Belt tensioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10309498-B2
Application number	US-201615574295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2016
Priority date	Aug 19, 2015
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A belt tensioner ( 1 ) for a generator belt drive of an internal combustion engine is provided. The belt tensioner includes a tensioning arm ( 5 ) with a tensioning roller ( 7 ) mounted thereon, and a tensioning spring which acts on the tensioning arm and is intended for pretensioning the belt ( 11 ) is designed for mounting onto the generator ( 2 ) and, in the mounted state of the belt drive, engages annularly around the belt pulley ( 6 ) of the generator and encompasses the belt in a plane which is spaced apart from the plane of the belt and runs on the far side of the belt plane with respect to the generator. The belt tensioner has an open ring-shaped construction, and therefore, in the mounted state of the belt tensioner on the generator, the belt can be mounted axially through the ring opening ( 9, 10 ) in the belt tensioner onto the belt pulley of the generator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A belt tensioner for a generator belt drive of an internal combustion engine, the belt tensioner comprising:
a tensioning arm with a tensioning roller supported on the arm,
a tensioning spring applying a load on the tensioning arm adapted for pretensioning a belt,
a tensioner housing adapted for mounting on the generator,
the belt tensioner and the tensioner housing each have an open ring-shaped construction for mounting on the generator and, in a mounted state of the belt drive, the belt tensioner and the tensioner housing are each adapted to encompass a pulley of the generator and cover the belt in a plane that is spaced apart from a belt plane and runs on an other side of the belt plane with respect to the generator,
the open ring-shaped construction, is adapted to allow the belt to be mounted in an assembled state of the belt tensioner on the generator axially through a ring opening of the belt tensioner and a ring opening of the tensioner housing onto the pulley of the generator.

2. The belt tensioner according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the tensioning arm being supported on the tensioner housing to pivot about a position where the pulley of the generator is adapted to be located,
the tensioning roller extends axially between a pivot bearing of the tensioning arm on the tensioner housing on one side and a position where the generator is adapted to be located on the other side, and
the tensioning spring is clamped between the tensioner housing and the tensioning arm, and
the tensioning arm is provided with a tensioning arm ring opening for the axial belt assembly.

3. The belt tensioner according to claim 2 , wherein the tensioning spring is a bow spring that runs parallel to the belt plane in an axial extension area of the tensioning roller.

4. The belt tensioner according to claim 3 , further comprising or more sliding blocks fixed to a periphery of the bow spring that support a reaction force of the bow spring on the tensioner housing, and at least one of the sliding blocks supports the spring reaction force in sliding contact with the tensioning arm.

5. The belt tensioner according to claim 3 , wherein the tensioner housing has a bow-shaped spring receptacle defined peripherally by two walls for holding the bow spring that is clamped between one of the walls on a tensioner housing-side spring end and a driver of the tensioning arm that projects into the spring receptacle on a tensioning arm-side spring end.

6. The belt tensioner according to claim 5 , wherein the tensioner housing ring opening is defined by the wall on the tensioner housing-side spring end.

7. The belt tensioner according to claim 6 , wherein the tensioning arm has a pivot area in which an end section of the tensioning arm defining the tensioning arm ring opening is located peripherally within the tensioner housing ring opening.

8. The belt tensioner according claim 2 , wherein the tensioner housing has multiple parts including a housing cover on which the tensioning arm is supported axially.

9. The belt tensioner according to claim 2 , wherein the tensioning arm is provided with a slide lining for axial and radial support on the tensioner housing.

10. An assembly comprising a generator of a generator belt drive and the belt tensioner according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Hartmann Bernd
• Maricic Zoran
• Weidner Alexander
• Gundel Steffen

Classifications

• F16H2007/0897

  External to internal direction · CPC title

• F16H2007/0891

  Linear path · CPC title

• F16H2007/0806

  Compression coil springs · CPC title

• F16H7/1218 Primary

  of the dry friction type · CPC title

• F16H7/1281 Primary

  where the axis of the pulley moves along a substantially circular path · CPC title