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US 2015/0267573 A1Published application
Applied-ignition internal combustion engine with variable valve drive
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsBas Lambertus van den Heuvel, Wilbert Hemink, Richard Fritsche, Claudia Conee, Werner Willems, Franz Arnd Sommerhoff, Christian Hans
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method is provided for an at least partially variable valve drive in an internal combustion engine. In one example, the at least partially variable valve drive comprises a hydraulically adjustable actuating device which may be charged with pressurized oil via an oil pressure line which branches off from an oil circuit.
Claims20
An applied-ignition internal combustion engine comprising:
- at least one cylinder head with at least one cylinder, each cylinder having at least two inlet openings for the supply of fresh air via an intake system and/or at least two outlet openings for the discharge of the exhaust gases via an exhaust-gas discharge system,
- a pump for delivering engine oil, the pump serving for supplying engine oil to the internal combustion engine, thus forming an oil circuit, and
- at least two at least partially variable valve drives having at least two valves which are movable between a valve closed position and a valve open position in order to open up and block the at least two inlet or outlet openings of a cylinder, having valve spring means for preloading the valves in the direction of the valve closed position, and having at least two hydraulically adjustable actuating devices for opening the valves counter to the preload force of the valve spring means, each actuating device comprising a cam which is arranged on a camshaft and which, as the camshaft rotates, can be brought into engagement with at least one cam follower element, whereby the associated valve can be actuated,
- wherein each hydraulically adjustable actuating device can be charged with pressurized oil via an oil pressure line which branches off from the oil circuit, there being arranged in the oil pressure line a controllable shut-off element which blocks or opens up the oil pressure line), and
- the cams of the at least two hydraulically adjustable actuating devices of the at least two at least partially variable valve drives are rotatable.
2 more elements
A method, comprising:
- determining a target intake and/or exhaust valve timing and lift based on engine operating conditions;
- determining an oil pressure required in an oil infeed line for target valve timing;
- determining an oil pressure required in an oil pressure line, fluidly communicating with a controllable shut-off element, based on the determined target lift;
- and
- actuating a solenoid valve to provide determined oil pressures in the oil infeed line and the oil pressure line.
2 more elements
The method of claim 19, wherein the oil pressure line branches from an oil circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.