Engagement chain unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482313-B2
Application number	US-201214112077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2012
Priority date	Apr 20, 2011
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an interlocking chain unit configured such that chains reliably and firmly engage with each other and that the buckling and twisting of a rigidified chain portion are avoided. An interlocking chain unit is configured such that the outer edges of a plate overlap region (P) are defined by contact portion faces and flat buckling restricting end faces, and that the plate overlap region (P) is constructed from the outlines of two plate overlap portions (Pa, Pa) which are point-point-symmetric about the point (C) of intersection between hook-shaped interlocking end faces and the buckling restricting end faces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An interlocking chain unit comprising a pair of interlocking chains, wherein
each interlocking chain is formed by connecting, with pairs of front and rear coupling pins, a plurality of inner tooth plates and a plurality of outer tooth plates in a chain longitudinal direction,
the outer tooth plates are arranged to be adjacent to outer sides of the inner tooth plates and have partial overlap regions with the inner tooth plates, and
the interlocking chains are configured to become interlocked with each other to integrally become rigid in a rigid chain forward and backward movement direction and to become disengaged from each other to bifurcate,
wherein when the pair of interlocking chains are interlocked with each other, hook-shaped interlocking end faces of at least two inner tooth plates interlock with each other to form plate overlap regions when the pair of interlocking chains are seen in a plate normal direction, which is orthogonal to plate main faces of the inner tooth plates and the outer tooth plates,
respective buckling restricting end faces of at least two outer tooth plates come in contact with each other in a diagonal direction with respect to the rigid chain forward and backward movement direction,
the plate overlap regions are formed by outlines of two plate overlap portions of adjacent inner tooth plates, the plate overlap portions comprising outer edges defined by contact portion faces, where the hook-shaped interlocking end faces of the at least two inner tooth plates are in contact with each other, and flat buckling restricting end faces of the at least two outer tooth plates are in contact with each other,
wherein the outlines of the two plate overlap portions are point-symmetric about a point of intersection between the hook-shaped interlocking end faces and the buckling restricting end faces, and
at least one of the inner tooth plates, the outer tooth plates, and the coupling pins are elastically deformed to make the pair of interlocking chains rigid and to remove play between parts in forming the plate overlap regions.

2. The interlocking chain unit according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of interlocking chains are interlocked with each other by chain movement restricting means for restricting movements of the pair of interlocking chains in the rigid chain forward and backward movement direction.

3. The interlocking chain unit according to claim 2 , wherein the chain movement restricting means is a drive sprocket provided in an interlocking chain type forward and backward actuating device configured to move a driven body forward and backward according to chain forward and backward movements based on interlocking and disengagement of the pair of interlocking chains.

4. The interlocking chain unit according to claim 1 , wherein the two plate overlap portions, which are point-symmetric about the point of intersection, have substantially the same area.

5. The interlocking chain unit according to claim 1 , wherein the two plate-overlap portions of adjacent inner tooth plates have substantially the same area.

6. The interlocking chain unit according to claim 1 , wherein the point of intersection is aligned and shares a common axis with a point of intersection of the buckling restricting end faces of the at least two outer tooth plates when the at least two outer tooth plates are in contact.

Assignees

• Saji Tomoyuki
• Murakami Keisuke
• Tsubakimoto Chain Co

Inventors

• Saji Tomoyuki
• Murakami Keisuke

Classifications

• F16G13/20 Primary

  stiff; Push-pull chains · CPC title

• B66F3/06

  with racks comprising pivotable toothed sections or segments, e.g. arranged in pairs · CPC title

• F16H19/0636

  the flexible member being a non-buckling chain · CPC title

• F16G13/04 Primary

  Toothed chains · CPC title

• Y10T74/18096

  Shifting rack · CPC title