Belt drive with self-aligning idler

Claim 1

In a belt drive including drive and driven sheaves respectively supported for rotation about a pair of fixed, parallel shafts, a belt trained about the sheaves, a fixed pivot located adjacent a run of the belt, and extending parallel to said shafts, an idler means carrier, an idler shaft extending parallel to said pivot, an idler pulley means being rotatably mounted on the idler shaft and including rim means having axially spaced opposite ends, said carrier being mounted to the pivot for movement toward and away from the run of the belt with the rim means being located for engaging and tensioning said belt and biasing means coupled to the carrier for urging the latter toward the belt for maintaining the idler means in engagement therewith, the improvement comprising: said idler shaft forming a part of one of said idler pulley means and idler means carrier; a self-aligning bearing means universally pivotally connecting said carrier to one of said idler pulley means and pivot for relative universal movement, about a point located equidistant from said opposite ends of the rim means of the pulley means, in response to unbalanced belt forces.