JP2002371811A - Valve opening/closing timing control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for measuring what degree hydraulic fluid is filled in an advance angle oil chamber and a delay angle oil chamber with a simple constitution. SOLUTION: This device has a detection means 10a for detecting rotation of a crankshaft or a cam shaft 10. A first control mechanism B1 is provided with an oblique surface 21k as a first relative rotation allowing mechanism for allowing relative rotation to the advance angle side of a rotor 21 by a prescribed amount. A second control mechanism B2 is provided with an oblique surface 21p as a second relative rotation allowing mechanism for allowing relative rotation to a delay angle side of the rotor 21 by a prescribed amount. Relative rotation for a housing 30 of the rotor 21 allowed by the oblique surface 21k or the oblique surface 21p can be detected by the detection means 10a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve opening / closing timing control device for controlling the opening / closing timing of a valve in an engine valve train.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventionally known valve opening / closing timing control device, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-324613 discloses a device that drives a camshaft that opens and closes an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine from a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. A housing member that is provided in a driving force transmission system that transmits a force, and that is integrally rotatable with the crankshaft or the camshaft; An advancing oil chamber and a retarding oil chamber are formed in a housing member, a rotor member that rotates integrally with the camshaft or the crankshaft, and an unlocking operation by supply of hydraulic oil, the housing member and the housing member The relative rotation of the rotor member is allowed, and the lock operation is performed by discharging the hydraulic oil to lock the relative rotation of the housing member and the rotor member at an intermediate phase between the most advanced phase and the most retarded phase. Those with a relative rotation controlling mechanism for regulating a hydraulic circuit for controlling the advance angle oil chamber and the hydraulic oil to the retarded angle chamber supply and discharge is disclosed in.

[0003]

In the above valve timing control apparatus, the relative rotation control mechanism shifts the relative rotation of the housing member and the rotor member to an intermediate phase position between the most advanced phase position and the most retarded phase position. The opening and closing timings of the intake valve and the exhaust valve are set so that good startability of the internal combustion engine can be obtained in a regulated state.

In the valve timing control apparatus, a relative rotation control mechanism (a lock recess and a lock plate, and a biasing member for biasing the lock plate toward the lock recess) regulates the relative rotation of the housing member and the rotor member. The state shifts from a state in which the relative rotational position of the rotor member to the housing member is controlled to an arbitrary position by a pressure difference of hydraulic oil (fluid) supplied to the retard oil chamber or the advance oil chamber. This is achieved by supplying hydraulic oil to the relative rotation control mechanism via the retard oil chamber or the advance oil chamber and unlocking the relative rotation control mechanism. More specifically, this is achieved when the pressure of the hydraulic oil is applied to the pressure receiving portion of the lock plate and the pressure becomes larger than the urging force of the urging member, whereby the lock plate is separated from the lock recess.

At this time, from the state where the relative rotation of the rotor with respect to the housing is restricted by the relative rotation control mechanism, the relative pressure between the housing and the rotor is determined by the pressure difference of the working oil supplied to the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber. When the state is shifted to a state where the rotation is controlled to an arbitrary position), the hydraulic oil supplied to the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber locks the relative position of the rotor member with respect to the housing member or a predetermined relative phase. A sufficient amount of hydraulic oil (sufficiently fills the capacity of the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber formed when the rotor member is in the lock phase position or the predetermined relative phase position) is supplied. Otherwise, the fluctuation torque received from the camshaft causes the rotor member to rapidly rotate toward the side where hydraulic oil is not supplied. As a result, there is a possibility that the housing member and the rotor member collide with each other to generate a tapping sound, or the relative position of the rotor with respect to the housing cannot be maintained at a predetermined position. Therefore, immediately before the rotor member starts to rotate relative to the housing member (the relative rotation control mechanism is unlocked), the oil chamber (advanced oil chamber or retarded oil chamber) on the side where the rotor member is about to rotate. If the hydraulic oil can be supplied to (1), it is considered that the above problem is solved.
However, the conventional valve opening / closing timing control device cannot measure how much the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber are filled with the hydraulic oil, and the above-described solution cannot be adopted. could not.

Therefore, the present invention provides a valve opening / closing timing control device, which determines whether or not a rotor has started to rotate relative to a housing, so that hydraulic oil is supplied to an advancing oil chamber and a retarding oil chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for measuring how much the state is satisfied with a simple configuration.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing for rotating integrally with a crankshaft or a camshaft of an internal combustion engine; A rotor that rotates integrally with the other of the shaft and the crankshaft, a fluid pressure chamber provided between the housing and the rotor, and a vane that partitions the fluid pressure chamber into an advance oil chamber and a retard oil chamber. A relative rotation control mechanism that enables relative rotation between the housing and the rotor to be restricted between a most advanced phase position and a most retarded phase position by supplying and discharging fluid, the advanced oil chamber and the retarded angle, A valve circuit for controlling the rotation of the crankshaft or the camshaft, comprising: a hydraulic circuit that controls supply and discharge of a fluid to and from an oil chamber and the relative rotation control mechanism; The mechanism is A first relative rotation permitting mechanism that permits a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor in the advance side according to the pressure of the fluid supplied to the advance oil chamber, or the retardation of the relative rotation of the rotor to the retard side. At least one second relative rotation permitting mechanism that permits a predetermined amount according to the pressure of the fluid supplied to the square oil chamber is provided.

According to the above-described means, a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor to the advance side is permitted according to the pressure of the fluid supplied to the advance oil chamber provided in the relative rotation control mechanism. At least one of a first relative rotation permitting mechanism or a second relative rotation permitting mechanism that permits a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor to the retard side in accordance with the pressure of the fluid supplied to the retard oil chamber. Accordingly, the relative rotation position of the rotor with respect to the housing can be rotated in the advance direction or the retard direction by a predetermined amount according to the pressure of the fluid filling the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the technical means adopted in the invention according to claim 2 is the same as the technical means described in claim 1, wherein the relative rotation control mechanism is provided on the advance side. A first control mechanism for regulating the relative rotation to the first angle, and a second control mechanism for regulating the relative rotation to the retard side.
At least one of the control mechanism or the second control mechanism,
At least one of the first relative rotation permitting mechanism and the second relative rotation permitting mechanism is provided.

According to the above-described means, the first control mechanism for regulating the relative rotation of the relative rotation control mechanism to the advance side is provided with:
By providing a first relative rotation permitting mechanism that permits a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor to the advance side, a relative amount of the rotor with respect to the housing by a predetermined amount according to the pressure of the fluid filling the advance oil chamber. The position can be rotated in the advance direction. Alternatively, the second control mechanism for regulating the relative rotation of the relative rotation control mechanism to the retard side is provided with a second relative rotation allowance mechanism for allowing a predetermined amount of the relative rotation of the rotor to the retard side. The relative position of the rotor with respect to the housing can be rotated in the retard direction by a predetermined amount according to the pressure of the fluid filling the retard oil chamber.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in addition to the second aspect, the first control mechanism includes a first lock. The second control mechanism includes a member, and a first contact surface that contacts the first lock member. The second control mechanism includes a second lock member and a second contact surface that contacts the second lock member. The first relative rotation detecting mechanism may be a slope provided by the first contact surface in a direction in which the first lock member restricts rotation, and the second relative rotation detecting mechanism may include the second relative rotation detecting mechanism. The second lock member is formed as an inclined surface provided in a direction restricting rotation by the contact surface.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that hatching lines in FIG. 2 are omitted to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated.

The valve timing control apparatus of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a rotor 21 which is integrally attached to a tip (left end in FIG. 1) of a camshaft (driven shaft) 10 by bolts 50. The rotor 21 is provided outside the rotor 21 so as to be rotatable relative to the rotor 21, and the rotational force is transmitted from a crankshaft (rotary shaft) (not shown) of the engine via a transmission member 90 (a timing chain in the present embodiment). Housing 30, the housing 30, and the rotor 21
A first control mechanism B1 and a second control mechanism B2 as relative rotation control mechanisms for controlling relative rotation between the housing 30 and the rotor 21;
Hydraulic oil (fluid) to advance chamber R1 and retard chamber R2 described later
And a hydraulic control valve (control means) 100 for controlling the supply and discharge of hydraulic oil to and from the first control mechanism B1 and the second control mechanism B2.

The camshaft 10 has a well-known cam (not shown) for opening and closing one (not shown) of an intake valve or an exhaust valve, and is rotatably supported by a cylinder head 40 of the internal combustion engine. An advance oil passage 11 and a retard oil passage 12 extending in the axial direction of the camshaft 10 are provided therein. The advance oil passage 11 is connected to a connection port 102 of the hydraulic control valve 100 via a radial through hole 13 and an annular passage 14. Further, the retard passage 12 is connected to the connection port 10 of the hydraulic control valve 100 through a radial through hole 15 and an annular passage 16.
1 connected. The radial through holes 13 and 15
The annular passages 14 and 16 are formed in the camshaft 10. Further, a cam angle sensor (detection means) 10a for detecting rotation of the cam shaft 10 is disposed in the cylinder head 40.

The rotor 21 integrally screwed to the tip of the camshaft 10 by the bolt 50 has a central inner hole 21a of the rotor 21 whose front end is closed by the head of the bolt 50. Advance angle passage 11 provided in camshaft 10
Is in communication with

The rotor 21 has four vanes 23 and a vane groove 21b for mounting a spring (not shown) for urging the vanes 23 in the radial direction. Each vane 23 is attached to the vane groove 21 b and extends radially outward, and includes four advance chambers R 1 and retard chambers R 2 in the housing 30.
Are formed.

The rotor 21 has three radial through holes 21c communicating with the advance passage 11 at the radial inner end through the central inner hole 21a and communicating with the advance chamber R1 at the radial outer end. At the radially inner end, communicates with the advance passage 11 through the central bore 21a, and at the radially outer end, the first control mechanism B
1 and one radial through hole 21d communicating with the advance oil chamber R1 through the passage P1.

The main rotor 21 has a retard oil passage 1.
2 are provided with four axial through holes 21e, which communicate with the through hole 21e at the radial inner end, and with the radial oil chamber R2 at the radial outer end. 21f are provided, and communicate with the retard passage 12 through the through hole 21e at the radial inner end, and the second control mechanism B2 at the radial outer end.
And one radial through-hole 21g communicating with the retard oil chamber R2 through the passage P2.

The housing 30 includes a housing body 31
, Front plate 32, and rear thin plate 33
And a bolt 34 for integrally connecting them. A sprocket 31a is integrally formed on the rear outer periphery of the housing body 31. As is well known, the sprocket 31a is connected to a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine via a timing chain 90, and is configured so that the driving force from the crankshaft is transmitted and the sprocket 31a is rotated clockwise in FIG. .

The housing body 31 has four projections 31b projecting radially inward.
A fluid pressure chamber 31c is formed therebetween. This fluid pressure chamber 3
1c, the vane 23 is disposed, and the advance chamber R1 and the retard chamber R
And 2.

The front plate 32 and the rear thin plate 33 are slidably in contact with the axial end surface of the main rotor 21 and the entire axial end surface of each vane 23 at opposite end surfaces in the axial direction. Also, the housing body 31
As shown in FIG. 2, the fluid pressure chamber 31c has a projection 31d that regulates the most retarded phase position by contact with the vane and a projection 31e that regulates the most advanced phase position by contact with the vane 23. Is formed.

The first control mechanism B1 unlocks by the supply of hydraulic oil from the advance passage 11, and
Relative rotation of the rotor 30 and the rotor 21, and lock operation is performed by discharging hydraulic oil to the advance passage 11, so that the relative rotation of the housing 30 and the rotor 21 to the advance side is shifted to the most retarded phase position and the most advanced phase position. The lock plate 61 and the lock spring 62
It has.

The lock plate 61 is connected to the housing body 3.
1 is slidably mounted in the radial evacuation hole 31f in the radial direction, and is urged to protrude from the evacuation hole 31f by a lock spring 62 housed in the housing part 31g.

The lock plate 61 has a tip (inner diameter end) slidable into and out of the lock groove 21h provided in the rotor 21 (fittable / removable), and hydraulic oil is inserted into the lock groove 21h. Is supplied to move in the radial direction against the urging force of the lock spring 62 and
f. Further, the tip of the lock plate 61 can contact the end face of the rotor 21, and the rotor 21 can rotate in the contact state.

The lock groove 21h is, as shown in FIG.
When the rotor 21 is at the intermediate phase position with respect to the housing 30, the end (inner diameter side end) is provided so as to face and match each of the retreat holes 31f.

The lock groove 21h is in contact with the lock plate 61 when the lock plate 61 is at the bottom 21i, and a contact surface 21j for restricting the rotation of the rotor 21 with respect to the housing 30 in the advance direction. After a bottom portion 21i, which is the deepest portion, and a predetermined length of contact surface 21j provided radially outward from the bottom portion 21i, the depth of the rotor 21 gradually decreases toward the retard side in the circumferential direction of the rotor 21. And a slope 21k extending to the outer peripheral surface. This slope 21k corresponds to the first relative rotation permitting mechanism of the present invention.

On the other hand, the second control mechanism B2 controls the retard passage 12
Is unlocked by the supply of hydraulic oil from the housing to allow relative rotation between the housing 30 and the rotor 21, and
The lock is activated by the discharge of hydraulic oil to the housing 30.
The rotation of the rotor 21 to the retard side is regulated at the most advanced phase position and the intermediate phase position (the state shown in FIG. 2) between the most advanced phase position, and includes a lock plate 63 and a lock spring 64. ing.

The lock plate 63 is connected to the housing body 3.
1 is slidably mounted in the radial evacuation hole 31h provided in the housing 1 and is urged to protrude from the evacuation hole 31h by a lock spring 64 accommodated in the accommodating portion 31i of the housing body 31. I have.

The lock plate 63 has a distal end slidable in a lock groove 211 provided in the rotor 21 so as to be able to be inserted and removed (fitting / removing). It moves radially against the urging force of the lock spring 64 and is retracted and stored in the retracting hole 31h. Further, the tip of the lock plate 63 can contact the end face of the rotor 21, and the rotor 21 can rotate in the contact state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lock groove 211 is
When the rotor 21 is at the intermediate phase position with respect to the housing 30, the end (retard side end) is provided so as to face and match the evacuation hole 31h.

The lock groove 211 contacts with the lock plate 63 when the lock plate 63 is at the bottom 21m thereof, and a contact surface 21n for restricting rotation of the rotor 21 in the retard direction with respect to the housing 30; After a bottom portion 21m, which is the deepest portion, and a contact surface 21n having a predetermined length extending radially outward from the bottom portion 21m, the depth of the rotor 21 gradually decreases toward the advancing side in the circumferential direction of the rotor 21. And a slope 21p extending to the outer peripheral surface. This slope 21p corresponds to a second relative rotation permitting mechanism of the present invention.

The torsion spring S interposed between the housing 30 and the rotor 21 urges the rotor 21 to advance the housing 30 to the advance side. The operation responsiveness at the time of changing the relative rotation phase of the rotor with respect to the housing to the advance side by the torsion spring S is considered to be good.

The hydraulic control valve 100 shown in FIG. 1 constitutes a hydraulic circuit C comprising an oil pump 110 driven by the engine, an oil pan 120 of the engine, etc., and energizes the solenoid 103 by an energization control unit ECU. Is a variable electromagnetic spool valve that moves the spool 104 against the spring 105 by changing the duty amount (%) to the solenoid 103 to change the stroke amount of the spool to advance the advance passage 11 and the retard passage 12. Further, supply and discharge of hydraulic oil to the first control mechanism B1 and the second control mechanism B2 can be controlled.

The oil pump 110 is driven by an internal combustion engine, and supplies hydraulic oil from the oil pan 120 of the internal combustion engine to the supply port 106 of the hydraulic control valve 100 by the internal combustion engine. The oil pan 120 of the internal combustion engine is connected to the discharge port 107 of the hydraulic control valve 100.
And the operating oil returns from the discharge port 107. Based on detection signals from various sensors (sensors for detecting a crank angle, a cam angle, a throttle opening, an engine speed, an engine cooling water temperature, a vehicle speed, etc.), the energization control unit ECU operates the engine according to a preset control pattern. The output (duty value of the current sent to the solenoid) is controlled according to the situation.

The operation of the present invention will be described.

When the internal combustion engine is stopped, each advance oil chamber R1, each retard oil chamber R2, and the lock groove 21 of the first control mechanism B1
h, and the operating oil is sequentially returned to the oil pan 120 of the internal combustion engine from the lock groove 211 of the second control mechanism B2 through the gaps between the members. Also, in the initial stage of starting the internal combustion engine, even if the oil pump 110 is driven by the internal combustion engine, the hydraulic oil is not sufficiently discharged, and the energization to the solenoid 103 of the hydraulic control valve 100 is controlled by the energization control device 200. However, from the hydraulic circuit C, each advance oil chamber R1 and each retard oil chamber R2, the lock groove 21h of the first control mechanism B1, and the second
Hydraulic oil is not sufficiently supplied to the lock groove 211 of the control mechanism B2. Therefore, when the relative rotational position of the rotor 2 with respect to the housing 30 is not adjusted and held, and the relative rotational position of the rotor 21 with respect to the housing 30 is not at the intermediate phase position (lock position), the fluctuation applied to the camshaft 10. The torque causes the rotor 21 to rotate relative to the housing 30. At this time, when the rotational phase position of the housing 30 and the rotor 21 reaches the intermediate lock phase position, the lock plate 61 of the first control mechanism B1 is moved into the lock groove 21h by the urging force of the lock spring 62 as shown in FIG. To restrict the relative rotation to the advance side, and the lock plate 63 of the second control mechanism B2
The biasing force of 4 fits into the lock groove 211 to regulate the relative rotation to the retard side. As a result, the relative rotation between the housing 30 and the rotor 21 is held at the intermediate lock phase position, a predetermined valve opening / closing timing suitable for starting is realized, and the startability of the internal combustion engine can be improved.

Then, as shown in detail in FIG. 4, the operating oil is supplied to the advance oil chamber R1 (or the retard oil chamber R2) by the rotation of the internal combustion engine, and the advance oil chamber R1 (the retard oil chamber) is supplied. R2) is filled with hydraulic oil, and the pressure of the hydraulic oil applied to the end face of the lock plate 61 (lock plate 63) is greater than the urging force of the lock spring 62 (lock spring 64) that urges the lock plate 61 (lock plate 63). Also increases, the lock plate 61 (the lock plate 63) moves into the evacuation hole 31f (the evacuation hole 31h). At this time,
As shown in FIG. 3, the contact surface 21j (contact surface 211) is provided with a predetermined length toward the outside in the radial direction.
1k is formed. Thereby, after the lock plate 61 has moved by a predetermined length as shown in FIG. 4, the slope 21k abuts on the lock plate 61, and the advance oil chamber R
Due to the hydraulic oil filled in 1, the rotor 21 rotates in the advancing (retarding) direction by a minute amount Δ ° with respect to the housing 30. Then, this rotation is detected by the cam angle sensor 10a, and the energization control unit ECU supplies sufficient hydraulic oil to the advance oil chamber R1 (retard oil chamber R2) by the output from the cam angle sensor 10a (advance). Hydraulic oil is sufficiently supplied to the square oil chamber R1, and the hydraulic pressure is applied to the tip of the lock plate 61 only to move the lock plate 61 in the radial direction by a predetermined amount.)
It can be determined that the state has been reached.

Thereafter, the hydraulic control valve 100 is immediately controlled by the power supply control unit ECU to stop the supply of the working oil to the advance oil chamber R1 (retard oil chamber R2), and to stop the retard oil chamber R2 (advance oil chamber R2). When the supply of hydraulic oil to the angular oil chamber R1) starts, the hydraulic oil continues to be supplied to the advance oil chamber R1 (retard oil chamber R2), and the first control mechanism B1 (second control mechanism B2) is completely turned off. Unlock operation can be prevented.

Thus, the rotor 2 with respect to the housing
From the state where the relative position 1 is mechanically held at the lock phase position by the first and second control mechanisms B1 and B2, to the lock phase position by the working oil filled in the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2. The state can be switched to the holding state.
Then, the advance oil chamber R1 already filled with hydraulic oil
When the first control mechanism B1 (the second control mechanism B2) is completely unlocked by continuously supplying the hydraulic oil to the (retarding oil chamber R2), the rotor 21 suddenly moves in the advance (retard) direction. Rotation can be prevented. Thereby, the protrusion 31c
It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a hitting sound due to the collision between the (31d) and the vane 23 and a problem such as a poor startability due to a deviation of the relative rotational position of the rotor 21 with respect to the housing 30.

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In order to avoid complication of the drawing, hatching is omitted in FIG. Further, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the first relative rotation permitting mechanism, and thus the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment denote the same components, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 4, the first control mechanism B1 includes a first contact surface 21j that contacts the lock plate 61, a slope 21k that constitutes a first relative rotation permitting mechanism, and an outer peripheral surface of the rotor 21 from the slope 21k. Facing, lock plate 61 again
, And a second contact surface (third contact surface) 21q for contacting the second contact surface. By providing the second contact surface 21q, the rotor 21 rotates relative to the housing 30 by a predetermined amount in the advance angle direction by the first relative rotation allowing mechanism,
The second contact surface 21q and the lock plate 61 are in contact with each other to regulate the relative rotation of the rotor 21 with respect to the housing 30. Thereby, the disadvantage that the rotor 21 continues to rotate relative to the housing 30 can be solved.

The above-described embodiment of the second embodiment may be applied to a second relative rotation permitting mechanism.
After the relative rotation in the retard direction by a predetermined amount of 1 is permitted, it is possible to regulate the relative rotation of the rotor 21 with respect to the housing 30 on the second contact surface.

Also, in the present embodiment, the first and second
The first and second relative rotation permitting mechanisms are provided in both the control mechanisms B1 and B2, respectively.
From the state where the relative position 1 is mechanically held at the lock phase position by the first and second control mechanisms B1 and B2, to the lock phase position by the working oil filled in the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2. When shifting to the holding state, in the case where the hydraulic control valve 100 is always controlled to communicate with only one of the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2, the first relative rotation permitting mechanism described above or By providing one of the second relative rotation permitting mechanisms, it is possible to detect that the rotor 21 rotates to the advance side or the retard side.

[0044]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
The relative rotation control mechanism is a first relative rotation allowance mechanism that allows a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor to the advance side, or a second relative rotation allowance mechanism that allows a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor to the retard side. By providing at least one, the relative rotation position of the rotor relative to the housing is advanced by a predetermined amount in accordance with the pressure of the fluid filling the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber. It can be rotated in the retard direction. This makes it possible to detect the amount of fluid filling the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber by detecting the relative rotation of the rotor with respect to the housing by the detection means.

According to the invention of claim 2, according to claim 1,
3. The valve timing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first control mechanism and the second control mechanism includes the first control mechanism or the second control mechanism.
By providing at least one of the relative rotation permitting mechanism and the second relative rotation permitting mechanism, the first relative rotation permitting mechanism or the second relative rotation permitting mechanism fills the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber. , The relative position of the rotor with respect to the housing can be rotated in the advance direction or the retard direction by a predetermined amount. Thus, the amount of fluid filling the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber can be detected by detecting the rotational position of the rotor with respect to the housing by the detection means.

According to the invention of claim 3, according to claim 2,
In the valve timing control apparatus according to the first aspect, the first control mechanism includes a first lock member and a first lock member that contacts the first lock member.
The second control mechanism includes a second lock member, and a second contact surface that contacts the second lock member. The first relative rotation detection mechanism includes a first contact surface. And the first lock member is a slope provided in the direction of regulating the rotation, and the second relative rotation detection mechanism is provided in the direction of regulating the rotation of the second lock member by the second contact surface. By being a slope, the rotor is rotated relative to the housing by a predetermined amount when the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber reaches a predetermined state with a simple configuration,
By this rotation, the state of the pressure of the fluid in the advance oil chamber or the retard oil chamber can be known.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a valve timing control apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a main part shown in FIG. 1, showing a state where a rotor is at an intermediate phase position with respect to a housing.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a first relative rotation allowing mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an operation state of a first relative rotation permitting mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a first relative rotation allowing mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 camshaft 10a cam angle sensor (detection means) 21 rotor 21j first contact surface (first control mechanism) 21k slope (first relative rotation permitting mechanism) 21m second contact surface (second control mechanism) 21p slope ( (Second relative rotation permitting mechanism) 23 vane 30 housing 31c fluid pressure chamber, 61 first lock member (first control mechanism) 63 second lock member (second control mechanism) B1 first control mechanism B2 second control mechanism C Hydraulic circuit R1 advance oil chamber R2 retard oil chamber

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A housing that rotates integrally with a crankshaft or a camshaft of an internal combustion engine, a rotor that rotates integrally with the other of the camshaft or the crankshaft, and is provided between the housing and the rotor. A fluid pressure chamber, a vane for dividing the fluid pressure chamber into an advanced oil chamber and a retard oil chamber, and the supply and discharge of fluid to make the relative rotation between the housing and the rotor the most advanced phase position and the most retarded angle. A relative rotation control mechanism capable of regulating between phase positions, a hydraulic circuit for controlling supply and discharge of fluid to the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber and the relative rotation control mechanism, and the crankshaft or the crankshaft. A valve opening / closing timing control device comprising: a detection unit configured to detect rotation of the camshaft; wherein the relative rotation control mechanism controls a relative rotation of the rotor to an advance side by a pressure of a fluid supplied to the advance oil chamber. According to the prescribed quantity At least one first relative rotation permitting mechanism or at least one second relative rotation permitting mechanism that permits a predetermined amount of relative rotation of the rotor to the retard side in accordance with the pressure of the fluid supplied to the retard oil chamber. A valve opening / closing timing control device comprising: 2. The valve opening / closing timing control device according to claim 1, wherein the relative rotation control mechanism regulates a relative rotation toward an advance side and a relative rotation control mechanism against the retard side. Second
A valve, wherein at least one of the first control mechanism and the second control mechanism is provided with at least one of the first relative rotation permitting mechanism and the second relative rotation permitting mechanism. Open / close timing control device. 3. The first control mechanism includes a first lock member, and a first contact surface that contacts the first lock member. The second control mechanism includes a second lock member, The first relative rotation detecting mechanism is constituted by a second lock member and a second contact surface that is in contact with the second lock member, and the first relative rotation detection mechanism is a slope provided by the first contact surface in a direction in which the first lock member restricts rotation. The valve according to claim 2, wherein the second relative rotation detecting mechanism is a slope provided by the second contact surface in a direction in which the second lock member restricts rotation. Open / close timing control device.