Rolling Element Deflector Patents (Class 74/424.87)
  • Patent number: 7591205
    Abstract: A ball screw includes a screw shaft 1, a nut 2 screwed to the screw shaft 1 via balls 3 rollably charged to a ball rolling path 5 in a spiral shape, a ball return path 6 for circulating the ball 3 by delivering the ball 3 from an end point to a start point of the ball rolling path 5, and ball guide member 10 for guiding the ball 3 between the ball rolling path 5 and the ball return path 6. The ball guide member 10 is fitted to a recess portion 15 provided at an end face of the nut 2. An outer edge portion 20a of a fixing member 20 is inserted into a groove portion 16 formed at an inner face of the recess portion 15, so that the fixing member 20 fixes the ball guide member 10 to the nut 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignees: NSK Ltd., NSK Precision Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masato Kato
  • Publication number: 20090158874
    Abstract: A ball screw includes a screw shaft, in which a thread groove is formed in an outer peripheral face thereof, that includes a small-diameter portion with a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the screw shaft formed integrally at one end of the screw shaft; a nut, through which the screw shaft passes, having a thread groove formed in an inner peripheral face thereof; a plurality of balls disposed in a ball passage formed by the thread groove of the screw shaft and the thread groove of the nut; and a ring-shaped stopper, immovably fitted on the small-diameter portion, that prevents the nut from moving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicant: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Shige, Katsura Koyagi, Atsushi Sakuta
  • Publication number: 20090151493
    Abstract: The present invention provides a rolling-element screw device capable of offering advantages of both an end cap type ball screw and a return pipe type ball screw and belonging to an intermediate new category between these ball screws. The rolling-element screw device is provided with a circulation member 13 for scooping up each rolling element 19, which has rolled up to one end of a loaded rolling-element rolling groove 14b of a nut main body 14, and returning the rolling element 19 to the other end of the loaded rolling-element rolling groove 14b. The circulation member 13 consists of two members, that is, a first pipe 11 and a second pipe 12. The first pipe 11 is attached to one axial end surface 14a of the nut main body 14 while the second pipe 12 is attached to an axially opposite end surface of the nut main body 14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Soshi Miyahara
  • Patent number: 7536929
    Abstract: Method for producing a spindle nut of a ball screw, by provided the circumference of the nut with at least one through-opening for receiving a deflecting piece for balls of the ball screw. A hole punch arranged in the spindle nut and operable to punch out the through-opening from radially inward to radially outward through the casing of the spindle nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: INA-Schaeffler, KG
    Inventors: Jürgen Osterlänger, Rudolf Bauer, Torsten Keller
  • Patent number: 7533593
    Abstract: A ball screw unit with dust cleaning and ball deflecting element fixing mechanism includes an annular inlaid slot along the inner surface of a nut proper proximate to the outside of a ball deflecting element. A fixed dust scrape formed of a C shaped annular packing is installed in the annular inlaid slot. The C shaped annular packing is covered with a soft covering layer at its inner fringe and the outer fringe of the soft covering layer is just stuffed in the annular inlaid slot of the nut proper. Inner fringe of the soft covering layer is formed into a spiral scraper blade corresponding to the rolling spiral slot of the screw blot. The fixed dust scraper is tightly fixing the ball deflecting element to the nut proper by means of the resiliency of the soft covering layer to clean the dust along the rolling spiral slot with its spiral scraper blade thereby serving as a dust cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Hung-Sung Pan, Wen-Chia Wu, Chien-Wei Tsou
  • Patent number: 7523681
    Abstract: A ball screw device includes a ball nut having an inner thread formed by a number of helical groove portions and helical ridges, and an opening and a depression communicating with each other, and a channel communicating with the depression of the ball nut, a radially inserted deflecting member has a block engaged into the opening of the ball nut and an extension extended from the block and engaged into the depression of the ball nut for anchoring the deflecting member to the ball nut. A fastener may be engaged through the deflecting member and engaged with the ball nut for securing the deflecting member to the ball nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Hung Sung Pan, Chien Wei Tsou
  • Patent number: 7523682
    Abstract: A ball screw device includes a screw shaft threaded with a ball nut which has two channels and an opening, a guide member is engaged into the opening of the ball nut and has two curved pathways communicating with the channels to form two separated endless ball rolling passages in the ball nut, and two groups of bearing members are engaged in the two separated endless ball rolling passages for facilitating a movement of the ball nut relative to the screw shaft. The guide member includes two bars for enclosing the curved pathways of the guide member, and the bars each have a curved recess for forming the curved pathways of the guide member and for allowing the guide member to be easily manufactured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Chi Meng Liao, Yan Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 7520193
    Abstract: A ball screw assembly, wherein the circulate component is positioned in the nut by inserting a protrusion in a notch, so that the circulate component is positioned easily, and the problem of assembly difficulty is solved. The method of fixing the circulate components in the nut is that: the circulate component is formed with an axial hole and the radial hole that are connected to each other, the axial hole of the circulate component is aligned to the axial locking hole of the nut, and then liquid resin is injected into the axial hole of the circulate components, and the liquid resin will form a locking members after curing, thus fixing the circulate component in the nut. Due to the formation of the locking member is determined by the diameter of the hole to be machined, the configuration of locking member will be varied in response to the diameter of the hole to be machined. Whatever the diameter of the hole to be machined changes or not, it will not affect the interchangeability of the locking member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Xin-He Chen
  • Patent number: 7516681
    Abstract: An external circulation type ball screw comprises a screw, a nut, rolling elements and a return member. The nut is a hollow structure mounted on the screw. The rolling elements are received in the helical groove of the screw and the rolling groove of the nut. The return member is disposed on the nut and includes a guiding member and a cover. The guiding member is defined with two guiding portions and a first half pipe, and each guiding portion is fixed in the fixing hole of the nut. The cover includes a fixing portion for covering the guiding portion and a second half pipe for covering the first half pipe. The return member is installed in the fixing hole through the guiding portion, and then the cover is used to cover the guiding member, thus finishing the assembly of the return member. In addition, the return device can be produced by molding process, and it solves the problem that the conventional return device is difficult to assemble.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Jui-Long Hsu
  • Publication number: 20090084212
    Abstract: Provided is a screw device capable of preventing occurrence of any elevation change at a joint between a ball return path of a circulation member and a loaded ball rolling groove of a nut. The circulation member 12 has end parts 14 and 15 each of which the periphery includes a rolling groove connecting part 22 positioned to the side of a loaded ball rolling groove 11a of a nut 11 and connected to the loaded ball rolling groove 11a of the nut 11 and a scooping part 23 positioned to the side of a ball rolling groove of a screw shaft 1 and scoops up balls 3 from a loaded ball rolling path. The rolling groove connecting part 22 of each of the end parts 14 and 15 is made of resin and formed integral with the nut 11.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Niwa, Akimasa Yoshida, Soshi Miyahara, Noriaki Chikamoto, Yasuhiro Kubota
  • Publication number: 20090071272
    Abstract: A ball screw device includes a screw shaft rotatably engaged with a ball nut, and a number of bearing members received between the ball nut and the screw shaft, and a circulating device for circulating the bearing members, the circulating device includes a tubular member having two end blocks for engaging into the ball nut and having a passage for receiving the bearing members, and having an anti-symmetric structure formed by two half members, and each half member is formed by two half segments each having a portion of the passage of the half member for allowing the half segments of the half member to be precisely formed with molding processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Chung Hsueh Lin, Jui Long Hsu
  • Publication number: 20090070078
    Abstract: Provided is a roller screw having an unloaded roller return path of new shape capable of moving rollers smoothly. The roller circulation path of the roller screw has the unloaded roller return path and a loaded roller rolling path. The unloaded roller return path 10 is twisted so that while each roller 4 moves in the unloaded roller return path 10 its central axis is inclined. In a cross sectional shape of the twisted part of the unloaded roller return path 10, each of paired side surface corresponding parts 25c and 25d facing respective side surfaces of the roller 4 is convex toward the inside of the unloaded roller return path 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.,
    Inventors: Soshi Miyahara, Masahiko Yoshino, Takashi Sakuyama
  • Publication number: 20090064811
    Abstract: Provided is a ball screw device capable of downsizing a nut member (2), simplifying a circulation structure for balls (3), in which endless circulation of the balls (3) between the nut member (2) and a screw shaft (1) can be smoothly performed, and fluctuation of a rotation torque which occurs when the screw shaft (1) rotates relative to the nut member (2) can be suppressed as small as possible. A ball circulation groove (21) corresponding to all the periphery of the screw shaft (1) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nut member (2). The ball circulation groove (21) includes a load rolling groove (22) opposed to the ball rolling groove (10) in the screw shaft (1) and a ball returning groove (23) connecting one end and another end of the load rolling groove (22) to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeki Shirai
  • Publication number: 20090013811
    Abstract: An external circulation type ball screw comprises a screw, a nut, rolling elements and a return member. The nut is a hollow structure mounted on the screw. The rolling elements are received in the helical groove of the screw and the rolling groove of the nut. The return member is disposed on the nut and includes a guiding member and a cover. The guiding member is defined with two guiding portions and a first half pipe, and each guiding portion is fixed in the fixing hole of the nut. The cover includes a fixing portion for covering the guiding portion and a second half pipe for covering the first half pipe. The return member is installed in the fixing hole through the guiding portion, and then the cover is used to cover the guiding member, thus finishing the assembly of the return member. In addition, the return device can be produced by molding process, and it solves the problem that the conventional return device is difficult to assemble.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventor: Jui-Long Hsu
  • Patent number: 7461572
    Abstract: A return pipe is constituted by combining a pair of return pipe halves split along a non-load passage. A pipe hold down member is fixed to a nut member so as to be astride the return pipe, fixing the return pipe to the nut member. A flange portion is formed on each of the return pipe halves, while a pair of fixing leg portions covering the flange portion of each return pipe half is formed on the pipe hold down member. Fastening members pass through the fixing leg portions of the pipe hold down member and the flange portion of the return pipe halves and are fastened to the nut member. When the fixing leg portions of the pipe hold down member are fixed to the nut member by the fastening members, an engagement portion of the pipe hold down member is configured to tighten the pair of the return pipe halves in the direction where split faces of the return pipe halves abut against each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuya Iida, Hironori Shouji, Toshiaki Kadono
  • Publication number: 20080295630
    Abstract: A preload structure for a ball screw in the inner surface of a nut is formed a helical groove whose lead is different from the lead of the adjacent helical groove to produce a lead deviation between the helical groove of the nut and the helical groove of the screw. By such arrangements, the lead deviation can be used to achieve the preload objective, thus reducing the fitting number demanded of the circulation system. Consequently, not only the single circulation system fittings can be used, but also the length of the nut is shorter and without extra machining, and the producer only needs to control the deviation of the interval helical track during rubbing to achieve various preload changes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Yan-Yu CHEN, Yu-Pei Chang
  • Publication number: 20080210038
    Abstract: To provide a ball screw device capable of improving operability and productivity. In a ball screw device 1 including a screw shaft 4 having a helical screw shaft-side ball rolling groove formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a nut 2 having a nut-side ball rolling groove, opposed to the screw shaft-side ball rolling groove, formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof, and a plurality of balls loaded into the load rolling path formed between both of the ball rolling grooves, and the nut 2 has an end deflector that picks up the balls moving in the load rolling path from one end of the end deflector in a tangential direction of the screw shaft and returns the picked-up balls from the other end thereof to the load rolling path, nuts 2a and 2b are connected to each other in an axial direction of a screw shaft 4 with their opposed end surfaces come into contact with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2006
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Junji Minakuchi
  • Publication number: 20080156131
    Abstract: A circulating member for a ball screw is disposed on a nut, the nut is formed with Gothic type threads, and the circulating member of the ball screw is formed with return path for enabling the balls to circulate. The connecting ports at both ends of the return path for connecting the threads of the nut are shaped in Gothic style, thus eliminating the level difference and consequently preventing the balls from being struck and jammed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Inventors: Yu-Shan LEE, Kenny Lin
  • Publication number: 20080134822
    Abstract: A ball screw device includes a ball nut having an inner thread formed by a number of helical groove portions and helical ridges, and an opening and a depression communicating with each other, and a channel communicating with the depression of the ball nut, a radially inserted deflecting member has a block engaged into the opening of the ball nut and an extension extended from the block and engaged into the depression of the ball nut for anchoring the deflecting member to the ball nut. A fastener may be engaged through the deflecting member and engaged with the ball nut for securing the deflecting member to the ball nut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Hung Sung Pan, Chien Wei Tsou
  • Publication number: 20080127763
    Abstract: In a ball screw 1 in which a screw shaft 2 having a spiral-shaped screw shaft side ball rolling groove 6 in an outer periphery is screwed into a nut 4 having in an inner periphery a nut side ball rolling groove 8 facing the screw shaft side ball rolling groove 6, a plurality of load balls 10 is rollably disposed in a spiral-shaped load rolling path 12 formed by the screw shaft side ball rolling groove 6 and the nut side ball rolling groove 8, spacer balls 20 having a smaller diameter than load balls 10 are evenly disposed with respect to strings of the load balls 10, and a ratio of a number of spacer balls 20 to a number of load balls 10 (a spacer ball ratio) is set to be in a range of 1% to 5%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Junji Minakuti
  • Publication number: 20080127764
    Abstract: To surely and easily secure a return tube to a nut and prevent the return tube from floating and expanding when circulating failure of balls occurs. The ball screw device has a screw shaft having a helical shaft raceway groove on the outer face thereof, a nut having a nut raceway groove on the inner face so as to oppose to the shaft raceway groove, a load path formed by the shaft raceway groove and the nut raceway groove, balls rotatably mounted in the load path, a communicating member communicating both ends of the load path to guide the balls exterior of the nut and having a bent portion; a tube fixture for fixing the communicating member to the nut and a reinforcement member for receiving stress applied to the bent portion of the communicating member on an outer face of the tube fixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Daiju Takahashi, Yutaka Nagai, Masahiro Nobutomo
  • Publication number: 20080121058
    Abstract: In a ball circulating groove structure of a ball nut, a deflector is provided with an inner collar extending along a penetrating direction of a hole of the ball nut and engaging with the ball nut in a side of an inner surface of the ball nut, and an outer collar engaging with the ball nut in a side of an outer surface of the ball nut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Applicant: SHOWA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Fujita, Shinobu Saito, Shinichi Sakaida, Koji Maejima
  • Publication number: 20080121056
    Abstract: A ball screw device includes a screw shaft threaded with a ball nut which has one or more channels, and one or more end deflectors attached to the ball nut to form an endless ball rolling passage in the ball nut and to receive a number of bearing members which may facilitate a movement of the ball nut relative to the screw shaft. The ball nut further includes one or more slots communicating with each of the channels, and each for receiving a cushioning member which may cushion the bearing members for reducing a noise that may be generated by the bearing members and the ball nut and the screw shaft. The cushioning member may selectively apply a lubricating material to lubricate the bearing members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Inventors: Chien Wei Tsou, Yan Yu Chen
  • Publication number: 20080115609
    Abstract: A circulation system for a ball screw comprises: a screw, a nut, a plurality of return assemblies and balls. The positioning groove of the nut is axially formed with an abutting surface for mating with the return assemblies, in the abutting surface is formed a tapered hole for connecting the through hole, and the abutting surface doesn't interfere with the helical groove, on the open end of the returning assemblies connecting to the through hole is formed a protruding turning structure to be engaged in the tapered hole. The design of the return assembly of the present invention can solve the problem that the radius of curvature of the conventional return path is relatively small and the positioning groove destroys the helical groove, thus increasing the radius of curvature of the return path, and relatively improving the ease of rolling of the balls during circulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Chien-Wei TSOU, Wen-Chia WU
  • Publication number: 20080098840
    Abstract: A circulating assembly for a ball screw comprises a cassette and a separator. The fitting hole of the cassette facilitates the installation of the balls, and the separator is inserted in the fitting hole of the cassette, and the sub-return path in the front end of the separator cooperates with the main return path of the cassette to smoothly guide the circulation of the balls, so that the balls can be installed easily and quickly. And the helical groove of the screw doesn't need to extend to the shoulder portion thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventor: Xin-He CHEN
  • Patent number: 7363835
    Abstract: A ball screw apparatus includes: a screw shaft having a screw groove, a nut having a screw groove and holes, a number of balls rollably provided between the screw grooves, and a ball circulating member having an end portion to be fitted to the holes. The ball circulating member includes aside cap having leg portions to be fitted into the holes. Each of the leg portions contains a scooping up path or a returning path. The scooping up path and the retuning path are inclined with respect to outer peripheral faces of the leg portions. The holes include a slot substantially in parallel with directions of the screw grooves. The scooping up path and the returning path are directed substantially in a tangential direction of the screw shaft and inclined substantially toward a lead angle direction of the screw grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Ohkubo, Eiji Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20080053260
    Abstract: A circulation member for ball screw unit includes a fixing portion, a circulation turn-off portion, and a side joint portion. The circulation turn-off portion is conjoined to the fixing portion and provided with two leading channels in connection with the female screws of the nut, wherein the other terminal of each leading channel is connected to its corresponding turn-off channel, and the side joint portion is conjoined to the circulation turn-off portion and has an auxiliary tooth shaped slot annexed to the female screws of the nut. A side turn-off channel has one end in connection with the turn-off channel of the circulation turn-off portion, while the other end thereof is in connection with an axial path of the nut, wherein the passage of the side turn-off channel is properly curved to formed a perfect ball circulation passage allowing a plurality of rolling balls to travel along smoothly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Chi-Meng Liao, Chien-Wei Tsou
  • Patent number: 7337689
    Abstract: A ball screw mechanism including a screw shaft with a screw groove formed on an external surface, a nut with a screw groove formed on an internal surface, and plural balls held in the grooves. A ball circulation piece is fit in a window portion in the nut and has a circulation groove for circulating the balls. The screw groove of the nut and the circulation groove are machined by moving a tool of a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the balls, along the screw groove of the nut so that a step is eliminated at a joint therebetween. The infeed depth of the tool is gradually changed as the tool is moved toward the joint so that boundary lines between a machined surface and a non-machined surface on flanks of the screw groove of the nut extend at an acute angle to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuharu Yamamoto, Sentarou Sugita
  • Publication number: 20080016973
    Abstract: A recirculating ball screw and nut drive including a spindle, a spindle nut guided on the spindle, balls guided between the spindle and the spindle nut, in a working passage defined by grooves of the spindle and spindle nut, and deflection pieces arranged on both ends of the spindle nut to divert the balls out of the working passage into a return passage accommodated in the spindle nut, and to divert the balls out of the return passage into the working passage accommodated in the spindle nut, where the ball deflection pieces are annular and composed of at least two circular-ring sectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: EICHENBERGER GEWINDE AG
    Inventor: Kurt HUSISTEIN
  • Publication number: 20070295133
    Abstract: A ball screw with an engaging type circulation cassette comprises a nut, a screw shaft and a circulation cassette. The nut and the circulation cassette are defined with a locking groove and a protruding block respectively, and an elastic connecting portion is defined on the circulation cassette for connecting with the engaging groove or the engaging block. Thereby this invention solves the conventional problem of fixing the circulation cassette to the nut only by using the locking element, and the elastic connecting portion of the circulation cassette can increase the convenience for assembling. Furthermore, the circulation path of the circulation cassette is of close type, which can prevent the ball from impacting the nut, so as to reduce the generation of noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventor: Xin-he Chen
  • Patent number: 7234368
    Abstract: A ball screw device includes a ball nut having an inner thread formed by a number of helical groove portions, a screw shaft having an outer thread formed by a number of helical groove portions, for threading with the inner thread of the ball nut, and a number of rolling members engaged in the helical groove portions of the ball nut and the screw shaft, for facilitating a movement of the ball nut relative to the screw shaft. One or more guide members are engaged in the helical groove portions of the screw shaft, and each has an oil retaining member for suitably absorbing oil and for continuously applying the oil onto the screw shaft. A tube may couple two of the helical groove portions of the ball nut together, to form an endless ball rolling passage and to receive the rolling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Chung Hsueh Lin, Yan Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 7210369
    Abstract: In a ball screw drive comprising a spindle nut (2) that can be disposed on a spindle (1), said spindle nut (2) comprising on an inner periphery, a ball groove (3) that is arranged along a helix and defines a load-bearing channel (6) for balls (5), an external deflector (7) comprising a return channel (8) for the balls (5) being arranged on an outer periphery of the spindle nut (2), said external deflector (7) comprising two ball openings (E1, E2), each of which is connected to an end of the load-bearing channel (6) to deflect the balls (5) from one end of the load-bearing channel (6) to the other end of the load-bearing channel (6), the external deflector (7) extends from one of the two ball openings (E1) to the other of the two ball openings (E2) at least approximately over one full winding about an axis of rotation of the spindle nut (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: INA-Schaeffler KG
    Inventors: Gunter Hartig, Jurgen Osterlanger, Dieter Adler, Manfred Kraus, Ralf Mayer
  • Patent number: 6978693
    Abstract: The invention is a ball screw, comprising: a shaft having a spiral-shaped shaft; a nut having a spiral-shaped nut ball groove and screwed with the shaft via a plurality of balls; and a ball circulation passage for raking the plurality of balls at one end of the ball rolling, wherein an end part of the ball circulation passage is connected to one end part of the ball rolling passage in such a manner that: a gap ?t formed between a ball contacting part of the nut ball groove contacted with the ball and an inner circumferential surface of the end part of the ball circulation passage is set 0.2 mm or less; and a change of angle in a ball rolling direction is 10° or less, the change caused by raking the ball from the ball rolling passage to the ball circulation passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 6941831
    Abstract: The ball screw apparatus of an end cap type comprises a ball nut which includes a nut main body having a ball circulation hole penetrating through the nut main body in the axial direction thereof and two end caps respectively fixed to the two end portions of the nut main body and defining two ball circulation R portions between the end faces of the nut main body and themselves. A guide groove for a ball is defined only on the end face side of the nut main body to thereby define the ball circulation R portion, and the shapes of the surfaces of the end cap, which are disposed opposed to the end faces of the nut main body, are defined substantially uniform over the entire peripheries thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 6898994
    Abstract: A ballscrew and ball nut assembly with complimentary threads providing a ball raceway having a ball re-circulation path within the screwshaft of the ballscrew provided on the peripheral surface of a screwshaft insert and including end passages which communicate with the raceway and a non-helical mid-passage connecting said end passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Thomson Saginaw Ball Screw Company, LLC
    Inventor: Dennis Frederick Walton
  • Patent number: 6851722
    Abstract: A coupled circulation tube for a ball screw unit. The tube is formed on a planar surface at one side of the ball screw bearing, each tube joined to two circulation holes. Each circulation tube is formed by coupling two symmetrical rigid metallic half tubes at recessed grooves and flanges interposedly arrayed one after another longitudinally along the wall of each half tube to form a resultant U shaped arcuate elbow tube for ball circulation such that it is firmly constructed with a desired toughness free from loosening, cracking or deforming by constant collision and abrasion of the rolling balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Yueh-Ling Chiu, Paul Yang
  • Patent number: 6813970
    Abstract: A ball-nut assembly includes a ball nut and a crossover member. The ball nut incudes a radial through slot and an outer surface. The outer surface has a first portion, has a ledge radially recessed from the first portion and at least partially bounding the through slot, and has an undercut wall connecting the ledge and the first portion. The crossover member has a flange and a crossover-grooved portion. A method for making a ball-nut assembly positions the crossover member from outside the ball nut to have the flange supported by the ledge and the crossover-grooved portion located in the through slot. The method also deforms the flange creating a staked portion of the flange which contacts the undercut wall of the outer surface of the ball nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ernest R. Siler, David B. Drennen
  • Patent number: 6736235
    Abstract: A portion of a steering shaft 2 capable of being advanced and retracted defines a ball screw shaft 2a of a ball screw mechanism 13. A motor rotor 10 of an electrically driven motor 8 for providing a steering assist force is externally mounted on a rotary nut 14. Mounting of the motor rotor 10 onto the rotary nut 14 is carried out so that the both can be adjustably aligned. By way of example, the rotary nut 14 has an outer peripheral surface formed with an annular protrusion 33 of a arcuate longitudinal sectional shape, having a surface thereof formed with a plurality of axially extending surface indentations 33a arranged side by side in a direction circumferentially of the rotary nut 14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Isamu Yoshida, Kiyotake Shibata, Yoshinori Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20040083841
    Abstract: Ball screw nut is composed of an inner threaded nipple and an outer housing. The nipple is constructed with a hollow hard tubular metallic material to ensure the strength of the structure; while the outer housing where requires less strength is formed of a plastic material by ejection mold process so as to reduce the production cost and simplify the fabrication process. The nipple and the housing are conjoined together by screw engagement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Inventors: Chang-Hsin Kuo, Huang-Ming Lin, Paul Yang
  • Publication number: 20040045388
    Abstract: A ball screw mechanism comprises a nut, a screw shaft, plural balls and a deflector. The balls are arranged between a first thread groove which is formed on an inner surface of the nut and a second thread groove which is formed on an outer surface of the screw shaft. The deflector comprises a deflector piece which defines a top plate of a ball-return path and a guide member which defines sidewalls of the ball-return path. The ball-return path returns the balls so as to circulate endlessly. As a manufacturing method of the ball screw device, the deflector piece is attached to the nut first. Next, the first thread groove is ground together with an inner surface of the deflector piece. After that, the guide member is attached to the nut. At last, the balls and the screw shaft are assembled to the nut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Applicant: TOYODA KOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Sentaro Sugita
  • Publication number: 20040020317
    Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus comprises a rack-and-pinion mechanism and a ball screw mechanism. The ball screw mechanism comprises a shaft formed a screw groove and a nut formed a screw groove. A ball-roll path is created spirally by the screw grooves of the shaft and the nut being opposite each other. A plural number of balls are contained into the ball-roll path. A ball-return path is connecting both ends of the ball-roll path so that the balls go through. A circulation path consists of the ball-roll path and the ball-return path, in which the balls move endlessly. A plural number of separators is arranged between the balls respectively in order to prevent balls from contacting each other. A number of the balls is fewer from one ball to three balls than a maximum number of the balls which can be contained into the circulation path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Applicant: TOYODA KOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasuharu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6681651
    Abstract: There is provided a return pipe type ball screw capable of accurately positioning and fixing return pipes on and to a nut member even when a troublesome positioning operation is not carried out, and circulating balls endlessly and smoothly for a long period of time without the possibility that dust enters the interior of the nut member. In such a ball screw, ball passing holes formed so as to extend through the nut member are inclined at an angle equal to a lead angle of a ball rolling groove of a screw shaft, and each of the return pipes is formed by combining together a pair of return pieces adapted to be fitted in the ball passing holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Fujita
  • Patent number: 6675669
    Abstract: A ball screw apparatus is provided with a screw shaft having a spiral ball screw groove, a nut member having a screw groove, and a plurality of balls. A smoothly continuous worked portion is formed at a portion of the screw groove by grinding a corner portion between the screw groove and a connecting way. The worked portion is formed such that the distance between the screw grooves is gradually reduced regarding an advancing direction of the ball entering from the connecting way in between the screw grooves. This worked portion extends from an end of the connecting way in a circumferential direction of the nut member and within a range of 90° from the corner portion along the circumferential direction of the nut member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriaki Sekiya, Daisuke Maruyama, Toshiyuki Iehisa, Kazuo Miyaguchi
  • Patent number: 6668672
    Abstract: Ball screw nut is composed of an inner threaded nipple and an outer housing. The nipple is constructed with a hollow hard tubular metallic material to ensure the strength of the structure; while the outer housing where requires less strength is formed of a plastic material by ejection mold process so as to reduce the production cost and simplify the fabrication process. The nipple and the housing are conjoined together by screw engagement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Chang-Hsin Kuo, Huang-Ming Lin, Paul Yang
  • Publication number: 20030213323
    Abstract: A screw feed apparatus has a screw shaft having a screw groove formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof; a nut having a screw groove formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft; a large number of rolling elements rollably interposed between the two screw grooves of the screw shaft and nut; a circulation path disposed in the nut for returning the rolling elements to their original positions; and, a deflector piece disposed in the nut for connecting the circulation path to a rolling path formed between the two screw grooves, wherein the deflector piece includes a plurality of divisional pieces respectively formed rolling element guide grooves cooperating together in forming a rolling element guide path for guiding the rolling elements to the circulation path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2003
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20030172759
    Abstract: A ball screw has a screw shaft including a ball thread groove formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a nut including a ball thread groove formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof, the inner peripheral surface being opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft, and a side cap mount surface being formed in the outer peripheral surface of the nut, a plurality of balls disposed between the thread groove of the nut and the thread groove of the screw shaft; and, a side cap fastened to the side cap mount surface and including a ball scooping part and a ball return path for scooping up the balls from one side and returning the balls to another side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Eiji Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20030089188
    Abstract: A ball-nut assembly includes a ball nut and a crossover member. The ball nut incudes a radial through slot and an outer surface. The outer surface has a first portion, has a ledge radially recessed from the first portion and at least partially bounding the through slot, and has an undercut wall connecting the ledge and the first portion. The crossover member has a flange and a crossover-grooved portion. A method for making a ball-nut assembly positions the crossover member from outside the ball nut to have the flange supported by the ledge and the crossover-grooved portion located in the through slot. The method also deforms the flange creating a staked portion of the flange which contacts the undercut wall of the outer surface of the ball nut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Ernest R. Siler, David B. Drennen
  • Patent number: 6561053
    Abstract: A rolling-body screw drive (10) comprises a threaded spindle and a threaded nut (12) enclosing the threaded spindle. A helically running threaded channel (16) is provided between an outer circumferential surface of the threaded spindle and an inner circumferential surface (12a) of the threaded nut (12). The threaded channel (16) forms, together with a return channel (22) in the nut (12) which connects the two end regions (16a, 16b) of the threaded channel (16), an endless circulatory channel (24) in which an endless series of rolling bodies is accommodated. Each of the two end regions (16a, 16b) of the threaded channel (16) is assigned a deflecting element (18) which is retained on the threaded nut (12) and has a deflecting channel (20) for transferring the rolling bodies between the threaded channel (16) and the return channel (22). At least one of the deflecting elements (18) is made up of at least two deflecting-element parts (26, 28) which together bound the deflecting channel (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Rexroth Satr GmbH
    Inventor: Roland Greubel
  • Patent number: 6450055
    Abstract: A ball screw apparatus comprises a screw shaft, a nut, and a plurality of balls. A first helical groove is formed at an outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft. A second helical groove is formed at an inner peripheral surface of the nut. A rolling contact way of balls is defined by the first helical groove and the second helical groove facing each other. A connecting way formed of a tube for connecting a part and another part of the rolling contact way is provided on the nut. An endlessly communicating circuit is defined by the connecting way and the rolling contact way. Each of the balls is endlessly arranged in the circuit. A smoothly continuous machined portion is formed by cutting out an angular portion between the helical groove and the connecting way of the nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriaki Sekiya, Daisuke Maruyama, Toshiyuki Iehisa, Kazuo Miyaguchi
  • Patent number: 6425302
    Abstract: A rolling-body screw drive includes a threaded spindle and a threaded nut (10) enclosing the threaded spindle, a helically running threaded channel being provided between an outer circumferential surface of the threaded spindle and an inner circumferential surface (24) of the threaded nut (10), the threaded channel forming, together with a return channel (50) which connects the two end regions of the threaded channel, an endless circulatory channel in which an endless series of rolling bodies is accommodated. A deflecting element (32, 34) is mounted in a cutout (28, 30) in the nut adjacent each end region of the threaded channel. Each deflecting element has a deflecting channel (64) for transferring the rolling bodies between the threaded channel and the return channel (50) and between the return channel (50) and the threaded channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Rexroth Star GmbH
    Inventor: Roland Greubel