Linear motion guide device

Abstract

The present invention provides a linear motion guide device equipped with a slider that enables the even supply of lubricant to the upper and lower directional change paths, regardless of the type of lubricant. [Solution] In a linear motion guide device, at least one of the end cap and the return guide is provided with a front lubricant introduction section that allows lubricant to be introduced into the end cap and the return guide from the front direction with respect to the direction in which the slider moves relative to it, an upper lubricant passage that communicates with the front lubricant introduction section and guides the lubricant to the upper direction change path, and a lower lubricant passage that communicates with the front lubricant introduction section and guides the lubricant to the lower direction change path. The upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage are separated from the front lubricant introduction section and are formed separately to the upper direction change path and the lower direction change path, respectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a linear guide device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a linear guide device includes a guide rail extending in the axial direction and a slider straddling the guide rail so as to be relatively movable. The slider relatively moves axially on the guide rail via a plurality of rolling elements (balls or rollers) circulating between rolling element circulation paths (rolling element rolling paths) formed in the guide rail and the slider. Such a linear guide device is widely used in linear movement mechanisms of various production facilities. In order to use this linear guide device stably over a long period of time, it is important to supply a sufficient amount of lubricant (lubricating oil or grease) to the guide rail and the rolling elements in the rolling element circulation path to maintain a good lubrication state.

[0003] And this linear guide device is used under conditions of various lubrication positions (front, top, side), and stable supply of lubricant is required regardless of the conditions. For example, in the lubrication device of the infinite linear guide unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, the lubricant passage from the nipple hole on the side plate of the casing to the direction conversion path formed left and right has the same passage length. Thereby, the lubricant is evenly distributed to the left and right direction conversion paths.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the lubrication device described in Patent Document 1 does not show a method for evenly distributing lubricant to the upper and lower direction change passages when multiple direction change passages exist. In particular, even if a lubricant passage shape is designed to evenly distribute a high-viscosity lubricant such as grease to the upper and lower direction change passages, when a low-viscosity lubricant such as lubricating oil is used, it will pass straight through the lubricant supply hole communicating with the upper direction change passage and concentrate in the lower direction change passage. As a result, there may be circulation passages with insufficient lubricant supply, which could lead to failures such as seizure of the linear motion guide device.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a linear motion guide device equipped with a slider that enables even supply of lubricant to the upper and lower direction change paths, regardless of the lubricant used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above objective of the present invention is achieved by the configuration of the linear motion guide device described below [1].

[0008] [1] A guide rail having two upper and lower rail-side track surfaces that extend axially on the side, A slider having a slider body mounted so as to straddle the aforementioned guide rail and having two upper and lower slider-side track surfaces and a rolling element return passage, and a pair of end caps and return guides attached to the front and rear end surfaces of the slider body and forming two upper and lower direction change paths, A plurality of rolling elements that roll in conjunction with the movement of the slider are provided within the rolling element track, which is composed of the rail-side track surface and the slider-side track surface. A linear motion guide device having, At least one of the end cap and the return guide is provided with a front lubricant introduction section that allows lubricant to be introduced into the end cap and the return guide from the front direction with respect to the direction in which the slider moves relative to it, an upper lubricant passage that communicates with the front lubricant introduction section and guides the lubricant to the upper direction change path, and a lower lubricant passage that communicates with the front lubricant introduction section and guides the lubricant to the lower direction change path. A linear motion guide device characterized in that the upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage are separated from the front lubricant introduction section and are formed separately to the upper direction change path and the lower direction change path, respectively.

[0009] Furthermore, preferred embodiments of the present invention relating to a linear motion guide device are described in the following [2] to [6].

[0010] [2] The upper lubricant passage is formed on the side of the return guide that fits into the end cap or on the side of the end cap that the return guide fits into, The linear motion guide device according to [1], characterized in that the lower lubricant passage is formed on the surface of the return guide that contacts the slider body.

[0011] [3] The linear guide device according to [1], wherein the front lubricant introduction section is in communication with the upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage, respectively, via a pair of communication sections provided at a distance from each other in the axial direction.

[0012] [4] The front lubricant introduction portion is a through hole that penetrates in the direction in which the slider moves relative to it, The linear motion guide device according to [3], wherein the pair of communicating portions are formed around the through hole, separated from each other in the axial direction of the through hole, and communicate with the upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage, respectively.

[0013] [5] The upper lubricant passage is provided with a horizontal groove that extends horizontally from the communication section and communicates with the upper direction change passage, The linear motion guide device according to [4], wherein the lower lubricant passage comprises a horizontal groove extending horizontally from the communication portion, a vertical groove extending downward from both ends in the width direction of the horizontal groove to the height of the lower direction change passage, and a communication hole connecting the vertical groove and the lower direction change passage.

[0014] [6] A linear motion guide device according to any one of [1] to [5], characterized in that at least one of the end cap and the return guide includes a lubricant side introduction section for introducing lubricant into the end cap and the return guide from a lateral direction with respect to the direction in which the slider moves relative to it, and a connecting passage for guiding the lubricant from the lubricant side introduction section to the lubricant front introduction section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the linear motion guide device of the present invention, lubricants can be supplied evenly to the upper and lower directional change paths, regardless of the lubricant used. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a linear motion guide device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the linear motion guide device as viewed from the axial direction. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the slider, showing the slider body with a pair of end caps and a pair of return guides removed. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a perspective view of the end cap fitted with the return guide according to the first embodiment, and Figure 4(b) is a front view of the end cap fitted with the return guide according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) is a perspective view of the end cap before fitting the return guide according to the first embodiment, and Figure 5(b) is a front view of the end cap before fitting the return guide according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view of the contact surface side of the return guide according to the first embodiment with the slider body, and FIG. 6(b) is a front view of the contact surface side of the return guide according to the first embodiment with the slider body. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view of the fitting surface side of the return guide according to the first embodiment with the end cap, and FIG. 7(b) is a front view of the fitting surface side of the return guide according to the first embodiment with the end cap. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of the slider body, return guide, and end cap in a plane passing through the axes of the rolling passage GP and the return passage RP connected by the direction-changing passage DP. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the linear motion guide device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view of the end cap before fitting the return guide according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(a) is a front view of the fitting surface side of the return guide according to the second embodiment with the end cap, and FIG. 11(b) is a front view of the contact surface side of the return guide according to the second embodiment with the slider body.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the linear motion guide device according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction and the width direction of the slider respectively represent the directions in the state of the slider assembled to the guide rail arranged with the longitudinal direction horizontal. The width direction of the slider is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail and the vertical direction of the slider, and is also referred to as the left-right direction (see FIG. 1). The longitudinal direction is also referred to as the axial direction.

[0018] <First Embodiment> Figure 1 is a perspective view of a linear motion guide device according to the first embodiment, and Figure 2 is a view of the linear motion guide device from the axial direction. The linear motion guide device 10 has a slider 2 with a substantially U-shaped cross-section mounted on a long guide rail 1 with a substantially rectangular cross-section so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 1.

[0019] At the ridges where the left and right sides 11a, 11a in the width direction intersect with the top surface 11b of the guide rail 1, track grooves (rail-side track surfaces) 12a, 12a are formed, consisting of recessed grooves with a roughly quarter-circular cross-section that extend in the longitudinal direction. In addition, at the approximate vertical center of the left and right sides 11a, 11a of the guide rail 1, track grooves (rail-side track surfaces) 12b, 12b are formed, consisting of recessed grooves with a roughly semicircular cross-section that extend in the longitudinal direction.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the slider body 20 comprises a flat body portion 21 facing the upper surface 11b of the guide rail 1, and two legs 22, 22 extending downward from both the left and right sides of the body portion 21 and facing the sides 11a, 11a. The angle between the body portion 21 and the legs 22, 22 is approximately a right angle. The slider 2 is movably attached to the guide rail 1 so as to straddle the guide rail 1 with both legs 22, 22.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, the slider 2 comprises a slider body 20 and a pair of end caps 40, 40 and a pair of return guides 50, 50 that are detachably attached to both longitudinal ends of the slider body 20. The pair of end caps 40, 40 and the pair of return guides 50, 50 are fastened to the slider body 20 by a plurality of bolts 30.

[0022] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, track grooves (slider-side track surfaces) 22a and 22b, consisting of semicircular grooves in cross-section that face the track grooves 12a and 12b of the guide rail 1, are formed at the corners and approximately the center in the vertical direction of the inner surfaces of both left and right legs 22, 22 of the slider body 20. Then, between the track grooves 12a and 12b of the guide rail 1 and the track grooves 22a and 22b of the slider 2, four circular rolling passages (rolling element rolling paths) GP, extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 1, are formed.

[0023] Furthermore, the slider 2 is provided with return passages (rolling element return passages) RP, which are through holes with a substantially circular cross-section that penetrate longitudinally and parallel to the rolling passage GP, at the upper and lower parts of both the left and right legs 22, 22 of the slider body 20.

[0024] Next, the end cap 40 and return guide 50 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7. The end cap 40 is made of, for example, a molded part of a resin material, and, like the slider body 20, has a body portion 41 and left and right leg portions 42, 42, and its cross-sectional shape is formed in a substantially U shape.

[0025] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the left and right legs 42, 42 of the end cap 40 have two recesses 43 formed on the contact surface with the slider body 20, with a circular cross-section and an arc-shaped curve. In addition, the legs 42, 42 of the end cap 40 are provided with tongue portions 46 that protrude toward the track grooves 12a, 12b, forming the end of the recess 43 on the guide rail 1 side.

[0026] Furthermore, extending from the body portion 41 of the end cap 40 to the left and right leg portions 42, 42, a roughly U-shaped return guide fitting recess 44 is provided on the contact surface with the slider body 20, into which the return guide 50 fits (see Figure 5). The return guide fitting recess 44 is formed in each leg portion 42, 42 so as to traverse the center of the upper and lower recesses 43.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7, the return guide 50 is also made of a molded resin material and has a horizontal section 51 and semi-cylindrical vertical sections 52, 52 extending downward from both the left and right ends of the horizontal section 51, corresponding to the shape of the recess 44 for fitting the return guide, with a roughly U-shaped cross-section. On the outer diameter surface of the vertical sections 52, 52 of the return guide 50, as shown in Figure 6, arc-shaped grooves 53, 53, which serve as guide surfaces for the rolling elements 3, are formed in a semi-circular, continuous manner in two stages, upper and lower. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the grooves 53 is the cross-sectional shape when cut by a plane perpendicular to the direction of continuity of the grooves 53.

[0028] By fitting such a return guide 50 into the return guide fitting recess 44 with the outer diameter surface where the groove 53 is formed facing inward, a direction change path DP with a circular cross-section and an arc-shaped curve is formed in two stages, upper and lower, on both the left and right sides of the back surface of the end cap 40 by the groove 53 of the return guide 50 and the recess 43 of the end cap 40 (see Figure 4).

[0029] When these end caps 40 and return guides 50 are attached to the slider body 20, as shown in Figure 8, the rolling passages GP, GP and the return passages RP, RP are connected by the direction change passages DP, DP.

[0030] As the slider 2, mounted on the guide rail 1, moves longitudinally along the guide rail 1, the rolling element 3, loaded in the rolling passage GP, rolls within the rolling passage GP and moves in the same direction as the slider 2 relative to the guide rail 1. When the rolling element 3 reaches the end of the rolling passage GP, it is picked up from the rolling passage GP by the tongue section 46 and sent to the direction change passage DP. After entering the direction change passage DP, the rolling element 3 makes a U-turn and is introduced into the return passage RP, and travels through the return passage RP to the opposite direction change passage DP. Here it makes another U-turn and returns to the starting point of the rolling passage GP, and this cycle within the circular path is repeated indefinitely.

[0031] Furthermore, the end cap 40 and the return guide 50 are provided with oil passages for supplying lubricant to the rolling elements.

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, in the body portion 41 of the end cap 40, a lubricant front introduction portion 100 is formed in the center of the width direction of the slider 2, which is a through hole that penetrates in the longitudinal direction of the slider 2.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, in the horizontal portion 51 of the return guide 50, a lubricant front introduction portion 101 is formed in the center of the width direction of the slider 2, which is a through hole that penetrates the longitudinal direction of the slider 2 and communicates with the lubricant front introduction portion 100 of the end cap 40.

[0034] Furthermore, in the return guide 50, an upper lubricant passage 55 is formed on the surface 51a that fits into the end cap 40, communicating with the lubricant front introduction section 101 to guide the lubricant to the upper direction change passage DP. Also, as shown in Figure 7, a lower lubricant passage 56 is formed on the surface 51b that abuts the slider body 20, communicating with the lubricant front introduction section 101 to guide the lubricant to the lower direction change passage DP.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the upper lubricant passage 55 has a horizontal groove 70a on the side 51a that fits into the end cap 40, which extends horizontally from the notch 101a formed at the bottom of the lubricant front introduction section 101 toward both sides in the width direction of the return guide 50 and communicates with the upper recessed groove 53.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the lower lubricant passage 56 has a horizontal groove 70b on the surface 51b that contacts the slider body 20, with a horizontal portion 51 extending horizontally from a notch 101b formed at the bottom of the lubricant front introduction portion 101 toward both sides in the width direction of the return guide 50, a vertical groove 71 extending downward from both ends in the width direction of the horizontal groove 70b to the height of the lower recessed groove 53, and a communication hole 75 extending in the longitudinal direction of the slider 2 so as to connect the vertical groove 71 and the lower recessed groove 53. In other words, the lubricant front introduction portion 101 communicates with the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56, respectively, via a pair of communication portions (notches 101a and 101b) that are separated from each other in the axial direction.

[0037] Furthermore, the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56 are formed by fitting the return guide 50 onto the end cap 40 and by bringing the return guide 50 into contact with the slider body 20, thereby creating passages between the horizontal grooves 70a, 70b and the vertical groove 71 and the opposing surfaces facing them, allowing lubricant to flow through them.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, nipple plugs 110 are screwed into the lubricant front introduction sections 100 and 101 provided on the upper part of the end cap 40 and the return guide 50. Depending on the application of the linear motion guide device, these may also serve as sealing plugs, or in addition to the sealing function, a function may be added to inject lubricant from the nipple plugs 110 using a grease gun (not shown) or the like.

[0039] In Figures 5 to 7, reference numerals 80 and 81 indicate fastening holes formed in the end cap 40 and return guide 50, through which the bolt 30 is inserted.

[0040] As a result, the lubricant is injected into the front lubricant inlet 100 from the front direction relative to the direction in which the slider 2 moves, and then supplied to the respective communication portions (notches 101a, 101b) on both sides 51a, 51b of the front lubricant inlet 101. Here, since the return guide 50 is a thin plate, the lubricant is supplied almost equally to both sides 51a, 51b.

[0041] The lubricant supplied from the front lubricant introduction section 101 to the upper lubricant passage 55 reaches the upper grooves 53 on both sides in the width direction. The lubricant supplied from the front lubricant introduction section 101 to the lower lubricant passage 56 is divided and supplied to both the left and right sides by the horizontal groove 70b, and then passes through the vertical groove 71 and the communication hole 75 to reach the lower grooves 53 on both sides in the width direction.

[0042] Therefore, the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56 are separated axially from the lubricant front introduction section 101 and are formed separately to the upper and lower direction change passages DP, respectively. This allows the lubricant to be supplied evenly to the upper and lower direction change passages, regardless of the type or viscosity of the lubricant used. Furthermore, there is no need to use different attachments or other parts depending on the lubricant passage.

[0043] Furthermore, if the cross-sectional areas of the horizontal grooves 70a, 70b and vertical grooves 71 that constitute the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56 are formed to be equal, lubricant can be supplied evenly to the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56.

[0044] In the first embodiment, the horizontal groove 70a constituting the upper lubricant passage 55 is formed on the surface 51a of the return guide 50 that fits into the end cap 40, but it may also be formed on the surface of the end cap 40 that the return guide 50 fits into. In this case, the horizontal groove 70a is in communication with the lubricant front introduction portion 100 of the end cap 40.

[0045] Furthermore, it is preferable that the grooves 70a, 70b, and 71 in each lubricant passage 55 and 56 are of a size such that surface tension acts to retain the lubricant. For example, since the linear motion guide device 10 is installed and used in various devices in various positions, if the supply of lubricant becomes unstable depending on the position, the lubricant retained in the grooves 70a, 70b, and 71 may be used to compensate for the insufficient supply.

[0046] <Second Embodiment> Figure 9 is a perspective view of the linear motion guide device according to the second embodiment, and Figure 10 is a front view of the end cap before the return guide according to the second embodiment is fitted. Figure 11(a) is a front view of the return guide on the side where it fits with the end cap of the return guide according to the second embodiment, and Figure 11(b) is a front view of the return guide according to the second embodiment on the side where it contacts the slider body. In the linear motion guide device according to the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the first embodiment, and their detailed descriptions are omitted or simplified.

[0047] In the linear guide device 10A according to the second embodiment, the configuration of the oil passages of the pair of end caps 40A, 40A and the pair of return guides 50A, 50A differs from that of the first embodiment. That is, the end caps 40A and return guides 50A are the same as those of the first embodiment in that they have front lubricant introduction sections 100, 101 and upper lubricant passages 55 and lower lubricant passages 56. On the other hand, in the end cap 40A of this embodiment, a side lubricant introduction section 120 is formed on its side and extends in the width direction, and the end caps 40A and return guides 50A are provided with a connecting passage CP that guides the lubricant from the side lubricant introduction section 120 to the front lubricant introduction sections 100, 101.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in Figure 10, a lubricant side introduction portion 120 is formed in the body portion 41 of the end cap 40A, drilled from the widthwise side of the slider 2 toward the widthwise inward side of the slider 2, in order to introduce lubricant into the interior of the slider 2. In addition, a passage 125 constituting the connecting passage CP is formed in the end cap 40A so as to connect from the lubricant side introduction portion 120 to the return guide fitting recess 44 in the widthwise direction of the slider 2.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11(a), the return guide 50A includes a through hole 85 in the horizontal portion 51 that communicates with the opening in the return guide fitting recess 44 of the passage 125 formed in the end cap 40A, and a groove 126 formed on the surface 51b that contacts the slider body 20, which connects the through hole 85 and the lubricant front introduction portion 101. The groove 126 is formed to bypass the fastening hole 81 formed in the horizontal portion 51 of the return guide 50A. The groove 126 may also be formed on the side that fits into the end cap 40A, as shown in Figure 11(b).

[0050] Therefore, the connecting passage CP is composed of a passage 125 formed in the end cap 40A, a through hole 85 formed in the return guide 50A, and a passage formed between a groove 126 and an opposing surface facing the groove 126.

[0051] As a result, in the second embodiment, either the front lubricant introduction section 100 or the side lubricant introduction section 120 can be selected as the location for introducing the lubricant. In Figure 9, a nipple plug 110 is screwed into the side lubricant introduction section 120, and the lubricant is supplied from the side of the end cap 40A, while the front lubricant introduction section 100 is sealed with a plug (not shown).

[0052] Furthermore, the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56 are separated from the front lubricant introduction section 101, as in the first embodiment, and are formed separately to the upper direction change passage DP and the lower direction change passage DP, respectively, so that the lubricant can be supplied evenly to the upper and lower direction change passages. That is, as in the first embodiment, the front lubricant introduction sections 100 and 101 introduce the lubricant supplied from the side lubricant introduction section 120 into the end cap 40A and the return guide 50A from the front direction relative to the direction in which the slider 2 moves. Other aspects of its configuration and operation are the same as those of the first implementation and others.

[0053] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified or improved as appropriate. For example, in the above embodiment, the pair of communicating notches 101a and 101b are formed at the lower part of the through-hole, the lubricant front introduction section 101, and communicate with the horizontal groove 70a of the upper lubricant passage 55 and the horizontal groove 70b of the lower lubricant passage 56, respectively. However, the notches 101a and 101b can also be formed around the through-hole and communicate with the upper lubricant passage 55 and the lower lubricant passage 56, respectively. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Guide rail 2 Sliders 3 Rolling elements 10,10A Linear motion guide device 11a Side 11b Top surface 12a,12b,22a,22b Raceway groove 20 Slider body 21,41 Torso 22,42 Legs 30 volts 40, 40A end caps 43 Recess 44 Recess for return guide mating 46 Tongue section 50, 50A Return Guide 51 Horizontal section 51a,51b side 52 Vertical section 53. Groove 55 Upper lubricant passage 56 Lower lubricant passage 70a,70b horizontal groove 71 Vertical groove 75 Communication hole 80, 81 Fastening holes 85 Through hole 100,101 Lubricant front introduction section 101a, 101b Notches (connecting sections) 110 Nipple Plug 120 Lubricant side introduction section 125 Passage 126 Groove GP Rolling Passage RP return passage CP connecting passage

Claims

1. A guide rail having two upper and lower rail-side track surfaces that extend axially along the side, A slider having a slider body mounted so as to straddle the aforementioned guide rail and having two upper and lower slider-side track surfaces and a rolling element return passage, and a pair of end caps and return guides attached to the front and rear end surfaces of the slider body and forming two upper and lower direction change paths, A plurality of rolling elements that roll in conjunction with the movement of the slider are provided within the rolling element track, which is composed of the rail-side track surface and the slider-side track surface. A linear motion guide device having, At least one of the end cap and the return guide is provided with a front lubricant introduction section that allows lubricant to be introduced into the end cap and the return guide from the front direction with respect to the direction in which the slider moves relative to it, an upper lubricant passage that communicates with the front lubricant introduction section and guides the lubricant to the upper direction change path, and a lower lubricant passage that communicates with the front lubricant introduction section and guides the lubricant to the lower direction change path. A linear motion guide device characterized in that the upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage are separated from the front lubricant introduction section and are formed separately to the upper direction change path and the lower direction change path, respectively.

2. The upper lubricant passage is formed on the side of the return guide that fits into the end cap, or on the side of the end cap that the return guide fits into. The linear motion guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower lubricant passage is formed on the surface of the return guide that contacts the slider body.

3. The linear motion guide device according to claim 1, wherein the front lubricant introduction portion is in communication with the upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage, respectively, via a pair of communication portions provided separately from each other in the axial direction.

4. The aforementioned lubricant front introduction portion is a through hole that penetrates in the direction in which the slider moves relative to it. The linear motion guide device according to claim 3, wherein the pair of communicating portions are formed around the through hole, separated from each other in the axial direction of the through hole, and communicate with the upper lubricant passage and the lower lubricant passage, respectively.

5. The aforementioned upper lubricant passage is provided with a horizontal groove that extends horizontally from the communication section and communicates with the upper direction change passage. The linear motion guide device according to claim 4, wherein the lower lubricant passage comprises a horizontal groove extending horizontally from the communication portion, vertical grooves extending downward from both ends in the width direction of the horizontal groove to the height of the lower direction change path, and a communication hole connecting the vertical groove and the lower direction change path.

6. The linear motion guide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one of the end cap and the return guide includes a lubricant side introduction section for introducing lubricant into the end cap and the return guide from a lateral direction with respect to the direction in which the slider moves relative to it, and a connecting passage for guiding the lubricant from the lubricant side introduction section to the lubricant front introduction section.

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