JP2006200389A - Valve casing and cylinder head cover - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cylinder head cover and a valve casing for an internal combustion engine, for preventing deformation of a mounting part to suitably mount an oil control valve. <P>SOLUTION: Since a valve casing body (a flange 10, a mounting part 12, and an oil passage connection part 40) is made of aluminum alloy higher in stiffness than resin cylinder head cover body 3, a mounting hole 12b is not susceptible to deformation when the valve casing body is attached to the resin cylinder head cover body 3. Further, the valve casing body is attached by joining the valve casing body to the resin cylinder head cover body 3 through a weld resin joint layer 11, instead of fixing by a mechanical tightening force such as a bolt. Since the mounting hole 12b is not susceptible to deformation compared with the related art, and the shape of the mounting hole is kept in high precision, an OCV 6 can be suitably mounted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cylinder head cover equipped with an oil control valve for controlling hydraulic pressure supply / discharge to / from a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine, and a valve case incorporated in the cylinder head cover.

  When a hydraulically driven variable valve mechanism is provided in a timing sprocket or a timing pulley of an internal combustion engine, the operating hydraulic supply / discharge oil passage from the oil control valve to the variable valve mechanism normally passes through the camshaft.

  In order to supply and discharge the hydraulic pressure in such an oil passage, an oil control valve is attached to the inner surface of the cylinder head cover, and the hydraulic pressure is reduced by the oil control valve via the oil passage in the cam cap and the camshaft. A configuration for controlling supply and discharge is considered.

However, in the configuration in which the oil control valve is accommodated in the cylinder head cover as described above, the entire cylinder head cover must be increased by the storage space for the oil control valve, which leads to an increase in the size of the internal combustion engine. In order to suppress this increase in size, use a dedicated valve case for the oil control valve, attach this valve case to the top of the insertion opening opened in the cylinder head cover, and insert and fix the oil control valve in this valve case. The technique which performs is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3525709 (page 4-5, FIG. 3)

  When considering the cylinder head cover and valve case with the above-mentioned structure to be made of resin for weight reduction, resin is generally less rigid than metal, etc. When attaching to the head, the cylinder head cover is distorted or deformed, which also affects the valve case.

  Therefore, due to such distortion and deformation, the dimensional accuracy of the mounting part of the oil control valve is lowered, and there is a possibility that the oil control valve cannot be properly mounted or that the operation of the oil control valve is hindered.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a cylinder head cover and a valve case that can appropriately mount an oil control valve by preventing deformation of the mounting portion of the oil control valve.

In the following, means for achieving the above object and its effects are described.
A valve case according to claim 1 is a valve case for mounting an oil control valve for controlling hydraulic pressure supply / discharge to / from a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine on a resin cylinder head cover body, A valve case body having an intermediate oil passage for connecting a port of the control valve to a cam cap oil passage for supplying and discharging operating hydraulic pressure to the variable valve mechanism, and made of a material having higher rigidity than the resin cylinder head cover body. And a resin bonding layer fixed to the valve case main body and bonded to the resin cylinder head cover main body by welding.

  In this way, the valve case body is made of a material that is more rigid than the resin cylinder head cover body. Therefore, even if this valve case body is attached to the resin cylinder head cover body, the mounting part of the oil control valve is deformed. Hateful.

  Further, the valve case main body is attached to the resin cylinder head cover main body by bonding the resin bonding layer fixed to the valve case main body to the resin cylinder head cover main body by welding. In this way, the valve case main body is fixed to the resin cylinder head cover main body by welding instead of being fixed by a mechanical fastening force such as a bolt. For this reason, the mounting part of the oil control valve is more difficult to deform, the shape is maintained with high accuracy, and the oil control valve can be appropriately mounted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the highly rigid material forming the valve case main body is a metal.
As described above, metal can be used as the material having higher rigidity than the resin cylinder head cover main body, and deformation of the mounting portion of the oil control valve is effectively prevented and the shape is maintained with high accuracy.

  The valve case according to claim 3 is the valve case according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the valve case main body is formed with a mounting portion in which a mounting hole for mounting the oil control valve is formed, and the intermediate oil passage. The oil passage connecting portion is integrally formed of a highly rigid material.

  The valve case body can be configured by such a mounting portion and an oil passage connection portion. And since these whole are integrally formed with a highly rigid material, a deformation | transformation of a mounting hole can be prevented effectively.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the valve case according to any one of the first to third aspects, the valve case main body is provided with a flange for connecting to the opening of the resin cylinder head cover main body over the entire circumference. And the resin bonding layer is arranged over the entire circumference on one side of the flange.

  The valve case main body is connected to the opening of the resin cylinder head cover main body by bonding with a resin bonding layer provided on such a flange. As a result, the interior of the finally formed cylinder head cover can be sealed and deformation of the mounting portion of the oil control valve can be effectively prevented, so that the oil control valve can be mounted properly.

  The valve case according to claim 5 is the valve case according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a through hole or a recess is formed on the surface of the valve case body on which the resin bonding layer is disposed. Alternatively, a part of the resin bonding layer is disposed in the recessed portion in an approaching state.

  As described above, a part of the resin bonding layer is disposed in the through hole or the recess so that the resin bonding layer is more firmly integrated with the valve case body. By welding the resin bonding layer to the resin cylinder head cover main body, the integrity of the valve case main body and the resin cylinder head cover main body is further increased. Therefore, the connection state between the oil control valve and the cam cap oil passage can be made more stable, and the hydraulic pressure supply / discharge control can be made more stable.

The valve case according to claim 6 is characterized in that in any one of claims 1 to 5, the resin bonding layer is fixed to the valve case main body by insert molding.
Thus, the resin bonding layer can be easily fixed to the valve case body by insert molding.

  A cylinder head cover according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is a cylinder head cover in which an oil control valve that controls supply / discharge of hydraulic pressure to / from a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine can be mounted, and an opening is provided at a position where the oil control valve is disposed. A resin cylinder head cover main body, and a resin cylinder head cover main body in a state in which the opening is closed by bonding around the opening of the resin cylinder head cover main body by welding with the resin bonding layer. The valve case according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is provided.

  As described above, the cylinder head cover formed in this way is not easily deformed at the oil control valve mounting portion in the valve case, and the shape is maintained with high accuracy. For this reason, the oil control valve can be properly mounted. Since the mounted oil control valve can be driven smoothly, stable hydraulic pressure supply / discharge control can be performed.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 shows a part of a cylinder head cover 2 to which the above-described invention is applied and its periphery, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a valve case 4 is joined to a resin cylinder head cover main body 3. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state before the oil control valve (hereinafter referred to as “OCV”) 6 is mounted and the OCV 6 is separated from the cylinder head cover 2.

  The valve case 4 has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, and the main portion (valve case main body) is integrally formed of a material having substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as the spool housing 7 of the OCV 6, specifically, an aluminum alloy. ing. Here, (A) in FIG. 3 is a plan view, (B) is a front view, (C) is a bottom view, (D) is a perspective view, (E) is a left side view, and (F) is a right side view. .

  The valve case 4 has a plate-like aluminum alloy flange 10. On one surface side of the flange 10 (here, the back surface side), a resin bonding layer 11 is formed over the entire periphery at the periphery. In the flange 10, a plurality of, in this case, nine through holes 10 a penetrating from the back surface side to the front surface side are formed in the arrangement region of the resin bonding layer 11. A part 11a of the resin bonding layer 11 enters the through hole 10a and is filled.

  The resin bonding layer 11 is formed and fixed to the flange 10 by insert molding. However, a primer is applied in advance to the back surface of the flange 10 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 10a. When covered, the primer binds firmly to the resin. Therefore, the resin bonding layer 11 is firmly bonded to the flange 10.

  A mounting portion 12 made of an aluminum alloy formed in a substantially cylindrical shape is formed on the surface side of the flange 10 in a state where an internal mounting hole 12b is opened on the OCV insertion end 12a side. The mounting portion 12 has five oils extending from the inner mounting hole 12b at positions corresponding to the five ports 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, and 7e (FIGS. 1 and 2) provided in the spool housing 7 of the OCV 6. Paths 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 are formed. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the three oil passages 18, 20, and 22 are indicated by broken lines because they are on the near side cut in the cross-sectional view. The OCV insertion end 12a of the mounting portion 12 is formed with a tapered surface 12c for facilitating the mounting operation of the OCV 6.

  Three oil passage portions 28, 30, and 32 that pass through the three oil passages 18, 20, and 22 are formed on the outer periphery of the mounting portion 12. Of these, the supply oil passage 20 in the central supply oil passage portion 30 is connected to the hydraulic pressure supply passage on the cylinder head 34 side via a pipe, other oil passages, etc. The hydraulic pressure can be supplied to the attached OCV 6. Since the drain oil passages 18 and 22 inside the drain oil passage portions 28 and 32 on both sides open to the inside of the resin cylinder head cover body 3, the operation is discharged directly from the OCV 6 side into the resin cylinder head cover body 3. Oil can be discharged.

  Further, the remaining two intermediate oil passages 24 and 26 of the mounting portion 12 pass through the oil passage connecting portion 40 made of aluminum alloy, and between the OCV 6 and the variable valve mechanism 42 (FIGS. 1 and 2) side. This makes it possible to supply and discharge hydraulic pressure. Note that the lower surface of the oil passage connecting portion 40 is provided with rubber around the openings of the intermediate oil passages 24 and 26 when being welded to the resin cylinder head cover body 3 or when the cylinder head cover 2 is attached to the cylinder head 34. An 8-shaped O-ring 44 made of a plastic material is disposed to provide a sealing function for the upper surface of the cam cap 46.

  The OCV insertion end 12a of the mounting portion 12 is provided with a bolt screw hole 12d. As shown in FIG. 1, when the spool housing 7 of the OCV 6 is mounted in the mounting hole 12b of the mounting portion 12, the bolt insertion hole 6c of the bracket 6b provided in the OCV 6 is positioned at the bolt screw hole 12d. To come. Accordingly, the OCV 6 can be mounted and fixed to the valve case 4 by bolting through the bolt insertion hole 6c.

  In the valve case 4 having the above-described configuration, the valve case main body (the flange 10, the mounting portion 12, and the oil passage connection portion 40) is integrally formed of an aluminum alloy. As for the resin bonding layer 11, as described above, the valve case body in which the primer is applied to the arrangement region of the resin bonding layer 11 is placed in the mold for insert molding, and the resin is formed by insert molding on the back surface of the flange 10. A bonding layer 11 is formed and integrated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the valve case 4 formed in this way inserts an oil passage connecting portion 40 into the inside from the opening 3a of the resin cylinder head cover body 3, and around the opening 3a, over the entire circumference. The upper surface of the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 and the resin bonding layer 11 on the back surface of the flange 10 are bonded together by welding. As a result, the opening 3a of the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 is completely closed by the valve case 4 and sealed.

  When the cylinder head cover 2 formed in this way is disposed on the cylinder head 34, the oil passage connection portion 40 of the valve case 4 is in close contact with the upper surface of the cam cap 46 by the O-ring 44. As a result, the intermediate oil passage 24 is connected to one cam cap oil passage 46 a of the cam cap 46, and the intermediate oil passage 26 is connected to the other cam cap oil passage 46 b of the cam cap 46.

  The cam cap oil passages 46a and 46b are respectively connected to oil passages 48a and 48b provided in the camshaft 48, and the operating hydraulic pressure supply / discharge to the variable valve mechanism 42 is made via these oil passages 48a and 48b. Executed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the spool housing 7 of the OCV 6 is inserted into the mounting hole 12b from the OCV insertion end 12a side of the mounting portion 12 with respect to the cylinder head cover 2 configured as described above. The shape of the mounting hole 12 b is formed with high accuracy so as to have a certain clearance with respect to the spool housing 7. The valve case main body is made of a material sufficiently higher in rigidity than the resin forming the resin cylinder head cover main body 3, here, a metal material. Therefore, the deformation of the valve case 4 does not occur even when deformation occurs when the valve case 4 is attached to the resin cylinder head cover body 3, deformation when the cylinder head cover 2 is fastened to the cylinder head 34, or subsequent thermal deformation. In particular, the dimensional accuracy of the mounting hole 12b provided in the mounting portion 12 is maintained with high accuracy.

  Therefore, the spool housing 7 can be easily inserted to a predetermined position in the mounting hole 12b, and the OCV 6 can be appropriately mounted on the mounting site as shown in FIG. An O-ring 7f is disposed on the base side of the spool housing 7 to prevent the hydraulic oil that slightly leaks through the clearance between the mounting hole 12b and the spool housing 7 from being discharged from the cylinder head cover 2 to the outside. To do. Then, the bracket 6b is bolted to complete the mounting of the OCV 6.

  The ECU (electronic control unit) 50 controls the excitation current for the electromagnetic solenoid unit 6a according to the operating state of the engine for the OCV 6 mounted in this manner. As a result, the hydraulic pressure supplied from the supply oil passage 20 to the port 7b of the spool housing 7 is supplied to one of the intermediate oil passages 24 and 26 and discharged from the other. In this way, hydraulic pressure supply / discharge of the variable valve mechanism 42 is performed via the intermediate oil passages 24 and 26, the cam cap oil passages 46a and 46b, and the oil passages 48a and 48b of the camshaft 48. For example, the hydraulic pressure is supplied to the variable valve mechanism 42 via the oil passages 24, 46a, and 48a that are one of the paths, and the hydraulic pressure is discharged via the oil paths 26, 46b, and 48b that are the other paths. The variable valve mechanism 42 is driven to the retard side. As a result, the rotational phase of the camshaft 48 with respect to the timing sprocket 52 is shifted to the delay side, and the valve timing is retarded.

  On the contrary, when the hydraulic pressure is supplied to the variable valve mechanism 42 via the oil passages 26, 46b and 48b, and when the hydraulic pressure is discharged via the oil passages 24, 46a and 48a, the variable valve mechanism 42 is Driven to the advance side. As a result, the rotational phase of the camshaft 48 with respect to the timing sprocket 52 is shifted to the advance side, and the valve timing is advanced.

  The hydraulic oil discharged from the oil passages 26, 46 b, 48 b during the valve timing retardation control is discharged into the cylinder head cover 2 through the discharge oil passage 22. The hydraulic oil discharged from the oil passages 24, 46 a and 48 a at the advance angle is discharged into the cylinder head cover 2 through the discharge oil passage 18.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(I). The valve case main body (the flange 10, the mounting portion 12, and the oil passage connecting portion 40) is formed of a material having higher rigidity than the resin cylinder head cover main body 3, specifically, an aluminum alloy. For this reason, even if the valve case 4 is attached to the resin cylinder head cover body 3, the mounting hole 12b, which is the mounting part of the OCV 6, is not easily deformed.

  Further, the valve case main body is attached to the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 by bonding the resin bonding layer 11 fixed to the valve case main body by insert molding to the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 by welding. . In this way, the valve case main body is fixed to the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 by welding instead of being fixed by a mechanical fastening force such as a bolt. For this reason, the mounting hole 12b is more difficult to be deformed and the shape is maintained with high accuracy, and the OCV 6 can be mounted appropriately.

  (B). The valve case main body is connected to the opening 3 a of the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 through a resin bonding layer 11 at a flange 10 formed over the entire circumference of the valve case main body. Thus, since the entire circumference of the opening 3a is welded by the resin bonding layer 11, the inside of the formed cylinder head cover 2 can be sealed, and the deformation of the mounting hole 12b is effectively prevented, and the OCV 6 is appropriately Can be attached to.

(C). A through hole 10 a is formed in the flange 10, and a part 11 a of the resin bonding layer 11 is disposed in the through hole 10 a in an approaching state.
Thus, the resin bonding layer 11 is more firmly integrated and fixed to the flange 10. Accordingly, the valve case main body is firmly attached to the resin cylinder head cover main body 3, and the integrity of the valve case 4 and the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 is enhanced. Therefore, the connection state between the OCV 6 and the cam cap oil passages 46a and 46b can be made more stable, and the hydraulic pressure supply / discharge control can be made more stable.

  (D). Further, since the valve case 4 and the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 are fixed by welding, the fixing position of the valve case 4 with respect to the resin cylinder head cover main body 3 can be accommodated depending on the situation. Accordingly, when the cylinder head cover 2 is assembled, it is easy to correct the positional deviation between the resin cylinder head cover body 3 and the cam cap oil passages 46a and 46b on the cylinder head 34 side by adjusting the welding position. The cylinder head cover 2 formed in this way can uniformly connect the OCV 6 side and the cam cap oil passages 46a and 46b, and can further stabilize the hydraulic pressure supply / discharge control.

[Other embodiments]
(A). Unlike a part of the resin bonding layer of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the tip of a part 111a of the resin bonding layer 111 protrudes from the surface of the flange 10 through the through hole 10a. Alternatively, a large diameter portion 111b having a large diameter may be formed. As a result, the resin bonding layer 111 is more firmly fixed to the flange 10.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, if a sufficient bonding force is obtained between the back surface of the flange 210 and the resin bonding layer 211, the flange 210 is not provided with a through-hole or a recess, but is planar. Alternatively, the resin bonding layer 211 may be simply formed on the back surface by insert molding.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, a non-penetrating hole, that is, a recess 310a is formed on the back surface side of the flange 310, and the inside of the recess 310a is formed by a part 311a of the resin bonding layer 311 during insert molding. It may be filled.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, a through hole 410a having a larger diameter on the front side than the back side is formed in the flange 410, and a part 411a of the resin bonding layer 411 is filled in the through hole 410a. You may do it. Moreover, the recessed part which made the diameter of the surface side larger than the back surface side instead of a through-hole may be sufficient.

  (B). In the insert molding of each of the above embodiments, an adhesive such as an epoxy resin adhesive is applied to the flange side instead of the primer, or the adhesive is applied onto the primer and then insert molding is performed. Thus, the flange and the resin bonding layer may be firmly bonded.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of the cylinder head cover of Embodiment 1 and its periphery. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the state of the OCV before installation, the cylinder head cover, and the periphery thereof in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration explanatory diagram of a valve case in the first embodiment. The longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the other example of the fixed state of the resin-made joining layer with respect to a flange.

Explanation of symbols

  2 ... Cylinder head cover, 3 ... Resin cylinder head cover body, 3a ... Opening, 4 ... Valve case, 6 ... OCV, 6a ... Electromagnetic solenoid part, 6b ... Bracket, 6c ... Bolt insertion hole, 7 ... Spool housing, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e ... port, 7f ... O-ring, 10 ... flange, 10a ... through hole, 11 ... resin bonding layer, 11a ... part of resin bonding layer, 12 ... mounting portion, 12a ... OCV insertion End, 12b ... Mounting hole, 12c ... Tapered surface, 12d ... Bolt screwing hole, 18, 20, 22 ... Oil passage, 24, 26 ... Intermediate oil passage, 28, 30, 32 ... Oil passage portion, 34 ... Cylinder head , 40... Oil passage connection portion, 42... Variable valve mechanism, 44... O-ring, 46. Cam cap, 46 a and 46 b .. cam cap oil passage, 48 ... camshaft, 48 a and 48 b. ... ECU, 52 ... Timing sprocket, 111 ... Resin joint layer, 111a ... Partially, 111b ... Large diameter part, 210 ... Flange, 211 ... Resin joint layer, 310 ... Flange, 310a ... Recess, 311 ... Resin joint Layer, 311a ... part, 410 ... flange, 410a ... through hole, 411 ... resin bonding layer, 411a ... part of resin bonding layer.

Claims (7)

A valve case for mounting an oil control valve for controlling hydraulic pressure supply and discharge to a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine on a resin cylinder head cover body,
It has an intermediate oil passage that connects the port of the installed oil control valve to a cam cap oil passage that supplies and discharges hydraulic pressure to the variable valve mechanism, and is made of a material that is more rigid than the resin cylinder head cover body. A valve case body,
A resin bonding layer fixed to the valve case main body and bonded to the resin cylinder head cover main body by welding;
A valve case characterized by comprising 2. The valve case according to claim 1, wherein the highly rigid material forming the valve case main body is a metal. 3. The valve case main body according to claim 1, wherein a mounting portion in which a mounting hole for mounting the oil control valve is formed and an oil passage connection portion in which the intermediate oil passage is formed have high rigidity. A valve case that is integrally formed of a material. 4. The valve case main body according to claim 1, wherein a flange for connecting to the opening of the resin cylinder head cover main body is provided over the entire circumference. The valve case is characterized in that the resin bonding layer is arranged over the entire area. In any one of Claims 1-4, the surface by which the said resin joining layer of the said valve case body is arrange | positioned is formed with a through-hole or a recessed part, and the said resin-made joining layer is formed in this through-hole or a recessed part. A valve case characterized in that a part of the valve case is disposed. 6. The valve case according to claim 1, wherein the resin bonding layer is fixed to the valve case main body by insert molding. A cylinder head cover capable of mounting an oil control valve for controlling hydraulic pressure supply / discharge to / from a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine,
A cylinder head cover body made of resin having an opening at the location of the oil control valve;
2. The resin cylinder head cover main body is integrated with the resin cylinder head cover main body in a state in which the opening is closed by being welded around the opening of the resin cylinder head cover main body by welding with the resin bonding layer. A valve case according to any one of?
A cylinder head cover comprising:

Images