Engine oil supply apparatus

An engine oil supply apparatus which is provided with a crank shaft including a plurality of crank journals and in which oil is introduced to inside of the crank shaft from a specific crank journal from among the plurality of crank journals and the oil is supplied to a crank pin through an inside passage formed in the crank shaft, comprising:

• an oil pump which is capable of controlling a discharge amount;
• a main oil supply path into which oil discharged from the oil pump is introduced;
• a sub oil supply path which is connected to a downstream side of the main oil supply path in an oil flow direction;
• a first oil supply section which is connected to the main oil supply path and which supplies oil to a crank bearing section of the specific crank journal from among the plurality of crank journals;
• a second oil supply section which is connected to the sub oil supply path and which supplies oil to a crank bearing section of the crank journal other than the specific crank journal;
• a plurality of hydraulic operating sections which include at least the first oil supply section and the second oil supply section;
• an oil pressure sensor which detects an oil pressure of the main oil supply path;
• and
• a control apparatus which sets, as a target oil pressure, a highest required oil pressure among required oil pressures required from the plurality of hydraulic operating sections in accordance with an operation state of the engine, and which controls the discharge amount of the oil pump so that the oil pressure detected by the oil pressure sensor equals the target oil pressure,
• wherein the engine is provided with a valve drive mechanism which operates an intake valve and an exhaust valve,
• the engine oil supply apparatus further comprising:
• a hydraulic valve characteristic varying apparatus which is the hydraulic operating section and which varies valve characteristics of at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve of the engine by a hydraulic operation in accordance with an operation state of the engine;
• a hydraulic lash adjuster for maintaining a valve clearance of the valve drive mechanism at zero;
• and a third oil supply section which supplies oil to a lubricated section of the valve drive mechanism using oil pressure of the oil,
• the hydraulic valve characteristic varying apparatus communicates with the main oil supply path, and
• the hydraulic lash adjuster and the third oil supply section communicate with the first sub oil supply path.