Patent Application
20160299020
The present disclosure relates to a device for measuring a distance between components of a machine and more particularly to a device for measuring a span of a belt engaging two pulleys.
Different measuring devices and methods are employed on machines to measure dimensions of various machine components and to check operating parameters of the machines. For example, in a machine having a belt drive system for transmitting power from a first pulley to a second pulley connected by a belt, a proper tension of the belt drive system is to be maintained in order to ensure proper operation of the machine. The tension of the belt drive system may be determined based on a span of the belt. Therefore, the measurement of the span of the belt is critical when setting belt tension. However, it is difficult to accurately measure the span of the belt drive system after the belt is installed on the first pulley and the second pulley.
Various currently employed systems and methods of measuring the tension of the belt drive system rely on a distance between the first pulley and the second pulley, since accessibility to grooves of the pulleys in the belt drive systems is difficult. However, the distance between the first pulley and the second pulley may be different from the span of the belt. Therefore, various currently employed systems and methods of measuring the tension fail to accurately measure the tension of the belt drive system.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a device for measuring a span of a belt driveably engaging v-grooved pulleys is disclosed. The device includes a first arm having a first wedged end adapted to engage a first engaging portion. The first engaging portion is defined by a portion where the belt leaves a first pulley. The device includes a second arm having a second wedged end adapted to engage with a second engaging portion. The second engaging portion is defined by a portion where the belt leaves a second pulley. The device further includes an elongated portion coupled to the first arm by a first leg. The elongated portion having a scale indicative of a distance between the first and second wedge end. The device also includes a sliding portion coupled to the second arm and adapted to slidably receive the elongated portion of the first arm.
Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to
As illustrated in
In one example, the belt drive system 24 is a v-belt system having v-grooved pulleys. The first pulley 26, the second pulley 28, and the third pulley 30 are v-grooved pulleys. The tension of the belt 32 depends on a pulley belt span ‘S’ of the belt 32 of the belt drive system 24. The pulley belt span ‘S’ hereinafter interchangeably referred to as span ‘S’. The span ‘S’ of the belt drive system 24 is a length of the belt 32 between the second pulley 28 and the first pulley 26, from a portion of the belt 32 at which the belt 32 leaves contact with the first pulley 26 and the second pulley 28. The portion at which the belt 32 leaves contact with the first pulley 26 is defined as the first engaging portion 74 (as shown in
Referring to
The first member 40 includes a first arm 50 extending outwardly from the first end 46 of the first leg 44 of the first member 40. The first arm 50 has a length ‘L1’. The first arm 50 has a first wedged end 52. The first arm 50 has a first tapered surface 51 extending from the first end 46 of the first leg 44 and tapering down towards the first wedged end 52 of the first arm 50. The first tapered surface 51 is provided to allow sufficient clearance between the second pulley 28 and the first arm 50. The first tapered surface 51 assists the first arm 50 to engage in a gap between the belt 32 and the second pulley 28 to an extent, which allows the first wedged end 52 to touch the first engaging portion 74. The opposite surface of the first tapered surface 51 is kept flat. A shape of cross section of the first arm 50 may vary with types of a groove 78 of the first pulley 26. The shape of the first arm 50 is determined such that it can be inserted inside the groove 78 of the first pulley 26. The first wedged end 52 of the first arm 50 is engaged with the first engaging portion 74 of the first pulley 26.
As mentioned earlier, the first body portion 42 includes the elongated portion 54. The elongated portion 54 extends outward from the second end 48 of the first leg 44. The elongated portion 54 is disposed parallel to the first arm 50. The elongated portion 54 includes a top surface 56 having a scale 57 defining a set of predefined markings. The set of predefined markings are spaced apart at a unit distance from each other.
The device 38 further includes a second member 58 associated with the first member 40. The second member 58 includes a second body portion 60. In an example, as illustrated, the second body portion 60 has an L-shaped configuration. The second body portion 60 includes a second leg 62 and a sliding portion 72. The second leg 62 has a first end 64 and a second end 66. The second member 58 includes a second arm 68 extending from the first end 64 of the second leg 62. The second arm 68 has a length ‘L2’.
The second arm 68 has a second wedged end 70. The second arm 68 includes a second tapered surface 69 extending from the first end 64 of the second leg 62 and tapering down towards the second wedged end 70 of the second arm 68. The second tapered surface 69 is provided to allow better clearance between the second pulley 28 and the second arm 68. The second tapered surface 69 assists the second arm 68 to engage in the gap between the belt 32 and the second pulley 28 to an extent, which allows the second wedged end 70 to get engaged at the second engaging portion 76. The opposite surface of the second tapered surface 69 is kept flat. A shape of cross section of the second arm 68 may vary with type of a groove 80 of the second pulley 28. The shape of the second arm 68 may be designed such that it can be inserted inside the groove 80 of the second pulley 28.
As mentioned earlier, the second body portion 60 includes the sliding portion 72. The sliding portion 72 extends outward from the second end 66 of the second leg 62, towards the second wedged end 70. The sliding portion 72 is disposed parallel to the second arm 68. The sliding portion 72 includes a groove 73 (shown in
It may be contemplated that the length ‘L1’ of the first arm 50 and the length ‘L2’ of the second arm 68 may be different. However, the length ‘L1’ of the first arm 50 and length ‘L2’ of the second arm 68 must be kept sufficient enough to reach the first engaging portion 74 and the second engaging portion 76. Also, the first arm 50 and the second arm 68 have a width ‘W’. The width ‘W’ of the first arm 50 and the second arm 68 may be defined based on a width of the groove 78 in the first pulley 26 and the groove 80 of the second pulley 28 respectively, to accommodate within a space surrounding the first engaging portion 74 and the second engaging portion 76.
The second member 58 moves with respect to the first member 40 along a direction A-A′(illustrated in
In one embodiment, the device 38 may be made of wood, metal, resin, plastic or any other material known in the art. It may be noted that various parts of the device 38, such as the first arm 50 and the second arm 68, may be connected detachably to the first leg 44 and the second leg 62, respectively.
Referring to
The present disclosure relates to the device 38 for measuring the belt pulley span ‘S’ of the belt 32 of the belt drive system 24. The device 38 includes the first wedged end 52 and the second wedged end 70 for engaging the first engaging portion 74 and the second engaging portion 76 of the belt 32 for measuring the span ‘S’. In order to accurately measure the span ‘S’ of the belt 32, the first wedged end 52 of the device 38 engages with the groove 78 of the first pulley 26, where the belt 32 leaves the first pulley 26. Similarly, the second wedged end 70 of the device 38 which engages the groove 80 of the second pulley 28, where the belt 32 leaves the second pulley 28. The first wedged end 52 and the second wedged end 70 are moved back and forth for engaging with the first engaging portion 74 and the second engaging portion 76 using sliding movement of the first body portion 42 over the second body portion 60 of the device 38.
The device 38 provides a better accessibility to the groove of the pulleys, such as the first pulley 26, the second pulley 28, and the third pulley 30, which facilitates accurate measurement of the span ‘S’ of the belt 32 installed in the belt drive system 24. The accurate measurement of the span ‘S’ assists in setting the tension of the belt 32 with higher accuracy. The device 38 may be used to measure length of any other components of a machine, without limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
