US 2026/0298316 A1 · BELT DRIVE SYSTEMS AND METHODS

Abstract

An example method for controlling an adjustable pulley system may include rotating an input shaft of the adjustable pulley system to a selected rotation speed; altering an effective diameter of a driver pulley of the adjustable pulley system connected to the input shaft; altering an effective diameter of a driven pulley of the adjustable pulley in response to alteration of the effective diameter of the driver pulley; measuring a rotational speed of the output shaft of the pulley system; comparing a rotational speed of an output shaft of the adjustable pulley system to a selected criterion; determining whether the rotational speed of the output shaft satisfies the selected criterion; and altering a relationship between an idler pulley and the input shaft or the output shaft in response to the rotational speed of the output shaft not satisfying the selected criterion. The driven pulley may be connected to the output shaft.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for controlling an adjustable pulley system to detect a fault condition of the adjustable pulley system that includes a driver pulley, a driven pulley, and an endless belt wrapped around the driver pulley and the driven pulley, the method comprising:

rotating an input shaft of the adjustable pulley system to a selected rotation speed;
altering an effective diameter of the driver pulley of the adjustable pulley system connected to the input shaft;
altering an effective diameter of the driven pulley of the adjustable pulley in response to alteration of the effective diameter of the driver pulley;
measuring a rotational speed of the output shaft of the pulley system;
comparing a rotational speed of an output shaft of the adjustable pulley system to a selected criterion, the driven pulley connected to the output shaft;
determining whether the rotational speed of the output shaft satisfies the selected criterion;
and
altering a relationship between an idler pulley and the input shaft or the output shaft in response to the rotational speed of the output shaft not satisfying the selected criterion.

5 more elements

An adjustable pulley system including:

a driver pulley;
an input shaft connected to the driver pulley;
a driven pulley;
an output shaft connected to the driven pulley;
an idler pulley;
an endless belt wrapped around the driver pulley and the driven pulley and engaged with the idler pulley;
and
an electronic controller including:
one or more processors;
and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instruct the one or more processors to:
rotate the input shaft to a selected rotation speed;
alter an effective diameter of the driver pulley connected to the input shaft;
alter an effective diameter of the driven pulley in response to alteration of the effective diameter of the driver pulley;
measure a rotational speed of the output shaft;
compare a rotational speed of an output shaft to a selected criterion;
determine whether the rotational speed of the output shaft satisfies the selected criterion;
and
alter a relationship of the idler pulley relative to the input shaft or the output shaft in response to the rotational speed not satisfying the selected criterion.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Belt drive systems and methods

Life of this patent

Belt drive systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20