Oil control for rocker arm and hydraulic lash adjuster
AssigneeEaton Intelligent Power Limited
InventorDouglas J Nielsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rocker arm comprising a supply path that communicates with a first lash bore and a first spool bore. A spool is in the spool bore. A hydraulic lash device is in the first lash bore, wherein an outer body is configured to collapse during a first valve lift profile when receiving a low pressure fluid, and wherein the outer body and the inner body are configured to cooperate rigidly when receiving a high pressure fluid during a second valve lift profile. The spool is movable to a first spool position to align the spool notch with a first spool path and a second spool path, and the spool is movable to a second spool position to align the spool notch with the second spool path and an accumulator path. The supply path in to the rocker arm is the only source of fluid to the spool.
Claims16
A rocker arm for switching between a first valve lift profile and a second valve lift profile, comprising:
- a supply bore for receiving one of a high pressure fluid and a low pressure fluid;
- a supply path in to the rocker arm from the supply bore;
- a first lash bore in fluid communication with the supply path;
- a first spool bore;
- a spool in the first spool bore, the spool comprising a spool notch, the spool configured to reciprocate in the first spool bore;
- at least a first spool path in fluid communication with the spool and the first lash bore;
- a second lash bore;
- a second spool path in fluid communication with the spool and the second lash bore;
- an accumulator path in fluid communication with the spool;
- and
- a hydraulic lash device in the first lash bore, the hydraulic lash device comprising an inner body and an outer body, wherein the outer body is configured to collapse during the first valve lift profile when receiving the low pressure fluid, and wherein the outer body and the inner body are configured to cooperate rigidly when receiving the high pressure fluid during the second valve lift profile,
- wherein, the spool is movable to a first spool position to align the spool notch with the first spool path and the second spool path, and the spool is movable to a second spool position to align the spool notch with the second spool path and the accumulator path, and
- wherein the supply path in to the rocker arm is the only source of fluid to the spool.
A method of operating a rocker arm for switching between a first valve lift profile and a second valve lift profile, comprising:
- supplying one of a high pressure fluid and a low pressure fluid to a supply path in the rocker arm;
- fluidly communicating the supplied one of the high pressure fluid and the low pressure fluid to a first lash bore in fluid communication with the supply path, the first lash bore comprising a hydraulic lash device;
- fluidly communicating the supplied one of the high pressure fluid and the low pressure fluid to a first spool bore from the supply path;
- fluidly communicating the supplied one of the high pressure fluid and the low pressure fluid from the first spool bore to a needle assembly in mechanical communication with the hydraulic lash device;
- and
- reciprocating a spool in the first spool bore, the spool comprising a spool notch, to selectively fluidly communicate the supplied one of the high pressure fluid and the low pressure fluid to an accumulator path by moving the spool from a first spool position aligning the spool notch with a first spool path to the first lash bore and a second spool path to the needle assembly, and by moving the spool to a second spool position aligning the spool notch with the second spool path and the accumulator path.
A rocker arm for switching between a first valve lift profile and a second valve lift profile, consisting essentially of:
- a supply bore for receiving one of a high pressure fluid and a low pressure fluid;
- a supply path in to the rocker arm from the supply bore;
- a first lash bore in fluid communication with the supply path;
- a first spool bore;
- a spool in the first spool bore, the spool comprising a spool notch, the spool configured to reciprocate in the first spool bore;
- at least a first spool path in fluid communication with the spool and the first lash bore;
- a second lash bore;
- a second spool path in fluid communication with the spool and the second lash bore;
- an accumulator path in fluid communication with the spool;
- a hydraulic lash device in the first lash bore, the hydraulic lash device comprising an inner body and an outer body, wherein the outer body is configured to collapse during the first valve lift profile when receiving the low pressure fluid, and wherein the outer body and the inner body are configured to cooperate rigidly when receiving the high pressure fluid during the second valve lift profile,
- wherein, the spool is movable to a first spool position to align the spool notch with the first spool path and the second spool path, and the spool is movable to a second spool position to align the spool notch with the second spool path and the accumulator path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.