Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.

Takaaki Tsuboi

Eiji Ida

Masaki Ohno

Shoji Fujisawa

Hideki Kuwabara

Toshiaki Geka

Masaharu Yoshida

Akihiko Kamimura

Kouji Obara

Norimitsu Kitade

Osamu Ito

Katsuaki Nakano

Akitomo Mine

Yoshihiko Kanazawa

Kishinori Shibamoto

A curvilinear motion rolling guide unit is such that pipe members adapted to form return passages are disposed respectively at undercuts of wings of an arcuate casing, thereby reducing working costs. A slider has a casing and end caps fixed to respective opposite ends of the casing. Pipe members adapted to form return passages are disposed at the respective undercuts formed on the wings of the casing. Cover members have longitudinally extending grooves, respectively, for covering the pipe members. Fitting grooves formed at opposite ends of the grooves of the cover members are fitted to direction changing passages provided in the respective end caps, whereby the cover members are fixed to the end caps.

Curvilinear motion rolling guide unit

More than two roller rows are arranged on only a closed or looped circuit. A separator is arranged on one roller row out of phase relative to a separator on the other roller row, thereby making less any variation in posture of the slider, which would otherwise occur when the rollers transfer from or into the load-carrying race, and vice versa, eventually improving any travelling accuracy of the slider. The separator interposed between the adjoining rollers lying in the adjoining roller rows is composed of an isolation wall coming into sliding contact with the end surfaces of the rollers lying side by side in the roller rows juxtaposed with each other, a pair of first separator wing extending sidewise from one side of the isolation wall to embrace the circular rolling surface of the roller in one roller row from both sides thereof, and a second separator wing extending from another side of the isolation wall on the opposite side of the first separator wing to lie between circular rolling surfaces of two adjacent rollers in another roller row.

Linear motion guide unit with separators interposed between adjoining rolling elements

A bearing lubricating device, reducing the manufacturing cost and facilitating the dimensional control and the assembly process, comprises a casing provided around an outer ring rotating relatively to a support shaft; and a lubricating member provided in the casing, which is, after the casing has been fitted over the outer periphery of the outer ring, in contact with the outer ring to apply a lubricant contained in the lubricating member to the outer periphery of the outer ring. When the casing is fitted around the outer ring, the lubricating member is in contact with the outer ring in a position either on a line, that extends in parallel to a tangent passing through a contact point between the outer ring and a supported item borne on the outer ring and passes through the center of the outer ring, or on the opposite side of the line to the contact point.

Bearing lubricating device

A position-control stage is disclosed which makes it possible to extend largely an angular movement in circular direction for position control, rendering the stage itself compact in construction, allowing to work with high precision in clean environment and further produce the stage with inexpensive cost. The position-control stage has an onboard linear motor composed of armature windings of primary side and field magnets of secondary side. The armature windings are each made in a hollow rectangle where winding turns are wound in the form of flat loop, and are circularly arranged on a disc surface of the bed along a preselected curvature in such a way lying in radial juxtaposition in circumferential direction. The field magnets are made in a flat shape and arranged underneath the turntable in such a pattern lying radially on a disc surface of the preselected curvature in opposition to the armature windings, with their unlike poles alternating in polarity along a circular direction.

Position-control stage with onboard linear motor

A sliding means with built-in moving-magnet linear motor is provided, realizing high-speed operation and much response ability of a table to a stationary bed, and also accurate position control of the table to the bed. With the sliding means of this invention, armature windings carry a three-phase current while a driving circuit is transferred to the external driver to make the bed slim in construction. Thus, the sliding means is reduced in overall height. A field magnet of rare earth permanent magnet is effective in raising flux density, thereby providing high propulsion for the table. An encoder to monitor a position of the table is an optical encoder having an optical linear scale, which contributes to improvement in accurate monitoring. The construction in which the armature windings connected to cords, lines, and so on are placed on the stator side has no fear of causing dust and dirt, thus realizing clean environment.

Sliding means with built-in moving-magnet linear motor

An X-Y stage system is disclosed which is easy to assemble and compact or slim in construction. Both the X- and Y-stages are allowed to move without getting influence from the magnetic force created by the field magnets. The X-Y stage system has an X-stage movable relatively to a bed through a linear motion guide unit in an X-direction, and a Y-stage movable relatively to the X-stage through another linear motion guide unit in a Y-direction. The linear motors to force the X- and Y-stages are composed of paired field magnets of secondary side held to the bed and the Y-stage, respectively, and armature windings of primary side supported on the opposite sides of the X-stage in a way lying in clearances between the opposing field magnets.

X-Y stage system with onboard linear motor

A linear motion guide unit is disclosed in which a rack-and-pinion arrangement is interposed between paired guide rails to keep a cage retaining more than one rolling element therein against falling off from the guide rails. In the linear motion guide unit, the cage arranged between confronting raceway grooves of the guide rails hold therein a pinion, which comes in mating with a rack lying in the raceway grooves. The cage is made therein with an aperture in which a thick portion of a pinion holder fits to secure the pinion holder to the cage. The pinion is comprised of a disc having teeth that come in mating with the rack, and a shaft serving as an axis about which the disc rotates. The pinion is held in the pinion holder, with the shaft being carried for rotation in pinion chamber in the pinion holder.

Linear motion guide unit with means for keeping cage against wandering

In a linear motion guide unit in which a rack-and-pinion arrangement is interposed between paired guide rail members to keep a cage against falling off from the guide rail members, the rack is made reduced in size in depth direction to fit well in even a gutter cut small in depth in the guide rail member. The rack is made up of successive teeth mating with the pinion, and side walls to join the teeth together with one another. The side walls of the rack are rendered thickened sidewise with depth while sidewise opposing surfaces defining a gutter cut in the guide rail also lean away one another with depth in a way conforming to the side walls of the rack, so that the rack can be fastened in the gutter by virtue of face-to-face engagement of the side walls with the associated surfaces in the gutter.

A sliding means with built-in moving-magnet linear is disclosed, which makes it possible to sense accurately a table position with a magnetic sensor element. To this end, a magnetic flux pattern is rectified outside any one N-pole of forward and aft end poles of a field magnet. Position of the table is monitored with a magnetic sensor element arranged on the bed in opposition to the field magnet. Arranged outside the end pole of the field magnet is an auxiliary magnet unlike in polarity and made as small as possible in effect on propulsion exerted on the table. The auxiliary magnet is to rectify the magnetic flux pattern outside the end pole of the field magnet to the same distribution pattern as found at a boundary between the adjacent poles opposite in polarity in the field magnet, thus making it possible to identify the accurate positions of the forward and aft end pole of the field magnet.

Here is disclosed a stage system enabling position control of a tiny angle by virtue of a linear motor and becoming greater in response ability, with even slimness and small size in construction. The stage system has a first stage lying on a base stage for linear movement in an X-direction relatively to the base stage, a second stage lying on the first stage for linear movement relatively to the first stage in a Y-direction, a turning stage lying on the second stage to be supported through rolling bearing means on the second stage, and a turning linear motor for driving the turning stage over a tiny amount of angle in either direction of rotation. The turning linear motor is comprised of a primary side of more than one armature winding arranged in juxtaposition in straight line on the second stage, and a secondary side of field magnets arranged in juxtaposition in opposition to the armature winding on the turning stage, with magnetic poles alternating in polarity in straight line.

Stage system with onboard linear motor

A slider unit having built in a moving-coil linear motor is incorporated in a linear motion guide unit having a track rail and a slide. The slider unit is made easy in mounting to the appliances or works. The linear motion guide unit has the track rail and the slider movable lengthwise of the track rail. A linear motor is arranged between any one of widthwise opposing side walls of the track rail and the slider, and composed of a stator comprising a magnet yoke and field magnets, and a moving-coil assembly held on a side edge of a mount of the slider. The linear motor is preferred to make compact or slim in construction the linear motion guide unit, in which the linear motor is incorporated, thus making the slider unit simple in construction.

Slider unit with built-in moving-coil linear motor

The present invention provides a braking device of a linear motor table which can stop in a fixed state of the table when the electrical feed is cut off. A braking device 11 is installed, which comprises: a shaft 12 extending in the direction of movement and attached to the table 42; a retainer 14 movably inserted onto the shaft 12; balls 15 inserted into the pocket of the retainer 14 and rolling along the shaft 12; an outer cylinder 16 located including the retainer 14 and having a tapered surface 16a on the inside of the outer cylinder; a coil spring 18 for urging retainer 14 to be jammed onto the tapered surface 16a; and a linear electromagnetic solenoid 17 which urge the retainer 14 for making the balls 15 release the tapered surface 16a. When the electrical feed is cut off, the balls 15 are jammed on the tapered surface 16a by the action of a wedge, and the table is stopped.

Braking device of a linear motor table

The linear roller bearing comprises: a pair of ways with their raceway grooves facing each other; a cage disposed between the ways; cylindrical rollers held in the cage between the ways; a rack installed in a cutter escape groove formed in each raceway groove of the way; and a pinion in mesh with the rack and supported in the cage. The meshing between the rack and pinion of the linear roller bearing eliminates the possibility of the cage coming off the ways, thus allowing the ways to be controlled to move reliably and smoothly relative to each other.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Takaaki Tsuboi