Patent Application
20230068785
The disclosure relates to automotive belt or chain tensioners. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a tensioner assembly having a stamped hollow pivot pin.
In automotive engines, it is common to use belts and/or chains to transfer power and motion between parallel shafts, such as from a crankshaft to a camshaft. A driven segment of the belt or chain is placed in tension by the transmitted torque. However, other segments may not be in tension and may therefore have a tendency to become loose. A tensioner assembly places a transverse load on the segment of the belt or chain to put it in tension even when it is not transmitting power.
A tensioner assembly includes a stamped support and a tensioner arm. The stamped support has a flat base adapted for fixation to an engine and a connector portion bent perpendicular to the flat base. The connector portion has an arm with a first end curled into a hollow pin such that the pin defines an axis perpendicular to the base. The tensioner arm defines a hole, wherein a portion of the pin extends into the hole such that the tensioner arm pivots with respect to the support about the axis. The tensioner arm may also include an arc portion concentric with the hole and spaced away from the hole, wherein a portion of the arm is located between the hole and the arc portion.
A method of fabricating a chain tensioner includes bending a sheet metal blank to form a connector portion perpendicular to a flat base. The connector portion has an arm extending beyond the base. The method further includes stamping an end of the arm to curl the end into a hollow cylinder having an axis perpendicular the flat base. Curling the end into a hollow cylinder may be performed in a series of stamping operations. The blank may define a gap which extends around a narrower portion of the arm after the end is curled into the hollow cylinder.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It should be appreciated that like drawing numbers appearing in different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. Also, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the disclosure, the following example methods, devices, and materials are now described.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosure that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. As such, to the extent any embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.
