Transmission mechanism and mute chain thereof

Abstract

A transmission mechanism and a mute chain thereof are provided, the transmission mechanism includes a mute chain and a fluted disc, the mute chain includes a plurality of inner links, a plurality of outer links arranged outside the inner links in a staggered manner, and a plurality of pivots connecting the outer links and the inner links in series. Each inner chain link comprises an inner chain body made of a non-metal material and an inner piece unit arranged on the outer side of the inner chain body, and the inner chain body is provided with a meshing protruding part protruding in the meshing direction. Each outer chain link comprises two outer pieces which are oppositely arranged and arranged on the outer sides of the adjacent inner chain links respectively, and the outer chain links and the adjacent inner chain links are matched to define meshing spaces. The fluted disc comprises a ring body and a plurality of meshing teeth, the meshing teeth are meshed in the meshing space, and every two adjacent meshing teeth are matched to define a tooth bottom used for meshing of the meshing protrusions. Through the structural design of the mute chain and the fluted disc, the high-strength characteristic of an existing chain and the vibration low-noise characteristic of a transmission belt can be fused, and a brand-new transmission component with high transmission performance is generated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a power transmission component, and more particularly to a transmission mechanism using a chain. Background Technology

[0002] In terms of power transmission technology for electric motor systems, it can be broadly divided into belt drive and chain drive. Belt drive has advantages such as low vibration and noise and simple maintenance, while chain drive has advantages such as high rigidity, easy assembly, and the ability to be assembled by splicing without damaging the frame. Therefore, if belt drive technology could be integrated into chain drive, a completely new transmission component with high transmission performance could be created. Furthermore, because existing chains require inner and outer links to alternately mesh with the sprocket, the inner and outer links must be designed with the same pitch, resulting in a lack of flexibility in the design of chain links. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a silent chain that combines the advantages of both belt drive and chain drive.

[0004] The present invention provides a silent chain comprising a plurality of inner links arranged along the transmission direction, a plurality of outer links arranged at intervals along the transmission direction, and a plurality of pivots connecting the outer links and the inner links, wherein each pivot enables the corresponding inner link and the outer link to rotate relative to each other.

[0005] At least one of the inner links includes a non-metallic inner link body and an inner plate unit disposed outside the inner link body. The inner link body has an engagement protrusion extending in the engagement direction. The outer links are staggered outside the inner links, and each outer link includes two opposing outer plates disposed outside adjacent inner links, and the outer links cooperate with adjacent inner links to define an engagement space.

[0006] The silent chain of the present invention includes an inner chain body having a main body and two through holes located in the main body. The engaging protrusion of the inner chain body extends from the main body in the engaging direction. The inner plate unit includes at least one inner plate disposed on the outside of the inner chain body. The inner plate has a pivot portion and two internal through holes disposed at intervals in the pivot portion and respectively communicating with the through holes. The outer plate has two external through holes respectively communicating with adjacent through holes and internal through holes. The pivot can rotatably pass through the corresponding internal through hole and the corresponding through hole, and is finally fixed in the corresponding external through hole.

[0007] The silent chain of the present invention includes an inner plate unit comprising two inner plates arranged at relative intervals and two bushings. Each inner plate has a pivot portion and two internal through holes spaced apart from the pivot portion. The inner chain body is located between the inner plates and has two through holes respectively communicating with the internal through holes. The bushings pass through the through holes and are respectively fixed to the internal through holes of the inner plates. The pivots are rotatably inserted in the bushings.

[0008] The silent chain of the present invention includes an inner plate unit comprising two inner plates arranged at relative intervals. Each inner plate also has two annular flange portions surrounding the inner through hole and protruding from the pivot portion toward the other inner plate. The pivot is rotatably inserted through the flange portions.

[0009] The silent chain of the present invention has an inner plate having a protrusion extending from the pivot portion toward the meshing direction, wherein the length of the protrusion extending in the meshing direction is greater than the length of the meshing protrusion of the inner chain body in the meshing direction.

[0010] The silent chain of the present invention further includes an inner plate with an inner groove.

[0011] The silent chain of the present invention has an outer groove in the inner chain body, and the outer groove communicates with the inner groove.

[0012] The silent chain of the present invention further includes a columnar body passing through the communicating inner groove and the outer groove in the inner link.

[0013] In the silent chain of the present invention, the difference between the pitch of the inner link and the pitch of the outer link is greater than 0.3 mm, but less than the smaller of the two pitches.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a transmission mechanism that can improve upon at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0015] The transmission mechanism of this invention includes the aforementioned silent chain and a toothed disc. The silent chain includes multiple inner links, multiple outer links, and multiple pivots. The inner links are arranged along the transmission direction, and at least one inner link includes a non-metallic inner chain body and an inner plate unit disposed outside the inner chain body. The inner chain body has a meshing protrusion extending in the meshing direction. The outer links are arranged at intervals and staggered outside the inner links along the transmission direction. Each outer link includes two opposing outer plates disposed outside adjacent inner links, and the outer links cooperate with adjacent inner links to define a meshing space. The pivots connect the outer links and the inner links, allowing each inner link to rotate relative to the outer links. The toothed disc includes a ring body and multiple meshing teeth that are spaced apart around the ring body axis and protrude from the outer periphery of the ring body. The meshing teeth are used to engage with the meshing space of the outer links of the silent chain. The meshing teeth have tooth portions protruding radially outward from the ring body, and tooth crown portions connected to the ends of the tooth portions. The tooth portions have inner tooth surfaces and outer tooth surfaces opposite to the inner tooth surfaces. The tooth portions of two adjacent meshing teeth cooperate to define tooth bases for engagement of the meshing protrusions of the silent chain.

[0016] In the transmission mechanism of the present invention, the thickness of the crown portion is greater than the thickness of the tooth portion, and the crown portion extends and protrudes from the inner or outer side of the tooth portion in the width direction, or extends and protrudes symmetrically from the inner and outer sides of the tooth portion in the width direction.

[0017] In the transmission mechanism of the present invention, the thickness of the tooth crown is not greater than the width of the inner link.

[0018] The transmission mechanism of the present invention has an inner side surface and an outer side surface opposite to the inner side surface, and has at least one drain groove that is recessed into the tooth root in a radially outwardly flared shape, the drain groove being recessed into the inner side surface or the outer side surface.

[0019] In the transmission mechanism of the present invention, the meshing teeth only mesh with the outer chain link.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: through the structural design of the silent chain and the toothed disc, the high strength characteristics of the existing chain and the low vibration and noise characteristics of the transmission belt can be combined to produce a brand-new transmission mechanism with high transmission performance. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1It is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a silent chain and a toothed disc in a first embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention. Only a partial section of the silent chain is shown in the figure.

[0023] Figure 2 It is an incomplete side view, illustration Figure 1 The structure of the silent chain and the toothed disc;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the structure of this embodiment of the toothed disk;

[0025] Figure 4 It is an exploded three-dimensional view illustrating the structure of the silent chain in the first embodiment;

[0026] Figure 5 It is a perspective view illustrating the structure of an inner link of the silent chain in the first embodiment;

[0027] Figure 6 This is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of an inner sheet unit of the silent chain in the first embodiment;

[0028] Figure 7 It is a side view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the first embodiment;

[0029] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Sectional view along section line AA;

[0030] Figure 9 It is a perspective view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in a second embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 10 It is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the inner sheet unit of the silent chain in the second embodiment;

[0032] Figure 11 It is a perspective view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in a third embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 12 It is a side view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in the third embodiment;

[0034] Figure 13 yes Figure 12 Sectional view along section line BB;

[0035] Figure 14 This is an exploded perspective view illustrating the inner plate unit structure of the silent chain in a fourth embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 15 It is a side view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the fourth embodiment;

[0037] Figure 16 yes Figure 15 Sectional view along the CC section line;

[0038] Figure 17 This is an exploded perspective view illustrating the inner plate unit structure of the silent chain in a fifth embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 18 It is a side view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the fifth embodiment;

[0040] Figure 19 yes Figure 18 Sectional view along section line DD;

[0041] Figure 20 It is a perspective view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in a sixth embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 21 It is an exploded three-dimensional view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the sixth embodiment;

[0043] Figure 22 This is an incomplete side view illustrating the use of the silent chain and the sprocket in the sixth embodiment;

[0044] Figure 23 yes Figure 22 Sectional view along the EE section line;

[0045] Figure 24 This is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the inner link of the sixth embodiment;

[0046] Figure 25 It is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the inner link of the sixth embodiment;

[0047] Figure 26 It is a perspective view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in a seventh embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 27 It is a side view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the seventh embodiment;

[0049] Figure 28 yes Figure 27 Sectional view along section line FF;

[0050] Figure 29It is a perspective view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in an eighth embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 30 It is a side view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the eighth embodiment;

[0052] Figure 31 yes Figure 30 Cross-sectional view along the GG section line;

[0053] Figure 32 It is an exploded perspective view illustrating the inner link structure of the silent chain in a ninth embodiment of the transmission mechanism of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 33 It is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the ninth embodiment;

[0055] Figure 34 It is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the inner link of the silent chain in the ninth embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0056] Before the invention is described in detail, it should be noted that similar components are represented by the same numbers in the following description.

[0057] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 A first embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention includes a geared disc 3 and a silent chain 4 that mesh with each other to transmit power.

[0058] The toothed disc 3 includes a ring-shaped ring body 31 and a plurality of meshing teeth 32 protruding from the outer periphery of the ring body 31 around its axis. The ring body 31 has an inner side surface 312 and an outer side surface 311 opposite to each other in a width direction W, and has a plurality of drainage grooves 33 recessed on the outer side surface 311 and the inner side surface 312 around its axis.

[0059] Each of the meshing teeth 32 has a tooth portion 321 protruding radially outward from the ring body 31, and a crown portion 324 connected to the protruding end of the tooth portion 321. The tooth portion 321 has an inner tooth surface 323 and an outer tooth surface 322 opposite to each other in the width direction W. The tooth portions 321 of two adjacent meshing teeth 32 will cooperate to define a tooth root 30 for the engagement of the silent chain 4. The drain groove 33 is located near the tooth root 30, and gradually recesses into the corresponding tooth root 30 in a radially outward flared shape, forming an inclined groove edge.

[0060] The crown portion 324 extends and protrudes from the inner surface 323 and the outer surface 322 of the tooth portion 321 in the width direction W, so the thickness of the crown portion 324 in the width direction W is greater than the thickness of the tooth portion 321 in the width direction W. However, in another embodiment of the present invention, the crown portion 324 may extend and protrude outward from only one of the inner surface 323 and the outer surface 322 of the tooth portion 321.

[0061] See Figure 1 , Figure 4 The silent chain 4 includes multiple inner links 5 arranged along a drive direction D, multiple outer links 6 arranged at intervals and staggered outside the inner links 5 along the drive direction D, and multiple pivots 7 connecting the inner links 5 and the outer links 6. The thickness D1 of the tooth crown 324 is not greater than the width D2 of the inner links 5. The pitch D3 of the inner links 5 and the pitch D4 of the outer links 6 may be different. The difference between the pitch of the inner links 5 and the pitch of the outer links 6 is greater than 0.3 mm, but less than the smaller of the two pitches.

[0062] It should be noted that the silent chain 4 is in the form of a loop. For ease of explanation, the attached diagram only shows a partial section of the silent chain 4. The following will use one of the inner links 5 and one of the outer links 6 as an example to illustrate the structure.

[0063] See Figures 4-8 The inner link 5 includes an inner sheet unit 51 and an inner link body 52 made of non-metallic material covering the inner sheet unit 51. The non-metallic material is, for example, but not limited to, rubber or other plastic materials.

[0064] The inner plate unit 51 includes two opposing inner plates 511 and two bushings 516. Each inner plate 511 has a pivot portion 512 and a protrusion 514 extending from the pivot portion 512 toward the meshing direction of the gear disk 3. Each pivot portion 512 has two spaced-apart inner through holes 513, and the bushings 516 are inserted and fixed in the inner through holes 513 and protrude outward from the outer side of the inner plate 511. Each protrusion 514 has a through inner groove 515.

[0065] The inner chain body 52 covers and is fixed to the inner sheet 511. It has a main body portion 521 that covers the pivot portion 512 of the inner sheet 511 and the outer periphery of the bushing 516, and an engaging protrusion 522 that protrudes from the main body portion 521 in the engagement direction, covers the protrusion 514, and fills the inner groove 515. The main body portion 521 has two through holes 523 that communicate with the inner through hole 513, allowing the bushing 516 to pass through and be exposed.

[0066] The outer link 6 includes two spaced-apart outer pieces 61, which are staggered and arranged outside the corresponding two inner links 52. The outer pieces 61 of the outer link 6 cooperate with the inner links 5 to define a meshing space 60 with an opening facing the meshing direction. Each outer piece 61 has two external through holes 610, which communicate with the through holes 523 of the adjacent inner links 5.

[0067] See Figure 1 , Figure 4 The pivot 7 is rotatably passed through the bushing 516 and finally fixed in the outer through hole 610 of the outer piece 61, thereby connecting the inner link 5 and the outer link 6 together.

[0068] See Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 When the silent chain 4 of the transmission mechanism 200 of this first embodiment is used in conjunction with the toothed disc 3, the silent chain 4 allows the meshing teeth 32 of the toothed disc 3 to engage with the meshing space 60 located in the outer link 6. The toothed disc 3 allows the silent chain 4 to engage with the meshing protrusion 522 located in the inner link 5 in the meshing direction through the tooth base 30. At this time, the tooth crown 324 of the meshing tooth 32 is confined between the corresponding outer plates 61, which can be used to prevent the silent chain 4 from falling off laterally, making the silent chain 4 more stable during the meshing transmission with the toothed disc 3.

[0069] When the toothed disc 3 is driven to rotate, the meshing teeth 32 that mesh with the meshing space 60 will push the corresponding meshing protrusions 522 of the inner chain body 52 in the transmission direction D, thereby driving the silent chain 4 to rotate and move.

[0070] Because the inner chain body 52 of the inner link 5 is made of non-metallic material, the noise when the inner chain body 52 meshes with the toothed disc 3 can be significantly reduced. Therefore, while maintaining the high rigidity and easy assembly of existing chains, it also combines the quietness of belt drives. Furthermore, the structural design of the inner link 5 and the outer link 6 means that the pitch of the inner link 5 and the pitch of the outer link 6 do not necessarily need to be similar. In other words, the pitches of the inner link 5 and the outer link 6 can be designed with different sizes and stages, depending on the usage requirements.

[0071] Furthermore, the design of the drain groove 33 of the toothed disc 3 allows the dirt adhering to the toothed disc 3 when it meshes with the silent chain 4 to slide radially inward along the inclined edge of the drain groove 33, which can greatly reduce the accumulation of dirt on the toothed disc 3. Moreover, since the drain groove 33 has an open structure, it is also very convenient to clean.

[0072] See Figure 9 , Figure 10 The second embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the structural design of the inner plate unit 51 of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4 is described. For ease of explanation, the following description will only focus on the differences between the embodiments.

[0073] In this second embodiment, the inner sheet 511 of the inner sheet unit 51 only has the pivot portion 512, that is, the protrusion is not provided. The inner chain body 52 covers the outer periphery of the inner sheet 511 and the bushing 516.

[0074] The installation and connection methods of the inner link 5, the outer link 6 and the pivot 7 in this second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the way they are used with the gear plate 3 is also the same as that in the first embodiment, so they will not be described in detail here.

[0075] See Figures 11-13 The difference between a third embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention and the first embodiment lies in the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4.

[0076] In this third embodiment, the pivot portion 512 of the inner sheet 511 has an outer side 510 opposite to the engagement direction. The main body portion 521 of the inner chain body 52 covering the pivot portion 512 is flush with the outer side 510, thereby exposing the outer side 510 of the inner sheet 511.

[0077] See Figures 14-16 The fourth embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4 is as follows.

[0078] In this fourth embodiment, the engaging protrusion 522 of the inner chain body 52 passes through an outer hole groove 524 that communicates with the inner hole groove 515 of the inner piece 511. The inner chain link 5 also includes a columnar body 53 that passes through and is fixed to the inner hole groove 515 and the outer hole groove 524. This design improves the structural strength of the inner chain link 5.

[0079] See Figures 17-19 The fifth embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4 is as follows.

[0080] In this fifth embodiment, the inner sheet unit 51 of the inner link 5 is not provided with the bushing. The inner sheet 511 also has two annular flange portions 517 protruding from the pivot portion 512 toward the other inner sheet 511 and respectively surrounding the inner through hole 513. The inner sheets 511 abut against each other with the flange portions 517 facing each other. The main body portion 521 of the inner chain body 52 covers the pivot portion 512 of the inner sheet 511 and covers the outer periphery of the flange portions 517.

[0081] The pivot (not shown) is rotatably inserted into the corresponding inner through hole 513 and the flange portion 517, and its two ends are respectively inserted and fixed into the outer through hole (not shown) of the corresponding outer piece (not shown).

[0082] See Figures 20-23 The sixth embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4 is as follows.

[0083] In this sixth embodiment, the inner chain body 52 is located between the inner pieces 511 of the inner piece unit 51, and the protrusion length of the protrusion 514 of the inner piece 511 in the meshing direction is greater than the protrusion length of the meshing protrusion 522 of the inner chain body 52 in the meshing direction. The protrusion 514 of the inner piece 511 protrudes beyond the tooth root 30 in the meshing direction and is located on the outer surface 311 and inner surface 312 of the tooth disk 3, respectively. The thickness D1 of the tooth crown 324 is not greater than the width D2 of the inner chain link 5.

[0084] The inner through holes 513 of the inner sheet 511 are respectively connected to the through holes 523 of the inner chain body 52. ​​The bushing 516 of the inner sheet unit 51 is inserted into the through holes 523 and fixed to the corresponding connected inner through holes 513.

[0085] The outer piece 61 of the outer link 6 corresponds to the outer side of the inner piece 511 of the inner link 5, and is connected to the inner link 5 via the pivot 7 passing through the bushing 516.

[0086] With this design, when the silent chain 4 of this sixth embodiment is used with the toothed disc 3, it will also engage with the tooth root 30 of the toothed disc 3 through the engaging protrusion 522 of the inner chain body 52 of the inner link 5. Furthermore, because the protrusions 514 of the inner plate 511 are located on both sides of the toothed disc 3, the silent chain 4 can be confined to the toothed disc 3, which helps to maintain good meshing and transmission efficiency between the silent chain 4 and the toothed disc 3.

[0087] See Figure 24In another embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion length of the protrusion 514 of the inner sheet 511 in the meshing direction may be designed to be no greater than the protrusion length of the meshing protrusion 522 of the inner chain body 52 in the meshing direction.

[0088] See Figure 25 In another embodiment of the invention, the inner sheet 511 may be designed to have only the pivot portion 512, that is, the inner sheet 511 may not have the protrusion 514. This can reduce the weight of the inner link 5.

[0089] See Figures 26-28 The seventh embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4 is as follows.

[0090] In this seventh embodiment, the inner link 5 includes an inner sheet unit 51 and an inner chain body 52 covering the inner sheet unit 51. The inner sheet unit 51 includes only one inner sheet 511. The thickness of the inner sheet 511 in the width direction W is greater than the thickness of the inner sheet 511 in the first embodiment. The inner chain body 52 covers the inner sheet 511 and fills the inner hole groove 515 of the inner sheet 511.

[0091] The pivot (not shown) is rotatably inserted through the inner through hole 513 of the corresponding inner piece 511 and the through hole 523 of the inner chain body 52, and is fixed to the corresponding outer piece (not shown).

[0092] See Figures 29-31 The difference between an eighth embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention and the seventh embodiment lies in the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4.

[0093] In this eighth embodiment, the inner sheet unit 51 further includes two bushings 516 that are respectively inserted through and fixed in the inner sheet 511 through the inner through holes 513 and respectively inserted in the through holes 523 of the inner chain body 52. ​​The pivot (not shown) is rotatably inserted in the bushing 516 of the corresponding inner sheet unit 51.

[0094] See Figures 32-34 The difference between a ninth embodiment of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention and the fifth embodiment lies in the structural design of the inner link 5 of the silent chain 4.

[0095] In this ninth embodiment, the inner chain body 52 is located between the inner sheets 511 of the inner sheet unit 51, and the flange portions 517 of the inner sheets 511 are embedded in the through holes 523 of the inner chain body 52. ​​The pivot (not shown) is rotatably disposed in the corresponding inner through hole 513, the flange portion 517 and the through hole 523.

[0096] In summary, the structural design of this silent chain 4 not only integrates the high strength characteristics of existing chains and the low vibration and noise characteristics of drive belts, but also allows for convenient design of the inner link 5 and the outer link 6. This means that the pitch of the inner link 5 and the outer link 6 does not necessarily need to be similar. Depending on the usage requirements, the pitch of the inner link 5 and the outer link 6 can be designed with different dimensions and stages to adapt to various vehicle models and chain length requirements.

[0097] Furthermore, the outer link 6, in conjunction with the inner link 5, defines the meshing space 60. The outer piece 61 defining the meshing space 60 is respectively positioned on the outer surface 322 and inner surface 323 of the corresponding meshing teeth 32, providing a guiding and chain-preventing function. The meshing protrusion 522 of the inner link 52 and the crown portion 324 of the meshing teeth 32 of the gear disc 3 increase the contact area between the meshing inner link 5 and the meshing teeth 32, thereby increasing kinetic energy transmission efficiency. The crown portion 324 of the meshing teeth 32 extends and protrudes in the width direction W, significantly improving the structural strength, rigidity, and wear resistance of the entire gear disc 3, enabling it to withstand higher torques. Moreover, the gear disc 3 has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture and maintain.

[0098] Therefore, the silent chain 4 and the toothed disc 3 of the transmission mechanism 200 of the present invention are indeed quite innovative and convenient to use, and can indeed achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0099] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A silent chain, comprising a plurality of inner links arranged along a transmission direction, a plurality of outer links spaced apart along the transmission direction, and a plurality of pivots connecting the outer links and the inner links, each pivot causing the corresponding inner link and the outer link to rotate relative to each other, characterized in that: At least one of the inner links includes a non-metallic inner link body and an inner plate unit disposed outside the inner link body. The inner link body has a meshing protrusion extending in the meshing direction. The outer links are staggered and arranged outside the inner link body. The outer link body includes two oppositely disposed outer plates disposed outside the adjacent inner link body. The outer link body cooperates with the adjacent inner link body to define a meshing space.

2. The silent chain according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner chain body also has a main body portion and two through holes located in the main body portion. The meshing protrusion of the inner chain body extends from the main body portion in the meshing direction. The inner sheet unit includes at least one inner sheet disposed on the outside of the inner chain body. The inner sheet has a pivot portion and two internal through holes disposed at intervals in the pivot portion and respectively communicating with the through holes. The outer sheet has two external through holes respectively communicating with the adjacent through holes and the internal through holes. The pivot can rotatably pass through the corresponding internal through holes and the corresponding through holes, and is finally fixed in the corresponding external through holes.

3. The silent chain according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner sheet unit includes two inner sheets arranged at relative intervals and two bushings. Each inner sheet has a pivot portion and two internal through holes spaced apart from the pivot portion. The inner chain body is located between the inner sheets and has two through holes that communicate with the internal through holes respectively. The bushings pass through the through holes and are respectively fixed to the internal through holes of the inner sheets. The pivots are rotatably inserted in the bushings.

4. The silent chain according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner sheet unit includes two inner sheets arranged at relative intervals. Each inner sheet also has two annular flange portions that surround the inner through hole and protrude from the pivot portion toward the other inner sheet. The pivot is rotatably inserted through the flange portions.

5. The silent chain according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that: The inner sheet has a protrusion extending from the pivot portion toward the meshing direction, and the length of the protrusion extending in the meshing direction is greater than the length of the meshing protrusion of the inner chain body in the meshing direction.

6. The silent chain according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner sheet also has an inner groove.

7. The silent chain according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inner chain has an outer slot, which is connected to the inner slot.

8. The silent chain according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner link also includes a columnar body passing through the interconnected inner and outer slots.

9. The silent chain according to claim 1, characterized in that: The difference between the pitch of the inner link and the pitch of the outer link is greater than 0.3 mm, but less than the smaller of the two pitches.

10. A transmission mechanism, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a silent chain and a toothed disc. The silent chain includes multiple inner links, multiple outer links, and multiple pivots. The inner links are arranged along the transmission direction, and at least one inner link includes a non-metallic inner chain body and an inner plate unit disposed outside the inner chain body. The inner chain body has a meshing protrusion extending in the meshing direction. The outer links are arranged at intervals and staggered outside the inner links along the transmission direction. Each outer link includes two opposing outer plates disposed outside adjacent inner links, and the outer links cooperate with adjacent inner links to define a meshing space. The pivots are connected in series. The outer link is connected to the inner link, so that each inner link can rotate relative to the outer link. The toothed disc includes a ring body and a plurality of meshing teeth that are spaced apart around the axis of the ring body and protrude from the outer periphery of the ring body. The meshing teeth are used to mesh with the meshing space of the outer link of the silent chain. The meshing teeth have a tooth portion that protrudes radially outward from the ring body and a tooth crown portion connected to the end of the tooth portion. The tooth portion has an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface. The teeth of two adjacent meshing teeth cooperate to define a tooth root for the meshing protrusion of the silent chain to mesh.

11. The transmission mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that: The thickness of the crown portion is greater than the thickness of the tooth portion, and the crown portion extends and protrudes from the inner or outer side of the tooth portion in the width direction, or extends and protrudes symmetrically from the inner and outer sides of the tooth portion in the width direction.

12. The transmission mechanism according to claim 11, characterized in that: The thickness of the crown portion is not greater than the width of the inner link.

13. The transmission mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that: The ring body has an inner side and an outer side opposite to the inner side, and has at least one drain groove that is recessed into the tooth bottom in a radially outward flared shape, the drain groove being recessed into the inner side or the outer side.

14. The transmission mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that: The meshing teeth engage only with the outer chain segment.

Images