Chain guide and chain tensioner device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9429216-B2
Application number	US-201214000735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2012
Priority date	Feb 23, 2011
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A chain guide and a chain tensioner device using the chain guide. A roller, brought into contact with a chain, comprises a support shaft supported by an opposing guide base provided along the running direction of the chain, and roller bearings each having a steel outer ring on the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft so as to be brought into contact with the chain. The roller is also configured to be assembled by inserting opposite ends of the support shaft into support recesses on facing wall surfaces of the guide base. The roller has a vibration damping material between the support shaft and the support recess of each of the plate members.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A chain guide comprising:
a plurality of rollers which are configured to be brought into contact with an endlessly connected chain, and
a guide base which supports opposite ends of a support shaft of each of the plurality of rollers, and is provided along a running direction of the chain,
wherein each of the plurality of rollers includes a roller bearing provided on an outer peripheral surface of a corresponding one of the support shafts, the roller bearing having a steel outer ring which is configured to be brought into contact with the chain,
wherein the guide base includes mutually facing side plate members respectively provided along opposite sides of the chain,
wherein a height of each of the side plate members is higher than a level of an outer diameter surface of each of the plurality of rollers so as to enable the chain to be guided between mutually facing wall surfaces of the side plate members, and
wherein the opposite ends of each support shaft are respectively supported by the mutually facing wall surfaces of the side plate members.

2. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein the guide base includes pillar members connecting the side plate members to each other, and wherein, for each support shaft: support recesses which respectively support the opposite ends of the support shaft are respectively provided on the mutually facing wall surfaces of the side plate members, wherein each of the support recesses comprises an insertion recess having an opening in a chain-side end surface of a corresponding one of the side plate members, and a fixing recess connected to the insertion recess and having a circular arc shape into which an end portion of the support shaft is fitted, and a corresponding one of the opposite ends of the support shaft of the roller is configured to be inserted from the insertion recess into the fixing recess, so as to be supported by each of the side plate members.

3. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein each of the pillar members connecting the side plate members to each other is aligned in parallel with an insertion direction of a corresponding one of the support shafts into a corresponding one of the support.

4. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein a bottom member connecting the mutually facing side plate members to each other is formed on the surface of the guide base, the surface being opposite to a chain running surface of the guide base.

5. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein the height of each of the side plate members is lower than a position of a connection pin of the chain which is configured to run while being in contact with the plurality of rollers.

6. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein each circular arc-shaped fixing recess has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of a corresponding one of the support shafts, and the corresponding one of the support shafts is press-fitted into the circular arc-shaped fixing recess.

7. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein, for each of the support recesses, an insertion port is provided at a position where the insertion recess is connected to the fixing recess, the insertion port having a width that is smaller than a diameter of the circular arc-shaped fixing recess.

8. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein the rollers supported by the guide base are arranged at non-uniform intervals along the running direction of the chain.

9. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein the rollers supported by the guide base are arranged in a single circle, or arranged on a circumference of two or more circles in contact with each other.

10. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein the guide base is integrally formed by using fiber reinforced polyamide (PA) 66.

11. The chain guide according to claim 2 , wherein the guide base is formed of a light metal.

12. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein the steel outer ring has inward-extending flange sections at opposite ends thereof, and each of the plurality of rollers is provided with a retainer and incorporated in the steel outer ring.

13. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein the steel outer ring is formed by press-forming.

14. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein a hardness of the steel outer ring or a hardness of an iron outer is annulus greater than a hardness of the chain.

15. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein the steel outer ring or an iron outer annulus has a generating line shape of a barrel shape or a straight shape.

16. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein the steel outer ring or an iron outer annulus has a thickness of 1 mm or more.

17. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein a roundness of the steel outer ring or an iron outer annulus is 20 μm or less.

18. A chain tensioner device wherein the chain guide according to claim 1 is arranged at a middle portion of an endlessly connected chain.

19. A chain tensioner device wherein: at least two of the chain guides according to claim 1 are respectively arranged at middle portions of an endlessly connected chain, a first end side of a first one of the at least two of the chain guides is supported by a rotary shaft and a second end side of the first one of the at least two of the chain guides is pressed by a pressing device so as to be rocked to give tension to the chain, and opposite ends of second one of the at least two of the chain guides are fixed so that the second one of the at least two of the chain guides is pressed against the chain.

20. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein a bottom side of the chain that faces the plurality of rollers is higher than an uppermost portion of each of the plurality of rollers.

21. The chain guide according to claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of each of the plurality of rollers is constant.

Assignees

• Kato Akio
• Yamashita Takahiro
• Abe Katsufumi
• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kato Akio
• Yamashita Takahiro
• Abe Katsufumi

Classifications

• F16H2007/0872

  Sliding members · CPC title

• F16H2007/0891

  Linear path · CPC title

• F16H7/12 Primary

  of an idle pulley · CPC title

• F16H2007/0865

  Pulleys · CPC title

• F16H7/18 Primary

  Means for guiding or supporting belts, ropes, or chains (construction of pulleys F16H55/36) · CPC title