Synchronized linear actuator

Claim 1

In a linear actuator including a threaded shaft, a linearly movable member to be moved linearly by the shaft and longitudinally of the shaft, a bearing unit operatively connected to said member and shaft for translating rotational movement of said shaft about its axis to linear movement of said member, and means for rotating the shaft about its axis, with said bearing unit comprising a plurality of discrete rollers having right flanges along their shanks spaced for rolling engagement with the shaft threading, said rollers at their ends defining bearing surfaces that are angled relative to their longitudinal axes, an outer race structure defining spaced apart raceway surfaces about the shaft axis about which said roller bearing surfaces respectively ride, and a roller support about which said rollers are received in free rolling nonjournaled relation thereto, said support being formed to be received over the shaft, said roller flanges being free of engagement with said outer race structure, said rollers having projecting end portions and said support being formed for cooperation with said roller end portions to support the rollers against substantial radial displacement radially inwardly of said raceways when the bearing unit is free of the shaft, the improvement wherein: said outer race structure comprises a pair of ring members, one of said ring members forming one of said raceway surfaces and the other of said ring members forming the other of said raceway surfaces, with said raceway surfaces having their surfacing of circular contour transversely of the shaft axis and across the area of same that is engaged by said roller bearing surfaces, with said raceway surfacing area being a surface of revolution that is smoothly contoured axially of the shaft axis, and said roller bearing surfaces being free of gearing, said raceway surfaces being respectively radially aligned with the respective roller bearing surfaces, and being coaxial with the shaft axis, said support comprising a pair of spaced apart rings coaxial with the shaft axis through which said shaft is received and between which said outer race structure ring members are disposed, said support rings on the sides of same facing the respective roller end portions defining keying recesses in which the respective roller end portions are received for keying said roller end portions to the respective support rings against movement of said rollers about said shaft relative to said support rings, respectively, said roller end portions being free of journalling in their respective recesses, said support ring recesses of the respective support rings being disposed in circumferentially spaced relation about said support rings and being circumferentially aligned at a predetermined radial level about the shaft axis, said raceway surfaces being radially outward of but adjacent said radial level for maintaining said rollers in continuous rolling engagement with the shaft threading, said outer race structure ring members being journalled between and relative to said support rings for free rotational movement of said outer race structure about the shaft axis relative to said support rings, and means for making said support rings fast to said linearly movable member against movement relative to said linearly movable member for holding said rollers against orbiting movement about said shaft on rotation of said shaft, whereby on rotation of said shaft said outer race structure is rotated about said shaft by the rolling engagement of said rollers with said shaft and said outer race structure, with said rollers being held by said support rings against orbiting movement about said shaft and said rolling engagement of said rollers with said shaft effecting linear movement of said bearing unit and the linearly movable member longitudinally of the shaft, whereby said bearing unit and the linearly movable member linear movement is synchronized with the lead of the shaft threading.