JP2002181143A - V-belt type drive unit and manned rough terrain running vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a V-belt type drive unit capable of anticipating the breakage of a V-belt by detecting the foretoken of the breakage of the V-belt without removing a cover and a manned four wheel rough terrain running while provided with the V-belt type drive unit. SOLUTION: In a V-belt type transmission (V-belt type drive unit) 1 provided with a drive pulley 10 connected to a drive source, a driven pulley 20 connected to a driven object, and a V-belt B to connect the drive pulley 10 and the driven pulley 20 in interlocking relation, a belt breakage sensor 3 for detecting the physical deformation of the V-belt B attendant upon the deterioration of the V-belt B and an alarm lamp 5 and a buzzer 6 to report the result detected by the belt breakage sensor 3 are also provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a V-belt drive capable of detecting deterioration of a V-belt, which is a sign of belt damage, and to a riding type rough terrain vehicle equipped with the V-belt drive.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a riding type rough terrain vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “rough terrain vehicle”) is generally referred to as an “All Terrain Vehicle (ATV)”.
Vehicle) "or other three-wheeled or four-wheeled motorcycle,
It can run stably on rough terrain such as sand, wasteland, and wetland,
In addition, because of the large load of luggage and various equipment, it is used for various purposes such as leisure, sports competitions, border security, and the like.

[0003] In such an off-road vehicle, a V-belt type driving device is sometimes used to transmit the driving force of the engine to the wheels. As shown in FIG. 8A, a V-belt B used in a V-belt type driving device has recently been made of an aramid fiber (generally DuPont) between a tension layer Lt and a compression layer Lc made of a rubber-based material. In general, it is configured by sandwiching a tensile body layer Ltm made of a developed “Kevlar” fiber) or the like.

[0004] When the V-belt B constructed as described above deteriorates, fatigue occurs from the V-shaped inclined side surface during its use, and in particular, the upper side of the tensile layer Lt in FIG. The phenomenon that the tensile layer Lt is divided as shown in FIG. 8B and peels off from the tensile body layer Ltm (or the tensile layer Lt peels off from the tensile body layer Ltm, as shown in FIG. (The phenomenon that the layer Lt is divided).

[0005] Incidentally, in the above-described vehicle on rough terrain, the V-belt type driving device generally includes a crankshaft (drive shaft) penetrating through the side surface of the engine and projecting to the side, the V-belt type driving device, and the like. A drive pulley and a driven pulley attached to an input shaft (driven shaft) of a gear type transmission interposed between the traveling wheels, together with a V-belt wound around these pulleys, form a double bowl from the side. The cover is fastened to the side surface of the engine with a number of hexagon bolts.

Therefore, once the V-belt is broken, it is necessary to loosen all the hexagon bolts and remove the cover in order to replace the V-belt. It is a burden for the occupant to perform such work outdoors on uneven terrain or the like.In general, the cover is removed at the time of periodic inspection and the like to check the state of deterioration of the V-belt. Is to replace the V-belt.

[0007] From the above, even at times other than the periodical inspection, for example, it is possible to detect a precursor of the V-belt break so that the V-belt can be replaced before starting operation. The development of a V-belt type driving device to be used in the field is awaited.

[0008] As a reference, Japanese Patent No. 2640826 discloses such detection of a sign of breakage of a V-belt.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a V-belt drive device capable of detecting a sign of breakage of a V-belt without removing a cover, and the V-belt drive device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a riding type rough terrain vehicle.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a V-belt type driving device according to the present invention comprises a driving pulley connected to a driving source, a driven pulley connected to an object to be driven, and the driving pulley. And a V-belt drive device having a V-belt interlockingly connected to a driven pulley, comprising: a contact-type sensor for detecting physical deformation caused by the deterioration of the V-belt; and a notifying unit for notifying a detection result by the sensor. It is characterized by having.

According to the invention of the present application, a contact-type contact belt for detecting physical deformation (deterioration) of the V-belt, such as peeling of the tensile layer and the tensile member layer and breaking of the tensile layer, which is a precursor of the fracture as described above. Since the sensor is provided, when the deformation is detected by the sensor, the user can be notified of the sign of the breakage of the V-belt at an early stage by some notification means.

The V-belt mentioned here can be any V-belt for transmission, but in order to detect its physical deformation, it has a layered structure as described in the prior art. No need. Therefore, the physical deformation described above is not limited to the partial peeling or splitting of the V belt,
For example, partial expansion, distortion, or the like may be used.

Further, the V-belt type driving device according to the present invention is not limited to the driving device for an all-terrain vehicle mentioned as the prior art, but may be used for automobiles, snowmobiles, scooters, multi-wheeled vehicles, and industrial machinery. , OA equipment, etc., and transmissions and transmissions in various fields.

Further, the V-belt type driving device can be applied to a V-belt type driving device including a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a cover for covering the V-belt. In this case, the user cannot visually recognize the deterioration state of the V-belt from the outside, but according to the present invention, the user is released from the labor of removing the cover to check the deterioration state.

In the above-mentioned V-belt type driving device,
It is also possible to use a pressure-sensitive sensor as the sensor. This can be easily realized by arranging the sensor so as to be in contact with a portion of the V-belt which is out of the normal track due to physical deformation of the V-belt due to deterioration.

In the above-mentioned V-belt type driving device,
It is also possible to use a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber material as the sensor. The pressure-sensitive conductive rubber material is a mixture of a rubber material and a conductive material. The elastic resistance of the rubber material is used, and the electric resistance value changes according to the deformation (strain). In particular,
Among the piezoelectric elements described above, “pressure-sensitive conductive elastomer” can be used. Such a sensor made of pressure-sensitive conductive rubber is easy to install, and can be attached to the inside of the cover with an adhesive or the like, for example.

Further, in the above-mentioned V-belt type driving device,
It is also possible to use a sound generator or a light emitter as the notification means. In this case, the fact that the deterioration of the V belt has been detected can be audibly or visually conveyed to the user.

In the above-mentioned V-belt type driving device,
When the number of detections per unit time by the sensor exceeds a predetermined number, the notification unit may be configured to notify. In this case, for example, the number of times of detection by the sensor is stored in a memory or the like, and when the number of times of detection stored in the memory exceeds a predetermined threshold, control is performed so that the notifying unit notifies. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the risk of erroneous detection and improve the reliability of the device.

Further, the riding type rough terrain vehicle according to the present invention includes a driving pulley connected to an output shaft of a vehicle-mounted engine, a driven pulley connected to running wheels via a gear type transmission, and a layer cross section. In a riding type rough terrain traveling vehicle having a structure and a V-belt interlockingly connecting the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and a cover covering the driving pulley, the driven pulley and the V-belt, the V-belt is out of track. At an inner surface of the cover along the
A contact-type sensor that detects separation of the outer layer due to deterioration of the belt, and a notifying unit that is provided near the driver's operation position and that notifies the driver of a detection result by the sensor. I do.

According to the present invention, the driver can know the state of deterioration of the V-belt while driving, and can judge the time to replace the V-belt even during a period other than during the periodic inspection. The riding type rough terrain vehicle according to the present invention may have a three-wheel or four-wheel configuration.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, as an embodiment of a V-belt type driving device according to the present invention, an example of a V-belt type transmission mounted on a riding type four-wheel uneven terrain vehicle will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Will be described.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a side view showing the entire configuration of an all-terrain vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of the all-terrain vehicle shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in an off-road vehicle A according to the present embodiment, an engine E is mounted on a center portion of a body frame F made of pipe material, and a front portion of the body frame F A steering column (not shown) that extends substantially vertically with an appropriate caster angle is pivotally supported. A bar handle H is fixed to an upper end of the steering column, and a lower portion of the steering column is connected to a lower portion of the steering column via a pair of tie rods (not shown).
It is connected to front steering wheels FW suspended on the left and right sides of the lower front part of the body frame F, respectively.

Accordingly, the rider straddles the bar handle H on the riding seat S mounted on the rear upper portion of the body frame F, and grips the bar handle H, and rotates the bar handle H around the steering column, thereby turning the front wheel FW. Can be steered left and right.

Rear wheels RW having independent axles are respectively suspended on the left and right sides of the rear portion of the body frame F. These rear wheels RW are driven by the engine E by a V-belt type transmission described later. 1. Gear type transmission (not shown) (generally called "transmission gear")
And the like.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the inside of the V-belt type transmission shown in FIG.
I shows the internal structure of the V-belt type transmission shown in FIG.
It is a V-IV sectional view.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the V-belt type transmission 1 mainly includes a drive pulley 10 on the engine E side,
The driven pulley 20 on the rear wheel RW side (the transmission and gear side), the low-edge cog type V-belt B wound around the driving pulley 10 and the driven pulley 20, and each of these members together with the case side Ce of the engine E This is a double bowl-shaped cover C for covering. In this embodiment, the transmission gear is housed in a case of the engine E.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the driving pulley 10
Is the crankshaft S protruding from the engine E to the right side of the vehicle body
At the tip of the drive shaft 11 coaxially connected to c, the drive shaft 11
It is attached so that it rotates integrally with it. The drive pulley 10 is configured by sequentially combining a fixed sheave 10f and a movable sheave 10m from the engine E side, and the movable sheave 10m is provided on the drive shaft 11 so as to be able to freely move toward and away from the fixed sheave 10f. On the movable sheave 10m side, the movable sheave 10m is operated in the direction in contact with the fixed sheave 10f side as the rotation speed of the drive shaft 11 increases, while the movable sheave 10m is moved from the fixed sheave 10f side as the rotation speed decreases. A centrifugal force type movable device D1 that operates in a direction away from the camera is built in.

On the other hand, the driven pulley 20 is mounted on a driven shaft 21 of the V-belt type transmission 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the driven shaft 21 is connected to the transmission gear, shown in FIG. It is connected to the rear wheel RW via a differential gear. The driven pulley 20 is
From the side, the movable sheave 20m and the fixed sheave 20f are sequentially combined, and the movable sheave 20m is rotatable about the driven shaft 21 and fixedly movable around the driven shaft 21 in response to the operation of the driving pulley 10.
It is provided on the driven shaft 21 so as to be freely movable toward and away from 20f.
Further, a movable device D2 that operates in accordance with the operation of the movable device D1 as follows is built in the fixed sheave 20f.
That is, the movable device D2 is driven by the V belt B by the driving pulley 10.
During high-speed operation, the movable sheave 20m is operated in a direction away from the fixed sheave 20f, while during low-speed operation, the movable sheave 20m is operated in a direction in contact with the fixed sheave 20f.

With such a configuration, in the V-belt type transmission 1 of the present embodiment, when the rotation speed of the engine E is low, the movable sheave 10m on the drive side is fixed as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Since it is separated from the sheave 10f, the diameter of the V-belt B wound around the drive pulley 10 is small, and the operating speed of the V-belt B is low. Accordingly, the movable sheave 20m on the driven side driven by the V belt B is moved to the fixed sheave 20f side as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Large driving torque can be obtained.

On the other hand, when the rotational speed of the engine E increases, the movable sheave 10m on the drive side is pushed toward the fixed sheave 10f as shown by a solid line in FIG. The belt diameter of the V-belt B increases, and the operating speed of the V-belt B increases. Accordingly, the driven movable sheave 20m driven by the V belt B
Is the fixed sheave 20 as shown by the solid line in FIG.
The belt is operated so as to be separated from the f side, the belt diameter is reduced, and a high rotation speed of the driven shaft 21 required at the time of high-speed running can be obtained.

Although the structure of such a V-belt type transmission 1 is well known, the present invention relates to a V-belt type driving device other than a driving device having such a speed change mechanism as described above. It is possible to apply to.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a belt damage sensor 3 composed of a pressure-sensitive sensor made of a pressure-sensitive conductive elastomer is adhered to a predetermined position on the inner peripheral surface of the cover C.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the belt damage sensor 3 is mainly composed of a substantially rectangular thin plate-shaped conductive member formed by dispersing conductive particles substantially uniformly in an insulating rubber material. The rubber portion 30 and the opposing 2 of the conductive rubber portion 30
A flat cable covered in a synthetic resin sheet body 31 while maintaining the interval at which these conductors 32 are arranged, with a pair of conductors 32 arranged side by side at an appropriate distance along the side. It is in a state.

When the conductive rubber portion 30 is not subjected to external pressure from the plate surface direction, the conductive particles are
Not in contact with each other, both volume resistance and surface resistance are 1
It shows a high electric resistance value of 0 to the seventh power. On the contrary,
In a pressurized state, the conductive particles gradually start to contact, a conductive path is formed, and the electric resistance value decreases.

Belt damage sensor 3 in this embodiment
Is to detect the deterioration of the V belt B as described above using such a change in the electric resistance value.
The installation position on the inner surface of the cover C is V as shown in FIG.
It is desirable to be as close as possible to the V-belt B along the outside of the track of the belt B. In addition, belt damage sensor 3
Is preferably provided on the inner surface of the cover C on the drive pulley 10 side of the V-belt type transmission 1 where the belt diameter increases when the engine E operates at a high speed, as shown in FIG.
It is desirable that the V-belt B be provided at the corresponding rotation position where the V-belt B immediately after coming into contact with the driving pulley 10 rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

In the belt damage sensor 3, the longitudinal direction of the conductive rubber portion 30 (in FIG. 5, the direction along at least the portion of the conductive wire 32 in contact with the conductive rubber portion 30) extends in the width direction of the V belt B. It is desirable to be arranged along,
It is desirable to set the length L of the conductive rubber portion 30 so that at least the conductive rubber portion 30 is arranged over the entire width of the V-belt B.

As described above, the belt damage sensor 3
In actuality, as the V-belt B deteriorates, for example, the tension layer Lt as shown in FIG.
When the peeling of the tensile layer Lt occurs,
It will project outward from the original track of belt B,
Each time the belt passes through the installation position of the belt damage sensor 3, the conductive rubber portion 30 is hit, and a change in the electric resistance value due to the deformation of the conductive rubber portion 30 at this time is detected.

As shown in FIG. 6, this belt damage sensor
Numeral 3 is connected to an engine control unit (ECU) 4 installed at an appropriate part of the rough terrain vehicle A,
U4 monitors a change in the electrical resistance value of the belt damage sensor 3 as described above. In addition, the ECU 4 determines whether or not the electric resistance of the monitored belt damage sensor 3 is high.
Recognizing the deterioration of the V-belt B, the warning lamp 5 and / or the buzzer 6 included in the indicator panel P (see FIG. 2 for the specific arrangement) provided in the center of the bar handle H are energized to the rider. It is configured to issue a warning.

Specifically, such control is executed by the ECU 4 based on a predetermined program stored in advance in a built-in ROM (not shown) of the ECU 4. The contents will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the ECU 4 resets the value of the counter set in the built-in memory M (step 1 (S
1)), it is determined whether or not the electric resistance value of the monitored belt damage sensor 3 has dropped below a predetermined value, that is, whether or not "belt damage" has been detected (step 2 (S2)).

The term “belt damage” as used herein is a precursor to so-called belt breakage, and includes the process from the start of deterioration of the V-belt B to the breakage thereof.
This may include erroneous detection due to a foreign substance or the like mixed in the inside. Therefore, as described below, a warning is output only when the number of detections within a predetermined time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

If no "belt damage" is detected ("No" in step 2), the ECU 4 repeats step 2 at a predetermined time period (for example, the operation period of the ECU 4). If "damage" is detected ("Yes" in step 2), the ECU 4 adds "1" to the counter value (step 3 (S3)).

Subsequently, the ECU 4 determines whether or not the value of the counter is equal to or greater than a preset threshold (step 4).
(S4)), if it is smaller than the threshold value (“N” in step 4)
In o ″), the processing from step 2 is repeated until the value of the counter becomes equal to or more than the threshold value.

On the other hand, if the value of the counter is equal to or greater than the threshold value (“Yes” in step 4), the ECU 4 determines that the V-belt B has deteriorated by a predetermined level or more, and A warning is output to the warning lamp 5 and / or the buzzer 6 (Step 5 (S5)).

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment described above, an example is shown in which the belt damage sensor 3 is composed of a pressure-sensitive sensor made of a pressure-sensitive conductive elastomer. Belt damage sensor as a "sensor"
3 can be composed of other broadly defined piezoelectric elements such as strain gauges, load cells, and vibration sensors. Further, the belt damage sensor 3 can be replaced with a switch of a button type, a touch type, or the like.

Since the above-mentioned various sensors and switches are commercially available in relatively small sizes, especially in the V-belt type transmission 1 with the cover C, the various sensors and switches are arranged in the cover C of an existing size. Is easy.

(Third Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the warning lamp 5 provided on the indicator panel P
And / or using the buzzer 6 to issue a warning to the rider of “belt damage”, but as the “notification means” according to the present invention, the warning lamp 5 is a “light-emitting device”, and the buzzer 6 is “ It is not limited to "sound generators".

For example, as another embodiment of the “light emitting device”, an LCD (Liquor) is mounted on an indicator panel P as shown in FIG.
id Crystarl Display), and the LCD displays driving or running state information of the vehicle A, such as vehicle speed, engine speed, and driving mode, and also displays a warning of "belt damage". It is also possible.

Further, instead of simply displaying the image, the backlight color of the LCD may be changed to, for example, red to generate a warning, and the color LCD may be used to generate images of various colors and shapes. It can also be configured to issue a warning.

Further, the warning lamp 5 can be composed of an optical semiconductor device such as an LED (light emitting diode).

Further, a piezoelectric buzzer, a speaker or the like can be adopted as the buzzer 6 as the "sound generator".

[0053]

According to the V-belt drive device of the present invention and the riding type rough terrain vehicle equipped with the V-belt drive device, the V-belt drive device can be installed inside the V-belt drive device without removing the cover. The user can be notified in advance of the breakage of the V-belt, so that the occupant can be released from complicated operations such as removing the cover outdoors on uneven terrain and replacing the V-belt.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of a riding type four-wheel uneven terrain vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of the all-terrain vehicle shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the inside of the V-belt type transmission shown in FIG. 1 with a part of a cover thereof cut away.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV showing an internal structure of the V-belt type transmission shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the belt damage sensor shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control relationship of the all-terrain vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control contents of components shown in the block diagram of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a V-belt,
(B) is a perspective view showing a typical deterioration phenomenon which is a precursor to fracture of a V-belt having a cross-sectional structure as shown in (a).

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 V-belt transmission (V-belt drive) 3 Belt damage sensor 4 ECU 5 Warning lamp 6 Buzzer 10 Drive pulley 20 Driven pulley A Leveling vehicle B: V-belt

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A V-belt drive device comprising: a driving pulley connected to a driving source; a driven pulley connected to an object to be driven; and a V-belt interlockingly connecting the driving pulley and the driven pulley. A V-belt drive device, comprising: a contact-type sensor for detecting physical deformation accompanying the above-mentioned condition; and a notifying unit for notifying a detection result by the sensor. 2. The V-belt type driving device according to claim 1, further comprising a cover for covering the driving pulley, the driven pulley, and the V-belt. 3. The V-belt drive device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pressure-sensitive sensor. 4. The V-belt drive device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is made of a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber material. 5. The V-belt type driving device according to claim 1, wherein said notifying means comprises a sound generator or a light emitting device. 6. The V-belt according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit notifies when the number of detections per unit time by the sensor exceeds a predetermined number. Drive. 7. A driving pulley connected to an output shaft of an on-vehicle engine, a driven pulley connected to running wheels via a gear type transmission, and a layer cross-sectional structure. A riding type uneven terrain vehicle including a V-belt interlockingly connected and a cover for covering the drive pulley, the driven pulley, and the V-belt, wherein the V-belt is disposed at a position on an inner surface of the cover along a track outer side of the V-belt. A contact-type sensor for detecting the peeling of the outer layer due to the deterioration of the V-belt; and a notifying means provided near a driver's operation position and notifying the driver of a detection result by the sensor. A riding type rough terrain vehicle characterized by the following features.