Tsubakimoto Chain Company

Tomokazu Kaido

Kozo Inoue

Masaki Miyaji

Tadashi Shintani

A tensioner, for a timing chain, belt or the like in an internal combustion engine, has a projection-preventing hook that secures a spring-urged plunger in a withdrawn condition prior to installation of the tensioner, but releases the plunger during operation so that the plunger can exert a force on a pivoted chain- or belt-engaging tensioner lever. A resisting member is provided on a fulcrum pin on which the hook is pivoted, in order to exert a frictional force on the hook, thereby preventing the hook from unexpectedly returning to its plunger latching condition and preventing vibration noise to movements of the hook. The tensioner can be mounted without regard to its direction, and therefore a threaded mounting can be used, simplifying mounting and demounting of the tensioner.

Tensioner with projection-preventing hook

A tensioner device for a power transmission chain, which has a small number of components and hence is able to reduce the cost of manufacture and assembly, can be mounted or installed easily, and requires only a small space for installation thereof. The tensioner device consists of a tensioner lever (4) pivoted at one end thereof on a support shaft (3) disposed on a fixed member (2) and carries, on a surface thereof facing a chain (7), a shoe (8) slidably engageable with the chain (7). The opposite end of the tensioner lever (4) has formed therein a plunger receiving hole (9) having an opening (9A) facing in a direction opposite to the surface to which the shoe (8) is attached. A plunger (10) is slidably received in the plunger receiving hole (9) and is held in abutment with a stopper (17) disposed on the fixed member (2). The plunger (10) is urged in a forward direction projecting outwardly from the plunger receiving hole (9), and a unidirectional restriction device resists movement of the plunger (10) in the reverse direction.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Tomokazu Kaido