Ball Screw Recirculation Member Geometry to Prevent Misassembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the manufacturing of ball screw devices with different specifications on the same production line, there is a risk of erroneous assembly due to the potential misplacement of deflectors with incorrect specifications, which can lead to performance and durability issues.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a recirculation member with adjustable mounting dimensions, such as varying circumferential and axial lengths, to ensure that the recirculation member can only be correctly assembled to its corresponding nut, preventing incorrect mounting by interfering with the mounting recesses of other specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple ball screw devices with different specifications are manufactured on the same production line, then production efficiency is improved, but the risk of erroneous assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculation member is designed with specific local dimensional characteristics (circumferential length and axial length) that differ between specifications. These localized dimensional variations create unique geometric signatures for each specification, allowing workers to quickly identify the correct recirculation member for each nut without complex inspection procedures, thus maintaining high productivity while ensuring assembly accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces asymmetric dimensional variations in the recirculation member (different circumferential and axial lengths) to create non-uniquely identical components. This asymmetry ensures that each recirculation member has a distinct geometric profile that matches only its corresponding nut specification, preventing erroneous assembly while allowing multiple specifications to be produced on the same line.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the outer diameter of the nut is kept constant across specifications, then design flexibility is improved, but the ability to distinguish between specifications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Since the outer diameter (one dimension) of the nut is kept constant for design flexibility, the invention differentiates specifications by varying dimensions of the recirculation member (circumferential length and axial length). This shifts the differentiation to another dimension, allowing the nut to maintain a universal outer diameter while the recirculation member provides specification-specific dimensional characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes specific parameters of the recirculation member (circumferential length and axial length) while keeping the nut's outer diameter constant. These parameter variations in the recirculation member create distinguishable specifications without requiring changes to the nut's primary dimensions, thus maintaining design flexibility while enabling specification differentiation.
3Reliability
If recirculation members have varying mounting dimensions, then erroneous assembly is prevented, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the dimensional variations into two independent parameters: circumferential length and axial length of the recirculation member. This segmentation allows each parameter to be controlled and varied independently, simplifying the manufacturing process compared to varying all dimensions simultaneously. It enables systematic production of different specifications through controlled variation of these two key parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
A ball screw device includes a plurality of ball screw devices. In one ball screw device, a recirculation member is larger than the recirculation member in another ball screw device in terms of one mounting dimension of two mounting dimensions selected from a circumferential length of a part at a side of a pick-up opening portion in each pick-up portion, a circumferential length of a part at a side opposite to the pick-up opening portion in each pick-up portion, a circumferential length of a connection passage portion and an axial length of the connection passage portion, and the recirculation member is smaller than the recirculation member in the other ball screw device in terms of another mounting dimension of the two mounting dimensions, the other ball screw device being different in a diameter of a screw shaft from the one ball screw device.