Rocker level oil shroud
AssigneeCummins Engine Company, Inc.
InventorsJohn Jerl Purcell, Cynthia I. Mandt, Francis M. Hager
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rocker lever assembly including lubricant directing structure is provided for an internal combustion engine drive train. A lubricant deflecting shroud is secured to a joint-contacting end of a rocker lever above open lubricant channels to direct lubricant to an adjacent drive train joint and minimize airborne lubricant.
Claims10
A rocker lever assembly for an internal combustion engine drive train designed to maximize lubricant flow to a drive train joint at a contact end of a rocker lever and to minimize airborne lubricant, wherein the rocker lever assembly includes:
- (a) a rocker lever mounted on a shaft in said drive train for reciprocal movement between contact with a camshaft-actuated push rod and contact with at least one of an actuating element of a fuel injector or valve, said rocker lever body having an open boat-shaped configuration including open lubricant channels formed on upper surfaces of said rocker lever to direct lubricant toward the actuating element contact end of said rocker lever;
- (b) a lubricant supply in fluid communication with the rocker lever to provide a supply of lubricant to the rocker lever mounting and contact structures during engine operation;
- and
- (c) a lubricant deflecting shield configured to conform to the shape of and to cover the actuating element-contacting end of the rocker lever to direct lubricant from the lubricant channels at said actuating element-contacting end toward said actuating element.
A rocker lever for an internal combustion engine drive train comprising a boat-shaped body, said rocker lever body having a bottom wall and two side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall and structurally integrally formed therewith to define a body cavity, said body having a bore in a side wall at the intermediate portion of said body for receiving a rocker shaft to pivotally mount said rocker lever, said body including a contact portion in one end to form a joint with at least one of a valve stem or fuel injector, and a push rod engaging structure in the opposite end to engage an end of a push rod, said body further including an open channel formed in said body at the top edge of each said side walls, wherein a lubricant deflecting shroud is fitted over said body cavity at the body contact portion, said lubricant deflecting shroud being formed with a planar upper surface that covers said body cavity and skirts that extend downwardly from said planar upper surface and fit over said side walls of said body.
A lubricant deflecting shield for covering a drive train joint-contacting end of an open top rocker lever in an internal combustion engine drive train to minimize airborne lubricant and to maximize lubricant directed to said joint-contacting end, wherein said shield has a shape that conforms to the shape of the joint-contacting end and is secured directly to the rocker lever to cover a sufficient portion of the rocker lever open top to insure the direction of a maximum amount of lubricant to the rocker lever joint-contacting end while minimizing airborne lubricant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.