Resin Toothed Pulley Flange Structure to Prevent Core Slip

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing toothed pulleys with a cylindrical metallic core and resin teeth face challenges in preventing relative rotation in the circumferential direction while maintaining accuracy and avoiding increased manufacturing costs, as methods like insert molding and knurling lead to thickness discrepancies and burrs, affecting weight and accuracy specifications.

Innovation Solution

A toothed pulley design featuring a cylindrical metallic core with an outward flange having a radially inward-displaced surface, covered by a resin portion, which prevents relative rotation without the need for post-processing like knurling, reducing weight and ensuring accuracy by minimizing resin thickness and differential shrinkage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If rectangular openings are formed on the outer periphery of the metal attachment member to prevent relative rotation, then the relative rotation is prevented, but burrs are generated requiring additional post-processing steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverelative rotation preventionVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention forms protrusions on the outer periphery of the metal attachment member before the insert molding process. These pre-formed protrusions serve as rotation prevention features during the subsequent resin injection, eliminating the need for post-processing to create rotation prevention features through rectangular openings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the rotation prevention function from the insert molding process itself and implements it separately through pre-formed protrusions on the metal attachment member. This separation allows the protrusions to be formed independently, avoiding burr generation that would occur with rectangular openings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the resin pulley body thickness is increased to prevent relative rotation, then the rotation prevention is improved, but the differential shrinkage increases reducing tooth accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverelative rotation preventionVSAvoidtooth accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by forming protrusions only at specific locations on the outer periphery of the metal attachment member rather than increasing the overall resin pulley body thickness. This localized approach prevents relative rotation without increasing the radial thickness of the resin portion, thereby maintaining tooth accuracy and minimizing differential shrinkage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If the metal attachment member thickness is increased to prevent relative rotation, then the rotation prevention is improved, but the weight of the toothed pulley increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverelative rotation preventionVSAvoidtoothed pulley weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention forms protrusions on the metal attachment member before the insert molding process to provide rotation prevention. These protrusions enable the use of a thinner metal attachment member compared to designs requiring increased thickness for rotation prevention, thereby reducing the overall weight of the toothed pulley while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Stability of the object's composition

If knurling is applied on the outer peripheral surface of the metallic core to prevent relative rotation, then the relative rotation is prevented, but the manufacturing cost increases due to additional machining steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverelative rotation preventionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention forms protrusions on the outer periphery of the metal attachment member as a preliminary action before the insert molding process. These protrusions provide rotation prevention functionality without requiring subsequent knurling or other post-molding machining operations, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 effectively prevents circumferential rotation of the metallic and resin components, reduces manufacturing costs, and maintains the required accuracy specifications for toothed pulleys in power transmission mechanisms.

Implementation Method 1

the resin pulley body 22 is formed by insert molding onto the radially outside of the metal attachment member 21 with the metal attachment member 21 as an insert article

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectInsert molding:

Implementation Method 2

the molten resin enters the openings 21c and is solidified to prevent the metal attachment member 21 from turning in the circumferential direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolidification: Freezing

Data Source

PatentEP4030081A1Toothed pulley
Publication Date: 2022.07.20 JTEKT CORP
  • EP4030081A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4030081A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4030081A1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

To prevent, in a toothed pulley including a cylindrical metallic core and a resin portion with teeth, the metallic core and the resin portion from relatively rotating in the circumferential direction, while securing the accuracy in the teeth and preventing the manufacturing cost from increasing. A toothed pulley A includes a cylindrical metallic core B and a resin portion C including teeth T. The metallic core B has, at one end thereof in the axial direction, an outward flange 1C projecting outward in the radial direction. The outward flange 1C has a radially outer peripheral surface M serving as a rotation prevention shape X including a plurality of parts displaced inward in the radial direction from the radially outer peripheral surface having a cylindrical shape. The radially outer peripheral surface M of the outward flange 1C is covered by the resin portion C.