Patent ID: 8690109

Claim:
An automatic gap reducing spacer and preload adjusting device comprising: a threaded spacer support that is axially adjustable on a first axis; a threaded rotatable adjuster, said rotatable adjuster rotating about the first axis of said spacer support and including an outwardly extending disk portion having a first face and an opposite second face, said first face including a first substantially equally spaced radial pattern of cam segments wherein each cam segment has an exposed ramped surface facing outwardly there from, said second face having a second radial pattern of cam segments wherein each cam segment has an exposed ramped surface facing outwardly there from and said segments are spaced to substantially match with the spacing of said first radial pattern, said cam segments of said second face are mirrored in configuration from said cam segments of said first face except said second radial pattern is angularly shifted about said first axis substantially equal to an angle that is one-half of said segment pattern spacing angle with respect to said first radial pattern; and an adjuster support that is substantially non-rotatable relative to said spacer support, said adjuster support having third and fourth oppositely facing radial patterns of cam segments each having an exposed ramped surface, said third and fourth radial patterns are substantially radially aligned, said third cam segments are configured to mate with the cam segments of said first radial pattern and said fourth cam segments are configured to mate with the cam segments of said second radial pattern, said third radial pattern is spaced apart from said fourth radial pattern to an extent that allows said rotatable adjuster to be rotated about said first axis and move axially along said first axis when portions of said first and second patterns are located there between, wherein rotation of said rotatable adjuster causes said spacer support to move axially along said first axis.