Transmission guide

• US 8,747,263 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Company
• Original Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Company
• Inventors: Konno, Masahiko, Mori, Kaori, Kurematsu, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, William A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, HENRY Y
• Application Number:
  US13/600,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20130059688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 474/111, 474/140
• US Class Current: 474/111
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2007/0872 Sliding members
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 7/18 Means for guiding or supporting belts, ropes, or chains construction of pulleys F16H55/36

Abstract

A transmission guide comprises a synthetic resin shoe and a more rigid synthetic resin base, integrally molded by two-member molding. The base is formed with a pair of spaced, opposed, side walls extending in the direction of elongation of the base along opposite edges of a shoe-supporting surface of the base. These side walls engage respective side edges of the shoe, and extend past the front surface of the shoe so that they can restrict lateral movement of a transmission chain sliding along the front surface of the shoe. Indentations in the side walls receive protrusions formed on the edges of the shoe. Edges of the openings of the indentations are chamfered or convexly curved to avoid interference with the movement of the chain along the guide.

Claims

1. A transmission guide for sliding engagement with a traveling transmission chain, the guide comprising:

a synthetic resin shoe having a front surface on which said chain can slide, and a back surface;

a synthetic resin base for supporting said shoe, said base being elongated along the direction of elongation of the shoe, and having a supporting surface engaged with said back surface of the shoe, the base having a higher rigidity than that of the synthetic resin shoe, and said shoe and base being integrally molded by two member molding;

wherein the synthetic resin base is provided with a pair of spaced, opposed walls extending along the direction of elongation of the base, that sandwich both sides of at least a portion of the synthetic resin shoe located between said walls;

wherein each of said walls of the synthetic resin base has a wall surface that extends along the direction of elongation of the shoe, and a plurality of shoe-engaging concave indentations in said wall surface, disposed at intervals along the direction of elongation of the shoe, and in which the shoe has a plurality of protrusions on each of its side edges, each of said protrusions extending into one of said indentations; and

wherein each of said indentations has an opening through which a protrusion of the shoe extends, said opening being defined by a pair of edges spaced from each other in the direction of elongation of the shoe and extending substantially perpendicular to an adjacent part of said supporting surface of the base, and wherein at least one of the edges of each said pair of edges has a shape from the group consisting of chamfers and convex curves whereby the opening of each indentation is tapered.

2. A transmission guide for sliding engagement with a traveling transmission chain, the guide comprising:

an elongated synthetic resin shoe having a front surface on which said chain can slide, a back surface, and opposite side edges extending along the direction of elongation of the shoe; and

a synthetic resin base for supporting said shoe, said base being elongated along the direction of elongation of the shoe, and having a supporting surface engaged with said back surface of the shoe, said supporting surface having opposite edges extending along the direction of elongation of the base, the base having a higher rigidity than that of the synthetic resin shoe, and said shoe and base being integrally molded by two member molding;

wherein the synthetic resin base is formed with a pair of spaced, opposed, side walls extending in the direction of elongation of the base along said opposite edges of said supporting surface, said side walls engaging the respective side edges of the shoe and extending past said front surface of the shoe whereby said side walls of the base can restrict lateral movement of a transmission chain sliding along the front surface of the shoe; and

wherein each of said side walls of the synthetic resin base has a side wall surface that extends along the direction of elongation of the shoe, and a plurality of shoe-engaging concave indentations in said side wall surface, disposed at intervals along the direction of elongation of the shoe, and in which the shoe has a plurality of protrusions on each of its side edges, each of said protrusions extending into one of said indentations.

3. The transmission guide according to claim 2, wherein each of said indentations has an opening through which a protrusion of the shoe extends, said opening being defined by a pair of edges spaced from each other in the direction of elongation of the shoe and extending substantially perpendicular to an adjacent part of said supporting surface of the base, and wherein at least one of the edges of each said pair of edges has a shape from the group consisting of chamfers and convex curves whereby the opening of each indentation is tapered.