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US 9,650,922 B2Granted
External oil groove on a hydraulic lash adjuster
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorGregory Patrick McConville
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for a valve actuating mechanism. In one example, a method includes flowing hydraulic fluid from a first gallery to a second gallery via an external metered hydraulic fluid passage of a hydraulic lash adjuster.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- closing a control valve to flow hydraulic fluid from a first annular gallery to a second annular gallery of a hydraulic lash adjuster via a metered hydraulic fluid passage positioned between the first and second annular galleries and on an outer surface of a hydraulic lash adjuster intermediate spool;
- and
- opening the control valve to flow hydraulic fluid directly to the second annular gallery from the control valve.
A hydraulic lash adjuster, comprising:
- a one piece plunger body coupled to a first gallery for mitigating lash in a variable displacement engine and a second gallery for providing hydraulic fluid to an auxiliary valve actuation system,
- wherein the first gallery is located on a first, lower annulus and the second gallery is located on a second, upper annulus of the hydraulic lash adjuster and where the first annulus and the second annulus are vertically separated by an outer diameter of the hydraulic lash adjuster body,
- the first gallery is fluidly coupled to a first conduit and the second gallery is fluidly coupled to a second conduit, and
- the first gallery is fluidly coupled to the second gallery via a metered passage in an outer body of the outer diameter of the hydraulic lash adjuster body.
1 more element
A system, comprising:
- at least one hydraulic lash adjuster disposed in a residence bore;
- at least one switchable cam follower actuated by hydraulic fluid fed through a plunger of the hydraulic lash adjuster;
- a first gallery and second gallery, where the first gallery and second gallery are separated by an outer diameter of the hydraulic lash adjuster body;
- the first gallery located on a first annulus and the second gallery located on a second annulus, where the annuli are fluidly connected by an external passage along the outer diameter;
- and
- a controller with computer readable instructions stored in memory for:
- controllably supplying hydraulic fluid to an auxiliary valve actuation system via opening a control valve to flow hydraulic fluid directly to the second gallery to increase a pressure of the second gallery, and where the second gallery is fluidly coupled to the auxiliary valve actuation system.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.