| US 7,467,895 B2 | ||
| Separator and linear guide apparatus | ||
| Nobuhide Kurachi, Kanagawa (Japan); Masaru Akiyama, Kanagawa (Japan); Soichiro Kato, Kanagawa (Japan); and Jun Matsumoto, Kanagawa (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to NSK Ltd., Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Feb. 13, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/352,224. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. P.2005-036443 (JP), filed on Feb. 14, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0262999 A1, Nov. 23, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. F16C 29/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 384—51 [384/45; 384/43] | 11 Claims |
| 1. A separator for a linear guide apparatus comprising a guide rail, a slider, and a plurality of rollers which circulate
while rolling in an endless circulation passage provided in the guide rail and the slider and having guide grooves extending
in an arrangement direction of the rollers, the separator comprising:
a separator body interposed between adjacent ones of the rollers and comprising a pair of roller contact surfaces which respectively
opposes to each other and contacts with an outer peripheral surface of the adjacent roller; and
a pair of arm portions each jutting out from each ends of the separator body toward a direction of each of the adjacent rollers
along with an end face of the adjacent roller, the pair of arm portions being guided by the guide grooves,
wherein a surface of each of the arm portions opposing the guide groove of the endless circulation passage is formed such
that an opposition distance with respect to the guide groove becomes wider from a fixed end side of the arm portion toward
a free end thereof;
wherein a sectional shape of the separator is defined by a sectional plane extending parallel to a roller axis of the adjacent
roller,
wherein in the sectional plane, the arm portions of the separator are dimensioned to remain within a circle having a center
that is aligned with a center of the separator and the diameter of the circle substantially corresponds to a maximum width
of the separator.
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