JP5447436B2 - Valve timing adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydraulic valve timing adjusting device that adjusts the valve timing of a valve that opens and closes a camshaft by torque transmission from a crankshaft in an internal combustion engine.

  Conventionally, a hydraulic valve timing in which a working chamber is divided on both sides in a rotational circumferential direction by a vane protruding in a radial direction from a rotary shaft rotating in conjunction with a camshaft among vane rotors inside a housing rotating in conjunction with a crankshaft. Adjustment devices are known.

  As a kind of such a hydraulic valve timing adjusting device, in the disclosed device of Patent Document 1, the relative rotation phase of the vane rotor with respect to the housing (hereinafter referred to as the following) is obtained by entering and exiting the working fluid supplied along with the operation of the internal combustion engine. It is also simply referred to as “phase”), and the valve timing is adjusted accordingly. For this reason, if the supply of the hydraulic fluid is stopped as the operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped, the startability may be deteriorated during the next operation of the internal combustion engine due to the difficulty in adjusting the phase. Is done.

  Therefore, in the disclosed device of Patent Document 1, the urging force of the spiral spring is applied in the urging direction for urging the vane rotor with respect to the housing in the rotational circumferential direction. According to such a configuration, even if the supply of hydraulic fluid stops, the vane rotor can rotate relative to the housing in the biasing direction due to the biasing force of the spiral spring, so that a phase suitable for starting the internal combustion engine is forced. It becomes possible.

JP 2010-180862 A

  In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the rotating shaft of the vane rotor protrudes from the inside of the housing to the outside in order to lock the spiral spring to the vane rotor. As a result, a bush forming the rotating shaft of the vane rotor is passed around the screw member that fastens the rotating shaft to the cam shaft through the center hole of the inner flange-shaped front plate that is continuous in the rotational circumferential direction in the housing. It has become a form. In such a configuration, since the inner diameter of the center hole is required to be larger than the outer diameter of the bush surrounding the screw member, the seal from the working chamber on both sides of the vane that is in sliding contact with the front plate in the rotation axis direction to the center hole. The length becomes shorter. As a result, the hydraulic fluid in the working chamber is likely to leak into the central hole through the sliding contact interface between the vane and the front plate, which may affect the phase adjustment response due to the hydraulic fluid entering and exiting.

  Further, in the disclosed device of Patent Document 1, the innermost peripheral portion of the spiral spring is locked in a wound state with respect to the bush as described above, and the outermost peripheral portion of the spiral spring with respect to either the housing or the vane rotor. A configuration is adopted in which is locked in a bent state in the rotational radial direction. In the case of such a configuration, the arrangement space of the intermediate portion that is torsionally deformed between the innermost peripheral portion and the outermost peripheral portion of the spiral spring is the amount corresponding to the thickness of the bush and the bending amount of the outermost peripheral portion. Becomes smaller. As a result, in the intermediate portion where the urging force is generated by torsional deformation, the number of turns of the spiral spring cannot be ensured sufficiently, so that the maximum stress may increase and the durability may decrease.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve phase adjustment response and durability in a hydraulic valve timing adjustment device.

The invention according to claim 1 is a hydraulic valve timing in which the valve timing of the valve that opens and closes the camshaft by torque transmission from the crankshaft in the internal combustion engine is adjusted by the hydraulic fluid supplied along with the operation of the internal combustion engine. An adjusting device having an inner flange that continuously forms a central hole in the rotational circumferential direction, a housing that rotates in conjunction with the crankshaft, a fastening member that is passed through the central hole, and a fastening member that fastens the camshaft. A rotating shaft that rotates in conjunction with the cam shaft, and a vane that protrudes outward from the rotating shaft in the radial direction and slides in contact with the inner flange in the rotating shaft direction. When the working fluid enters and exits the working chamber, the vane rotor whose phase is adjusted and the intermediate portion between the innermost peripheral portion and the outermost peripheral portion are twisted and deformed, so that The urging direction for biasing the vane rotor relative to the housing of the direction, and a spiral spring for generating a biasing force, in the valve timing control apparatus comprising,
The inner flange forms an arc-shaped through hole that opens in the center hole and extends in the rotation circumferential direction, and a housing side axial hole that opens in the rotation axis direction, and the vane rotor has a rotor side shaft that opens in the rotation axis direction. The spiral spring is bent in the direction of the rotation axis, and has a rotor side bent portion that is locked to the rotor side axial hole through the through hole in the innermost peripheral portion, and in the direction of the rotation axis. A bent portion on the housing side that is bent and locked to the axial hole in the housing side is formed on the outermost peripheral portion.

  In the housing of the present invention, a through hole extending in the rotational circumferential direction is opened in a central hole through which a fastening member that fastens the rotational shaft of the vane rotor to the camshaft is an inner flange continuous in the rotational circumferential direction. Therefore, there is a concern about the situation in which the working fluid leaks from the working chambers on both sides of the vane to the center hole and the through hole through the interface between the vane and the inner flange that are in sliding contact with the rotation axis. However, in the configuration in which the rotor side bent portion bent in the rotation axis direction at the innermost peripheral portion of the spiral spring is locked through the arc-shaped through hole by the rotor side axial hole opened in the rotation axis direction in the vane rotor. In addition, the inner diameter of the central hole and the arc length of the through hole that do not need to pass through the rotating shaft can be reduced as much as possible. According to this, the seal length from the working chamber to the center hole is increased, and the formation range of the through hole whose seal length from the working chamber is shorter than the center hole is shortened in the rotation circumferential direction. It is possible to improve the phase adjustment responsiveness by suppressing the hydraulic fluid leakage.

  Furthermore, the spiral spring is bent not only at the innermost peripheral portion as described above but also at the outermost peripheral portion in the rotational axis direction so as to be locked in the housing side axial hole of the opening in the rotational axis direction at the housing. The space for arranging the intermediate portion that is torsionally deformed between the innermost and outer peripheral portions can be increased in the rotational radial direction. According to this, since the maximum stress can be reduced by securing the number of turns of the spiral spring in the intermediate portion where the biasing force is generated by the torsional deformation, the durability can also be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotor side axial hole is formed in the rotating shaft. In this invention, the rotor side axial hole formed on the rotary shaft on the inner side in the rotational radial direction than the vane has a through hole on the outer side in the rotational radial direction than the center hole among the inner flanges slidably contacted with the vane in the rotational axial direction. By passing, the rotor-side bent portion of the spiral spring is locked. According to such a configuration, the inner diameter of the center hole can be reduced so that the through hole comes closer to the center in the radial direction of the rotation. Therefore, the seal length from the working chamber to the through hole and the center hole is secured, and the phase adjustment response is achieved. It is possible to contribute to improvement of performance. In addition, when the through hole through which the rotor-side bent portion of the innermost circumferential portion of the spiral spring passes is closer to the center in the rotational radial direction, the space for arranging the intermediate portion of the spiral spring is increased in the rotational radial direction. Thus, it is possible to contribute to improvement of durability.

  According to invention of Claim 3, a spiral spring is extended | stretched with the rectangular cross section whose thickness of a rotation radial direction is more than the thickness of a rotation axis direction. In the present invention, a spiral spring having a rectangular cross section whose thickness in the rotation radial direction is equal to or greater than the thickness in the rotation axis direction has a large section modulus for bending in the rotation radial direction, and therefore has rigidity against bending stress during torsional deformation. Increases durability. In other words, a spiral spring whose thickness in the direction of the rotation axis is equal to or less than the thickness in the direction of the rotation diameter has a small section modulus for bending in the direction of the rotation axis, so when forming the bent portion on each side, It becomes easy to bend the peripheral portion in the direction of the rotation axis. According to the above, in the valve timing adjusting device that can be manufactured with high productivity, it is possible to improve the phase adjustment responsiveness and the durability.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the housing side bent portion bent in the same direction as the rotor side bent portion is locked in the housing side axial hole formed by the inner flange. In this invention, the housing-side bent portion that is locked to the housing-side axial hole of the inner flange extends in the same direction as the rotor-side bent portion that is locked to the rotor-side axial hole through the through-hole of the inner flange. It will be bent. According to such a configuration, the bent portions on each side of the housing and the vane rotor are inserted in the same direction with respect to the axial holes on the corresponding sides, respectively, so that the locking form of the spiral spring with respect to the housing and the vane rotor can be easily performed. realizable. Therefore, in the valve timing adjusting device that can be manufactured with high productivity, it is possible to achieve improvement in phase adjustment response and improvement in durability.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the housing further includes a cover that covers the center hole and the through hole with the spiral spring interposed between the inner flange and the housing, and the housing is bent in a direction opposite to the rotor-side bent portion. The housing side bent portion is locked in the housing side axial hole formed by the cover. In the present invention, the housing-side bent portion is bent in the opposite direction to the rotor-side bent portion that is locked to the rotor-side axial hole through the through-hole of the inner flange, so that a spiral spring is formed between the housing-side bent portion and the inner flange. It will be in the state latched by the housing side axial hole of the cover which pinches | interposes. According to such a configuration, the spiral spring can be positioned in the direction of the rotation axis between the inner flange and the cover, and an urging force having a magnitude corresponding to the phase can be stably generated. It becomes possible to exhibit the properties for a long time. In addition to the locking function for positioning the spiral spring, the cover can also function to cover the center hole and the through-hole. Thus, it is possible to confine the hydraulic fluid in the phase and suppress the influence on the phase adjustment response.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the housing further includes a guide that protrudes from the inner flange in the rotational axis direction and supports the spiral spring from the inner side in the rotational radial direction. In the present invention, the spiral spring supported from the inner side in the radial direction of the spiral can be regulated by the guide projecting from the inner flange of the housing in the direction of the rotational axis. According to this, the spiral spring can be made difficult to tilt with respect to the rotation axis direction, and the biasing force having a magnitude corresponding to the phase can be stably generated. Can be demonstrated.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the through-hole is separated from the rotor-side bent portion on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction in the entire range of the variable range of the phase, whereby the rotor-side bent portion is locked by the rotor-side axial hole. To maintain. In this invention, since the rotor side bent portion in which the through hole is spaced apart on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction in the entire phase variable range, the locking by the rotor side axial hole is maintained in the entire region, so the operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped. The phase can be forced to the extreme end phase in the urging direction by the spiral spring according to the supply stop of the hydraulic fluid accompanying the above. According to this, it is possible to improve the phase adjustment response and the durability during the operation of the internal combustion engine in which startability can be ensured by forcing to the extreme end phase.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the through hole allows the rotor side bent portion to rotate in the circumferential direction in the release region from the predetermined intermediate phase to the extreme end phase in the biasing direction by the spiral spring in the variable range of the phase. , The rotor-side bent portion is unlocked by the rotor-side axial hole, while the endmost phase of the variable phase range is opposite to the biasing direction by the spiral spring than the intermediate phase. In the permissible region up to, the rotor-side bent portion is allowed to be locked by the rotor-side axial hole by being separated from the rotor-side bent portion on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction. In the release region from the intermediate phase to the extreme end phase in the biasing direction of the phase variable range of the present invention, the rotor side bent portion locked in the rotational circumferential direction by the through hole is locked by the rotor side axial hole. By releasing, the action of the urging force by the spiral spring is restricted with respect to the vane rotor. On the other hand, in the allowable range from the intermediate phase to the extreme end phase in the direction opposite to the biasing direction in the phase variable range, the rotor-side bent portion that is separated from the through hole on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction is due to the rotor-side axial hole. By allowing the locking, the urging force by the spiral spring acts on the vane rotor in the urging direction. According to such a configuration, the phase can be forced to an intermediate phase at the boundary between the release region and the permissible region in accordance with the supply stop of the hydraulic fluid accompanying the stop of the operation of the internal combustion engine. Therefore, it is possible to achieve improvement in phase adjustment response and improvement in durability during operation of the internal combustion engine in which startability can be ensured by forcing to an intermediate phase.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the release region, the rotor side axial hole forms a space portion on both sides sandwiching the rotor side bent portion in the rotational circumferential direction. In the release region of the present invention, the rotor-side bent portion can be separated from the rotor-side axial hole to both sides in the rotational circumferential direction by forming space portions on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction. It will be solid. According to this, it is possible to achieve improved phase adjustment response and improved durability during operation of an internal combustion engine that can ensure startability by accurately forcing the intermediate phase due to shutdown It becomes.

It is a figure which shows the valve timing adjustment apparatus by 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is the II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the hydraulic valve timing adjustment apparatus by 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation state different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the same operation state as FIG. 4, Comprising: It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. It is the VI-VI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the spiral spring of FIG. 1 in a no-load state, Comprising: It is a front view (a), a side view (b), and the VII-VII line expanded sectional view (c) in (a). It is a characteristic view for demonstrating the fluctuation | variation torque transmitted to the vane rotor of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, illustrating a hydraulic valve timing adjusting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the hydraulic valve timing adjustment apparatus by 3rd embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hydraulic valve timing adjusting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation state different from FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation state different from FIG. It is an enlarged view of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the space part of FIG.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the overlapping description may be abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to the corresponding component in each embodiment. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of the other embodiment described above can be applied to the other part of the configuration. In addition, not only combinations of configurations explicitly described in the description of each embodiment, but also the configurations of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined even if they are not explicitly specified unless there is a problem with the combination. .

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows an example in which a hydraulic valve timing adjusting device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle. The apparatus 1 is installed in a transmission system that transmits engine torque for driving the camshaft 2 in an internal combustion engine from a crankshaft (not shown), and is an exhaust valve as a valve that opens and closes the camshaft 2 by transmission of the engine torque. Adjust the valve timing.

(Basic configuration)
First, the basic configuration of the device 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the device 1 adjusts the relative rotational phase of the vane rotor 20 with respect to the housing 10 as a phase that determines the valve timing, using hydraulic oil as hydraulic fluid. Here, the rotation axis direction, the rotation diameter direction, and the rotation axis direction of the housing 10 and the vane rotor 20 are common, and these directions are simply referred to as “rotation axis direction”, “rotation diameter direction”, and “ It is written as “Rotation axis direction”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 is formed by tightening a rear plate 11, a ring body 12, a front plate 13, and a cover 14 together in this order in the rotation axis direction. Both the rear plate 11 and the front plate 13 are made of metal, and are provided in an annular inner flange shape on both sides of the ring main body 12 in the rotation axis direction. The rear plate 11 integrally has a cylindrical journal portion 110 protruding in the direction opposite to the ring body 12 in the rotation axis direction. The journal portion 110 together with the cam shaft 2 is supported by the bearing 4 of the internal combustion engine. The bearing is rotatable in the circumferential direction. The camshaft 2 is loosely coaxially inserted into a center hole 112 that passes through the central portion in the rotational radial direction including the journal portion 110 in the rear plate 11 in the rotational axis direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ring body 12 is made of metal and has a cylindrical peripheral wall 120, a plurality of shoes 122, and a plurality of sprocket teeth 124. Each shoe 122 protrudes inward in the rotational radial direction from a portion of the peripheral wall 120 that is spaced by a predetermined interval in the rotational circumferential direction, thereby forming a storage chamber 30 therebetween. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each sprocket tooth 124 protrudes outward in the rotational radial direction from a portion of the peripheral wall 120 that is spaced at regular intervals in the rotational circumferential direction. The ring body 12 is linked to the crankshaft by a timing chain (not shown) being spanned between the sprocket teeth 124 and a plurality of teeth of the crankshaft. When the internal combustion engine is operated by this linkage, the engine torque output from the crankshaft is transmitted to the ring body 12 through the timing chain, so that the housing 10 is linked to the crankshaft in one of the rotational circumferential directions (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Rotate clockwise.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cover 14 is made of metal, and is provided in the shape of a bottomed cylindrical dish at a position where the front plate 13 is sandwiched between the cover body 14 and the ring body 12 in the rotation axis direction. In this embodiment, the cover 14 covers the center hole 130 that penetrates the central portion in the rotational radial direction of the front plate 13 in the rotational axis direction and the through hole 132 that will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vane rotor 20 is made of metal, and the whole is accommodated coaxially between the plates 11 and 13 in the housing 10. The vane rotor 20 has a cylindrical rotating shaft 200 and a plurality of vanes 202. The rotary shaft 200 is coaxially fastened to the cam shaft 2 that passes through the center hole 112 of the rear plate 11. By such fastening, the vane rotor 20 can rotate relative to the housing 10 while rotating in one of the rotational circumferential directions (clockwise in FIGS. 2 and 3) in conjunction with the cam shaft 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, both end surfaces 204 and 205 of the rotating shaft 200 are in sliding contact with the plates 11 and 13 around the center holes 112 and 130, respectively, in the rotating shaft direction. In addition, the outer peripheral surface 206 of the rotary shaft 200 is in sliding contact with the protruding end surface 126 of each shoe 122 in the rotational radial direction.

  Each vane 202 protrudes to the outer side in the rotational radial direction from a portion of the rotary shaft 200 that is spaced by a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and is stored in the corresponding storage chamber 30. Each vane 202 slidably contacts both end surfaces 207 and 208 with the plates 11 and 13 in the rotation axis direction and bisects the corresponding storage chamber 30 in the rotation circumferential direction. With this configuration, each vane 202 defines working chambers 32 and 33 on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction, as shown in FIG. Specifically, each advance working chamber 32 into which hydraulic oil is introduced from an advance passage 34 passing through the rotary shaft 200 or the like generates a rotational force that drives the vane rotor 20 in the advance direction relative to the housing 10 in the rotational circumferential direction. Occurs in response to the introduction. On the other hand, each retarded working chamber 33 into which hydraulic oil is introduced from the retarded passage 35 that passes through the rotating shaft 200 or the like introduces the rotational force that drives the vane rotor 20 in the retarded direction relative to the housing 10 in the rotational circumferential direction. It occurs according to. In the following, the advance angle direction and the retard angle direction of the vane rotor 20 with respect to the housing 10 are simply expressed as “advance angle direction” and “retard angle direction”, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one specific vane 202 a among the plurality of vanes 202 is wider in the rotational circumferential direction than the other vanes 202. A metal lock pin 22 and a lock spring 24 are held on the vane 202a. The lock pin 22 is urged by the lock spring 24 and is fitted into the lock hole 134 of the front plate 13 as shown in FIG. 1, thereby locking the vane rotor 20 relative to the housing 10 so as not to rotate relative to the housing 10. On the other hand, the lock pin 22 is released from the lock hole 134 by receiving the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic oil from the working chambers 32 and 33 on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction of the vane 202 a, thereby releasing the lock and rotating the vane rotor 20 relative to the housing 10. Is acceptable.

  Further, in the present embodiment, each advance angle working chamber 32 and each retard angle working chamber 33 are connected to a control valve 36 via corresponding passages 34 and 35, respectively. The control valve 36 is also connected to the pump 6 and the drain pan 8 of the internal combustion engine, and controls the communication between the engine elements 6 and 8 and the passages 34 and 35. Here, the pump 6 driven by the crankshaft is a so-called mechanical pump that discharges and supplies hydraulic oil sucked from the drain pan 8 during the operation of the internal combustion engine. Therefore, when the control valve 36 causes the pump 6 and the drain pan 8 to communicate with the advance passage 34 and the retard passage 35, respectively, during operation of the internal combustion engine, supply hydraulic oil from the pump 6 is introduced into each advance working chamber 32. At the same time, the hydraulic oil in each retarded working chamber 33 is discharged to the drain pan 8. On the other hand, when the control valve 36 causes the pump 6 and the drain pan 8 to communicate with the retard passage 35 and the advance passage 34, respectively, during operation of the internal combustion engine, supply hydraulic oil from the pump 6 is introduced into each retard operation chamber 33. At the same time, the hydraulic oil in each advance angle working chamber 32 is discharged to the drain pan 8.

  In the above configuration, the vane rotor 20 is moved relative to the housing 10 by introducing the hydraulic oil into each advance working chamber 32 and discharging the working oil from each retard working chamber 33 under the unlocking by the lock pin 22. When relative rotation is made in the advance direction, the phase changes and the valve timing advances. As a result, when the vane 202a contacts the advance shoe 122, the phase is limited to the most advanced phase A in the advance direction that determines the variable range of the phase as shown in FIG. Here, in the present embodiment, the most advanced phase A in the advance direction is set to a phase that realizes locking by the lock pin 22 as a starting phase suitable for starting the internal combustion engine. On the other hand, when the vane rotor 20 rotates relative to the housing 10 in the retarding direction due to the introduction of the working oil into each retarded working chamber 33 and the discharge of the working oil from each advanced working chamber 32, the phase changes. The valve timing is retarded. As a result, when the vane 202a comes into contact with the retarded shoe 122, the phase is limited to the retarded endmost phase R that determines the variable range of the phase as shown in FIG. In the following description, the most advanced phase A in the advance angle direction and the most extreme phase R in the retard angle direction are referred to as “the most advanced angle phase A” and “the most retarded angle phase R”, respectively.

(Characteristic configuration)
Next, a characteristic configuration of the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the front plate 13 serving as an inner flange continuous in the circumferential direction of rotation in the housing 10 has a through hole 132 that opens in the inner peripheral surface 130 a of the center hole 130. Is provided. The through-hole 132 penetrates the front plate 13 to both sides in the rotation axis direction in a form recessed from the inner circumferential surface 130a to the outer side in the rotation radial direction, and has a length of less than one round along the inner circumferential surface 130a in the rotation circumferential direction. It has an arc shape that extends. The front plate 13 is provided with a guide 133 that protrudes in the direction of the rotation axis toward the cover 14 in the form of an integral pin. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, the front plate 13 has housing side axial holes 131 that open in the rotational axis direction toward the cover 14 side at locations separated from the holes 130 and 132. It is provided in the shape of a bottom hole.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5, the rotating shaft 200 of the vane rotor 20 includes a screw member 40 that is passed through the center hole 130 of the front plate 13 as a fastening member that fastens the shaft 200 to the cam shaft 2. It penetrates on the same axis. Further, the rotating shaft 200 is provided with a rotor-side axial hole 201 having a bottomed hole shape that opens in the rotating shaft direction toward the front plate 13 to be slidably contacted. Here, in particular, the rotor side axial hole 201 of the present embodiment is a through hole over the entire phase variable range between the most advanced angle phase A (FIG. 3) and the most retarded angle phase R (FIG. 5). It can oppose 132 in a rotating shaft direction.

  Further, in the device 1, a spiral spring 50 is disposed between the front plate 13 and the cover 14 that constitute the housing 10. As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7, the spiral spring 50 is formed by spirally winding a metal wire on substantially the same plane, and the spiral centers of the housing 10 and the vane rotor 20 are as shown in FIGS. It is aligned with the center O in the radial direction of rotation. Here, in particular, in the spiral spring 50 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7C, the thickness Δr in the rotational radial direction is equal to or greater than the thickness Δa in the rotational axis direction (the thickness Δr in the illustrated example is thicker). A rectangular cross section of an example thicker than Δa) is formed in a spiral shape.

  One end portion of the spiral spring 50 which becomes the innermost peripheral portion 500 is bent substantially perpendicularly in the direction of the rotation axis as shown in FIG. 7B, thereby passing through the through hole 132 as shown in FIGS. A rotor-side bent portion 501 that is inserted into the axial hole 201 is formed. Here, in particular, the rotor side bent portion 501 of the present embodiment is separated from the through hole 132 in the advance angle direction and the retard angle direction on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction, and in the advance direction by the rotor side axial hole 201. The locked state is realized over the entire phase variable range.

  On the other hand, the other end portion which becomes the outermost peripheral portion 502 of the spiral spring 50 is bent substantially perpendicularly to the same rotation axis direction as the rotor-side bent portion 501 as shown in FIG. , 6, a housing-side bent portion 503 that is inserted into the housing-side axial hole 131 is formed. Here, particularly in the present embodiment, the housing-side bent portion 503 is locked by the housing-side axial hole 131 in the retarding direction over the entire phase variable range, so that the innermost outer peripheral portion of the spiral spring 50. The intermediate portion 504 between 500 and 502 is always in a torsionally deformed state (that is, even in the advanced phase A in FIG. 3 where the shape has been restored most). Further, the intermediate portion 504 is always supported from the inner side in the rotational radial direction by the guide 133 as shown in FIGS.

  With the above configuration, the spiral spring 50 in which the locking by the respective axial holes 131 and 201 is maintained in the entire phase variable range causes the vane rotor 20 to be advanced with respect to the housing 10 by the intermediate portion 504 in the torsionally deformed state. A biasing force biasing in the direction is generated in a magnitude corresponding to the phase. Here, particularly in the present embodiment, paying attention to the fluctuation torque transmitted from the camshaft 2 to the vane rotor 20, the biasing force of the spiral spring 50 is larger than the average fluctuation torque Tave deviated in the retarding direction as shown in FIG. The spring 50 is formed so as to increase at an arbitrary phase within the phase variable range.

(Function and effect)
In the apparatus 1 described so far, in the front plate 13 that continues in the circumferential direction of rotation in the housing 10, the center hole 130 through which the screw member 40 that fastens the rotating shaft 200 of the vane rotor 20 to the camshaft 2 passes is rotated. A through hole 132 extending in the circumferential direction is opened. Therefore, there is a concern about a situation in which hydraulic fluid leaks from the working chambers 32 and 33 on both sides of each vane 202 to the central hole 130 and the through hole 132 through the interface between the vane rotor 20 and the front plate 13 that are in sliding contact with the rotation axis direction.

  However, according to the apparatus 1, the rotor-side bent portion 501 bent in the rotation axis direction at the innermost circumferential portion 500 of the spiral spring 50 is formed by the rotor-side axial hole 201 opened in the rotation axis direction by the vane rotor 20. It is locked through the arc-shaped through hole 132. According to such a locking configuration, the inner diameter of the center hole 130 that does not need to penetrate the rotating shaft 200 and the arc length of the through hole 132 can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, the rotor-side bent portion 501 is locked to the rotary shaft 200 on the inner side in the rotational radial direction from each vane 202 through the through hole 132 on the outer side in the rotational radial direction than the center hole 130. The inner diameter of the center hole 130 can be reduced so as to approach the direction center O. For these reasons, the seal length from the working chambers 32 and 33 to the holes 130 and 132 becomes longer according to the reduction of the inner diameter of the center hole 130, and the seal length from the working chambers 32 and 33 is longer than the center hole 130. The formation range of the shorter through-hole 132 becomes shorter in the rotational circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the leakage of hydraulic oil to the center hole 130 and the through hole 132 and improve the phase adjustment responsiveness.

  Further, the spiral spring 50 is engaged not only with the innermost peripheral portion 500 as described above but also with the outermost peripheral portion 502 in the rotational axis direction so as to be locked in the housing side axial hole 131 that opens in the rotational axis direction in the housing 10. The housing side bent portion 503 is formed by bending. According to such a bending form in the rotation axis direction, the space for arranging the intermediate portion 504 that is torsionally deformed between the innermost and outer peripheral portions 500 and 502 of the spiral spring 50 is reduced between the front plate 13 and the cover 14 of the housing 10. In the radial direction of rotation. In addition, when the through hole 132 through which the rotor-side bent portion 501 passes is brought close to the center O in the rotational radial direction as described above, an increase in the arrangement space of the intermediate portion 504 can be promoted. For these reasons, in the intermediate portion 504 that generates an urging force by torsional deformation, the number of turns of the spiral spring 50 can be secured and the maximum stress can be reduced, so that the durability can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the spiral spring 50 in which the thickness Δr in the rotational radial direction is equal to or greater than the thickness Δa in the rotational axis direction in the rectangular cross section has a large section modulus for bending in the rotational radial direction, the stiffness against bending stress during torsional deformation is large. Increases durability. In other words, the spiral spring 50 in which the thickness Δa in the rotation axis direction is equal to or less than the thickness Δr in the rotation radius direction has a small section coefficient for bending in the rotation axis direction. When forming, it becomes easy to bend innermost peripheral part 500,502 to a rotating shaft direction. According to these, in the apparatus 1 that can be manufactured with high productivity, it is possible to achieve improvement in phase adjustment response and improvement in durability.

  In addition, the bent portions 501 and 503 on each side bent in the same direction in the spiral spring 50 are inserted into the corresponding axial holes 201 and 131 in the same direction, so that the axes The locking form by the direction holes 201 and 131 can be easily realized. Therefore, in the apparatus 1 that can realize high productivity even by such a bent form, it is possible to achieve improvement in phase adjustment response and improvement in durability.

  In addition, for the spiral spring 50 in which the intermediate portion 504 is supported from the inner side in the rotational radial direction by the guide 133 protruding from the front plate 13 in the rotational axis direction in the housing 10, the intermediate portion 504 toward the inner side accompanying torsional deformation. Falling can be regulated. According to this, the spiral spring 50 can be made difficult to tilt with respect to the rotation axis direction, and an urging force having a magnitude corresponding to the phase can be stably generated, so that a high adjustment responsiveness with respect to the phase is lengthened. It is possible to exert it throughout.

  In addition, for the rotor-side bent portion 501 in which the through-hole 132 is separated in the rotational circumferential direction over the entire phase variable range, the rotational circumferential locking by the rotor-side axial hole 201 is maintained throughout the entire region. It has become. According to such a locking and maintaining mode, the phase can be forced to the extreme end phase A in the urging direction by the spiral spring 50, that is, the most advanced angle phase A in accordance with the supply stop of the hydraulic oil accompanying the operation stop of the internal combustion engine. . Therefore, at the time of operation of the internal combustion engine in which startability can be ensured by forcing to the most advanced angle phase A suitable for starting, it is possible to achieve improvement in phase adjustment response and durability as described above. It becomes possible.

(Second embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 9, the second embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the first embodiment. In the housing 2010 of the hydraulic valve timing adjusting device 2001 according to the second embodiment, a bottom side hole-shaped housing side axial hole 2140 is provided in the cover 2014 so as to open in the rotational axis direction toward the front plate 2013 side. ing. Accordingly, in the spiral spring 2050 of the device 2001, the outermost peripheral portion 2502 is bent substantially perpendicularly toward the rotation axis direction opposite to the rotor-side bent portion 501, thereby being inserted into the housing-side axial hole 2140. A housing side bent portion 2503 is formed. Here, also in the present embodiment, the housing-side bent portion 2503 is locked to the housing-side axial hole 2140 in the retarded direction over the entire phase variable range, so that the intermediate portion 504 of the spiral spring 2050 is always It is in a twisted state.

  With the above configuration, in the device 2001, the spiral spring 2050 is positioned between the front plate 2013 and the cover 2014 while being sandwiched in the direction of the rotation axis, so that a biasing force having a magnitude corresponding to the phase is stably generated. Can be. Therefore, it is possible to exhibit a high adjustment response with respect to the phase for a long time. Moreover, the cover 2014 can exhibit not only such a locking function for positioning, but also a cover function that covers the center hole 130 and the through hole 132 of the front plate 2013 as in the first embodiment. Therefore, even if the hydraulic oil leaks into the holes 130 and 132, it is possible to confine the hydraulic oil between the cover 2014 and the front plate 2013 to minimize the influence on the phase adjustment response. It becomes possible.

(Third embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 10, the third embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the first embodiment. The hydraulic valve timing adjusting device 3001 according to the third embodiment adjusts the valve timing of the intake valve as a valve that opens and closes the camshaft 2. Here, as a starting phase suitable for starting the internal combustion engine, an intermediate phase M that achieves locking by the lock pin 22 between the most advanced phase and the most retarded phase is set. Correspondingly, in the housing 3010 of the apparatus 3001, as shown in FIGS. It has a lockable length in the rotational circumferential direction.

  Specifically, the through hole 3132 has a rotor-side bent portion in the intermediate phase M (FIG. 11) as the starting phase in the phase variable range and the release region from the phase M to the most advanced angle phase A (FIG. 12). 501 is locked. Here, particularly in the present embodiment, the rotor side axial hole 201 extends over the entire release region by forming space portions 3201a on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction of the rotor side bent portion 501 as shown in FIG. 501 is separated from the advance angle direction and the retard angle direction on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction. Therefore, in the release region, the rotor-side bent portion 501 is locked to the through hole 3132 and the lock by the rotor-side axial hole 201 is released, so that the action of the urging force from the spiral spring 50 to the vane rotor 20 is achieved. Is regulated. As shown in FIG. 15, in this embodiment, the hole of the axial hole 201 has a circular arc length with a large angle φ as a central angle compared to the relative rotation angle θ of the vane rotor 20 from the phase M to the phase A with respect to the housing 3010. By setting the length L, the space part 3201a can be secured as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in the allowable range from the intermediate phase M (FIG. 11) to the most retarded phase R (FIG. 13) in the phase variable range, the through-hole 3132 extends from the rotor-side bent portion 501 in both the advanced angle direction and the retarded angle direction. Separate. Here, particularly in the present embodiment, the rotor-side bent portion 501 is locked to the rotor-side axial hole 201 in the advance angle direction over the entire intermediate phase M and the allowable region, so that the intermediate portion of the spiral spring 50 is 504 becomes a twist deformation state. Therefore, in the permissible region, the rotor-side bent portion 501 is separated from the through hole 3132 and is allowed to be locked by the rotor-side axial hole 201, so that the biasing force from the spiral spring 50 to the vane rotor 20 is exerted. Realized in the advance direction. In the present embodiment, the spring 50 is formed so that the urging force of the spiral spring 50 becomes larger at an arbitrary phase within the allowable region than the average fluctuation torque Tave biased in the retard direction.

  With the above-described configuration, in the apparatus 3001, the phase advances according to the supply stop of the hydraulic oil accompanying the stop of the operation of the internal combustion engine, and the most advanced angle phase A which is the extreme end phase of the urging direction by the spiral spring 50 and the urging direction Can be forced to a predetermined intermediate phase M between the most retarded phase R which is the extreme end phase in the opposite direction. Therefore, at the time of operation of the internal combustion engine in which startability can be ensured by forcing to the intermediate phase M suitable for start-up, it is possible to achieve the same phase adjustment response improvement and durability improvement as in the first embodiment. It will be possible.

(Other embodiments)
A plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, but the present invention is not construed as being limited to these embodiments, and various embodiments and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be applied to.

  Specifically, the spiral springs 50 and 2050 of the first to third embodiments may be formed with a rectangular cross section whose thickness Δr in the rotational radial direction is less than the thickness Δa in the rotational axis direction, or other than the rectangular cross section. For example, it may be formed with a circular cross section. A plurality of guides 133 according to the first to third embodiments may be provided or may not be provided. Furthermore, in 1st-3rd embodiment, you may employ | adopt fastening members other than the screw member 40, such as a rivet, for example.

  In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the valve that opens and closes by the camshaft 2 is an intake valve and the relationship between “advance angle” and “retard angle” is reversed, and the vane rotor 20 is moved by the spiral springs 50 and 2050. It may be energized in the retard direction. In addition, in the third embodiment, the valve that opens and closes by the camshaft 2 is an exhaust valve, and the relationship between the “advance” and “retard” directions is reversed, and the vane rotor 20 is retarded by the spiral spring 50. May be energized. In addition, in the third embodiment, the bent form of the outermost peripheral part 2502 of the spiral spring 2050 and the locking form by the housing 2010 according to the second embodiment are adopted for the outermost peripheral part 502 of the spiral spring 50 and the housing 10. May be.

1, 2001, 3001 Hydraulic valve timing adjusting device, 2 cam shaft, 4 bearing, 6 pump, 10, 2010, 3010 housing, 11 rear plate, 12 ring body, 13, 2013, 3013 front plate, 14, 2014 cover, 20 vane rotor, 32 advance working chamber, 33 retard working chamber, 40 screw member, 122 shoe, 130 center hole, 130a inner peripheral surface, 131, 2140 housing side axial hole, 132, 3132 through hole, 133 guide, 200 Rotating shaft, 201 Rotor side axial hole, 202, 202a vane, 204, 205, 207, 208 End face, 500 Innermost peripheral part, 501 Rotor side bent part, 502, 2502 Outermost peripheral part, 503, 2503 Housing side bent part 504 Intermediate part 3201a Space part , A endmost phase / leading angle phase, L hole length, M intermediate phase, O center, R endmost phase / most retarded phase, Δa, Δr thickness, Tave average fluctuation torque, θ, φ angle

Claims (9)

A hydraulic valve timing adjusting device for adjusting a valve timing of a valve that opens and closes a camshaft by torque transmission from a crankshaft in an internal combustion engine, using hydraulic fluid supplied in accordance with the operation of the internal combustion engine,
A housing that continuously has an inner flange that forms a center hole in the rotational circumferential direction, and that rotates in conjunction with the crankshaft;
A fastening member passed through the central hole;
A rotating shaft that is fastened to the camshaft by the fastening member and rotates in conjunction with the camshaft, and a vane that protrudes outward from the rotating shaft in the radial direction of the rotation and is in sliding contact with the inner flange in the rotating shaft direction. A vane rotor having an internal phase and a relative rotational phase of the vane adjusted with respect to the housing by entering and exiting the working fluid into and out of a working chamber partitioned on both sides of the circumferential direction of the vane;
A spiral spring that generates a biasing force in a biasing direction that biases the vane rotor with respect to the housing in a rotating circumferential direction by twisting and deforming an intermediate portion between the innermost peripheral portion and the outermost peripheral portion. In the valve timing adjustment device comprising:
The inner flange forms an arc-shaped through hole that opens in the center hole and extends in the rotational circumferential direction, and a housing side axial hole that opens in the rotational axis direction,
The vane rotor forms a rotor side axial hole that opens in the rotational axis direction,
The spiral spring is formed in the innermost peripheral portion with a rotor side bent portion that is bent in the rotation axis direction and locked to the rotor side axial hole through the through hole, and is bent in the rotation axis direction. The valve timing adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein a housing side bent portion that is locked to the housing side axial hole is formed in the outermost peripheral portion.   The valve timing adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotor side axial hole is formed in the rotating shaft.   3. The valve timing adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the spiral spring extends with a rectangular cross section whose thickness in the rotation radial direction is equal to or greater than the thickness in the rotation axis direction.   The said housing side bending part bent in the same direction as the said rotor side bending part is latched by the said housing side axial direction hole which the said inner flange forms. The valve timing adjusting device according to item. The housing further includes a cover that covers the center hole and the through hole with the spiral spring interposed between the housing and the inner flange,
The housing-side bent portion bent in a direction opposite to the rotor-side bent portion is engaged with the housing-side axial hole formed by the cover. The valve timing adjusting device according to item.   6. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a guide that protrudes in a rotation axis direction from the inner flange and supports the spiral spring from an inner side in a rotation radial direction. Timing adjustment device.   In the entire range of the relative rotational phase variable range, the through hole is separated from the rotor side bent portion on both sides in the rotation circumferential direction, thereby maintaining the locking of the rotor side bent portion by the rotor side axial hole. The valve timing adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein   The through hole locks the rotor-side bent portion in the rotational circumferential direction in the release region from the predetermined intermediate phase to the extreme end phase in the biasing direction in the variable range of the relative rotational phase. While releasing the locking of the rotor-side bent portion by the rotor-side axial hole, the allowable range from the intermediate rotation phase to the extreme end phase opposite to the biasing direction in the variable range of the relative rotation phase 7, the rotor-side bent portion is allowed to be locked by the rotor-side axial hole by being separated from the rotor-side bent portion on both sides in the rotational circumferential direction. The valve timing adjusting device according to one item.   9. The valve timing adjusting device according to claim 8, wherein in the release region, the rotor-side axial hole forms a space on both sides sandwiching the rotor-side bent portion in the circumferential direction of rotation.

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