An idler wheel is a transmission gear between two transmission gears that do not contact each other. It meshed with the two gears at the same time to change the rotation direction of the passive gear so that it is the same as the driving gear. Its function is to change the steering but not the transmission ratio. It is called an idler wheel. In mechanical equipment, the main use of its inertia of the wheel referred to as an idler wheel. In a gear train, if a gear is both the slave wheel of the first stage and the driving wheel of the second stage, the gear is called an idler wheel. Idler wheel is also called bridge gear. The number of its teeth has no effect on the transmission ratio, but it will have an effect on the steering of the final wheel.
The main functions of an idler wheel are to change the steering direction of the driving wheel, increase the driving distance and adjust the pressure Angle. Idler wheel is a transitional part of the gear train, which will not change the transmission relationship, in order to make the gear train force more reasonable or meet the whole transmission system layout. Its role is only to change the steering, and can not change the transmission ratio, through an idler wheel can extend the wheelbase, its number of teeth on the number of transmission ratio does not affect the size, but the final wheel will have an impact on the steering. It is a wheel that does no work and has a certain energy storage effect, which is helpful to the stability of the system. An idler wheel is a wheel that does no work. It can store energy and help the system to be stable. Idlers are very common in machines and help to connect distant shafts. It just changes the steering and doesn't change the gear ratio.