Screw and Nut Mechanism

The invention relates to a mechanism of the kind stated in the introduction of the appended claim 1.

Screw and nut mechanisms with re-circulating rolling bodies are commonly used to transform a rotational movement into a linear movement or the reverse with minimum friction losses. In order to make the mechanism more inexpensive, the nut portion can be made of a pressed sheet metal in two halves with axial flanges in which the halves are connected. Examples of such mechanisms are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,581,482 and 3,006,212.

The problem of obtaining a re-circulation of the rolling bodies is solved in the mechanisms according to the above mentioned publications by providing return channels in the longitudinal radial flanges which are present at either side of the cylindrical portions of each nut half. This entails that the flanges and thereby the whole mechanism gets a considerable radial extension, which requires space. Furthermore, the design gives the raceway of the rolling bodies a sharp bend where the raceway ceases to follow the curved surface of the screw and starts to follow the plane shape of the flange in a radial direction. This may cause noise, running troubles and increased wear.

The object of the present invention is to provide a screw and nut device, the nut of which can be produced in a simple and inexpensive way, which can be easily mounted, which takes up little space and which gives the raceway of the rolling bodies an advantageous shape. This is achieved according to the invention by providing the mechanism with the characterizing features mentioned in the accompanying claim 1.

The nut in such a mechanism can be produced quickly and easily and with a good precision by e.g. pressing of sheet metal pieces and joining the nut parts by folding of the flange portions which are situated opposite to each other.

In the following, the invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a split view of a mechanism, and

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a mounted mechanism according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a portion of a screw 1 provided with a helical groove 2, which is limited by a helical ridge 3. The screw is surrounded by a nut made of two parts 4, 5 in the form of sheet metal halves. Each half comprises a cylindrical portion 6, 7 covering about 180.degree. of the screw. The cylindrical portions are ending with plane portions 8, 9, 10, 11 which can be jointed two by two for forming a complete nut. For example, the portions 8 and 11 can be folded around the portions 10 and 9, respectively, as shown in FIG. 2. Grooves 12, 13, 14, 15 are provided in the cylindrical portion of the nut halves, which grooves correspond to the groove 2 in the screw 1 and form together with groove 2 when the nut is mounted raceways for a number of rolling bodies in form of balls 16, 17 which circulate in two closed loops. The balls keep the screw and the nut together and make it possible to rotate the screw relative to the nut with insignificant friction losses.

In order to provide for re-circulation of the balls over a ridge between two adjacent groove turns in the screw, the groove 12 in the nut half 4 and the groove 15 in the nut half 5 have a recessed portion 18 and 19, respectively, with a pitch which is different from the pitch of the rest of the groove, so that the portions 18 and 19 run obliquely over the ridge 3. When the rolling bodies are situated in the part of the raceway which is constituted by these portions, they are unloaded and returned over the ridge into the adjacent groove turn in the screw. The loop of each rolling body thus constitutes one turn around the screw, and the rolling bodies are loaded in more than 180.degree. of the loop and unloaded only in the return portions 18 and 19, respectively, which is best shown in FIG. 2, in which the loaded zone is marked with alpha and the unloaded zone with beta. Since the rolling bodies are led close to the ridge in return portion of the raceway, the direction changes in the raceway are the least possible, which makes the running condition the most favorable.

Also, other embodiments of the invention than the one described above are possible within the limits of the claims. For example, the mechanism may comprise a single or more than two closed loops of rolling bodies. The return portions 18, 19 in the grooves of the nut can be provided in the same nut half if, for example, the load on the nut has a constant direction radially, whereby, of course, the return portions are arranged in the unloaded nut half. The nut halves may also be joined otherwise than by folding the flanges, e.g. by riveting, welding or screwing.