JP2024119325A - Linear guide - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a linear guide which can uniformly lubricate left and right rolling element circulation passages by eliminating a difference in supply amount to a direction changing passage on a supply side of lubricant supplied from a side surface and a direction changing passage on an anti-supply side.SOLUTION: An end cap 70 includes: an end cap body 30 which has a side surface oil supply port formed on an outer peripheral surface and a pair of direction changing passages formed on both sleeve sections; and an oil passage unit 50 which is arranged on an abutting surface 32a of the end cap body 30 facing a slider body. The oil passage unit 50 defines a supply side lubricant supply passage 71 for allowing a direction changing passage on a side near the side surface oil supply port to communicate with the side surface oil supply port and an anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 for allowing a direction changing passage on a side far from the side surface oil supply port to communicate with the side surface oil supply port. The anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 is configured to have a cross-sectional area enlarged as away from the side surface oil supply port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a linear guide, and more specifically, to a linear guide that can eliminate the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied to the supply side and the non-supply side and uniformly lubricate the left and right rolling element circulation paths.

Conventionally, a linear guide (linear guide) is equipped with a guide rail extending in the axial direction and a slider mounted on the guide rail so as to be movable relative to the guide rail, and the slider moves relative to the guide rail in the axial direction via a number of rolling elements (balls or rollers) that circulate between the guide rail and a rolling element circulation path (rolling element rolling path) formed in the slider. Such linear guides are widely used in the linear motion mechanisms of various production facilities. In order to use this linear guide stably for a long period of time, it is important to supply a sufficient amount of lubricant (lubricating oil or grease) to the guide rail and rolling elements in the rolling element circulation path to maintain a good lubricated state.

This linear guide is used under various lubrication positions (front, top, side) and lubrication postures (wall-mounted, vertical), and a stable supply of lubricant is required regardless of the conditions. However, when lubricant is supplied to the left and right rolling element circulation paths from the side, the difference in the length of the supply path on the supply side and the opposite supply side creates a difference in the amount of lubrication between the supply side and the opposite supply side. Therefore, if the rolling element circulation path on the opposite supply side is sufficiently lubricated, there is a tendency for the rolling element circulation path on the supply side to become over-lubricated.

The linear guide unit (linear guide) disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an oil supply groove formed in the end cap that connects an oil supply hole provided in the center to allow lubricant supplied from a grease nipple or the like to pass through, with the left and right direction change paths. A path runs from the side of the end cap to the center, and then a path is provided that distributes the lubricant to the supply side and the opposite supply side, so that the paths from the center to the supply side and the opposite supply side are identical or symmetrical, and the lubricant is evenly distributed to the left and right direction change paths.

In addition, in the linear guide device (linear guide) disclosed in Patent Document 2, the end cap is composed of an end cap body and an oil passage unit that is fitted into a recess in the end cap body. Since part of the oil passage is provided in the oil passage unit, which is a unit component, there is a high degree of freedom in the design of the oil passage, it is easy to modify, and lubricant can be efficiently supplied to the rolling element circulation path.

JP 2015-64057 A International Publication No. 2016/143342

However, in a configuration such as the linear guide unit in Patent Document 1 above, in which a path is run from the side of the end cap to the center and then a path is provided to distribute the path to the supply side and the anti-supply side, there is a problem that the path becomes long and the handling becomes complicated.
Furthermore, with the oil passage configuration in the linear guide device of Patent Document 2, it is considered difficult to evenly distribute the lubricant supplied from the side surface of the end cap to the left and right direction change passages.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a linear guide that can uniformly lubricate the left and right rolling element circulation paths by eliminating the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied from the side to the direction change path on the supply side and the direction change path on the opposite side.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration.
A linear guide comprising: a guide rail; a slider slidably engaged with the guide rail so as to straddle the guide rail; and an end cap attached to an axial end of a slider body of the slider,
The end cap has an end cap body having a side oil supply port formed on an outer peripheral surface and a pair of direction change passages formed on both sleeves, and an oil passage unit disposed on an opposing surface of the end cap body opposing the slider body,
the oil passage unit defines a supply-side lubricant supply passage for connecting the direction change passage on a side closer to the side oil filler port and the side oil filler port, and a counter-supply-side lubricant supply passage for connecting the direction change passage on a side farther from the side oil filler port and the side oil filler port,
The anti-supply side lubricant supply passage is configured so that a cross-sectional area increases with increasing distance from the side oil supply port.
A linear guide characterized by:

The linear guide of the present invention can provide a linear guide that can uniformly lubricate the left and right rolling element circulation paths by eliminating the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied from the side to the direction change path on the supply side and the direction change path on the opposite side.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a linear guide according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the end cap and the oil passage unit shown in FIG. 3A and 3B are a front view and a side view of the end cap shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the opposing slider body side. 4A and 4B are a rear view and a perspective view of the oil passage unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the opposing end cap side. FIG. 5 is a front view of the end cap shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the opposing slider body side. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 8A and 8B are perspective views of an oil passage unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from an opposing end cap side and as viewed from an opposing slider main body side. 9(a) is a front view of the oil passage unit shown in FIG. 8 as viewed from the opposing slider body side, and FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional arrow view taken along line VI-VI in a state in which the oil passage unit shown in FIG. 8 is fitted into the end cap shown in FIG. 10A and 10B are a front view and a side view of an end cap according to a third embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the opposing slider body side. 11A and 11B are a rear view and a perspective view of the oil passage unit shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from the opposing end cap side. 12 is a front view of the oil passage unit shown in FIG. 11 in a state where it is fitted into the end cap shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG.

Below, the linear guide according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction and width direction of the slider respectively refer to the directions when the slider is assembled to a guide rail arranged with the longitudinal direction horizontal, and the width direction of the slider is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail and the vertical direction of the slider, and is also called the left-right direction (see FIG. 1). The longitudinal direction is also called the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the linear guide 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a linear guide rail 3 and a slider 20 with a C-shaped cross section that is assembled so as to straddle the guide rail 3 and slidably engages with it via a number of rolling elements (cylindrical rollers) not shown.

The guide rail 3 is made of metal, and on both widthwise sides thereof, two rows on each side are formed with rail-side track surfaces 5 extending in the axial direction, for a total of four rows. The guide rail 3 has a plurality of rail mounting holes 4 penetrating the guide rail 3 in the height direction, and rail fixing bolts (not shown) for fixing the guide rail 3 to a mounting surface (not shown) are inserted into these rail mounting holes 4.
The rail mounting hole 4 is a stepped hole to accommodate the head of the rail fixing bolt.

The slider 20 comprises a slider body 21 having sleeves on both the left and right sides of the guide rail 3, a pair of end caps 70, 70 attached to both ends of the slider body 21 in the front-rear direction (axial direction), return guides 40, 40 each incorporated into the end cap body 30 of the end cap 70, oil passage units 50 each incorporated into the end cap body 30, and a pair of side seals 60, 60 that seal the gap between the guide rail 3 and the end caps 70, 70.

The slider body 21 has a slider side raceway surface and a rolling element return path (not shown) on both the left and right sides. The slider side raceway surface is formed on the inner surface of both sleeves of the slider body 21 and faces the rail side raceway surface 5 of the guide rail 3, and the rail side raceway surface 5 and the slider side raceway surface form a loaded rolling path. The rolling element return path is formed by a hole that penetrates the thick parts of both sleeves in the axial direction of the guide rail 3. In addition, a driven element fixing screw insertion hole 25 is provided on the top surface of the slider body 21, through which a bolt that fixes a driven element such as a table to the slider 20 is inserted.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the end cap body 30 of the end cap 70 is, for example, an injection molded product made of synthetic resin, and is formed with a C-shaped cross section like the slider body 21. The end cap body 30 is provided with a plurality of mounting screw insertion holes 34, and the end cap body 30 is fastened to the front-rear end face (opposing face) 21a (see Figure 7) of the slider body 21 together with the side seal 60 by the mounting screws 34A inserted into the mounting screw insertion holes 34.

In addition, return guides 40 are incorporated into the left and right sleeves 31 of the end cap body 30 on the contact surface 31a side that faces the front-rear end surface 21a of the slider body 21. The return guides 40 fit into recesses formed in the contact surface 31a of the end cap body 30 to define direction change paths 26a, 26b that cross each other at an altitude between the end cap body 30 and the return guides 40. The direction change paths 26a, 26b diagonally connect the load rolling path and the rolling element return path of the slider body 21, respectively.

The load rolling path, the rolling element return path, and the direction changing paths 26a, 26b form a rolling element circulating path. A large number of rolling elements (cylindrical rollers) are loaded in the rolling element circulating path so that they can roll freely. The slider 20 can move relatively along the axial direction on the guide rail 3 via these rolling elements that circulate endlessly while rolling in the rolling element circulating path.
A groove 42 communicating with the direction change paths 26a, 26b is formed on the opposing surface of the return guide 40 that faces the front-rear end surface 21a of the slider body 21.

The horizontal portion 32 of the end cap body 30 has an oil passage unit fitting portion 33 recessed on the side of a contact surface (opposing surface) 32 a facing the front-rear end face 21 a of the slider body 21 for incorporating the oil passage unit 50 .
The oil passage unit fitting portion 33 is formed by an inner peripheral wall 35 that covers the outer periphery of the oil passage unit 50 to be fitted thereto, and a bottom wall 36 that covers the axial end face of the oil passage unit 50 .

A side oil supply port 37 is formed through both the left and right sides of the inner peripheral wall 35 to introduce a lubricant such as lubricating oil into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33. Either the left or right side oil supply port 37 is used depending on the oil supply posture of the linear guide 1, but in this first embodiment, the right side oil supply port 37 shown in FIG. 3 is used, and the left side oil supply port 37 is described as being sealed by a sealing plug or the like.

A fitting groove 39 is recessed in the bottom wall 36, which is the surface facing the oil passage unit 50. The fitting groove 39 has a horizontal fitting groove 39a extending in the width direction of the end cap body 30, and a pair of vertical fitting grooves 39b, 39c extending in the up-down direction perpendicular to both ends of the horizontal fitting groove 39a.
An oil supply groove 38 is formed on the contact surfaces 31 a of the left and right sleeve portions 31 of the end cap body 30 , the oil supply groove 38 extending from the oil passage unit fitting portion 33 to the groove 42 of the return guide 40 .

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the oil passage unit 50 of the first embodiment is, for example, an injection molded product of a synthetic resin material, and is formed with a C-shaped cross section corresponding to the oil passage unit fitting portion 33. The abutment surface (opposing surface) 50b of the oil passage unit 50 that abuts against the bottom wall 36 of the end cap body 30 has a flat portion that is perpendicular to the axial direction in the horizontal portion of the oil passage unit 50, and an inclined surface portion that extends from the flat portion toward the lower end of the opposing surface 50a that faces the slider body 21 in the sleeve portion of the oil passage unit 50.

The oil passage unit 50 has an axial thickness dimension that is approximately the same as the axial depth of the bottom wall 36 at the oil passage unit fitting portion 33 in which the horizontal fitting groove 39a is recessed. The axial thickness dimension of the oil passage unit 50 is the distance between the flat portion of the abutment surface 50b and the opposing surface 50a.

4, a convex streak portion 51 is protruded from the contact surface 50b of the oil passage unit 50. The convex streak portion 51 has a horizontal convex streak portion 51a extending in the width direction of the oil passage unit 50, and a pair of vertical convex streak portions 51b, 51c extending in the up-down direction perpendicular to both ends of the horizontal convex streak portion 51a.
The horizontal convex rib portion 51a and the vertical convex rib portions 51b, 51c are fitted into the horizontal fitting groove 39a and the vertical fitting grooves 39b, 39c of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33, respectively.

The protruding height of the ridge portion 51 is smaller than the groove depth of the fitting groove 39 of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33. Therefore, a gap can be formed between the tip surface of the ridge portion 51 and the bottom surface of the fitting groove 39. Therefore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the oil passage unit 50 is fitted into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33, the ridge portion 51 is fitted into the fitting groove 39 of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33, and a supply side lubricant supply passage 71 and a counter supply side lubricant supply passage 72 are defined between the oil passage unit 50 and the end cap body 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the supply side lubricant supply passage 71 is defined by the vertical fitting groove 39b on the right side of the end cap body 30 that communicates with the side oil filler port 37, and the vertical ridge portion 51b of the oil passage unit 50 that is fitted into the vertical fitting groove 39b. The supply side lubricant supply passage 71 communicates with the side oil filler port 37 and the direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side closer to the right side oil filler port 37.

As shown in FIG. 5, the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 is defined by the vertical fitting groove 39c and horizontal fitting groove 39a on the left side of the end cap body 30, and the vertical convex streak portion 51b and horizontal convex streak portion 51a on the left side of the oil passage unit 50 fitted into the left vertical fitting groove 39c and horizontal fitting groove 39a. The anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 communicates with the side oil supply port 37 and the direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side far from the right side oil supply port 37 via a part of the supply side lubricant supply passage 71. That is, the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 is formed by branching off from the supply side lubricant supply passage 71.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal convex ridge portion 51a of the oil passage unit 50 that defines the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 is formed in a tapered shape with a protruding height that gradually decreases from the right side to the left side of the oil passage unit 50. Therefore, the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 defined between the oil passage unit 50 and the end cap body 30 has a cross-sectional area that increases with distance from the side oil inlet 37.

The end cap body 30 with the oil passage unit 50 fitted into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33 is attached to the front-rear end of the slider body 21. The oil passage unit 50 is positioned with the opposing surface 50a abutting against the front-rear end surface 21a of the slider body 21.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 , the lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port 37 on the right side of the end cap body 30 is divided and supplied to a supply side lubricant supply path 71 and an anti-supply side lubricant supply path 72 .
The lubricant supplied to the supply side lubricant supply passage 71 passes through the oil supply groove 38 of the end cap body 30 and the groove 42 of the return guide 40 and reaches the right direction change passages 26 a, 26 b on the side closer to the side oil supply port 37 .
In addition, the lubricant supplied to the counter-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 passes through the oil supply groove 38 of the end cap body 30 and the groove 42 of the return guide 40, and reaches the left direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side farther from the side oil supply port 37.

Therefore, the lubricant that reaches the direction change paths 26a, 26b provided on the left and right sleeves 31 of the end cap body 30 is reliably supplied to the load rolling path and rolling element return path of the slider body 21, which form the rolling element circulation path together with the direction change paths 26a, 26b, and is also supplied to the rail side raceway surface 5 and the rolling elements.

In this case, the supply path length of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path 72 is longer than the supply path length of the supply side lubricant supply path 71, but the cross-sectional area of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path 72 becomes larger away from the side oil supply port 37 compared to the cross-sectional area of the supply side lubricant supply path 71.
Therefore, the difference between the amount of lubricant supplied from the supply side lubricant supply passage 71 to the right side direction change passages 26a, 26b closer to the side oil fill port 37 and the amount of lubricant supplied from the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 to the left side direction change passages 26a, 26b farther from the side oil fill port 37 is eliminated, and the lubricant can be supplied uniformly.

Therefore, according to the linear guide 1 of this first embodiment, the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port 37 to the direction change paths 26a, 26b on the supply side and the direction change paths 26a, 26b on the opposite supply side can be eliminated, and the left and right rolling element circulation paths can be lubricated uniformly.

In addition, according to the linear guide 1 of this first embodiment, the supply side lubricant supply passage 71 and the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 72 are defined between the oil passage unit 50 and the end cap main body 30 by the convex rib portion 51 of the oil passage unit 50 accommodated in the oil passage unit fitting portion 33 recessed in the end cap main body 30 fitting into the fitting groove 39 of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33 recessed in the surface facing the oil passage unit 50, thereby forming a gap between the tip surface of the convex rib portion 51 and the bottom surface of the fitting groove 39.
Therefore, by selectively using a plurality of oil passage units 50 having different protruding heights of the convex streak portions 51, it is possible to provide a linear guide 1 having an optimal amount of lubricant supply depending on the usage conditions.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the oil passage unit 50A according to the second embodiment of the present invention replaces the oil passage unit 50 of the first embodiment described above, and is accommodated in an oil passage unit fitting portion 33 recessed in the end cap body 30 to form a linear guide 1. Note that components of the oil passage unit 50A that are similar to those of the oil passage unit 50 of the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

The convex ridge portion 51 protruding from the contact surface 50b of the oil passage unit 50A has a horizontal convex ridge portion 51a extending in the width direction of the oil passage unit 50A, and a pair of vertical convex ridge portions 51b, 51c extending in the up-down direction perpendicular to both ends of the horizontal convex ridge portion 51a, as shown in FIG. 8.

The horizontal convex rib portion 51a and the vertical convex rib portions 51b, 51c are fitted into the horizontal fitting groove 39a and the vertical fitting grooves 39b, 39c of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33, respectively.
The protruding height of the convex streak portion 51 according to the second embodiment is set to be the same as the groove depth of the fitting groove 39 of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33. Therefore, a gap cannot be formed between the tip surface of the convex streak portion 51 and the bottom surface of the fitting groove 39, and the fitting groove 39 is blocked by the convex streak portion 51.

8B and 9A, a supply groove 57 is recessed into the opposing surface 50a of the oil passage unit 50A. The supply groove 57 has a horizontal supply groove 57a extending in the width direction of the oil passage unit 50A, and a pair of vertical supply grooves 57b, 57c extending in the up-down direction perpendicular to both ends of the horizontal supply groove 57a.
Furthermore, the oil passage unit 50A is provided with a communication hole 54 for communicating between the side oil supply port 37 and the supply groove 57. The communication hole 54 is formed by penetrating the upper ends of the vertical supply grooves 57b and 57c and the vicinity of the upper ends of the vertical convex streaks 51b and 51c, respectively.

Then, the end cap body 30 with the oil passage unit 50A fitted into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33 is attached to the front-rear end of the slider body 21. The oil passage unit 50A is positioned with the opposing surface 50a abutting against the front-rear end surface 21a of the slider body 21.
Therefore, when the oil passage unit 50A is fitted into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33, as shown in (b) of Figure 9, the end cap body 30 is attached to the fore-and-aft end of the slider body 21, so that a supply side lubricant supply passage 81 and an anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 are defined between the opposing surface 50a of the oil passage unit 50A and the end face 21a of the slider body 21.

The supply side lubricant supply passage 81 is defined by the right-side communication hole 54 that communicates with the side oil supply port 37 and the vertical supply groove 57b on the right side of the end cap body 30. The supply side lubricant supply passage 81 communicates with the side oil supply port 37 and the direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side closer to the right-side oil supply port 37.

The non-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 is defined by the vertical supply groove 57c on the left side of the end cap body 30 and the horizontal supply groove 57a. The non-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 connects the direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side far from the right side oil supply port 37 to the side oil supply port 37. In other words, the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 is formed by branching off from the supply side lubricant supply passage 81. The vertical supply groove 57b below the branching portion of the horizontal supply groove 57a is formed with a narrower groove width than the vertical supply groove 57c.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9B, the horizontal supply groove 57a of the oil passage unit 50A that defines the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 has a tapered groove bottom surface so that the groove depth gradually deepens from the right side to the left side of the oil passage unit 50A. Therefore, the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 defined between the oil passage unit 50A and the slider body 21 has a larger cross-sectional area as it moves away from the side oil inlet 37.

Therefore, the lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port 37 on the right side of the end cap body 30 is divided and supplied to the supply side lubricant supply path 81 and the counter supply side lubricant supply path 82 .
The lubricant supplied to the supply side lubricant supply passage 81 passes through the oil supply groove 38 of the end cap body 30 and the groove 42 of the return guide 40 and reaches the right direction change passages 26 a, 26 b on the side closer to the side oil supply port 37 .
In addition, the lubricant supplied to the counter-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 passes through the oil supply groove 38 of the end cap body 30 and the groove 42 of the return guide 40, and reaches the left direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side farther from the side oil supply port 37.

Therefore, the lubricant that reaches the direction change paths 26a, 26b provided on the left and right sleeves 31 of the end cap body 30 is reliably supplied to the load rolling path and rolling element return path of the slider body 21, which form the rolling element circulation path together with the direction change paths 26a, 26b, and is also supplied to the rail side raceway surface 5 and the rolling elements.

In this case, the supply path length of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path 82 is longer than the supply path length of the supply side lubricant supply path 81, but the cross-sectional area of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path 82 becomes larger away from the side oil supply port 37 compared to the cross-sectional area of the supply side lubricant supply path 81.
Therefore, the difference between the amount of lubricant supplied from the supply side lubricant supply passage 81 to the right side direction change passages 26a, 26b closer to the side oil fill port 37 and the amount of lubricant supplied from the counter supply side lubricant supply passage 82 to the left side direction change passages 26a, 26b farther from the side oil fill port 37 is eliminated, and the lubricant can be supplied uniformly.

Therefore, with the linear guide 1 according to the second embodiment, the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port 37 to the direction change paths 26a, 26b on the supply side and the direction change paths 26a, 26b on the opposite side can be eliminated, and the left and right rolling element circulation paths can be lubricated uniformly.

In addition, according to the linear guide 1 of the second embodiment, the fitting groove 39 of the end cap body 30 is blocked by the convex rib portion 51 formed so that the tip surface of the convex rib portion 51 of the oil passage unit 50A abuts the bottom surface of the fitting groove 39, and the supply side lubricant supply passage 81 and the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 82 are defined between the oil passage unit 50A and the slider body 21 by a supply groove 57 formed on the opposing surface 50a of the oil passage unit 50A facing the slider body 21 and a communication hole 54 formed in the oil passage unit 50A to communicate the side oil supply port 37 and the supply groove 57.
Therefore, by selectively using a plurality of oil passage units 50A having supply grooves 57 with different groove depths, it is possible to provide a linear guide 1 having an optimal lubricant supply amount depending on the usage conditions.

As shown in Figures 10 to 13, the end cap body 30A according to the third embodiment of the present invention constitutes a linear guide 1 by accommodating an oil passage unit 50B in an oil passage unit fitting portion 33A instead of the end cap body 30 that accommodates the oil passage units 50, 50A of the first and second embodiments. Note that components of the end cap body 30A that are similar to those of the end cap body 30 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, the horizontal portion 32 of the end cap body 30A has an oil passage unit fitting portion 33A recessed on the side of the abutment surface 32a facing the front-rear end face 21a of the slider body 21 for incorporating the oil passage unit 50B.
The oil passage unit fitting portion 33A is formed by an inner peripheral wall 35 that covers the outer peripheral portion of the oil passage unit 50B to be fitted, and a bottom wall 36 that covers the axial end face of the oil passage unit 50B. A plurality of mounting screw insertion holes 34 are formed through the bottom wall 36, and the end cap body 30A is fastened to the front-rear end face 21a of the slider body 21 together with the side seal 60 by mounting screws 34A inserted through the mounting screw insertion holes 34.

A side oil supply port 37 is formed through the left and right sides of the inner peripheral wall 35 to introduce a lubricant such as lubricating oil into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33A. Either the left or right side oil supply port 37 is used depending on the oil supply posture of the linear guide 1, but in this third embodiment, the right side oil supply port 37 shown in FIG. 10 is used, and the left side oil supply port 37 is described as being sealed by a sealing plug or the like.

As shown in FIG. 11, the oil passage unit 50B is, for example, an injection molded product of synthetic resin material, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the oil passage unit fitting portion 33A. The oil passage unit 50B has an axial thickness dimension that is substantially the same as the axial depth of the oil passage unit fitting portion 33A. The axial thickness dimension of the oil passage unit 50B is the distance between the opposing surface 50a that faces the slider body 21 and the abutting surface 50b that abuts against the bottom wall 36 of the end cap body 30A.

11, a supply groove 61 is recessed in the contact surface (opposing surface) 50b of the oil passage unit 50B. The supply groove 61 has a horizontal supply groove 61a extending in the width direction of the oil passage unit 50B, and a pair of vertical supply grooves 61b, 61c extending in the up-down direction perpendicular to both ends of the horizontal supply groove 61a.
Therefore, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, when the oil passage unit 50B is fitted into the oil passage unit fitting portion 33A, a supply side lubricant supply passage 91 and a counter supply side lubricant supply passage 92 are defined between the supply groove 61 recessed in the abutment surface 50b of the oil passage unit 50B and the bottom wall 36 of the end cap main body 30A.

As shown in FIG. 12, the supply side lubricant supply passage 91 is defined by the vertical supply groove 61b on the right side of the end cap body 30A, which communicates with the side oil supply port 37. The supply side lubricant supply passage 91 communicates with the side oil supply port 37 and the direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side closer to the right side oil supply port 37.

The non-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 is defined by the vertical supply groove 61c on the left side of the end cap body 30A and the horizontal supply groove 61a. The non-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 connects the direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side far from the right side oil supply port 37 to the side oil supply port 37. In other words, the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 is formed by branching off from the supply side lubricant supply passage 91. The vertical supply groove 61b below the branching portion of the horizontal supply groove 61a is formed with a narrower groove width than the vertical supply groove 61c.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, the horizontal supply groove 61a of the oil passage unit 50B that defines the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 has a tapered groove bottom so that the groove depth gradually deepens from the right side to the left side of the oil passage unit 50B (see FIG. 11(b)). Therefore, the non-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 defined between the oil passage unit 50B and the end cap body 30A has a cross-sectional area that increases with distance from the side oil inlet 37.

Therefore, the lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port 37 on the right side of the end cap body 30A is divided and supplied to the supply side lubricant supply path 91 and the counter supply side lubricant supply path 92.
The lubricant supplied to the supply side lubricant supply passage 91 passes through the oil supply groove 38 of the end cap body 30A and the groove 42 of the return guide 40 and reaches the right direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side closer to the side oil supply port 37.
In addition, the lubricant supplied to the counter-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 passes through the oil supply groove 38 of the end cap body 30A and the groove 42 of the return guide 40, and reaches the left direction change passages 26a, 26b on the side farther from the side oil supply port 37.

Therefore, the lubricant that reaches the direction change paths 26a, 26b provided on the left and right sleeves 31 of the end cap body 30A is reliably supplied to the load rolling path and rolling element return path of the slider body 21, which form the rolling element circulation path together with the direction change paths 26a, 26b, and is also supplied to the rail side raceway surface 5 and the rolling elements.

In this case, the supply path length of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path 92 is longer than the supply path length of the supply side lubricant supply path 91, but the cross-sectional area of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path 92 becomes larger away from the side oil supply port 37 compared to the cross-sectional area of the supply side lubricant supply path 91.
Therefore, the difference between the amount of lubricant supplied from the supply side lubricant supply passage 91 to the right side direction change passages 26a, 26b closer to the side oil fill port 37 and the amount of lubricant supplied from the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 to the left side direction change passages 26a, 26b farther from the side oil fill port 37 is eliminated, and the lubricant can be supplied uniformly.

Therefore, according to the linear guide 1 of this third embodiment, the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port 37 to the direction change paths 26a, 26b on the supply side and the direction change paths 26a, 26b on the opposite supply side can be eliminated, and the left and right rolling element circulation paths can be lubricated uniformly.

In addition, according to the linear guide 1 of this third embodiment, the supply side lubricant supply passage 91 and the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 are defined between a supply groove 61 recessed into the abutment surface 50b of the oil passage unit 50B facing the end cap main body 30A and an oil passage unit fitting portion 33A recessed into the end cap main body 30A to accommodate the oil passage unit 50B.
Therefore, by selectively using a plurality of oil passage units 50B having supply grooves 61 with different groove depths, it is possible to provide a linear guide 1 equipped with an optimal lubricant supply amount depending on the usage conditions.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.
For example, the oil passage unit 50B of the third embodiment is configured such that the groove bottom surface of the horizontal supply groove 61a is tapered so that the groove depth of the horizontal supply groove 61a gradually deepens from the right side to the left side of the oil passage unit 50B, so that the cross-sectional area of the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 increases as it moves away from the side oil supply port 37. In contrast to this, the horizontal supply groove 61a can be configured such that the groove width of the horizontal supply groove 61a gradually widens from the right side to the left side of the oil passage unit 50B, so that the cross-sectional area of the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage 92 increases as it moves away from the side oil supply port 37.
Moreover, balls may be used as the rolling elements of the linear guide instead of cylindrical rollers.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the linear guide according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4].
[1] A linear guide (1) comprising a guide rail (3), a slider (20) slidably engaged with the guide rail (3) so as to straddle the guide rail (3), and end caps (70, 70) attached to axial ends of a slider body (21) of the slider (20),
The end cap (70, 70) includes an end cap body (30) having a side oil supply port (37) formed on an outer peripheral surface and a pair of direction change passages (26a, 26b) formed in both sleeve portions (31), and an oil passage unit (50, 50A, 50B) disposed on an opposing surface (abutment surface 32a) of the end cap body (30) opposing the slider body (21),
The oil passage unit (50, 50A, 50B) defines a supply-side lubricant supply passage (71, 81, 91) for communicating the direction change passage (26a, 26b) on a side closer to the side oil supply port (37) with the side oil supply port (37), and a counter-supply-side lubricant supply passage (72, 82, 92) for communicating the direction change passage (26a, 26b) on a side farther from the side oil supply port (37) with the side oil supply port (37),
The anti-supply side lubricant supply passage (72, 82, 92) is configured so that its cross-sectional area increases as it moves away from the side oil supply port (37).
A linear guide (1).

According to the above configuration [1], the supply path length of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path (72, 82, 92) is longer than the supply path length of the supply side lubricant supply path (71, 81, 91), but the cross-sectional area of the anti-supply side lubricant supply path (72, 82, 92) becomes larger away from the side oil filler port (37) than the cross-sectional area of the supply side lubricant supply path (71, 81, 91).
Thus, the difference between the amount of lubricant supplied from the supply side lubricant supply passage (71, 81, 91) to the direction change passage (26a, 26b) closer to the side oil filler port (37) and the amount of lubricant supplied from the anti-supply side lubricant supply passage (72, 82, 92) to the direction change passage (26a, 26b) farther from the side oil filler port (37) is eliminated, and the lubricant can be supplied uniformly.
Therefore, with the linear guide (1) of this configuration, the difference in the amount of lubricant supplied from the side oil supply port (37) to the direction change path (26a, 26b) on the supply side and the direction change path (26a, 26b) on the opposite supply side can be eliminated, and the left and right rolling element circulation paths can be uniformly lubricated.

[2] The supply side lubricant supply passage (71) and the counter supply side lubricant supply passage (72) are
A convex rib portion (51) of the oil passage unit (50) accommodated in an oil passage unit fitting portion (33) recessed in the end cap body (30) fits into a fitting groove (39) of the oil passage unit fitting portion (33) recessed in a surface facing the oil passage unit (50), forming a gap between a tip surface of the convex rib portion (51) and a bottom surface of the fitting groove (39), thereby defining a gap between the oil passage unit (50) and the end cap body (30).
The linear guide (1) described in [1] above.

According to the configuration [2] above, by selectively using multiple oil passage units (50) with different protruding heights of the ridges (51), it is possible to provide a linear guide (1) with an optimal amount of lubricant supply depending on the usage conditions.

[3] The fitting groove (39) is closed by the protruding portion (51) formed so that a tip surface of the protruding portion (51) abuts against a bottom surface of the fitting groove (39),
the supply side lubricant supply passage (81) and the counter supply side lubricant supply passage (82) are defined between the oil passage unit (50A) and the slider body (21) by a supply groove (57) formed in an opposing surface (50a) of the oil passage unit (50A) opposing the slider body (21) and a communication hole (54) formed in the oil passage unit (50A) for communicating the side oil supply port (37) and the supply groove (57);
The linear guide (1) described in [2] above.

According to the configuration [3] above, by selectively using multiple oil passage units (50A) with different groove depths for the supply groove (57), it is possible to provide a linear guide (1) with an optimal lubricant supply amount according to the usage conditions.

[4] The supply side lubricant supply passage (91) and the counter supply side lubricant supply passage (92) are
A supply groove (61) is recessed in the opposing surface (50a) of the oil passage unit (50B) facing the end cap body (30A) and an oil passage unit fitting portion (33A) recessed in the end cap body (30A) to accommodate the oil passage unit (50B).
The linear guide (1) described in [1] above.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Linear guide 3 Guide rail 20 Slider 21 Slider body 26a, 26b Direction change path 30 End cap body 31 Sleeve portion 32a Contact surface (opposing surface)
37 Side oil supply port 50 Oil passage unit 70 End cap 71 Supply side lubricant supply passage 72 Counter supply side lubricant supply passage

Claims (4)

A linear guide comprising: a guide rail; a slider slidably engaged with the guide rail so as to straddle the guide rail; and an end cap attached to an axial end of a slider body of the slider,
The end cap has an end cap body having a side oil supply port formed on an outer peripheral surface and a pair of direction change passages formed on both sleeves, and an oil passage unit disposed on an opposing surface of the end cap body opposing the slider body,
the oil passage unit defines a supply-side lubricant supply passage for connecting the direction change passage on a side closer to the side oil filler port and the side oil filler port, and a counter-supply-side lubricant supply passage for connecting the direction change passage on a side farther from the side oil filler port and the side oil filler port,
The anti-supply side lubricant supply passage is configured so that a cross-sectional area increases with increasing distance from the side oil supply port.
A linear guide characterized by: The supply side lubricant supply passage and the counter supply side lubricant supply passage are
The convex portion of the oil passage unit accommodated in the oil passage unit fitting portion recessed in the end cap body is fitted into the fitting groove of the oil passage unit fitting portion recessed in the surface facing the oil passage unit to form a gap between the tip surface of the convex portion and the bottom surface of the fitting groove, thereby forming a gap between the oil passage unit and the end cap body.
2. The linear guide according to claim 1 . The fitting groove is closed by the protruding portion formed so that a tip surface of the protruding portion abuts against a bottom surface of the fitting groove,
The supply side lubricant supply passage and the counter supply side lubricant supply passage are defined between the oil passage unit and the slider body by a supply groove formed on an opposing surface of the oil passage unit facing the slider body and a communication hole formed in the oil passage unit to communicate the side oil supply port and the supply groove.
3. The linear guide according to claim 2. The supply side lubricant supply passage and the counter supply side lubricant supply passage are
A supply groove is provided in a surface of the oil passage unit facing the end cap body, and an oil passage unit fitting portion is provided in the end cap body and accommodates the oil passage unit.
2. The linear guide according to claim 1 .

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