Linear bearing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a linear bearing, particularly a linear bearing that can be used in applications requiring high rigidity, such as guide posts of presses and molds. The present invention proposes a linear bearing, which is composed of a guide shaft, an outer cylinder capable of moving in the axial direction relatively to the guide shaft outside the guide shaft, numerous rolling elements interposed between the guide shaft and the outer cylinder, and a cage provided between the guide shaft and the outer cylinder for retaining said numerous rolling elements disposed in the circumferential direction and in the axial direction, characterized in that each of the rolling elements is a roller having a convex circular arc surface of revolution formed on the cylindrical surface thereof, that the inner surface of the outer cylinder is formed as a cylindrical surface, that the outer surface of the guide shaft is provided with axially extending guide grooves, each having a concave cylindrical surface, corresponding to the respective rows of rollers disposed in the axial direction, that the radius of the circle constituting the circular arc surface of revolution of each of the rollers is kept slightly smaller than the radius of the circle constituting the cylindrical surface of the outer cylinder and the radius of the circle constituting the concave cylindrical surface of each of the grooves formed in the guide shaft, and that the pitch of the rollers disposed in the circumferential direction is kept smaller than twice the width of each roller. In this linear bearing, it is optimum that the width of each of the rollers is kept smaller than the outer diameter of the roller. In this constitution, a linear bearing that has higher rigidity, can be produced easily, is lower in production cost, and can be easily assembled with a mating apparatus, compared with the conventional linear bearings can be provided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.