Drive configuration and method thereof

• US 20090131207A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Victor A. Grossman
• Original Assignee: Victor A. Grossman
• Inventors: Grossman, Victor A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,980,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 474/87
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 7/023 with belts having a toothed contact surface or regularly spaced bosses or hollows for slipless or nearly slipless meshing with complementary profiled contact surface of a pulley toothed belts F16G1/28, F16G5/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53978 including means to relatively position plural work parts

Abstract

A drive configuration for driving one or more rotating sprockets (e.g., of an engine drive train), including a flexible force transmitting member forming a closed curve enclosing an area; a drive sprocket situated outside the area and driving the force transmitting member; first and second pulleys situated at least partially within the area and on opposing sides of the drive sprocket so as to urge the force transmitting member against the drive sprocket; and one or more driven sprockets each coupled to the force transmitting member. The drive configuration may include a cartridge including a base, one or more secondary pulleys being situated on opposing sides of the first pulley such that a timing belt is urged into contact with a drive sprocket and each of the pulleys. Accordingly, a timing belt may be rapidly installed or removed by inserting or removing the cartridge according to the present invention.

Claims

1. A drive configuration for driving one or more rotating sprockets, comprising:

a flexible force transmitting member forming a closed curve enclosing an area;

a drive sprocket situated outside the area and driving the force transmitting member;

first and second pulleys situated at least partially within the area and on opposing sides of the drive sprocket so as to urge the force transmitting member against the drive sprocket; and

one or more driven sprockets each coupled to the force transmitting member.

2. The drive configuration according to claim 1, further comprising a base structured and arranged to support one or more of the first and second pulleys.

3. The drive configuration according to claim 2, wherein:

the drive sprocket is connected to a crankshaft of an engine; and

one or more of the driven sprockets are correspondingly connected to one or more of a camshaft, an intermediate sprocket for driving a camshaft, a hydraulic pump, and a balance shaft of the engine.

4. The drive configuration according to claim 1, wherein the force transmitting member comprises a timing belt or a timing chain.

5. The drive configuration according to claim 2, further comprising one or more of hydraulic pumps, electrical generation devices, motors, solenoids, idler pulleys, adjusting mechanisms, tensioning mechanisms, and balance shafts, connected to the base.

6. The drive configuration according to claim 5, wherein one or more of the driven sprockets are located outside the area.

7. The drive configuration according to claim 1, further comprising:

an adjusting mechanism which adjusts the rotational position of one or more of the driven sprockets relative to drive sprocket; and

a tensioning mechanism for taking up slack in the force transmitting member.

8. The drive configuration according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting mechanism rotates a pulley about the axis of another pulley, the drive sprocket, one of the driven sprockets, or one of the first or second pulleys.

9. The drive configuration according to claim 2, wherein the base, at least one of the pulleys, and the force transmitting member form at least part of a cartridge that is structured and arranged to be installed or removed from the engine as a unit.

10. The drive configuration according to claim 2, further comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) transmitter connected to the base for receiving or transmitting information related to the drive configuration.

11. The drive configuration according to claim 2, wherein the force transmitting member is coupled to a sprocket or a pulley of one or more of a camshaft, a water pump, an oil pump, a propeller, a balance shaft, and an axle.

12. The drive configuration according to claim 2, further comprising:

another force transmitting member forming another closed curve enclosing another area such that the drive sprocket is situated outside the other area and drives the other force transmitting member; and

one or more other driven sprockets driven by the other force transmitting member.

13. A valve train drive configuration for an engine having a drive sprocket for transferring a force to or from one or more other sprockets via a flexible force transmitting member, comprising:

first and second pulleys;

a base structured and arranged to be connected to the engine and at least one of the first and second pulleys such that the axis of the first and second pulleys are situated apart from each other;

a force transmitting member forming a closed curve enclosing an area, wherein the first and second pulleys are situated at least in part within the area and apart from each other so as to urge the force transmitting member against the drive sprocket such that the force transmitting member is coupled to the drive sprocket, the drive sprocket being located outside of the area.

14. The valve train drive configuration according to claim 13, wherein the base, at least one of the first and second pulleys, and the force transmitting member form a cartridge which enables the installation or removal of the force transmitting member from the engine.

15. The valve train drive configuration according to claim 13, wherein the force transmitting member comprises a timing belt or a chain, the drive sprocket comprises a crankshaft sprocket which is coupled a crankshaft of the engine, and the one or more other sprockets comprise camshaft sprockets, intermediate shaft sprockets, balance shaft sprockets, and hydraulic pump sprockets, which are coupled to the force transmitting member.

16. The valve train drive configuration according to claim 13, wherein one or more of the pulleys is a sprocket and the force transmitting member comprises a timing belt or chain.

17. The valve train drive configuration according to claim 13, further comprising one or more of pumps, electrical generation devices, motors, solenoids, idler pulleys, tensioning mechanisms, adjusting mechanisms, and balance shafts, connected to the base, wherein the adjusting mechanisms adjusts the rotational position of one or more of the other sprockets relative to drive sprocket.

18. The valve train drive configuration according to claim 14, wherein the cartridge is structured and arranged to be coupled to the engine and further comprises one or more of a water pump, a tensioner, and an idler pulley.

19. A method for configuring a flexible force transmitting member in an engine, the method comprising:

forming, using a flexible force transmitting member comprising a belt or chain, a closed curve defining an area;

locating first and second pulleys apart from each other and about a drive sprocket;

routing the flexible force transmitting member about the first and second pulleys and the drive sprocket such that the first and second pulleys are located within the area and the drive sprocket is located outside of the area.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

forming a cartridge comprising at least one of the first and second pulleys, a base part, and the force transmitting member, the base part structured and arranged to be connected to the engine and to support at least one of the first and second pulleys.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising installing or removing the cartridge from the engine, so that the force transmitting member is correspondingly installed or removed from the engine, wherein the engine is an internal combustion engine and the drive sprocket is an engine output shaft sprocket.