Ball Screw Nut Fence for Pipe Interference
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball screw devices face issues with the precise securing and guiding of ball return pipes, leading to interference and potential damage from protrusions within the endless ball guiding passages, especially when ball bearing members move at high speeds.
Innovation Solution
A ball screw device with a nut member featuring a helical groove, orifices, and a U-shaped ball return pipe with curved coupling portions and a straight fence, which securely anchors the ball return pipe and guides ball bearing members through the endless ball guiding passages while preventing interference and damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a standard hose clamp or tube holder member is used to secure the ball return pipe to the nut, then the ball return pipe can be attached to the ball screw device, but the ball return pipe may not be precisely secured and may not be precisely directed toward the endless ball guiding passage, causing projections to interfere with ball bearing member movement
Solution Approach 1:
The securing structure is divided into multiple functional segments: a clamp portion for attachment, a positioning portion with guiding surfaces for precise alignment, and a support portion with a bearing for smooth ball bearing member passage. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while working together as an integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball return pipe securing structure acts as an intermediary component between the nut and the ball bearing members. It provides a controlled interface that precisely positions the ball return pipe relative to the endless ball guiding passage, preventing interference while facilitating smooth ball bearing member movement through the bearing component.
2Reliability
If the ball return pipe is securely attached to the nut, then the ball bearing members can be guided through the endless ball guiding passage, but projections on the ball return pipe may extend into the passage and interfere with or damage the ball bearing members during high-speed movement
Solution Approach 1:
The design converts the potential harmful effect of rigid pipe attachment into a benefit by incorporating a bearing component that allows controlled relative movement. This transforms what would be a source of interference and damage into a mechanism that accommodates misalignment and guides ball bearing members smoothly, converting potential harm into reliable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting portion changes the physical parameters of the interface between the ball return pipe and ball bearing members by introducing a bearing. This changes the interaction from direct contact with potential interference to rolled contact through the bearing, fundamentally altering the motion characteristics and eliminating harmful interference during high-speed operation.
3Device complexity
If the ball return pipe is rigidly fixed to the nut, then the structure is simple, but the tubular tongues may not be precisely directed toward the endless ball guiding passage, causing interference
Solution Approach 1:
The securing structure transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic system that accommodates movement and adjustment. The clamp portion provides secure attachment while the positioning portion with guiding surfaces and the support portion with bearing allow for dynamic adjustment and accommodation of alignment variations, ensuring precise direction toward the endless ball guiding passage during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A ball screw device includes a screw engaged into a nut member for forming an endless ball guiding passage between the nut member and the screw and for receiving a number of ball bearing members, a ball return pipe includes a U-shaped structure having a central tubular member and two ends for engaging into two orifices of the nut member, and the nut member includes a straight fence formed between the orifice and the screw hole of the nut member for guiding the ball bearing members to move through a ball return pathway of the ball return pipe and the endless ball guiding passage of the nut member and for preventing the teeth of the nut member from being broken by the ball bearing members.