JP5358499B2 - Valve timing control device for internal combustion engine and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine and a method for manufacturing the same.

  Conventionally, in a valve timing control device for a so-called vane-type internal combustion engine, which is provided inside a housing member to define a plurality of working chambers, oil is supplied to and discharged from the plurality of working chambers. Is formed in the vane member in the radial direction (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-107711 A

  However, it cannot be said that the above-described conventional device is easy to manufacture. An object of the present invention is to provide a valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine that can be easily manufactured.

In order to achieve the above object, the apparatus of the present invention preferably has a rotor provided with an insertion hole and an outer peripheral surface of the rotor facing at least one of the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber on the inner peripheral side. A plurality of axial grooves provided so as to be recessed and extending in the axial direction of the rotor, and a communication groove provided on an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole and opened by crossing the plurality of axial grooves . .

  Therefore, manufacture can be facilitated.

It is a disassembled perspective view of a valve timing control device. It is a fragmentary sectional view which passes along the rotating shaft of the valve timing control apparatus of Example 1. It is the front view which looked at the valve timing control apparatus of Example 1 from one side of the rotating shaft direction (most retarded angle position). It is the front view which looked at the valve timing control apparatus of Example 1 from one side of the rotating shaft direction (the most advanced angle position). It is sectional drawing which passes along the axial center of a locking mechanism. (A) is the front view which looked at the rough material of the vane member from one side of the rotating shaft direction. (B) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (a). (C) is DD sectional view taken on the line of (a). (A) is the front view which looked at the finished product of the vane member of Example 1 from one side of the rotating shaft direction. (B) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (a). (C) is DD sectional view taken on the line of (a). It is a fragmentary sectional view which passes along the rotating shaft of the valve timing control apparatus of Example 2. (A) is the front view which looked at the finished product of the vane member of Example 2 from one side of the rotating shaft direction. (B) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (a). (C) is DD sectional view taken on the line of (a).

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a mode for realizing a valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Configuration of Example 1]
A valve timing control device 1 (hereinafter referred to as “device 1”) of an internal combustion engine according to the first embodiment is applied to an intake side of an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) of an automobile. The present invention may be applied to a device on the exhaust side of the engine.
First, the structure of the apparatus 1 is demonstrated based on FIGS. For the sake of explanation, the X axis is provided in the direction in which the rotation axis O of the device 1 extends, and the camshaft 3 side is the negative direction. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the members constituting the apparatus 1 and arranged on the same axis, as viewed obliquely. FIG. 2 shows a partial section through the axis of rotation O of the device 1. 3 and 4 are front views of the apparatus 1 (with the vane member 6 assembled to the housing body 10) with the front plate 8 and the like removed, as viewed from the X axis positive direction side. 2 substantially corresponds to the AA cross section of FIG. 2 to 4, grooves formed in the vane member 6 are indicated by broken lines.

The intake camshaft 3 (hereinafter referred to as the camshaft 3) is made of a ferrous metal material, and is rotatably supported on the inner side of the upper end portion of the cylinder head via a bearing. A drive cam (intake cam) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the camshaft 3 at a position corresponding to the intake valve. When the camshaft 3 rotates, the intake cam opens and closes the intake valve via a valve lifter or a rocker arm. The device 1 is attached to the end 30 on the X axis positive direction side of the camshaft 3 by one cam bolt 31.
The cam bolt 31 is a hexagon bolt and has a regular hexagonal columnar head 310 and a shaft portion 311 having a male screw formed on the outer periphery. The head 310 is integrally formed with a washer (a plain washer) 312 for protecting the seat surface. Note that the number of cam bolts is not limited to one, and it is not necessary to provide a washer on the head 310. In addition, a suitable one is not limited to a hexagon bolt. In addition to bolts, appropriate fastening and fixing means may be employed.
Inside the end portion 30, there are formed one bolt hole 32 through which the cam bolt 31 (shaft portion 311) is inserted, and axial passages 502, 512, etc. as part of a retard passage 50 and an advance passage 51 described later. Yes.
The bolt hole 32 is formed on the rotation axis O from the end surface 300 of the end portion 30 on the X axis positive direction side to a predetermined depth in the X axis direction, and has a large diameter portion 320 and a small diameter portion 321. The large diameter portion 320 is provided from the end surface to a predetermined depth in the X-axis direction, and the diameter of the large diameter portion 320 is slightly larger than the shaft portion 311 of the cam bolt 31. The small diameter part 321 has a step with respect to the large diameter part 320 and is provided to a predetermined depth in the negative direction of the X axis, and the diameter of the small diameter part 321 is substantially the same as the shaft part 311 of the cam bolt 31. A female screw corresponding to the male screw of the cam bolt 31 is formed on the inner periphery of the small diameter portion 321.
A convex portion for positioning with the vane member 6 is provided on the end surface 300 of the end portion 30 on the X axis positive direction side. This convex portion can be provided, for example, by inserting a pin into a concave portion provided on the end face 300.

The device 1 is an actuator that variably controls the valve timing of the intake valve by continuously changing the rotational phase of the camshaft 3 relative to the crankshaft using the pressure of the supplied working fluid. In the first embodiment, oil is used as the working fluid. That is, the device 1 is a hydraulic drive type phase conversion device. Note that a fluid other than oil (working oil) may be used as the working fluid. The device 1 is disposed so as to be rotatable relative to the camshaft 3 and is rotationally driven by the crankshaft via a timing chain, and is disposed between the sprocket 2 and the camshaft 3. A phase change mechanism 4 for changing the relative rotational position (phase) of the crankshaft) and the camshaft 3, and a hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5 for operating the phase change mechanism 4. The unit of the apparatus 1 includes a housing HSG as a housing member and a vane member 6 accommodated in the housing HSG. The phase change mechanism 4 includes a plurality of sections formed by the housing HSG and the vane member 6. Working chamber (hydraulic oil chamber or hydraulic chamber).
The housing HSG is disposed at the end 30 of the camshaft 3. The housing HSG is provided with a sprocket 2, and the rotational force from the crankshaft is transmitted through the sprocket 2. The vane member 6 is fixed to the end 30 by the cam bolt 31 from the X-axis direction, and is housed inside the housing HSG so as to be rotatable relative to the housing HSG. The plurality of working chambers are retarded chambers (retarded working chambers) R1 to R4 and advanced chambers (divided by the shoes 11 to 14 provided on the inner periphery of the housing HSG and the vanes 61 to 64 of the vane member 6). Advance angle working chambers) A1 to A4. The phase changing mechanism 4 receives supply of hydraulic oil from the hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5 or discharges the hydraulic oil to the hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5, whereby the vane member 6 (camshaft 3) with respect to the housing HSG (crankshaft). Change the rotation phase. The hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5 has a hydraulic circuit, and the pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic circuit to the working chamber acts on the vanes 61 to 64, whereby the vane member 6 rotates with respect to the housing HSG. The rotational phase of the camshaft 3 with respect to the crankshaft is changed. The supply / discharge of hydraulic oil by the hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5 is controlled by a controller CU as a control means.

The housing HSG has a front plate 8, a rear plate 9, and a housing body 10. The housing body 10 is a housing member made into a hollow cylindrical shape by sintering a powder metallurgy method, specifically, a ferrous metal material, and both ends in the X-axis direction are open. A front plate 8 and a rear plate 9 as sealing plates are respectively fixed to both ends of the housing body 10 in the X-axis direction, and the opening of the housing body 10 is sealed. The shape of the housing body 10 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a bottomed cylindrical shape that is open only at one end in the axial direction, that is, a bowl shape in which the housing body and one sealing plate are integrally formed.
On the inner periphery of the housing body 10, a plurality of (four in the first embodiment) shoes 11 to 14 projecting inward are formed integrally with the housing body 10. The shoes 11 to 14 are inner walls (partition walls) that define a working chamber in the housing HSG. Specifically, the first to fourth shoes 11 to 14 are arranged in an inner diameter direction (rotation) from the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 10 at substantially equal intervals in a direction around the rotation axis O (hereinafter referred to as a circumferential direction). Projecting toward the axis O). As shown in FIG. 3, the first, second, third, and fourth shoes 11, 12, 13, and 14 are arranged in the clockwise direction in this order as viewed from the X axis positive direction side. Each of the shoes 11 to 14 is formed to extend in the X-axis direction, and a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the X-axis is provided in a substantially trapezoidal shape whose width becomes narrower in the inner diameter direction. Holes 110 to 140 are formed so as to penetrate in the X-axis direction inside the outer diameter side (the direction away from the rotation axis O) of the shoes 11 to 14, respectively. The holes 110 to 140 are bolt holes through which the bolt b is inserted. A front plate 8 is fixedly installed on the end surface of each shoe 11-14 on the X-axis positive direction side, and a rear plate 9 is fixedly installed on the end surface on the X-axis negative direction side.
The circumferential width of the gap between the third shoe 13 and the fourth shoe 14 and the gap between the fourth shoe 14 and the first shoe 11 are set to be substantially the same, and the second shoe 12 and the third shoe. The clearance gap between 13 is provided slightly larger than this. The gap between the first shoe 11 and the second shoe 12 accommodates a first vane 61 having a large width, which will be described later, so that the circumferential width is slightly larger than the gap between the other shoes. . The width of each shoe in the circumferential direction passing through the centers of the bolt holes 110 to 140 is such that the third shoe 13 and the fourth shoe 14 are provided with substantially the same size, and the second shoe 12 is provided slightly larger than this. Yes. The width of the first shoe 11 is larger (wider) than the other second to fourth shoes 12 to 14.
As viewed from the X axis positive direction side, notches 111 and 112 are provided at the distal end portions (on the inner diameter side of the housing) on the clockwise and counterclockwise sides of the first shoe 11, respectively. A flat portion 113 is formed on the first shoe 11 in the clockwise direction, and flat portions 123 and 124 are formed on the second shoe 12 in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction, respectively. The planar portions 113, 123, and 124 are linear shapes that substantially match the radial direction of the housing body 10 (straight line passing through the rotation axis O) when viewed from the X-axis direction.
On the clockwise direction side of the first shoe 11, a built-up portion 114 is provided at the root portion (on the outer diameter side of the housing). The flat portion 113 is formed between the build-up portion 114 and the cutout portion 111. The side surface of the built-up portion 114 facing the inner periphery of the housing is viewed from the position where the first shoe 11 starts to rise along the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 10 as viewed from the X-axis direction (relative to the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 10). And a flat inclined surface formed so as to extend and expand toward the inner diameter side with a predetermined angle.
Notches 131, 132, 141, and 142 are provided at the tip portions of the third and fourth shoes 13, 14 on the clockwise direction side and the counterclockwise direction side, respectively. In addition, the notch part is not provided in the front-end | tip part of the 2nd shoe 12, Thereby, the circumferential direction width | variety of a front-end | tip part is provided more widely than the other shoes 11,13,14. The surface of the tip portion of the second shoe 12 that faces the rotation axis O is formed in an arc shape that is recessed in the outer diameter direction along the outer peripheral surface 600 of the vane member 6 described later, as viewed from the X-axis direction. ing.
Notches 115 to 145 are provided at the bottoms of the outer diameter sides of the shoes 11 to 14, respectively. In other words, the positions corresponding to the shoes 11 to 14 on the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 10 are formed in a concave shape that is recessed toward the inner diameter side. When viewed from the X-axis direction, the radial thickness of the portion connecting the main body portion of each shoe 11 to the outer peripheral portion of the housing main body 10 (where each shoe 11 to 14 is not provided) is It is provided approximately the same as the radial thickness of the outer peripheral portion.
In each of the shoes 11 to 14, the thickness outside the portion surrounding the bolt holes 110 to 140 is reduced as much as possible by the notches 115 to 145 on the outer diameter side of the housing and the notches 111, 131, 141, 112, 132, and 142 on the front end side. Yes. However, when viewed from the positive side of the X axis, the wall thickness is different on the clockwise direction side of the bolt hole 110 in the first shoe 11 and the clockwise side and the counterclockwise direction side of the tip portion of the second shoe 12. It is secured more than the part.
A recess 116 is provided on the cutout portion 115 of the first shoe 11 in the clockwise direction when viewed from the X axis positive direction side, sandwiched between the build-up portion 114 and the bolt hole 110. The recess 116 is a positioning recess, and is provided in a shape that is recessed in a semicircular shape toward the inner diameter side when viewed from the X-axis direction, and is formed over the entire X-axis direction range of the first shoe 11. Yes. Both sides in the circumferential direction of the opening of the recess 116 in the notch 115 are formed in a concave shape that is recessed toward the inner diameter side, and constitute a step portion with respect to other parts of the notch 115. The build-up portion 114 makes it possible to secure a thickness sufficient to provide the positioning recess 116 in the first shoe 11 and to maintain strength even when a first vane 61 described later contacts the first shoe 11. Therefore, the rigidity in the circumferential direction at the base portion of the first shoe 11 is increased.
Seal grooves 117 to 147 are provided at the tip portions of the first to fourth shoes 11 to 14, respectively. The seal grooves 117 to 147 are formed in a shape that is recessed in a substantially rectangular shape toward the outer diameter side when viewed from the X-axis direction, and are provided over the entire range of the shoes 11 to 14 in the X-axis direction. The seal grooves 117, 137, and 147 of the first, third, and fourth shoes 11, 13, and 14 are provided at substantially the center in the circumferential direction of each tip portion, and the seal groove 127 of the second shoe 12 is provided near the tip portion in the clockwise direction. ing. Inside the seal grooves 117 to 147 are substantially U-shaped seal members 118 to 148 as viewed from the circumferential direction, and seal springs (plate springs) that press the seal members 118 to 148 toward the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60. 119 to 149) are fitted and held. The surfaces of the seal members 118 to 148 are in contact with the outer peripheral surface 600 (in the entire range in the X-axis direction) of the rotor 60, and are in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60 when the rotor 60 rotates relative to the housing HSG. The notches 111, 131, 141, 112, 132, 142 are provided in a shape that can reduce the thickness as much as possible while ensuring the strength of the respective tip portions provided with the seal grooves 117-147.

The front plate 8 is formed into a disk (disk) shape by pressing an iron-based metal material, specifically, a steel material. The front plate 8 closes and seals the opening end on the X axis positive direction side of the housing body 10, in other words, the X axis positive direction end of the advance chamber A and the retard chamber R described later.
The diameter of the front plate 8 is set to be approximately the same as the maximum diameter of the outer periphery of the housing body 10. A hole 80 is formed in the center of the inner diameter side of the front plate 8 so as to penetrate in the X-axis direction. The hole 80 is an insertion hole through which the cam bolt 31 is inserted (when the device 1 is assembled to the camshaft 3), and is a large-diameter hole whose diameter is slightly larger than that of the washer 312. On the outer diameter side of the front plate 8, four holes 81 to 84 are formed to penetrate in the X-axis direction at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The holes 81 to 84 are bolt holes through which the bolts b1 to b4 are respectively inserted, and are provided at respective locations facing the bolt holes 110 to 140 of the shoes 11 to 14 of the housing body 10 in the X-axis direction. The front plate 8 is formed as thin as possible in the X-axis direction to the extent that the strength (of the surface on which the bolt head is seated) can be secured with respect to the bolts b1 to b4. It is about 15% of the dimension in the X-axis direction.

The rear plate 9 is closed / sealed so that the camshaft 3 can be inserted through the opening end of the housing body 10 on the negative side of the X axis, in other words, the end of the advance chamber A and the retard chamber R on the negative side of the X axis. Stop. Like the housing body 10, the rear plate 9 is formed by sintering an iron-based metal material, and includes a disk-shaped plate body 9 a and the sprocket 2.
The sprocket 2 is provided integrally with the plate body 9 a on the outer periphery of the plate body 9 a on the X axis negative direction side of the rear plate 9. The sprocket 2 is a gear having a plurality of convex portions (teeth) extending in the X-axis direction at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The sprocket 2 is wound around the chain and is rotationally driven by the crankshaft via the chain. At the same time, it rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. Note that the sprocket 2 is not necessarily provided integrally with the rear plate. Further, the power may be transmitted not only by the sprocket and the chain but also by a pulley and a belt. For example, a pulley may be provided on the outer periphery of the housing body, and the belt may be wound. When a chain and a sprocket are used as in the first embodiment, there are advantages such as easy downsizing of the apparatus in the axial direction.
The diameter of the plate body 9 a is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the housing body 10. The thickness of the plate body 9a in the X-axis direction is thinner than the width of the sprocket 2 in the X-axis direction and slightly thicker than the front plate 8.
The X-axis negative direction side of the rear plate 9 is thinned into a cylindrical shape slightly larger than the diameter of the plate body 9a with a depth in the X-axis direction that is slightly less than half the X-axis direction width of the sprocket 2.
A hole 90 is formed substantially at the center on the inner diameter side of the plate main body 9a so as to be substantially coaxial with the rotation axis O and penetrate the rear plate 9 in the X-axis direction (rotation axis direction). The hole 90 is an insertion hole through which the camshaft end 30 is inserted, and is also a support hole that rotatably supports the housing HSG with respect to the camshaft 3. The diameter of the insertion hole 90 is substantially the same as that of the large-diameter hole 80 of the front plate 8.
Four female screw portions 91 to 94 are provided on the outer diameter side of the plate body 9a at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The female thread portions 91 to 94 each have bolt holes formed so as to penetrate the plate body 9a in the X-axis direction, and female threads are formed on the inner periphery of these bolt holes. The male screws at the tip ends of the bolts b1 to b4 on the X-axis negative direction side are screwed to the female screws, respectively. The female thread portions (bolt holes) 91 to 94 are provided at locations facing the bolt holes 110 to 140 of the shoes 11 to 14 (and the bolt holes 81 to 84 of the front plate 8) of the housing body 10 in the X-axis direction, respectively. ing. On the surface of the plate main body 9a on the X axis negative direction side, the periphery of each bolt hole is provided so as to be raised. It is thick.
When viewed from the positive side of the X axis, the plate body 9a is adjacent to the female thread portion 91 (opposite the bolt hole 110 of the first shoe 11) in the clockwise direction, and a hole 95 connects the plate body 9a to the X axis. It is formed to penetrate in the direction. The hole 95 is a fitting hole for configuring an engagement recess 730 described later, and is an advance chamber in an oil chamber sandwiched between the first shoe 11 and the second shoe 12 when viewed from the X axis positive direction side. It is provided at a position biased toward the A1 side (adjacent to the clockwise direction side of the first shoe 11).
In the plate main body 9a, a hole 96 is formed between the hole 95 and the female screw portion 91 and slightly outside the hole 96 so as to penetrate the plate main body 9a in the X-axis direction. The hole 96 is a recess for positioning with the housing body 10 and is formed at a position corresponding to the positioning recess 116 of the housing body 10 in the plate radial direction. The hole 96 has an oval shape when viewed from the X-axis direction, two linear portions extending in the radial direction and facing each other in the circumferential direction, and two curves formed in a semicircular shape and facing each other in the radial direction. Part. An approximately 2/3 portion (including two straight portions) on the inner diameter side of the hole 96 is provided in a shape that substantially matches the positioning recess 116. The hole 96 is disposed close to the counterclockwise direction side of the fitting hole 95 when viewed from the X axis positive direction side. The circumferential position of the hole 96 in the rear plate 9 is such that when the hole 96 is substantially aligned with the positioning recess 116 (when the holes 96 are overlapped side by side), the bolt hole 110 of the first shoe 11 and the female threaded portion 91 of the rear plate 9 are arranged. And the first vane 61 (planar portion 614), which will be described later, are in contact with the first shoe 11 (planar portion 113) (see FIG. 3). The sliding hole 70 and the fitting hole 95 of the rear plate 9 are provided substantially coaxially.

  The front plate 8, the housing body 10, and the rear plate 9 are integrally coupled together by bolts b1 to b4 from the X-axis direction. The bolts b1 to b4 are respectively inserted from the positive side of the X-axis into the bolt holes 81 to 84 of the front plate 8 and the bolt holes 110 to 140 of the housing body 10, and are screwed to the female screw portions 91 to 94 of the rear plate 9. As a result, the front plate 8 and the rear plate 9 are fastened and fixed to the housing body 10. The bolt holes 81 to 84 of the front plate 8 and the bolt holes 110 to 140 of the housing body 10 are provided slightly larger than the shaft diameters of the bolts b1 to b4.

  The vane member 6 is a driven rotating body (driven member) that is rotatably installed with respect to the housing HSG (sprocket 2) and rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. Like the housing body 10, the vane member 6 is formed by sintering an iron-based metal material, and includes first to fourth vanes 61 to 64 that are four blades that receive operating hydraulic pressure, and each vane 61. And a rotor (vane rotor) 60 that is a rotating shaft portion that is provided on the inner diameter side (rotation center side) of ~ 64 and is fixed to the camshaft 3 substantially coaxially by the cam bolt 31. FIG. 7 shows the vane member 6. (A) of FIG. 7 is the front view which looked at the vane member 6 from the X-axis positive direction side, and shows each groove | channel formed in the vane member 6 with a broken line. (B) is a CC cross section of (a), and (c) is a DD cross section of (a).

The rotor 60 has a cylindrical shape, and the length in the X-axis direction is substantially equal to the length in the X-axis direction of the housing body 10. On the inner diameter side of the rotor 60, a bottomed hole 601 is formed substantially coaxially with the rotor 60 (on the rotation axis O) from the negative X-axis direction toward the positive X-axis direction. It is formed to the depth of. The hole 601 is a camshaft insertion hole into which the insertion part 301 on the X axis positive direction side of the camshaft end 30 is inserted and installed. The diameter of the hole 601 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the camshaft 3 (insertion part 301). Big.
A hole 602 is formed through the rotation axis O at the bottom of the rotor 60 on the positive side of the X-axis of the hole 601. The hole 602 is a bolt hole through which the shaft portion 311 of the cam bolt 31 is inserted from the X axis positive direction side. The diameter of the hole 602 is slightly larger than the shaft portion 311. A hole 603 is formed in the bottom of the rotor 60 on the X-axis positive direction side of the hole 601 so as to penetrate the hole 602 in the X-axis direction. The hole 603 is a positioning hole that fits with a convex portion provided on the camshaft end surface 300 and is used for circumferential positioning of the vane member 6 with respect to the camshaft 3, and extends from the hole 602 in the outer diameter direction. Yes. The hole 603 has a semi-oval shape when viewed from the X-axis direction, and includes two linear portions extending in the radial direction and facing each other in the circumferential direction, and one curved portion formed in a semi-arc shape. ing. The convex portion is inserted and fitted into the hole 603 from the X-axis negative direction side. The circumferential dimension of the hole 603 (distance between the linear parts) is slightly larger than the circumferential dimension of the convex part, and the vane member 6 and the cam are fitted in the state where the convex part is fitted into the hole 603. The dimension is set such that the play in the circumferential direction of the shaft 3 does not occur.
On the surface of the rotor 60 on the X-axis positive direction side, a shallow bottomed cylindrical circular groove 604 is provided so as to surround the bolt hole 602 and be substantially coaxial with the rotor 60. In other words, the bolt hole 602 is open on the bottom surface of the circular groove 604. The diameter of the circular groove 604 is substantially the same as the large-diameter hole 80 of the front plate 8 and is slightly larger than the washer 312. The depth in the X-axis direction of the circular groove 604 is substantially half of the washer 312.
The rotor 60 is supported to be rotatable with respect to the housing HSG while sliding on seal members 118 to 148 fitted to the tip portions of the shoes 11 to 14.

On the outer periphery of the rotor 60, first to fourth vanes 61 to 64 are provided radially at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction so as to protrude toward the outer diameter direction. The first to fourth vanes 61, 62, 63, 64 are provided in this order in the clockwise direction of FIG. Each of the vanes 61 to 64 is formed integrally with the rotor 60.
The cross section of each vane 61 to 64 in the direction perpendicular to the X-axis is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the circumferential width increases toward the outer diameter direction. The length of each vane 61 to 64 in the X-axis direction is substantially the same as the length of the rotor 60 in the X-axis direction. The widths of the second to fourth vanes 62 to 64 in the circumferential direction are substantially the same. The circumferential width of the first vane 61 is wider than the second to fourth vanes 62 to 64 and has a maximum width, and can accommodate a lock mechanism 7 described later. The interval between the vanes 61 to 64 is adjusted so that the center of gravity of the vane member 6 is close to the rotation axis O. In a state in which the vane member 6 is installed in the housing HSG, the surfaces on the X axis positive direction side of the vanes 61 to 64 pass through a slight gap with respect to the surface on the X axis negative direction side of the front plate 8. Opposite. The surfaces on the X axis negative direction side of the vanes 61 to 64 are opposed to the surfaces on the X axis positive direction side of the rear plate 9 (plate body 9a) via a very small gap. The first vane 61 is between the first shoe 11 and the second shoe 12, the second vane 62 is between the second shoe 12 and the third shoe 13, and the third vane 63 is between the third shoe 13 and the fourth shoe. The fourth vanes 64 are respectively disposed in the gaps between the fourth shoe 14 and the first shoe 11.

The vane member 6 forms an advance chamber A and a retard chamber R through which hydraulic oil is supplied and discharged with the housing HSG. That is, when viewed from the X-axis direction, four oil chambers (working chambers) are defined between the adjacent shoes 11 to 14 and the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60, and these oil chambers are respectively composed of vanes 61 to 61. 64 is defined as an advance chamber A and a retard chamber R. The advance chamber A and the retard chamber R are kept in a liquid-tight state by the seal member 118 and the like. In other words, the vane 61 and the like form a plurality of working chambers A and R with the shoe 11 and the like. The working oil supplied from the oil pump P is introduced into these working chambers A and R, and rotation is transmitted between the vane member 6 and the housing HSG via the working oil. Specifically, the surface on the X axis negative direction side of the front plate 8, the surface on the X axis positive direction side of the rear plate 9, both side surfaces in the circumferential direction of the vanes 61 to 64, and the shoes 11 to 14 respectively. 4 sets of hydraulic working chambers, that is, four advance chambers A1, A2, A3, A4 and four retard chambers R1, R2, R3, R4 are defined between both side surfaces in the circumferential direction. Yes. As shown in FIG. 3, the first advance chamber A <b> 1 is formed between the first shoe 11 in the clockwise direction and the first vane 61 in the counterclockwise direction. A first retardation chamber R1 is defined between the direction side surface and the counterclockwise direction side surface of the second shoe 12. Similarly, second to fourth advance chambers A2 to A4 and second to fourth retard chambers R2 to R4 are defined, respectively.
In addition, it is good also as a structure which has only one of an advance chamber and a retard chamber as a working chamber in which hydraulic fluid is supplied / discharged. Further, the number of advance chambers and retard chambers is not limited to 4, respectively. In other words, the number of shoes and vanes is not limited to 4 and may be other numbers. Further, in order to form the working chamber, the housing body does not necessarily have to be provided with a shoe that protrudes inward on the inner periphery. That is, the working chamber may be defined between the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body (where no protruding shoe is provided) and the outer peripheral surface of the vane rotor.
A hole 70 is formed through the first vane 61 in the X-axis direction. The hole 70 is a sliding hole that slidably accommodates the lock piston 71 and is a hollow cylindrical cylinder, and includes a small diameter portion 701 and a large diameter portion 702. The diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 701 is set smaller than the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 702.
A radial groove 605 is provided on the surface of the vane rotor 6 on the X axis positive direction side. The radial groove 605 is a rectangular cutout groove that connects the circular groove 604 and the X-axis positive direction end (large-diameter portion 702) of the sliding hole 70 so that they can communicate with each other. The base portion of the first vane 61 is formed to extend in the outer diameter direction and to be continuous with the large diameter portion 702. The depth in the X-axis direction of the radial groove 605 is deeper than that of the circular groove 604 and is approximately 10% of the dimension in the X-axis direction of the vane member 6.
Grooves 611 to 641 are formed along the X-axis direction at the distal end portions of the first to fourth vanes 61 to 64 on the outer diameter side. Inside the grooves 611 to 641, there are seal members 612 to 642 that are in fluid-tight sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 10, and seal springs (plate springs 613) that press the seal members 612 to 642 toward the inner peripheral surface. ˜643) are held in place.
A planar portion 614 is formed on the counterclockwise direction side of the first vane 61 when viewed from the X axis positive direction side. The planar portion 614 is a straight line that substantially matches the radial straight line that passes through the rotation axis O of the rotor 60 when viewed from the X-axis direction. On the outer diameter side of the first vane 61 on the counterclockwise direction side, a notch portion 615 is provided at a position that is continuous with the flat surface portion 614 and faces the build-up portion 114 of the first shoe 11 in the circumferential direction. ing. The notch 615 is substantially arc-shaped convex outward when viewed from the X-axis direction, and is provided along the hole 70 over an angle range of about 90 degrees so as to surround the hole 70. The notch 615 suppresses interference between the tip end portion of the first vane 61 and the build-up portion 114 and allows the flat portion 614 and the flat portion 113 of the first shoe 11 to contact each other. (See FIG. 3), which helps to reduce the weight of the first vane 61. The shape of the built-up portion 114 is not a flat shape, but, for example, an inwardly convex arcuate curved surface having substantially the same curvature as the arcuate outer surface of the notch 615 when viewed from the X-axis direction. It is good to do.
The shape of the first vane 61 viewed from the X-axis direction is such that two radial straight portions (the flat surface portion 614 and the like) surrounding the sliding hole 70 and a substantially semicircular portion (notch portion 615) connecting them are grooves 611. It has a shape in which a knob-like portion having a sticking. When viewed from the X-axis direction, the thickness of the first vane 61 surrounding the sliding hole 70 and the thickness of the portion surrounding the groove 611 (the above-mentioned ridge-like portion) are provided to a minimum necessary size.
When viewed from the X axis positive direction side, the first vane 61 has a substantially rectangular shape extending in the clockwise direction along the outer periphery of the rotor 60 from the root portion on the inner diameter side to a predetermined circumferential direction range on the clockwise direction side. A convex portion 616 is provided. In other words, the convex portion 616 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60 by a predetermined amount in the outer diameter direction and continues to the root portion of the first vane 61. The surface on the clockwise direction side of the convex portion 616 when viewed from the X-axis positive direction side is a straight line that is substantially coincident with the radial straight line passing through the rotation axis O, and the plane portion 124 of the second shoe 12 in the circumferential direction. Opposite.
Grooves 617, 627, 637, and 647 are provided on the outer periphery of the rotor 60. The grooves 617 to 647 are axial grooves formed so as to extend over the entire range in the X axis direction, adjacent to the roots on the clockwise direction side of the vanes 61 to 64, respectively, as viewed from the X axis positive direction side. It is a substantially semicircular arc-shaped recess that is recessed from the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60 toward the rotation center O (convex inward). Specifically, axial grooves 627, 637, and 647 are respectively provided to predetermined depths adjacent to the roots of the second to fourth vanes 62 to 64 on the clockwise direction side (continuous to the surface on the clockwise direction side). Yes. For the first vane 61, an axial groove 617 is provided to a similar depth adjacent to the root of the convex portion 616 on the clockwise direction side (continuous to the surface of the convex portion 616 on the clockwise direction side). Yes. The circumferential width of the opening to the rotor outer circumferential surface 600 of each axial groove 617 to 647 is substantially equal to the circumferential width of the root portion of the second to fourth vanes 62 to 64, and the axial grooves 617 to 647 It is approximately twice the depth (maximum value).
On the other hand, a groove 505 is provided in the camshaft insertion hole 601 on the inner periphery of the rotor 60. The groove 505 is an annular groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 on the X axis positive direction side (substantially intermediate position of the rotor 60 in the X axis direction) over the entire circumferential range, and the vane member 6 is the camshaft. 3 (in a state where the end 30 is inserted into the camshaft insertion hole 601), the end 30 is provided at a position facing the annular groove 504 described later in the radial direction. The groove 505 is formed from the inner peripheral surface to a predetermined depth in the outer diameter direction, specifically, to a depth partially overlapping with the axial grooves 617 to 647 formed in the rotor outer peripheral surface 600.
On the outer periphery of the rotor 60, holes 506, 507, 508, and 509 are opened at the bottoms of the axial grooves 617 to 647, respectively. The holes 506 to 509 open in a substantially rectangular shape by intersecting the annular groove 505 and the axial grooves 617 to 647, and communicate with the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 and the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60. It is a hole. Similar to the annular groove 505, the holes 506 to 509 are provided on the X axis positive direction side of the cam shaft insertion hole 601 (substantially intermediate position in the axial direction of the rotor 60). Similar to the axial grooves 617 to 647, the holes 506 to 509 are provided adjacent to the roots of the vanes 61 to 64 in the clockwise direction when viewed from the X axis positive direction side. Are retarded-side oil holes that open to each other and communicate with the retarded chambers R1 to R4, respectively.
Grooves 515, 516, 517, and 518 are provided on the end surface of the rotor 60 in the X-axis negative direction. The grooves 515 to 518 are formed to a predetermined depth in the X-axis direction on the surface on the X-axis negative direction side of the vane member 6 and have a diameter provided so as to extend from the X-axis negative direction side of the camshaft insertion hole 601 in the outer diameter direction. It is a directional groove, and is a communication groove that connects the camshaft insertion hole 601 and the rotor outer peripheral surface 600. Since the grooves 515 to 518 are formed at the same time when the vane member 6 is molded, the grooves 515 to 518 are provided with a cutting taper for facilitating the die cutting, and in the rotor circumferential direction toward the X axis positive direction side. The width increases. The grooves 515 to 518 are provided at positions that face the annular groove 514 (to be described later) of the end portion 30 in the radial direction in a state where the vane member 6 is installed on the camshaft 3. The grooves 515 to 518 are provided adjacent to the roots of the vanes 61 to 64 on the counterclockwise direction side when viewed from the X-axis positive direction side. It is an advance side oil groove communicating with A1 to A4. When viewed from the X-axis positive direction side, the clockwise edges of the grooves 515 to 518 are provided slightly on the clockwise direction side of the counterclockwise direction surfaces of the adjacent vanes 61 to 64, The grooves 515 to 518 are not only opened on the rotor outer peripheral surface 600 but also partially on the counterclockwise direction surfaces of the vanes 61 to 64 on the outer periphery of the rotor 60.

The relative rotation angle of the vane member 6 with respect to the housing HSG is adjusted by the first and second stopper portions. When the vane member 6 attempts to rotate relative to the housing HSG in a counterclockwise direction by a predetermined angle or more as viewed from the X axis positive direction side, as shown in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. The flat surface portion 614 comes into contact with and contacts the clockwise side surface (the flat surface portion 113) of the first shoe 11. At this time, the other vanes 62 to 64 are opposed to the shoe through a slight gap and do not contact each other (maintain a non-contact state). That is, the rotation of the vane member 6 in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the housing HSG is restricted by the contact between the flat surface portion 113 of the first shoe 11 and the flat surface portion 614 of the first vane 61. Thus, the flat portions 113 and 614 constitute a first stopper portion that restricts the relative rotation of the vane member 6 in the counterclockwise direction (retard direction).
It is avoided that the volume of each advance chamber A1 to A4 becomes zero in the rotation restricted state by the first stopper portion of FIG. The space formed by the notch 111 at the tip of the first shoe 11 secures the volume of the first advance chamber A1, and the second to fourth shoes 12 to 14 are opposed to these in the clockwise direction. The volume of the second to fourth advance chambers A2 to A4 is secured by the space (the gap) formed between the fourth vanes 62 to 64. Further, the opening of each advance angle side oil groove 515 to 518 to the outer periphery of the rotor is not completely closed by the inner diameter side tip portion of each shoe 11 to 14, and each advance angle chamber of each advance angle side oil groove 515 to 518 is closed. Openings to A1 to A4 are secured. Further, in the most retarded state of FIG. 3, the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 are provided so as not to overlap with the seal grooves 117 to 147 of the shoes 11 to 14 in the radial direction. Specifically, in the most retarded state, the counterclockwise edge of the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 is the clockwise edge of the seal members 118 to 148 installed in the seal grooves 117 to 147. It is located slightly in the clockwise direction.
When the vane member 6 rotates relative to the housing HSG in the clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 3, the clockwise side surface of the convex portion 616 becomes the counterclockwise side surface (planar surface) of the second shoe 12 as shown in FIG. 4. Part 124) and in contact with each other. At this time, each of the vanes 61 to 64 is opposed to the shoe through a slight gap and does not contact each other (maintains a non-contact state). That is, the rotation of the vane member 6 in the clockwise direction with respect to the housing HSG is restricted by contact between the inner diameter side distal end portion (plane portion 124) of the second shoe 12 and the convex portion 616. As described above, the convex portion 616 and the flat portion 124 constitute a second stopper portion that restricts the relative rotation of the vane member 6 in the clockwise direction (advance direction). The contact area between the convex part 616 and the flat part 124 (the contact area S2 of the second stopper part) is smaller than the contact area of the flat parts 113 and 614 (the contact area S1 of the first stopper part). (S1> S2).
In the rotation restricted state by the second stopper portion in FIG. 4, it is avoided that the volumes of the retard chambers R1 to R4 become zero. The first to fourth retardation chambers R1 to R4 are formed by spaces (the gaps) formed between the shoes 12, 13, 14, and 11 and the vanes 61 to 64 that face each other in the counterclockwise direction. Volume is secured. Further, the opening of the retard angle side oil holes 507 to 509 (axial grooves 627 to 647) to the outer periphery of the rotor is counterclockwise relative to the tips of the shoes 13, 14, 11 (slidably contacting the rotor outer peripheral surface 600). Since they are located on the direction side and are not blocked by these, openings to the retarded angle chambers R2 to R4 of the retarded angle side oil holes 507 to 509 are respectively secured. Further, in the most advanced state of FIG. 4, the opening of the retarded-side oil hole 506 (axial groove 617) to the outer periphery of the rotor is opposed to the tip of the shoe 12 (slidably contacting the rotor outer peripheral surface 600) in the radial direction. While being blocked by this, it does not overlap with the seal groove 127 (seal member 128) in the radial direction, but is positioned slightly on the counterclockwise direction side.
As described above, it is avoided that the volume of the retard chamber R or the advance chamber A becomes zero over the entire angular range in which the vane member 6 rotates relative to the housing HSG. The openings of the holes 507 to 509 to the retard chambers R2 to R4 and the openings of the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 to the advance chambers A1 to A4 are secured. In addition, by providing a notch or the like in the distal end portion 126 or the convex portion 616 of the second shoe 12, an opening of the retarded-side oil hole 506 to the first retarded chamber R1 is secured even in the most advanced angle state of FIG. It may be done.

The hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5 selectively supplies the hydraulic oil to the advance chambers A1 to A4 or the retard chambers R1 to R4, or discharges the hydraulic oil from these hydraulic chambers, thereby causing the vane member 6 to the housing HSG. Rotate forward and reverse by a predetermined angle. That is, by adjusting the supply and discharge of hydraulic oil and changing the oil chamber volume, the vane member 6 is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the housing HSG, and in this state, the rotational force is transmitted between the two. The rotation phase of the camshaft 3 with respect to the rotation of the crankshaft is changed. As shown in FIG. 2, the hydraulic supply / discharge mechanism 5 includes a pump P that is a hydraulic supply source, a hydraulic circuit, and a flow path switching valve 54 that is a hydraulic control actuator.
The hydraulic circuit has two paths, that is, a retard passage 50 that supplies and discharges hydraulic oil to and from each retard chamber R1 to R4, and an advance angle that supplies and discharges hydraulic oil to each advance chamber A1 to A4. A passage 51 is provided. A supply passage 52 and a drain passage 53 are connected to both passages 50 and 51 via a passage switching valve 54. The supply passage 52 is provided with a pump P that pumps oil in the oil pan 55 to the flow path switching valve 54. The pump P is rotationally driven by the crankshaft of the engine, and for example, a unidirectional variable displacement vane pump can be used. The downstream end of the drain passage 53 communicates with the oil pan 55.
The camshaft 3 and the vane member 6 are formed with a part of the retard passage 50 and the advance passage 51. The camshaft end 30 is provided with grooves 500, 504, 510, 514, holes 502, 512 and holes 501, 503, 511, 513.
The grooves 500 to 514 are annular grooves formed to a predetermined depth over the entire circumferential range of the outer peripheral surface of the end portion 30, and include retardation passage grooves 500 and 504 and advance passage grooves 510 and 514. The grooves 500 and 510 are provided on the negative X-axis side of the end portion 30 and are disposed in the cylinder head, and are arranged in this order in the negative X-axis direction. The grooves 504 and 514 are provided on the X axis positive direction side of the end portion 30 and are disposed in the camshaft insertion hole 601 of the vane rotor 6, and are arranged in this order in the X axis negative direction.
The holes 502 and 512 are axial passages formed in the end portion 30 so as to extend in the X-axis direction, and include a retard passage 502 and an advance passage 512. The passages 502 and 512 have a predetermined diameter (smaller than the bolt hole 32) and open to the camshaft end surface 300, respectively. When viewed from the X-axis direction, the passage 502 is provided at a position substantially opposite to the passage 512 across the rotation axis O. The distance from the rotation axis O to the central axis of the passage 502 is the distance from the rotation axis O to the passage 512. Is approximately equal to the distance to the central axis. The dimension of the passage 502 in the X-axis direction is set to reach the groove 500, and the dimension of the passage 512 in the X-axis direction is set to reach the groove 510. With the end 30 inserted and installed in the camshaft insertion hole 601, the opening in the end surface 300 of the passages 502 and 512 is blocked by the bottom surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 on the X axis positive direction side.
The holes 501 to 513 are radial passages formed in the end portion 30 so as to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the X axis, and have retardation passages 501 and 503 and advance passages 511 and 513. . The passage 501 is between the groove 500 and the axial passage 502, the passage 503 is between the groove 504 and the axial passage 502, the passage 511 is between the groove 510 and the axial passage 512, and the passage 513 is the groove 514. And the axial passage 512 are respectively formed through and connecting them.
The retarding passage 50 from the flow path switching valve 54 first communicates with the annular groove 500 when connecting to the oil passage in the camshaft 3 (end 30), which is a rotating body. The annular groove 500 communicates with the axial passage 502 via the radial passage 501, and the axial passage 502 communicates with the annular groove 504 via the radial passage 503. Similarly, the advance passage 51 from the flow path switching valve 54 communicates with the annular groove 510 at the end 30, and the annular groove 510 is annular through the radial passage 511, the axial passage 512, and the radial passage 513. It communicates with the groove 514.
The vane member 6 (rotor 60) is provided with the groove 505 and holes 506 to 509 as a retarded passage and the grooves 515 to 518 as an advanced passage.
With the end portion 30 inserted and installed in the camshaft insertion hole 601, the annular groove 505 of the vane member 6 substantially coincides with the annular groove 504 of the end portion 30 in the X-axis direction, and each advance angle of the vane member 6 is increased. The side oil grooves 515 to 518 substantially coincide with the annular groove 514 of the end portion 30 in the X-axis direction (mostly overlap). The retarded-side passages 501 to 503 in the end portion 30 communicate with the annular groove 505 of the vane member 6 via the annular groove 504, and further each retarded angle chamber R1 to R4 via the retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509. Communicate with. The retard angle side oil holes 506 to 509 communicate with the annular groove 504 on the inner diameter side of the rotor 60 and communicate with the retard angle chambers R1 to R4 on the outer diameter side, respectively. Further, the advance side passages 511 to 513 in the end portion 30 communicate with the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 of the vane member 6 via the annular groove 514, and pass through the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518. It communicates with each advance chamber A1 to A4. Each advance angle side oil groove 515 to 518 communicates with the annular groove 514 on the inner diameter side of the rotor 60 and communicates with the advance angle chambers A1 to A4 on the outer diameter side. By providing the annular groove 514, the degree of freedom in layout of the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 in the vane member 6 in the rotor circumferential direction is improved. Similarly, by providing the annular groove 504 or the annular groove 505, the degree of freedom in layout of the retard angle side oil holes 506 to 509 in the vane member 6 in the rotor circumferential direction is improved. As with the retarded-side annular groove 505, an annular groove may be provided on the vane member 6 side (inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601) on the advanced angle side (see Example 2).
The flow path switching valve 54 is a so-called direct-acting solenoid valve, which is a 4-port 3-position directional control valve that controls the hydraulic pressure supplied to and discharged from the advance chambers A1 to A4 or the retard chambers R1 to R4. . The flow path switching valve 54 has a valve body fixed to the engine side (cylinder head), a solenoid SOL fixed to the valve body, and a spool valve body slidably provided inside the valve body. ing. The valve body includes a supply port 540 that communicates with the supply passage 52, a first port 541 that communicates with the retard passage 50, a second port 542 that communicates with the advance passage 51, and a drain port 543 that communicates with the drain passage 53. Is formed. The solenoid SOL pushes and moves the spool valve body by energizing the electromagnetic coil. The electromagnetic coil is connected to the controller CU via a harness. As the spool valve element moves, the first port 541 and the second port 542 are opened and closed. When the solenoid SOL is not energized, the spool valve body communicates the supply port 540 (supply passage 52) and the second port 542 (advance passage 51) with the spring force of the return spring RS, and the first port 541. It is biased to a position where the (retard passage 50) and the drain port 543 (drain passage 53) communicate with each other. On the other hand, in a state where the solenoid SOL is energized, the spool valve body is opposed to the spring force of the return spring RS by the control current from the controller CU, and the supply port 540 (supply passage 52) and the first port 541 (slow). The angular passage 50) is communicated and the second port 542 (advanced passage 51) and the drain port 543 (drain passage 53) communicate with each other, or the movement is controlled to a predetermined intermediate position. .
The controller CU is an electronic control unit, and signals from various sensors such as a crank angle sensor that detects the engine speed, an air flow meter that detects the intake air amount, a throttle valve opening sensor, and a water temperature sensor that detects the engine water temperature. To detect the current engine operating state. Further, the controller CU outputs a pulse control current to the solenoid SOL of the flow path switching valve 54 in accordance with the detected engine operating state, and performs flow path switching control, so that the advance chambers A1 to A4 or the retard angle are controlled. The hydraulic oil is selectively supplied to and discharged from the chambers R1 to R4.

  Between the vane member 6 (first vane 61) and the rear plate 9, there is provided a lock mechanism 7 that restrains the free rotation of the vane member 6 with respect to the rear plate 9 (housing HSG) and releases the restraint. ing. The device 1 is configured such that the operation (relative rotation) is locked by the lock mechanism 7 at a predetermined initial rotation phase, specifically, at the most retarded angle position where rotation is restricted by the first stopper portion. . The lock mechanism 7 has a lock piston 71, an engagement recess 730 provided in the rear plate 9, and the lock piston 71 is advanced and engaged with the engagement recess 730 according to the state of the engine. It is comprised from the engagement / disengagement mechanism which reverse | retreats and cancels | releases the said engagement. FIG. 5 is a partial cross section taken along the line BB in FIG. 3 and shows an operating state of the lock mechanism 7 when the engine is stopped (when the engine is started).

  The lock piston 71 is an engaging member (stopper piston), and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical pin shape from an iron-based metal material. The lock piston 71 is installed inside the sliding hole 70 of the first vane 61 so as to be able to reciprocate in the X-axis direction (which is the direction of the rotation axis O), and on the rear plate 9 side according to the state of the engine. It is provided so as to freely advance and retreat (invade and retract from the first vane 61 toward the negative X-axis direction). The lock piston 71 includes a sliding portion 710 that slides with respect to the sliding hole 70 and an engaging portion 714 that is a tip portion of the lock piston 71 that is provided inside and outside the sliding hole 70. The sliding portion 710 has a bottomed cylindrical shape that opens toward the positive x-axis direction, and includes a small diameter portion 711 and a large diameter portion 712. The large-diameter portion 712 is an annular flange portion formed at the base end portion of the lock piston 71, that is, the end on the X axis positive direction side. The large-diameter portion 712 is installed inside the large-diameter portion 702 so that the outer periphery thereof is slidable with respect to the inner periphery of the large-diameter portion 702 of the sliding hole 70. The small diameter portion 711 is installed inside the small diameter portion 701 so that the outer periphery thereof is slidable with respect to the inner periphery of the small diameter portion 701 of the sliding hole 70. On the X axis negative direction side of the bottom portion 713 of the small-diameter portion 711, an engaging portion 714 is provided in a substantially truncated cone shape through a step with the bottom portion 713. The engaging portion 714 has a substantially trapezoidal axial cross section, and has a tapered surface (inclined surface) having a smaller diameter toward the tip on the X axis negative direction side.

On the other hand, a bottomed engagement recess 730 that does not penetrate the rear plate 9 is formed on the surface of the rear plate 9 on the X axis positive direction side. The engagement recess 730 is a lock hole (stopper hole) that opens on the surface of the rear plate 9 on the X axis positive direction side and that can be engaged with the engagement portion 714. The engaging recess 730 is formed by fitting a bottomed cup-shaped sleeve 73 formed of an iron-based metal material into the fitting hole 95 of the rear plate by press fitting. The dimension of the sleeve 73 in the X-axis direction is substantially the same as the thickness of the rear plate 9 (including the sprocket 2) in the X-axis direction, and is provided so that the installed sleeve 73 does not protrude toward the negative X-axis side of the rear plate 9. It has been.
The depth in the X-axis direction of the engaging recess 730 is substantially the same as the length in the X-axis direction of the engaging portion 714 and the thickness in the X-axis direction of the rear plate body 9a. It is slightly larger than the diameter of 714. The engagement recess 730 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section cut by a plane passing through the axis of the sleeve 73, and gradually increases in diameter toward the opening on the X axis positive direction side. In other words, the engagement recess 730 has an inclined surface and is provided with a tapered surface having a smaller diameter toward the bottom on the X-axis negative direction side. The inclination of the inner peripheral surface (inclined surface) of the engaging recess 730 with respect to the X axis is substantially equal to the inclination of the outer peripheral surface (inclined surface) of the engaging portion 714 with respect to the X axis.
The position of the engagement recess 730 is such that when the engagement portion 714 engages with the engagement recess 730, the relative rotation angle between the housing HSG and the vane member 6 is in an optimum phase (most retarded position) for engine start. Is provided. Specifically, the engagement recess 730 is provided at a position that is substantially coincident with the distal end (engagement portion 714) of the lock piston 71 when viewed from the X-axis direction at the most retarded position in FIG. . In other words, when the vane member 6 rotates relative to the most retarded angle and the rotation is restricted by the first stopper portion, the position of the lock piston 71 (engagement portion 714) and the engagement recess when viewed from the X-axis direction. 730 positions overlap. Further, at this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the position of the axial center of the engaging recess 730 in the circumferential direction of the rotor is the counterclockwise direction of FIG. ) So as to be slightly offset.

The engagement / disengagement mechanism includes a coil spring 74 that is an urging means for engagement, and first and second pressure receiving chambers 77 and 78 (communication hole 75 and communication groove 76) that are urging means for release. Yes. The coil spring 74 is an elastic member that constantly urges the lock piston 71 toward the X-axis negative direction side, that is, the engagement recess 730 side. The coil spring 74 is elastically mounted (installed in a compressed state) in the hole 70 (large diameter portion 702), and the end on the X axis positive direction side is the surface of the front plate 8 on the X axis negative direction side. The X-axis negative direction end is in contact with the rear end portion (bottom portion 713) of the lock piston 71.
The sliding hole 70 is provided with a pressure receiving chamber for generating an oil pressure acting on the lock piston 71. Specifically, the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 702 (including the X axis positive direction end surface of the small diameter portion 701) in the sliding hole 70 and the X piston negative direction end surface of the large diameter portion 712 in the lock piston 71 are included. A first pressure receiving chamber 77 is defined between the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 711. In the locked state where the surface of the engaging portion 714 (the tip surface and the inclined surface on the negative side of the X axis) and the surface of the rear plate 9 on the positive side of the X axis (the engaging portion 714 is fitted in the engaging recess 730). The second pressure receiving chamber 78 is defined between the inner peripheral surface and the bottom surface of the sleeve 73. The first vane 61 is provided with a passage for guiding the hydraulic pressure of the working chamber to the first and second pressure receiving chambers 77 and 78. That is, a communication hole 75 is formed in the first vane 61 so as to extend in the circumferential direction, and the retarding chamber R1 and the first pressure receiving chamber 77 are connected via the communication hole 75 so as to always communicate with each other. The hydraulic pressure in the corner chamber R 1 is guided to the first pressure receiving chamber 77. On the other hand, a communication groove 76 is formed on the surface of the first vane 61 on the X axis negative direction side so as to extend in the circumferential direction, and the advance chamber A1 and the X axis of the sliding hole 70 are connected via the communication groove 76. The negative direction end is connected and is always in communication, and the hydraulic pressure in the advance chamber A1 is guided to the second pressure receiving chamber 78 (the engaging recess 730 in the locked state). The hydraulic oil that is selectively supplied to the retard chamber R1 and the advance chamber A1 is guided to the first pressure receiving chamber 77 and the second pressure receiving chamber 78 via the communication hole 75 and the communication groove 76, respectively, and both are connected to the lock piston 71. An oil pressure is generated to urge the motor in a backward direction on the X axis positive direction side.

When the vane member 6 rotates relative to the most retarded angle and the rotation is restricted by the first stopper portion, the position of the lock piston 71 and the position of the engagement recess 730 overlap when viewed from the X-axis direction. Can move in the negative direction of the X-axis. At this time, the spring force of the coil spring 74 acts to assist the engaging portion 714 to advance from the first vane 61 (sliding hole 70) and fit into the engaging recess 730. When the lock piston 71 engages with the engagement recess 730, the relative rotation between the rear plate 9 and the vane member 6, that is, the relative rotation between the housing HSG and the camshaft 3 is restricted (locked). On the other hand, the lock piston 71 receives an oil pressure on the X axis positive direction side in the large diameter portion 712 by the hydraulic pressure supplied from the retard chamber R1 into the first pressure receiving chamber 77 through the communication hole 75. Further, the lock piston 71 receives oil pressure on the positive side in the X axis direction at the engagement portion 714 by the hydraulic pressure supplied from the advance chamber A1 into the second pressure receiving chamber 78 via the communication groove 76. In any of the above oil pressures, the lock piston 71 moves in the positive direction of the X axis against the spring force of the coil spring 74, and the engaging portion 714 retreats from the engaging recess 730 to enter the sliding hole 70. Acts to assist in fitting. As a result, the engagement between the lock piston 71 and the engagement recess 730 is released. Thus, while the coil spring 74 functions as a lock state maintaining mechanism, the communication hole 75 and the communication groove 76 function as a release hydraulic circuit.
A back pressure chamber 72 of the lock piston 71 is provided inside the sliding hole 70. The back pressure chamber 72 is a low pressure chamber provided on the X axis positive direction side of the sliding hole 70, the surface on the X axis negative direction side of the front plate 8, the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole 70, and the lock piston. 71 (sliding portion 710). The back pressure chamber 72 communicates with the circular groove 604 via the radial groove 605, and further communicates with the outside (outside air) of the apparatus via the large diameter hole 80, thereby releasing to the atmospheric pressure (low pressure space). (See FIG. 2). In other words, the radial groove 605 and the circular groove 604 are breathing grooves formed on the end surface of the vane member 6 on the X axis positive direction side, function as air vent holes, and release the pressure in the back pressure chamber 72. Therefore, a back pressure relief part for maintaining a low pressure is formed.

(Van member manufacturing process)
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 7 and shows an intermediate state (coarse material) in the manufacturing process of the vane member 6. The vane member 6 is roughly formed by a molding process and a cutting process, and is manufactured in the order of these processes.
First, the rough material (raw material) of the vane member 6 is molded in the mold forming step. Specifically, a powder in which an iron-based metal material is blended with predetermined components is filled in a molding die, and compression molding is performed by a press to form a compact (compact Q1) as shown in FIG. The green compact Q1 is a primary processed product having substantially the same shape as the vane member 6 (the rotor 60 and the vanes 61 to 64) of the finished product. At the time of molding, the grooves 617 to 647 on the outer periphery of the rotor, The grooves 515 to 518, 76 at the end in the direction and the grooves 604, 605 at the end in the X-axis positive direction are simultaneously formed. The green compact Q1 is formed with the vane member 6 (FIG. 7) of the finished product in that the camshaft insertion hole 601 and the sliding hole 70 are not sufficiently formed, and the annular groove 505 and the communication hole 75 are not formed. Different. The green compact Q1 is heated and sintered in a sintering furnace to become a sintered body Q2 as a secondary processed product. As shown in FIG. 6, the sintered body Q2 is a molded body having a shape substantially the same as that before sintering (that is, the green compact Q1).
The cutting process is a process of performing machining as an additional process (post-processing). By performing cutting on the molded coarse material (sintered body) Q2, the dimensional accuracy is improved and the mold is processed. A part that was difficult to be molded in the dispensing process is finished into a predetermined shape. Thus, a finished product Q3 shown in FIG. 7 is obtained. Note that sintering may be performed after the green compact Q1 is cut.
First, the inner periphery of the hole is machined using a lathe equipped with a cutting tool.
When the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 is machined, for example, a boring tool B as shown by a broken line in FIGS. 6B and 6C is used as a cutting tool. The bite B is installed on the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 roughly formed in the mold forming process, and the coarse material Q2 is rotated around the rotation axis O, so that the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 is cylindrical. Scrap it into a shape (throw it in) and process it. This increases the dimensional accuracy of the camshaft insertion hole 601 in the radial direction. The reason for processing with high accuracy is that the camshaft insertion hole 601 into which the camshaft 3 (insertion portion 301) is inserted and used is used for the radial positioning of the vane member 6 and the camshaft 3, and therefore has a high radial dimension. This is because accuracy is required.
Further, by using the same lathe and tool B, an annular groove 505 is formed by scraping a predetermined range in the X-axis direction on the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 to a larger diameter than other portions. In addition, it is good also as using appropriate cutting tools (cutting tools) other than the cutting tool B.
Thereby, the retard angle side oil holes 506 to 509 are also formed at the same time. That is, the concave portions (axial grooves 617 to 647) are preliminarily formed in the rough material state (the green compact Q1 or the sintered body Q2) at the time of the former molding. The retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509 intersect the bottom (rotor inner diameter side) of the pre-formed recess (axial grooves 617 to 647) with the bottom (rotor outer diameter side) of the annular groove 505 to be machined. By opening.
It should be noted that the inner circumference of the camshaft insertion hole 601 is not scraped over the entire circumference, but on the inner circumference of the camshaft insertion hole 601, the circumferential position corresponding to the axial grooves 617 to 647 (the axial groove when viewed from the radial direction) The retard angle side oil holes 506 to 509 may be opened by scraping only the positions 617 to 647). If it is provided in the entire circumferential range as in the first embodiment, molding is easier and further weight reduction can be achieved. Conversely, the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are not provided in the entire X-axis direction range of the vane member 6, but are axial positions corresponding to the annular grooves 505 (positions overlapping the annular grooves 505 when viewed from the radial direction). It is good also as forming by denting only. If it is provided in the entire range in the axial direction as in the first embodiment, molding is easier and further weight reduction can be achieved.
Further, the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 on the X axis positive direction side from the annular groove 505 is scraped off to a slightly larger diameter. This forms a relief at the corner of the camshaft 3 (insertion portion 301) at the positive end in the X-axis direction. That is, when the corner (chamfer) at the X-axis positive direction end of the insertion portion 301 is smaller than the curvature R of the tip of the cutting tool B and has an acute angle, the camshaft insertion hole 601 is cut off in the same shape as the tip of the cutting tool B The corner portion (formed between the inner peripheral surface and the bottom portion) at the positive end of the X axis interferes with the corner portion of the insertion portion 301, so that the insertion portion 301 can be inserted into the camshaft insertion hole 601. May be insufficient. On the other hand, by forming the inner circumference of the camshaft insertion hole 601 to be slightly larger in diameter, the interference is suppressed even when a cutting tool having a large curvature R is used, and the end surface of the insertion portion 301 in the positive X-axis direction The above-described insertion and installation can be performed so that 300 is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 on the X axis positive direction side.
Next, the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole 70 is cut into a cylindrical shape, and the small diameter portion 701 and the large diameter portion 702 are precisely formed. For example, the coarse material Q2 is installed in the lathe (using an appropriate jig), an appropriate centering tool is installed on the inner periphery of the roughly formed sliding hole 70, and the coarse material Q2 is attached to the sliding hole 70. Machining is performed by rotating around the axis. Further, for example, a roughing material Q2 is drilled using a milling machine equipped with a drill, and the communication hole 75 is formed through.
As described above, the coarse material Q2 is formed into a finished product Q3 having the final shape shown in FIG.

(Device unit assembly process)
When assembling the device (VTC unit), first, the rear plate 9 is installed on the housing body 10. At that time, the positioning means positions the housing body 10 and the rear plate 9 in the circumferential direction. A jig is fitted into the positioning hole 96 and the positioning recess 116 so that the positioning recess 116 of the housing body 10 and the positioning hole 96 of the rear plate 9 are opposed to each other in the X-axis direction. The rotational position of the main body 10 is adjusted.
Specifically, a pin-shaped jig (positioning pin) is installed so as to extend vertically upward. The jig is fitted into the positioning hole 96 of the rear plate 9 while the X-axis positive direction side surface of the rear plate 9 (with the sleeve 73 fixed to the fitting hole 95) is directed vertically upward. The rear plate 9 is installed so as to penetrate. In this state, the housing body 10 is assembled to the rear plate 9 from the X axis positive direction side (vertically upward). At this time, the housing main body 10 is installed so that the jig is inserted into the positioning recess 116 of the housing main body 10 to be fitted. In other words, the rear plate 9 and the housing body 10 are overlapped and installed while fitting the jig into the positioning hole 96 and the positioning recess 116. Thereby, the circumferential direction positioning of the rear plate 9 with respect to the housing body 10 is performed. At this time, the female thread portions (bolt holes) 91 to 94 of the rear plate 9 are substantially coaxial with the bolt holes 110 to 140 of the housing body 10, respectively. The cross section of the jig has an oval shape similar to that of the positioning hole 96 and is slightly smaller than the hole 96. The dimensions of the jig, the positioning hole 96, and the positioning recess 116 are set to dimensions that do not cause backlash in the circumferential direction of the housing body 10 and the rear plate 9 when the jig is fitted in the hole 96 and the recess 116, respectively. Has been. Instead of using a jig, positioning may be performed by providing a projection (pin or the like) on the rear plate instead of the positioning hole 96 and fitting the positioning recess 116 to this. When a jig is used as in the first embodiment, the number of parts such as pins can be reduced, and the weight of the device 1 can be reduced.
Next, the vane member 6 is inserted into the housing body 10. At that time, the seal members 118, 612 and the like are assembled so as to seal the working chambers. Further, the lock piston 71 is inserted into the sliding hole 70 of the vane member 6, and the coil spring 74 is inserted into the lock piston 71. Due to the positioning described above, the engagement recess 730 is located with respect to the sliding hole 70 (lock piston 71) at the most retarded position where the first vane 61 (plane portion 614) contacts the first shoe 11 (plane portion 113). It is substantially coaxial (with a slight offset).
Then, the front plate 8 is attached to the housing body 10 from the X axis positive direction side (vertically upward), and the members are fastened together by bolts b1 to b4 to be integrated. Thereafter, the device 1 (unit) is removed from the jig.

(Device unit assembly process)
When the device 1 is attached to the engine, an integrally assembled unit is attached to the camshaft 3. First, the end portion 30 (insertion portion 301) of the camshaft 3 is inserted from the X-axis negative direction side into the insertion hole 90 formed in the housing HSG of the unit and the vane member 6 accommodated in the housing HSG. Is inserted and installed in the camshaft insertion hole 601. At this time, the positioning means is used to position the vane member 6 in the circumferential direction with respect to the camshaft 3.
That is, the positioning hole 603 is provided on the bottom surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601. The camshaft end surface 300 is provided with one convex portion. When the end portion 30 is installed in the camshaft insertion hole 601, the bottom portion and the camshaft are inserted by inserting the end portion 30 into the bottom surface side of the camshaft insertion hole 601 while the convex portion is fitted in the hole 603. The end surface 300 comes into contact. At this time, the relative rotation of the vane member 6 and the camshaft 3 is restricted by the fitting, and relative positioning in the rotational direction (circumferential direction) is performed. Thereby, the initial phase of the camshaft 3 (vane member 6) with respect to the crankshaft (housing HSG) is set. The convex portion and the positioning hole 603 constitute positioning means for adjusting and determining the rotational position of the vane member 6 with respect to the camshaft 3 when the apparatus 1 is attached to the camshaft 3. Note that the convex portion on the camshaft side may be provided by inserting a pin into an opening portion of any of the axial passages 502 and 512 provided on the end surface 300. In this case, it is possible to save processing time. The positioning hole 603 is not limited to a semi-oval shape, and may have, for example, a circular cross-sectional shape as long as the positioning hole 603 can be fitted with a convex portion to restrain relative rotation in the circumferential direction. By providing a margin in the rotor radial direction as a semi-oval cross section as in the first embodiment, manufacturing errors and the like can be absorbed, and the protrusions can be easily fitted. Further, the positioning hole 603 may be provided as a single hole separated from the hole 602 without being continuous with the hole 602.
As described above, the insertion portion 301 of the camshaft 3 is inserted and installed in the camshaft insertion hole 601, and the convex portion is fitted in the positioning hole 603 so that the vane member 6 and the camshaft 3 are relatively positioned in the circumferential direction. In this state, the cam bolt 31 is inserted into the bolt hole 602 of the vane member 6 through the large-diameter hole 80 of the housing HSG from the X axis positive direction side, and is also inserted and fixed to the bolt hole 32 of the camshaft 3. To do. The head 310 (washer 312) of the cam bolt 31 is located on the X axis positive direction side (circular groove 604) of the rotor 60, while the shaft portion 311 of the cam bolt 31 protruding to the X axis negative direction side of the rotor 60 is the cam shaft 3. The male screw is inserted into the female hole of the bolt hole 32. Accordingly, the rotor 60 is fastened to the end portion 30 (end surface 300) of the camshaft 3 from the X axis positive direction side, and the vane member 6 is fastened and fixed integrally with the camshaft 3 (end portion 30).

[Operation of Example 1]
Hereinafter, the operation of the device 1 and the manufacturing method thereof will be described.
First, the phase conversion action of the device 1 will be described. In addition, the following control content can be changed variously. 3 shows the most retarded state when the engine is stopped (when the engine is started), and FIG. 4 shows the most advanced state when the engine is operating.
When the engine is started, the lock mechanism 7 preliminarily restrains the vane member 6 at the initial position on the retard side optimum for starting (FIG. 3). For this reason, when start-up is started by turning on the ignition switch, good startability is obtained by smooth cranking.
The control current from the controller CU is not output to the flow path switching valve 54 in a predetermined low rotation / low load range after the engine is started. The spool valve body remains in a position where the supply port 540 and the second port 542 communicate with each other and the first port 541 and the drain port 543 communicate with each other by the spring force of the return spring RS. Therefore, the hydraulic oil discharged from the pump P and flowing into the valve body from the supply passage 52 via the supply port 540 flows into the advance passage 51 from the second port 542, and from here the axial direction of the camshaft 3 The oil is supplied to the advance chambers A1 to A4 through the passage 512, the radial passage 511 and the like and the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 of the vane member 6. The internal pressure in each of the advance chambers A1 to A4 increases as the discharge pressure of the pump P increases. On the other hand, the hydraulic oil in each retardation chamber R1 to R4 is discharged to the oil pan 55 through the retardation passage 50 and the drain passage 53, and the internal pressure of each retardation chamber R1 to R3 remains low (atmospheric pressure). It is. As the internal pressure of the advance chamber A1 rises, this hydraulic pressure is supplied from the communication groove 76 (see FIG. 5) to the second pressure receiving chamber 78, and the lock piston 71 (engaging portion 714) is moved to the X axis positive direction side. Subject to oil pressure. When the oil pressure becomes larger than the spring force of the coil spring 74, the lock piston 71 moves (retreats) in the X-axis positive direction. When the engaging portion 714 is completely removed from the engaging recess 730, the locked state is released. That is, free rotation of the vane member 6 is permitted, and the valve timing can be arbitrarily changed. Due to the hydraulic pressure supplied to each of the advance chambers A1 to A4, the vane member 6 rotates relative to the housing HSG from the position shown in FIG. 3 in the direction of rotation of the housing HSG (the arrow direction in FIG. 3). The rotation phase (relative rotation conversion angle) of the camshaft 3 is changed to the advance side. As a result, the opening / closing timing of the intake valve is advanced, the valve overlap during which both the intake valve and the exhaust valve are opened increases, and the combustion efficiency due to the use of inertial intake at such low rotation and low load is increased. As a result, engine rotation is stabilized and fuel consumption is improved. As shown in FIG. 4, when the vane member 6 rotates relative to the position on the most advanced angle side where the volumes of the advance chambers A1 to A4 are maximized and the volumes of the retard chambers R1 to R4 are minimized, the valve is over. The lap is the maximum.
On the other hand, when the engine operating state shifts to, for example, a high rotation / high load range, a control current is output from the controller CU to the flow path switching valve 54. The spool valve body moves to a position where the supply port 540 communicates with the first port 541 and the second port 542 communicates with the drain port 543 against the spring force of the return spring RS. Therefore, the hydraulic oil discharged from the pump P flows into the retarded passage 50 from the first port 541 of the flow path switching valve 54, and the vane member 6 and the axial passage 502 and the radial passage 501 of the camshaft 3. The internal pressures of the retard chambers R1 to R3 are increased because they are supplied to the retard chambers R1 to R4 through the annular groove 505 and the retard angle side oil holes 506 to 509. On the other hand, the hydraulic oil in each advance chamber A1 to A4 is discharged to the oil pan 55 through the advance passage 51 and the drain passage 53, and the internal pressure in each advance chamber A1 to A4 is reduced. At this time, in the lock mechanism 7, the hydraulic pressure supplied to the second pressure receiving chamber 78 decreases, but this hydraulic pressure is increased from the communication hole 75 (see FIG. 5) to the first in accordance with the increase in the hydraulic pressure in the retard chamber R1. It is supplied to the pressure receiving chamber 77 and acts as an oil pressure on the pressure receiving surface of the large diameter portion 712 of the lock piston 71. As a result, the release state in which the lock piston 71 has come out of the engagement recess 730 against the spring force of the coil spring 74 is maintained. Therefore, when the internal pressures of the retard chambers R1 to R4 are larger than the internal pressures of the advance chambers A1 to A4, the vane member 6 is counterclockwise on the side opposite to the rotation direction of the housing HSG (the arrow direction in FIG. 3). It rotates with respect to the housing HSG in the rotation direction, and changes the rotation phase (relative rotation conversion angle) of the camshaft 3 with respect to the crankshaft to the retard side. As a result, the opening / closing timing of the intake valve is controlled to the retard side, the valve overlap is reduced, and the output of the engine at the time of such high rotation and high load can be improved. As shown in FIG. 3, when the vane member 6 rotates relative to the position of the most retarded angle side where the volumes of the retarded angle chambers R1 to R4 are maximized and the volumes of the advanced angle chambers A1 to A4 are minimized, the valve is over. The lap is minimized.
Furthermore, for example, when the engine shifts to the middle rotation load region, the controller CU controls the flow path switching valve 54 to hold the spool valve body at the intermediate movement position. As a result, the internal pressures of the retard chambers R1 to R4 and the advance chambers A1 to A4 are kept constant, and the vane member 6 is controlled to the intermediate rotation position. Therefore, optimal valve timing control in the middle rotation / middle load range is possible, and both fuel consumption and engine output can be satisfied.
During engine operation, during rotation of the camshaft 3, a so-called alternating torque (reverse torque) is applied to the camshaft 3 due to the rotational reaction force transmitted from the valve spring that biases the intake valve in the closing direction to the cam of the camshaft 3. Will occur. That is, due to the cam shape, a negative torque (counterclockwise) that prevents the camshaft 3 from rotating (clockwise) and a positive torque that assists the rotation of the camshaft 3 (clockwise) are: It acts on the camshaft 3 alternately. The alternating torque is offset to the negative torque side as a whole. That is, when the positive torque and the negative torque generated at each rotation cycle of the camshaft 3 are integrated over time, the camshaft 3 becomes negative, and the negative torque acts on the camshaft 3 on average.
When the engine stops, the operation of the pump P is stopped. Further, the energization from the controller CU to the flow path switching valve 54 is interrupted. Therefore, the supply of the hydraulic pressure to the advance chambers A1 to A4 and the retard chambers R1 to R4 is stopped. For this reason, immediately after the engine is stopped, the vane member 6 is rotated relative to the housing HSG by the friction generated in the camshaft 3 (alternating torque offset to the negative torque side) (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3). ) Tries to rotate in the opposite direction, that is, the retard side.
Therefore, after the engine is stopped, the vane member 6 is moved to a predetermined initial position suitable for starting the engine (re) in advance by the friction (alternating torque) of the camshaft 3, that is, the most retarded position shown in FIG. To do. In other words, the valve timing is a phase suitable for engine (re) starting. When the vane member 6 rotates relative to the housing HSG relative to the most retarded angle side, the position of the lock piston 71 of the lock mechanism 7 and the position of the engagement recess 730 overlap. For this reason, when the engine is stopped, as shown in FIG. 5, the engaging portion 714 is advanced by the spring force of the coil spring 74 and is fitted into the engaging recess 730 to be engaged. Thereby, the lock piston 71 restricts free relative rotation of the vane member 6.
As described above, in the apparatus 1, by rotating the vane member 6 to the initial position on the retard side with respect to the housing HSG by the alternating torque when the engine is stopped, the apparatus 1 is moved from the initial position even when the engine is restarted. It can be controlled.

As described above, by operating the lock mechanism 7, the device 1 can be controlled from the initial position (FIG. 3) regardless of the presence or absence of the hydraulic pressure. Therefore, fluttering of the vane member 6 that can be generated by the alternating torque acting on the camshaft 3 at the time of engine start is suppressed, and abnormal noise (sounding sound) due to collision between the vanes 61 to 64 and the housing HSG (shoes 11 to 14) is generated. Can be suppressed. Further, the engine or device 1 can be stably operated while knocking or the like is suppressed. This is the same not only when the engine is started but also when the engine is idling when hydraulic pressure is not generated so much. In the first embodiment, the lock position is set to the most retarded angle side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lock position may be locked at a predetermined position suitable for starting the engine and set as the initial position of the apparatus 1. Further, the lock mechanism 7 (lock piston 71) may be provided on the housing HSG side and locked with the vane member 6. In the first embodiment, the lock piston 71 is provided in the wide first vane 61, and the lock piston 71 is inserted into the engagement recess 730 provided in the housing HSG, so that the vane member 6 is relatively rotated. to bound. By installing the lock piston 71 on the vane member 6 in this way, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the housing HSG (device 1) compared to the case where the lock piston 71 is provided on the housing HSG. Further, the lock mechanism 7 (lock piston 71) may be provided not on the vane 61 of the vane member 6 but on the rotor 60. By providing the lock piston 71 on the wide first vane 61 as in the first embodiment, the radial enlargement of the rotor 60 can be suppressed, thereby ensuring the pressure receiving area of the vanes 61 to 64 while maintaining the diameter of the device 1. Directional enlargement can be suppressed.
The lock mechanism 7 includes a sliding hole 70 formed in the vane member 6 (vane 61), a lock piston 71, an engagement recess 730 provided on the inner surface of the housing HSG, and a coil spring 74, and an engine. Depending on the state, the lock piston 71 protrudes and retracts with respect to the vane member 6, thereby restricting the relative rotation of the housing HSG and the vane member 6 or releasing the restriction. For example, after the engine is stopped, when the vane member 6 is rotated to a predetermined initial position by the biasing force of the alternating torque, the lock piston 71 is automatically engaged with the engagement recess 730 by the biasing force of the coil spring 74. . Therefore, since a special actuator for the locking operation is not required, the mechanism is simpler than the case where, for example, a clutch mechanism or a lever mechanism is used as the locking mechanism 7, and the cost is reduced while ensuring the reliability of the locking operation. it can. Note that an elastic member other than the coil spring, such as a leaf spring, may be used as the biasing member of the lock piston 71. In the first embodiment, fluid pressure is applied to the lock piston 71 so that the lock piston 71 is retracted from the engagement recess 730 and the lock is released. May be. When the restraint is released by the pressure of the oil supplied to the working chamber as in the first embodiment, the lock is released using the hydraulic pressure of the device 1 as it is. Does not require a simple actuator. Therefore, the mechanism is simple, and the cost can be reduced while ensuring the reliability of the lock operation. The lock may be released only by either the advance side or the retard side hydraulic pressure. For example, when the communication hole 75 is omitted and the hydraulic pressure in the advance chamber A1 is supplied to the second pressure receiving chamber 78, Only in this case, the lock piston 71 may be released. In the first embodiment, when the device 1 is in operation, the lock piston 71 is always held in the released state when the hydraulic pressure in either the advance chamber A1 or the retard chamber R1 is guided. Specifically, in the lock mechanism 7, the hydraulic pressure of the retarding chamber R1 is guided to the first pressure receiving chamber 77, the hydraulic pressure of the advance chamber A1 is guided to the second pressure receiving chamber 78, and the first hydraulic pressure is changed according to the state of the engine. The lock piston 71 is configured to operate against the urging force of the coil spring 74 by supplying hydraulic pressure to the second pressure receiving chambers 77 and 78. Therefore, it is suppressed that engagement / release is repeated each time the vane member 6 rotates in the advance angle direction or the retard angle direction. Therefore, not only can the operation of the device 1 be made smooth, but also the number of operations of the lock piston 71 can be reduced, whereby the durability of the device 1 can be improved. The hydraulic pressure in the advance chamber A1 may be guided to the first pressure receiving chamber 77, and the hydraulic pressure in the retard chamber R1 may be guided to the second pressure receiving chamber 78.
In the first embodiment, the sliding hole 70 is a cylinder having a different diameter (stepped), and the lock piston 71 is provided with a large-diameter portion 712 and a small-diameter portion 711 correspondingly, and the lock piston 71 has a different diameter ( It is a pin with a step. A small-diameter portion 711 and a large-diameter portion 712 are slidably provided on the inner periphery of the small-diameter portion 701 of the sliding hole 70 and on the inner periphery of the large-diameter portion 702, respectively. Thus, a first pressure receiving chamber 77 is defined in the sliding hole 70. In this way, by using different diameter (stepped) cylinders and pins, it is possible to easily provide the first pressure receiving chamber 77 and the second pressure receiving chamber 78 separately in a liquid-tight manner. On the other hand, it is possible to easily realize a configuration in which oil pressures from the advance chamber A1 and the retard chamber R1 are separately applied. Note that the first and second pressure receiving chambers 77 and 78 can be arbitrarily formed or arbitrarily positioned by appropriately adjusting the shape of the cylinder (sliding hole 70) and the lock piston 71 and the configuration of the oil passage 75 and the groove 76. Or may be provided. The lock piston 71 may advance or retreat in a direction other than the rotation axis O, for example, in the radial direction of the housing HSG. In other words, the cylinder that houses the lock piston 71 may be formed in the housing radial direction, for example, other than the rotation axis direction. In the first embodiment, the sliding hole 70 is formed to extend in the rotation axis direction (X-axis direction), and the tip (engagement portion 714) of the lock piston 71 protrudes and retracts in the rotation axis direction. By configuring the lock piston 71 to operate in the rotation axis direction in this way, it is possible to suppress an increase in the radial direction of the device 1. Further, it is possible to suppress the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the vane member 6 from affecting the operation of the lock mechanism 7.
Further, the lock piston 71 moves smoothly without being affected by the pressure in the back pressure chamber 72 when the device 1 is operated due to the back pressure relief portion. That is, when the engagement portion 714 is disengaged from the engagement recess 730 and the lock piston 71 moves in the positive direction of the X axis and the volume of the back pressure chamber 72 is to be reduced, the air in the back pressure chamber 72 It is transmitted to the low-pressure space outside the device via the pressure relief part. Therefore, the inside of the back pressure chamber 72 is maintained at a low pressure. In the back pressure chamber 72, hydraulic oil that has leaked from the gap around the back pressure chamber 72 is accumulated. This oil is also discharged out of the apparatus through the back pressure relief. Therefore, when the volume of the back pressure chamber 72 is to be reduced, the back pressure is released without being hindered by air or oil. Therefore, good operation of the lock piston 71 (sliding in the sliding hole 70) is ensured in all relative rotation ranges of the vane member 6, and unlocking is smoothly performed.
The distal end (engagement portion 714) of the lock piston 71 has a substantially truncated cone shape and is provided so as to have a smaller diameter toward the negative X-axis direction (engagement recess 730). Easy to engage with. Since the engagement recess 730 is also provided with a larger diameter toward the opening on the X axis positive direction side, the engagement portion 714 is easily engaged. Therefore, the lock is performed smoothly.
Further, both the engaging portion 714 and the engaging recess 730 have a tapered surface (inclined surface). Then, at the relative rotation restriction position by the first stopper portion in FIG. 3, the shaft center of the engagement recess 730 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (the first shoe 11 side) with respect to the shaft center of the engagement portion 714. There is a slight offset in the direction. For this reason, when the lock piston 71 is inserted into the engaging recess 730 during locking, the inclined surfaces of the two come into contact with each other in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3, and at this time, the first vane 61 is moved counterclockwise in FIG. A component force to be pressed in the rotation direction (the first shoe 11 side) is generated (wedge effect). Therefore, when the lock piston 71 is engaged with the engagement recess 730, the first vane 61 is pressed against the first shoe 11, so that the vane member 6 is more reliably moved to the relative rotation restriction position (the most retarded position that is the initial position). ) Can be fixed. In addition, as a configuration for contacting both the inclined surfaces, the shapes of the engaging portion 714 and the engaging recess 730 may be changed as appropriate in addition to offsetting the axis. When the axis is offset as in the first embodiment, the configuration is simple. In addition, an inclined surface that generates the reaction force at the time of engagement may be provided on only one of the engagement portion 714 and the engagement recess 730. Also in this case, the wedge effect can be obtained. When the inclined surfaces are provided on both sides as in the first embodiment, wear can be reduced while effectively obtaining the pressing force.
As described above, the recess 116 and the hole 96 adjust the rotational position of the rear plate 9 relative to the housing body 10, that is, the circumferential relative position between the lock piston 71 and the engagement recess 730 when assembling each component of the device 1. , Positioning means for determining. Since the lock piston 71 and the engagement recess 730 are accurately positioned using this positioning means, a smooth engagement action of the lock piston 71 including the wedge effect is obtained. Here, since the positioning hole 96 is provided at a position close to the fitting hole 95 (engagement recess 730), the lock piston 71 and the engagement recess 730 can be positioned more accurately.

The first vane 61 (the root portion) constituting the first stopper portion is wider and thicker in the circumferential direction than the other vanes (the root portion). As described above, at least one of the plurality of vanes 61 to 64 is the wide vane 61, so that the lock mechanism 7 can be easily provided on the vane member 6 (vane), and the wide and highly rigid. The vane 61 is brought into contact with the shoe 11 to restrict the relative rotation of the vane member 6 in the counterclockwise direction (as viewed from the X axis positive direction). Therefore, the first stopper portion can be easily provided while ensuring the strength of the vane 61 against the contact. Further, the second stopper portion (convex portion 616) that restricts the relative rotation in the clockwise direction side is configured to protrude from the rotor 60 to the outer peripheral side on the base side of the first vane 61. Therefore, when the second stopper portion comes into contact, a force (moment arm) for bending the first vane 61 from the root (in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotor 60) is small, and an excessive force acts on the first vane 61. Hard to do. Therefore, the second stopper portion can be easily provided while ensuring the strength of the vane 61 against the contact of the second stopper portion.
On the other hand, at the time of restricting the rotation in both directions, the other vanes 62 to 64 are configured not to contact the shoe, so that the strength (durability) of these vanes 62 to 64 can be improved. Therefore, the durability of the vane member 6 can be improved while sufficiently obtaining strength for restricting relative rotation.
As a configuration for restricting the relative rotation in the clockwise direction (as viewed from the X axis positive direction side), instead of providing the convex portion 616, the wide first vane 61 is attached to the second shoe in the same manner as the first stopper portion. 12 may be contacted. Alternatively, any one or a plurality of other vanes 62 to 64 and shoes 12 to 14 may be brought into contact with each other, and the first and second stopper portions may be provided by the contact portions. Further, the vane having the abutting portion may be formed wide so as to increase the rigidity, like the first vane 61. Alternatively, the first stopper portion may be configured without bringing the wide vane 61 into contact with the shoe 11. For example, when viewed from the X axis positive direction side, a protrusion (protrusion) that contacts the shoe 11 is also provided at the base of the vane 61 on the counterclockwise direction side, thereby restricting relative rotation on the counterclockwise direction side. It is good as well. As in the first embodiment, no protrusion is provided at the root of the vane 61 on the counterclockwise direction side, and the vane 61 itself is brought into contact with the shoe 11, so that the relative rotation angle range of the vane member 6 is increased. It is possible to ensure larger.
The housing body 10 and the vane member 6 are formed of an iron-based metal material that is a high-hardness material. Therefore, the durability of the device 1 can be further improved by increasing the rigidity of the vane 61, the convex portion 616, and the shoes 11 and 12 that function as a stopper portion.
Further, the first stopper portion that functions at the initial position is likely to be deformed due to the large number of contact times and the strength of the contact force (because the hydraulic control is not performed when the engine is stopped). (Initial position) may change. In the first embodiment, the contact area S1 of the first stopper portion is larger than the contact area S2 of the second stopper portion (S1> S2). For this reason, the surface pressure (contact surface pressure) generated when contacting is smaller in the first stopper portion than in the second stopper portion. Therefore, the deformation of the first stopper portion and the change of the rotation restriction position can be more effectively suppressed.

The sealing plates (front plate 8 and rear plate 9) are formed of an iron-based metal material that is a material with high hardness. Therefore, the strength of the front plate 8 that functions as a seating surface of the bolts b1 to b4 is secured, and the strength of the bolt holes (internal threads 91 to 94) provided in the rear plate 9 is secured, thereby improving the durability of the device 1. Can be improved. Moreover, the sealing plates 8 and 9 are shape | molded with the iron-type metal material which is a material with high abrasion resistance. Therefore, durability of a sliding part with the vane member 6 (axial direction end surface) in a sealing plate is securable. In addition, it is possible to suppress wear due to the sliding of the coil spring 74 of the lock mechanism 7 on the surface of the front plate 8 on the X axis negative direction side. As a material having high wear resistance and hardness, a metal material other than the iron-based metal material, such as magnesium, may be used, or a material other than the metal material, such as ceramic, may be used.
Since the vane member 6 is formed of an iron-based metal material, wear of the sliding hole 70 due to sliding of the large diameter portion 712 of the lock piston 71 can be suppressed. Further, since it is formed by sintering, the lubricating oil stays in the countless fine holes in the sliding hole 70 for a long time. Therefore, when the engine is not operated for a long time (for example, several days to several months) and the apparatus 1 is not used during that time, when the engine is restarted, the apparatus 1 is activated and the lock piston 71 has a large diameter. Even when the rear end corner of the portion 712 and the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole 70 are in contact with each other, since the lubricating oil is held in the sliding hole 70, wear can be suppressed. That is, in the apparatus 1, the wear reduction effect is further improved by utilizing the shape characteristics of the sintered metal and imparting a lubricating oil retaining function thereto.
The lock piston 71 and the sleeve 73 are made of a highly wear-resistant material, specifically, an iron-based metal material. Therefore, the hardness of the lock piston 71 and the engagement recess 730 (the inclined surface that is in sliding contact with the engagement portion 714) can be secured, and wear can be particularly effectively reduced. Therefore, the deterioration of the operation of the lock piston 71 can be more effectively suppressed. Note that the engagement recess 730 may be directly provided integrally with the rear plate 9 without using the sleeve 73 as a separate member. In the first embodiment, the sleeve 73 is formed of a member different from the rear plate 9. For this reason, it is easy to adjust the shape, material, etc. of the engaging recess 730 to one suitable for engagement / disengagement (engagement and release) of the lock piston 71, and the rear plate 9 is worn during the engagement / disengagement. It is possible to suppress drowning. That is, there is an advantage that a material particularly suitable for wear resistance can be selected and the processing accuracy of the inclined surface can be improved.

In the apparatus 1, since the members 6, 9, and 10 are formed of a ferrous metal material having a relatively high hardness, the thickness of each member 6, 9, and 10 can be provided thinly. Compared to the case of molding with a material having a relatively low hardness (for example, an aluminum-based metal material), the X-axis dimension and the radial dimension of the device 1 are reduced while ensuring the necessary strength. On the other hand, the overall weight of the apparatus is reduced by notching or removing the meat in the members 6, 9, and 10.
For example, regarding the vane member 6, a notch portion 615 is provided on the counterclockwise direction side of the wide first vane 61, and the clockwise direction side is also cut away leaving the periphery of the groove 611. Thus, the first vane 61 is reduced in weight. Further, axial grooves 617 to 647 as a plurality of concave portions are formed on the outer periphery of the rotor 60 over the entire range of the rotor 60 in the X-axis direction, and an annular groove 505 as a communication groove is cammed on the inner periphery of the rotor 60. It is formed over the entire circumferential range of the shaft insertion hole 601. Therefore, rather than a case where a recess or groove for communicating the inner and outer circumferences of the rotor 60 is partially provided in the X-axis direction or the circumferential direction (for example, when a through-hole penetrating the inner and outer circumferences of the rotor 60 is simply provided) The rotor 60 can be reduced in weight.
Further, regarding the housing HSG, notches 111 to 141 and 112 to 142 are provided at the tip portions of the shoes 11, 13, and 14, and notches 115 to 145 are provided on the outer peripheral side of the housing (the bottom of the shoe). Yes. A recess 116 is formed in the entire range of the first shoe 11 in the X-axis direction. Further, the rear plate 9 is also thinned on the X axis negative direction side.
In the first embodiment, the front plate 8 having a relatively simple structure is formed by pressing a steel material. However, the front plate 8 may be formed by another material (for example, an aluminum-based metal material) or a method. For example, it is good also as shape | molding by forging, casting, etc. besides the powder metallurgy method (sintering method) similar to the rear plate 9 grade | etc.,. Further, the material and processing method of the housing body 10 and the rear plate 9 are not particularly limited, and may be formed by casting or forging of another metal material, for example, extrusion molding of an aluminum-based metal material.

In the present Example 1, the manufacturing cost of the apparatus 1 can be reduced by devising the structure of the vane member 6 and its manufacturing process (manufacturing method). That is, conventionally, valve timing control of a so-called vane type internal combustion engine provided with a vane member 6 that is installed inside a housing member and defines a plurality of working chambers (advanced working chambers or retarded working chambers). In the apparatus, oil is distributed to each working chamber via an oil supply path provided in the camshaft, an annular groove provided on the outer periphery of the camshaft, and an oil passage provided in the vane member, or these It is known that the valve timing is changed by discharging oil from each working chamber through a passage. However, in this conventional apparatus, a large number of oil passages are provided in the radial direction by drilling the vane member for communicating the annular groove of the camshaft with each working chamber to supply and discharge oil to the working chamber. Manufacturing is not easy because it has to be formed.
In the first embodiment, in the vane member 6, a plurality of recesses provided on the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60 facing each working chamber (retarding chambers R <b> 1 to R <b> 4) so as to be recessed toward the inner peripheral side (inner diameter side). (Axial grooves 617 to 647) and an inner peripheral surface of the rotor 60 (inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601) are provided so as to be recessed on the outer peripheral side (outer diameter side), and a plurality of concave portions (axial grooves 617 ˜647) and a communication groove (annular groove 505). In this way, the communication groove (annular groove 505) is connected to the plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647), so that the hydraulic oil from the camshaft 3 is distributed to the respective working chambers (retarding chambers R1 to R4). A plurality of passages (retarding-side oil holes 506 to 509) for discharging the working oil from each working chamber (retarding chambers R1 to R4) to the camshaft 3 are formed. In other words, by forming the communication groove (annular groove 505), a plurality of holes (retarding-side oil holes 506) are formed in the overlapping portion between the communication groove (annular groove 505) and the plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647). ˜509) are opened, and the inner and outer circumferences of the rotor 60 communicate with each other. That is, in the vane member 6, if grooves are formed in the inner and outer circumferences of the rotor 60, a plurality of oil passages for distributing oil to the respective working chambers are formed, so that a plurality of holes (oil passages) are formed in the radial direction by drilling. There is no need to form through. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor for drilling and shorten the machining time. In addition, the vane member 6 can be reduced in weight because the amount of metal removal (scraping) is large compared to a case where the hole is simply penetrated in the radial direction (provided with a drill hole). Further, the space between the annular groove 505 and each of the retard chambers R1 to R4 is not a normal oil passage (through hole having a predetermined length in the rotor radial direction), but has almost no length in the rotor radial direction. The retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509 communicate with each other. That is, the flow path length from the annular groove 505 to each retardation chamber R1 to R4 is extremely short. Therefore, the flow resistance reaching the retarded chambers R1 to R4 can be reduced. Therefore, the supply and discharge of the hydraulic oil to and from the retarded chambers R1 to R4 can be further smoothed, and the operation responsiveness of the device 1 can be improved.
In the first embodiment, the communication groove (annular groove 505) is formed by cutting. However, the die may be formed in a rough material state (rough material Q1), and in this case, drilling is omitted. By doing so, the same effect can be obtained. Further, the communication groove (annular groove 505) may be discontinuous or not a single one. That is, a plurality of grooves that are individually connected to the respective recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) may be provided and these may be used as communication grooves. In other words, the communication groove may not connect a plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647).
The communication groove (annular groove 505) is located on the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 in the X-axis direction where it can communicate with the oil supply / discharge part (annular groove 504) supplied and discharged via the camshaft 3 Is provided. That is, in the first embodiment, the communication groove (annular groove 505) is provided at the position in the X-axis direction facing the oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 504) in the rotor radial direction. The position may be any position in the X-axis direction that can communicate with the groove 504), and is not limited to a position that is strictly opposed. If it is provided at the opposing position, the flow area connecting the annular groove 505 and the annular groove 504 can be maximized, and the efficiency is high.
In the first embodiment, a plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are provided on the outer peripheral surface 600 of the rotor 60 facing the retarding chambers R1 to R4, but the rotor 60 facing the advance chambers A1 to A4. It is good also as providing in the outer peripheral surface 600. FIG. In other words, a structure in which a plurality of holes are formed by connecting a communication groove (annular groove) and a plurality of recesses (axial grooves) is applied to an oil passage on the advance side rather than an oil passage on the retard side. May be. Further, the present invention may be applied to both the retarded angle side and the advanced angle side oil passages.

The communication groove (annular groove 505) connects a plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647). In other words, if a plurality of holes (oil passages) are individually formed one by one, processing work (man-hours) corresponding to the number of holes (oil passages) is required, and there is a limit to reducing the processing time. In the first embodiment, one communication groove (annular groove 505) is formed, and at the same time, a plurality of holes (retard angle side oil holes 506 to 509) are opened. Therefore, unlike the case of processing each hole individually, it is possible to reduce the man-hours and further reduce the processing time. In the first embodiment, the communication groove (annular groove 505) is annular in the entire circumferential range, but may not be provided in the entire circumferential range. That is, the communication groove (annular groove 505) may be intermittent, for example, C-shaped. In other words, the communication groove (annular groove 505) does not have to connect all of the plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) to each other, and two or more recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are connected to each other. If it connects, the said effect can be obtained. Further, the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) and the communication groove (annular groove 505) may not be completely intersected when viewed from the rotor radial direction, but may be connected and opened by partially overlapping. . By completely intersecting as in the first embodiment, it is easy to provide a large channel cross-sectional area of the opening.
In the first embodiment, the communication groove is grooved into an annular groove 505 so that a plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) communicate with each other. By processing the communication groove into an annular shape in this way, all of the plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) communicate with each other. That is, all of the plurality of retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509 are formed at a time by annular processing of the communication grooves. In other words, a plurality of annular grooves 505 are not provided in the X-axis direction and are single, and are also single in that they are provided over the entire circumferential range of the camshaft insertion hole 601. Therefore, all of the plurality of oil passages can be formed only by processing a single groove. Therefore, man-hours can be further reduced and the processing time can be shortened more effectively. Further, the annular groove is relatively easy to process, and if the depth is substantially constant in the circumferential direction, there is no need to change the depth. Therefore, the labor of processing can be greatly reduced, and manufacturing is easy. In addition, it is possible to increase the amount of thinning (scraping) the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 and reduce the weight of the vane member 6 more effectively. The annular groove 505 functions as a communication groove (relay hub passage) that connects the oil supply / discharge portion on the camshaft side and a plurality of passages communicating with each working chamber. It may be omitted to provide the communication groove (hub passage) in the case, thereby improving the degree of freedom in design. For example, even when the annular groove 504 is not provided on the outer peripheral surface of the camshaft 3 and the oil supply / discharge portion on the camshaft side is the radial passage 503 (see Example 2), the oil supply / discharge portion on the camshaft side (see FIG. 2) The area of the flow path that communicates the radial passage 503) and a plurality of passages communicating with each working chamber can be secured by the annular groove 505. In other words, as in the first embodiment, when the annular groove 504 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the camshaft 3 in addition to the annular groove 505, the flow passage area is enlarged to supply and discharge oil to each working chamber. Can be smoothed.
The communication groove (annular groove 505) is processed by cutting. That is, since the communication groove (annular groove 505) is formed on the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601, the communication groove (annular groove 505) of the communication groove (annular groove 505) is formed by cutting rather than by other forming methods (for example, molding). Molding is easy. Note that a cutting method other than lathe may be used.
Further, in the first embodiment, in order to improve the dimensional accuracy, the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 is cut and the communication groove (annular groove 505) is also cut. That is, in the cutting process of the inner peripheral surface of the same camshaft insertion hole 601, not only cutting for improving the dimensional accuracy but also cutting the communication groove (annular groove 505), the retarded angle side oil hole 506 ~ 509 can be molded. Therefore, a dedicated cutting process in which a plurality of holes (oil passages) are individually formed in the radial direction by a process different from the process of cutting the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 around the rotation axis O, for example, by drilling. Since it is possible to avoid adding a process, man-hours and processing time can be shortened, and additional processing equipment can be omitted.
Specifically, the annular groove 505 is processed by a lathe process. Therefore, it is easier to process and form the annular groove 505 on the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601, thereby making it easier to form the plurality of retarded side oil holes 506 to 509. In addition, only a lathe, which is originally required for machining to improve the accuracy of the camshaft insertion hole 601, is sufficient, and additional equipment for machining drill holes (corresponding to the retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509). The use of a milling machine or drilling machine can be omitted. In other words, both the processing for improving the accuracy of the camshaft insertion hole 601 and the processing for forming the retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509 can be performed with the same processing equipment.

The recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are provided on the side close to the vanes 61 to 64 in each working chamber. Specifically, it is formed at the roots of the vanes 62 to 64 on the outer periphery of the rotor 60. Therefore, the vane member 6 rotates relative to the housing HSG in the direction in which the volume of each working chamber (retarding chamber R) provided with the recesses (axial grooves 627 to 647) is reduced, and the vanes 62 to 64 are respectively Even when approaching the shoes 13, 14, 11, the openings of the axial grooves 627 to 647 (retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509) to the retard chambers R are formed by the housing HSG (tips of the shoes 13, 14, 11). It is difficult to block and it is easy to keep the open state. Therefore, the range of the relative rotation angle of the vane member 6 is set as large as possible while securing the controllability of the apparatus 1 by securing the supply and discharge ports of the hydraulic oil to the respective working chambers (retarding chambers R). Thus, the valve timing control range of the device 1 can be expanded. Specifically, even when the vane member 6 rotates relative to the advance direction in the advance direction in which the volume of each retard chamber R decreases, and the rotation is restricted by the second stopper portion (the most advanced position in FIG. 4). The axial grooves 627 to 647 (respective retard side oil holes 507 to 509) do not overlap with the tips of the shoes 13, 14, 11 and open to the retard chambers R2 to R4. If necessary, the concave portions (axial grooves 627 to 647) may be provided at predetermined positions slightly apart from the vanes 62 to 64 in the circumferential direction instead of the roots of the vanes 62 to 64.
Further, when the recesses (axial grooves 627 to 647) are formed at the roots of the vanes 62 to 64, the vanes 62 to 64 and the rotor in the X-axis direction portion where the recesses (axial grooves 627 to 647) are formed. The circumferential dimension of the connection part with 60 becomes small (thickness becomes thin), and there is a possibility that the fixing strength of the vanes 62 to 64 to the rotor 60 cannot be sufficiently secured. In particular, as in the first embodiment, when the rotor 60 and the vanes 62 to 64 are integrally formed, or when the axial grooves 627 to 647 are provided in the entire axial range of the rotor 60, There is a high risk. In contrast, in the first embodiment, the recesses (axial grooves 627 to 647) are provided only on one side in the circumferential direction of the vanes 62 to 64 (clockwise direction side in FIG. 3). Therefore, it can suppress that the thickness of a vane base part becomes thin, and can improve the intensity | strength with respect to the oil pressure which acts on the fixed strength of the vanes 62-64, for example, the vanes 62-64. The concave portions (axial grooves 617 to 647) may not be provided in the entire axial range of the rotor 60. In this case, you may provide a recessed part in the base of the circumferential direction both sides of a vane. This is because the concave portions on both sides are not provided in the entire range in the axial direction, and the above-described strength deficiency can be suppressed to some extent.
As described above, the vanes 62 to 64 that are thinner than the first vane 61 are configured not to contact the shoes 11 to 14 when the rotation is restricted by the first and second stopper portions. Thus, the fixing strength of the vanes 62 to 64 is also improved by avoiding the action of force due to contact.
The shape of the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) viewed from the X-axis direction is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a semi-elliptical shape, a rectangular shape, or a triangular shape. In the first embodiment, the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are formed in a substantially semicircular shape when viewed from the X-axis direction. Therefore, compared with a shape having a corner, for example, a rectangular shape when viewed from the X-axis direction, the occurrence of stress concentration in the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) can be suppressed, and the strength and durability can be improved. . In particular, as in the first embodiment, when the rotor 60 and the vanes 61 to 64 are integrally formed and the concave portions (axial grooves 627 to 647) are formed at the roots of the vanes 62 to 64, the stress concentration. This is effective because there is a high risk of occurrence. Further, when formed in a substantially semicircular shape, the bottom of the substantially semicircular shape of the recess (axial grooves 617 to 647) protrudes toward the inner diameter direction, that is, the bottom of the communication groove (annular groove 505). Easy to cross and connect with (annular groove 505). Therefore, it is possible to efficiently open the retarded-side oil holes 506 to 509 by forming the communication groove (annular groove 505). Further, it is possible to suppress the wear of the mold used when the concave portions (axial grooves 617 to 647) are molded, thereby improving the durability of the processing equipment.
Further, the rotor 60 and the vanes 61 to 64 are integrally formed. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced, and the processing and assembly costs can be reduced. Specifically, since these are molded integrally, processing is easier. Note that the vane member 6 (coarse material Q1) may be integrally molded by extrusion molding regardless of the powder metallurgy method. Here, the rough material state (Q1) of the vane member 6 is a green compact when using a powder metallurgy method (sintering method), and an extruded material when using extrusion molding. The material of the vane member 6 is not particularly limited. In addition to iron-based metal materials, aluminum-based metal materials can also be used. Further, the vane member 6 may be integrally formed by another method (for example, casting or forging) instead of being integrally formed by a mold. Further, the rotor 60 and the vanes 61 to 64 may be formed as separate members without being integrally formed.
The plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are molded at the same time as the rotor 60 is molded in the step before the communication groove (annular groove 505) is molded. In other words, each recess (axial grooves 617 to 647) is not molded individually, but a plurality of molds are simultaneously molded when the rotor 60 is molded, so the man-hours and manufacturing time are reduced, and dedicated processing steps and equipment are reduced. It is not necessary to provide additional. Unlike the communication groove (annular groove 505), the plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are formed on the outer periphery 600 of the rotor 60, and thus can be easily formed by a mold. Further, since the axial grooves 617 to 647 serving as the recesses extend in the axial direction of the rotor 60, it is possible to perform the molding even by extrusion molding without using the powder metallurgy method.

A plurality of passages for distributing (supplying) hydraulic oil from the camshaft 3 to the advance chambers A1 to A4 or discharging hydraulic oil from the advance chambers A1 to A4 to the camshaft 3 side are provided on the vane member 6. A communication groove (advance angle side oil grooves 515 to 518) is formed on the end surface in the X-axis negative direction. That is, the camshaft 3 is provided with a pair of oil supply / discharge portions (annular grooves 504, 514) at different positions in the direction of the rotation axis O, and an oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove) on the tip side (X-axis positive direction side). 504) communicates with the communication groove (annular groove 505), and the other (X-axis negative direction side) oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 514) has a plurality of distribution grooves provided at the opening end of the camshaft insertion hole 601. The (advance side oil grooves 515 to 518) communicate with the advance chambers A1 to A4, which are the working chambers not provided with the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647), respectively. Therefore, when providing the supply / discharge passage to the working chamber (advance chamber A) where the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are not provided, it is only necessary to form a groove on the end surface of the vane member 6. Molding is easy, reducing man-hours and processing time. In addition, since the groove is formed by forming a passage by being covered with the end face of the opposed rear plate 9 instead of a hole (which requires a thick wall), it is advantageous for shortening the axial dimension of the vane member 6. It is possible to downsize the device 1 in the axial direction while securing a supply / discharge passage to the working chamber.
Specifically, the plurality of advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 are formed in a coarse material state (Q1). That is, when the vane member 6 is molded, it is molded at the same time. Therefore, when providing supply / exhaust passages to the working chambers (advance chambers A1 to A4) in the vane member 6, for example, unlike when individually drilling a plurality of holes, dedicated processing steps and equipment are additionally provided. It is not necessary to provide it. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as in the case of forming the retarded angle oil holes 506 to 509. Unlike the communication groove (annular groove 505), the plurality of communication grooves (advance angle side oil grooves 515 to 518) are formed on the end surface of the vane member 6, and thus can be easily molded by a mold.
In place of providing the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518, advance side oil holes may be provided. For example, the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are not provided in the entire range in the X-axis direction, but are provided at least partially in the X-axis direction position corresponding to the annular groove 505. Are formed at predetermined positions in the X-axis direction by molding or the like, and further, the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 is provided with a recess (axial groove) that opens in each advance chamber and the radial direction. It is also possible to open each advance angle side oil hole in each advance angle chamber by providing an annular groove (separate from the annular groove 505) by a cutting process or the like at a position overlapping with each other. Also in this case, compared with the case where each advance angle side oil hole is drilled, it is possible to reduce the labor and time for molding. On the other hand, when the oil grooves 515 to 518 are provided instead of providing the oil holes as the advance side supply / discharge passages as in the first embodiment, it is advantageous in terms of space as described above, and the annular grooves There is no need to mold. That is, since it is only necessary to form the radial groove on the end face of the vane member 6, it is possible to more effectively reduce the labor and time for forming.
The grooves 515 to 518 are formed on the side close to the vanes 61 to 64 in each working chamber, specifically, at the roots of the vanes 61 to 64. Therefore, the vane member 6 rotates relative to the housing HSG in the direction in which the volume of each working chamber (advance chamber A) provided with the grooves 515 to 518 is reduced, and the vanes 61 to 64 are respectively connected to the shoes 11 to 14. Even when approaching, the openings to the advance chambers A of the grooves 515 to 518 are not easily blocked by the housing HSG (tips of the shoes 11 to 14), and the opening state can be easily maintained. Therefore, the range of the relative rotation angle of the vane member 6 is set as large as possible while securing the controllability of the device 1 by securing the supply and discharge ports of the hydraulic oil to the respective working chambers (advance chambers A). Thus, the valve timing control range of the device 1 can be expanded. Specifically, even in a state where the vane member 6 rotates relative to the maximum in the retard direction in which the volume of each advance chamber A decreases, and the rotation is restricted by the first stopper portion (the most retarded position in FIG. 3). The grooves 515 to 518 are not completely covered by the tips of the shoes 11 to 14 and open to the advance chambers A1 to A4. If necessary, the grooves 515 to 518 may be provided not at the roots of the vanes 61 to 64 but at predetermined positions slightly apart from the vanes 61 to 64 in the circumferential direction.
Further, when viewed from the X axis positive direction side, the grooves 515 to 518 are not only opened on the rotor outer circumferential surface 600 but also partially opened on the circumferential side surfaces of the vanes 61 to 64. Thereby, it is easy to secure the openings of the grooves 515 to 518 to the advance chambers A1 to A4 while expanding the rotation range of the vane member 6 in the counterclockwise direction (advance angle side). Here, since the grooves 515 to 518 are provided only to a predetermined depth from the end surface of the vane member 6 in the negative direction of the X axis, there is little possibility of reducing the strength at the roots of the vanes 61 to 64.
A plurality of oil grooves formed on the end face of the vane member 6 communicate with the retard chamber, and a plurality of openings are formed by recesses (axial grooves) on the outer periphery of the rotor and communication grooves (annular grooves) on the inner periphery of the rotor. The oil hole may communicate with the advance chamber. Moreover, it is good also as providing only one oil supply / discharge part by the side of a camshaft, and not providing a pair. That is, one of the plurality of oil grooves and the plurality of oil holes may be omitted. In this case, the vane member 6 is relatively rotated from the initial position by supplying and discharging oil from the oil supply / discharge section to one of the advance chamber and the retard chamber. If a biasing member (for example, a coil spring) is installed in the working chamber on the side where oil is not supplied and discharged, the vane member 6 can be biased and returned to the initial position. Furthermore, oil may be supplied / discharged from the oil supply / discharge part only to the advance chamber, and no urging member may be installed in the retard chamber. In this case, the retard side (driven side) is caused by friction (alternating torque). The vane member 6 returns to the initial position.

In order to position the vane member 6 and the camshaft 3 relative to each other, the protrusion provided on the camshaft end surface 300 and fitted with the positioning hole 603 is inserted with a pin or the like in the opening of the axial passage 502 or the axial passage 512. It can be configured by installing. In this case, the passage 502 or the passage 512 functions as a fixing hole such as a pin, and it is not necessary to separately process the end surface 300 because the positioning convex portion is provided. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The pin or the like functions as a blind plug of the passage 502 or the passage 512 and closes the opening. On the other hand, the opening in the camshaft end surface 300 of the passage 502 or the passage 512 on the side where the pin or the like is not installed is closed by contacting the bottom surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a blind plug separately. Therefore, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Even if the positioning is realized by providing a convex portion on the bottom surface side of the camshaft insertion hole 601 and fitting the convex portion into a concave portion (for example, an opening portion of the passage 502) on the camshaft end surface 300 side. Good. In the first embodiment, since the convex portion is provided at the end portion of the camshaft, manufacture and assembly are easier than in the case where the convex portion is provided at the bottom of the hole (the bottom surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601). Further, as a method of providing the convex portion, the convex portion may be formed directly by processing or the like instead of using a pin. In the case of using a pin as in the first embodiment, it is simpler than directly forming a convex portion, and it is advantageous that a pin (such as a dowel pin) suitable for positioning can be selected as appropriate. In addition, as a method of providing the recess, instead of using the opening of the oil passage, it may be formed by separate processing or the like.
Moreover, since the apparatus 1 is provided with the large-diameter hole 80 in the front plate 8, it is easy to fasten the cam bolt 31. That is, when the unit (vane member 6) of the assembled apparatus 1 is attached to the camshaft 3, an opening is formed by the large-diameter hole 80 on the X axis positive direction side (front plate 8 side) of the housing HSG. The vane member 6 can be fastened and fixed to the camshaft 3 simply by inserting and rotating the cam bolt 31 from the opening. Therefore, attachment of the device 1 to the camshaft 3 can be facilitated. The back pressure relief portion of the lock piston 71 can be configured at the same time by the opening through the large diameter hole 80.

[Effect of Example 1]
The effects of the valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine and the manufacturing method thereof according to the first embodiment will be listed below.
(1) The rotation of the device 1 is transmitted from the crankshaft, the housing member (housing HSG) having a plurality of working chambers therein, the housing 1 is provided so as to be relatively rotatable, and the camshaft 3 is inserted. The rotor 60 provided with the camshaft insertion hole 601 to be fixed, and provided so as to protrude to the outer peripheral side of the rotor 60, the respective working chambers are defined as an advance working chamber (advance chamber A) and a retard working chamber ( A plurality of vanes 61 to 64 partitioned into a retarding chamber R) and an outer circumferential surface 600 of the rotor 60 facing at least one of the advanced working chamber or the retarded working chamber (retarded chamber R) are recessed on the inner circumferential side. A plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) provided to each other and an inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601, and an oil supply / discharge portion (annular) supplied and discharged via the camshaft 3 Provided in a position where it can communicate with groove 504) Which, with communication groove for connecting a plurality of recesses between the (annular groove 505), the.
Therefore, it is easy to form a plurality of oil passages for distributing oil to at least one of the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber (retarding chamber R), and manufacturing can be facilitated.

  (2) The communication groove is an annular groove 505. Therefore, manufacture is easier.

(3) The recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are formed at the roots of the vanes 61 to 64. Thus, the control range of the device 1 can expand larger to Rukoto.

  (4) The recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are formed in a semicircular shape. Therefore, the strength of the device 1 can be improved.

  (5) The rotor 60 and the vane are integrally formed, and the recess is provided only on one side in the circumferential direction of the vane. Therefore, the strength of the device 1 can be improved.

(6) The camshaft 3 is provided with a pair of oil supply / discharge portions (annular grooves 504 and 514) at different positions in the rotation axis direction, and the oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 504) on the tip side is a communication groove (annular groove). 505), and the other oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 514) is recessed by a plurality of distribution grooves (advance side oil grooves 515 to 518) provided at the opening end of the camshaft insertion hole 601. The directional grooves 617 to 647) communicate with the working chambers (advance chambers A1 to A4) that are not provided.
Therefore, it is easy to form a plurality of oil passages for distributing oil to the other of the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber (advance chamber A). In addition, the device 1 can be reduced in size in the axial direction.

(7) At least one of the plurality of vanes 61 to 64 (vane 61) has a larger width in the circumferential direction than the other vanes 62 to 64, and at least one relative rotational direction (X-axis positive direction). In the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the side, the wide vane 61 comes into contact with the inner wall (shoe 11) that defines the working chamber in the housing member (housing HSG), and the other vanes 62 to 64 are the inner walls (shoes 12 to 14). ).
Therefore, the durability of the vane member 6 can be improved while simplifying the configuration for restricting the relative rotation of the vane member 6 (first stopper portion). In particular, it is effective when the rotor 60 and the vanes 61 to 64 are integrally formed and the concave portions (axial grooves 627 to 647) are formed at the roots of the other vanes 62 to 64.

(8) The wide vane 61 is provided with a stopper piston (lock piston 71) so as to be able to protrude and retract on the housing member (rear plate 9) side, and in a stopper hole (engagement recess 730) provided in the housing member. By inserting the stopper piston, the position of the vane 61 (vane member 6) with respect to the housing member is restrained, and the restraint is released by the pressure of oil supplied to the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber.
Therefore, the simple lock mechanism 7 can be installed while suppressing an increase in the size of the apparatus 1, and the generation of abnormal noise at the time of starting the engine can be suppressed. By providing a stopper piston on the wide vane 61, the effect (7) can be obtained at the same time.

(9) In the method of manufacturing the device 1, the rotation is transmitted from the crankshaft, the housing member (housing HSG) having a plurality of working chambers therein, the camshaft 3 is provided in the housing member so as to be relatively rotatable. The rotor 60 provided with the camshaft insertion hole 601 to be inserted and fixed, and the rotor 60 are provided so as to protrude to the outer peripheral side, and the respective working chambers are defined as an advance working chamber (advance chamber A) and a retard angle. A plurality of vanes 61 to 64 partitioned into a working chamber (retarding chamber R), and an advance working chamber or a retarding chamber from an oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 504) supplied and discharged via the camshaft 3; A method for manufacturing a valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine in which the valve timing is changed by supplying and discharging oil to / from at least one of the angular working chambers, wherein at least one of the advanced working chamber and the retarded working chamber (retarded angle) The rotor 60 is molded so that a plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) recessed toward the inner periphery are simultaneously formed on the outer peripheral surface 600 facing R), and oil supply / discharge in the camshaft insertion hole 601 is performed. The inner circumferential position facing the portion (annular groove 504) is grooved into an annular groove 505, and a plurality of recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) communicate with each other.
Therefore, since a plurality of oil passages can be simultaneously formed by simply forming a plurality of recesses and processing a groove in a ring shape, man-hours can be reduced and processing time can be shortened.

  (10) In the manufacturing method of the apparatus 1, the vanes 61 to 64 are also molded integrally with the rotor 60. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(11) In the manufacturing method of the apparatus 1, the camshaft 3 is provided with a pair of oil supply / discharge portions (annular grooves 504, 514) at different positions in the rotational axis direction, and the oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 504 on the tip side). ) Communicates with the annular groove 505, and the other oil supply / discharge portion (annular groove 514) is formed by a plurality of distribution grooves (advanced side oil grooves 515 to 518) molded at the opening end of the camshaft insertion hole 601. , Communicated with the working chambers (advance chambers A1 to A4) where the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are not provided.
Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by simultaneously molding the plurality of distribution grooves.

  (12) The annular groove 505 is processed by cutting. Therefore, processing is easy.

  (13) The annular groove 505 is processed by lathe processing. Therefore, processing is easier.

The apparatus and the manufacturing method of the second embodiment are different from the first embodiment in that the annular groove 519 is provided as the advance side passage in the vane member 6 and the annular grooves 504 and 514 are omitted in the oil supply / discharge portion on the camshaft side. Hereinafter, the points common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. First, the configuration of the second embodiment will be described. 8 is the same drawing as FIG. 2, FIG. 9 is the same drawing as FIG. 7, and both show the configuration of the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the camshaft end portion 30 is not provided with annular grooves 514 and 504, and radial passages 503 and 513 are opened on the outer peripheral surface of the end portion 30. The radial passage 503 communicates directly with the annular groove 505 of the vane member 6.
As shown in FIG. 9, a groove 519 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the rotor 60. The groove 519 is an annular groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening end on the X axis negative direction side in the cam shaft insertion hole 601 over the entire circumferential range. In other words, the cam shaft is formed on the X axis negative direction end surface of the rotor 60. It is formed around the insertion hole 601. The groove 519 is molded in the mold forming step simultaneously with the grooves 515 to 518 and the grooves 617 to 647.
The groove 519 is provided at a position facing the radial passage 513 of the end portion 30 in the radial direction in a state where the end portion 30 is inserted into the camshaft insertion hole 601. Grooves 515 to 518 are connected to the groove 519, and the inner diameter side of each of the grooves 515 to 518 is open to the groove 519. The advance side oil grooves 515 to 518 communicate with each other through an annular groove 519. The groove 519 forms an advance side oil groove together with the grooves 515 to 518. The groove 519 extends from the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 to a predetermined depth in the outer diameter direction, specifically, is shallower than the annular groove 505 and overlaps with the axial grooves 617 to 647 formed on the rotor outer peripheral surface 600. It is formed to a depth that does not communicate. The X-axis direction dimension of the groove 519 (X-axis direction depth from the end surface of the rotor 60 in the X-axis negative direction) is provided in the same manner as the grooves 515 to 518. The oil in the advance passage 51 is supplied to each advance chamber A1 to A4 through the radial passage 513 of the camshaft 3, the annular groove 519 of the vane member 6, and the advance side oil grooves 515 to 518. The oil in each of the advance chambers A1 to A4 is discharged through a path in the opposite direction.

Next, the effect of Example 2 is demonstrated.
In the second embodiment, since the annular grooves 514 and 504 at the camshaft end 30 are omitted, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost compared to the first embodiment by omitting the labor (man-hour) for processing these. For example, the annular groove 519 is a communication groove that connects an oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 513) on the camshaft side and a plurality of passages 515 to 518 communicating with the working chambers (advance chambers A1 to A4). In order to fulfill the function of the relay hub passage), providing the communication groove (hub passage) on the outer peripheral surface of the camshaft 3 may be omitted. In the second embodiment, the annular groove 519 is provided at the X-axis direction position facing the oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 513) in the rotor radial direction, but can communicate with the oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 513). Any position in the X-axis direction may be used, and the position is not limited to a strictly opposed position. If it is provided at the opposite position, the flow area connecting the radial passage 513 and the annular groove 519 can be maximized, and the efficiency is high. In addition, by providing the annular grooves 514 and 504 similar to those of the first embodiment at the end portion 30, it is not hindered to increase the flow path area.
In the second embodiment, since the annular groove 519 is provided, it is possible to reduce the weight of the device 1 (vane member 6) compared to the first embodiment.
The groove 519 is molded at the same time as the grooves 515 to 518 when the rotor 60 is molded. Therefore, man-hours and manufacturing time can be shortened, and additional processing steps and equipment can be omitted. Unlike the annular groove 505, the groove 519 is formed on the end surface of the rotor 60, so that it can be easily formed by a mold. The annular groove 519 may be formed by lathe processing together with the annular groove 505 in a cutting process in which the inner periphery of the camshaft insertion hole 601 is processed. Also in this case, manufacturing can be facilitated.
In addition, the groove 519 is provided from the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 to the outer diameter direction to the same depth as the annular groove 505, and the portion corresponding to the axial grooves 617 to 647 in the circumferential direction (from the radial direction) It is also possible to provide only shallower positions (positions that overlap with the axial grooves 617 to 647 as viewed) and prevent the groove 519 and the axial grooves 617 to 647 from being connected (communication) at this portion. In addition, the axial grooves 617 to 647 are not provided in the portion corresponding to the groove 519 (while being provided in the portion corresponding to the groove 505 in the X-axis direction) (the position overlapping the annular groove 519 when viewed from the radial direction) On the other hand, the groove 519 may be provided from the inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole 601 to the outer diameter direction to the same depth as the annular groove 505. Also in this case, it is possible to increase the flow path area via the annular groove 519 while suppressing the connection (communication) between the groove 519 and the axial grooves 617 to 647.

(14) In the device 1, the camshaft 3 is provided with a pair of oil supply / discharge portions (radial passages 503, 513) at different positions in the rotation axis direction, and the oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 503) on the distal end side. Communicates with the communication groove (annular groove 505), and the other oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 513) has a plurality of distribution grooves (advanced side oil grooves 515 to 515) provided at the opening end of the camshaft insertion hole 601. 518) communicates with the working chambers (advance chambers A1 to A4) where the recesses (axial grooves 617 to 647) are not provided. In addition, a plurality of distribution grooves (advance side oil grooves 515 to 518) are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the opening end of the camshaft insertion hole 601 at a position where the other oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 513) can communicate. ) With an annular groove 519 connecting them.
In the manufacturing method of the device 1, the inner periphery of the opening end of the camshaft insertion hole 601 facing the oil supply / discharge portion (radial passage 513) is grooved into an annular groove 519, and a plurality of distribution grooves (advance side oil) The grooves 515 to 518) communicate with each other.
Therefore, manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  (15) In the manufacturing method of the apparatus 1, a plurality of distribution grooves (advance angle side oil grooves 515 to 518) and an annular groove 519 are molded. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be more effectively reduced.

[Other embodiments]
As mentioned above, although the form for implement | achieving this invention has been demonstrated based on Example 1, 2, the concrete structure of this invention is not limited to Example 1, 2, The summary of invention is shown. Design changes and the like within a range that does not deviate are also included in the present invention. For example, in the first and second embodiments, the hole 601 provided in the rotor 60 is a camshaft insertion hole to which the end portion 30 (insertion portion 301) of the camshaft 3 is inserted and fixed. The camshaft 3 itself may be inserted and installed as a separate member (oil passage constituent member) that rotates with the camshaft 3.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Valve timing control apparatus 3 Camshaft 60 Rotor 600 Rotor outer peripheral surface 601 Camshaft insertion hole 617-647 Axial direction groove | channel (concave part)
61-64 Vane 504 Annular groove (oil supply / discharge part)
505 Annular groove (communication groove)
HSG housing (housing member)
A1-A4 Advance angle chamber (advance angle working chamber)
R1 to R4 retarded angle chamber (retarded working chamber)

Claims (2)

A housing member to which rotation is transmitted from the crankshaft and having a plurality of working chambers therein;
A rotor provided in the housing member so as to be relatively rotatable, and provided with a camshaft insertion hole into which the camshaft is inserted and fixed;
A plurality of vanes provided so as to project to the outer peripheral side of the rotor and partitioning each working chamber into an advance working chamber and a retard working chamber;
A plurality of axial grooves provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor facing at least one of the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber and recessed in the inner peripheral side and extending in the axial direction of the rotor ; ,
An inner peripheral surface of the camshaft insertion hole, provided at a position where it can communicate with an oil supply / discharge portion that is supplied / discharged via the camshaft, and is opened by crossing the plurality of axial grooves. A communication groove
A valve timing control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising: A housing member to which rotation is transmitted from the crankshaft and having a plurality of working chambers therein;
A rotor provided in the housing member so as to be relatively rotatable, and provided with a camshaft insertion hole into which the camshaft is inserted and fixed;
A plurality of vanes provided to protrude to the outer peripheral side of the rotor and partitioning each working chamber into an advance working chamber and a retard working chamber;
The valve timing of the internal combustion engine in which the valve timing is changed by supplying / discharging oil to / from the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber from an oil supply / discharge portion that is supplied / discharged via the camshaft. A control device manufacturing method comprising:
A plurality of axial grooves that are recessed toward the inner peripheral side and extend in the axial direction of the rotor are formed simultaneously on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor facing at least one of the advance working chamber or the retard working chamber. Mold the rotor;
An inner circumferential position of the camshaft insertion hole facing the oil supply / discharge portion is grooved into an annular groove that opens by intersecting with the plurality of axial grooves, and the plurality of axial grooves communicate with each other. A method for manufacturing a valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine.

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