Nsk Corporation

Shiroji Yabe

Toru Tsukada

Nobuyuki Osawa

Kenjiro Shiki

Soichiro Kato

Nobumitsu Takahashi

Hiroki Yamaguchi

Yoshinori Mizumura

Ryoichi Sato

Masaru Akiyama

Shinya Nakamura

The linear guide apparatus includes a guide railincluding a rolling body rolling grooveand a friction apply unitassembled to the guide rail. The friction apply unitincludes a unit main body, a brake member, an oil pressure cylinderand a plate spring. The brake memberis disposed so as to face the side surfaceof the guide railand can be contacted with the other portions of the side surfacethan the rolling body rolling groovethereof. The oil pressure cylinderincludes a piston memberwhich is structured to be driven in a positive direction to thereby press the brake memberagainst the side surfaceof the guide railand also the piston membercan be driven in the opposite direction to thereby remove the pressure of the brake memberfrom the side surface

Linear guide apparatus

Three rows of ball rolling grooves A to C are formed in each side of a guide rail , while being vertically arrayed. Three rows of ball rolling grooves A to C are also formed on the inner surface of each of the legs of a slider . The ball rolling grooves A to C are respectively disposed in opposition to the ball rolling grooves A to C to thereby form ball sliding passages A to C. In either of the upper or lower ball rolling passage A or C, each ball contacts, at four points, with the surfaces of the ball rolling groove A or C of the guide rail and the ball rolling groove A or C of the slider . In the remaining ball rolling passages, each ball contacts at two points with the surfaces of the ball rolling grooves. One of lines L and L , each of which connects two opposite contact points of those four ones in the upper or lower ball rolling passage is oriented in the same direction as of lines L and L connecting the contact points in the remaining ball rolling passages. With such a construction, the upper, medium and lower rows of ball trains receive all loads acting on the slider in share, whereby the linear guide assembly exhibits its maximum load capacity against the loads.

Linear guide assembly

The linear guide apparatus includes a guide rail including a rolling body rolling groove and a friction apply unit assembled to the guide rail . The friction apply unit includes a unit main body , a brake member , an oil pressure cylinder and a plate spring . The brake member is disposed so as to face the side surface of the guide rail and can be contacted with the other portions of the side surface than the rolling body rolling groove thereof. The oil pressure cylinder includes a piston member which is structured to be driven in a positive direction to thereby press the brake member against the side surface of the guide rail and also the piston member can be driven in the opposite direction to thereby remove the pressure of the brake member from the side surface

Three rows of ball rolling grooves A to C are formed in each side of a guide rail while being vertically arrayed. Three rows of ball rolling grooves A to C are also formed on the inner surface of each of the legs of a slider The ball rolling grooves A to C are respectively disposed in opposition to the ball rolling grooves A to C to thereby form ball sliding passages A to C. In either of the upper or lower ball rolling passage A or C, each ball contacts, at four points, with the surfaces of the ball rolling groove A or C of the guide rail and the ball rolling groove A or C of the slider In the remaining ball rolling passages, each ball contacts at two points with the surfaces of the ball rolling grooves. One of lines L and L each of which connects two opposite contact points of those four ones in the upper or lower ball rolling passage is oriented in the same direction as of lines L and L connecting the contact points in the remaining ball rolling passages. With such a construction, the upper, medium and lower rows of ball trains receive all loads acting on the slider in share, whereby the linear guide assembly exhibits its maximum load capacity against the loads.

A linear guide device is provided with a plurality of rolling elements. A guide rail extending in an axial direction thereof and including a plurality of rolling element rolling grooves in two side portions thereof is provided in the device, wherein the rolling grooves extend in an axial direction of the guide rail. A slider includes a plurality of rolling element rolling grooves respectively opposed to the rolling element rolling grooves of the guide rail, wherein the slider is supported on the guide rail in such a manner that the slider is movable along the axial direction of the guide rail through the rolling movements of the rolling elements respectively inserted between the rolling element rolling grooves of the slider. The slider includes a rolling element endless circulation track along which the rolling elements are allowed to circulate endlessly; and a plurality of separators, each interposed between the adjoining rolling elements in the circulation direction of the rolling elements. A clearance is formed between a line of the rolling elements and the separators which are endlessly circulated.

Linear guide device

In order to reduce the amount of play of balls in a circulation path in a linear guide device to thereby reduce the noise during the running of the linear guide device and improve the quality and productivity of the device, the communicating portion of the straight portion of a ball circulation path in a slider body and the curved portions of ball circulation paths in end caps is constituted by faucet-fitting comprising a cylindrical convex portion provided so as to extend the curved portions relative to the communicating portion and a cylinder concave portion corresponding to the cylindrical convex portion provided in the straight portion.

Three rows of ball rolling grooves,A to,C are formed in each side of a guide rail,, while being vertically arrayed. Three rows of ball rolling grooves,A to,C are also formed on the inner surface of each of the legs of a slider,. The ball rolling grooves,A to,C are respectively disposed in opposition to the ball rolling grooves,A to,C to thereby form ball sliding passages,A to,C. In either of the upper or lower ball rolling passage,A or,C, each ball contacts, at four points, with the surfaces of the ball rolling groove,A or,C of the guide rail,and the ball rolling groove,A or,C of the slider,. In the remaining ball rolling passages, each ball contacts at two points with the surfaces of the ball rolling grooves. One of lines L,and L,, each of which connects two opposite contact points of those four ones in the upper or lower ball rolling passage is oriented in the same direction as of lines L,and L,connecting the contact points in the remaining ball rolling passages. With such a construction, the upper, medium and lower rows of ball trains receive all loads acting on the slider in share, whereby the linear guide assembly exhibits its maximum load capacity against the loads.

End caps are respectively joined to opposite ends of a slider main body of a linear guide apparatus. Each end cap has curved passage for bringing the load rolling-element rolling groove of the slider main body into communication with the rolling-element return passage to thereby construct a rolling-element circulating passage for circulating a plurality of rolling elements. At least a portion of the end caps in contact with at least one of the rolling elements and guide rail is made of an oil containing material.

Three rows of ball rolling grooves 23A to 23C are formed in each side of a guide rail 21, while being vertically arrayed. Three rows of ball rolling grooves 25A to 25C are also formed on the inner surface of each of the legs of a slider 22. The ball rolling grooves 25A to 25C are respectively disposed in opposition to the ball rolling grooves 23A to 23C to thereby form ball sliding passages 26A to 26C. In either of the upper or lower ball rolling passage 26A or 26C, each ball contacts, at four points, with the surfaces of the ball rolling groove 23A or 23C of the guide rail 21 and the ball rolling groove 25A or 25C of the slider 22. In the remaining ball rolling passages, each ball contacts at two points with the surfaces of the ball rolling grooves. One of lines L1 and L4, each of which connects two opposite contact points of those four ones in the upper or lower ball rolling passage is oriented in the same direction as of lines L2 and L3 connecting the contact points in the remaining ball rolling passages. With such a construction, the upper, medium and lower rows of ball trains receive all loads acting on the slider in share, whereby the linear guide assembly exhibits its maximum load capacity against the loads.

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Gunma, Japan

Shiroji Yabe