Variable valve operating apparatus for internal combustion engine

A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a drive camshaft that is rotationally driven by a rotational force of a crankshaft;
• a driven cam lobe that is concentric with the drive camshaft, and is rotatably supported by the drive camshaft;
• a guide member that has a raceway surface formed so as to surround the drive camshaft;
• a link mechanism that is connected to each of the drive camshaft and the driven cam lobe, has a contact member which is in contact with the raceway surface, and changes a rotation angle of the driven cam lobe with respect to the drive camshaft in association with a positional change of the contact member with respect to a center of rotation of the drive camshaft;
• a contact maintaining device that maintains contact between the contact member that revolves around the drive camshaft and the raceway surface, while the drive camshaft makes one rotation;
• an actuator that moves the raceway surface in a plane direction orthogonal to an axial line of the drive camshaft;
• and
• a controller that is configured to control a control amount of the actuator to change a moving amount of the raceway surface in the plane direction, in accordance with an operation condition of the internal combustion engine.