Hydraulically actuated latching valve deactivation

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