Belt element for vehicular transmission belt

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11754146-B2
Application number	US-202217725679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2022
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

A belt element for a vehicular transmission belt is designed to be supported by the bands such that the head portion is located on an outer side of the bands. The base, head and connecting portions define two slots for engagement with the respective annular bands, and the base portion has an edge extending in its width direction. The edge includes a first edge located inwardly of widthwise ends of the head portion and functioning as a fulcrum of the belt element upon rocking of the belt element, and second edges located outwardly of the widthwise ends. The base portion has a smaller thickness on an inner side of the edge than on an outer side of the edge, and the second edges are located nearer to the head portion than the first edge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A belt element for a vehicular transmission belt connecting a pair of pulleys to each other and including two annular bands, and a multiplicity of belt elements which are supported by the two annular bands such that the belt elements are arranged side by side in a direction of their thickness annularly along the two annular bands, the belt element comprising a generally trapeziform base portion, a head portion having a smaller width dimension in a direction of width of the annular bands than the base portion, and a connecting portion connecting the base portion and the head portion integrally to each other at central parts thereof in the direction of width of the annular bands, the belt element further comprising:
two slots for engagement with the respective two annular bands defined by the base portion, the head portion and the connecting portion;
the base portion has an edge extending in a direction of width of the belt element, the edge including a first edge functioning as a fulcrum of the belt element upon rocking of the belt element relative to an abutting belt element, and second edges located outwardly of the widthwise ends of the head portion;
the base portion has a smaller thickness on an inner side of the edge as seen with respect to loops of the annular bands, than on an outer side of the edge as seen with respect to the loops; and
the second edges are formed so as to be located nearer to the head portion than the first edge,
wherein a thickness of a part of the base portion located inwardly of the edge as seen with respect to the loops of the annular bands continuously decreases as this part extends inwardly from the edge, and the base portion has a first inclined surface extending inwardly from the first edge as seen with respect to the loops of the annular bands, and second inclined surfaces extending inwardly from the second edges as seen with respect to the loops of the annular bands, the first inclined surface having a first angle of inclination, while the second inclined surfaces having a second angle of inclination which is larger than the first angle of inclination.

2. The belt element according to claim 1 , wherein the base portion has the same thickness at the first edge and the second edges.

3. The belt element according to claim 1 , wherein the two slots are defined by slot-defining surfaces of the respective base and head portions which are opposed to each other, and opposite slot-defining surfaces of the connecting portion, and widthwise portions of the two annular bands extend through the respective two slots,
and wherein a fillet is formed at a corner between the outer surface of the base portion and each of the opposite side surfaces of the connecting portion, while another fillet is formed at a corner between the inner surface of the head and said each side surface of the connecting portion.

4. The belt element according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the second edges and a slot-defining surface of the base portion partially defining the slots is constant in the direction of width of the base portion.

5. The belt element according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the second edges and a slot-defining surface of the base portion partially defining the slots decreases as the second edges extend toward respective widthwise ends of the base portion.

6. The belt element according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of a part of the base portion located inwardly of the edge as seen with respect to the loops of the annular bands decreases stepwise.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kikukawa Daisuke

Classifications

• F16G1/24 Primary

  in the form of links (in the shape of chain links F16G13/08) · CPC title

• F16G5/16 Primary

  consisting of several parts · CPC title

• F16G3/12

  Joining belts by lacing · CPC title