Recirculating-ball drive
OwnerRichard Wilke, Helmut Korthausinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A recirculating-ball drive has a ball nut centered on an axis and formed with an internal helical groove and receiving a spindle centered on the axis also and rotatable in the nut about the axis. This spindle is formed with an external helical groove of substantially the same pitch as the groove of the nut and having two turns interrupted by a substantially planar flat spaced radially outwardly of the axis. Faces of wedges bolted to the flat define thereon a pair of parallel guide surfaces which in turn define with the flat a passage extending between the interrupted turns of the spindle groove at an angle opposite the pitch angle of the spindle groove. An annular row of like balls fills the passage and the turn of the spindle groove interrupted at both ends by the flat.
Claims9
A recirculating-ball drive comprising:
- a ball nut centered on an axis and formed with an internal helical groove;
- a spindle centered on said axis, rotatable thereabout relative to said nut, and formed with
- an external helical groove of substantially the same pitch as said groove of said nut, and
- a substantially planar flat, spaced radially outwardly of said axis and interrupting two adjacent turns of said groove of said spindle;
- formations on said spindle at said flat defining thereon a pair of parallel guide surfaces defining with said flat a passage extending between the turns of said spindle but at an angle opposite the pitch angle of said turns;
- and
- an annular row of like balls in said grooves and passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.