Back to results
US 2004/0103517 A1Published application
Ball given quantity supply apparatus and method and apparatus for assembling ball screw apparatus
AssigneeNsk Ltd.
InventorsKazuyasu Chiba, Hiroshi Araki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There are provided with a ball given quantity supply apparatus for supplying a given quantity of balls to an apparatus using a given quantity of balls such as a bearing, a ball screw and a linear guide, and a method and apparatus for assembling a ball screw apparatus for use in a feed mechanism employed in various machines.
Claims19
A ball given quantity supply apparatus, comprising:
- a ball storage portion for storing a plurality of balls therein;
- a ball arranging device for arranging a plurality of balls stored in the ball storage portion in a line;
- a ball delivery device including a ball passage extended from the ball storage portion so as not only to be able to receive a plurality of balls arranged in a line by the ball arranging device when the plurality of balls are supplied thereto but also to allow the plurality of balls supplied thereto to pass in a line therethrough, the ball delivery device being capable of delivering the plurality of balls arranged in a line in the ball passage from the ball storage portion to the extended end portion of the ball passage using gravity;
- a first gate device disposed at a position near to the ball storage portion in the ball passage of the ball delivery device for opening and closing the ball passage;
- a second gate device disposed at position more distant from the ball storage portion in the ball passage of the ball delivery device than the first gate device for opening and closing the ball passage and also for holding a given quantity of balls between the first gate device and itself;
- a pressurized fluid jetting device disposed in the vicinity of the first gate device in the ball passage of the ball delivery device for jetting out a pressurized fluid onto the balls to thereby separate substances attached to the surfaces of the balls from these surfaces;
- and
- an operation control device for detecting that a given quantity of balls are held between the first and second gate device in the ball passage of the ball delivery device, and also for controlling the operations of the first and second gate device, wherein
- the operation control device opens the first gate device and closes the second gate device while the plurality of balls arranged in a line by the ball arranging device are being supplied into the ball passage of the ball delivery device, and closes the first gate device and opens the second gate device after it is detected that a given quantity of balls are held between the first and second gate device in the ball passage of the ball delivery device.
6 more elements
A method for assembling a ball screw apparatus, comprising the steps of:
- loosely fitting a nut with a circulating part previously assembled thereto with a provisional shaft including a tapered step portion formed between a small-diameter shaft portion and a large-diameter shaft portion thereof;
- in this state, fitting a ball insertion jig into between the provisional shaft and the nut from the small-diameter shaft portion and rotating the provisional shaft to introduce a given number of balls inserted from the ball passage of the ball insertion jig into between the screw groove of the nut and the provisional shaft through a guide portion formed between the ball insertion jig and the tapered step portion;
- moving the provisional shaft to the small-diameter shaft portion side with respect to the nut and the ball insertion jig to allow the balls existing in the guide portion to climb over the tapered step portion, introducing the balls into between the screw groove of the nut and the provisional shaft;
- and
- fitting the screw shaft of the ball screw apparatus with the nut.
2 more elements
An apparatus for assembling a ball screw apparatus, comprising:
- a provisional shaft which includes a tapered step portion formed between a small-diameter shaft portion and a large-diameter shaft portion thereof and also with which a nut of the ball screw apparatus with a circulating part previously assembled thereto can be loosely fitted;
- a drive device for rotating the provisional shaft;
- a ball insertion jig fittable into between the provisional shaft and the nut from the small-diameter shaft portion, including a ball passage for receiving a given number of balls, defining a guide portion between the tapered step portion and itself, and capable of introducing the balls inserted into the ball passage into between the provisional shaft and a screw groove formed in the nut, and
- a moving device the provisional shaft to the small-diameter shaft portion side with respect to the nut and the ball insertion jig.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.