Adjustable belt drive assembly, system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371126-B2
Application number	US-202217588487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2022
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A belt housing assembly includes a first shaft with a first bearing that is mounted in a fixed bearing retainer and a second shaft with a second bearing mounted in a rotatable eccentric bearing retainer. A center of the second bearing is offset from a center of the eccentric bearing retainer. A distance between the first shaft and the second shaft is adjustable by rotating the eccentric bearing retainer. A method of adjusting a distance between a first sprocket attached to a first shaft of a drivetrain operatively interconnecting an engine to a ground engagement member of an all-terrain vehicle via a drive belt interconnected with a second sprocket attached to a second shaft of the drivetrain is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An all-terrain vehicle, comprising:
a chassis;
an engine;
a ground engagement member; and
a drivetrain operatively interconnecting the engine with the ground engagement member and configured to deliver propulsive power to the ground engagement member, the drivetrain further comprising:
a bearing housing having a fixed first bearing retainer and an eccentric second bearing retainer,
a first shaft having a first shaft axis,
a first bearing disposed within the fixed first bearing retainer and supporting the first shaft,
a second shaft having a second shaft axis, and
a second bearing disposed within the eccentric second bearing retainer and supporting the second shaft, wherein the second shaft axis is offset from an axis of rotation of the eccentric bearing retainer and wherein a distance between the first shaft axis and the second shaft axis is adjustable by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

2. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first shaft axis is fixed relative to the bearing housing by the fixed first bearing retainer and the second shaft axis is movable relative to the first shaft axis by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

3. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the eccentric second bearing retainer defines a retainer attachment feature, and the bearing housing defines a first housing attachment feature, wherein a first distance between the first shaft axis and the second shaft axis is established by alignment of the retainer attachment feature with the first housing attachment feature.

4. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein a second distance between the first axis and the second axis that is different from the first distance is established by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer to align the retainer attachment feature with a second housing attachment feature.

5. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the alignment of the retainer attachment feature with the first or second housing attachment features is maintained by threaded fasteners engaging the retainer attachment feature and the first or second housing attachment feature.

6. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the retainer attachment feature is a threaded boss in the eccentric second bearing retainer and wherein the first and second housing attachment features are holes defined in the bearing housing.

7. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the first housing attachment feature is coaxial with and angularly offset from the second housing attachment feature.

8. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the eccentric second bearing retainer is rotatably attached to the bearing housing by a cylindrical grooved flange and a tab projecting from the bearing housing projecting into the grooved flange.

9. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the second bearing is disposed within a cylindrical bearing cavity within the eccentric second bearing retainer and wherein a bearing cavity axis is offset from a grooved flange axis.

10. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the bearing cavity axis is coaxial with the second shaft axis.

11. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first shaft has a first sprocket, and the second shaft has a second sprocket and wherein the first sprocket is interconnected to the second sprocket by a drive belt.

12. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein a circumference around the first sprocket and second sprocket is reduced by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer, thereby allowing removal of the drive belt from the first and second sprockets.

13. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein tension in the drive belt may be adjusted by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

14. The all-terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first shaft delivers the propulsive power to the ground engagement member and the second shaft receives the propulsive power from the engine.

15. A method of adjusting a distance between a first sprocket attached to a first shaft of a drivetrain operatively interconnecting an engine to a ground engagement member of an all-terrain vehicle via a drive belt interconnected with a second sprocket attached to a second shaft of the drivetrain, wherein the drivetrain further comprises:
a bearing housing having a fixed first bearing retainer and a rotatable eccentric second bearing retainer,
a first shaft having a first shaft axis,
a first bearing disposed within first bearing retainer and supporting the first shaft,
a second shaft having a second shaft axis, and
a second bearing disposed within the eccentric second bearing retainer and supporting the second shaft, wherein the second shaft axis is offset from an axis of rotation of the eccentric bearing retainer, the method comprising:
adjusting the distance between the first shaft axis and the second shaft axis by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer, thereby adjusting tension in the drive belt.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
removing the drive belt from the first and second sprockets by reducing the distance between the first sprocket and the second sprocket by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
replacing the first sprocket with a third sprocket having a different diameter than the first sprocket; and
adjusting the distance between the second sprocket and the third sprocket by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

18. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
replacing the second sprocket with a third sprocket having a different diameter than the second sprocket; and
adjusting the distance between the first sprocket and the third sprocket by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

19. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
replacing the drive belt with another drive belt having a different length; and
adjusting the distance between the first and second sprockets by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer.

20. A belt drive housing assembly of an all-terrain vehicle, comprising:
a bearing housing having a fixed first bearing retainer and a rotatable eccentric second bearing retainer;
a first shaft having a first shaft axis;
a first bearing disposed within first bearing retainer and supporting the first shaft;
a second shaft having a second shaft axis; and
a second bearing disposed within the eccentric second bearing retainer and supporting the second shaft, wherein the second shaft axis is offset from an axis of rotation of the eccentric bearing retainer, wherein a distance between the first shaft axis and the second shaft axis is adjustable by rotating the eccentric second bearing retainer from a first position to a second position, and wherein the first shaft is configured to deliver propulsive power from an engine of an all-terrain vehicle to a ground engagement member of the all-terrain vehicle and the second shaft is configured to receive the propulsive power from the engine; and
a handle coupled to the eccentric second bearing retainer to move the eccentric second bearing retainer from the first position to the second position.

21. The belt drive housing assembly of claim 20 , wherein the bearing housing defines a first opening for receiving the first shaft and a se

Assignees

• Arctic Cat Inc

Inventors

• Sandoz Samuel James
• Crosby Jacob Tyler
• Macdonald Todd

Classifications

• B62M27/02

  power driven · CPC title

• B62M2027/028

  Snow mobiles characterised by chassis or bodywork · CPC title

• B62J13/02

  shielding only the upper run of the chain or the like · CPC title

• B62M9/02

  of unchangeable ratio · CPC title

• B62M9/16 Primary

  Tensioning or adjusting equipment for chains, belts or the like · CPC title