Patent ID: 9726051
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: F01L,F02B,F16F,F16H

Claim:
1. A tensioner for a timing belt, comprising: a shaft and base that are mountable to be stationary relative to an engine; a tensioner arm that is pivotable relative to the shaft about a tensioner arm axis; a shoe on the tensioner arm having an outer surface that is slidingly engageable with an engagement surface of the endless drive member; a tensioner spring having a first end on a first end coil that is positioned to exert a force on the shaft and base and a second end on a second end coil that is positioned to urge the tensioner arm towards a free arm position such that a first force is exerted on the first end of the tensioner spring by the shaft and base and a second force is exerted on the second end of the tensioner spring by the tensioner arm; and a damping element that is fixed to one of the tensioner arm and the shaft and base, and that is engaged by a plurality of axially spaced segments of the tensioner spring, including a first segment that is on the first end coil of the tensioner spring having the first end and a second segment that is on the second end coil of the tensioner spring having the second end, wherein a net force exerted by the tensioner spring on the damping element is based on a vector sum of the first and second forces due to engagement of the first and second segments of the tensioner spring with the damping element.