Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd.

Norikazu Tanaka

Hideo Hirai

Yasuhiro Hashimoto

Susumu Yamakawa

Masakatsu Ando

Naoki Fujimoto

An apparatus is provided for tensioning a drive belt, which apparatus consists of tensioner arm having an idler pulley thereon for engagement with the surface of a drive belt, structure for mounting the tensioner arm to a support for pivoting movement in first and second opposite directions relative to the support, and a torsion coil spring formed of wire and acting between the mounting structure and tensioner arm for biasing the tensioner arm in one of the first and second directions. The wire has a non-circular cross section.

Compact coil spring tensioner

An apparatus for tensioning a drive belt and having a tensioner arm with structure thereon for engaging a surface of the drive belt, structure for mounting the tensioner arm to a support for pivoting movement about a first axis in first and second opposite directions relative to the support including a roller bearing for guiding relative movement between the tensioner arm and support, and structure for normally biasing the belt in one of the first and second opposite directions relative to the support.

Belt tensioner

An apparatus for tensioning a belt consisting of a tensioner arm having an idler pulley for engagement with a surface of a drive belt, structure for mounting the tensioner arm to a suppport for pivoting movement about a pivot axis in first and second opposite directions, and structure for biasing the tensioner arm in one of the first and second directions. The mounting structure includes first and second members with first and second relatively movable cooperating friction generating surface for damping rotation of the tensioner arm. At least a portion of one of the friction generating surfaces is concave opening towards the tensioner with at least one of the friction generating surfaces having at least a portion defined by other than a radius centered on the pivot axis of the tensioner arm to thereby produce a greater resistance to rotation of the tensioner arm in the other of the first and second directions than in the one of the first and second tensioner arm pivoting directions.

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Osaka, Japan

Norikazu Tanaka