A ball screw includes a load path and a non-load path defined between the screw shaft and the screw nut with the two ends of the non-load path respectively connected to the load path and a reflow channel of the return tube. The ball screw defines an imaginary horizontal plane and an imaginary sloping surface that are intersected with each other at the center axis of the screw shaft. The imaginary horizontal plane passes through the non-load path. The imaginary sloping surface passes through the junction between the non-load path and the load path. The imaginary sloping surface defines a negative included angle within 13 degrees with respect to the imaginary horizontal plane to reduce the impact force rendered by each rolling member to the return tube, enhancing operational smoothness and reducing operational noise.

In a power steering apparatus according to the present invention, regarding a lock nut (12) serving as a fixing member, a fixing portion (122) for fixing an outer race (111) of a ball bearing (11) has a portion which overlaps with a facing portion (121) facing the outer race (111) in the direction of a rotation axis (Z) of a nut (941), and is provided radially on an outer side than the facing portion (121). Accordingly, the projection amount of the lock nut (12) toward an output-side pulley (92) is suppressed and the output-side pulley (92) and a belt (93) can be arranged closer to the ball bearing (11) side, as a result of which friction in the ball bearing (11) can be reduced.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture for a steering apparatus for use with vehicles are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a housing for a vehicle steering system, a motor, an actuator, and a rack disposed in the housing, the motor to provide a torque to the actuator via a belt to translate the rack relative to the housing, and a first gear disposed between the motor and the actuator, the first gear to transfer the torque from the motor to the actuator when the belt does not provide the torque.

A screw actuator, includes: a screw comprising a first helical contact surface and a first helical raceway surface; a nut comprising a second helical contact surface and a second helical raceway surface; and a plurality of ball bearings in a helical raceway formed by the first helical raceway surface and the second helical raceway surface. When the screw is loaded relative to the nut in a first axial direction, the first helical contact surface is compressed against the second helical contact surface. When the screw is loaded relative to the nut in a second axial direction, the plurality of ball bearings are compressed between the first helical raceway surface and the second helical raceway surface.

A ball screw device includes a screw shaft, a nut, a plurality of balls, and an end deflector. The screw shaft has a first thread groove on an outer peripheral surface. The nut has a second thread groove provided on an inner peripheral surface, a notch provided on an end face, and a return hole provided on a bottom surface of the notch orthogonal to an axial direction of the screw shaft and passing through in the axial direction. The plurality of balls rolls between the first thread groove and the second thread groove. The end deflector fits into the notch. The nut includes a curved surface portion at a position of a lateral surface of the notch between the second thread groove and the return hole. In a first section obtained by cutting the nut with a plane orthogonal to the axial direction and passing through the second thread groove and the notch, the curved surface portion includes a portion that draws an arc centered at a point positioned outside the second thread groove in a radial direction around a rotation axis of the nut.

A ball nut assembly and an end component thereof are provided. The ball nut assembly includes a nut body and an end component. The nut body includes an outer ring wall, a ball groove, an assembling groove, and a fixing hole. The assembling groove is arranged on an end portion, and the assembling groove has a first side surface, a second side surface, and a bottom surface. The end component is accommodated in the assembling groove of the nut body, and includes a first contact surface, a second contact surface, a radial surface, a fixing portion, and a reflow bend. The fixing portion is arranged on the radial surface. The first and second contact surfaces contact the first and second side surfaces of the assembling groove in a force-fit manner, respectively, and two ends of the reflow bend respectively correspond to the ball groove and the reflow channel.

An electromechanical power steering device may include a servomotor that drives an axially movable component via a ball nut mounted in a bearing such that the ball nut can be rotated about a longitudinal axis in a housing. The ball nut may be engaged with a threaded spindle configured on the axially movable component. The ball nut may include a ball screw on its inner side for balls to roll on, and an external ball return means that connects a start of the ball screw to an end of the ball screw to make endless circulation of the balls possible. A return channel of the ball return means may be formed by way of a deflecting body and a pulley wheel.

A ball screw includes a load path and a non-load path defined between the screw shaft and the screw nut with the two ends of the non-load path respectively connected to the load path and a reflow channel of the return tube. The ball screw defines an imaginary horizontal plane and an imaginary sloping surface that are intersected with each other at the center axis of the screw shaft. The imaginary horizontal plane passes through the non-load path. The imaginary sloping surface passes through the junction between the non-load path and the load path. The imaginary sloping surface defines a negative included angle within 13 degrees with respect to the imaginary horizontal plane to reduce the impact force rendered by each rolling member to the return tube, enhancing operational smoothness and reducing operational noise.

A ball screw structure with detection function includes a screw shaft having an external screw groove; a nut mounted to the screw shaft to be movable in an axial direction of the screw shaft and having an internal screw groove, which corresponds to the external screw groove of the screw shaft to define a loading channel between the internal screw groove of the nut and the external screw groove of the screw shaft; a ball assembly movable, through rolling, in the loading channel; and a recirculation member directly mounted to the nut and provided thereon with a microcontroller and a sensor to detect a rotation state of the screw shaft inside the nut and further formed with a recirculation passage in communication with the nut to allow the ball assembly to move and recirculate therethrough.

To prevent the positional precision of the ball return passage and the tongue of the end deflector relative to the nut main body from being impaired by an axial force applied by a screw used for securing the end deflector to the nut main body, the end deflector includes a flange (32) provided at an axial end of a main part (30) of the end deflector and provided with an axial through hole (50) for receiving a screw which is threaded into the nut main body, and a rib (52) projecting from a radially inner edge of the flange to an inner side of the deflector receiving recess (26).