresponding to the shape of the end face 14 of the guide rail 10 (see FIG. 7(b)). The cover retainer 22 is provided with a slit 23 into which the end 21a of the cover body 21 is inserted to hold the end 21a. The slit 23 is formed to extend from the upper end face of the cover retainer 22 to approximately the center region in the vertical direction and to have a shape corresponding to the end 21a of the cover body 21.

[0024] Next, a process for mounting the rail cover 20 onto the guide rail 10 will be described. For example, mounting of the rail cover 20 onto the guide rail 10 begins after the linear guide bearing device 1 is attached to a base or the like and a rail cap is fitted into the countersunk hole. At this time, in consideration of the ease of mounting the rail cover 20 onto the guide rail 10, it is preferable that the slider 30 is not assembled onto the guide rail 10.

[0025] First, the cover body 21 of the rail cover 20 is placed on the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10 so that the end 21a of the cover body 21 protrudes in the axial direction beyond the end surface 14 of the guide rail 10 (see FIG. 3). Note that it is assumed that any dirt, oil, etc. adhering to the upper surface of the guide rail 10 and the lower surface (rear surface) of the rail cover 20 have been removed prior to this step.

[0026] Next, the cover retainer 22 is placed at a fixed position relative to the end surface 14 of the guide rail 10, and a mark M is made with a pen P or the like at the point that will be the bending start point of the end portion 21a (see FIG. 4). The point that will be the bending start point of the end portion 21a is a position that corresponds to the slit 23 of the cover retainer 22 placed at the fixed position. Note that this step may be omitted if the depth of the slit 23 is set to be equal to the length from the tip of the end portion 21a to the mark M.

[0027] Next, the end 21a of the cover body 21 is inserted into the slit 23 of the cover holder 22 up to the mark M, and the end 21a is clamped by the slit 23 (see FIG. 5). In this state, the cover holder 22 is displaced to the above-mentioned fixed position with the end surface 14 of the guide rail 10 (see the arrow in FIG. 5). That is, the end 21a is bent with the mark M as the starting point. As a result, the bent portion 21b is formed in the cover body 21 (end 21a) (see FIG. 6).

[0028] Next, screws 25 are inserted into holes 24 provided in the cover holder 22 and into screw holes 15 provided in the guide rail 10 to fasten and fix the cover holder 22 to the guide rail 10. In this way, the cover holder 22 is attached to the end surface 14 (see FIG. 7(a)).

[0029] Through the above steps, the rail cover 20 is attached to the guide rail 10. Then, when the slider 30 is assembled to the guide rail 10, the linear guide bearing device 1 is completed.

[0030] Regarding the process of "placing the cover body 21 of the rail cover 20 on the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10," if the cover body 21 is fixed to the upper surface 11 when the rail cover 20 has been completely attached to the guide rail 10, it is sufficient to simply place it on the rail cover 20.

[0031] On the other hand, the cover body 21 may be fixed to the upper surface 11 by, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape. A method for fixing the cover body 21 to the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10 by using a double-sided adhesive tape will be briefly described below. Note that, as an example of the double-sided adhesive tape, a known double-sided adhesive tape is used in which adhesive layers constituting adhesive surfaces are formed on both sides of a strip-shaped base material, and release paper is attached to each of the adhesive layers on both sides.

[0032] First, dirt and oil are removed from the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10, and then a double-sided adhesive tape is applied along the upper surface 11. Specifically, while peeling off the release paper on the surface (lower surface) of the double-sided adhesive tape that faces the upper surface 11, and pressing the double-sided adhesive tape toward the upper surface 11 from above with a roller or the like, the double-sided adhesive tape is applied along the upper surface 11 while applying tension in the axial direction.

[0033] Next, after removing dirt and oil from the lower surface (rear surface) of the rail cover 20, the release paper attached to the upper surface of the double-sided adhesive tape attached to the upper surface 11 is peeled off, and the rail cover 20 is attached while applying tension to the upper surface of the double-sided adhesive tape. As a result, the cover body 21 is fixed to the upper surface 11 by the double-sided adhesive tape. The method for fixing the cover body 21 to the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10 via the double-sided adhesive tape has been described above.

[0034] Thus, according to the rail cover 20 of this embodiment, the end 21a of the cover body 21 covering the upper surface 11 of the guide rail 10 is inserted into and clamped in the slit 23 of the cover holder 22. The cover body 21 has a bent portion 21b formed by bending the end 21a clamped in the slit 23 when the cover holder 22 is attached to the end surface 14. Thus, when the rail cover 20 is attached to the guide rail 10, the end 21a of the cover body 21 clamped in the slit 23 is easily bent by the operation of attaching the cover holder 22 to the end surface 14 of the guide rail 10. As a result, the rail cover 20 can be attached to the guide rail 10 without using a jig such as a hammer, unlike conventional rail covers, and therefore has excellent attachment workability to the guide rail 10.

[0035] Furthermore, according to the rail cover 20 of this embodiment, the cover holder 22 has holes 24 through which the screws 25 can be inserted. This allows the rail cover 20 to be fastened and fixed to the guide rail 10 by the screws 25 inserted into the holes 24. In this way, the rail cover 20 is easy to install on the guide rail 10.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the rail cover 20 of this embodiment, the cover retainer 22 has a shape corresponding to the end face 14 of the guide rail 10. This allows the cover retainer 22 of the rail cover 20 to be manufactured to match the shape of the guide rail 10, which is also advantageous from the viewpoint of manufacturing costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. Linear guide bearing device 2 Rolling element raceway 3. Rolling element return path 10 Guide rail 11 Top side 14 End face 20 Rail cover 21 Cover body 21a End 21b Bending part 22 Cover holder 23 Slit 24 Hole 25 Screws (fastening members) 30 Slider M Mark P-Pen R Rolling element

Claims

1. A rail cover that is attached to an upper surface of a guide rail on which a slider is straddled so as to be capable of relative movement, A cover body covering the upper surface; a cover holder having a slit into which an end of the cover body is inserted and into which the end is clamped, and the cover holder is attached to an end surface of the guide rail in the axial direction; The cover body is When the cover holder is attached to the end surface, the end portion sandwiched in the slit has a bent portion formed by bending the end portion. Rail cover.

2. The cover holder is A hole through which a fastening member for attachment to the end surface can be inserted is provided. The rail cover according to claim 1 .

3. The cover holder is having a shape corresponding to the end surface; The rail cover according to claim 1 or 2.

Images