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AssigneeAisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKazunari Adachi, Masaki Kobayashi, Kenji Fujiwaki, Mitsuru Uozaki, Kenji Ikeda, Shohei Masuda
Estimating the term…
A valve timing control device includes: a driving side rotational member; a driven side rotational member; a fluid pressure chamber; a partition portion; a lock member; a lock groove; and a lock release, wherein the lock release passage is in communication with the lock groove, and the rotational member formed with the accommodation portion is provided with an atmosphere open passage which is in communication with the lock groove when the relative rotational phase is at a specific phase.
A valve timing control device comprising:
A valve timing control device comprising:
A valve timing control device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Changing the angular relationship between crankshaft and camshaft, e.g. using helicoidal gear: using hydraulic chambers with variable volume to…
Details relating to the hydraulic feeding circuit: features or method for avoiding malfunction due to foreign matters in oil
Details relating to the hydraulic means for changing the angular relationship: locking means between driving and driven members
Locking means between driving and driven members: locking in multiple positions
About 4 years of term left · ends 13 Oct 2030 (estimated)
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application 2009-125754, filed on May 25, 2009, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This disclosure relates to a valve timing control device including a driving side rotational member synchronously rotatable with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, a driven side rotational member arranged coaxially with the driving side rotational member and synchronously rotatable with a camshaft that controls the opening and closing operation of valves of the internal combustion engine, a fluid pressure chamber formed by the driving side rotational member and the driven side rotational member, a partition portion installed on at least one of the driving side rotational member and the driven side rotational member to partition the fluid pressure chamber into an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a lock member mounted in an accommodation portion formed in either the driving side rotational member or the driven side rotational member and protruding and withdrawing with respect to the rotational member opposite to the accommodation portion, a lock groove formed in the opposite rotational member so that the lock member protrudes and is locked to the lock groove, the lock groove confining a relative rotational phase of the driven side rotational member with respect to the driving side rotational member at a most advanced angle phase, a most retarded angle, or a predetermined phase between the most advanced angle phase and the most retarded angle phase when the lock member is locked, and a lock release passage supplying an operating fluid to the lock member to withdraw the lock member from the lock groove.
In a valve timing control device, when an operating fluid of a lock release passage is acted on a lock member to withdraw the lock member from a lock groove, if foreign substances, such as minute metal pieces or metal powder, are mixed with the operating fluid, the foreign substances tend to stay in the lock groove. If the foreign substances are jammed between the lock member and the lock groove, it is a hindrance in the smooth displacement of the lock member, which is liable to result in a bad influence on the extending or withdrawing operation of the lock member.
The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with the reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall structure of a valve timing control device;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the operating configuration of a fluid control valve;
Embodiments disclosed here will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an overall structure of a valve timing control device according to an embodiment disclosed here. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the operating configuration of a fluid control valve (OCV) V1 installed in the valve timing control device. FIGS. 3, 4, 5A, 6A and 7 are cross-sectional views taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1 in each operation state of the valve timing control device. FIGS. 5B and 6B are cross-sectional views of a major portion.
A valve timing control device includes an outer rotor 1 serving as a driving side rotational member and synchronously rotatable with a crankshaft (not shown) of an engine (an internal combustion engine) in a direction denoted by an arrow S in the figure, and an inner rotor 2 serving as a driven side rotational member and synchronously rotatable with a camshaft 3 which opens and closes a valve of the engine, in a direction denoted by the arrow S in the figure, in which the inner rotor 2 is supported on an inner periphery of the outer rotor 1 and rotates relatively with respect to the outer rotor 1.