Valve timing regulation device for internal combustion engines

A valve timing regulation device comprising:

• a housing member positioned in a driving force transmission path in which a driving force is transmitted from a driving shaft of an internal combustion engine to a driven shaft for opening and closing a valve of the internal combustion engine, the housing member being rotatable together with one of the driving shaft and the driven shaft;
• a rotor member assembled to a shoe portion of the housing member and rotatable relative thereto, the rotor member having a vane portion dividing an interior of the housing member into an advance angle fluid chamber and a retard angle fluid chamber, the rotor member being rotatable together with the other of the driving shaft and the driven shaft;
• a lock mechanism which alternatively permits and prevents relative rotation between the housing member and the rotor member;
• a fluid pressure circuit controlling supply and drainage of an operating fluid to and from each of the advance angle fluid chamber and the retard angle fluid chamber, the fluid pressure circuit including a fluid pump driven by the internal combustion engine, a control valve which controls, by adjustment of the operating fluid supplied from the fluid pump, the supply and drainage of the operating fluid to and from each of the advance angle fluid chamber and the retard angle fluid chamber, the control valve controlling the lock and unlock of the lock mechanism, a check valve disposed between the control valve and the fluid pump for preventing entrance of the operating fluid into the fluid pump, the check valve being connected to the control valve by only a single line that is devoid of an accumulator;
• and
• the lock mechanism permitting relative rotation between the housing member and the rotor member during a transition period in which fluid pressure supplied to one of the advance angle fluid chamber and the retard angle fluid chamber from the fluid pump increases to a predetermined value when the internal combustion engine is started, and preventing relative rotation between the housing member and the rotor member at one of the most advance angle position and the most retard angle position after the transition period.