JP6737140B2 - Spool valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a spool valve used in a valve timing adjusting device.

The hydraulic valve timing adjusting device supplies the hydraulic oil to one of the hydraulic chambers in the housing and discharges the hydraulic oil from the other to relatively rotate the rotor, whereby the valve timing of the intake valve or the exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine. Adjust. In Patent Document 1, hydraulic oil is supplied and discharged by a spool valve. The spool valve has a valve body having a plurality of ports, a spool that is axially movable within the valve body, and a spring that biases the spool in one axial direction. The spring is provided in the middle of the drain oil passage.

JP-A-6-93815

In Patent Document 1, the oil in the hydraulic chamber is discharged to the outside through the gap between the lines of the spring in the middle of the drain oil passage. In the spool valve having such a configuration, depending on the specifications of the spring, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain oil passage may be insufficient if the clearance between the springs decreases with axial movement of the spool. ..
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a spool valve that can sufficiently secure an oil passage cross-sectional area of a specific space in which a biasing member is provided.

A spool valve according to the present invention includes a valve body having a plurality of ports that are part of an oil passage, a spool that is axially movable within the valve body, and that connects the ports to each other according to the axial position, and a valve. At least a part is provided in a specific space which is partitioned between the body and the spool and forms a part of the oil passage, and includes a biasing member that biases the spool in one axial direction.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the urging member has a line gap when the spool is located on the most one side in the axial direction, and expands and contracts as the spool moves in the axial direction to exert an urging force on the spool. a coil spring portion is increased or decreased, is provided to a particular space, and an oil passage section line between a clearance is made from a large coil spring than the coil spring portion, have a, a biasing force over the entire stroke range of the spool to the spool It is an unequal pitch coil spring to act .
In the second aspect of the present invention, the urging member is provided in the specific space and the coil spring portion that expands and contracts in accordance with the axial movement of the spool to increase and decrease the urging force to the spool. Nevertheless, it has an axial length that is constant, and an oil passage portion that has an axial gap that is larger than the line gap of the coil spring portion.
In the third aspect of the present invention, the urging member is provided in the specific space and the coil spring portion that expands and contracts in accordance with the axial movement of the spool to increase or decrease the urging force to the spool, and the distance between the adjacent wire members. Has an oil passage portion formed of a spring whose winding diameter is changed so as to be larger than the coil spring portion.

With such a configuration, the oil that has flowed into the specific space flows out not through the line gap of the coil spring portion but through the gap of the oil passage portion larger than the line gap. Therefore, even when the line gap of the coil spring portion becomes smaller as the spool moves in the axial direction, it is possible to sufficiently secure the oil passage cross-sectional area of the specific space in which the biasing member is provided.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a valve timing adjusting device to which the spool valve according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion III in FIG. 1, showing a state in which hydraulic oil is being discharged from the retard chamber while supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion III of FIG. 1, showing a state in which hydraulic oil is being discharged from the advance chamber while supplying hydraulic oil to the retard chamber. It is a figure which shows the spring of FIG. The relationship between the stroke of the spool in FIG. 1 and the oil passage cross-sectional area of the retard port, the relationship between the stroke of the spool and the oil passage cross-sectional area of the flow passage portion of the spring in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a stroke and the oil passage sectional area of a spring. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spool valve in the valve timing adjusting device to which the spool valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a spool valve in a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a spool valve in a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a spool valve and its vicinity in a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a spool valve and its vicinity in a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spool valve in the valve timing adjusting device to which the spool valve according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 21 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a spool valve and its vicinity in a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the spring of FIG. FIG. 21 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a spool valve in a valve timing adjusting device to which a spool valve according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the spring of FIG. FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spool valve in the valve timing adjusting device to which the spool valve according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the spring of FIG. FIG. 23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spool valve in the valve timing adjusting device to which the spool valve according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the spool valve in the valve timing adjusting device to which the spool valve according to the comparative embodiment is applied.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations that are substantially the same between the embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
[First Embodiment]
A valve timing adjusting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The valve timing adjustment device 10 adjusts the valve timing of an intake valve (not shown) that drives the camshaft 92 to open and close by rotating the camshaft 92 relative to the crankshaft 91 of the internal combustion engine 90. It is provided in the driving force transmission path from 91 to the camshaft 92. The crankshaft 91 is a “drive shaft” described in the claims, and the camshaft 92 is a “driven shaft” described in the claims.

<Overall structure>
First, the overall configuration of the valve timing adjustment device 10 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the valve timing adjustment device 10 includes a housing 20, a vane rotor 30, a spool valve 40, and a check valve 60.

The housing 20 has a sprocket 21, a front plate 25, and a rear plate 26. The sprocket 21 is provided coaxially with the cam shaft 92 in the axial extension of the cam shaft 92, and forms a tubular portion 22, an external tooth portion 23, and a plurality of protruding portions 24. The outer tooth portion 23 is provided on the outer wall of the tubular portion 22, and is connected to the crankshaft 91 via a timing chain 93. The projecting portion 24 projects radially inward from the tubular portion 22.

The front plate 25 is provided on one side in the axial direction with respect to the sprocket 21. The rear plate 26 is provided on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the sprocket 21, and has a fitting hole 27 in the center. The cam shaft 92 is fitted into the fitting hole 27 of the rear plate 26. The sprocket 21, the front plate 25, and the rear plate 26 are integrally fixed by bolts 28. The housing 20 can rotate integrally with the crankshaft 91.

The vane rotor 30 is provided in the housing 20 so as to be rotatable relative to the housing 20, and forms a boss portion 31 and a plurality of vane portions 32. The boss portion 31 has a sleeve insertion hole 38 in the central portion, and is fixed to the cam shaft 92 by a sleeve bolt 41. The sleeve bolt 41 is inserted into the sleeve insertion hole 38 from the side opposite to the camshaft 92 with respect to the vane rotor 30, and is screwed onto the camshaft 92. The vane portion 32 protrudes outward in the radial direction from the boss portion 31, and defines the internal space of the housing 20, that is, the space between the two protruding portions 24 of the sprocket 21, in the advancing chamber 33 on one side in the circumferential direction and the circumferential direction. It is partitioned into the retard chamber 34 on the other side. The advance chamber 33 and the retard chamber 34 correspond to the “pressure chamber” recited in the claims.

The vane rotor 30 has a supply oil passage 37, an advance oil passage 35, and a retard oil passage 36. One end of the advance oil passage 35 is connected to the advance chamber 33, and the other end is opened to the sleeve insertion hole 38. One end of the retard oil passage 36 is connected to the retard chamber 34, and the other end opens into the sleeve insertion hole 38. The supply oil passage 37 has one end opened to the end surface of the boss portion 31 on the camshaft 92 side, and the other end opened to the sleeve insertion hole 38.

The external oil supply passage 94 of the camshaft 92 communicates with an oil pump 96 via an oil passage 95 such as an engine block. The oil supply passage 37 is connected to the external oil supply passage 94.
The vane rotor 30 relatively rotates with respect to the housing 20 by receiving the pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to one of the advance chamber 33 and the retard chamber 34, and the rotation phase with respect to the housing 20 is changed to the advance side or the retard side. Change.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the spool valve 40 has a sleeve bolt 41, a spool 48, and a spring 59.
The sleeve bolt 41 has a tubular sleeve 44 and a threaded portion 43 located on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the sleeve 44. The sleeve 44 has a head portion 42 formed at one axial end thereof. The screw part 43 includes a first shaft part having a screw formed on the outer wall thereof, and a second shaft part connecting the first shaft part and the sleeve 44. No screw is formed on the outer wall of the second shaft portion. The sleeve bolt 41 corresponds to the “valve body” described in the claims.

The sleeve 44 has an advance port 45 connected to the advance oil passage 35, a retard port 46 connected to the retard oil passage 36, and a supply port 47 connected to the supply oil passage 37. And have. Each port is a hole that penetrates in the radial direction and is a part of the oil passage. The advance angle port 45 becomes a part of a supply oil passage when supplying the hydraulic oil from the spool valve 40 to the advance angle chamber 33, and a part of a drain oil passage when discharging the hydraulic oil from the advance angle chamber 33. Becomes The retard port 46 becomes a part of a supply oil passage when supplying the hydraulic oil from the spool valve 40 to the retard chamber 34, and a part of the drain oil passage when discharging the hydraulic oil from the retard chamber 34. Becomes

The spool 48 is inserted into a spool insertion hole 49 of the sleeve 44 and can reciprocate in the sleeve 44 in the axial direction. The spool 48 connects the ports to each other according to the axial position. Specifically, the spool 48 connects the supply port 47 and the advance port 45 as shown in FIG. 3 when discharging the hydraulic oil from the retard chamber 34 while supplying the hydraulic oil to the advance chamber 33. Meanwhile, the retard port 46 is connected to the drain space 51. On the other hand, when the spool 48 supplies the hydraulic oil to the retard chamber 34 and discharges the hydraulic oil from the advance chamber 33, the spool 48 connects the supply port 47 and the retard port 46 as shown in FIG. The corner port 45 is connected to the annular space 54.

The drain space 51 is defined between the axial end surface 52 of the spool 48 and the threaded portion 43. The annular space 54 is defined between the end of the spool 48 on one axial side and the sleeve 44. The drain space 51 communicates with the outside via an in-spool oil passage 53 formed of a hollow portion of the spool 48 and an annular space 54.

The spring 59 is provided between the spool 48 and the screw portion 43 and biases the spool 48 in one axial direction. A stopper plate 58 is fitted inside the head portion 42 of the sleeve bolt 28. The stopper plate 58 is a stopper that restricts the movement of the spool 48 in one axial direction at a predetermined position. The axial position of the spool 48 is determined by the balance between the urging force of the spring 59 and the pressing force of the linear solenoid 97 provided on the opposite side of the stopper plate 58 from the spool 48.

The check valve 60 is sandwiched between the cam shaft 92 and the vane rotor 30. In the present embodiment, the check valve 60 is a reed valve, allows the hydraulic oil to flow from the external oil supply passage 94 to the oil supply passage 37, and operates the hydraulic oil from the oil supply passage 37 to the external oil supply passage 94. Block the distribution of. This prevents the hydraulic oil in the supply oil passage 37 from flowing back to the external supply oil passage 94 side.

In the valve timing adjustment device 10 configured as described above, when the rotation phase is on the retard side with respect to the target value, as shown in FIG. 3, the spool valve 40 supplies hydraulic oil to the advance chamber 33 while delaying the operation oil. The hydraulic oil in the corner chamber 34 is discharged. As a result, the vane rotor 30 rotates relative to the housing 20 in the advance direction.

When the rotation phase is on the advance side with respect to the target value, the spool 48 is axially moved to the position shown in FIG. 4 to supply the hydraulic oil to the retard chamber 34 and operate the advance chamber 33. Oil is drained. As a result, the vane rotor 30 rotates relative to the housing 20 in the retard direction.
When the rotation phase matches the target value, the advance chamber 33 and the retard chamber 34 are closed by the outer peripheral end surface of the spool 48. As a result, the pressure in the advance chamber 33 and the retard chamber 34 is maintained, so that the rotational phase is maintained.

<Characteristic composition>
Next, the characteristic configuration of the valve timing adjustment device 10 will be described.
(spring)
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the spring 59 corresponds to the “biasing member” described in the claims, and at least a part of the spring 59 is provided in the drain space 51. Specifically, the spring 59 expands and contracts in accordance with the axial movement of the spool 48 to increase and decrease the urging force to the spool 48, and a line gap larger than the line gap 72 of the coil spring 71. 73 and an oil passage portion 74 that is formed in the middle of the oil circulation path R of the drain space 51. That is, the inter-line gap 74, which is a gap formed between the coil pitches, has a spiral shape because the spring 59 is formed in a coil shape, and the oil passage portion 74 can pass the working oil from the gap. I can. The oil passage portion 74 is a coil spring having a winding pitch larger than that of the coil spring portion 71. The wire gap 73 is a wire gap of the coil spring. The spring 59 is an unequal pitch coil spring including a coil spring portion 71 and an oil passage portion 74. In the present embodiment, the oil circulation path R is a path that passes through the outer peripheral portion that is the oil inflow portion of the drain space 51 and the inner peripheral portion that is the oil outflow portion of the drain space 51. In FIG. 3 and the subsequent drawings, the oil flow path R is shown only partially (for example, only one side in the radial direction) in order to avoid complication.

(Drain space)
The drain space 51 corresponds to the “specific space” described in the claims and is partitioned at a position adjacent to the spool 48 on the other side in the axial direction. The spool 48 has an in-spool oil passage 53 that guides the oil in the drain space 51 to the outside. The drain space 51 is connected to the retard port 46 according to the axial position of the spool 48, and guides the oil flowing from the retard port 46 to the in-spool oil passage 53. The drain space 51, the oil passage 53 in the spool, and the annular space 54 form a drain oil passage. In this embodiment, in FIG. 3, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the line gap 73 is set to be larger than the minimum oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain oil passage.

(Spring housing)
The oil passage 53 in the spool is a hollow portion of the spool 48, and has a bottomed hole 75 extending from the axial end surface 52 of the spool 48 in one axial direction, and penetrates in the radial direction near the bottom of the bottomed hole 75. The through hole 76 is formed. The bottomed hole 75 has a small diameter portion on one side in the axial direction and a large diameter portion on the other side in the axial direction. The large diameter portion constitutes a spring accommodating portion 77 that accommodates the coil spring portion 71.

(Gap between lines of coil spring)
The sleeve bolt 41 has a stopper surface 78 that restricts the movement of the spool 48 in the other axial direction at a predetermined position. The stopper surface 78 is the bottom surface of the spool insertion hole 49, and is constituted by the end surface of the threaded portion 43 on one side in the axial direction. Further, the stopper surface 78 is provided with a recess 79 for suppressing the displacement of the spring 58 in the radial direction. The other end of the spring 58 in the axial direction is fitted and held in the recess 79. As shown in FIG. 4, when the movement of the spool 48 in the other axial direction is restricted by the stopper surface 78, a gap exists between the lines of the coil spring portion 71. That is, there is always a gap between the lines of the coil spring portion 71, regardless of the axial position of the spool 48. The gap of the oil passage portion 74 overlaps the drain space 51 regardless of the position of the spool 48.

<Effect>
As described above, in the first embodiment, the spool valve 40 is capable of moving in the axial direction within the sleeve bolt 41, which has the plurality of ports 45, 46, 47 forming a part of the oil passage. The spool 48 that connects the ports to each other according to the axial position and the drain space 51 that is defined between the sleeve bolt 41 and the spool 48 and is a part of the oil passage are provided. And a spring 59 that is biased in one direction. The spring 59 expands and contracts in accordance with the axial movement of the spool 48 to increase and decrease the urging force to the spool 48, and a line gap 73 larger than the line gap 72 of the coil spring part 71 in the drain space 51. And an oil passage portion 74 formed in the middle of the oil circulation path R.

With this configuration, the oil that has flowed into the drain space 51 flows out not through the line gap 72 of the coil spring portion 71 but through the line gap 73 having a larger axial width than the line gap 72. To do. Therefore, even if the line gap 72 of the coil spring portion 71 becomes smaller as the spool 48 moves in the axial direction, a sufficient oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain space 51 in which the spring 59 is provided can be secured. .. Therefore, an increase in pressure loss in the drain space 51 is suppressed.

The solid line in FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the stroke of the spool 48 and the oil passage cross-sectional area of the retard port 46. The position where the stroke of the spool 48 is 0 is the position where the spool 48 contacts the stopper plate 58. The dashed-dotted line in FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the stroke of the spool 48 and the oil passage cross-sectional area of the line gap 73 of the spring 59 in the drain space 51. The broken line in FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the stroke of the spool 48 and the oil passage cross-sectional area of the line clearance 202 of the spring 201 in the drain space 51 in the spool valve 200 according to the comparative embodiment of FIG. 21, the spring 201 is a coil spring provided across the drain space 51 and the spring accommodating portion 203, and has the same winding pitch as the coil spring portion 71 of the first embodiment. In the comparative mode (broken line in FIG. 6), there is a region where the inter-line gap 202 of the spring 201 is the narrowest part in the drain oil passage. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the line gap 73 of the spring 59 becomes larger than the oil passage cross-sectional area of the retard port 46 in the entire stroke range of the spool 48, and the oil in the drain space 51 is reduced. Sufficient road cross-sectional area is secured.

Further, in the first embodiment, the spool 48 has the in-spool oil passage 53 communicating with the outside. The drain space 51 is partitioned at a position adjacent to the other side in the axial direction with respect to the spool 48, is connected to the retard port 46 according to the axial position of the spool 48, and the oil flowing from the retard port 46 is flowed. To the oil passage 53 in the spool.
With this configuration, the oil in the drain space 51 can be discharged to the outside from the oil passage 53 in the spool. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a drain oil passage in the screw portion 43 located on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the drain space 51. Therefore, the screw portion 43 can be solid, and the strength of the screw portion 43 can be advantageously designed.

Further, in the first embodiment, the sleeve bolt 41 has the stopper surface 78 that restricts the movement of the spool 48 in the other axial direction at a predetermined position. When the movement of the spool 48 is restricted by the stopper surface 78, a gap exists between the lines of the coil spring portion 71.
With this configuration, the relationship between the bending of the spring 59 and the biasing force can be made constant while the spring 59 expands and contracts as the spool 48 moves. Therefore, the controllability of the linear solenoid 97 is improved.

Further, in the first embodiment, the oil passage portion 74 is a coil spring having a winding pitch larger than that of the coil spring portion. The spring 59 is an unequal pitch coil spring composed of a coil spring portion 71 and an oil passage portion 74.
With such a configuration, the line gap 73 can be easily provided.

Further, in the first embodiment, the in-spool oil passage 53 has the spring accommodating portion 77 that accommodates the coil spring portion 71.
With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the coil spring portion 71 in the drain space 51, which hinders oil circulation. Further, it is not necessary to provide a spring accommodating portion on the sleeve bolt 41 side, and the overall length of the sleeve bolt 41 can be shortened.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the screw portion 81 has a spring accommodating portion 82 at one axial end portion. The spring 83 has a coil spring portion 84 accommodated in the spring accommodating portion 82 and an oil passage portion 85 provided so as to straddle the drain space 51 and the spring accommodating portion 82.

In this way, the coil spring portion 84 may be housed on the side of the sleeve bolt 41 that is the “valve body”. Nevertheless, if the line space 73 that is larger than the line space 72 of the coil spring portion 84 is provided in the drain space 51 that is the “specific space”, sufficiently secure the oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain space 51. You can
Further, by disposing the coil spring portion 84 on the sleeve bolt 41 side, the inertial weight of the spool 48 can be reduced. Therefore, the responsiveness of the spool 48 is improved.

[Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the screw portion 87 has a screw internal oil passage 88 communicating with the outside. The drain space 86 guides the oil flowing in from the retard port 46 to the oil passage 88 in the screw.
As described above, the drain oil passage (that is, the oil passage 88 in the screw) may be provided on the side of the sleeve valve 41 that is the “valve body”. Nevertheless, if the line gap 73 of the oil passage portion 74 is provided in the drain space 86 which is the "specific space", the oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain space 86 can be sufficiently secured.

Further, in the third embodiment, the oil in the drain space 86 can be discharged to the outside from the oil passage 88 in the screw. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a drain oil passage in the spool 89 located on one side in the axial direction with respect to the drain space 86. Therefore, the spool 89 can be solid, and the spool 89 can be designed to have an advantageous strength.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the spring 101 is provided in the coil spring portion 71 provided in the spring accommodation portion 77 of the spool 48 and in the spring accommodation portion 103 of the screw portion 102. It has a coil spring portion 104, and an oil passage portion 85 which is provided so as to straddle the drain space 51 and the spring accommodating portion 82.

As described above, by providing the coil spring portions 71 and 104 on both sides in the axial direction with respect to the oil passage portion 85, the spring constant of the spring 101 is smaller than that of the spring 59, but the drain space is a “specific space”. A sufficient oil passage cross-sectional area of 51 can be secured. By reducing the spring constant, the linear solenoid can be downsized.

[Fifth Embodiment]
In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the drain space 111, which is the “specific space”, distributes the oil that has flowed in from the retard port 46 to the oil passage 53 in the spool and the oil passage 88 in the screw. To do. The drain space 111 serves as a branch point in the drain oil passage.
As described above, since the screw internal oil passage 88 is added as compared with the fourth embodiment, the pressure loss of the drain oil passage can be reduced.

[Sixth Embodiment]
In the sixth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, the drain space 111, which is the “specific space”, distributes the oil that has flowed in from the retard port 46 into the oil passage 121 in the spool and the oil passage 122 in the screw. To do. The oil passage 121 of the spool has a smaller oil passage cross-sectional area than the oil passage 53 of the spool described above. The oil passage 122 in the screw has a smaller oil passage cross-sectional area than the oil passage 88 in the screw. The oil passage 121 in the spool and the oil passage 122 in the screw are formed such that a value obtained by adding the oil passage cross-sectional areas is equal to the oil passage cross-sectional area of the spool oil passage 53 of the first embodiment.
With such a configuration, it is possible to make the design advantageous for the strength of the spool 123 and the threaded portion 124 without increasing the pressure loss of the drain oil passage.

[Seventh Embodiment]
In the seventh embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 12, the spool 131 has an in-spool oil passage 132 connected to the advance port 45 or the retard port 46 depending on the axial position of the spool 131. doing. The screw part 133 has a screw internal oil passage 134 that communicates with an oil pump 96 that is an external oil supply source. The space 135, which is a “specific space”, is provided between the screw internal oil passage 134 and the spool internal oil passage 132, and guides the oil flowing from the screw internal oil passage 134 to the spool internal oil passage 132. A check valve 136 is provided in the space 135. The screw internal oil passage 134, the space 135 and the spool internal oil passage 132 form a supply oil passage for supplying oil to the valve timing adjusting device 10. The oil in the retard port 46 is discharged to the outside through the drain port 139 of the sleeve 138.

The spring 59 has a coil spring portion 84 provided so as to straddle the spring accommodation hole 137 of the spool 131 and the space 135, and an oil passage portion 85 provided in the space 135. The oil passage portion 85 has a line gap 73 having a width larger than the line gap 72 of the coil spring portion 84.

In this way, the space 135 that is the “specific space” may be a part of the oil supply passage. Nevertheless, if the space 135 between the lines of the oil passage portion 85 is provided in the space 135, a sufficient oil passage cross-sectional area of the space 135 can be secured.

[Eighth Embodiment]
In the eighth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 13, the spring 141 is provided in the annular space 142 and has a coil spring portion 143 and an oil passage portion 144. The oil passage portion 144 has a line gap 145 larger than the line gap 72 of the coil spring portion 143. The annular space 142 is a “specific space”, which is defined between the end portion 146 on one axial side of the spool 48 and the spool 48, and guides the oil flowing from the in-spool oil passage 53 to the outside. ..

Thus, the spring 141 may be provided in the annular space 142. Nevertheless, if the line-shaped gap 145 of the oil passage portion 144 is provided in the annular space 142 that is the “specific space”, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the annular space 142 can be sufficiently secured.

[Ninth Embodiment]
In the ninth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 14, the spring 151 has a coil spring portion 71 and an oil passage portion 152. The oil passage portion 152 is composed of an extended portion of the wire material that constitutes the coil spring portion 71, is a fixed end having a constant axial length regardless of the axial movement of the spool 48, and has a space between the wires of the coil spring portion 71. It has an axial gap 153 larger than the gap 72. In the present embodiment, the oil passage portion 152 is composed of a wire rod provided so as to be stretched between the coil spring portion 71 and the screw portion 43 at one position in the circumferential direction. All of the portion other than the one portion in the circumferential direction is the gap 153 of the oil passage portion 152.

In this way, the oil passage portion 152 may be composed of the fixed end. Nevertheless, if the gap 153 is provided in the drain space 51 which is the “specific space”, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain space 51 can be sufficiently secured.
Further, the axial length of the oil passage portion 152 is constant regardless of the axial movement of the spool 48, and the gap 153 does not become small, so that a reliable flow rate can be expected. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the spring 151 is increased.

[Tenth Embodiment]
In the tenth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 16, the spring 161 has a coil spring portion 71 and an oil passage portion 162. The oil passage portion 162 is an extended portion of the wire material that constitutes the coil spring portion 71, is a fixed end having a constant axial length regardless of the axial movement of the spool 48, and has a space between the wires of the coil spring portion 71. It has an axial gap 163 larger than the gap 72. In the present embodiment, the oil passage portion 162 is composed of a wire rod provided so as to be stretched between the coil spring portion 71 and the screw portion 43 at a plurality of circumferential positions. Gaps 163 are formed between the wire rods extending in the axial direction at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction.

Thus, the oil passage portion 162 may be composed of the fixed end. Nevertheless, if the gap 163 is provided in the drain space 51 which is the “specific space”, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain space 51 can be sufficiently secured.
The coil spring portion 71 is supported by the oil passage portion 162 at a plurality of circumferential positions. Therefore, as compared with the ninth embodiment, it is possible to suppress the collapse of the coil spring portion 71 when the spring 161 expands and contracts.

[Eleventh Embodiment]
In the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 18, the spring 171 has a coil spring portion 71 and an oil passage portion 172. The oil passage portion 172 is composed of a spring whose winding diameter is changed so that a distance between adjacent wire rods (hereinafter, referred to as a wire rod distance) is larger than that of the coil spring portion 71, and in the present embodiment, a drum coil. It is a spring. The gap 173 of the oil passage portion 172 has a width larger than the line gap 72 of the coil spring portion 71.
As described above, the oil passage portion 172 may be configured by a drum coil spring. Nevertheless, if the gap 173 is provided in the drain space 51 that is the “specific space”, the oil passage cross-sectional area of the drain space 51 can be sufficiently secured. Further, the gap 173 of the hourglass-shaped coil spring can secure a flow path in both the radial direction and the axial direction.

[Twelfth Embodiment]
In the twelfth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 20, the spool 181 has a through hole 183 penetrating from the spring accommodating portion 182 to the outside in the radial direction. The through hole 183 connects the retard port 46 and the spring accommodating portion 182 according to the axial position of the spool 181. The through hole 183, the in-spool oil passage 53, and the annular space 54 form a drain oil passage. The spring 101 is provided in the spring housing portion 182 which is a “specific space” so that the axial position thereof overlaps with the through hole 183, and the spring 101 is provided on both sides in the axial direction with respect to the oil passage portion 85. It has coil spring parts 71 and 104.
As described above, the spring accommodating portion 182, which is a space between the recess at the end of the spool 181 and the sleeve 44, may be the “specific space”. If the line gap 73 of the oil passage portion 85 is provided in the middle of the oil flow path R in this space, a sufficient oil passage cross-sectional area of the space can be secured.

[Other Embodiments]
In another embodiment of the present invention, the valve body may have at least a sleeve and may not be provided with a threaded portion.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the valve timing adjusting device may adjust the valve timing of the exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10... Valve timing adjusting device 40... Spool valve 41... Sleeve bolt (valve body)
45, 46, 47, 139... Ports 48, 89, 123, 181,... Spools 51, 86, 111, 135, 142, 182... Specific space 59, 83, 101, 141, 151, 161, 171... Spring (biasing member)
71, 84, 104, 143... Coil spring portion 72... Line gap 73, 145, 153, 163, 173... Line gap 74, 85, 144, 152, 162, 172... Oil Passing part 90... Internal combustion engine

Claims (11)

A spool valve used in a valve timing adjusting device (10) for adjusting the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine (90), comprising:
A valve body (41) having a plurality of ports (45, 46, 47, 139) forming a part of an oil passage,
A spool (48, 89, 123, 181) that is movable in the axial direction within the valve body and that connects the ports according to the axial position;
At least a part is provided in a specific space (51, 86, 111, 135, 142, 182) defined between the valve body and the spool and forming a part of an oil passage, and the spool is axially arranged. An urging member (59, 83, 101, 141) urging to one side,
Is equipped with
The biasing member is
A coil spring (71, 84, 71, 84, 71) that expands and contracts with the axial movement of the spool to increase or decrease the urging force to the spool when there is a gap between the lines when the spool is located on the most one side in the axial direction. 104, 143),
An oil passage portion (74, 85, 144) that is provided in the specific space and has a wire gap that is larger than the coil spring portion;
Have a a irregular pitch coil spring for applying a biasing force to the spool over the entire stroke range of the spool, the spool valve. The spool valve according to claim 1, wherein the coil spring portions (71, 104) are provided on both axial sides of the oil passage portion. A spool valve used in a valve timing adjusting device (10) for adjusting the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine (90), comprising:
A valve body (41) having a plurality of ports (45, 46, 47) forming a part of an oil passage,
A spool (48) that is movable in the axial direction within the valve body and that connects the ports according to the axial position;
At least a part is provided in a specific space (51) which is defined between the valve body and the spool and which is a part of an oil passage, and biases the spool in one axial direction. Members (151, 161),
Is equipped with
The biasing member is provided in the specific space and a coil spring portion (71) that expands and contracts as the spool moves in the axial direction, and increases and decreases the biasing force to the spool. And an oil passage portion (152, 162) having a constant axial length and an axial gap (153, 163) larger than the line gap (72) of the coil spring portion. Spool valve. A spool valve used in a valve timing adjusting device (10) for adjusting the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine (90), comprising:
A valve body (41) having a plurality of ports (45, 46, 47) forming a part of an oil passage,
A spool (48) that is movable in the axial direction within the valve body and that connects the ports according to the axial position;
At least a part is provided in a specific space (51) which is defined between the valve body and the spool and which is a part of an oil passage, and biases the spool in one axial direction. A member (171),
Is equipped with
The urging member is provided in the specific space and a coil spring portion (71) that expands and contracts in accordance with the axial movement of the spool to increase and decrease the urging force to the spool. A spool valve having an oil passage portion (172) including a spring whose winding diameter is changed so as to be larger than the coil spring portion. The spool (48) has an in-spool oil passage (53) communicating with the outside,
The specific space (51) is partitioned into a position adjacent to the other side in the axial direction with respect to the spool, and is connected to the predetermined port (46) according to the axial position of the spool. The spool valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the oil that flows in from the spool valve is guided to the oil passage in the spool. The valve body has a sleeve (44) having the port and a threaded portion (87) located on the other axial side with respect to the sleeve,
The threaded portion has a threaded oil passage (88) communicating with the outside,
The specific space (86) is defined in the sleeve between the spool and the threaded portion, and is connected to the predetermined port (46) according to the axial position of the spool. The spool valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein oil flowing from a port is guided to the oil passage in the screw. The spool (48) has an oil passage (53, 121) in the spool communicating with the outside,
The valve body has a sleeve having the port, and a threaded portion (102, 124) located on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the sleeve,
The threaded portion has a threaded oil passage (88, 122) communicating with the outside,
The specific space (111) is defined in the sleeve between the spool and the threaded portion, and is connected to a predetermined port (46) according to an axial position of the spool. The spool valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the oil flowing from the port is distributed to the oil passage in the spool and the oil passage in the screw. The spool (131) has an in-spool oil passage (132) connected to the predetermined ports (45, 46) according to the axial position of the spool.
The valve body has a sleeve having the port, and a screw portion (133) located on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the sleeve,
The threaded portion has a threaded oil passage (134) communicating with the outside,
The specific space (135) is provided between the oil passage in the screw and the oil passage in the spool, and guides the oil flowing from the oil passage in the screw to the oil passage in the spool. The spool valve according to any one of 1. The spool (48) has an in-spool oil passage (53) connected to the predetermined port (46) according to the axial position of the spool,
The specific space (142) is defined between an end portion (146) on one axial side of the spool and the valve body, and guides the oil flowing from the oil passage in the spool to the outside. The spool valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The valve body has a stopper (78) for restricting movement of the spool in the other axial direction at a predetermined position,
The spool valve according to claim 1, wherein a gap exists between the lines of the coil spring portion when the movement of the spool is restricted by the stopper. 11. The spool valve according to claim 1, wherein the spool valve is arranged downstream of the check valve.

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