CHAIN OR BELT DRIVE LOCK

A drive lock for locking a roller chain or belt drive system to stop rotation of both the driver, such as a motor, and driven assembly, such as a wheel. By stopping rotation, the drive lock permits maintenance to be performed while the driver and driven system remain stationary, reducing the risk of damage to the drive system. The drive lock utilizes torque generated by pulley rotation to positively lock the roller chain/belt and pulley thereby preventing rotation in the direction the torque is applied.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a locking mechanism for preventing rotation of a belt or chain drive system.

BACKGROUND

When a roller chain or belt drive system needs maintenance, the drive system has to be locked down. Often no mechanism exists within the assembly to prevent the drive system from rotating. Mechanics may use inappropriate and unsafe methods to prevent the drive system from rotating and can damage the chain/belt or sprocket. For example, the force generated can bend or deform the interface between the sprocket and roller chain/belt. Such methods can result in drive system damage and unsafe worker conditions, as the locking of the drive system can easily become inadvertently unlocked and allow the drive system to rotate.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a drive lock is for use with a chain or belt drive system including a pulley and a chain or belt. The drive lock comprises a pulley interface configured to engage the pulley. The pulley interface includes at least one pulley engagement protrusion configured to be received by the pulley when the pulley interface is engaged with the pulley. The drive lock includes a chain or belt interface configured to engage the chain or belt. The chain or belt interface includes at least one chain or belt engagement protrusion configured to be received by the chain or belt when the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt. The pulley interface and chain or belt interface are arranged with respect to each other to cause the drive lock to act as a wedge between the pulley and chain or belt to obstruct movement of the pulley and chain or belt when the pulley interface is engaged with the pulley and the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt.

In another aspect, a drive lock is for use with a chain or belt drive system including a pulley and a chain or belt. The drive lock comprises a pulley interface configured to engage the pulley. The drive lock comprises a chain or belt interface configured to engage the chain or belt. The chain or belt interface includes at least one chain or belt engagement protrusion configured to be received by the chain or belt when the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt. The chain or belt interface includes side walls configured to straddle the chain or belt when the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt. The pulley interface and chain or belt interface are arranged with respect to each other to cause the drive lock to act as a wedge between the pulley and chain or belt to obstruct movement of the pulley and chain or belt when the pulley interface is engaged with the pulley and the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt.

In another aspect, a drive lock for use with a chain or belt drive system includes a pulley and a chain or belt. The drive lock comprises a pulley interface configured to engage the pulley. The drive lock comprises a chain or belt interface configured to engage the chain or belt. The chain or belt interface includes at least one chain or belt engagement protrusion configured to be received by the chain or belt when the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt, and the chain or belt interface including side walls configured to straddle the chain or belt when the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt. The pulley interface and chain or belt interface are arranged with respect to each other to cause the drive lock to act as a wedge between the pulley and chain or belt to obstruct movement of the pulley and chain or belt when the pulley interface is engaged with the pulley and the chain or belt interface is engaged with the chain or belt.

Other objects and features of the present disclosure will be in part apparent and in part pointed out herein.

Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A drive lock, indicated generally be reference number10, locks a roller chain or belt drive system to stop rotation of both the driver, such as a motor, and driven assembly, such as a wheel. By stopping rotation, the drive lock10permits maintenance to be performed while the driver and driven system remain stationary, reducing the risk of damage to the drive system. The drive lock utilizes the torque generated by pulley rotation to positively lock the roller chain/belt and pulley thereby preventing rotation in the direction the torque is applied. As will become apparent, the drive lock can be used on any roller chain or belt drive system.

Referring toFIGS.1-4, the drive lock10has a modified wedge configuration and comprises a chain interface30and a sprocket interface40(broadly, “pulley interface”). Roller chain drive systems12have a driving sprocket and a driven sprocket. Sprockets can be referred to as pulleys. The drive lock10may be utilized on the driving or driven sprocket (broadly, “pulley”) to accomplish the task of locking the chain drive system12, such as a motorcycle drive system.

The drive lock10includes the chain interface30and the sprocket interface40, as will be explained in greater detail herein. The chain interface30utilizes teeth34(broadly, “protrusions”), like a sprocket, to positively engage the rollers of the roller chain18. The sprocket interface40generally replicates a curved roller chain about a sprocket. The sprocket interface includes a pair of side walls42and a plurality of stops44(broadly, “protrusions”) extending between the walls. The stops44define a plurality of sprocket interface recesses46therebetween. The stops and sprocket interface recesses are arcuately arranged to correspond to the curve of the sprocket14. Sprocket teeth16of the driven assembly extend into the sprocket interface recesses46and engage the stops44to secure the drive lock to the driven assembly (e.g., sprocket).

The chain interface30includes side walls32(broadly, “skirts”) parallel to the arrangement of teeth34. The side walls define a channel36that receives the roller chain18. The side walls32stabilize the drive lock from axially rotating out of phase between the roller chain18and sprocket14. The side walls32are also a safety feature as they minimize the risk of injury for the operator from pinching between the drive lock and the roller chain/belt during installation.

To use the drive lock10, first the chain interface30is positioned along the chain by inserting the teeth into a section of the chain. The drive lock is positioned on the inner or sprocket side of the chain so that the drive lock will engage the sprocket.

When installed, the drive lock10unitizes the drive system (e.g., the roller chain and the sprocket) to prevent rotation of the drive assembly.FIG.3illustrates the drive lock placed on the roller chain to prevent movement of the driver, drive assembly, and/or drive system that would result in the sprocket rotating in a counter clockwise direction. In this position, the roller chain and sprocket will not move when a torque is applied to the drive system in a clockwise direction. When the chain interface30is placed on the roller chain18, the roller chain is disposed in the channel36and the teeth34are disposed in corresponding chain recesses20in the roller chain. The drive system is rotated to move the drive lock toward the sprocket. As the drive lock10is moved toward and engages the sprocket, the sprocket teeth16move into the sprocket interface recesses46of the sprocket interface40and engage the stops44, preventing further motion between the chain and the sprocket to lock and unitize the drive system.

Referring toFIG.3, as the drive lock10is fed into the interface between the roller chain18and the sprocket14, the drive lock wedges between the chain and sprocket to prevent further rotation. A tangential force, indicated by arrow TF, on the roller chain is generated by the drive lock to prevent further rotation. As torque increases from the sprocket, the teeth of the drive lock increase their force against the roller chain, further securing the drive system in place.

The drive lock10converts the tangential force TF of the sprocket teeth16on the roller chain into a normal force, indicated by arrow marked NF. The tangential force TF is parallel to the direction of roller chain travel. The normal force NF is perpendicular to the direction or roller chain travel. Through this mechanism, the force generated by torqueing the driven sprocket feeds the drive lock10into the sprocket where the sprocket teeth16engage the sprocket interface40. The tangential force TF being generated converts to a normal force NF. As the amount of torque on the driven system is increased, the tangential force TF also increases generating a larger normal force NF, thereby locking the drive system in place.

With reference toFIG.3, to release the drive system and disengage the drive lock10, the driven sprocket is rotated in the opposite direction (e.g., clockwise), thereby moving the drive lock with the roller chain away from the sprocket14. Once clear of the driven sprocket, the drive lock can be removed from the roller chain.

Illustrated inFIG.4, the drive lock10is placed to prevent movement of the driver, drive assembly, and/or drive system that would result in the sprocket rotating in a clockwise direction. In this position, the chain/belt and sprocket will not move when a torque is applied to the drive system in a clockwise direction.

The drive lock10can be easily modified to work with any roller chain drive, cog drive or other belt drive systems (e.g., with various types of toothed or non-toothed pulleys) by matching the engineering specifications for those systems. The following are general dimensions for the drive lock. The drive lock can be made from any suitable material such as metal (e.g., aluminum). It will be appreciated that the drive lock can have other configurations (e.g., lack side walls, teeth, stops, and/or protrusions) and have dimensions and/or proportions different from shown herein, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In one example, the drive lock10is designed for a 530X roller chain drive on motorcycles. The teeth of the chain interface are compliant with ANSI standard 530 roller chain tooth profiles. The stops and recesses of the sprocket interface have ANSI compliant dimensions for 530X roller chain sprocket. For example, the sprocket interface can be designed for a 530X roller chain sprocket with an 8.375 inch diameter. This drive lock will work for any 530X drive system as long as there is space for implementation.

A second embodiment of a drive lock110will be described with reference toFIG.5. The drive lock110of this embodiment is similar to the drive lock10described above, and like reference numbers, plus 100, are used to designate like elements. For example, the drive lock110includes a chain interface130and a sprocket interface140(broadly, “pulley interface”). The chain interface includes side walls132(e.g., skirts) that define a channel136and teeth134arranged between the side walls. The sprocket interface140includes stops144and sprocket interface recesses146between the stops. In this embodiment, the sprocket interface140can pivot about a pivot axis PA relative to the chain interface130. The pivoting enables the sprocket interface140to positively engage all of the sprocket teeth in the section of the sprocket that is engaged with the drive lock. This also enables equal force distribution on all of the stops of the sprocket interface, minimizing wear and tear.

A third embodiment of a drive lock210will be described with reference toFIGS.6-7. The drive lock210of this embodiment is similar to the drive lock10described above, and like reference numbers, plus 200, are used to designate like elements. For example, the drive lock210includes a chain interface230and a sprocket interface240(broadly, “pulley interface”). The sprocket interface240includes side walls242and stops244extending between the side walls. Sprocket interface recesses246are located between the stops. The chain interface230includes teeth234. In this embodiment, the chain interface230does not include sidewalls bounding the teeth234.

A fourth embodiment of a drive lock310will be described with reference toFIG.8. The drive lock310of this embodiment is similar to the drive lock10described above, and like reference numbers, plus 300, are used to designate like elements. For example, the drive lock310includes a chain interface330including side walls332that define a channel336and teeth334arranged between the side walls. The sprocket interface340(broadly, “pulley interface”) includes stops344and sprocket interface recesses346between the stops. In this embodiment, the sprocket interface340does not include sidewalls bounding the stops.

A fifth embodiment of a drive lock410will be described with reference toFIGS.9-11. The drive lock410is similar to the drive lock10described above, and like reference numbers, plus 400, are used to designate like elements. In this embodiment, the drive lock410is configured for use with a cogged belt drive system. The drive lock410includes a belt interface430and a pulley interface440configured to engage a cogged pulley on which the cogged belt moves. The belt interface includes side walls432that define a channel436and teeth434arranged between the side walls. The pulley interface440includes stops444and pulley interface recesses446between the stops. In this embodiment, the pulley interface440does not include side walls bounding the stops. Such a construction may be desirable for use with a pulley that includes side walls and is configured to capture the protrusions of the pulley interface between the side walls of the pulley. However, the pulley interface could still include side walls.

It will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. The dimensions and proportions described herein are by way of example without limitation. Other dimensions and proportions can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other configurations (e.g., including or not including side walls on the sprocket interface or chain/belt interface, and including or not including teeth, protrusions, stops, and/or recesses on the sprocket interface or chain/belt interface) can be used without departing from the present disclosure. Moreover, it will be appreciated that components of the embodiments disclosed above can be combined in various combinations (e.g., forming different sprocket and/or chain/belt interfaces) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated the embodiments disclosed herein to not require a component of the drive lock (e.g., a securing device) to be passed through the chain or to be wrapped around the chain/belt, but such components could be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure.