Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.

Takashi Yatsu

Osamu Suzuki

Yasunori Yokota

Kengo Hidano

Tatsuo Mottate

Shigemasa Itabashi

Shigeki Kakei

Kouji Obara

Hideaki Ogura

Takaaki Hagiya

Takeshi Matsui

A linear motion guide system is disclosed in which a clearance between a slider and a guide rail is closed truly to clear foreign matter away from entering inside the system through any end of the slider traveling on the guide rail. Thus, the linear motion guide system is befitting to severe working environment where much foreign matter occurs. A highly-tight sealing unit is provided which is comprised of a cassette constituted with a front panel and an enclosure, a sealing plate stowed into the cassette, and a rear panel to close an open edge of the enclosure. The sealing plate is composed of an intermediate spongy medium flanked by skin layers, and lubricant is forcibly absorbed in pores or cells in the intermediate layer.

Linear motion guide system with highly-tight sealing units

A linear motion guide unit is disclosed in which a slider moves relatively of and along a track rail by virtue of rolling elements of balls or rollers. The rolling elements are allowed to recirculate from a load raceway formed between the track rail and the slider to a non-loaded area composed of a turnaround formed in the slider to communicate with the load raceway, and a return passage formed in the slider to communicate with the turnaround. The return passage is encircled with a sintered resinous member of porous texture. Lubricant absorbed and held in voids in the sintered resinous member can be supplied over a prolonged period to the rolling elements, thereby lubricating the rolling elements to make the frictional resistance less, which might be encountered when the slider moves on the track rail, and ultimately helping ensure the improvement in durability.

Linear motion guide unit

A linear motion guide unit track rail has lengthwise side surfaces with first and second raceway grooves in which a slider moves. Lubrication is provided in the slider for the raceway grooves of the track rail. The lubricator has a lubricant case. Lubricant delivery to the raceway grooves includes a head in sliding contact with the first raceway grooves and a leg, integral with the head, and extending through an opening into the case. The leg is inserted into the case through an elastic mouthpiece, and the head is elastically urged towards the raceway grooves of the track rail by the elastic mouthpiece.

The linear motion guide unit has the lubricating means that is easy to be handled, attached to and detached from the track rail by means of supporting a lubricant plate in a holder. The lubricating means has a lubricant plate divided into a pair of lubricant plate components disposed in symmetry with each other, and the holder of a frame surrounding the lubricant plate components to keep steadily the components. The lubricant plate components each have a protrusion which move in sliding contact with raceway grooves of the track rail so as to feed lubricant to the raceway grooves. The lubricant plate components have protrusions fitted into windows in the holder. A pair of the lubricant plate components is supported in such a manner that they are separated by a center wall extending at an upper section of the holder towards the track rail.

This invention provides a linear motion guide unit provided with lubricating plates capable of being applied to existing linear motion guide units without changing the basic specifications thereof, and capable of being fixed to and removed from a casing easily. The lubricating plates are disposed between spacers fixed to end surfaces of end caps and end seals, and fixed to a casing, the lubricating plates slidingly contacting at least the raceway grooves in a track rail and being moved relatively to the track rail. The lubricating plates comprise sintered resin members having lubricating oil-impregnated porous structures. The sintered resin members are made by filling a predetermined metal mold with fine particles of a synthetic resin, and thermally molding the same particles.

Lubricating plate-carrying linear motion guide unit

A position detection apparatus having a scale with resilient engaging portions that attach to a lower surface of the scale and engage insertion holes in a track rail into which fastening members are inserted for fixing the track rail to a bed. Also, a track rail unit that includes the position detection apparatus, and a guide unit that includes the track rail unit.

Position detection apparatus along with a track rail unit and guide unit

Firstly, a roller and cage assembly is disclosed that achieves improved lubricating property while maintaining or increasing rigidity. While concave portions are formed so as to extend the width of the central portion of pockets to allow these to act as oil grooves, on the other hand, padding equivalent to lightening holes that are removed by providing said concave portions is performed in columns to obtain high rigidity. Secondly, a roller and cage assembly is disclosed that together with being inexpensive and having high wear resistance, suppresses the generation of heat resulting from high-speed rotation. The above-mentioned effects are obtained by forming a composite plated film at prescribed sites by uniform dispersed coprecipitation of fine particles of fluororesin. Thirdly, a roller and cage assembly is disclosed that together with suppressing the generation of heat resulting from high-speed rotation, also achieves light weight. The above-mentioned effects are obtained by using ceramic rollers.

Roller and cage assembly

A cross roller bearing includes an inner ring, an outer ring and a plurality of generally cylindrically shaped rollers placed in a channel defined between the inner and outer rings as being alternately crossed with any two adjacent rollers having their axes of rotation directed perpendicular to each other. Both of the inner and outer rings are unitary in structure. In one form of the invention, the outer ring is provided with a radial hole extending therethrough radially, through which the rollers may be inserted in the channel defined between the inner and outer rings. An insert is also provided to be fixedly fitted into the radial hole so as to close the radial hole after insertion of the rollers into the channel.

Growing community of inventors

Kamakura, Japan

Takashi Yatsu