Guide roller for a vehicle sliding door

Abstract

To provide a guide roller for a vehicle slide door, which can prevent peeling and cracking of a coating member.SOLUTION: In a configuration in which two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b are provided, even when the upper edge of a coating member 7 comes into contact with a guide rail member to roll while receiving a large load, an outer peripheral surface 50 of an outer ring 5 and the coating member 7 become difficult to be relatively slide-displaced about the rotational axis X0 of the outer ring 5, and the coating member 7 can be prevented from being peeled from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. In addition, as a concentric groove 52 is formed between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b in the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 to extend over the full peripheral length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, shearing stress caused by a difference in elastic deformation amount is eased, and cracking of the coating member 7 can be prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a guide roller for a vehicle slide door that rolls along a rail provided on the vehicle body side and is rotatably supported by a support member connected to the slide door.

Background Art

[0002] The slide door of a vehicle is slidably supported along the vehicle body side wall by engaging an upper guide roller provided at the upper front end of the slide door, a center guide roller provided at the center in the height direction of the rear end, and a lower guide roller provided at the lower front end with an upper rail provided at the upper edge of the vehicle body opening, a center rail provided at the center in the height direction of the vehicle body rear side wall adjacent to the vehicle body opening, and a lower rail provided at the lower edge of the vehicle body opening, respectively, so that the slide door can be slid open and closed.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 11, a guide roller 21 that rolls along a guide rail provided on the vehicle body side includes a metal inner ring 22, a metal outer ring 25 rotatably mounted via a retainer 24 that holds a bearing 23 on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 22, and a synthetic resin coating member 27 that covers the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 25. According to this structure, the metal guide rail and the outer ring 25 do not come into contact with each other, and the coating member 27 is in rolling contact with the guide rail, so the quietness during door opening and closing is improved.

[0004] By the way, when the guide roller rolls along the guide rail, the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 25 and the synthetic resin coating member 27 relatively slide and displace around the center X0 of the rotation axis, and the synthetic resin coating member 27 may peel off from the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 25. In order to prevent such peeling, as shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, as a guide roller, two eccentric grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, the central axes of which are eccentric to each other in opposite directions with respect to the rotation axis, the groove depth continuously changes, and the grooves extend in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface, and a coating member is joined so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring and the two eccentric grooves.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Document

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the guide roller of the sliding door proposed above, the support shaft may tilt due to the swinging of the arm member, and the guide roller itself may roll while tilted. In this case, the upper edge of the resin coating member comes into contact with the guide rail surface and rolls while receiving a large load. As a result, among the outer peripheral surfaces between the two eccentric grooves, cracks may occur in the coating member coated on the outer peripheral surface near where the groove depth of one eccentric groove is maximum and the groove depth of the other eccentric groove is minimum. This is because the coating member near where the groove depth of one eccentric groove is maximum elastically deforms so as to be pushed into the eccentric groove due to the load caused by the rolling of the roller, and thus the amount of elastic deformation in the direction along the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring becomes large. However, for the coating member near where the groove depth of the other eccentric groove is minimum, the narrow wedge shape of the eccentric groove serves as a resistance to elastic deformation, so the amount of elastic deformation in the direction along the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring becomes small. Due to this difference in the amount of elastic deformation, a large shear stress is generated inside the coating member coated on the outer peripheral surface near where the groove depth of one eccentric groove is maximum and the groove depth of the other eccentric groove is minimum, and it is considered that cracks occur in the coating member.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a guide roller for a vehicle sliding door capable of preventing peeling and cracking of a coating member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, in the invention according to claim 1, A guide roller that rolls along a rail provided on the vehicle body side, the guide roller being rotatably supported by a support member connected to a slide door. The guide roller includes a metal ring-shaped inner ring, a metal ring-shaped outer ring rotatably mounted via a retainer that holds a bearing on an outer peripheral surface of the inner ring, and a covering member made of synthetic resin mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring. On the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, there are provided two eccentric grooves that extend in the circumferential direction, have eccentric centers that are point-symmetrical with respect to the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring, and have a groove depth from the outer peripheral surface that changes in the circumferential direction. The two eccentric grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring and are spaced apart in the axial direction of the outer ring. Between the two eccentric grooves on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, there is provided either a concentric groove or a concentric rib that is concentric with the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring and extends over the entire circumferential length. The covering member is formed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, the two eccentric grooves, and the concentric groove or the concentric rib.

[0009] In the invention according to claim 2, in the guide roller for a slide door of a vehicle according to claim 1, the eccentric groove extends over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring.

[0010] In the invention according to claim 3, in the guide roller for a slide door of a vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, the concentric groove or the concentric rib is formed at the center of the two eccentric grooves on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring. between It is characterized in that it is formed at the center.

[0011] In the invention according to claim 4, in the guide roller for a slide door of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the width of the eccentric groove changes in the circumferential direction.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] In the invention according to claim 1, on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, there are provided two eccentric grooves that extend in the circumferential direction and have eccentric centers that are point-symmetrical to each other with respect to the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring, and the groove depth from the outer peripheral surface changes in the circumferential direction. The two eccentric grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring so as to be spaced apart in the axial direction of the outer ring. The covering member is formed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring and the two eccentric grooves. Therefore, when the support shaft is tilted due to the swinging of the arm member and the guide roller itself rolls while being tilted, even if the upper edge portion of the covering member rolls while receiving a large load by contacting the guide rail member, it becomes difficult for the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring and the covering member to relatively slide and displace around the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring, and it is possible to prevent the covering member from peeling off from the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring. Further, the difference in the elastic deformation amount of the covering member near where the groove depth of one eccentric groove is maximum and the elastic deformation amount of the covering member near where the groove depth of the other eccentric groove, which is the adjacent covering member, is minimum becomes large. However, between the two eccentric grooves on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, either a concentric groove or a concentric rib portion that is concentric with respect to the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring and extends over the entire length of the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring is formed. Therefore, the shear stress due to the difference in the elastic deformation amount is alleviated, and it is possible to prevent the covering member from cracking.

[0013] Further, in the invention according to claim 2, since the eccentric groove extends over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, the effect of making it difficult for the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring and the covering member to relatively slide and displace around the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring is enhanced, and it is possible to prevent the covering member from peeling off from the outer ring.

[0014] Further, in the invention according to claim 3, the concentric groove or the concentric rib portion is formed at the center portion between the two eccentric grooves on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring. between As a result, the effect of suppressing the shear stress generated inside the covering member is enhanced, and it is possible to prevent the covering member from cracking.

[0015] Further, in the invention according to claim 4, since the width of the eccentric groove changes in the circumferential direction, the effect of making it difficult for the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring and the covering member to relatively slide and displace around the rotation axis of the outer ring is enhanced, and it is possible to prevent the covering member from peeling off from the outer ring.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Regarding the guide roller 1 of the sliding door for vehicles according to the present embodiment (first embodiment), it will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a cross section of the guide roller 1, FIG. 2 is a side view (A) and a front view (B) showing a cross section of the outer ring 5 constituting the guide roller 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the eccentric grooves 51a, 51b formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the concentric groove 52 formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5.

[0018] As described above, the sliding door of the vehicle is slidably supported along the vehicle side wall by engaging an upper guide roller provided at the upper front end of the sliding door, a center guide roller provided at the center in the height direction of the rear end, and a lower guide roller provided at the lower front end with an upper rail provided at the upper edge of the vehicle body opening, a center rail provided at the center in the height direction of the vehicle body rear side wall adjacent to the vehicle body opening, and a lower rail provided at the lower edge of the vehicle body opening, respectively, so that the sliding door can be slid open and closed.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the guide roller 1 is composed of a metal ring-shaped inner ring 2, a metal ring-shaped outer ring 5 rotatably mounted via a retainer 4 that holds a plurality of bearings 3 on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 2, a synthetic resin coating member 7 that covers the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, and a seal ring 8 that seals the outer ring 5 and the inner ring 2. The seal ring 8 has a function of preventing foreign matter from entering inside by sealing the outer ring 5 and the inner ring 2, and also preventing the grease intervening in the guide roller 1 from leaking.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2(A), two eccentric grooves 51a, 51b are formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 at intervals in the axial direction of the outer ring 5. Further, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the two eccentric grooves 51a, 51b extend over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, and the eccentric center X1a of the eccentric groove 51a and the eccentric center X1b of the eccentric groove 51b are point-symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis center X0 of the outer ring 5, and the radial groove depth D1 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 changes in the circumferential direction. In such a configuration, even if the upper edge portion of the coating member 7 is rolled while receiving a large load by contacting the guide rail member, it is difficult for the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 and the coating member 7 to relatively slide and displace around the rotation axis center X0 of the outer ring 5, and it is possible to prevent the coating member 7 from peeling off from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5.

[0021] Further, concentric grooves 52 are formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 at the central portions of the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, extending radially inward from the outer peripheral surface 50. The concentric grooves 52 extend over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, are concentric with the center X0 of the rotation axis of the outer ring 5, and the groove depth D2 in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 is constant over the entire circumferential length. In such a configuration, the difference between the elastic deformation amount of the covering member 7 near the position where the groove depth D1 of either one of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is maximum and the elastic deformation amount of the covering member 7 near the position where the groove depth D1 of the other one of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is minimum as the adjacent covering member 7 becomes large. However, since concentric grooves 52 extending over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 are formed between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, the shear stress due to the difference in the elastic deformation amount is relaxed, and cracking of the covering member 7 can be prevented.

[0022] Note that the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b extend over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. In such a configuration, the effect that it becomes more difficult for the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 and the covering member 7 to relatively slide and displace around the center X0 of the rotation axis of the outer ring 5 is enhanced compared to a configuration in which the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b are formed only in a part of the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, and peeling of the covering member 7 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 can be prevented.

[0023] Also, the formation position of the concentric groove 52 is not limited to the central portion between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, and may be formed at any position between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. However, in the configuration where the concentric groove 52 is formed at the central portion between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, the effect of suppressing the shear stress due to the difference in the elastic deformation amount is enhanced compared to the configuration where it is not formed at the central portion, and the effect of preventing cracking of the covering member 7 can be enhanced.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b are formed in a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Also, the radial groove depth D1 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 in the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is continuous and varies in the circumferential direction of the outer ring 5, and the groove width W1 of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is constant over the entire circumferential length of the outer ring 5. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is not limited to a rectangle and can be other shapes.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the concentric groove 52 is formed in a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Also, the radial groove depth D2 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 in the concentric groove 52 and the groove width W2 of the concentric groove 52 are constant over the entire circumferential length of the outer ring 5. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the concentric groove 51 is not limited to a rectangle and can be other shapes.

[0026] As an example of the dimensions of this configuration, the outer diameter (diameter) of the guide roller 1 is 15 to 23 mm, the outer diameter (diameter) of the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 5 is 10 to 20 mm, the axial width of the guide roller 1 is 5 to 10 mm, the maximum groove depth D1max of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is 0.3 to 3 mm, the minimum depth D1min of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is 0.1 to 1 mm (however, the ratio of the minimum groove depth D1min to the maximum groove depth D1max (D1min / D1max) of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is 0.2 or more), the groove width W1 of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is 0.5 to 2 mm, the groove depth D2 of the concentric groove 52 is 0.1 to 2 mm, and the groove width W2 of the concentric groove 52 is 1 to 4 mm. However, the guide roller 1 of the present invention is not limited to the dimensions shown above.

[0027] The synthetic resin constituting the covering member 7 is preferably an application of a fiber-reinforced resin in which fibrous particles are added to a polyamide resin. However, the material of the covering member 7 is not limited to the fiber-reinforced resin. The covering member 7 is composed of a synthetic resin of a resin and an additive, and is covered on the outer ring 5 by insert molding. Here, examples of the resin include polyamide resin, polyacetal resin, polyetheretherketone resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, urea resin, melamine resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyimide resin, diallyl phthalate resin, and the like. Examples of the additive include aramid fiber, carbon fiber, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide, boron nitride, fluororesin, and the like.

[0028] Note that the covering member 7 is covered on the outer peripheral surface 50, eccentric grooves 51a, 51b, and concentric grooves 52 of the outer ring 5, and is formed so as to have a curvature with the largest outer diameter near the center in the axial direction of the outer ring 5.

[0029] For the inner ring 2 and the outer ring 5, an Fe alloy such as bearing steel (SUJ-2) can be applied. Further, by performing a high-frequency quenching treatment on the raceway portions of the inner ring 2 and the outer ring 5, it can be easily caulked and fixed to a support shaft (not shown), and can be configured to have durability against frictional wear with the bearing 3.

[0030] In this example, the outer peripheral surface 50 (excluding the eccentric grooves 51a, 51b and the concentric grooves 52) of the outer ring 5 is flat (flat shape), but the shape of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 is not limited to this, and the outer peripheral surface 50 may be formed of one curved surface or a plurality of curved surfaces.

[0031] Next, the guide roller 1 for a vehicle slide door according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a cross section of the guide roller 1 of the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a cross section of the concentric rib portion 53 formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. Note that the guide roller 1 of the second embodiment is different from the guide roller 1 of the first embodiment only in that a concentric rib portion 53 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 instead of the concentric groove 52.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, a concentric rib portion 53 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 at the central portions of the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 50. This concentric rib portion 53 extends over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, is concentric with the center X0 of the rotation axis of the outer ring 5, and the radial height D3 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 is constant over the entire circumferential length. In such a configuration, the difference between the elastic deformation amount of the covering member 7 near where the groove depth D1 of either one of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is maximum and the elastic deformation amount of the covering member 7 as the adjacent covering member 7 near where the groove depth D1 of the other one of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is minimum becomes large. However, since a concentric rib portion 53 extending over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 is formed between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, the shear stress due to the difference in elastic deformation amount is alleviated, and cracking of the covering member 7 can be prevented.

[0033] Note that the formation position of the concentric rib portion 53 is not limited to the central portion between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, and it may be formed at any position between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. However, in the configuration where the concentric rib portion 53 is formed at the central portion between the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, the effect of suppressing the shear stress due to the difference in elastic deformation amount is enhanced compared to the configuration where it is not formed at the central portion, and the effect of preventing cracking of the covering member 7 can be enhanced.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the concentric rib portion 53 is formed with a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Also, the radial height D3 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 in the concentric rib portion 53 and the groove width W3 of the concentric rib portion 53 are constant over the entire circumferential length of the outer ring 5. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the concentric rib portion 53 is not limited to a rectangle and can be other shapes.

[0035] As an example of the dimensions of this configuration, the height D3 of the concentric rib portion 53 is 0.1 to 2 mm, and the width W3 of the concentric rib portion 53 is 1 to 4 mm. However, the height D3 of the concentric rib portion 53 and the width W3 of the concentric rib portion 53 are not limited to the dimensions shown above.

[0036] Next, the guide roller 1 for a vehicle slide door according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a cross-section of the guide roller 1 of the third embodiment, FIG. 8 is a side view (A) and a front view (B) of the outer ring 5 constituting the guide roller 1, FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a cross-section of the eccentric grooves 51a, 51b formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, and FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a cross-section of the concentric rib portion 53 formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. Note that the guide roller 1 of the third embodiment is different from the guide roller 1 of the first embodiment in that the shapes of the eccentric grooves 51a, 51b formed on the outer ring 5, the configuration in which the concentric rib portion 53 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 instead of the concentric groove 52, and the configuration including the flange portion 6 extending radially outward from one end in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 8(A), two eccentric grooves 51a, 51b are formed on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 so as to be spaced apart in the axial direction of the outer ring 5. Also, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the two eccentric grooves 51a, 51b extend in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, and the eccentric center X1a of the eccentric groove 51a and the eccentric center X1b of the eccentric groove 51b are point-symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis center X0 of the outer ring 5, and the circumferential length (the formation range on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5) is smaller than the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. Note that the circumferential length of the eccentric grooves 51a, 51b is preferably a length corresponding to an arc angle of 300° or more on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 9, the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b are formed in an inverted trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. Further, the radial groove depth D1 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 in the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, and the groove width W1 of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b are continuous and change in the circumferential direction of the outer ring 5. In this way, in the configuration where the groove width W1 of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b changes in the circumferential direction of the outer ring 5, the effect that it becomes more difficult for the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 and the covering member 7 to relatively slide and displace around the rotation axis center X0 of the outer ring 5 is enhanced, and it is possible to prevent the covering member 7 from peeling off from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b is not limited to an inverted trapezoid, and other shapes can also be used.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 7, concentric ridges 53 are formed radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 50 at the central portions of the two eccentric grooves 51a and 51b on the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5. The concentric ridges 53 extend over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5, are concentric with the rotation axis center X0 of the outer ring 5, and the radial height D3 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 is constant over the entire circumferential length.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 10, the concentric ridges 53 are formed in an arcuate cross-sectional shape. Further, the radial height D3 from the outer peripheral surface 50 of the outer ring 5 in the concentric ridges 53, and the groove width W3 of the concentric ridges 53 are constant over the entire circumferential length of the outer ring 5.

[0041] In addition, the outer ring 5 is provided with a flange portion 6 that extends radially outward from one end of the outer peripheral surface 50 in the axial direction. The covering member 7 is formed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface 50, the eccentric grooves 51a and 51b, the concentric rib portion 53, and the inner side surface in the axial direction of the flange portion 6 of the outer ring 5. In such a configuration, since the covering member 7 also contacts the inner side surface of the flange portion 6 of the outer ring 5, the joining of the covering member 7 and the outer ring 5 becomes stronger. In this example, the flange portion 6 of the outer ring 5 is formed to extend perpendicular to the axial direction, but the extending direction of the flange portion 6 is not limited to this. For example, the flange portion 6 of the outer ring 5 may be formed to extend obliquely from the outer peripheral surface 50 toward the outside in the axial direction of the outer ring 5.

[0042] The guide roller 1 of the present invention described above is used for a vehicle sliding door and can be applied to any of an upper rail provided at the upper edge portion of a vehicle body opening, a center rail provided at the central portion in the height direction of a vehicle body rear side wall adjacent to the vehicle body opening, and a lower rail provided at the lower edge portion of the vehicle body opening.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1 Guide roller 2 Inner ring 3 Bearing 4 Retainer 5 Outer ring 6 Flange portion 7 Covering member 8 Seal ring 50 Outer peripheral surface 51 Eccentric groove 52 Concentric groove 53 Concentric rib portion X0 Rotation axis X1 Eccentric center

Claims

1. A guide roller that rolls along a rail provided on the vehicle body side, the guide roller being rotatably supported by a support member connected to a sliding door, wherein the guide roller is composed of a metal ring-shaped inner ring, a metal ring-shaped outer ring rotatably mounted via a retainer that holds a bearing on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring, and a covering member made of synthetic resin mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, there are provided two eccentric grooves that extend in the circumferential direction, have eccentric centers that are point-symmetrical with respect to the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring, and have a groove depth from the outer peripheral surface that varies in the circumferential direction, the two eccentric grooves are formed spaced apart in the axial direction of the outer ring on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, between the two eccentric grooves on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, there is provided either a concentric groove or a concentric rib that is concentric with the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring and extends over the entire circumferential length, the covering member is formed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring, the two eccentric grooves, and the concentric groove or the concentric rib, and is a guide roller for a vehicle sliding door, characterized in that.

2. The guide roller for a vehicle sliding door according to claim 1, wherein the eccentric groove extends over the entire circumferential length of the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring.

3. The guide roller for a vehicle sliding door according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the concentric groove or the concentric rib is formed at the central portion between the two eccentric grooves on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring.

4. The guide roller for a vehicle sliding door according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the eccentric groove varies in the circumferential direction.

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