JP4531705B2 - Valve timing control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a valve opening / closing timing control device for adjusting the opening / closing timing of a valve of an internal combustion engine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a vehicle equipped with a valve opening / closing timing control device that adjusts the opening / closing timing of a valve of an internal combustion engine in accordance with a driving state of the internal combustion engine such as an engine. The valve opening / closing timing control device is coaxially disposed so as to be rotatable relative to the driving side rotating member and the driving side rotating member synchronously rotating with respect to the crankshaft, and rotates integrally with the valve opening / closing cam shaft. And a driven side rotating member. The driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotating member form a fluid pressure chamber, and the fluid-pressure chamber has a relative rotation with respect to the retarded angle chamber that moves the relative rotation phase of the driven-side rotating member with respect to the driving-side rotating member in the retarding direction. An advance chamber is formed that moves the phase in the advance direction. Both chambers are separated by vanes. The valve timing control device further includes a lock mechanism that locks the relative rotational phase to an intermediate phase, a first fluid supply / discharge unit, and a second fluid supply / discharge unit. The first fluid supply / discharge means can adjust the supply amount and discharge amount of the fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber. Further, the second fluid supply / discharge means supplies and discharges the fluid to and from the lock mechanism separately from the supply and discharge of the fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber, and locks in the intermediate phase state of the relative rotation phase. And unlock.

In the valve opening / closing timing control device described in Patent Document 1, as described above, the first fluid supply / discharge means for supplying and discharging the fluid to and from the advance chamber and the retard chamber, and the supply and discharge of the fluid to the lock mechanism are performed. The second fluid supply / discharge means to be performed is configured to be able to operate independently of each other. Then, in the control when starting the engine (FIG. 22 of Patent Document 1), before releasing the locked state of the relative rotation phase by the lock mechanism, fluid is supplied to the retarded chamber and filled (step). 1) Next, in a state where fluid pressure is supplied to the retarding chamber, the fluid is supplied to and filled with the advance chamber (step 2), and then unlocking is performed (step 3).
By performing such unlocking control, both the advance chamber and the retard chamber are already filled with fluid when the lock is released. As a result, the control of the relative rotation phase can be started by supplying and discharging the fluid to and from the advance chamber or the retard chamber as soon as the lock is released.
If the lock is released before fluid is filled in both the advance chamber and the retard chamber, the relative rotational phase suddenly fluctuates toward the direction not filled with fluid when the lock is released. is there. In addition, since the relative rotation phase cannot be controlled until the fluid filling into the advance chamber and the retard chamber is completed, the fluid supply to the advance chamber and the retard chamber must be continued even after the lock is released. Don't be.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-50064 (FIG. 22)

  In the valve opening / closing timing control device described in Patent Document 1, fluid is supplied to the advance chamber in a state in which fluid pressure is supplied to the retard chamber in the above-described step 2 to fill it. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operation configuration of the fluid control valve. In step 2, the spool position of the fluid control valve is set to W2, so that the retard chamber is closed to supply pressure and advance. Fluid is supplied to the corner chamber. However, in this state, the opening degree to the advance passage for supplying the fluid to the advance chamber is very small. For this reason, it takes a long time to complete the step 2, and as a result, a problem arises that a long time is required to start the internal combustion engine.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve opening / closing timing control device capable of quickly starting an internal combustion engine and starting control of a relative rotational phase immediately after the start. Is to provide

In order to achieve the above object, the characteristic configuration of the valve timing control apparatus according to the present invention includes a drive-side rotating member that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, and
A driven-side rotating member that is coaxially disposed so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the driving-side rotating member, and rotates integrally with a camshaft for opening and closing the valve of the internal combustion engine;
A fluid pressure chamber formed by the drive side rotation member and the driven side rotation member, wherein the driven side rotation member with respect to the drive side rotation member is supplied with the fluid out of the fluid pressure chambers. A retard chamber that moves the relative rotation phase in the retard direction of the relative rotation direction, and an advance chamber that moves the relative rotation phase in the advance direction of the relative rotation direction;
A locking mechanism that locks the relative rotational phase to an intermediate phase state;
A state in which fluid can be supplied to the advance chamber and fluid can be discharged from the retard chamber, and a fluid can be discharged from the advance chamber and fluid can be supplied to the retard chamber. A first fluid supply / discharge means capable of adjusting a supply amount and a discharge amount of fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber,
Separately from supplying and discharging fluid to the advance chamber and retard chamber, supplying the fluid to the lock mechanism and discharging the fluid from the lock mechanism, the intermediate phase state of the relative rotational phase A second fluid supply / discharge means for locking and unlocking
A control means for controlling a fluid supply / discharge state by the first fluid supply / discharge means and the second fluid supply / discharge means, and a valve opening / closing timing control device comprising:
At the start of the internal combustion engine in which the relative rotational phase is locked to the intermediate phase state,
The first fluid supply / discharge means fills the fluid in one of the advance chamber or the retard chamber and then sets the advance chamber or the retard while keeping one of the fluid filled in a fluid dischargeable state. Filling the other side of the chamber with fluid,
The second fluid supply / discharge means is configured to perform unlocking in the intermediate phase state of the relative rotation phase.

According to the above characteristic configuration, the first fluid supply / discharge unit is configured to advance the advance chamber or the retard chamber in a state where the volume change of the advance chamber and the retard chamber is suppressed by locking the relative rotational phase to the intermediate phase state. After filling one of the corner chambers with the fluid, the other of the advance chamber and the retard chamber is filled with the fluid while the one filled with the fluid can be discharged. That is, the advance passage when supplying the fluid to the advance chamber can be greatly opened, and the retard passage when supplying the fluid to the retard chamber can be opened greatly. As a result, the time required to fill the advance chamber with the fluid and the time required to fill the retard chamber with the fluid can be shortened.
Furthermore, as described above, it is ensured that the volumes of the advance chamber and the retard chamber do not change even when the fluid is supplied. When the volume decreases, a pressure for forcibly discharging the fluid existing there is applied. However, in the valve timing control device of the present invention, the retard chamber is supplied during the fluid supply to the advance chamber. Since the volume does not decrease and vice versa, the fluid once supplied will exist without being forcibly discharged. And since the 2nd fluid supply / discharge means performs the lock release in the intermediate phase state of the relative rotational phase, the state where both the advance chamber and the retard chamber are filled with the fluid when the lock is released is obtained. . As a result, the fluid can be supplied to the advance chamber or the retard chamber as soon as the lock is released, and the control can be shifted to the control of the relative rotation phase.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a valve opening / closing timing control device that can quickly start the internal combustion engine and can start the control of the relative rotation phase immediately after the start.

  Another characteristic configuration of the valve opening / closing timing control device according to the present invention is that, after the control means fills both the advance angle chamber and the retard angle chamber with fluid, the control means controls the first fluid supply / discharge means. And instructing the second fluid supply / discharge means to release the lock after starting the control to stop the supply of fluid to both the advance chamber and the retard chamber. is there.

When fluid is supplied only to one of the advance chamber and the retard chamber, that is, when fluid pressure is applied only to one of the advance chamber and the retard chamber, the driven side rotation member with respect to the drive side rotation member The relative rotational phase is biased in either the advance direction or the retard direction. When the relative rotational phase is urged in either the advance direction or the retard direction, the component of the lock mechanism that locks the relative rotation phase has either the advance direction or the retard direction. A load is applied to As a result, the movement of the component to which the load is applied becomes heavy and the unlocking is hindered.
However, in the valve opening / closing timing control device according to this characteristic configuration, after the control means fills both the advance chamber and the retard chamber with the fluid, the advance chamber and the retard angle with respect to the first fluid supply / discharge means. After starting the control for stopping the supply of fluid to both chambers, the second fluid supply / discharge means is instructed to unlock. As a result, when the lock is released, the relative rotational phase is not biased in either the advance direction or the retard direction. Therefore, no load is applied to the components of the lock mechanism that locks the relative rotation phase in either the advance angle direction or the retard angle direction, and unlocking can be prevented.

  Still another characteristic configuration of the valve timing control apparatus according to the present invention is that the control means is configured to provide the first fluid supply / discharge means after the fluid is filled in both the advance chamber and the retard chamber. Thus, after the control for alternately supplying the fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber is started, the second fluid supply / discharge unit is instructed to perform the unlocking.

When fluid is supplied only to one of the advance chamber and the retard chamber, that is, when fluid pressure is applied only to one of the advance chamber and the retard chamber, the driven side rotation member with respect to the drive side rotation member The relative rotational phase is biased in either the advance direction or the retard direction. When the relative rotational phase is urged in either the advance direction or the retard direction, the component of the lock mechanism that locks the relative rotation phase has either the advance direction or the retard direction. A load is applied to As a result, the movement of the component to which the load is applied becomes heavy and the unlocking is hindered.
However, in the valve opening / closing timing control device according to this characteristic configuration, after the control unit fills both the advance chamber and the retard chamber with fluid, the advance chamber and the retard chamber with respect to the first fluid supply / discharge unit. After starting the control to alternately supply the fluid to the second fluid supply unit, the second fluid supply / discharge unit is instructed to release the lock. As a result, when unlocking, the components of the lock mechanism that locks the relative rotational phase between the period during which the fluid pressure is supplied to the advance chamber and the period during which the fluid pressure is supplied to the retard chamber are advanced. A period during which no load is applied in either the angular direction or the retarded direction can be created. Therefore, the unlocking can be prevented from being hindered.

  Still another characteristic configuration of the valve timing control device according to the present invention is that the first fluid supply / discharge means is provided in the middle of a flow path connected to the advance chamber and the retard chamber, A solenoid-type fluid control valve having a spool that can be opened and closed is provided.

  According to the above characteristic configuration, the position of the spool that is provided in the middle of the flow path connected to the advance chamber and the retard chamber and that can open and close the flow path is controlled by changing the energization amount to the solenoid. Thus, the supply amount of the fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber and the discharge amount of the fluid from the advance chamber and the retard chamber can be adjusted.

<First Embodiment>
The valve opening / closing timing control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an overall configuration of the valve opening / closing timing control apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation configuration of a fluid control valve (OCV). 3 to 6 are sectional views taken along line AA of FIG. 1 in each operation state of the valve timing control apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the valve timing control apparatus according to the present embodiment is an external rotor 2 as a drive side rotating member that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft (not shown) of an engine (internal combustion engine). And an inner rotor 1 as a driven side rotating member that is coaxially disposed so as to be rotatable relative to the outer rotor 2 and rotates integrally with a camshaft for opening and closing the valve. Further, a fluid pressure chamber 40 is formed by the outer rotor 2 and the inner rotor 1. The fluid pressure chamber 40 is partitioned into a retard chamber 42 and an advance chamber 43 by a vane 5 disposed inside. When the volume of the retard chamber 42 is increased by supplying the fluid, the relative rotation phase of the inner rotor 1 with respect to the outer rotor 2 moves in the retard direction of the relative rotation direction, and the advance chamber 43 When the volume increases, the relative rotation phase of the inner rotor 1 with respect to the outer rotor 2 moves in the advance direction of the relative rotation direction.

The internal rotor 1 is integrally assembled at the tip of a camshaft 3 that is supported so as to rotate integrally with the cylinder head of the engine.
The external rotor 2 is externally mounted so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the internal rotor 1 within a range of a predetermined relative rotational phase. The timing sprocket is integrally provided on the outer periphery of the front plate 22, the rear plate 23, and the external rotor 2. 20.
A power transmission member 24 such as a timing chain or a timing belt is installed between the timing sprocket 20 and a gear attached to the crankshaft of the engine.

  In this configuration, when the crankshaft of the engine is rotationally driven, the rotational power is transmitted to the timing sprocket 20 via the power transmission member 24, so the external rotor 2 provided with the timing sprocket 20 is shown in FIGS. The camshaft 3 is driven to rotate along the rotational direction S, the internal rotor 1 is rotationally driven along the rotational direction S, and the cam provided on the camshaft 3 serves as an intake valve or exhaust valve for the engine. Press down to open the valve.

In the electronic control unit ECU9 as the control means in the valve timing control apparatus according to the present invention, the optimum relative rotational phase corresponding to the operating state of the engine is stored and stored in the memory, and is detected separately. It is configured such that an optimum relative rotational phase can be recognized with respect to the operating state (for example, engine speed, cooling water temperature, etc.). Then, the ECU 9 generates and outputs a control command for controlling the actual relative rotational phase so that the optimum relative rotational phase is adapted to the operating state of the engine. Further, the ECU 9 is configured to incorporate ON / OFF information of the ignition key, information from an oil temperature sensor that detects the engine oil temperature, and the like.
A lock mechanism 6 is also provided for locking the relative rotational phase to the intermediate phase state.

Hereinafter, the structure of the valve timing control apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail.
[Fluid pressure chamber 40]
As shown in FIG. 3, the outer rotor 2 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 4 functioning as shoes that protrude in the radially inward direction and spaced apart from each other along the rotational direction. A fluid pressure chamber 40 defined between the inner rotor 1 and the outer rotor 2 is formed between the adjacent protrusions 4 of the outer rotor 2.

  A vane groove 41 is formed in a portion of the outer peripheral portion of the inner rotor 1 facing each of the fluid pressure chambers 40, and the fluid pressure chamber 40 is placed in the vane groove 41 in a relative rotational direction (for example, FIG. 3). (In the directions of arrows S1 and S2), the vane 5 that partitions the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 is slidably inserted along the radial direction.

  The advance chamber 43 communicates with the advance passage 11 formed in the inner rotor 1, and the retard chamber 42 communicates with the retard passage 10 formed in the inner rotor 1. The passage 10 is connected to a hydraulic circuit 7 described later.

The fluid is supplied to and discharged from the fluid pressure chamber 40 (advance chamber 43 and retard chamber 42) using a solenoid type fluid control valve (OCV) 76. As shown in FIG. 2, the OCV 76 can supply fluid to the advance chamber 43 and can discharge fluid from the retard chamber 42, and can supply fluid to the advance chamber 43 and can be delayed. A state W2 in which the angular passage is closed, a state W3 in which both the advance passage and the retard passage are closed to stop the supply of fluid to both the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42, and the advance passage The spool position is set between a state W4 in which the fluid can be supplied to the retard chamber 42 and a state W5 in which the fluid can be discharged from the advance chamber 43 and the fluid can be supplied to the retard chamber 42. By performing the switching control, it is possible to adjust the supply amount and the discharge amount of the fluid to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42. Specifically, the spool position is adjusted by the ECU 9 controlling the energization amount to the OCV 76. However, in FIG. 2, as the spool position is shifted from Duty 0% to Duty 50%, the opening to the advance passage gradually decreases. Similarly, as the spool position shifts from Duty 100% to Duty 75%, the opening degree to the retarded passage gradually decreases.
As described above, the fluid control valve (OCV) 76 corresponds to the “first fluid supply / discharge means” of the present invention.

The fluid is supplied to and discharged from the lock mechanism 6 using a fluid switching valve (OSV) 77 that is different from the OCV 76. The OSV 77 supplies and discharges the fluid to and from the lock mechanism 6 separately from the supply and discharge of the fluid to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 to lock and unlock in the intermediate phase state of the relative rotation phase. Do.
As described above, the OSV 77 corresponds to the “second fluid supply / discharge means” of the present invention.

[Hydraulic circuit]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the hydraulic circuit 7 is configured to supply engine oil as hydraulic oil to one or both of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 via the advance passage 11 and the retard passage 10. The supply and discharge are executed, the relative position of the vane 5 in the fluid pressure chamber 40 is changed, and the relative rotational phase of the internal rotor 1 with respect to the external rotor 2 (hereinafter referred to as the relative rotational phase) is the most advanced angle phase (advanced phase). The relative rotational phase of the rotors 1 and 2 when the volume of the angular chamber 43 is maximized) and the most retarded phase (the relative rotational phase of the rotors 1 and 2 when the volume of the retarded chamber 42 is maximized); It functions as a relative rotation phase adjustment mechanism that can be adjusted between.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the hydraulic circuit 7 includes a pump 70 that is driven by the driving force of the engine and supplies engine oil serving as hydraulic oil or lock oil described later to the OCV 76 and OSV 77 side. The operation of the pump 70 is controlled according to a control command from the ECU 9.
As described above, the engine oil corresponds to the “fluid” of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, downstream of the pump 70 of the hydraulic circuit 7 and upstream of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 are connected to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 by the energization amount control from the ECU 9. A solenoid-type OCV 76 having a spool capable of opening and closing the flow path is provided in the middle of the flow path, and downstream of the pump 70 and upstream of the lock oil chamber 62 from the ECU 9. A solenoid-type OSV 77 that supplies and discharges engine oil to and from the lock oil chamber 62 by energization amount control is provided. The pump 70 is connected to an oil pan 75 that stores engine oil.
In the hydraulic circuit 7, the advance passage 11 and the retard passage 10 are connected to a predetermined port of the OCV 76, and the lock oil passage 63 is connected to a predetermined port of the OSV 77.

[Biasing mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 1, a torsion spring 8 is provided between the inner rotor 1 and the outer rotor 2 as a biasing mechanism that biases the relative rotational phase of the rotors 1 and 2 toward the advance side. .
For example, the torsion spring 8 biases the outer rotor 2 against the inner rotor 1 in the direction indicated by S1 in FIG.

[Lock mechanism 6 and lock oil chamber 62]
Between the inner rotor 1 and the outer rotor 2, the relative rotational phases of the rotors 1 and 2 are in a predetermined intermediate phase state (lock phase) set between the most advanced angle phase and the most retarded angle phase. Sometimes, a lock mechanism 6 that can restrain the relative rotation of the rotors 1 and 2 is provided. In the present application, this intermediate phase is a phase when the engine is started.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the lock mechanism 6 includes a retard lock portion 6 </ b> A and an advance lock portion 6 </ b> B provided in the external rotor 2, and a concave lock oil chamber in a part of the outer peripheral portion of the internal rotor 1. 62.

  The retard lock portion 6A and the advance lock portion 6B include a lock body 60 that is slidably provided in the outer rotor 2 in the radial direction, and a spring 61 that urges the lock body 60 in the radially inward direction. . In addition, the shape of the lock body 60 can adopt a plate shape, a pin shape, or other shapes.

  Then, the retardation locking portion 6A causes the lock body 60 to enter the lock oil chamber 62 so that the internal rotor 1 is retarded from the lock phase with respect to the external rotor 2 (the direction indicated by S1 in FIG. 3). ) To prevent relative rotation, and the advance lock body 6B advances the lock body 60 into the lock oil chamber 62 so that the internal rotor 1 advances from the lock phase to the external rotor 2 in the advance direction. Relative rotation in the direction indicated by S2 in FIG. 3 is prevented. That is, when either one of the retard lock 6A or the advance lock 6B enters the lock oil chamber 62, the phase toward either the retard or advance is set. The change is regulated and the phase change to the other side is allowed.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the relative rotation phases of the rotors 1 and 2 are obtained by causing both lock bodies 60 of the retard lock section 6 </ b> A and the advance lock body 6 </ b> B to enter the lock oil chamber 62. Can be set to a so-called locked state in which a predetermined intermediate phase (lock phase) set between the most advanced angle phase and the most retarded angle phase is constrained. However, the lock phase is set such that the opening and closing timing of the engine valve provides a smooth startability of the engine.

The lock oil chamber 62 communicates with a lock oil passage 63 formed in the internal rotor 1, and the lock oil passage 63 is connected to a predetermined port in the OSV 77 of the hydraulic circuit 7.
That is, the hydraulic circuit 7 is configured to execute supply and discharge of engine oil as lock oil to the lock oil chamber 62 via the lock oil passage 63, and lock oil is supplied from the OSV 77 to the lock oil chamber 62. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the lock body 60 is retracted to the external rotor 2 side, and the locked state of the relative rotation of both the rotors 1 and 2 is released.

  Next, the unlocking control when starting the engine in the valve opening / closing timing control device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the relative rotation phase, the OSV77 state, the OCV76 state, and the engine speed state in the lock release control of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of lock release control according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, before the time t0, the engine is not started, and the relative rotation phase is locked by the lock phase. The advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 are not filled with hydraulic oil. When the engine is instructed at time t0 by turning on the ignition key or the like, in step # 10, the ECU 9 opens the advance oil passage and the hydraulic oil is introduced into the advance chamber 43 as shown in FIG. The OCV 76 is actuated in a state (spool position: W1) supplied to. Further, the ECU 9 operates the lock mechanism 6 in the locked state by operating the OSV 77 in a state where the lock oil is discharged. As a result, since the lock mechanism 6 is in the locked state, the hydraulic oil is quickly supplied to the advance chamber 43 while the volumes of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 do not change. The engine cranking period is from time t0 to time t1. Further, until time t2, it is a period necessary for filling the oil passage from the pump to the advance chamber 43 with the working oil. Then, the supply of hydraulic oil to the advance chamber 43 starts substantially from time t2.

  In step # 11, the ECU 9 determines whether or not a set time: T1 has elapsed from time t0. In the present embodiment, this set time: T1 is a period (time t0 to time t3) required until the advance chamber 43 is filled with hydraulic oil. However, the ECU 9 appropriately changes the length of T1 based on the oil temperature, viscosity, etc. of the hydraulic oil. If the ECU 9 determines that the set period T1 has elapsed, it proceeds to step # 12.

  In step # 12, as shown in FIG. 4, the ECU 9 supplies the fluid to the retarded angle chamber 42 while operating the OSV 77 so as to keep the lock mechanism 6 in the locked state and allowing the advanced angle chamber 43 to be discharged. The OCV 76 is operated in the state (spool position: W5). As a result, since the locking mechanism 6 is in the locked state, the hydraulic oil is supplied to the retarding chamber 42 while the volumes of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 do not change. Further, although the advance passage is opened and the advance chamber 43 is in a dischargeable state, since the advance chamber 43 is radially outside the advance oil passage, the hydraulic oil present in the advance chamber 43 is not It stays in the advance chamber 43 by the centrifugal force. In addition, since the lock mechanism 6 is maintained in the locked state, the volume of the advance chamber 43 does not decrease. This is one of the reasons why the hydraulic oil stays in the advance chamber 43.

  In step # 13, the ECU 9 determines whether or not the set time T2 has elapsed from time t3. In this embodiment, this set time: T2 is a period (time t3 to time t4) required until the retarding chamber 42 is filled with hydraulic oil. However, the ECU 9 appropriately changes the length of T2 based on the oil temperature, viscosity, etc. of the hydraulic oil. If the ECU 9 determines that the set period T2 has elapsed, it proceeds to step # 14.

  In step # 14, as shown in FIG. 5, the ECU 9 stops the supply of hydraulic oil to both the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 while operating the OSV 77 so as to keep the lock mechanism 6 in the locked state. The OCV 76 is operated in the state (spool position: W3) (time t4 in FIG. 7). That is, the advance passage and the retard passage are closed, and the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 are closed in a state filled with hydraulic oil. However, since the hydraulic fluid leaks from the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42, the leak causes a small volume fluctuation of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42. As a result, the state where the load is applied to the lock body 60 and the state where the load is eliminated are repeated.

  Next, in step # 15, as shown in FIG. 6, the ECU 9 operates the OSV 77 to release the lock mechanism 6 and supplies the lock oil to the lock oil passage (time t5 in FIG. 7). As described above, in the present embodiment, the ECU 9 fills both the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 with fluid and then supplies the hydraulic oil to both the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 with respect to the OCV 76. The OSV 77 is instructed to release the lock after starting the control to stop the supply of. Then, unlocking is performed at time t6. As described above, when there is no load on the lock body 60, the lock body 60 is pushed by the lock oil and accommodated in the retard lock section 6A and the advance lock section 6B, and the lock release is good. To be done. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the unlocked state. Thereafter, the ECU 9 appropriately supplies hydraulic oil to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 to adjust the relative rotation phase (time t7 in FIG. 7).

  As described above, in the lock release control in the valve timing control apparatus of the present embodiment, when the hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42, the advance passage and the retard passage are largely opened. Therefore, the time required to fill the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 with hydraulic oil can be shortened. In addition, when the lock mechanism 6 is unlocked, since the filling of the hydraulic oil into the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 has already been completed, the control of the relative rotation phase can be started immediately after the lock is released.

<Second Embodiment>
The lock release control of the valve timing control apparatus of the second embodiment is performed by the ECU 9 with respect to the OCV 76 after the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 are filled with fluid. It is characterized in that after the control for alternately supplying the fluid to the chamber 42 is started, the OSV 77 is instructed to unlock. Hereinafter, the unlocking control of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, but the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.
Specifically, FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the unlocking control of the second embodiment, and step # 20 to step # 23 and step # 25 are steps # 10 to step of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Same as # 13 and step # 15. Accordingly, step # 24 of FIG. 10 will be described in detail below.

  By step # 23 in FIG. 10, the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 are filled with the hydraulic oil as in the first embodiment. In step # 24, as shown in FIG. 5, the ECU 9 starts the control for alternately supplying the fluid to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 while operating the OSV 77 so as to keep the lock mechanism 6 in the locked state. The OCV 76 is operated in a state to be activated (time t14 in FIG. 7). That is, by alternately operating the OCV 76 in a state in which only the advance passage is opened and in a state in which only the retard passage is opened, fluid pressure is alternately supplied to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42. . Specifically, the ECU 9 alternately increases or decreases between (I3 + α) and (I3−α) with reference to the energization amount: I3 when controlling the spool position of the OCV 76 to W3 (time t14 in FIG. 9). To time t16). As a result, the volumes of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 are alternately increased and decreased, and the state where the load is applied to the lock body 60 and the state where the load is eliminated are repeated.

  Next, in step # 25, as shown in FIG. 6, the ECU 9 operates the OSV 77 to release the lock mechanism 6 and supplies the lock oil to the lock oil passage (time t15 in FIG. 9). Then, unlocking is performed at time t16. As described above, when no load is applied to the lock body 60, the lock body 60 is pushed by the lock oil and is accommodated in the retard lock section 6A and the advance lock section 6B. Appropriately supplies hydraulic oil to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 to adjust the relative rotation phase (time t17 in FIG. 9).

  As described above, in the lock release control in the valve timing control apparatus of the present embodiment, when the hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42, the advance passage and the retard passage are largely opened. Therefore, the time required to fill the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 with hydraulic oil can be shortened. In addition, when the lock mechanism 6 is unlocked, since the filling of the hydraulic oil into the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 has already been completed, the control of the relative rotation phase can be started immediately after the lock is released.

<Another embodiment>
<1>
In the above embodiment, the control timing by the ECU 9 has been described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9, but each control timing can be changed.
For example, as shown in FIG. 11 as a modified example of the first embodiment, time t4 and time t5 shown in FIG. 7 may be simultaneous. However, FIG. 11 shows only time t5 (= t4). Specifically, a time (t4) for starting control for stopping the supply of hydraulic oil to both the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42, and a time (t5) for instructing the OSV 77 to release the lock. ) At the same time.
Similarly, although not shown, time t14 and time t15 in FIG. 9 may be simultaneous. Specifically, the time (t14) at which the control for alternately supplying the fluid to the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 is started and the time (t15) at which the OSV 77 is instructed to be unlocked are simultaneously set. But you can.

<2>
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the retarding chamber 42 is filled with the working oil after filling the advance chamber 43 with the working oil has been described, but the order of filling the working oil can be changed. In other words, in the valve timing control apparatus according to the present invention, the OCV 76 fills one of the advance chamber 43 and the retard chamber 42 with hydraulic oil, and then makes one of the hydraulic oil filled so that the hydraulic oil can be discharged. However, the fluid may be filled in the other of the advance chamber 43 or the retard chamber 42.

<3>
In the above embodiment, the pump 70 has been described as a single device, but may be realized by two pumps, for example, a mechanical pump and an electric pump. At this time, the mechanical pump operates in a state where the engine is rotating, mainly when controlling the relative rotational phase. On the other hand, the electric pump works when the supply pressure of engine oil from the mechanical pump becomes insufficient (for example, at the time of start control and stop control). Further, the arrangement of the mechanical pump and the electric pump is preferably arranged in parallel with the oil pan 75. In such a parallel arrangement, since both the mechanical pump and the electric pump are in direct communication with the oil pan 75, the engine oil can be supplied to necessary portions even when the engine is stopped.

Side sectional view showing the overall configuration of the valve timing control device The figure which shows the action | operation structure of a fluid control valve (OCV) AA sectional view of FIG. 1 of the valve opening / closing timing control device AA sectional view of FIG. 1 of the valve opening / closing timing control device AA sectional view of FIG. 1 of the valve opening / closing timing control device AA sectional view of FIG. 1 of the valve opening / closing timing control device Timing chart in the unlocking control of the first embodiment Flowchart of lock release control of the first embodiment Timing chart in the unlocking control of the second embodiment Flowchart of lock release control of the second embodiment Timing chart in unlocking control of another embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1 Internal rotor (driven rotation member)
2 External rotor (drive side rotating member)
3 Camshaft 6 Locking mechanism 9 Electronic control unit (ECU, control means)
40 fluid pressure chamber 42 retard chamber 43 advance chamber 76 Fluid control valve (OCV, first fluid supply / discharge means)
77 Fluid switching valve (OSV, second fluid supply / discharge means)

Claims (4)

A drive-side rotating member that rotates synchronously with the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine;
A driven-side rotating member that is coaxially disposed so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the driving-side rotating member, and rotates integrally with a camshaft for opening and closing the valve of the internal combustion engine;
A fluid pressure chamber formed by the driving side rotating member and the driven side rotating member, wherein the driven side rotating member is relative to the driving side rotating member by supplying a fluid in the fluid pressure chamber. A retarding chamber that moves the rotational phase in the retarding direction of the relative rotation direction; and an advance chamber that moves the relative rotational phase in the advanced direction of the relative rotation direction;
A locking mechanism that locks the relative rotational phase to an intermediate phase state;
A state in which fluid can be supplied to the advance chamber and fluid can be discharged from the retard chamber, and a fluid can be discharged from the advance chamber and fluid can be supplied to the retard chamber. A first fluid supply / discharge means capable of adjusting a supply amount and a discharge amount of fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber,
Separately from supplying and discharging fluid to the advance chamber and retard chamber, supplying the fluid to the lock mechanism and discharging the fluid from the lock mechanism, the intermediate phase state of the relative rotational phase A second fluid supply / discharge means for locking and unlocking
A control means for controlling a fluid supply / discharge state by the first fluid supply / discharge means and the second fluid supply / discharge means, and a valve opening / closing timing control device comprising:
At the start of the internal combustion engine in which the relative rotational phase is locked to the intermediate phase state,
The first fluid supply / discharge means fills the fluid in one of the advance chamber or the retard chamber and then sets the advance chamber or the retard while keeping one of the fluid filled in a fluid dischargeable state. Filling the other side of the chamber with fluid,
The second fluid supply / discharge means is a valve opening / closing timing control device that performs lock release in the intermediate phase state of the relative rotation phase.   The control means fills both the advance chamber and the retard chamber with the fluid and then supplies the fluid to both the advance chamber and the retard chamber with respect to the first fluid supply / discharge means. The valve opening / closing timing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the control for stopping the supply is started, the second fluid supply / discharge means is instructed to perform the unlocking.   The control means alternately supplies the fluid to the advance chamber and the retard chamber with respect to the first fluid supply / discharge unit after the fluid is filled in both the advance chamber and the retard chamber. The valve opening / closing timing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the control to start is started, the second fluid supply / discharge means is instructed to perform the unlocking.   The first fluid supply / discharge means includes a solenoid-type fluid control valve having a spool that is provided in the middle of a flow path connected to the advance chamber and the retard chamber and that can open and close the flow path. The valve opening / closing timing control device according to any one of?

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