Linear guide device

Abstract

To provide a linear motion guide device which allows end-face greasing by provision of an air seal and can efficiently prevent intrusion of foreign matters by using compressed air.SOLUTION: A linear motion guide device of the present invention comprises a guide rail 10 and a slider 20, and also comprises an air seal 31 at least at one longitudinal end of the slider 20. The air seal 31 is formed of an air seal lid part 31a adjoining a protector 30 which prohibits intrusion of foreign matters into the guide rail 10, and an air seal bottom part 31b adjoining a side seal 32 which prohibits intrusion of foreign matters into the slider 20. An air supply path 42 that supplies compressed air and is in communication with a compressed air supply joint 40 which supplies compressed air from the outside is formed in a gap between an end face of the air seal lid part 31 and an end face of the air seal bottom part 31b, An air inclination part 31e composed of an inclined face for discharging compressed air to a guide rail upper face 10b at an inclination angle is arranged in an air discharge part F of the air supply path 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a linear guide device used in industrial machines and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] A typical linear guide device includes a guide rail with rolling grooves on its outer surface and a slider assembled across the guide rail. Many seals, such as protectors, side seals, and laminated seals, are used to seal the slider ends. However, even with these seals, it is difficult to seal out even very small foreign particles or liquids such as coolant. Therefore, attempts have been made to prevent foreign particles and coolant from entering the slider by ejecting compressed air. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes ejecting compressed air from multiple small holes to remove foreign particles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-130226 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, the pipe for supplying compressed air is installed on the seal end face, making it impossible to supply lubricant from that end face. In this case, lubrication from the side is possible, but side lubrication has the problem of making it difficult to distribute the lubricant evenly among the four grooves due to the structure. Furthermore, in an environment where foreign matter is likely to enter, it is necessary to supply more lubricant, and unbalanced distribution of the lubricant should be avoided.

[0005] It is also possible to supply grease from the top, but top-side grease supply generally requires additional piping on the upper table, which increases costs.As such, the proposal in Patent Document 1, which does not allow end-face grease supply, is problematic in practical use.

[0006] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the inner periphery of the seal is rectangular, and the compressed air hits the guide rail perpendicularly, making it difficult to efficiently remove foreign matter. Therefore, depending on the state of motion of the slider (high speed, etc.), it cannot be denied that the compressed air may pass through the contact seal and enter the slider.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and aims to enable end face lubrication by providing an air seal, and to efficiently prevent the intrusion of foreign matter by using compressed air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a linear guide device of a first invention includes a guide rail extending in one direction, A linear guide device comprising: a slider slidably mounted on the guide rail via a plurality of rolling elements; an air seal is provided at at least one end of the slider in the longitudinal direction; The air seal is a protector that prevents foreign matter from entering the guide rail and an adjacent air seal lid; The slider is configured with a side seal that prevents foreign matter from entering the slider and an adjacent air seal bottom. an air supply path for supplying compressed air, which is connected to a compressed air supply joint for supplying compressed air from the outside, is formed in a gap between an end surface of the air seal lid portion and an end surface of the air seal bottom portion; The air supply passage has an air inclined portion formed of an inclined surface that injects compressed air at an inclined angle relative to the upper surface of the guide rail. 、 The air discharge section is provided with a filter to prevent foreign matter from entering the air supply path. It is characterized by: The second invention is the first invention, The air seal has a through hole in the center for supplying lubricant. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a linear guide device that allows end face grease supply by providing an air seal and can efficiently prevent the intrusion of foreign matter by using compressed air. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) is a front view of a linear guide device of the first embodiment, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the linear guide device. [Figure 2] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the seal configuration of the linear guide device of the first embodiment, and is a view corresponding to the cross section AA in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a front view showing the configuration of an air seal of the linear guide device of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an air seal of a linear guide device of a second embodiment, and corresponds to the cross section AA in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the configuration of an air seal of a linear guide device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [Embodiment 1] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1(a) is a front view of the linear guide device 1 as seen from an end in the longitudinal direction, and Fig. 1(b) is a side view of the linear guide device 1 as seen from the longitudinal direction. The linear guide device 1 of the present invention comprises a guide rail 10 extending in one direction and a slider 20 slidably mounted across the guide rail 10 via a plurality of rolling elements (not shown). At least one longitudinal end of the slider 20 is provided with an air seal 31. The air seal 31 is composed of an air seal cover adjacent to a protector 30 that prevents foreign matter from entering the guide rail 10, and an air seal bottom adjacent to a side seal 32 that prevents foreign matter from entering the slider. An air supply passage for supplying compressed air is formed in the gap between the end face of the air seal cover and the end face of the air seal bottom, and communicates with a compressed air supply joint that supplies compressed air from the outside. The air discharge portion of the air supply passage is provided with an air inclined portion consisting of an inclined surface that discharges compressed air at an inclined angle relative to the top surface of the guide rail. This will be explained in detail below.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the slider 20 comprises a guide rail 10 extending in one direction and a slider 20 that is slidably mounted across the guide rail 10 via a plurality of rolling elements (not shown). The slider 20 is composed of a slider body 21 and end caps 22 that are detachably attached to the front and rear surfaces of both longitudinal ends of the slider body 21.

[0013] 1, the slider body 21 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 10 with openings at both ends in the moving direction of the guide rail 10 being roughly U-shaped, and is mounted on the guide rail 10. The slider 20 also has sleeves on both the left and right sides along the longitudinal direction, and on its inner surface, slider-side raceway surfaces (not shown) are formed along the longitudinal direction opposite the rolling element rolling surfaces 10a, 10a of the guide rail 1.

[0014] Rolling elements (not shown) are loaded so as to be freely rollable between the rolling element rolling surface 10a of the guide rail 10 and the rolling element rolling groove 21a of the slider 20. The slider 20 is moved relatively along the longitudinal direction on the guide rail 10 via the rolling of these rolling elements.

[0015] The end cap 22 has an opening formed in a substantially U-shape, similar to the slider body 21, and is mounted on the guide rail 10 from above, similar to the slider body 21. The end cap 22 is fixed to the slider body 21 through fixing means consisting of screw holes and screws for fixing to both ends of the slider body 21 in the longitudinal direction. Grooves (not shown) that allow the guide rail 10 to move are formed facing each other along the inner shape of the slider body 21.

[0016] Furthermore, the protector 30, air seal 31, and side seal 32 are arranged in this order from the leading end in the movement direction of the slider 20, and are fixed by bolt fixing means. The protector 30 and side seal 32 are arranged in this order from the rearmost end in the movement direction of the slider 20, and are fixed by bolt fixing means. In this embodiment, the air seal 31 is provided only on the leading end side in the movement direction of the slider 20, but it may also be provided at the rearmost end, so that both ends are provided. This makes it possible to provide a linear guide device that can prevent foreign matter from entering from both ends in the movement direction of the slider 20.

[0017] 1, the side seal 32 is fixed in contact with the longitudinal end of the slider body 21 for the purpose of preventing foreign matter from entering the slider 20, and is mounted from above on the guide rail 10, similar to the slider body 21 and end cap 22. The side seal 32 has a generally U-shaped front view that is substantially the same as the front view of the end cap 22, and is composed of a rubber plate-like portion 32a, a middle portion 32e, a seal lip 32b, and a metal plate 32f, as shown in FIG.

[0018] The intermediate portion 32e is a connecting portion where the seal lip 32b is formed from the plate-shaped portion 32a, and is thin, being approximately half the thickness of the plate-shaped portion 32a. The metal plate 32f is a core metal of the side seal 32, and the plate-shaped portion 32a and the seal lip 32b are formed by welding rubber to one surface of the metal plate 32f using a mold.

[0019] 2, this seal lip 32b is formed in an inverted Y-shape (bifurcated) and extends in two parts toward the guide rail upper surface 10b. This inverted Y-shaped (bifurcated) seal lip 32b consists of two parts: lip 32c facing the air seal 31 side, and lip 32d facing the end cap 32 side. These lips 32c and 32d are pressed against the guide rail upper surface 10b and elastically deformed, thereby preventing foreign matter from remaining therein.

[0020] The protector 30 has an opening formed in a roughly U-shape, similar to the slider body 21, and is mounted on the guide rail 10 from above, similar to the slider body 21. The protector 30 is provided in the form of a flat plate on the outside of the tip of the slider body 21 in the longitudinal direction to prevent deformation or damage to the air seal 31 and the intrusion of foreign matter into the guide rail 10.

[0021] The air seal 31 is provided between the outer side of the side seal 32 and the inner side of the protector 30. The thickness of the air seal 31 is thicker than the thickness of the side seal 32 and the protector 30, and is approximately four times as thick. The reason for this is that the air seal 31 is composed of a thick air seal lid portion 31a and an air seal bottom portion 31b.

[0022] That is, when providing the air supply passage 42 for guiding compressed air inside the air seal 31, in order to prevent the internal shape from becoming complicated, the air seal 31 is made up of two parts, the air seal lid part 31a and the air seal bottom part 31b, which are fixed together with the protector 30 and the side seal 32 by screws.

[0023] 2, the overall thickness of air seal bottom 31b is about 4 / 5 of the overall thickness of air seal 31, with the portion of air seal bottom 31b in contact with plate-shaped portion 32a of side seal 32 being about 1 / 5 of the thickness. That is, the thickness of bottom surface (wall) 31d of air seal bottom 31b is made thin in order to form a space (communicating passage) that serves as air supply path 42 that takes compressed air supplied from the outside into the seal. A gap (space) is left between air seal lid 31a and air seal bottom 31b, and this gap (space) forms air supply path 42.

[0024] The bottom surface (wall) 31d of the air seal bottom 31b is a substantially vertical surface parallel to the end surface of the plate-like portion 32a of the side seal 32. An air supply inclined portion 31e is provided, which starts from the portion near the boundary where the vertical surface changes into the middle portion 32e and where an inclined surface 31f begins, where the bottom surface (wall) 31d of the air seal bottom 31b becomes lower toward the guide rail 10. The predetermined inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 31f of the air supply inclined portion 31e is set to approximately 15 degrees in Fig. 2, but is not limited to approximately 15 degrees. That is, a preferable predetermined inclined surface is formed depending on the size of the lid surface (wall) 31c of the air seal lid portion 31a of the air seal 31.

[0025] Lid surface (wall) 31c of air seal lid portion 31a is a nearly vertical surface that faces bottom surface (wall) 31d of air seal bottom portion 31b to form air supply passage 42. The slope begins toward guide rail 10, and inclined surface 31g is provided opposite air supply slope 31e. Inclined surfaces 31f and 31g form a communication passage 43 that is an extension of air supply passage 42 and has air discharge portion F at its tip.

[0026] The compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply joint 40 passes through the air supply inclined portion 31e and the connecting passage 43, and is blown from the air discharge portion F onto the upper surface 10b of the guide rail, and is discharged from the gap between the protector 30 and the guide rail 10 (indicated by the arrow near the air discharge portion F). Moreover, it is desirable that the air discharge portion F is shaped to follow the outer periphery of the guide rail 10, and that the gap between the air discharge portion F and the upper surface 10b of the guide rail is 1 mm or less. This configuration allows the compressed air to be ejected at an angle rather than vertically, making it possible to efficiently prevent the intrusion of foreign matter and coolant.

[0027] As described above, the air supply passage 42 and its extension, the communication passage 43, are formed as a gap between the air seal bottom 31b and the air seal lid 31a. Therefore, the compressed air supply passage can be formed without processing the air seal 31 into a complex or fine shape, making it easy to manufacture.

[0028] Next, the compressed air supply process according to this embodiment will be described. Compressed air is supplied from an external supply source to the air inlet portion E of the air supply path 42 of the air seal 31 via a compressed air supply joint 41. In this embodiment, the compressed air supply joint 41 is provided on the side of the air seal 31, but it may be located on the end face of the air seal 31 in the longitudinal direction or on the top face of the air seal 31 depending on the structure of the linear guide device 1. In either case, it is sufficient to have an air supply path 42 that takes in compressed air supplied from outside into the seal.

[0029] 3, an air reservoir 41 for temporarily storing compressed air is provided above the left front surface of the air seal 31, between the compressed air supply joint 41 located at the left end of the front surface and the air supply path 42 of the air seal 31 to which the compressed air is supplied. The air reservoir 41 is a spatial region provided inside the air seal 31. This spatial region is formed so that it tapers from a width approximately the same as the diameter of the compressed air supply joint 41 toward the air inlet E of the air supply path 42, and is in communication with the air seal 31.

[0030] In this way, compressed air supplied from an external compressed air supply source is supplied to air reservoir 41, then gradually guided into air supply passage 42 with a smaller diameter, and distributed at a high flow rate to the outer periphery of air seal 31. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, air supply passage 42 is arranged so as to wrap around the outer periphery of lubricant supply through hole 50, and compressed air is distributed from the center of air seal 31 to the outer periphery of air seal 31 on both sides (see Fig. 3).

[0031] Furthermore, sealing is performed between the air seal lid portion 31a and the air seal bottom portion 31b as necessary to improve airtightness. Sealing may also be performed between the protector 30 and the side seal 32, in which case it is expected to be effective in preventing foreign matter and coolant from entering through gaps between parts. Possible sealing materials include commercially available silicone-based sealing materials.

[0032] There is a gap between the protector 30 and the guide rail 10, and the side seal 32 is in contact with the guide rail 10. Therefore, the air discharged from the air seal 31 is discharged to the outside through the gap between the protector 30 and the guide rail 10, and the resulting pressure prevents the intrusion of foreign matter and coolant.

[0033] The air seal 31 itself may be provided inside the side seal 32 to increase the internal pressure of the slider 20, but in that case, a separate mechanism is required to adjust the internal pressure and discharge excess compressed air to the outside.

[0034] The material of the air seal 31 can be an engineering plastic material such as polyacetal. If increased strength is required, a light metal such as duralumin or aluminum may also be used.

[0035] [Embodiment 2] Another embodiment, a second linear guide device, of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the air seal configuration of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the air seal 31 has the same structure as in the first embodiment, but an inclined air supply section is provided for discharging air onto the surface of the guide rail 10, as shown in FIG. 3. The same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 are used in FIG. 4, but similar descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy. Furthermore, the air discharge section is shaped to conform to the outer periphery of the guide rail, and the gap between the air discharge section F and the upper surface 10b of the guide rail is desirably 1 mm or less. Similarly, in terms of action, the compressed air strikes the guide rail 10 along an inclined surface, which effectively prevents the intrusion of foreign matter and coolant compared to when compressed air is discharged vertically onto the guide rail 10.

[0036] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the air discharge section F of the air seal 31 is provided with a filter 60 that prevents foreign matter from entering the inside of the seal. The air discharge section F is provided with the filter 60 or the like to prevent foreign matter from entering the inside of the air seal 31 (see FIG. 4).

[0037] 4, filter 60 is composed of filter edge surfaces 60a, 60b, 60c, 60d, and 60e that are approximately pentagonal in cross section. Filter edge surface 60a faces and blocks the opening of air discharge port F, introducing compressed air into filter 60. Filter edge surface 60b abuts against a surface of air seal lid-side inner wall 31c near air discharge port F to hold it in place. Filter edge surface 60c abuts against a surface of protector 30 facing slider 20 to prevent filter 60 from moving due to the discharge of compressed air. Filter edge surface 60d is positioned to abut against the surface at the tip of air supply channel slope 31e on air seal bottom-side inner wall 31d to hold it in place. Filter edge surface 60e is positioned so that the compressed air introduced into filter 60 is discharged toward guide rail upper surface 10b, and does not abut against any surface of air seal 31.

[0038] The reason for arranging the filter 60 in this manner is that there is a risk that foreign matter may enter the inside of the air seal 31 when the slider 20 is moved while compressed air is not being supplied. The filter 60 is made of a material such as felt.

[0039] [Embodiment 3] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the diameters of the air supply passage 42 and the communication passage 43, which is an extension of the air supply passage 42, are adjusted to increase the flow rate, thereby supplying compressed air to the entire circumference of the guide rail 10. However, if the outer circumference of the guide rail 10 is long, there is a possibility that the supply to the rolling element rolling surface 10a located at the farthest position may be weak. Therefore, in the third embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, a compressed air supply path 43 is provided that prioritizes the supply of compressed air to the rolling element rolling surface 10a of the guide rail 10. In order to supply compressed air to this compressed air supply path 43, the distance d2 of the air supply path 42 shown in Fig. 5 of the third embodiment is formed to be shorter than the distance d1 of the air supply path 42 shown in Fig. 3, and the air seal 31 is formed so that the air supply path 42 is located at a position that is a distance d3 higher than the guide rail upper surface 10b. In Fig. 3, the distance d3 is not provided because compressed air is discharged to the guide rail upper surface 10b. This prevents compressed air from being discharged onto the guide rail upper surface 10b, and allows the rolling element rolling surface 10a to be protected with priority.

[0040] [Lubricant supply joint] Next, as shown in Figure 1, lubricant is supplied into the slider 20 through a lubricant supply joint 50 on the end face of the slider 20. This lubricant supply joint 50 may be on the side or top face depending on the structure of the device. In either case, there is an oil passage that takes in the lubricant into the slider 20.

[0041] Inside the air seal 31, where the lubricant supply joint 50 is provided on the end face of the slider 20, a circular through-hole 51 is provided at the top center of the air seal 31 for supplying lubricant from the end face. In a harsh foreign matter environment, supplying lubricant from the end face is most advantageous for evenly distributing lubricant to all grooves, so it is important to provide the through-hole 51 for supplying lubricant on the end face of the air seal 31. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Linear guide device 10 Guide rail 10a Rolling element rolling surface 10b Guide rail top surface 20 Slider 21 Slider body 30 Protector 31 Air Seal 31a Air seal lid 31b Air seal bottom 31c Air seal lid side inner wall 31d Air seal bottom inner wall 31e Air supply passage slope 31f Inclined surface (inner wall surface at bottom of air seal) 31g Inclined surface (inner wall of air seal lid) 32 Side seal 32a Plate-shaped part 32b Seal lip 32c, 32d lip 32e middle part 32f metal plate 40 Compressed air supply joint 41 Air pocket 42 Air supply line 50 Lubricant supply through hole 50 Lubricant supply joint 60 filters 60a, 60b, 60c, 60d, 60e Filter surface E Air inlet (air supply passage) F Air outlet (air supply path)

Claims

1. A guide rail extending in one direction; A linear guide device comprising: a slider slidably mounted on the guide rail via a plurality of rolling elements; an air seal is provided at at least one end of the slider in the longitudinal direction; The air seal is a protector that prevents foreign matter from entering the guide rail and an adjacent air seal lid; The slider is configured with a side seal that prevents foreign matter from entering the slider and an adjacent air seal bottom. an air supply path for supplying compressed air, which is connected to a compressed air supply joint for supplying compressed air from the outside, is formed in a gap between an end surface of the air seal lid portion and an end surface of the air seal bottom portion; an air inclined portion having an inclined surface that injects compressed air at an inclined angle relative to the upper surface of the guide rail is provided at the air discharge portion of the air supply path; The linear guide device is characterized in that the air discharge portion is provided with a filter that prevents foreign matter from entering the air supply path.

2. A linear guide device as described in Claim 1, characterized in that the air seal has a through hole in the center for supplying lubricant.

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