Valve timing control apparatus

A valve timing control apparatus which controls a valve timing of an intake valve opening and closing a cylinder of an internal combustion engine by a pressure of hydraulic fluid, the valve timing control apparatus comprising:

• a housing rotor which is rotated with a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine;
• a vane rotor which is rotated with a camshaft of the internal combustion engine, the vane rotor receiving the pressure of hydraulic fluid in the housing rotor such that a rotation phase of the vane rotor relative to the housing rotor is changed;
• a main lock member having a main lock component and a main lock hole which are engaged with each other to lock the rotation phase at a main lock phase for closing the intake valve later than a timing at which a piston in the cylinder reaches a bottom dead center;
• a secondary lock member having a secondary lock component and a secondary lock hole which are engaged with each other to lock the rotation phase at a secondary lock phase which is set on an advance side than the main lock phase;
• and
• a lock controller which controls lock and unlock of the rotation phase by controlling the main lock member and the secondary lock member, wherein the lock controller has
• a guide slot which guides the main lock component from the main lock hole toward a permission point at which the secondary lock component is allowed to enter the secondary lock hole at the secondary lock phase, and
• a temperature sensing member which expands at the main lock phase when a temperature of the engine is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature so as to prohibit the main lock component from moving out of the main lock hole toward the guide slot, wherein
• the temperature sensing member shrinks at the main lock phase when the temperature of the engine is lower than the predetermined temperature so as to allow the main lock component to move out of the main lock hole toward the guide slot.