Oil passage structure of linear guide device

Abstract

To provide an oil passage structure of a linear motion guide device capable of reducing imbalance of lubricant leakage generated due to attitude change of a linear guide.SOLUTION: An end cap 7 is provided at both ends of a linear motion body that is installed astride a guide rail and moves in a rail axis direction, and is configured by combining a plurality of components to form an oil passage 41. The oil passage 41 formed by combining the plurality of components has two joint surfaces b1, b2 arranged symmetrically with respect to an oil passage cross-sectional center line at unequal positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil passage structure for a linear guide device. [Background technology]

[0002] A linear guide device (linear guide) typically has an oil passage formed in the end caps located at both ends of a linear body (slider) that is slidably mounted across a guide rail, and has a structure that distributes lubricant to multiple oil grooves. It is desirable that this oil passage be shaped to be as leak-proof as possible, and ideally it should be made up of piping with a closed curved surface such as a rubber tube. However, it is difficult to store piping components such as tubes in a limited space, and in many cases, oil passages are made up of multiple components. When an oil passage is constructed using multiple components in this way, there is a risk of lubricant leaking from the joint surfaces between the components, so it is important to design the passage in such a way that this effect is minimized as much as possible.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a convex portion protruding from the cover member is partially fitted into a first oil groove and a second oil groove formed on the end cap side to form an oil passage (see FIG. 6). In this way, by employing a configuration in which the protrusion of the lid member is fitted into the oil groove of the end cap, a sealed oil passage is formed, making it difficult for lubricating oil to leak.

[0004] However, as shown in Figure 6, the two joint surfaces are positioned symmetrically with respect to the center line of the oil passage cross section, which causes a problem in that the amount of lubricating oil leakage varies greatly depending on the position of the linear guide. That is, when a slider is mounted on a horizontally arranged guide rail and moves horizontally with its top surface facing up (vertically upward), lubricating oil leakage from the joint surface is unlikely to occur in the direction indicated by F1 in FIG. 6, but lubricating oil leakage from the joint surface in the direction indicated by F2 in FIG. 6 is possible. Also, when the slider is designed to move horizontally with its top surface (the "top" side in FIG. 6) facing down (vertically downward), lubricating oil leakage from the joint surface is unlikely to occur in the direction indicated by F2 in FIG. 6, but lubricating oil leakage from the joint surface in the direction indicated by F1 in FIG. 6 is possible. And when the slider is designed to slide up and down vertically along a guide rail that is arranged upright in the vertical direction, if the slider slides up and down with its rear side (marked "rear" in FIG. 6) facing down vertically, lubricating oil leakage in the directions of F1 and F2 may occur.

[0005] This problem is also present in Japanese Patent No. 4304087 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-229794, and no fundamental solution has been proposed to date. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-2490 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems associated with the prior art, and its objective is to provide an oil passage structure for a linear guide device that can reduce the imbalance in lubricant leakage caused by changes in the posture of the linear guide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve this object, the first invention is an end cap provided at both ends of a linear moving body that straddles a guide rail and moves in the rail axial direction, and which is formed by combining a plurality of parts to form an oil passage, The oil passage formed by combining the above-mentioned multiple parts has an end cap oil passage structure for a linear guide device, characterized in that the positions of the joining surfaces at two locations arranged symmetrically about the center line of the oil passage cross section are unequal.

[0009] The second aspect of the present invention is the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the oil passage is composed of an end cap body and an oil passage configuration separate body combined with the end cap body, The end cap oil passage structure of the linear guide device is characterized in that the separate oil passage component is provided so as to be sandwiched between the end cap body and a lid member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an oil passage structure for a linear guide device that can reduce the imbalance in lubricant leakage caused by changes in the posture of the linear guide. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of a linear guide device provided with an oil passage structure for a linear guide device of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of an end cap provided with an oil passage structure of a linear guide device of the present invention, as viewed from the side facing a slider body. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a third embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional oil passage structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of the oil passage structure for a linear guide device of the present invention will be described below. It should be noted that this embodiment is merely one embodiment of the present invention and is not to be construed as being limited in any way, and that appropriate design modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the oil passage structure of the linear guide device of the present invention is formed in end caps 5 provided at both ends in the moving direction of a linear moving body (slider) 3 that straddles a guide rail 1 and slides along the rail 1 by the endless circulation of rolling elements (not shown). Since the characteristic components are in the end caps 5, only the characteristic parts of the oil passage structure of the end caps 5 will be described in detail, and explanations of other components will be omitted. Note that the reference numeral 60 in the figure indicates side seals disposed at both ends of the end caps. Also, in Figure 1, arrow L1 indicates the moving direction of the slider 3. "First embodiment"

[0013] Figures 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the end cap 5 is composed of three parts: an end cap main body 7, a cover member 50 arranged on the inner surface (the surface facing the slider) of the end cap main body 7, and an oil passage component 31 arranged between the end cap main body 7 and the cover member 50.

[0014] The end cap body 7 is made up of legs 9, 9 arranged on both sides of the guide rail 1 in the width direction, and a body 11 extending in a direction perpendicular to the legs 9, 9 and connecting the legs 9, 9, and outer grooves 13 for a direction change path for the rolling elements (not shown) are formed on the slider-facing surfaces of the legs 9, 9. The outer grooves 13, the first return guide 131 and the second return guide 132 form a direction change path for the rolling elements.

[0015] A recess 7b of a predetermined shape is provided on the slider-facing surface 7a of the end cap body 7, and an oil passage forming portion 43 is further recessed on the inner bottom surface of the recess 7b. The oil passage configuration portion 43 is configured to include a first step portion 15 having a first horizontal surface portion 19 protruding forward in an approximately L-shape from a first vertical surface portion 17, which is the inner bottom surface of the recessed area 7c recessed in the recess 7b, a second vertical surface portion 23 suspended from the front end of the first horizontal surface portion 19 of the first step portion 15, and a second step portion 21 having a second horizontal surface portion 25 protruding forward in an approximately L-shape from the second vertical surface portion 23 (see Figure 3).

[0016] The oil passage component 31 is configured in a form that fits into the recess 7b, and is composed of, for example, a short leg portion 33 formed to the same width as the first horizontal surface portion 19 of the first step portion 15, a long leg portion 35 formed to a predetermined width up to the end of the second horizontal surface portion 25, leaving a predetermined gap 41 between it and the second vertical surface portion 23 of the second step portion 21, and a body portion 37 installed between the upper ends of the short leg portion 33 and the long leg portion 35 (see Figure 3).

[0017] By arranging the short leg portion 33 of the oil passage component 31 on the first step portion 15 of the end cap main body 7 and arranging the long leg portion 35 on the second step portion 21, a predetermined gap 41 is formed between the long leg portion 35 and the second vertical surface portion 23 of the second step portion 21, and this predetermined gap 41 is configured as an oil passage (see Figure 3). The oil passage 41 extends from the body-side oil passage 41a to the left and right leg portions 9,9, and communicates with the second return guide 132 from the end of the leg-side oil passage (not shown) on the leg portion 9,9 side. Lubricating oil supplied from an oil supply port (not shown) is introduced into the outer groove 13 of the direction change path through the oil passage 41.

[0018] The lid member 50 is formed in a shape that can be fitted into a recess 7b provided in the slider-facing surface 7a of the end cap body 7 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The oil passage component separate body 31 is sandwiched between the cover member 50 and the end cap body 7 and brought into close contact with each other. The shape of the cover member 50 is not particularly limited, and the design can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention as long as it has a shape that can be fitted into the recess 7b.

[0019] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the joint surface (first joint surface) b1 between the first vertical surface portion 17 of the end cap 7 and the surface portion of the short leg portion 33 of the oil passage component member 31, and the joint surface (second joint surface) b2 between the surface portion of the cover member 50 and the surface portion of the long leg portion 35, which are arranged symmetrically about the center line of the oil passage cross section, are configured unequal (see Figure 3).

[0020] In this arrangement, for example, if the slider 3 is mounted astride the horizontally arranged guide rail 1 and moves horizontally with the joint surface a1 facing "height" (vertically upward), there is a possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from the joint surface a2 to the joint surface c1 as shown by the arrow F2, but it is unlikely that the lubricating oil will leak from the joint surface a1 to the joint surface b1 (see Figure 3). Conversely, if the slider 3 is designed to move horizontally with the mating surface a1 side (the "top" side in Figure 3) facing "ground" (vertically downward), there is a possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from mating surface a1 to mating surface b1 as shown by arrow F1, but there is a low possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from mating surface a2 to mating surface c1 (see Figure 3).

[0021] In the case of a specification in which the slider is arranged to slide up and down in the vertical direction along a guide rail that is set upright in the vertical direction, when the slider slides up and down with the rear side of the slider marked "rear" in Figure 3 facing downward in the vertical direction, there is a possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from joint surface a1 to joint surface b1 as shown by arrow F1, but there is a low possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from joint surface a2 to joint surface c1 as shown by arrow F2 (see Figure 3). Conversely, when the slider is slid up and down with the front side, marked "Front" in Figure 3, facing downwards in the vertical direction, there is a possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from mating surface a2 to mating surface c1 as shown by arrow F2, but there is a low possibility that the lubricating oil will leak from mating surface a1 to mating surface b1 as shown by arrow F1 (see Figure 3).

[0022] Therefore, no matter which direction the linear guide is placed, there is only one surface from which lubricant can leak, suppressing imbalances in lubricant leakage due to mounting position. Furthermore, when multiple parts are combined, if parts have similar shapes, there is a risk of assembly errors, but by providing an inappropriate joint surface as in the present invention, errors can be prevented.

[0023] In this embodiment, the end cap body 7 is configured with three components: the lid member 50, and the oil passage component 31. However, for example, the oil passage component 31 may be formed integrally with the lid member 50 and is within the scope of the present invention. Also, the oil passage component 31 may be formed integrally with the end cap body 7. Second Embodiment

[0024] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the oil passage component 31 is an L-shaped part. In this case as well, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be expected. Compared to Example 1, there is no short leg portion 33 and no concave shape, so processing can be carried out relatively easily. However, since the joint surface where lubricating oil may leak and the stress concentration point of the part are the same, there is a risk that the leakage will increase due to slippage of the contact surface caused by stress. The other configurations and effects are explained in the first embodiment, and will not be explained here. "Third embodiment"

[0025] 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which oil passage 41 is a combination of concave shapes. That is, a raised step portion 45 is formed, which is made up of a raised surface portion 47 that rises vertically upward from the end of second horizontal surface portion 25 that constitutes second step portion 21 of end cap body 7, and a third horizontal surface portion 49 that extends horizontally forward from the end of raised surface portion 47. Long leg portion 35 is disposed on third horizontal surface portion 49 of raised step portion 45. In this case, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be expected. Compared to the second embodiment, the joining surface from which lubricating oil may leak and the stress concentration points of the parts are different, so there is also the effect of being less susceptible to the influence of member deformation. The other configurations and effects are explained in the first embodiment, and will not be explained here. [Industrial Applicability]

[0026] The present invention can be applied to all linear guide devices that have oil passages formed by combining a plurality of components. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 Guide rail 3. Linear motion body (slider) 5 End Cap 7 End cap body 15 First step part 21 Second step part 31 Oil passage configuration separate body 41 Oil passage (gap) 50 Lid member a1 Joint surface a2 Joint surface b1 Joint surface b2 Joint surface c1 Joint surface

Claims

1. An end cap is provided at both ends of a linear moving body that straddles a guide rail and moves in the rail axial direction, and is formed by combining a plurality of parts to form an oil passage, An end cap oil passage structure for a linear guide device, characterized in that the oil passage formed by combining the multiple parts has two joint surfaces positioned symmetrically about the center line of the oil passage cross section, which are unequal.

2. The oil passage is composed of an end cap body and an oil passage component separate body combined with the end cap body, 2. The end cap oil passage structure of a linear guide device according to claim 1, wherein the separate oil passage component is provided so as to be sandwiched between the end cap body and a lid member.

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