Valve lifter assembly for selectively deactivating a cylinder

A valve lifter assembly in combination with an overhead camshaft driven valve assembly of an internal combustion engine, said combination comprising:

• a valve for opening and closing a port of a cylinder of said internal combustion engine, said valve having a valve stem extending therefrom;
• a rocker arm pivotally secured to a portion of said internal combustion engine and having a first end engaging an end of said valve stem and a second end adapted to engage said valve lifter assembly;
• a rotatable cam driven by said overhead camshaft;
• and
• said valve lifter assembly disposed between said second end of said rocker arm and said cam to transmit cam lift to said rocker arm and thereby reciprocatingly operate said valve, said lifter assembly comprising;
• a main body member disposed between said valve and said cam;
• a plunger movably disposed within a bore of said main body member extending from a first end thereof and having an exposed surface adjacent thereto adapted to engage said second end of said rocker arm to facilitate a varying overall length of said lifter assembly;
• a spring disposed between said plunger and said main body member to bias said plunger in an extended position;
• a roller rotatably secured to a second end of said main body member to provide a rolling interface between said cam and said lifter assembly;
• a selectively movable locking member disposed between said main body member and said plunger and movable between a locked position and an unlocked position to selectively secure said plunger to said main body member, said locking member including a pair of locking pins disposed within a second bore extending through said plunger and a second spring being disposed between said pair of locking pins to outwardly bias said pair of locking pins to engage an annular groove formed in said bore of said main body member;
• and
• a source of pressurized oil in selective communication with outer ends of said pair of locking pins to selectively force said pair of locking pins inward to disengage said annular groove and allow said plunger to move relative to said main body member of said lifter assembly;
• wherein when said locking member is in said locked position said plunger is secured to said main body member in said extended position to prevent relative movement there between and thereby transmit said cam lift to said rocker arm to thereby operate said valve, and when said locking member is in said unlocked position said plunger is permitted to move relative to said main body member to absorb said cam lift and prevent rotation of said rocker arm and thereby deactivate said valve.

A valve deactivator assembly for an internal combustion engine of the type having valve means for controlling the flow to and from a combustion chamber, drive means for providing cyclical motion for opening and closing said valve means in timed relationship to the events in said combustion chamber, and valve gear means operative in response to said cyclical motion to effect cyclical opening and closing of said valve means;

• said valve deactivator assembly comprising part of said valve gear means and including a main body member and a plunger disposed within said main body member and being reciprocable relative thereto, and a spring biasing said plunger toward an axially extended position relative to said main body member;
• a locking member wholly disposed within said plunger when said main body member and said plunger are in an unlatched condition, said locking member including a radially moveable locking pin and spring means biasing said locking pin toward a latched condition;
• a source of pressurized fluid operably associated with said locking member and operable to bias said at least one locking pin toward said unlatched condition;
• characterized by:
• (a) said locking member further comprises said main body member defining a generally annular, internal groove including an annular latch surface and at least one fluid bore disposed in open fluid communication with said annular, internal groove and in fluid communication with said source of pressurized fluid;
• (b) said at locking pin defining a generally planar stop surface oriented generally parallel to said annular latch surface and disposed for face-to-face engagement therewith when said at locking pin is in said latched condition, whereby said plunger may have any rotational orientation relative to said main body member.