Dyneer Corporation

Gates Power Drive Products, Inc.

The Gates Rubber Company

Henry W Thomey

Andrzej Sajczvk

Jerzy Otremba

Andrezj Dec

Marc R Cadarette

Gary L Hitchcock

Andrzej Dec

Yahya Hodjat

John B Heuninck

Dawson M Collins

A spring bias tensioner of the eccentric type with a fixed cam ring and rotatable cam ring activated by a torsion spring wherein the cam rings generate an axially force to engage radial friction sliding surfaces to affect damping as a pivot arm of the tensioner is moved.

Eccentric type belt tensioner with cam operated damping means

A tensioner of the eccentric type with a pivot-pin and pivot bushing disposed within the confines of an inside diameter of a bearing member attached to a stub shaft, the shaft having an axially oriented groove that receives the pivot bushing. A tensioner where the pivot bushing has a wall thickness sized to receive a load from the pivot-pin and where such thickness is greater than a radial dimension between the pivot-pin and a circumference for the stub shaft.

Eccentric type belt tensioner

A tensioner with a pulley rotatably mounted to a pivot arm that is biased with a spring means, the pivot arm includes a leg extension for inhibiting movement of the arm with a damping means.

Belt tensioner and belt drive

A method for tensioning a synchronous toothed belt with the tensioner so as to substantially inhibit movements of the pivot arm as attributed to dynamic tension variations in a belt drive system while damping movements of the arm. A method for tensioning a synchronous belt drive with the tensioner by biasing a moveable pulley against the belt with a force sufficient to limit the amplitudes of resonance tension variations and damping the biasing of the pulley to prevent substantially most cyclic movements of the pivot arm while simultaneously accommodating thermal changes in drive length.

Belt tensioning method

A tensioner with a pulley rotatably mounted to a pivot arm that is biased with a spring, the pivot arm includes a leg extension for inhibiting movement of the arm with a damping member. A method for tensioning a synchronous toothed belt with the tensioner so as to substantially inhibit movements of the pivot arm as attributed to dynamic tension variations in a belt drive system while damping movements of the arm. A method for tensioning a synchronous belt drive with the tensioner by biasing a moveable pulley against the belt with a force sufficient to limit the amplitudes of resonance tension variations and damping the biasing of the pulley to prevent substantially most cyclic movements of the pivot arm while simultaneously accommodating thermal changes in drive length.

Belt tensioner, belt drive sytstem, and method

A tensioner with a pulley rotatably mounted to a pivot arm that is biased with a compression spring. The pulley is generally tube-pan shaped and defines an annular space where the compression spring is located. A belt drive system of the automotive camshaft type that includes the tensioner for maintaining operative belt tension.

Pulley encased tensioner with damping

A tensioner with a pulley rotatably mounted onto a pivot arm where movement of the pivot arm is biased with a compression spring and movement is inhibited with a damping device. The compression spring is articulately mounted in such a manner that the torque output measured at the pivot arm may be substantially constant if so desired.

Tensioner for an endless power transmission member and system

A weight reduced pulley for 'K' type poly-v belt systems includes a body having an outer cylindrical surface. A plurality of raised ribs extend from said surface and run circumferentially around said surface. A plurality of trough areas are positioned between the ribs. The ribs and troughs corresponding to the location of indented and raised areas, respectively, on a poly-v belt. The ribs have a cross sectional profile extending radially traverse of the axis of rotation of the pulley, each rib being bounded by a pair of planar side walls at relative angles of 40.degree.+0.5.degree.. The side walls terminate in a 140.degree. arc having a radius of 0.5 mm, the outermost point of said arc terminating 0.96 mm inward of the intersection of the upward projections of the planar side walls or apex. The planar side walls extend radially inward at least 3.44 mm from said apex. The trough areas are bounded by the outer cylindrical surface of said pulley, said surface being 3.57 mm from said apex. The outer cylindrical surface is flattened in cross section in said trough areas and a fillet having a radius from 0.25 to 0.35 mm forms a transition between said planar side walls and said flattened surfaces. The pulley incorporates a mounting plate and has an inner cylindrical surface concentric with said outer surface. The inner cylindrical surface extends from the mounting plate to an open periphery. For a pulley having an effective diameter of 150 mm, the thickness of the pulley between the outer cylindrical surface and the inner cylindrical surface is 1.14 mm. In an alternative embodiment, the inner cylindrical surface alternative embodiment, the inner cylindrical surface is tapered towards the open periphery so that for a similar 150 mm pulley, the thickness varies from 1.14 mm adjacent the mounting plate to 0.89 mm adjacent the open periphery. The pulley is manufactured by concurrently compressing and impressing a can-like blank of hot rolled low carbon steel material with spin forming tools which impress in said material the rib and trough profiles of the pulley.

Pulley for poly-v belt

A self-aligning pivot bolt for mounting a belt tensioner idler pulley on a base member in which the bolt is formed with upper and lower cylindrical pilot sections separated by an intermediate threaded section. The base member has a bolt receiving opening formed with upper and lower inwardly tapered sections. The bolt and opening are dimensioned so that a lead thread of the threaded section engages an upper portion of the lower tapered section prior to the pilot sections engaging the respective tapered sections of the opening. After partial engagement of the threaded section the lower pilot section begins engagement with the lower tapered section to axially align the bolt within the hole followed by engagement of the upper pilot section with the upper tapered section. The softer metal of the base member flows into the root areas of the bolt threads to trap the bolt in the opening of the base member. The progressive engagement of the pilot sections with the tapered sections of the base member opening insures proper alignment of the bolt within the opening.

Self-aligning pivot bolt

A belt tensioning device for engagement with the endless drive belt of a vehicle accessories drive system. A pivot support base is adapted to be mounted on a vehicle engine in a stationary position adjacent the drive belt and has a lever arm assembly pivotally mounted thereon. An idler pulley is mounted on an extended end of the lever arm assembly and is biased into tensioning engagement with the drive belt by a torsional coil spring. An arcuate-shaped plastic bearing strip is located between arcuate surfaces of the pivot support base and an outer cylindrical housing portion of the lever arm assembly and has two distinct bearing surfaces. The lever housing slides on the bearing strip during movement of the lever arm towards and away from the drive belt which provides frictional damping for the lever to reduce undesirable movement of the idler pulley.

Belt tensioner

A belt tensioning device for an endless drive belt for a vehicle accessories drive system. A housing is adapted to be mounted on an engine in a stationary position adjacent the drive belt and has a lever arm pivotally mounted thereon. An idler pulley is rotatably mounted on the lever arm and is movable into belt tensioning engagement by a torsional coil spring telescopically mounted about the pivot for the lever arm. A brake band ring is mounted on the lever arm and has a friction surface which is biased by the torsional spring into engagement with the housing to provide a damping force when the lever arm attempts to move in either a belt tensioning or non tensioning direction. The damping force is proportional to the torsional spring force generally throughout the tensioning range of the belt tensioner since the same coil spring provides both forces. A pivot shoe is removably mounted on the brake band adjacent the friction surface and a straight end of the torsional spring is engaged with the pivot shoe. The spring end is biased against a projection formed on the lever arm which acts as a fulcrum whereby the spring end biases the brake band into engagement with the housing through the pivot shoe. The angle of the spring end with respect to the pivot shoe effects the amount of damping force exerted by the brake band against the bracket through the biasing force of the spring.

A belt tensioning device for an endless drive belt for a vehicle accessories drive system. A bracket is adapted to be mounted on an engine in a stationary position adjacent the drive belt and has lever means pivotally mounted thereon. An idler pulley is rotatably mounted on the lever means and is movable into belt tensioning engagement by a torsional coil spring telescopically mounted about the pivot for the lever means. The pulley is mounted so that a radial center line through the peripheral belt receiving surface of the pulley also passes generally through the center of the lever means pivot to reduce the frictional force exerted on the pivot. A brake band ring is mounted between the bracket and lever means and is biased by the torsional spring into a camming engagement with the lever means to provide a damping force when the lever means attempts to move in either a belt tensioning or non tensioning direction. The damping force is proportional to the belt tensioning force throughout the tensioning range of the belt tensioner since the same coil spring provides both forces. The brake band has angled surfaces which move along complementary angled surfaces formed on the mounting bracket to provide an adjustable camming engagement therebetween.

A device for maintaining a constant tension on an endless drive belt which supplies power to and drives the vehicle accessories. A mounting bracket is adapted to be mounted on an engine in a stationary position adjacent the drive belt and has an idler pulley rotatably mounted on an end of a lever. The lever is pivotally mounted on a shaft which extends outwardly from the mounting bracket. A torsional coil spring biases the idler pulley into tensioning engagement with the drive belt. The pulley is mounted on a stub shaft which extends parallel with the pivot shaft and is formed with an outer annular belt engaging surface. The pivot shaft is located within the periphery of the pulley belt engaging surface and the radial center line of said belt engaging surface intersects the bearing surface of the pivot shaft to provide a compact, low friction belt tensioner. A brake band is mounted between and is cammingly engaged with the mounting bracket and idler pulley lever to provide a damping force therebetween retarding movement of the idler pulley in a non belt tensioning direction.

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Windsor, Canada

Henry W Thomey