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US 9,243,697 B2Granted
Nut with flexible fingers and radial compression members
AssigneePacific Bearing Company
InventorsRobert Schroeder, Jonathan R. Schroeder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nut and lead screw assembly is disclosed. The nut includes a plurality of flexible fingers for adjusting the engagement of a threaded or unthreaded portion of the nut with corresponding threads of a lead screw. The engagement between the nut and the lead screw is adjusted by installing at least one radial compression member into a circumferential groove formed in the outer surface of the flexible fingers.
Claims27
A nut for linear movement along a lead screw, the nut comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of flexible fingers joined to the base and extending axially from the base between a fixed end joined to the base and a free end;
- at least one radial compression member defining an opening and having the plurality of flexible fingers extending through the opening;
- and
- an axial locator structure formed by at least a portion of an outer surface of the flexible fingers, the at least one radial compression member being installed proximate the axial locator structure to apply a radially inward directed compressive force to the plurality of flexible fingers;
- and
- wherein the plurality of flexible fingers and the at least one radial compression member are configured such that the radially inward directed compressive force is constant and remains the same as a first inner diameter of the opening of the at least one radial compression member changes.
4 more elements
A nut for linear movement along a lead screw, the nut comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of flexible fingers joined to the base and extending axially from the base between a fixed end joined to the base and a free end;
- at least one radial compression member defining an opening and having the plurality of flexible fingers extending through the opening;
- and
- an axial locator structure formed by at least a portion of an outer surface of the flexible fingers, the at least one radial compression member being installed proximate the axial locator structure to apply a radially inward directed compressive force to the plurality of flexible fingers;
- wherein the axial locator structure is at least one circumferential groove and the at least one radial compression member is located within the groove, each flexible finger defining a portion of the circumferential groove;
- and
- wherein the at least one circumferential groove includes a first circumferential groove and a second circumferential groove where the first circumferential groove has a first bottom surface having a first diameter and the second circumferential groove has a second bottom surface having a second diameter, the second diameter being different than the first diameter.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.