Eccentric mounting and adjustment system for belt driven devices
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorDavid N. Hansen
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Abstract
An eccentric adjustment and mounting system is useful for belt engaging engine components such as alternators or water pumps. The system includes a housing fixed to the engine, a socket rotatable in pawl-and-ratchet fashion within the housing, and a socket aperture eccentrically disposed relative to the socket's axis. The aperture receives the belt engaging component, whereby rotation of the socket moves the component to adjust belt tension.
Claims5
For an engine assembly that includes an endless belt and a device on the assembly engaged by the belt, an eccentric mounting and adjustment system for receiving the device and adjusting the position of the device to affect tension of the belt, the system comprising:
- a housing member fixed to the engine assembly;
- an array of pawl apertures defined by the housing member;
- removable pawls on the housing member,
- means for retaining the pawls on the housing member with at least one of the removable pawls in a selected one of the pawl apertures;
- pawl teeth on the pawls projecting inwardly relative to the housing member;
- a socket accepted by the housing member and rotatable therein about a socket axis;
- socket teeth on the socket engaged by the pawl teeth;
- a receiving aperture defined by the socket for receiving the device;
- and
- means for preventing relative rotation between the socket and the belt driven device;
- wherein the receiving aperture is disposed eccentrically relative to the socket axis,
- whereby rotating the socket moves the device and thereby adjusts tension of the belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.