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:
Nov. 14, 2000
Filed:
Apr. 28, 1999
Tsubakimoto Chain Co., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A tensioner device for adjusting a tension in a chain wound around two sprockets includes a tensioner lever held in sliding contact with a slack run of the chain, an oil-filled tensioner provided on a stationary member, and a ratchet tensioner provided on the tensioner lever. The oil-filled tensioner includes a piston movable back and forth relatively to a housing attached to the stationary member, and a spring urging the piston in the forward direction. The ratchet tensioner includes a plunger movable in the forward direction relative to a housing formed integrally with the tensioner lever, and a spring urging the plunger in the forward direction. The piston and the plunger are held in face-to-face abutment with each other. The spring of the oil-filled tensioner has a larger spring coefficient than the spring of the ratchet tensioner. With this construction, when a sag of the chain is in excess of the forward stroke of the piston of the oil-filled tensioner, the plunger of the ratchet tensioner moves forward to cover a shortage of forward stroke of the piston. The tensioner device can continue proper tension-adjusting operation over a long period of use of a chain drive mechanism in which it is incorporated.