Lifter providing improved cam lobe lubrication

A lifter configured for use in an engine including a plurality of flow control components and a camshaft including cam lobes that cause reciprocating movement of the flow control components, the lifter comprising:

• a generally cylindrical body having an outer peripheral surface configured to be reciprocally slidable within a bore of an engine component;
• the body rotatably mounting a cam roller with the cam roller being configured to engage with a cam lobe on a camshaft of the engine, wherein the cam lobe is operative to drive the body to a position at which the lifter causes one of opening of a valve or actuation of a fuel injector of the engine;
• and
• an oiling channel formed in the body, the oiling channel being inset from the outer peripheral surface and extending axially along the outer peripheral surface parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body and aligned with an axial median plane of one or more of the cam roller and the cam lobe,
• wherein the body further includes a flared lower portion adjacent to the cam roller, a transverse width of the flared lower portion extending beyond the outer peripheral surface along a transverse direction, the transverse direction being transverse to the longitudinal axis,
• wherein the flared lower portion defines a bore hole extending therethrough, and
• wherein the oiling channel is coextensive with the bore hole along the transverse direction.

A method for supplying oil to a high load area on at least one of a cam roller of a lifter or a cam lobe of a camshaft including cams that cause reciprocating movement of the lifter and flow control components of an engine, wherein the lifter includes a generally cylindrical body having an outer peripheral surface configured to be reciprocally slidable within a bore of an engine component, the cam roller is rotatably mounted on the body and configured to engage with the cam lobe, and the cam lobe is operative to drive the body to a position at which the lifter causes movement of at least one of the flow control components, the method comprising:

• receiving oil from an oil supply passageway of the engine component into an oil receiving annular recess formed around the outer peripheral surface of the body at a location spaced from the cam roller while the body is reciprocally sliding within the bore of the engine component;
• and
• directing the oil from the oil receiving annular recess into an oiling channel formed in the body, the oiling channel being inset from the outer peripheral surface and extending axially along the outer peripheral surface parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body and aligned with an axial median plane of one or more of the cam roller and the cam lobe
• wherein the outer peripheral surface extends from a first shoulder surface to a second shoulder surface, the first shoulder surface facing a longitudinal direction, the second shoulder surface facing away from the first shoulder surface along the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction being parallel to the longitudinal axis,
• wherein the oiling channel extends from the first shoulder surface to the second shoulder surface, and
• wherein the method further comprises directing the oil from the first shoulder surface to the second shoulder surface along the oiling channel.