Patent ID: 6902487

Claim:
A longitudinal displacement unit for a torque transmitting shaft assembly comprising: a profiled sleeve ( 11 ) with circumferentially distributed, longitudinally extending first ball grooves ( 12 ); a profiled journal ( 21 ) with circumferentially distributed, longitudinally extending second ball grooves ( 22 ); torque-transmitting balls ( 31 ) which are arranged as groups in pairs of first and second ball grooves ( 11 , 22 ); a ball cage ( 41 ) positioned between the profiled sleeve ( 11 ) and the profiled journal ( 21 ) and fixing the balls ( 31 ) in their axial position relative to one another, wherein the ball cage ( 41 ) is axially displaceable relative to the profiled sleeve ( 11 ) between two axial stops ( 42 , 44 ); and a plurality of rolling members held in the ball cage ( 41 ), so as to be able to roll, and which are radially pretensioned between the profiled sleeve ( 11 ) and the profiled journal ( 21 ), and which, during the transmission of torque, remain substantially free from circumferential forces, wherein the rolling members are balls arranged between the pairs of first and second ball grooves ( 12 , 22 ) and rolling on an inner cylindrical face ( 16 ) of the profiled sleeve ( 11 ) and an outer cylindrical face ( 28 ) of the profiled journal ( 21 ).