Method for manufacturing a slide rail, and slide rail

JP2026169138APending Publication Date: 2026-10-16JTEKT CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2026020142
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2025-04-04
Filing Date
2026-02-10
Publication Date
2026-10-16

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

【0009】 本発明によれば、製品であるスライドレール間のボール部材の与圧のばらつきを抑制することができる。

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Abstract

This suppresses variations in the pressure applied to the ball component between products. [Solution] A method for manufacturing a slide rail 100 comprises a first rail 110 made of sheet metal and having a first track 113, a second rail 120 made of sheet metal and having a second track 123 facing the first track 113, and a plurality of ball members 130 rotatably interposed between the first track 113 and the second track 123, and includes a first rail 110 fixing step of fixing the first rail 110 using a first jig 421, and a first plastic deformation step of pressing a forming tool 410 against the first track 113 and moving the forming tool 410 relative to the first rail 110 in the extending direction of the first track 113, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined portion of the first rail 110.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a slide rail including a pair of rails formed of a sheet metal material and ball members arranged between the pair of rails, and to a slide rail.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a slide rail mechanism that includes a pair of rails formed by bending, pressing or the like a sheet metal material (a metal flat plate), and ball members. This slide rail mechanism can apply a desired preload to the ball members without using a separate pressing mechanism.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, in a slide rail, the preload applied to the ball members is determined in consideration of load fluctuations during use and the like. In addition, the upper limit of the preload is determined by the strength of the sheet metal material, and the lower limit of the preload is determined by the bending rigidity of the sheet metal material. That is, the preload to be achieved varies depending on required specifications, the material of the sheet metal material, the sheet thickness, and the shape of the slide rail.

[0005] However, if burnishing is performed to obtain a predetermined preload in an assembled state of the slide rail, variations in preload due to manufacturing variations in the inner rail and the outer rail may occur, or variations in preload due to shape differences between the inner rail and the outer rail may occur, among other cases.

[0006] This invention was made based on the above problems, and provides a method for manufacturing a slide rail and a slide rail, which suppress variations in the pre-pressure applied to a ball member while using a rail made of sheet metal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A method for manufacturing a slide rail, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprises a first rail made of sheet metal having a first track, a second rail made of sheet metal having a second track facing the first track, and a plurality of ball members rotatably interposed between the first track and the second track, and includes a first rail fixing step of fixing the first rail using a first jig, and a first plastic deformation step of pressing a forming tool against the first track and moving the forming tool relative to the first rail in the extending direction of the first track to plastically deform a predetermined portion of the first rail.

[0008] One slide rail according to the present invention comprises a first rail made of sheet metal having a first track, a second rail made of sheet metal having a second track facing the first track, and a plurality of ball members rotatably interposed between the first track and the second track, wherein the second rail comprises a strip-shaped second base portion fixed to the second member, and a second arm portion rising from the widthwise end of the second base portion along the thickness direction of the second base portion, and the second base portion has a second inclined portion at its widthwise end that is inclined to be positioned on the second member side of the connection portion between the second base portion and the second arm portion and the mounting surface of the second base portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress variations in the pre-pressure of ball members between slide rails, which are the product. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a slide rail manufactured using the slide rail manufacturing method. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the process of plastically deforming the first rail using a plastic deformation device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view showing the state in which the first rail is being plastically deformed by a plastic deformation device. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the process of plastically deforming the second rail using a plastic deformation device. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a front view showing the state in which the second rail is being plastically deformed by a plastic deformation device. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a front view showing the first rail and second rail attached to the first and second members after plastic deformation. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the pressure amount determination device. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the deformation of the sheet metal material forming the rail and the load. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows another example of a plastic deformation apparatus for plastically deforming the first rail. The image on the left shows the front view of the first rail during plastic deformation, and the image on the right shows the side view of the plastic deformation apparatus. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows another example of a plastic deformation apparatus for plastically deforming the second rail. The image on the right shows the front view of the second rail during plastic deformation, and the image on the left shows the side view of the plastic deformation apparatus. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes the manufacturing method of a slide rail and embodiments of the slide rail according to the present invention, with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are provided as examples to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit it. For example, the shapes, structures, materials, components, relative positional relationships, connection states, numerical values, formulas, the content of each step in the method, and the order of each step shown in the following embodiments are examples and may include content not described below. Geometric expressions such as parallel and orthogonal may be used, but these expressions do not indicate mathematical rigor and include substantially acceptable errors and deviations. Similarly, expressions such as simultaneous and identical also include substantially acceptable ranges.

[0012] Furthermore, the drawings are schematic diagrams that have been appropriately emphasized, omitted, or had their proportions adjusted to illustrate the present invention, and therefore differ from the actual shapes, positional relationships, and proportions. Also, the X, Y, and Z axes shown in the drawings represent orthogonal coordinates arbitrarily set for the purpose of explaining the drawings. In other words, the Z axis is not necessarily an axis along the vertical direction, and the X and Y axes are not necessarily located in the horizontal plane.

[0013] Furthermore, in the following, multiple inventions may be described comprehensively as a single embodiment. Also, some of the content described below is described as an optional component relating to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a slide rail 100 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the slide rail 100. The slide rail 100 comprises a first rail 110, a second rail 120, and a ball member 130.

[0015] The first rail 110 is a member formed by subjecting a sheet metal material to bending processing such as press working and roll forming, and is provided with a first track 113. The shape of the first rail 110 is not limited. In the case of the present embodiment, the first rail 110 includes a first base portion 111, a first arm portion 112, and a first track 113. Note that in the present embodiment, the first rail 110 is an inner rail, but the first rail 110 may be an outer rail. The first rail 110 is attached to the first member 101 (see FIG. 1) by a fastening member 200 or the like.

[0016] The first base portion 111 is a portion that is fixed to the first member 101, which is one of the attached members, in the usage mode of the slide rail 100. In the case of the present embodiment, the first base portion 111 is in the shape of a flat plate strip, and a plurality of first fixing holes 115 through which the fastening member 200 is inserted are provided at a plurality of positions.

[0017] The first arm portion 112 is a portion that rises integrally from the end of the first base portion 111 in the width direction (the Z-axis direction in the drawing) toward the thickness direction of the first base portion 111 (the X-axis direction in the drawing). In the case of the present embodiment, the first arm portions 112 respectively rise from both end edge portions of the first base portion 111. The first arm portions 112 are formed by bending processing from a sheet metal material with uniform thickness so as to rise at both end portions in the width direction while leaving the first base portion 111.

[0018] The first track 113 is formed on the outer surface of the first arm portion 112 in the width direction. The first track 113 is formed by bending processing at the tip of the first arm portion 112. In the case of the present embodiment, the first track 113 is formed as a V-shaped groove that opens outward in the width direction, is recessed inward in the width direction, and extends in the sliding direction (the Y-axis direction in the drawing).

[0019] The second rail 120, like the first rail 110, is a member formed by pressing, rolling, or other bending processes on a sheet metal material, and is equipped with a second track 123 that faces the first track 113. When the slide rail 100 is assembled, the second rail 120 is a member that can slide relative to the first rail 110 along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction in the figure). The shape of the second rail 120 is not limited. In this embodiment, the second rail 120 is equipped with a second base portion 121, a second arm portion 122, and a second track 123. In this embodiment, the second rail 120 is an outer rail, but the second rail 120 may also be an inner rail. The second rail 120 is attached to the second member 102 (see Figure 1) by fastening members 200, etc.

[0020] The second base portion 121 is the part that is fixed to the second member 102, which has a shorter length in the width direction than the second base portion 121. The second base portion 121 is a wider, flat strip than the first base portion 111, and is provided with multiple second fixing holes (not shown) through which the fastening member 200 is inserted.

[0021] The second arm portion 122 is the portion that rises from the end of the second base portion 121 in the width direction (Z-axis direction in the figure) toward the thickness direction (X-axis direction in the figure). In this embodiment, the second arm portion 122 rises from both end edges of the second base portion 121. The second arm portion 122 is formed by bending a sheet metal material of uniform thickness so that it rises from both ends in the width direction, leaving the second base portion 121 intact. The second arm portion 122 is positioned outside the first arm portion 112 when the slide rail 100 is assembled.

[0022] The second track 123 is formed on the inner surface of the second arm portion 122 in the width direction. The second track 123 is formed at the tip of the second arm portion 122 by bending. The second track 123 is formed to be a V-shaped groove that opens inward in the width direction, recesses outward in the width direction, and extends in the sliding direction. The second track 123 is positioned opposite the first track 113 when the slide rail 100 is assembled.

[0023] The ball member 130 is a spherical member that is rotatably interposed between a first track 113 provided on the first rail 110 and a second track 123 provided on the second rail 120 opposite the first track 113. In this embodiment, multiple ball members 130 are arranged in a row in the sliding direction and are rotatably held by a retainer 139.

[0024] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the first rail 110 is being plastically deformed by the plastic deformation device 400. Figure 3 is a front view showing the state in which the first rail 110 is being plastically deformed by the plastic deformation device 400. The plastic deformation device 400 is a device that plastically deforms the first rail 110 and the second rail 120, which are the workpieces, to a shape that applies a predetermined pre-pressure to the ball member 130. The plastic deformation device 400 comprises a forming tool 410 and a pressurizing moving device 411 that moves the forming tool 410 relative to the first rail 110 or the second rail 120 while the forming tool 410 is pressed against the first rail 110 or the second rail 120.

[0025] In this embodiment, the forming tool 410 is a disc-shaped roller having a rotating shaft in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the first track 113 (Y-axis direction in the figure) (X-axis direction in the figure). The forming tool 410 includes a rotating shaft body 402 having a rotating shaft in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the track. The outer edge of the forming tool 410 has a convex arc-shaped portion that protrudes outward with the same radius of curvature as the semicircle of the cross-sectional circle passing through the center of the ball member 130 in the cross-section including the rotating shaft. Note that the same radius of curvature means a range that is considered industrially identical, including manufacturing tolerances.

[0026] Next, a method for manufacturing the slide rail 100 using the plastic deformation device 400 will be described. First, the first rail 110 is fixed using the first jig 421 (first rail fixing step). For example, in the case of the first rail 110, the first rail 110 is attached to the first jig 421, which has a width (in the Z-axis direction in the figure) that allows the entire first base portion 111 of the first rail 110 to be in close contact with it, using fastening members 200 or the like. Next, using the pressurizing and moving device 411, the molding tool 410 is pressed against the first track 113 in the direction of arrow 501 in Figures 2 and 3, and the molding tool 410 is moved relative to the first rail 110 in the direction of arrow 502 in Figure 2 in the direction of the extension of the first track 113, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined part of the first rail 110 (first plastic deformation step). The method for determining the amount of pressure applied by the molding tool 410 when pressing it against the first rail 110 will be described later.

[0027] In this embodiment, in the first plastic deformation step, as shown in Figure 6, the widthwise end of the first base portion 111 of the first rail 110 is plastically deformed to form a first inclined portion 116 that slopes gradually away from the first mounting surface 403 between the first member 101 and the first base portion 111. In addition, the surface that contacts the molding tool 410 is indented by the pressure of the molding tool 410 and plastically deformed into a groove shape that extends in the extending direction of the first rail 110 (Y-axis direction in the figure).

[0028] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the state of plastic deformation processing of the second rail 120 by the plastic deformation device 400. Figure 5 is a front view showing the state of plastic deformation processing of the second rail 120 by the plastic deformation device 400. Next, the second rail 120 is fixed using the second jig 422 (second rail fixing process). For example, in the case of the second rail 120, the second rail 120 is attached to the second jig 422, which has a width shorter than the width of the second base portion 121 of the second rail 120 (in the Z-axis direction in the figure), using fastening members 200, etc. Next, using the pressurizing and moving device 411, the forming tool 410 is pressed against the second track 123 in the direction of arrow 503 in Figures 4 and 5, and the forming tool 410 is moved relative to the second rail 120 in the direction of arrow 504 in Figure 4 in the extending direction of the second track 123, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined part of the second rail 120 (second plastic deformation process).

[0029] In this embodiment, the second plastic deformation step, as shown in Figure 6, causes plastic deformation so that a portion of both ends of the second rail 120 in the width direction is positioned on the second member 102 side of the second mounting surface 404 between the second rail 120 and the second member 102. In other words, in the second plastic deformation step, the width direction end of the second base 121 is plastically deformed to form a second inclined portion 117 at the width direction end, which is positioned further away from the second mounting surface 404 between the second member 102 and the second base 121. Furthermore, the surface that contacts the molding tool 410 is indented by the pressure of the molding tool 410 and plastically deformed into a groove shape extending in the extending direction of the second rail 120 (Y-axis direction in the figure).

[0030] Next, the method for determining the amount of pressure applied when pressing the forming tool 410 against the first track will be explained. The method for determining the amount of pressure applied to the first rail 110 will be explained below, but the same method can be used to determine the amount of pressure applied to the second rail 120. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the pressure amount determination device. Figure 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the deformation amount of the sheet metal material forming the rail and the load. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the amount of pressure applied is determined by having the processor in the pressure amount determination device 140 execute a pressure amount determination program. The pressure amount determination device 140 is implemented as a processing unit by executing the pressure amount determination program, and includes a reference information acquisition unit 141, a target information acquisition unit 142, a deformation state estimation unit 143, and a pressure amount determination unit 144.

[0031] The reference information acquisition unit 141 acquires the target deformation amount, which is the deformation amount of the first track 113 of the first rail 110, and the target load, which is the load generated between the first track 113 and the ball member 130, when the reference slide rail 100 is assembled. In this embodiment, the reference information acquisition unit 141 acquires the reference elastic inclination, which shows the relationship between the deformation amount of the first track 113 in the direction in which the forming tool 410 is pressed against the reference first rail 110 during elastic deformation and the load. The reference information acquisition unit 141 acquires the reference plastic inclination, which shows the relationship between the deformation amount of the first track 113 in the direction in which the forming tool 410 is pressed against the load during plastic deformation of the reference first rail 110. The reference information acquisition unit 141 acquires the reference yield point, which is the yield point of the reference sheet metal material constituting the reference first rail 110.

[0032] The specific methods for obtaining the target deformation, target load, reference elastic gradient, reference plastic gradient, and reference yield point are not limited. For example, values ​​obtained by bending and pulling the reference sheet metal material constituting the first rail 110 may be acquired. Alternatively, dimensions such as the thickness of the reference sheet metal material, the tensile strength of the reference sheet metal material, etc., may be obtained and the values ​​obtained through calculation.

[0033] The target information acquisition unit 142 acquires the target plate thickness, which is the thickness of the target sheet metal material constituting the first rail 110 that is the object to be formed by the plastic deformation apparatus 400, and the target yield stress, which is the yield stress of the target sheet metal material. The symmetric plate thickness may also be acquired by measuring the symmetric sheet metal material. The symmetric yield stress may also be acquired by performing a tensile test on the same lot of symmetric sheet metal material.

[0034] The deformation state estimation unit 143 estimates the relationship between the amount of deformation of the first track 113 of the first rail 110 formed by the target sheet metal material and the load (solid line in Figure 8) in the direction in which the forming tool 410 is pressed. The estimation method is not limited. In this embodiment, the estimation is based on the relationship between the amount of deformation of the first track 113 of the first rail 110 formed by the reference sheet metal material and the load (dotted line in Figure 8) in the direction in which the forming tool 410 is pressed. This estimation is based on the inventor's findings 1 to 3 shown below. 1. The reference elastic slope and the target elastic slope, which are the relationship between the load for deformation and the amount of deformation of the first track 113 of the first track 113 up to the target yield point of the sheet metal material while the sheet metal material is elastically deformed, change with the sheet metal thickness. 2. The position of the yield point changes depending on the yield stress and sheet metal thickness of the sheet metal material. 3. Depending on the yield stress and thickness of the sheet metal, the reference plastic gradient and the target plastic gradient, which show the relationship between the load for deformation and the amount of deformation of the first trajectory 113 from the yield point of the sheet metal, differ.

[0035] Specifically, the deformation state estimation unit 143 derives the target elastic gradient, which shows the relationship between the load for deformation and the amount of deformation of the first trajectory 113 of the target sheet metal material while the target sheet metal material is elastically deformed, that is, up to the target yield point of the target sheet metal material, using the following equation 1. Target elastic slope = (Target area insufficient moment / Reference area insufficient moment) * Reference elastic slope ... Equation 1 The second moment of area is calculated from the plate thickness. " / " indicates division. "*" indicates multiplication.

[0036] The target yield load is derived using Equation 2 below. Target yield load = Target yield stress * Cross-sectional area ... Equation 2.

[0037] The target yield stress is obtained by performing tensile tests or other tests on the sheet metal material in question.

[0038] Furthermore, the deformation state estimation unit 143 derives the target plasticity slope, which shows the relationship between the load for deformation and the amount of deformation of the first trajectory 113 from the yield point of the target sheet metal material, using the following equation 3. Target plastic gradient = ((Target yield stress / Reference yield stress) * (Target section modulus / Reference section modulus) * Reference plastic gradient ... Equation 3 The pressing amount determination unit 144 determines the amount by which the forming tool is pressed against the first track 113 based on the target deformation amount of the target first rail, the target load which is the load at the target deformation amount, and the intersection of the first straight line 201 obtained from the target elastic incline, the target yield point, and the second straight line 202 obtained from the target plastic incline.

[0039] Based on the above, the amount of pressure applied by the molding tool 410 when pressing the molding tool 410 of the plastic deformation apparatus 400 in the first plastic deformation process is determined.

[0040] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, other embodiments of the present invention may be realized by arbitrarily combining the components described herein, or by excluding some of the components. Furthermore, modifications obtained by applying various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art could conceive of without departing from the spirit of the present invention, that is, the meaning indicated by the wording in the claims, are also included in the present invention.

[0041] For example, although a plastic deformation method has been described in which a forming tool 410 is pressed simultaneously against a pair of first tracks 113 on the first rail 110, the forming tool 410 may also be pressed against the pair of first tracks 113 separately. Furthermore, plastic deformation may also be performed by pressing the forming tool 410 separately against a pair of second tracks 123 on the second rail 120.

[0042] Furthermore, although a slide rail 100 in which the ball member 130 makes contact at four points has been illustrated, a slide rail 100 in which the ball member 130 makes contact at two points or three points is also acceptable.

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the molding tool 410 may be a spherical member with a shape equivalent to that of the ball member 130. In this case, the plastic deformation device 400 may be equipped with a holding roller 420 for holding the spherical molding tool 410, and the first rail 110 or the second rail 120 may be plastically deformed via the holding roller 420 and the molding tool 410. The spherical molding tool 410 can achieve a higher contact pressure than the roller-shaped molding tool 410, making it possible to form deeper grooves on the surface against which the molding tool 410 is pressed.

[0044] Furthermore, although the case in which the first rail 110 and the second rail 120 are fixed to the jig using fastening members 200 has been described, the method of fixing the first rail 110 and the second rail 120 during the manufacture of the slide rail 100 is not limited. For example, the first rail 110 and the second rail 120 may be fixed by clamping the first base portion 111 and the second base portion 121 with a pair of jigs.

[0045] Furthermore, the pressurized moving device 411 may be composed of multiple devices capable of individually pressing the pair of first tracks 113 on the first rail 110, or the pair of second tracks on the second rail 120. Alternatively, the pressurized moving device 411 may be capable of arranging multiple molding tools 410 side-by-side on a single track.

[0046] (summary) A method for manufacturing a slide rail 100 according to a first embodiment is a method for manufacturing a slide rail 100 comprising a first rail 110 made of sheet metal material and having a first track 113, a second rail 120 made of sheet metal material and having a second track 123 facing the first track 113, and a plurality of ball members 130 rotatably interposed between the first track 113 and the second track 123, the method comprising a first rail 110 fixing step of fixing the first rail 110 using a first jig 421, and a first plastic deformation step of pressing a forming tool 410 against the first track 113 and moving the forming tool 410 relative to the first rail 110 in the extending direction of the first track 113, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined portion of the first rail 110.

[0047] According to the first embodiment, the shape of the first rail 110, obtained by bending a sheet metal material, is changed to a shape that applies preload to the ball member 130 by pressing a forming tool 410 against it and causing plastic deformation. This makes it possible to suppress variations in the preload applied to the ball member 130.

[0048] Furthermore, even when using industrially standardized steel balls as the ball member 130, it is possible to deform the first rail 110 to achieve the desired pre-pressure.

[0049] The manufacturing method for the slide rail 100 of the second embodiment includes the first embodiment, and comprises a second rail fixing step of fixing the second rail 120 using a second jig 422, and a second plastic deformation step of pressing the molding tool 410 against the second track 123 and moving the molding tool 410 relative to the second rail 120 in the direction of extension of the second track 123, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined portion of the second rail 120, Includes.

[0050] According to the second embodiment, by performing the plastic deformation of the first rail 110 and the plastic deformation of the second rail 120 in separate processes, it becomes possible to arbitrarily adjust the balance between the shapes of the first rail 110 and the second rail 120. Therefore, it becomes possible to suppress variations between products in the pre-pressure applied to the ball member 130.

[0051] The third embodiment of the method for manufacturing the slide rail 100 includes the first or second embodiment, wherein the forming tool 410 comprises a disc-shaped roller having a rotating shaft 402 in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the first track 113, and the outer peripheral edge of the forming tool 410 comprises a convex arc-shaped portion that protrudes outward with the same radius of curvature as the semicircle of the cross-sectional circle passing through the center of the ball member 130 in the cross-section including the rotating shaft 402.

[0052] According to the third embodiment, the first rail 110 or the second rail 120 is plastically deformed by a forming tool 410 having a radius of curvature equivalent to that of the ball member 130 used as the slide rail 100, thereby suppressing an increase in contact pressure and extending the lifespan of the ball member 130.

[0053] The fourth embodiment of the method for manufacturing the slide rail 100 includes any of the first to third embodiments, wherein the first plastic deformation step is to plastically deform the first rail 110 so that a part of the first rail 110 is located on the side of the first jig 421 relative to the mounting surface between the first rail 110 and the first jig 421.

[0054] According to the fourth embodiment, the position of the ball member 130 between the first rail 110 and the second rail 120 can be adjusted.

[0055] The fifth embodiment of the method for manufacturing a slide rail includes any of the first to fourth embodiments and includes a deformation state estimation step of estimating a target elastic inclination, a target yield point, which shows the relationship between the amount of deformation of the first rail 110 in the direction in which the molding tool 410 is pressed and the load during elastic deformation, and a target plastic inclination, which shows the relationship between the amount of deformation of the first rail 110 in the direction in which the molding tool 410 is pressed and the load during plastic deformation, and a pressing amount determination step of determining the pressing amount to press the molding tool onto the first track based on a target amount of deformation of the first rail, a target load which is the load at the target amount of deformation, and the intersection point of a first straight line obtained from the target elastic inclination, the target yield point, and a second straight line obtained from the target plastic inclination.

[0056] According to the fifth embodiment, a plastic deformation process can be performed that takes into account variations in shape between product lots and variations in the properties of sheet metal materials, making the shape of the rail at the completion of plastic deformation a more ideal state. Therefore, variations in the pre-pressure applied to the ball member 130 between products can be suppressed.

[0057] The slide rail 100 of the sixth embodiment comprises a first rail 110 made of sheet metal and having a first track 113, a second rail 120 made of sheet metal and having a second track 123 opposite to the first track 113, and a plurality of ball members 130 rotatably interposed between the first track 113 and the second track 123, wherein the second rail 120 comprises a strip-shaped second base portion 121 fixed to the second member 102, and a second arm portion 122 rising from the widthwise end of the second base portion 121 along the thickness direction of the second base portion 121, and the second base portion 121 has a second inclined portion 117 at its widthwise end that is inclined to be positioned on the second member 102 side of the connection portion between the second base portion 121 and the second arm portion 122 and the second mounting surface 404 of the second base portion 121.

[0058] According to the sixth embodiment, the ball member 130 is positioned at a predetermined location between the first rail 110 and the second rail 120. [Industrial applicability]

[0059] The present invention is useful as a slide rail interposed between a first member and a second member. In particular, it can be used in extendable steering devices of vehicles equipped with wheels or track surfaces, such as passenger cars, buses, trucks, agricultural machinery, and construction machinery, which are capable of both manual and automatic operation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 100...Slide rail, 101...First member, 102...Second member, 110...First rail, 111...First base, 112...First arm, 113...First track, 115...First fixing hole, 116...First inclined section, 117...Second inclined section, 120...Second rail, 121...Second base, 122...Second arm, 123...Second track, 130...Ball member, 139...Holder, 140...Quantity determination device 141...Reference information acquisition unit, 142...Target information acquisition unit, 143...Deformation state estimation unit, 144...Quantity determination unit, 200...Fastening member, 201...First straight line, 202...Second straight line, 400...Plastic deformation device, 402...Rotating shaft, 403...First mounting surface, 404...Second mounting surface, 410...Forming tool, 411...Pressure transfer device, 420...Holding roller, 421...First jig, 422...Second jig

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a slide rail comprising: a first rail made of sheet metal having a first track; a second rail made of sheet metal having a second track facing the first track; and a plurality of ball members rotatably interposed between the first track and the second track, A first rail fixing step in which the first rail is fixed using the first jig, A first plastic deformation step involves pressing a molding tool against the first track and moving the molding tool relative to the first rail in the direction of extension of the first track, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined portion of the first rail. A method for manufacturing slide rails, including the method described above.

2. A second rail fixing step in which the second rail is fixed using a second jig, A second plastic deformation step involves pressing the molding tool against the second track and moving the molding tool relative to the second rail in the direction of extension of the second track, thereby plastically deforming a predetermined portion of the second rail. A method for manufacturing a slide rail according to claim 1, including the following:

3. The molding tool is The system includes a disc-shaped roller having a rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the first track, The outer edge of the molding tool is In the cross-section including the rotation axis, the ball member has a convex arc-shaped portion that protrudes outward with the same radius of curvature as the semicircle of the cross-sectional circle passing through the center of the ball member. A method for manufacturing a slide rail according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The second plastic deformation step is, The second rail is plastically deformed so that a portion of it is positioned on the side of the second jig relative to the mounting surface between the second rail and the second jig. The method for manufacturing a slide rail according to claim 2.

5. A deformation state estimation step for estimating a target elastic inclination, a target yield point, which shows the relationship between the amount of deformation of the first rail in the direction in which the molding tool is pressed and the load during elastic deformation, and a target plastic inclination, which shows the relationship between the amount of deformation of the first rail in the direction in which the molding tool is pressed and the load during plastic deformation, A pressing amount determination step in which the pressing amount for pressing the forming tool against the first track is determined based on the target deformation amount of the target first rail, the target load which is the load at the target deformation amount, and the intersection of the first straight line obtained from the target elastic incline, the target yield point, and the second straight line obtained from the target plastic incline, A method for manufacturing a slide rail according to claim 1, including the following:

6. A slide rail comprising: a first rail made of sheet metal having a first track; a second rail made of sheet metal having a second track facing the first track; and a plurality of ball members rotatably interposed between the first track and the second track, The aforementioned second rail is A strip-shaped second base portion fixed to the second member, The second base portion comprises a second arm portion that rises from the widthwise end of the second base portion along the thickness direction of the second base portion, The second base section is, The connection portion between the second base and the second arm is provided, and a second inclined portion is provided at the end in the width direction, which is inclined so as to be positioned on the second member side of the mounting surface to the second base. Slide rail.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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