Patent ID: 6849011

Claim:
A drive belt tensioner and deflection sensor for a vehicle engine comprising: a tensioner anchor mounted with respect to the engine; a flexing element mounted on the tensioner anchor; a tensioner pulley depending from the flexing element and biased by the flexing element into contact with a drive belt; and a position sensor positioned with respect to the flexing element to indicate changes in extension of the flexing element reflecting changes in deflection of the drive belt; the position sensor engaged to a vehicle onboard computer; a fixed point on the flexing element associated with a sliding contact on a resister, the resister being connected in parallel with a constant voltage source, a voltage between the sliding contact and a terminal of the constant voltage source being measured by a voltmeter and reflecting changes in extension in the flexing element; and programming in the vehicle onboard computer for equating changes in extension with condition of the drive belt.