Electrically-actuated camshaft phasers with tapered features
AssigneeBorgWarner Inc.
InventorsChad McCloy, Daniel Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrically-actuated variable camshaft timing (VCT) device, comprising: an input configured to receive rotational force from an electric motor; an output configured to couple with a camshaft of an internal combustion engine; a planet gear having radially outwardly extending gear teeth configured to engage ring gears and a radially-inwardly-facing surface; a planet pin, supporting the planet gear, having an outer surface and an axis of rotation about which the planet gear rotates; and a spring applying force in a substantially axial direction along the axis of rotation that moves the planet gear in a radial direction.
Claims8
An electrically-actuated variable camshaft timing (VCT) device, comprising:
- an input configured to receive rotational force from an electric motor;
- an output configured to couple with a camshaft of an internal combustion engine;
- a planet gear having a plurality of radially-outwardly-extending-gear teeth configured to engage a plurality of ring gears and a radially-inwardly-facing surface;
- a planet pin, supporting the planet gear, having an outer surface and an axis of rotation about which the planet gear rotates;
- and
- a spring applying force in a substantially axial direction along the axis of rotation that moves the planet gear in a radial direction, wherein the force applied by the spring is also directed radially toward the plurality of ring gears,
- wherein the radially-inwardly-facing surface is non-parallel to the axis of rotation.
An electrically-actuated variable camshaft timing (VCT) device, comprising:
- an input configured to receive rotational force from an electric motor;
- an output configured to couple with a camshaft of an internal combustion engine;
- a planetary gear assembly with a plurality of planet gears each having a plurality of radially outwardly extending gear teeth configured to engage a plurality of ring gears and a radially-inwardly-facing surface;
- planet pins, supporting the planet gears, having an outer surface and an axis of rotation about which the planet gear rotates, received by openings in a carrier plate;
- and
- a plurality of springs applying force in a substantially axial direction along the axis of rotation that moves the planet gear in a radial direction, wherein the force applied by each respective spring is also directed radially toward the plurality of ring gears,
- wherein the radially-inwardly-facing surface is non-parallel to an axis of rotation of the planet gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.