# US 2023/0057031 A1 · Mechanical device having worm gear mechanism

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- Number: US 2023/0057031 A1
- Document ID: US20230057031A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/872,523
- Filed: 2022-07-25
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Earliest claimed: 2021-08-18
- Assignees: Tsudakoma Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Tsudakoma Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yohei IKEDA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230057031A1

## CPC

- F16H 57/021: Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings
- F16H 57/12: Arrangements for adjusting or for taking-up backlash not provided for elsewhere
- F16H 19/08: for interconverting rotary motion and oscillating motion
- F16H 57/022: Adjustment of gear shafts or bearings (for compensating misalignment of axes of toothed gearings without orbital motion F16H1/26; for compensating misalignment of axes of planetary gears F16H1/48)
- F16H 2057/0213: {Support of worm gear shafts}
- F16H 2057/0221: {Axial adjustment}
- F16H: GEARING

## Abstract

A mechanical device includes a worm gear mechanism which includes a worm wheel and a worm shaft. The worm gear mechanism adjusts backlash between the worm and the worm wheel by movement of the worm shaft in an axis line direction. The mechanical device includes a position adjusting mechanism which includes a holder, an axial force generation part and a base part. The holder is screwed into the accommodation hole and rotatably supports the worm shaft. The holder causes the movement of the worm shaft by rotation. The axial force generation part includes a screw part and exerts an axial force on the holder. The base part is provided to the frame and receives a reactive force acting on the axial force generation part as a result of exerting the axial force to the holder.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A mechanical device having a worm gear mechanism including: a worm wheel attached to a rotary shaft; and a worm shaft including a worm in mesh with the worm wheel and provided in an accommodation hole of a frame, the worm gear mechanism configured to adjust backlash between the worm and the worm wheel by movement of the worm shaft in an axis line direction, the mechanical device including a position adjusting mechanism,
the position adjusting mechanism comprising:
a holder screwed into the accommodation hole on one end-side of the accommodation hole, the holder configured to rotatably support the worm shaft, the holder configured to cause the movement of the worm shaft by rotation;
an axial force generation part including a screw part, the axial force generation part configured to exert an axial force on the holder by a screwing action resulting from rotation of the screw part, the axial force is a force in the axis line direction; and
a base part provided to the frame, the base part configured to receive a reactive force acting on the axial force generation part as a result of exerting the axial force to the holder.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The mechanical device according to claim 1, wherein the position adjusting mechanism is configured so that a screwing direction of the screw part of the axial force generation part coincides with the axis line direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The mechanical device according to claim 2, wherein the position adjusting mechanism is configured so that the holder and the axial force generation part are engaged to each other so that the holder can take an arbitrary position in a direction in which the holder is rotated.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The mechanical device according to claim 3, wherein the axial force generation part includes:
a cylinder member including an engaging surface that is engaged to the holder,
the engaging surface intersects the axis line direction, the engaging surface is present in a circumferential direction; and
a screw member configured to move the cylinder member in the axis line direction by the screwing action.