Patent Application
20120137808
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ball screw device, and more particularly to a ball screw device including a screw shaft and a ball nut movable relative to each other, and a ball or roller element retaining device attached between the screw shaft and the ball nut for suitably circulating and guiding the ball bearing elements to move through an endless ball guiding passage in the ball screw device or between the two movable members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical motion guide apparatuses, such as the linear motion guide apparatuses comprise two movable members rotatable or movable relative to each other, and a number of ball bearing elements disposed between the two movable members for facilitating the sliding movement between the two movable members, and one or more ball circulating elements attached to the ball nut and communicative with the helical groove portions of the screw shaft and the ball nut for forming an endless ball guiding passage in the ball screw device or between the two movable members and for slidably receiving a number of ball bearing elements.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,146 to Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,179 to Michioka et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,641 to Scotte et al. disclose three of the typical linear motion guide apparatuses each comprising two movable members movable relative to each other, and a number of ball bearing elements disposed between the two movable members for facilitating the sliding movement between the two movable members, and one or more ball guide devices or circulating elements attached between the two movable members and for slidably receiving a number of ball bearing elements.
For suitably or smoothly guiding or circulating the ball bearing elements through the endless ball circulating channels in the two movable members, the tubular circulating elements or ball guide devices each include a number of spacers coupled together with one or more endless flexible resin connectors for suitably receiving or engaging with the ball bearing elements and for guiding the ball bearing elements to move through the endless ball guiding raceways in and between the two movable members.
However, normally, the ball bearing elements are required to be engaged into the endless flexible coupling members of the ball couplers before the endless flexible coupling members of the ball couplers are fitted and received or engaged into the endless ball guiding raceways in and between the two movable members. For the cited typical linear motion guide apparatuses, the endless flexible coupling members of the ball couplers may be suitably fitted and received or engaged into the endless ball guiding raceways in and between the two movable members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,305 to Nishimura et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,374 to Ohga, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,368 to Lin et al. disclose three of the typical ball screw devices each comprising a ball nut pivotally or rotatably coupled onto a screw shaft, and an endless helically running threaded channel or ball guiding raceway provided between the screw shaft and the ball nut for receiving a number of loaded ball bearing elements and for facilitating the sliding movement between the screw shaft and the ball nut, and one or more ball circulating elements attached to the ball nut and communicative with the helical groove portions of the screw shaft and the ball nut for forming the endless helically running threaded channel or ball guiding raceway in the ball screw device or between the screw shaft and the ball nut.
Due to the attachment of the ball circulating elements to the ball nut, the endless flexible coupling members of the ball couplers may not be suitably fitted and received or engaged into the endless ball guiding raceways in and between the screw shaft and the ball nut, such that no flexible coupling members or ball couplers may be used to couple the ball bearing elements together, or the flexible coupling members or ball couplers may not be suitably engaged into the endless ball guiding raceways in and between the screw shaft and the ball nut and also may not be suitably engaged into the ball guiding raceways in the flexible coupling members or the ball couplers.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional ball screw devices.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a ball screw device including a screw shaft and a ball nut movable relative to each other, and a ball or roller element retaining device attached between the screw shaft and the ball nut for suitably circulating and guiding the ball bearing elements to move through an endless ball guiding passage in the ball screw device or between the two movable members.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a ball screw device comprising an elongated shaft including a helical groove formed on an outer peripheral portion thereof, a ball nut movably attached onto the elongated shaft, and including a bore formed therein for receiving the elongated shaft, and including a helical groove formed therein for forming a ball guiding raceway between the ball nut and the elongated shaft, a circulating device attached to the ball nut and including a pathway formed therein and communicative with the helical grooves and the ball guiding raceway of the screw shaft and the ball nut for forming an endless ball guiding passage between the ball nut and the elongated shaft and the circulating device, a number of bearing elements received and engaged with the endless ball guiding passage of the ball nut and the elongated shaft, and a retaining device including a number of spacers connected together with at least one flexible coupling device to form a number of openings between the spacers and the at least one flexible coupling device and for receiving the bearing elements, and the retaining device includes a first chain for engaging into the helical grooves of the screw shaft and the ball nut, and includes at least one second chain for engaging into the pathway of the circulating device for easily and quickly assembled into the ball nut device.
The second chain includes at least three bearing elements engaged therein. The second chain includes a length equal to, or no greater than, or no less than that of the circulating device.
The second chain and the circulating device has a length difference ranged between one to three times of a diameter of the bearing element.
The first chain includes a length equal to, or no greater than, or no less than that of the ball guiding raceway between the ball nut and the elongated shaft.
The first chain and the ball guiding raceway between the ball nut and the elongated shaft has a length difference ranged between one to three times of a diameter of the bearing element.
An additional bearing element may further be provided and disposed between two adjacent ends of the first chain and the at least one second chain.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, and initially to
The ball nut 20 includes a cut off portion or a flat surface 24 formed in the outer peripheral portion thereof, and includes one or more, such as two pairs of orifices 25 formed therein and intersecting or communicating with the cut off portion or flat surface 24 of the ball nut 20, and also intersecting or communicating with the ball guiding raceways 8 or the helical threaded portions or grooves 11, 22 of the screw shaft 10 and the ball nut 20 for receiving or engaging with the ball or roller deflecting or circulating devices 30 which are engaged with or attached or mounted or secured to the ball nut 20 with latches or fasteners 31 (
As shown in
The ball screw device further includes one or more (such as two) ball couplers or ball or roller element retaining devices 50 for receiving or attaching or holding or supporting or engaging with the ball bearing elements 80 and for stably anchoring and positioning and guiding the ball bearing elements 80 between the screw shaft 10 and the ball nut 20 or in the endless multiple-turn, helical raceway or ball guiding passage 8 of the ball screw device and for spacing the ball bearing elements 80 from each other and for suitably facilitating the sliding movement between the screw shaft 10 and the ball nut 20. The couplers or retaining devices 50 each include one or more, such as two segments or chains 51, 52 as shown in
The segments or chains 51, 52, 53 of the retaining devices 50 each include a number of spacers 54 connected or coupled together with one or more flexible coupling members or devices 55 to form a number of openings 56 between the spacers 54 and the flexible coupling members or devices 55 and for receiving or engaging with the ball bearing elements 80. It is to be noted that the segment or chain 51 may be easily and quickly engaged into the helical grooves or raceway or ball guiding passage 8 in the screw shaft 10 and the ball nut 20, and the other segment or chain 52, 53 may be easily and quickly engaged into the pathway or the recesses 35, 36 of the inner member 33 and the outer member 34 (
As shown in
As also shown in
Accordingly, the ball screw device in accordance with the present invention includes a screw shaft and a ball nut movable relative to each other, and a ball or roller element retaining device attached between the screw shaft and the ball nut for suitably circulating and guiding the ball bearing elements to move through an endless ball guiding passage in the ball screw device or between the two movable members.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
