Chain Guide Mechanism With Integrated Bridge Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing chain guide mechanisms for engine timing drives are difficult to assemble and disassemble due to the need for individual mounting and dismounting of components, and they do not effectively prevent the chain from disengaging from the sprocket during operation.
Innovation Solution
A chain guide mechanism with two chain guides in sliding relationship and a guide bridge that integrally holds the chain guides and sprockets, featuring coaxial cylindrical mounting bosses, chain-engaging guiding surfaces, and chain pressing portions to maintain chain tension and prevent disengagement, with a T-shaped guide bridge design that reduces deformation and facilitates assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the chain guides and sprockets are mounted individually on the engine block, then each component can be positioned precisely, but the assembly process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bridge is divided into multiple segments or parts that can be assembled together to form the complete structure. This segmentation allows the chain guides and sprockets to be pre-positioned and integrated into the guide bridge assembly before mounting on the engine block, reducing on-site assembly time while maintaining positioning precision through the integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The chain guides and sprockets are pre-assembled and integrated into the guide bridge structure before the final installation on the engine block. This preliminary assembly action allows for precise positioning to be achieved during the manufacturing stage, and the pre-assembled unit can then be quickly installed as a complete assembly, significantly reducing assembly time.
2Ease of operation
If the guide bridge connects the fixed and pivoted guides across the timing chain, then assembly is simplified, but the mounting hole can become disconnected from the boss if the guide bridge deforms
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bridge structure incorporates built-in flexibility or compliance features that can accommodate deformation without causing disconnection. The mounting hole and boss are designed with some degree of tolerance or adjustment capability, and the structure includes elements that can absorb or cushion the effects of deformation, preventing the mounting hole from becoming disconnected from the boss even when the guide bridge deforms during assembly or operation.
3Force
If the chain pressing portion contacts the chain directly, then chain tension can be maintained, but the chain may experience excessive wear or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The chain pressing portion is designed with an intermediary surface or element between the pressing mechanism and the chain. This intermediary surface distributes the pressing force more evenly across the chain, preventing concentrated stress points that would cause wear. The intermediary may be a hardened surface, a distributed contact structure, or a material that reduces friction and wear while maintaining the necessary chain tension.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution simplifies the assembly and maintenance of engine timing drives by integrating chain guides and sprockets as a pre-assembled unit, preventing chain disengagement and ensuring efficient operation by maintaining uniform tension and preventing widthwise displacement.
Implementation Method 1
a first chain guide 130 and a second chain guide 120 in sliding relationship with the chain
Implementation Method 2
The mounting shaft B, the boss 621, and the mounting hole 612, form a fulcrum about which the guide 620 pivots
Data Source
AI summary
In a chain guide mechanism in which a pair of chain guides, at least one of which is a pivoted guide, are connected by mounting bosses a bridge so that the chain guides and bridge can be preassembled along with a chain and driving sprocket to form an integrated unit for installation in an engine, the chain guides include a chain-engaging guiding surface extending in a first direction from a location adjacent the mounting bosses, and a chain pressing portion extending in a second direction, opposite the first direction, substantially from the same location adjacent the mounting bosses. The pressing surfaces clamp the chain against the sprocket when a pivotable chain guide is rotated so that its chain engaging surface is moved away from the chain.