JP2003278513A - Valve opening/closing timing control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately supply oil to a phase advance oil chamber and a phase lag oil chamber in a valve opening/closing timing control device. <P>SOLUTION: This valve opening/closing timing control device is equipped with a tub 53 connected to a phase advance passage 51 and a phase lag passage 52 and supplying oil to the phase advance passage 51 and phase lag passage 52, and a check valve 47 allowing oil flow from he tub 53 in the directions of the phase advance passage 51 and phase lag passage 52 and prohibiting oil flow from the phase advance passage 51 and phase lag passage 52 to the tub 53. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

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 (a valve opening / closing timing adjusting device for an internal combustion engine) used for controlling the opening / closing timing of an intake valve in a valve operating system for an internal combustion engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a valve opening / closing timing control device of this type,
A housing member that is provided in a driving force transmission system that transmits a driving force from a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine to a camshaft that opens and closes an intake valve or an exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine, and that rotates integrally with the crankshaft, and the inside of the housing member. A rotor member that is rotatable relative to the housing member and that rotates integrally with the cam shaft in a storage chamber formed in the housing chamber; and a rotor member that is disposed so as to move integrally with the rotor member. A vane that forms an advance oil chamber and a retard oil chamber between the rotor members, a lock member that regulates the relative position of the housing member and the rotor member, and an advancing and discharging hydraulic oil to and from the advance oil chamber. A valve opening / closing timing control device including an angular passage, a retard passage for supplying / discharging hydraulic oil to / from the retard oil chamber, and a hydraulic control unit for controlling the supply / discharging of hydraulic oil to / from the advance passage and the retard passage. Is a known technology To have. For example, as an apparatus in which the internal combustion engine is a vehicle engine, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-294121.

In this system, the hydraulic control section switches between advancing passages and retarding passages for supplying working oil, or both passages for discharging working oil. The vane position (position with respect to the housing member) is controlled and held by controlling the hydraulic pressures in the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber, and as a result, the relative phase position of the rotor member and the housing member is controlled. . This allows
The opening / closing timing of the supply / exhaust valve with respect to the rotational phase position of the crankshaft of the engine is suitably controlled. When the engine is stopped, it is locked at a predetermined relative phase position so that the opening / closing timing of the supply / exhaust valve becomes appropriate when the engine is restarted. However, if the engine is stopped due to some trouble without being locked at the predetermined relative phase position, the following trouble will occur. That is, even if the starter motor is started in order to restart the engine, the timing at which the supply / exhaust valve is opened / closed is not suitable, so that a problem occurs in which normal combustion of the engine is not performed.

In this case, by controlling the hydraulic pressures of the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber, the relative position of the vane to the housing member is controlled, and the relative phase position of the housing member and the rotor member is set to a predetermined position. It is possible to control. However, oil is supplied to and discharged from the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber, for example, by hydraulically pumping hydraulic oil by an oil pump or the like that works in conjunction with the engine. Therefore, when the engine is stopped and the oil pump or the like is left for a predetermined time while stopped, the working oil in the advance oil chamber, the retard oil chamber, and the lubricating oil path is returned to the oil pan or the like. Therefore, in the cell cranking at the time of starting the engine, there is a problem that the rotation speed of the oil pump is low and the hydraulic oil cannot be properly supplied to each oil chamber.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a technical object of the present invention to appropriately supply oil to an advance oil chamber and a retard oil chamber in a valve opening / closing timing control device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the technical means taken in the present invention is to provide a driving force from a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine to a camshaft for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine. And a housing member that is provided in a driving force transmission system that transmits the power and that rotates integrally with either the crankshaft or the camshaft, and is rotatable relative to the housing member in a storage chamber formed in the housing member. A rotor member disposed integrally with the crank shaft or the cam shaft and rotating integrally with the other of the crank shaft and the cam shaft, and the housing member or the rotor member so as to be movable together with the rotor member. A vane that forms an advance oil chamber and a retard oil chamber between the rotor member and the rotor member, a lock member that regulates the relative position of the housing member and the rotor member, and the advance angle. And the advanced angle passages for supplying and discharging hydraulic oil to the chamber,
In the valve opening / closing timing control device including a retard passage for supplying / discharging hydraulic oil to / from the retard oil chamber, and a hydraulic control unit for controlling supply / discharging of hydraulic oil to / from the advance passage and the retard passage, An oil reservoir connected to the angle passage and the retard passage and capable of supplying oil to the advance passage and the retard passage; and the advancing to allow the flowing oil from the reservoir to the advance passage and the retard passage. The one-way valve for prohibiting the flow of oil from the angular passage and the retarded passage to the oil reservoir is provided.

In this structure, the oil storage portion connected to the advance passage and the retard passage is provided. Then, the one-way valve allows the flowing oil from the oil reservoir to the advance passage and the retard passage, and prohibits the flowing oil in the reverse direction. Therefore, the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber are appropriately refueled with the oil in the oil reservoir. As a result, the hydraulic pressure of the advance oil chamber and the like is promptly secured, and the relative position control of the vane with respect to the housing member and the like becomes appropriate. Therefore, the relative phase position between the housing member and the rotor member is appropriately controlled, and the opening / closing timing of the supply / exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine can be controlled to a suitable state.

[0008] Preferably, a connecting portion for connecting the hydraulic control unit and the oil storage unit may be provided.

In this structure, the hydraulic oil drained from the hydraulic control section is collected in the oil storage section, so that the hydraulic oil can be used efficiently.

Preferably, the connecting portion between the oil storage portion and the connecting portion is located below the oil storage portion.

In this structure, since the connecting portion is located below the oil storage portion, the vicinity of the connecting portion is filled with hydraulic oil. Therefore, the configuration is such that air or the like is unlikely to enter the hydraulic control unit via the connecting unit.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, hatching lines are omitted in order to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated.

A valve opening / closing timing control device 10 according to the present embodiment.
Is disposed in an engine (not shown) (internal combustion engine) of the vehicle. The valve opening / closing timing control device 10 includes a rotor 12 that is integrally assembled to a tip portion (left end in FIG. 1) of a cam shaft 11 (cam shaft) by a bolt (not shown).
(Rotor member) and the rotor 12 on the outside of the rotor 12.
A housing 30 that is rotatably mounted relative to the housing 30 and receives rotational force from a crankshaft (not shown) (crankshaft) of the engine via a timing chain 13.
(Housing member) and rotor 1 disposed on rotor 12
It is provided with a vane 14 (vane) or the like that forms an advance oil chamber R1 (advance oil chamber) and a retard oil chamber R2 (delay oil chamber) by partitioning between 2 and the housing 30. Also,
A hydraulic control valve 80 (hydraulic control unit) that controls the supply and discharge of oil to and from the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 is also provided. The housing 30 may be arranged at the tip of the camshaft 11 so as to be rotatable integrally therewith, and the rotor 12 may be rotated integrally with the crankshaft. Further, the vanes 14 may be arranged in the housing 30 and move relative to the rotor 12.

The camshaft 11 has a well-known cam (not shown) that opens and closes one or both of an intake valve and an exhaust valve (not shown), and rotates on the cylinder head 50 of the engine as shown in FIG. It is rotatably supported, and an in-shaft advance passage 15 and an in-shaft retard passage 16 extending in the axial direction of the camshaft 11 are provided therein. The axial advance passage 15 has a radial passage 15a and an annular passage 15b. The in-shaft advance passage 15 is connected to the connection port 82 of the hydraulic control valve 80 via the advance passage 51 (advance passage) formed outside the camshaft 11 and inside the cylinder head 50. In addition, the shaft retarded passage 1
6 has a radial through hole 16a and an annular passage 16b. Then, the in-shaft retarded passage 16 is provided in the camshaft 1
It is connected to the connection port 81 of the hydraulic control valve 80 (hydraulic control unit) via the retard passage 52 (retard passage) formed outside the cylinder head 50.

The rotor 12 is integrally screwed to the tip of the camshaft 11 by a bolt (not shown).
The rotor 12 has a central inner hole 12a of the rotor 12 whose front end is closed by a head of a bolt, and the central inner hole 12a communicates with an axial advance passage 15 provided in the camshaft 11. Further, the rotor 12 includes the above-mentioned four vanes 14 (shown in FIG. 2) and the spring 1 for urging the vanes 14 in the radial direction.
It has a vane groove 18 (shown in FIG. 2) for assembling 7. Each vane 14 is assembled in a vane groove 18 and extends outward in the radial direction.
An advance chamber R1 and a retard chamber R2 are formed in the oil chamber 19 (shown in FIG. 2) partitioned between the two.

The housing 30 has a housing body 31.
The front plate 32, the rear plate 33, and the five bolts 34 that integrally connect them.

A sprocket 31a is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the rear of the housing body 31. The sprocket 31a disengages from the timing chain 13. Therefore, the housing 30 is the timing chain 1
The driving force from the crankshaft of the engine through 3 causes the engine to rotate clockwise in FIG.

Five shoe portions 35 (shown in FIG. 2) are formed on the housing body 31 toward the inner side in the radial direction, and each shoe portion 35 causes the above-mentioned four oil chambers 1 to be formed.
9 are sectioned. As described above, the vanes 14 are arranged in the four oil chambers 19, respectively.

Front plate 32 and rear plate 33
Are axially opposed to each other and slidably contact the axial end surface of the main rotor 12 and the entire axial end surface of each vane 14.

A lock 36 (lock member) is arranged on the shoe portion 35. The lock 36 is unlocked by supplying hydraulic oil from the in-shaft retarded passage 16 to permit relative rotation between the housing 30 and the rotor 12. Then, when the hydraulic oil is supplied to the in-shaft advance passage 15, the hydraulic pressure is not supplied to the lock 36, and the lock is operated by the urging force of the spring 36b to cause the housing 30 and the rotor 1 to rotate.
The relative rotation of No. 2 is regulated at the most advanced phase position (state of FIG. 2). Such regulation is applied to the lock plate 36a. The opening and closing timings of the intake valve and exhaust valve at the most advanced phase position are normal conditions such that the open state of both valves does not overlap, or the closing timing of the exhaust valve is greater than the piston top dead center. It is in a normal state where it is not late.

The torsion spring 37 interposed between the housing 30 and the rotor 12 urges the rotor 12 to rotate toward the advance side with respect to the housing 30. Due to the torsion spring 37, the operation response when the relative rotation phase of the rotor with respect to the housing is changed to the advance side is good.

Next, the structure for supplying and discharging oil to and from the in-shaft advance passage 15 and the in-shaft retard passage 16 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, a hydraulic control valve 80 is connected to the connection port 81 and the connection port 82. The hydraulic control valve 80 includes a solenoid 85,
The spool 86, a spring (not shown), and a control circuit 87 are provided. The hydraulic control valve 80 is arranged in the cylinder head 50 of the engine, and the spool 86 is arranged so as to be parallel to the camshaft 11. A supply port 83 and a discharge port 84 (shown in FIG. 1) are formed in the hydraulic control valve 80. An oil pan 90 arranged in the engine is connected to the supply port 83 via an oil pump 91 and the like. The oil pump 91 pumps oil from the oil pan 90 toward the hydraulic control valve 80. The discharge port 84 is also connected to the oil pan 90. In such a configuration, in the hydraulic control valve 80, the control circuit 87 duty-controls the energization of the solenoid 85. As a result, the spool 86 is moved in the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 4) against the spring. As a result, the connection between the supply port 83 and the discharge port 84 and the connection ports 81 and 82 is selectively switched. Therefore, the supply and discharge of oil to and from the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 are switched, and the oil chambers R1 and R
The hydraulic pressure of 2 is controlled.

By the way, in the present embodiment, a tab 53 (oil storage portion) that opens upward is formed in the upper portion (upper portion in FIG. 3) of the cylinder head 50. That is, although the tab 53 is opened upward in the engine, if the vehicle attitude is normal, the tab 53 is configured to store oil. The tab 53 is formed near the spool 86. More specifically, a part of the bottom of the tab 53 is formed to be raised, and the spool 86 is embedded in the raised portion. A drain port 54 (connecting portion) that connects to the tab 53 is formed on one end (upper end in FIG. 4) of the spool 86.
The connection portion of the drain port 54 with the tab 53 is the tab 5
It is formed sufficiently downward (the lower part of the tab 53) from the opening at the upper part of 3. Therefore, the drain port 54 in the tab 53
The area near is almost always filled with oil. Furthermore, the spool 86 and the cylinder head 5
The O-ring seals the gap between the No. 0 spool 86 and the insertion portion, and prevents the oil in the tab 53 from leaking through the gap.

A connecting oil passage 53a is formed in a part of the tab 53 so as to intersect the advance passage 51 and the retard passage 52 while being offset in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3). Further, from the upper surface of the cylinder head 50, the advance angle passage 5
Connection holes 55 and 56 are formed so as to pass through the intersection of the first and retard passages 52 and the connection oil passage 53a. A check valve 57 (one-way valve) including a spring 57a and a ball 57b is arranged in each of the connecting holes 55 and 56. The check valve 57 is provided in the advance passage 5
1 and the oil pressure in the retard passage 52, and by extension, the advance oil chamber R
1 and the oil pressure in the retard oil chamber R2 becomes lower than the oil pressure in the tab 53, the negative pressure component causes the oil to flow from the tab 53 to the advance passage 51 and the retard passage 52, respectively. Has become. That is, the check valve 57
The negative pressure in each of the passages 51 and 52 causes the ball 57b to move upward in FIG. 3 against the biasing force of the spring 57a.
The oil flowing from the tab 53 to each of the passages 51 and 52 is allowed. On the contrary, the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2
When the hydraulic pressure in the advance passage 51 and the retard passage 52 rises due to the increase in the internal hydraulic pressure, the check valve 57 prohibits the flowing oil to the tab 53 side by the action of the ball 57b or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the oil pump 91
A check valve 58 similar to the check valve 57 is also provided between the check valve 58 and the supply port 83. The check valve 58 allows oil to flow from the oil pump 91 to the supply port 83 side, but prohibits oil to flow from the supply port 83 to the oil pump 91 side.

The operation of the present invention will be described.

When the engine is started and the lock 36 of the valve opening / closing timing control device 10 is unlocked, as described above, the hydraulic pressures in the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 are controlled. As a result, the relative phase position between the rotor 12 and the housing 30 is controlled. As a result, the rotation phases of the camshaft 11 and the crankshaft change, and the opening / closing timing of the intake valve and the exhaust valve with respect to the rotation of the crankshaft is controlled.

When the engine is stopped, the oil in the advance oil chamber R1 and the oil in the retard oil chamber R2 are sequentially returned to the oil pan 90 of the engine through the passages and the gaps between the members.
Therefore, the oil pressures in the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 both decrease. As a result, the relative position of the vane 14 in the oil chamber 19 is not sufficiently controlled and maintained.

Normally, when the engine stops normally,
Since the rotor 12 is regulated by the lock 36 at the most advanced phase position (position shown in FIG. 2), the opening and closing timings of the intake valve and the exhaust valve are in a suitable state even when the engine is restarted. Has become. However, when the engine is stopped due to an engine stall or the like, the engine is stopped at a position other than the most advanced phase position.

In this state, the camshaft 11
Fluctuating torque is added by the start of the starter motor,
The camshaft 11 and the rotor 12 swing integrally in the advance direction and the retard direction. As a result, the relative position of the vane 14 in the oil chamber 19 changes, and the volumes of the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 change. Then, when a negative pressure is generated inside with the increase of the volume of the advance oil chamber R1,
The negative pressure causes oil to flow from the tab 53 to the advance passage 51. Next, when the fluctuating torque is applied in the direction in which the volume of the advance oil chamber R1 decreases, the check valve 57 acts to prevent the oil from flowing to the tab 53 side. Therefore, the relative phase is prevented from changing toward the retard side by holding the hydraulic pressure in the advance oil chamber R1. It should be noted that not only the check valve 57 but also the check valve 58 acts to hold the hydraulic pressure on the advance oil chamber R1 side. As described above, by the fluctuation torque based on the cam at the start of the starter motor,
The camshaft 11 and the rotor 12 reach the most advanced phase position, and the lock 36 regulates the position. As a result, the opening / closing timing becomes suitable. In this case, it is difficult to quickly supply oil to the advance oil chamber R1 side depending on the oil pump 91 because the oil pump 91 cannot sufficiently discharge the oil, especially at the time of cold start.
It is possible to appropriately supply oil to the advance oil chamber R1 side by the supply from the. Therefore, even when the engine is restarted (when the starter motor is started), a state in which the opening / closing timing is not suitable, for example, a state in which the open state of the intake valve and the open state of the exhaust valve overlap can be promptly avoided. , The normal combustion of the engine is ensured.

The oil supply from the tub 53 acts as follows not only when the engine is started but also when the engine is being driven.

The valve opening / closing timing control device 10 is located at an intermediate position (a position between the most advanced position and the most retarded position (the position where the rotor 12 is the most counterclockwise side with respect to the housing 30)). In this case, the positions are controlled and held by the respective hydraulic pressures of the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2. In this state, the camshaft 11 and the rotor 12 are integrally formed by the fluctuating torque applied to the camshaft 11,
A force is applied so as to swing in the advance direction and the retard direction. Then, the swinging force is applied to the vane 1 disposed on the rotor 12.
The hydraulic pressures in the advance angle oil chamber R1 and the retard angle oil chamber R2 are increased via 4. As a result, the oil in the oil chambers R1 and R2 leaks from the gaps between the members. Even in this case, the tab 53 and the advance passage 51 are used to supplement the leaked oil.
Also, the oil is appropriately supplied to the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 via the retard passage 52. In addition, when the oil is not supplied from the tab 53, air is mixed into the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2, and the control holding force of the vane 14 due to the hydraulic pressure is weakened, and as a result, the rotor 12 is Although a vicious cycle in which the swing width with respect to the housing 30 is further amplified occurs, this phenomenon can be suppressed in this configuration.

Further, as described above, since the drain port 54 of the spool 86 is connected to the tab 53, the oil drained from the spool 86 collects in the tab 53. That is, the oil is efficiently used. Further, as described above, the vicinity of the connection portion of the tab 53 with the drain port 54 is almost always filled with oil. Therefore, in the spool 86, the drain port 54
Air is suppressed from being mixed in. This also leads to prevention of air from entering the advance oil chamber R1 and the retard oil chamber R2 through the advance passage 51 and the retard passage 52.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the oil storage portion connected to the advance passage and the retard passage is provided. Then, the one-way valve allows the flowing oil from the oil reservoir to the advance passage and the retard passage, and prohibits the flowing oil in the reverse direction. Therefore, the advance oil chamber and the retard oil chamber are appropriately refueled with the oil in the oil reservoir. As a result, the hydraulic pressure of the advance oil chamber and the like is promptly secured, and the relative position control of the vane with respect to the housing member and the like becomes appropriate. Therefore, the relative phase position between the housing member and the rotor member is appropriately controlled, and the opening / closing timing of the supply / exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine can be controlled to a suitable state.

In the present invention, the working oil drained from the hydraulic control section is collected in the oil storage section, so that the working oil can be used efficiently.

In the present invention, the connecting portion between the oil storage portion and the connecting portion is
Since it is located below the oil storage part, the vicinity of the connection part is filled with hydraulic oil. Therefore, the configuration is such that air or the like is unlikely to enter the hydraulic control unit via the connecting unit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a valve opening / closing timing control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the arrangement of a cam shaft, a hydraulic control unit, and an oil storage unit of the valve opening / closing timing control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Valve opening / closing timing control device 11 Cam shaft (cam shaft) 12 Rotor (rotor member) 14 vanes 30 Housing (housing member) 36 Lock (Lock member) 51 angle passage 52 Delayed passage 53 tabs (oil storage part) 54 Drain port (connecting part) 57 Check valve (one-way valve) 80 Hydraulic control valve (hydraulic control part) R1 advance oil chamber R2 retard oil chamber

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A driving force transmission system for transmitting a driving force from a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine to a camshaft which opens and closes an intake valve or an exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine, and is provided with either the crankshaft or the camshaft. A housing member that rotates integrally, and a rotor member that is disposed in a housing chamber formed in the housing member so as to be rotatable relative to the housing member and that rotates integrally with either the crankshaft or the camshaft. A vane that is movably arranged integrally with either the housing member or the rotor member and that forms an advance oil chamber and a retard oil chamber between the housing member and the rotor member, A lock member for restricting the relative position of the housing member and the rotor member, an advance passage for supplying / discharging hydraulic oil to / from the advance oil chamber, and a retard passage for supplying / discharging hydraulic oil to / from the retard oil chamber. And a valve opening / closing timing control device including a hydraulic control unit that controls supply and discharge of hydraulic oil to and from the advance passage and the retard passage, wherein the advance passage and the retard passage are connected to the advance passage and the retard passage. An oil storage part capable of supplying oil to the retard passage, and an oil flow from the oil storage part to the advance passage and the retard passage to allow oil to flow from the advance passage and the retard passage to the storage portion. A valve opening / closing timing control device comprising a one-way valve for prohibiting a valve. 2. The valve opening / closing timing control device according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting portion that connects between the hydraulic pressure control portion and the oil storage portion. 3. The valve opening / closing timing control device according to claim 2, wherein a connecting portion between the oil storage portion and the connecting portion is located below the oil storage portion.