Recirculating ball mechanism
US4924722A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 17, 1989 |
| Grant date | May 15, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 17, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/19753
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Recirculating ball mechanism comprising a body (10), an actuator shaft (16) rotatably mounted within the body (10) and turnable in response to rotation of an input shaft (12), an output piston (18) slidably mounted in the body (10), a bore (22) within the output piston (18) in which is received an end (26) of the actuator shaft (16), the bore (22) having an internal threaded surface (24), the end (26) of the actuator shaft (16) being formed with a threaded surface (28), a series of balls (30) located between the two threaded surfaces (24, 28) so as to operatively connect the actuator shaft (16) to the output piston whereby a given rotation of the actuator shaft (16) produces an associated displacement of the output piston (18) in the body (10), and mechanism (42, 44) for recirculating the balls (30) to a point of origin in the thread (28) formed on the actuator shaft (16) characterized in that the thread (28) comprises at least one closed loop (40) extending around the circumference of the actuator shaft (16) and including a first part (42), and a second part (44) formed so as to allow the balls (30) to pass across the thread (24) of the output piston (18).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.