The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 26, 1992
Filed:
Apr. 11, 1991
Nakwon Cho, Knoxville, TN (US);
Other;
Abstract
A tensioner for a power transmission belt or the like includes a housing providing an elongated interior cavity opening out of one end of the housing and a piston positioned within the cavity for movement therealong for dividing at least a part of the interior cavity into first and second variable-volume chambers for holding hydraulic fluid wherein the second variable-volume chamber is closer to the one housing end than is the first variable-volume chamber. The tensioner utilizes a distensible bellows section connected between the piston and the housing for separating the second variable-volume chamber from the cavity opening at one end of the housing. A plunger is connected to the piston and extends out of the one end of the housing, and a spring is interposed between the piston and the housing for biasing the piston toward the one end of the interior cavity so that the plunger is urged out of the one housing end. Flow control passages associated with the first and second variable-volume chambers permit a substantially unrestricted flow of hydraulic fluid from the second variable-volume chamber to the first variable-volume chamber and permit a controlled flow of hydraulic fluid from the first variable-volume chamber to the second variable-volume chamber. Consequently, when the housing is fixed in a stationary condition adjacent a belt to be tensioned and the plunger is positioned for interacting with the belt, oscillatory forces which would tend to flutter or vibrate the belt are dampened and any oscillatory motions experienced by the belt are limited.