Guidance device

Abstract

To obtain a guide device which can move along raceway members having any shapes.SOLUTION: A guide device 10 comprises raceway rails 111, 121 which are formed while extending in a longitudinal direction, and a moving body 21 which relatively linearly or curvedly moves along the longitudinal direction of the raceway rails. A guide mechanism 23 composed of a pair of wheels 116 which are arranged so as to sandwich the raceway rails from both sides of the raceway rails in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of a moving body, and a rolling body holding part 24 for rotatably holding a pair of the wheels, and arranged so as to be turnable with respect to the moving body is arranged at least in one set with respect to the moving body. A region contacting with the wheels 116, 126 of the raceway rails 111, 121 is set as a rolling face having a constant curvature radius Ra, a region of the rolling body contacting with the rolling face is set as a load rolling face having a constant curvature radius Rb, and curvature radius Ra of the rolling face and the curvature radius Rb of the load rolling face are made to differ from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, guide devices having a moving member that moves relatively along the longitudinal direction of a track member have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a guide device as a conveying device having a main body that is a moving member that moves along a guide rail that is a track member.

[0003] The main body of the conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a pair of roller members arranged to sandwich both sides of the guide rail, and two pairs of roller members are installed on the main body. With this configuration, the conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is said to be able to ensure stable movement of the main body even on curved portions of the guide rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5569371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the case of the conveying device disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a pair of roller members arranged to sandwich both sides of the guide rail have the same diameter, and the contact portions between both sides of the guide rail and the pair of roller members are considered to be in surface contact. In this case, when the main body of the conveying device moves along the curved portion of the guide rail, a difference in peripheral speed occurs between the pair of roller members at the curved portion, preventing the main body from moving smoothly. In other words, conventional guide devices, such as the conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, have had the problem of not generating a difference in peripheral speed between the rolling elements when the moving member moves along the curved portion of the track member, and thus being able to move smoothly relative to the track member.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems existing in the prior art described above, and has as its object to provide a guide device that can move smoothly along track members of all shapes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The guide device according to the present invention comprises: The slit is formed by only straight line portions extending in the longitudinal direction, or by only curved line portions formed in an arc shape with a predetermined curvature radius extending in the longitudinal direction, or by connecting a plurality of the straight line portions and a plurality of the curved line portions in any number and in any order to extend in the longitudinal direction. A track member; At the straight portion of the track member, the track member moves linearly relative to the longitudinal direction of the track member, and at the curved portion of the track member, the track member moves curved relative to the longitudinal direction of the track member. a guide device provided with a moving member, and at least one set of guide mechanisms comprising a pair of rolling elements arranged to sandwich the raceway member from both sides in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the moving member, and a rolling element holding part that rotatably holds the pair of rolling elements and is installed rotatably relative to the moving member, wherein the guide device is provided with a rolling surface having a certain curvature at a portion of the raceway member that comes into contact with the rolling elements, and the portion of the rolling element that comes into contact with the rolling surface is a loaded rolling surface having a certain curvature, and the curvature of the rolling surface and the loaded rolling surface are configured to be different, and further, the rolling surface is configured to have a certain curvature Consists of a convex shape The surface of the bearing is an Ra surface, and the load rolling surface that comes into contact with the Ra surface has a certain curvature. Consists of a concave shape The surface is an Rb surface, and the Ra surface and the Rb surface are configured to be in point contact, and the Ra surface and the Rb surface that are in point contact are configured so that the inequality "curvature of the Rb surface" / "curvature of the Ra surface" > 1.05 holds. .Ma In addition, the present invention other The guide device is The slit is formed by only straight line portions extending in the longitudinal direction, or by only curved line portions formed in an arc shape with a predetermined curvature radius extending in the longitudinal direction, or by connecting a plurality of the straight line portions and a plurality of the curved line portions in any number and in any order to extend in the longitudinal direction. A track member; At the straight portion of the track member, the track member moves linearly relative to the longitudinal direction of the track member, and at the curved portion of the track member, the track member moves curved relative to the longitudinal direction of the track member. a guide device provided with a moving member, and at least one set of guide mechanisms comprising a pair of rolling elements arranged to sandwich the raceway member from both sides in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the moving member, and a rolling element holding part that rotatably holds the pair of rolling elements and is rotatably installed relative to the moving member, wherein a portion of the raceway member that comes into contact with the rolling elements is a rolling surface having a certain curvature, and a portion of the rolling element that comes into contact with the rolling surface is a loaded rolling surface having a certain curvature, and the curvature of the rolling surface and the curvature of the loaded rolling surface are configured to be different, and the raceway members are two The moving member is installed across the two track members, and the moving member is equipped with at least one set of the guide mechanisms assembled to one of the two track members. The moving member is equipped with one support rolling element that contacts the other of the two track members, and a portion of the track member that contacts the support rolling element is a support rolling surface having a certain curvature, and a portion of the support rolling element that contacts the support rolling surface is a support load rolling surface having a certain curvature, and the curvature of the support rolling surface and the curvature of the support load rolling surface are configured to be different, and the support rolling surface is configured to have a certain curvature. Consists of a convex shape The surface is an Ra surface, and the bearing load rolling surface that comes into contact with the Ra surface has a certain curvature Consists of a concave shape The surface is an Rb surface, and the Ra surface and the Rb surface are configured to be in point contact, and the Ra surface and the Rb surface that are in point contact are configured so that the inequality "curvature of the Rb surface" / "curvature of the Ra surface" > 1.05 holds. 。 [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a guide device that can move along track members of any shape. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of the external appearance of a guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from below. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the guide device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the guide device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a moving member of a guide device according to the present embodiment, viewed from below. [Figure 6] 6 is an exploded perspective view showing one of two guide mechanisms of the moving member shown in FIG. 5 in an exploded state. FIG. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining advantageous effects of the guide device according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A shows the present embodiment and FIG. 1B shows a comparative example. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a modified example in which the present invention is applied to a track rail having a shape different from that of the track rail of this embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration that can be taken by a guide mechanism included in a guide device according to the present invention; [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration that can be taken by a guide mechanism included in a guide device according to the present invention; [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing yet another possible configuration example of the guide mechanism of the guide device according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing various examples of contact structures that can be adopted by the guide device of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a guide device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 14A to 14C are diagrams for explaining the operation state of the guide device according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a guide device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 16A to 16C are diagrams for explaining the operation state of the guide device according to still another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the inventions according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of the guide device according to this embodiment when viewed from above, and Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of the guide device according to this embodiment when viewed from below. Fig. 3 is a front view of the guide device according to this embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the guide device according to this embodiment. Fig. 5 is an external perspective view of a moving member included in the guide device according to this embodiment when viewed from below, and Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing one of two guide mechanisms included in the moving member shown in Fig. 5 in an exploded state.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a guide device 10 according to this embodiment has a track rail 11 as a track member of the present invention, and a moving body 21 as a moving member of the present invention.

[0013] The track rail 11 of this embodiment is an elongated member formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. The track rail 11 of this embodiment is configured to have straight portions 12 formed in a straight line and curved portions 13 formed in an arc shape with a predetermined radius of curvature. Note that, in the track rail 11 of this embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4, one straight portion 12 and one curved portion 13 are connected together, but possible configurations of the track member according to the present invention are not limited to this configuration example. The track rail 11 as a track member according to the present invention may be, for example, a track rail in which only a plurality of straight portions 12 are connected together, a track rail in which only a plurality of curved portions 13 are connected together, or a track rail in which any number of straight portions 12 and any number of curved portions 13 are connected together in any order.

[0014] 1, 2 and 4, the track rail 11 of this embodiment is formed with a plurality of mounting holes 14 penetrating the track rail 11 in the up-down direction. By using the plurality of mounting holes 14, the track rail 11 of this embodiment can be fixed to, for example, a base surface or the like that serves as an attachment reference, with the bottom side of the track rail 11 as the reference.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, the track rail 11 of this embodiment has left and right side surfaces of the rail formed with convex shapes that protrude to the left and right. The convex shapes arranged on each of the left and right side surfaces of the track rail 11 are composed of two inclined surfaces 11a arranged on the top and bottom, respectively, that are inclined at an angle of 45 degrees or -45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, and one flat surface 11b formed in the vertical direction between these two upper and lower inclined surfaces 11a. The two upper and lower inclined surfaces 11a and the one flat surface 11b that form the convex shapes function as rolling surfaces according to the present invention by being contacted by the loaded rolling surfaces of the rolling elements of the present invention, which will be described later.

[0016] The movable body 21 of this embodiment is a member that moves linearly or curvedly relative to the longitudinal direction of the track rail 11. As shown in more detail in Figs. 5 and 6, the movable body 21 of this embodiment is made up of one movable plate 22 and two guide mechanisms 23 installed relative to the movable plate 22.

[0017] The moving plate 22 can move the external member to be transported in a straight line or a curve along the longitudinal direction of the track rail 11 by attaching the external member to the upper surface side, for example.

[0018] On the other hand, two sets of guide mechanisms 23 are installed on the lower surface side of the moving plate 22, as shown in FIG.

[0019] As shown in Figure 6, the guide mechanism 23 of this embodiment has a rolling element holding portion 24 that is rotatably installed relative to the moving plate 22, and a pair of rolling elements, a wheel 25 and a cam follower 26, that are held in a rotatable state relative to this rolling element holding portion 24.

[0020] The rolling element holder 24 has one through-hole 24a in the center and two rolling element mounting holes 24b on either side of the through-hole 24a. The holder mounting shaft 24c is inserted through the holder mounting hole 22a formed in the moving plate 22, and the tip of the holder mounting shaft 24c is inserted through the central through-hole 24a of the rolling element holder 24 and fastened with a nut 24d, so that the rolling element holder 24 can be installed in a rotatable state relative to the moving plate 22.

[0021] Furthermore, by passing the wheel shaft 25a of the wheel 25 through one of the two rolling element mounting holes 24b of the rolling element holding portion 24 (on the left side of the paper in Figure 6) and fastening the shaft end of the wheel shaft 25a with a nut 25b, the wheel 25 can be installed in a freely rotatable state relative to the rolling element holding portion 24.

[0022] Furthermore, an eccentric nut 27 having an eccentric through hole 27a that is eccentric when mounted to the other of the two rolling element mounting holes 24b of the rolling element holder 24 (on the right side of the drawing in FIG. 6 ) is threadedly engaged with the other rolling element mounting hole 24b, and the cam follower shaft 26a of the cam follower 26 is inserted through the eccentric through hole 27a, and the shaft end of the cam follower shaft 26a is fastened and fixed with a nut 26b, thereby enabling the cam follower 26 to be installed in a rotatable state relative to the rolling element holder 24. Note that, in the cam follower 26 of this embodiment, the position of the eccentric through hole 27a is changed by rotating the eccentric nut 27 relative to the rolling element mounting hole 24b, and therefore the position (distance) of the cam follower 26 relative to the wheel 25 can be changed. This change in position (distance) is utilized when mounting the movable body 21 to the track rail 11.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2, 4, etc., the wheels 25 and cam followers 26, which are a pair of rolling elements constituting the guide mechanism 23 described above, are arranged on both sides of the track rail 11 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable body 21, so as to sandwich the track rail 11. In this embodiment, of the wheels 25 and cam followers 26, which are a pair of rolling elements arranged in each of the two guide mechanisms 23, the cam follower 26 arranged on the other side of the track rail 11 (the right side of the page in Figure 4) has a smaller diameter than the wheel 25 arranged on one side of the track rail 11 in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable body 21 (the left side of the page in Figure 4). That is, in this embodiment, as shown in more detail in Figure 4, the cam follower 26 with a small diameter is arranged on the inner periphery of the curved section 13 formed in an arc shape with a predetermined radius of curvature in the track rail 11, and the wheel 25 with a large diameter is arranged on the outer periphery of the curved section 13.

[0024] Here, the pair of rolling elements, the wheel 25 and the cam follower 26, move so that the line connecting their centers of rotation is perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the track rail 11. Therefore, if the pair of rolling elements, the wheel 25 and the cam follower 26, had the same diameter, the distance between the rolling elements arranged on the inner periphery of the curved section 13 of the track rail 11 would be small when the rolling elements moved along the curved section 13, and so it would be necessary to configure the guide mechanism 23 in consideration of this distance between the rolling elements, which would impose a limit on how compact the movable body 21 having two sets of guide mechanisms 23 could be made. However, as in the movable body 21 of this embodiment, by making the cam followers 26, which are rolling elements arranged on the inner side of the curved section 13 of the track rail 11, small in diameter for the rolling elements of the two sets of guide mechanisms 23, the rolling elements will not come into contact with each other and interfere with each other even if the distance between the rolling elements becomes small, so it is possible to achieve a compact movable body 21 having two sets of guide mechanisms 23 while maintaining smooth guide movement.

[0025] In the guide device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the wheel 25 and the cam follower 26, which are a pair of rolling elements, are in point contact with two upper and lower inclined surfaces 11a that form a protruding shape on the outer periphery of the track rail 11, and the cam follower 26 is in line contact with one flat surface 11b that forms a protruding shape on the inner periphery of the track rail 11. In the guide device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, among the portions that form the protruding shapes arranged on each of the left and right side surfaces of the track rail 11, the rolling surfaces that are the portions (the two upper and lower inclined surfaces 11a) that come into contact with the rolling elements (wheels 25) can be configured as surfaces Ra with a constant curvature, and the loaded rolling surfaces that are the outer portions of the rolling elements (wheels 25) that come into contact with these surfaces Ra can be configured as surfaces Rb with a constant curvature, so that the surfaces Ra and Rb are in point contact. Furthermore, the surfaces Ra and Rb that make point contact can be configured to have different curvatures. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the curvature of the surface Ra can be greater than the curvature of the surface Rb. That is, in this embodiment, the wheel 25 and the cam follower 26, which are a pair of rolling elements arranged in the guide mechanism 23, are configured to make two-point, one-line contact with the track rail 11. By employing the configuration shown in Fig. 3, for example, when moving along the curved section 13 of the track rail 11, there is no difference in peripheral speed of the rolling elements (the wheel 25 and the cam follower 26), making it difficult for operational slippage to occur, and it is possible to realize a guide device 10 in which the moving body 21 can operate smoothly.

[0026] Furthermore, the guide device 10 of this embodiment has the configuration shown in Figures 1 to 6, which allows it to exhibit even more advantageous effects. The details of these effects will be explained with reference to Figure 7. Here, Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining the advantageous effects of the guide device according to this embodiment, with sub-figure (a) showing this embodiment and sub-figure (b) showing a comparative example.

[0027] As described above, the track rail 11 constituting the guide device 10 according to this embodiment has left and right side surfaces formed in a protruding shape that protrudes to the left and right. Furthermore, the pair of rolling elements constituting the guide mechanism of the present invention can change their positions (distance) by using an eccentric nut 27. This mechanism for changing the position (distance) between the pair of rolling elements can be used when removing or attaching the movable body 21 from the track rail 11.

[0028] Therefore, as in the comparative example shown in the sub-diagram (b) of Figure 7, when a pair of rolling elements constituting the guide mechanism are both configured as wheels 25 having the same diameter, both of the pair of wheels 25 come into contact with the two upper and lower protruding inclined surfaces 11a protruding to the left and right from the left and right side surfaces of the track rail 11, so the amount of eccentricity of the wheels 25 when removing the movable body 21 from the track rail 11 needs to be "2e", which is twice the horizontal distance "e" of the inclined surfaces 11a on each side.

[0029] On the other hand, as in the present embodiment shown in the partial view (a) of FIG. 7 , when a pair of rolling elements constituting the guide mechanism of the present invention is composed of a wheel 25 and a cam follower 26 and the cam follower 26 has a smaller diameter than the wheel 25, the wheel 25 comes into point contact with two upper and lower inclined surfaces 11a that form the protruding shape on the outer periphery of the track rail 11, and the cam follower 26 comes into line contact with one flat surface 11b that forms the protruding shape on the inner periphery of the track rail 11. Therefore, the amount of eccentricity of the wheel 25 and the cam follower 26 when removing the moving body 21 from the track rail 11 is only the horizontal distance "e" of the inclined surface 11a on the wheel 25 side. In other words, when a pair of rolling elements constituting the guide mechanism of the present invention is composed of a wheel 25 and a cam follower 26 as in the present embodiment, the amount of eccentricity of the rolling elements when removing or installing the moving body 21 from or on the track rail 11 can be reduced compared to the comparative example, and therefore a guide device 10 with excellent operability can be realized.

[0030] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments.

[0031] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the track rail 11, which is a track member of the present invention, has a convex shape on the left and right side surfaces of the rail, as shown in FIG. 3 and other figures. However, the guide device of the present invention can be applied to track members of any shape. For example, FIG. 8 shows a modified example in which the present invention is applied to a track rail having a different shape from the track rail of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the present invention can also be applied to a track rail 81 in which the left and right side surfaces of the rail are formed in a concave shape recessed inward from the left and right. In the modified example shown in FIG. 8, the pair of rolling elements constituting the guide mechanism of the present invention can be composed of a large-diameter wheel 25 and a small-diameter wheel 86. In the modified example shown in FIG. 8, the large-diameter wheel 25 also makes point contact with two upper and lower inclined surfaces 11a forming the concave shape on the outer circumferential side of the track rail 81 (left side of FIG. 8), and the small-diameter wheel 86 makes line contact with one flat surface 11b forming the concave shape on the inner circumferential side of the track rail 81 (right side of FIG. 8). That is, in the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 8, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the large-diameter wheel 25 and the small-diameter wheel 86, which are a pair of rolling elements arranged in the guide mechanism 23, are configured to make two-point and one-line contact with the track rail 81, so that the movable body 21 can move smoothly along the longitudinal direction of the track rail 81 while maintaining a stable attachment state to the track rail 81.

[0032] 9, the above-described embodiment has been described by exemplifying a configuration in which, of a pair of rolling elements 95, 96 arranged in each of the two guide mechanisms 23, the rolling element 96 arranged on the other side (inner peripheral side) of the track rail 11 has a smaller diameter than the rolling element 95 arranged on one side (outer peripheral side) of the track rail 11 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable body 21. That is, in this example, the rolling element 96 arranged on the inner peripheral side of the track rail 11 including the curved portion 13 formed in an arc shape with a predetermined curvature radius is configured to have a smaller diameter than the rolling element 95 arranged on the outer peripheral side. However, the configuration of the guide device according to the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, of two sets of guide mechanisms 23a, 23b, a pair of rolling elements 105a, 106a arranged in one set of guide mechanism 23a is configured such that the rolling element 106a arranged on the other side of the track rail 11 (right side of the paper in FIG. 10) has a smaller diameter than the rolling element 105a arranged on one side of the track rail 11 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable body 21 (left side of the paper in FIG. 10), and a pair of rolling elements 105b, 106b arranged in the other set of guide mechanism 23b is configured such that the rolling element 105b arranged on one side of the track rail 11 (left side of the paper in FIG. 10) has a smaller diameter than the rolling element 106b arranged on the other side of the track rail 11 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable body 21 (right side of the paper in FIG. 10). In the case of the configuration example shown in Fig. 10, for example, when the track rail 11 has an S-shaped curved shape, this is a suitable arrangement of the rolling elements. Figs. 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a configuration that can be taken by the guide mechanism of the guide device according to the present invention.

[0033] 1 to 10 , which illustrate the above-described embodiments, show examples in which the wheels 25, 86 and cam followers 26 serving as rolling elements make point or line contact with the protruding or recessed shapes arranged on the left and right sides of the track rail 11, 81. That is, in the above-described embodiments, the loaded rolling surfaces of the wheels 25, 86 and cam followers 26 serving as rolling elements, which are in contact with the track rail 11, 81, make point or line contact with the inclined surfaces 11 a and flat surfaces 11 b serving as rolling surfaces of the track rail 11, 81, which are in contact with the wheels 25, 86 and cam followers 26. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further improvements can be made. Here, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing yet another possible configuration of the guide mechanism of the guide device according to the present invention. For example, the guide device 10 shown in FIG. 11 can be configured, as in the above-described embodiment, such that the rolling surfaces, which are portions of the concave portions arranged on the left and right side surfaces of the track rail 111 that come into contact with the rolling elements, are surfaces Ra having a constant curvature, and the loaded rolling surfaces, which are the outer contour portions of the wheels 116 that come into contact with the surfaces Ra, are surfaces Rb having a constant curvature, so that the surfaces Ra and Rb are in point contact. The surfaces Ra and Rb that make point contact can also be configured to have different curvatures, such as the curvature of the surface Ra > the curvature of the surface Rb, as shown in FIG. 11. By adopting the configuration shown in FIG. 11, for example, there is no difference in the circumferential speed of the rolling elements (wheels 116) when they move along the curved portion 13 of the track rail 111, making it difficult for slippage to occur, thereby realizing a guide device 10 that allows the moving body 21 to operate smoothly.

[0034] Furthermore, as a further improvement, the guide device 10 of the configuration example shown in FIG. 11 has the following characteristics: the contact structure between the track rail 111 and the wheel 116 is a so-called DB structure (a structure in which the contact angle lines between the rolling surface of the track rail 111 and the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 116 in contact with each other intersect on the outside of the track rail 111), and the contact structure between the wheel axle 116a and the balls 116b inside the wheel 116 is a so-called DF structure (a structure in which the contact angle lines between the wheel axle 116a and the balls 116b in contact with each other intersect on the inside of the wheel axle 116a). Considering the advantages of the contact structures in terms of alignment and rigidity, the DF structure excels in alignment, while the DB structure excels in rigidity. In other words, the guide device 10 of the configuration example shown in FIG. 11 can achieve a contact structure that balances both alignment and rigidity by combining the DB structure and the DF structure.

[0035] It should be noted that any combination of contact structures such as the DB structure and DF structure described with reference to Fig. 11 can be employed. Examples of such various contact structures will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing various examples of contact structures that can be adopted by the guiding device of the present invention.

[0036] 12, the example indicated by (1) in the figure shows a structural example in which the rolling surface forming portion of the track rail 121 has a convex shape, and the example indicated by (2) in the figure shows a structural example in which the rolling surface forming portion of the track rail 121 has a concave shape. In the example indicated by (1), the contact structure between the track rail 121 and the wheel 126 can be a so-called DF structure (a structure in which the contact angle lines between the rolling surface of the track rail 121 and the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 126 in contact with each other intersect on the inside of the track rail 121), as shown by (1)-I and (1)-II. Furthermore, with regard to the surfaces Ra and Rb that make point contact, in the example indicated by (1)-I, the surface Ra that forms the rolling surface of the track rail 121 has a concave shape, and the surface Rb that forms the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 126 has a convex shape, and the contact structure between the surfaces Ra and Rb is configured such that the "curvature of the surface Ra" is greater than the "curvature of the surface Rb." On the other hand, in the example of (1)-II, the Ra surface constituting the rolling surface of the track rail 121 is convex, and the Rb surface constituting the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 126 is concave, and the contact structure between the Ra surface and the Rb surface is configured so that the "curvature of the Ra surface" is less than the "curvature of the Rb surface."

[0037] 12, as shown in (2)-I and (2)-II, the contact structure between the track rail 111 and the wheel 116 can be a so-called DB structure (a structure configured so that the contact angle lines between the rolling surface of the track rail 111 and the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 116 in contact with each other intersect outside the track rail 111). Furthermore, with regard to the Ra surface and Rb surface that make point contact, in the example of (2)-I, the Ra surface that forms the rolling surface of the track rail 111 has a concave shape, and the Rb surface that forms the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 116 has a convex shape, and the contact structure between the Ra surface and the Rb surface is configured so that the "curvature of the Ra surface" is greater than the "curvature of the Rb surface." On the other hand, in the example of (2)-II, the surface Ra constituting the rolling surface of the track rail 111 is convex, and the surface Rb constituting the loaded rolling surface of the wheel 116 is concave, and the contact structure between the surfaces Ra and Rb is configured such that the "curvature of the surface Ra" is less than the "curvature of the surface Rb." Incidentally, the configuration example shown as (2)-I in Fig. 12 is the same as the configuration example shown in Fig. 11.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 12, the guide device of the present invention can be applied to a variety of contact structures. In addition, regardless of which of these various contact structures is used, it is possible to realize a guide device having a contact structure that balances both alignability and rigidity.

[0039] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the rolling elements are described as wheels 25, 86 and cam followers 26. However, the rolling elements of the present invention are not limited to wheels 25, 86 and cam followers 26. The rolling elements of the present invention can be any one selected from wheels, rollers, and cam followers, or a combination of these. In this specification, a wheel refers to a cylindrical, hollow-cylindrical rolling element, a cam follower refers to a bearing with a shaft and a built-in elongated cylindrical roller (needle roller), and a roller refers to a cylindrical, solid-cylindrical rolling element. However, any type of rolling element can be used as long as it can achieve the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment.

[0040] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration example in which one moving body 21 is arranged for one track rail 11 is shown, but the guide device according to the present invention also includes a configuration in which multiple moving bodies 21 are arranged for one track rail 11.

[0041] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the up, down, left, and right directions have been specified for the sake of convenience, but the guide device of the present invention is not limited to use in the directions shown in the above-described embodiment. For example, the guide device 10 can be used in a so-called vertical manner by fixing the bottom side of the track rail 111 to a wall surface that is vertical to the ground. In other words, the guide device of the present invention can be used in any direction.

[0042] Next, another embodiment of the guide device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14. Here, Figure 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a guide device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 14 is a diagram for explaining the operating state of the guide device according to the another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 13.

[0043] 1 to 12, one moving body 21 is assembled to one track rail 11, 81, 111. However, the track rails 11, 81, 111 serving as track members constituting the guide device of the present invention may be plural. In the case of a guide device 130 according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13, two track rails 11 are installed.

[0044] In addition, in the guide device 130 shown in Figure 13, two track rails 11, 11 are arranged in an upper and lower position, and a movable body 21 having a configuration similar to that of the movable body 21 described using Figures 8 to 12 is assembled to the upper track rail 11.

[0045] 13, a beam-like member 131 extending downward is installed on the moving body 21 of the guide device 130, and a cantilever 132 protruding toward the lower track rail 11 is formed at the lower end of the beam-like member 131. Furthermore, a support wheel 133, which is one support rolling element that comes into contact with the lower track rail 11, is installed at the tip of the cantilever 132 in a freely rollable state.

[0046] In other words, the guide device 130 shown in FIG. 13 is installed such that a movable body 21 including a support wheel 133 is spanned across two upper and lower track rails 11, 11, and the movable body 21 is equipped with at least one set of guide mechanisms 23 assembled to the upper of the two upper and lower track rails 11, and one support wheel 133 that comes into contact with the lower of the two upper and lower track rails 11.

[0047] In this guide device 130, as shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 13, among the portions forming the concave shape arranged on each of the left and right side surfaces of the track rail 11, the rolling surfaces and bearing rolling surfaces which are portions that come into contact with the wheels 25 and bearing wheels 133 can be made into Ra surfaces with a certain curvature, and the loaded rolling surfaces and bearing loaded rolling surfaces which are outer portions of the wheels 25 and bearing wheels 133 that come into contact with these Ra surfaces can be made into Rb surfaces with a certain curvature, so that the Ra surfaces and Rb surfaces come into point contact. Also, the Ra surfaces and Rb surfaces that make point contact can be configured to have different curvatures, and for example, as shown in Fig. 13, they can be configured so that "curvature of Ra surface" > "curvature of Rb surface". Furthermore, as a more specific condition of this inequality, "Ra surface curvature" / "Rb surface curvature">1.05 It is desirable to configure the curvature relationship between the Ra surface and the Rb surface that make point contact so that the following condition is satisfied, and it is even more desirable to configure the curvature relationship between the Ra surface and the Rb surface that make point contact so that the following condition is satisfied: "Ra surface curvature" / "Rb surface curvature">1.10 The inventors have confirmed through extensive research that it is preferable to configure the optical system so that the following condition holds:

[0048] By configuring the track rails so that the above-mentioned conditional expressions are satisfied, as shown in the sub-diagram (a) of Figure 14, even if the distance between the two track rails 11, 11 arranged above and below changes due to deformation caused by thermal effects or the like, the contact point changes from a configuration in which the Ra surface and the Rb surface are in point contact to an appropriate one due to the aligning effect of the configuration, and a normal contact state is maintained between the rolling surface and the bearing rolling surface of the track rail 11 and the loaded rolling surface and the bearing loaded rolling surface as the outer parts of the wheel 25 and the bearing wheel 133, so that a suitable contact state is always maintained.

[0049] Furthermore, by configuring the track rails 11, 11 so that the above-mentioned conditional expressions are satisfied, even if the two track rails 11, 11 arranged above and below are inclined laterally or obliquely due to installation errors or processing errors as shown in the sub-diagram (b) of Fig. 14, the contact point changes from a point contact between the Ra surface and the Rb surface to an appropriate one due to the aligning effect of the configuration, and a normal contact state is maintained between the rolling surface and the bearing rolling surface of the track rail 11 and the loaded rolling surface and the bearing loaded rolling surface as the outer parts of the wheel 25 and the bearing wheel 133, so that a suitable contact state is always maintained. In other words, the guide device 130 according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 13 has excellent error absorbing ability, and therefore it is possible to realize a guide device 130 that allows the moving body 21 to move smoothly.

[0050] 13 and 14, the guide device 130 in which two track rails 11, 11 are arranged one above the other has been described, but the guide device of the present invention can also employ a configuration in which multiple track members are arranged horizontally on the left and right. In other words, the guide device 130 according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 13 can also be used in a state where it is rotated approximately 90 degrees to the left or right when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. 13.

[0051] For example, Figure 15 shows a guide device 150 in which the support wheels 133 shown in Figure 13 are arranged one on each side, and a moving plate 22 is placed across this pair of left and right support wheels 133, 133 to form a moving body 21.

[0052] Also, in this guide device 150, as shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 15, among the portions forming the concave shape arranged on the upper side surface of the track rail 11, the bearing rolling surface which is the portion that comes into contact with the bearing wheel 133 can be made into an Ra surface having a certain curvature, and the bearing load rolling surface which is the outer portion of the bearing wheel 133 that comes into contact with this Ra surface can be made into an Rb surface having a certain curvature, so that the Ra surface and the Rb surface come into point contact. Also, the Ra surface and the Rb surface that make point contact can be configured to have different curvatures, and for example, as shown in Fig. 15, they can be configured so that "curvature of Ra surface" > "curvature of Rb surface". Furthermore, as a more specific condition of this inequality, "Ra surface curvature" / "Rb surface curvature">1.05 It is desirable to configure the curvature relationship between the Ra surface and the Rb surface that make point contact so that the following condition is satisfied, and it is even more desirable to configure the curvature relationship between the Ra surface and the Rb surface that make point contact so that the following condition is satisfied: "Ra surface curvature" / "Rb surface curvature">1.10 The inventors have confirmed through extensive research that it is preferable to configure the optical system so that the following condition holds:

[0053] By configuring the track rails 11 so that the above-mentioned conditional expressions are satisfied, even if an error occurs in the relative height positions of the two track rails 11, 11 arranged on the left and right as shown in the sub-diagram (a) of Figure 16, the contact point between the Ra surface and the Rb surface is changed from a point contact to an appropriate one due to the aligning effect of the configuration, and the bearing rolling surface of the track rail 11 and the bearing load rolling surface as an outer portion of the bearing wheel 133 maintain a normal contact state, so that an appropriate contact state is always maintained.

[0054] Furthermore, by configuring the guide device so that the above-mentioned conditional expressions are satisfied, even if an error occurs in the rail-to-rail distance between two track rails 11, 11 arranged on the left and right sides, as shown in the sub-diagram (b) of FIG. 16 , the contact point changes from a point contact between the Ra surface and the Rb surface to an appropriate one due to the aligning effect of the configuration, and the bearing rolling surface of the track rail 11 and the bearing load rolling surface as an outer portion of the bearing wheel 133 maintain a normal contact state, thereby always maintaining a favorable contact state. Note that FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a guide device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operating state of the guide device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15 . In other words, the guide device 150 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15 has excellent error absorption ability, thereby enabling the guide device 150 to smoothly operate the moving body 21.

[0055] 13 to 16 and the bearing load rolling surface as an outer portion of the bearing wheel 133, the contact structure explained with reference to Fig. 11 can also be adopted. That is, the contact structure between the track rail 11 and the bearing wheel 133 can be a so-called DB structure (a structure configured so that contact angle lines between the rolling surface of the track rail 11 and the bearing load rolling surface of the bearing wheel 133 in contact with each other intersect on the outside of the track rail 11), and the contact structure between the wheel shaft 116a and the balls 116b inside the bearing wheel 133 can be a so-called DF structure (a structure configured so that contact angle lines between the wheel shaft 116a and the balls 116b in contact with each other intersect on the inside of the wheel shaft 116a). Moreover, this contact structure can be reversed, and a configuration can be adopted in which the contact structure between the track rail 11 and the support wheel 133 is a so-called DF structure, and the contact structure between the wheel shaft 116a and the ball 116b inside the support wheel 133 is a so-called DB structure. In other words, even in the guide devices 130, 150 of the configuration examples shown in Figures 13 to 16, a contact structure that balances both alignment ability and rigidity can be realized by combining the DB structure and the DF structure.

[0056] It is clear from the claims that the technical scope of the present invention includes various modifications and improvements as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10,130,150 Guide device, 11 track rail (track member), 11a inclined surface (rolling surface), 11b flat surface (rolling surface), 12 straight section, 13 curved section, 14 mounting hole, 21 moving body (moving member), 22 moving plate, 22a retaining portion mounting hole, 23, 23a, 23b guide mechanism, 24 rolling body retaining portion, 24a through hole, 24b rolling body mounting hole, 24c retaining portion mounting shaft, 24d nut, 25 wheel (rolling body (including loaded rolling surface)), 25a wheel shaft, 25b nut, 26 cam follower (rolling body (including loaded rolling surface)), 26a cam follower shaft, 26b nut, 27 eccentric nut, 27a eccentric through hole, 81 track rail (track member), 86 Wheel (rolling element (including load rolling surface)), 95, 96, 105a, 105b, 106a, 106b rolling element (including load rolling surface), 111 track rail (track member), 116 wheel (rolling element (including load rolling surface)), 116a wheel shaft, 116b ball, 131 beam-shaped member, 132 cantilever beam, 133 support wheel (support rolling element (including load rolling surface)).

Claims

1. A track member which is formed by extending in the longitudinal direction only with straight line sections formed in a straight line, or by extending in the longitudinal direction only with curved sections formed in an arc shape with a predetermined radius of curvature, or by connecting a plurality of said straight line sections and a plurality of said curved sections in any number and in any order to extend in the longitudinal direction; a moving member that moves relatively linearly along the longitudinal direction of the track member at the straight portion of the track member, and moves relatively curvedly along the longitudinal direction of the track member at the curved portion of the track member; Equipped with a pair of rolling elements arranged on both sides of the track member in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the moving member so as to sandwich the track member; and a rolling element holding part that rotatably holds the pair of rolling elements and is rotatably installed relative to the moving member, wherein at least one set of guide mechanisms is installed relative to the moving member, The portion of the raceway member that comes into contact with the rolling elements is a rolling surface having a constant curvature, and the portion of the rolling elements that comes into contact with the rolling surface is a loaded rolling surface having a constant curvature, and the curvature of the rolling surface and the curvature of the loaded rolling surface are configured to be different, and further The rolling surface is an Ra surface having a convex shape with a constant curvature, and the loaded rolling surface that contacts the Ra surface is an Rb surface having a concave shape with a constant curvature, and the Ra surface and the Rb surface are configured to be in point contact, Regarding the Ra and Rb surfaces that make point contact, "Rb surface curvature" / "Ra surface curvature" > 1.05 A guide device characterized in that it is configured so that the following inequality holds:

2. The guide device according to claim 1, A guide device characterized in that one of the moving members installed on one of the track members is assembled with two sets of the guide mechanisms.

3. The guide device according to claim 1, Two track members are installed, The guide device is characterized in that the movable member is installed across the two track members, and the movable member is equipped with at least one set of the guide mechanisms assembled to one of the two track members.

4. A track member formed by extending in the longitudinal direction only with straight sections formed in a straight line, or by extending in the longitudinal direction only with curved sections formed in an arc shape with a predetermined radius of curvature, or by connecting a plurality of said straight sections and a plurality of said curved sections in any number and in any order to extend in the longitudinal direction; a moving member that moves relatively linearly along the longitudinal direction of the track member at the straight portion of the track member, and moves relatively curvedly along the longitudinal direction of the track member at the curved portion of the track member; Equipped with a pair of rolling elements arranged on both sides of the track member in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the moving member so as to sandwich the track member; and a rolling element holding part that rotatably holds the pair of rolling elements and is rotatably installed relative to the moving member, wherein at least one set of guide mechanisms is installed relative to the moving member, a portion of the raceway member that comes into contact with the rolling elements is a rolling surface having a constant curvature, and a portion of the rolling elements that comes into contact with the rolling surface is a loaded rolling surface having a constant curvature, and the curvature of the rolling surface and the curvature of the loaded rolling surface are configured to be different, Two track members are installed, the moving member is installed across the two track members, and the moving member includes at least one set of the guide mechanisms assembled to one of the two track members; the moving member includes one bearing rolling element that contacts the other of the two track members, The portion of the raceway member that comes into contact with the bearing rolling element is a bearing rolling surface having a certain curvature, and the portion of the bearing rolling element that comes into contact with the bearing rolling surface is a bearing load rolling surface having a certain curvature, and the curvature of the bearing rolling surface and the curvature of the bearing load rolling surface are configured to be different, The bearing rolling surface is an Ra surface having a convex shape with a certain curvature, and the bearing load rolling surface that comes into contact with the Ra surface is an Rb surface having a concave shape with a certain curvature, and the Ra surface and the Rb surface are configured to be in point contact, Regarding the Ra and Rb surfaces that make point contact, "Rb surface curvature" / "Ra surface curvature" > 1.05 A guide device characterized in that it is configured so that the following inequality holds:

5. The guide device according to claim 1, The contact structure between the raceway member and the rolling elements is a DB structure (a structure configured such that contact angle lines between the rolling surfaces of the raceway member and the loaded rolling surfaces of the rolling elements that contact the rolling surfaces of the raceway member intersect on the outside of the raceway member), and the contact structure inside the rolling elements is a DF structure (a structure in which the rolling elements have wheel axles and balls inside, and the contact structure between the wheel axles and the balls is configured such that contact angle lines between the balls that contact the wheel axles intersect on the inside of the wheel axles), or a contact structure between the material and the rolling element is a DF structure (a structure configured so that contact angle lines between the loaded rolling surface of the rolling element that contacts the rolling surface of the raceway member intersect inside the raceway member), and a contact structure inside the rolling element is a DB structure (a structure configured so that the rolling element has a wheel axle and balls inside, and the contact structure between the wheel axle and the balls is so that contact angle lines of the balls that contact the wheel axle intersect outside the wheel axle).

6. The guide device according to claim 4, The contact structure between the raceway member and the bearing rolling elements is a DB structure (a structure configured such that contact angle lines between the rolling surface of the raceway member and the bearing load rolling surface of the bearing rolling elements that contact the rolling surface of the raceway member intersect on the outside of the raceway member), and the internal contact structure of the bearing rolling elements is a DF structure (a structure in which the bearing rolling elements have a wheel shaft and balls inside, and the contact structure between the wheel shaft and the balls is such that contact angle lines between the balls that contact the wheel shaft intersect on the inside of the wheel shaft), or a contact structure between the material and the bearing rolling element is a DF structure (a structure configured so that the contact angle lines of the bearing load rolling surface of the bearing rolling element that contacts the rolling surface of the track member intersect inside the track member), and a contact structure inside the bearing rolling element is a DB structure (a structure configured so that the contact angle lines of the balls that contact the wheel shaft intersect outside the wheel shaft, in which the bearing rolling element has a wheel shaft and balls inside.

Images