Automatic tension adjuster for fan belt
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
InventorsYukio Yamamoto, Chukichi Nihei, Katsuya Fujimoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automatic tension adjuster for a fan belt which automatically adjusts the tension of a fan belt even at the time of sudden decrease in speed of an associated engine so as to prevent slip, so-called "creak" or the like from occurring between the fan belt and a crank pulley. For this purpose, there is provided an adjusting means (30) for automatically adjusting an amount by which a lever (5) swings in a direction opposite to that in which it has pushed a tension pulley (4) against the fan belt (8) when the rotational speed of the crank pulley (1) suddenly lowers. This adjusting means includes the lever (5), a yoke (10), an adjusting bolt (13), a lock nut (14) and a fixing bracket (20).
Claims20
A fan belt apparatus having an automatic tension adjuster for automatically adjusting the tension of a fan belt during changes in the speed of said fan belt;
- said fan belt apparatus having a fan belt stretched between a crank pulley, a fan pulley and a tension pulley, and a swingable lever which has a coil spring and which rotatably supports said tension pulley at one end, said coil spring biasing said lever during operation of said fan belt to swing in a first direction to push said tension pulley against said fan belt, wherein said automatic tension adjuster is equipped with an adjusting means which automatically limits the extent to which said lever is permitted to swing, in the direction opposite to that direction in which said lever is biased by said coil spring to push said tension pulley, when the rotational speed of said crank pulley suddenly lowers.
An automatic tension adjuster for adjusting the tension during operation of a belt which passes around a crank pulley, a tension element, and a driven pulley;
- said automatic tension adjuster comprising:
- a shaft, a lever pivotably mounted on said shaft, said lever having a first end portion and a second end portion, said tension element being mounted on said first end portion of said lever, a coil spring biasing said lever for rotation in a first direction about said shaft to push said tension element against said belt to impart tension to said belt;
- a bracket;
- and
- a mechanical linkage extending between said bracket and said second end portion of said lever for permitting, during the operation of said crank pulley, motion of said second end portion of said lever in said first direction about said shaft, without hinderance from the mechanical linkage, to thereby impart tension to said belt during normal operation of said crank pulley and during sudden acceleration of said crank pulley, said mechanical linkage limiting the rotation of said second end portion of said lever about said shaft in the direction opposite to said first direction at the time of a sudden decrease in speed of said crank pulley, to thereby automatically adjust the tension of said belt.
An automatic tension adjuster in accordance with claim 16, wherein said first end portion of said adjusting member is threadedly engaged with said second end portion of said yoke.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.