Hydraulic lock for electrically-actuated camshaft phasers
AssigneeBorgWarner Inc.
InventorsChad McCloy, Braman Wing
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A variable camshaft timing device that adjusts phase between a camshaft and a crankshaft includes a planetary gear assembly that changes an angular position of the camshaft relative to an angular position of the crankshaft; a sun gear configured to receive an output shaft of an electric motor that rotates at least a portion of the planetary gear assembly and controls phase adjustment between the camshaft and crankshaft by angularly displacing the camshaft with respect to the crankshaft; and a hydraulic lock (82) that releasably engages a portion of the variable camshaft timing device (10) in response to force applied by pressurized fluid thereby selectively preventing rotation of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft.
Claims16
A variable camshaft timing device (10) that adjusts phase between a camshaft and a crankshaft, comprising:
- a planetary gear assembly (14) that changes an angular position of the camshaft relative to an angular position of the crankshaft;
- a sun gear (22) configured to receive an output shaft of an electric motor (23) that rotates at least a portion of the planetary gear assembly (14) and controls phase adjustment between the camshaft and crankshaft by angularly displacing the camshaft with respect to the crankshaft;
- and
- a hydraulic lock (82) that releasably engages a portion of the variable camshaft timing device (10) in response to force applied by pressurized fluid thereby selectively preventing rotation of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft, wherein the hydraulic lock (82′) controls a flow of pressurized oil used to lubricate gears of the variable camshaft timing device (10).
A variable camshaft timing device (10) that adjusts phase between a camshaft and a crankshaft, comprising:
- a first ring gear (26) configured to receive rotational input from the crankshaft and rotate about a center axis (X1), having a plurality of radially-inwardly facing gear teeth (72);
- a second ring gear (28), axially spaced from the first ring gear (26), configured to connect to the camshaft and rotate about the center axis (X1), having a plurality of radially-inwardly facing gear teeth (74);
- a planetary gear assembly (14) engaged with the first ring gear (26) and the second ring gear (28) and positioned radially inwardly from the first ring gear (26) and the second ring gear (28);
- an electric motor having an output shaft that rotates the planetary gear assembly (14) and controls phase adjustment between the camshaft and crankshaft by angularly displacing the first ring gear (26) with respect to the second ring gear (28);
- a plate (16), axially adjacent to the planetary gear assembly (14), having a hydraulic lock (82) that releasably engages a portion of the planetary gear assembly (14) thereby selectively preventing rotation of the planetary gear assembly (14) relative to the plate (16), wherein the hydraulic lock (82′) controls a flow of pressurized fluid used to lubricate gears of the variable camshaft timing device (10).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.