US 12,066,080 B2
Ball nut assembly
John Cassidy, Brighton, MI (US); Changming Wu, Plymouth, MI (US); and Rich Dziklinski, Novi, MI (US)
Assigned to ZF Active Safety US Inc., Livonia, MI (US)
Appl. No. 16/958,776
Filed by ZF Active Safety US Inc., Livonia, MI (US)
PCT Filed Dec. 28, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/067935
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 29, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/133855, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 4, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/611,905, filed on Dec. 29, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0324805 A1, Oct. 15, 2020
Int. Cl. F16H 25/20 (2006.01); F16H 25/22 (2006.01); F16D 65/28 (2006.01); F16D 125/36 (2012.01); F16D 125/40 (2012.01)
CPC F16H 25/2223 (2013.01) [F16D 65/28 (2013.01); F16D 2125/36 (2013.01); F16D 2125/40 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ball nut assembly comprising:
a spindle having a longitudinal axis;
a ball nut;
bearing elements supporting the ball nut on the spindle;
first, second, third, and fourth ball nut deflectors between the ball nut and the spindle;
separate first, second, and third planes extending along and intersecting one another at the axis, wherein the first and fourth ball nut deflectors are in the first plane, the second ball nut deflector is in the second plane, the third ball nut deflector is in the third plane, and the second and third ball nut deflectors are on opposite sides of the first plane;
a first acute angle defined by the first and second planes; and
a second acute angle defined by the first and third planes, the second ball nut deflector being offset from the first plane by the first acute angle and the third ball nut deflector being offset from the first plane by the second acute angle such that the second and third ball nut deflectors overlap one another in a circumferential direction.