Linear guide device

Details Linear guide device Linear guide device

2001-07-05

2003-12-02

Joyce, William C (Department: 3682)

Bearings

Linear bearing

Recirculating

C384S049000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06655839

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a linear guide device, and particularly a linear guide device in use for industrial machines and the like.
Further, the present invention also relates to a linear guide device including a slider in which spacers are each interposed between the rolling elements adjacent to each other in the circulating direction.
A conventional linear guide device of this type, as shown in
FIG. 1
, is provided with an axially extending guide rail
1
and a slider
2
slidably mounted on the guide rail
1
.
Element rolling grooves
3
, while linearly and axially extend, are formed on both sides of the guide rail
1
. Element rolling grooves
31
, which linearly extend (see FIG.
2
), are formed in the inner side walls of sleeve parts
4
of a slider body
2
A of the slider
2
in a state that the rolling element rolling grooves face the rolling element rolling grooves
3
.
A number of steel balls B as rolling elements are rollably in a space defined between the rolling element rolling grooves
3
and
31
facing each other. The slider
2
is movable on and along the guide rail
1
through the rolling of the steel balls B. With its movement, the steel balls B interposed between the guide rail
1
and the slider
2
roll toward an end of the slider body
2
A of the slider
2
. To continuously move the slider
2
in the axial direction, it is necessary to endlessly move those steel balls B.
To this end, raceways
10
axially pass through the sleeve parts
4
of the slider body
2
A, respectively. End caps
5
are provided at both ends of the slider body
2
A. Element circulating R parts
6
(see FIG.
10
), semicircularly curved, are formed in the end caps
5
, while communicating with the space defined between the rolling element rolling grooves
3
and
31
and the raceways
10
(as a rolling element return passages). Those linear element raceways and the element circulating R parts are combined to form an element endless circulating raceway
7
.
Thus, in the linear guide device, the element endless circulating raceway
7
includes the raceway
10
, the spaces defined between the rolling element rolling grooves
3
and
31
, and the curved element circulating R parts
6
. A difference (which is maximized at a phase where a steel ball position reaches a tongue tip C) is present between a minute movement quantity dx1 and a minute movement quantity dx2 (FIG.
10
). The minute movement quantity dx1 is a minute movement quantity of a rolling element when in the element endless circulating raceway
7
, it moves from one space (load region) defined between the rolling element rolling grooves
3
and
31
to one (non-load region) of the curved element circulating R parts
6
. The minute movement quantity dx2 is a minute movement quantity of another rolling element when it moves from the other curved element circulating R part
6
(non-load region) to the space (load region) defined between the rolling element rolling grooves
3
and
31
in accordance with the movement of the former rolling element by the minute movement quantity dx1. The difference causes a zig-zag motion of the steel balls and a great variation of dynamic frictional force to hinder a smooth revolving motion of the steel balls (their motion along the circulating raceway). This makes it difficult to improve the operability of the device. Reference is made to
FIG. 11
to explain the cause to generate the difference between the minute movement quantities dx1 and dx2. When the center of a steel ball, which is on the linear part of the element endless circulating raceway
7
, moves from a point A
1
to another point A
2
, the center of another steel ball, which is on the curved part, moves from a point B
1
to another point B
2
. It is geometrically clear that a movement quantity of the steel ball from A
1
to A
2
is different from a movement quantity of the steel ball from B
1
to B
2
. This is the cause to generate the difference between the minute movement quantities dx1 and dx2.
This is one of problems in the conventional linear guide device.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, a spacer
9
having concave surfaces
8
on both side facing steel balls B located adjacent to each other in an element endless circulating raceway
7
is located such that the concave surfaces
8
of it are in contact with the adjacent steel balls B. JP-A-4-27405 discloses a technique to improve the operability. In the technique, some elastic spacers are each interposed between the adjacent rolling elements in the rolling element train. The elastic spacers function to absorb a gap or gaps which will be created in the circumferential direction in the rolling element train. JP-A-5-126148 discloses another technique in which to appropriately tighten the rolling element train, one of the spacers each interposed between the adjacent rolling elements is used to adjust the element-to-element pitch. The technique eliminates the gap that will be created in the rolling element train, and hence improves the operability.
In the conventional linear guide device, the element endless circulating raceway is constructed with a plurality of parts. To absorb the raceway length variation in the produces, caused by part machining error or the like, and to appropriately tighten the rolling element train, the spacer having a highly accurate and complicated configuration (e.g., a spacer having an elastic part or a movable part) is required. Manufacturing such a spacer is difficult. Since one or a plurality of spacers thus specified are used, the improvement of the operability is not satisfactory frequently.
When the raceway length variation is beyond an adjusting ability of the spacer, an excessive compression force acts on the rolling element train. As a result, the operability is considerably deteriorated, a harsh grating noise is generated.
This is the other of problems in the conventional linear guide device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a linear guide device which secures a smooth revolving motion of rolling elements and improves the device operability without causing the zig-zag phenomenon of the rolling elements and a great variation of dynamic frictional forces.
The above-mentioned object can be achieved by a linear guide device, according to the present invention, comprising:
a plurality of rolling elements;
a guide rail extending in an axial direction thereof and having a rolling element rolling groove which is formed in a side wall thereof and is extended in the axial direction; and
a slider including a rolling element rolling groove, which faces the rolling element rolling groove of the guide rail, the slider being supported in a manner that the slider is axially movable through the rolling of the rolling elements put in a space defined between the rolling element rolling grooves of the guide rail and the slider, the slider further including a return passage axially passing through the slider and also first and second curved element circulating R-parts which communicate the return passage, the space and the slider so as to form a rolling element endless circulating passage through which the rolling elements are endlessly circulated,
wherein a rate of change expressed as “Dmax−Dmin” becomes extremely small, where
Dmax and Dmin are respectively a local maximum and a local minimum of D when a first rolling element of the rolling elements moves a distance corresponding to a rolling element-to-rolling element span,
D is expressed as (dx2−dx1)/dx,
dx1 is a minute movement quantity of the first rolling element when it moves from the space to the first curved element circulating R-part, and
dx2 is a minute movement quantity of a second rolling element of the rolling elements when it moves from the second curved element circulating R-part to the space while the second rolling element is moved in accordance with the movement of the first rolling element by the minute movement quantity dx1.
Note that in the present specification a rolling element-to-rolling element s

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