Mechanical drive assembly incorporating counter-spring biassed radially-adjustable rollers

An anti-friction nut for engagement with an elongate shaft-like member having a groove with opposed walls, said nut comprising in combination:

• a) a nut body having an axial bore which is adapted to receive the elongate shaft-like member,
• b) said nut body having a radial bore communicating with the axial bore thereof,
• c) an anti-friction roller having at one end a nose portion,
• d) mounting means including an anti-friction bearing, turnably mounting the roller in the radial bore such that the nose portion of the roller extends into said axial bore and engages one wall of the groove of said elongate shaft-like member,
• e) a spring carried in the radial bore of the nut body, said spring engaging said bearing and biasing the roller in a radially outward direction away from said elongate shaft-like member, and
• f) adjustment means carried by the nut body in said radial bore and disposed radially outwardly of said bearing, said adjustment means being operable to effect adjustable movement of the roller in radial directions,
• g) the engagement of said spring with the bearing acting to bias the latter radially outward against said adjustment means so as to take up any looseness of the bearing,
• h) said anti-friction bearing comprising two end-to-end ball bearing assemblages, each ball bearing assemblage having an inner race that is rigid with the roller, and each ball bearing assemblage having an outer race that slidably engages the wall of the radial bore,
• i) said spring acting on the outer races of said end-to-end ball bearing assemblages so as to bias the assemblages and the roller radially outwardly,
• j) said adjustment means comprising an externally threaded plug carried in the radial bore, said plug having an annular shoulder at its inner end, the annular shoulder being engaged solely by the outer race of one ball bearing assemblage.

An anti-friction nut for engagement with an elongate shaft-like member having a groove with opposed walls, said nut comprising in combination:

• a) a nut body having an axial bore which is adapted to receive the elongate shaft-like member,
• b) said nut body having a radial bore communicating with the axial bore thereof,
• c) an anti-friction roller having at one end a nose portion,
• d) mounting means including an anti-friction bearing, turnably mounting the roller in the radial bore such that the nose portion of the roller extends into said axial bore and engages one wall of the groove of said elongate shaft-like member,
• e) a spring carried in the radial bore of the nut body, said spring engaging said bearing and biasing the roller in a radially outward direction away from said elongate shaft-like member, and
• f) adjustment means carried by the nut body in said radial bore and disposed radially outwardly of said bearing, said adjustment means being operable to effect adjustable movement of the roller in radial directions,
• g) the engagement of said spring with the bearing acting to bias the latter radially outward against said adjustment means so as to take up any looseness of the bearing,
• h) said anti-friction bearing comprising two end-to-end ball bearing assemblages, each ball bearing assemblage having an inner race that is rigid with the roller, and each ball bearing assemblage having an outer race that slidably engages the wall of the radial bore,
• i) said spring acting solely on the outer race of one ball bearing assemblage so as to bias it and the roller radially outwardly,
• j) the radial bore of the nut body having an inner shoulder adjacent its axial bore,
• k) said shoulder being engaged by and constituting a seat for said spring.