JPH11270317A - Valve timing controller for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent oil from leaking through a sliding hole or the like as securing good longitudinal slidability of a lock pin as well as to prevent deterioration of valve timing control accuracy and improve durability of a timing belt. SOLUTION: Opening and closing timing of an intake valve is made variable by converting the relative rotation phase of a timing pulley 1 and a cam shaft 2 by making a vane 3 relatively rotatable with the timing pulley 1 reciprocatingly rotatable by means of feeding and discharging relative oil pressure to and from an advance side oil pressure chamber and a lag angle side oil pressure chamber. A through hole 50 is axially formed in the interior of a lock pin 34 of a lock mechanism restricting relative rotation of the vane 3 and the timing pulley 1 and oil is prevented from leaking to the external by making the interier of a slide hole 35, a space 51 and the like air tight as well as to obtain good slidability of the lock pin 34 by making air and oil inside a first and a second space 51 and the like substitutively flowing through the through hole 50 when the lock pin 34 slides longitudinally.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve timing control device for varying the opening / closing timing of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine according to the operating state of the engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional valve timing control device, for example, a vane type control device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-250311 is known.

Referring to FIG. 6, the valve timing control device comprises a timing sprocket 60 having teeth 60a on its outer periphery, and a cylindrical housing 61 fixed to a main body of the timing sprocket 60 by bolts 73. And a vane 64 fixed to an end of the camshaft 62 together with a front cover 63 by bolts 74 and rotatably housed inside the cylindrical housing 61. Further, between the four substantially trapezoidal protruding portions 61a projecting inward from the diametrical direction on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 61 and the four blade portions 64a of the vane 64, a forward movement (not shown) is provided. An angular hydraulic chamber and a retard hydraulic chamber are defined. The hydraulic pressure is supplied to and discharged from the hydraulic chambers on the advance side and the retard side according to the engine operating state, and the
4 is rotated forward / reversely to change the relative rotational phase between the timing sprocket 60 and the camshaft 62, thereby making the opening / closing timing of the intake valve variable.

[0006] A lock mechanism 65 is provided between the one blade portion 64 a and the timing sprocket 60 to lock or unlock the relative rotation between the timing sprocket 60 and the vane 64.

The lock mechanism 65 includes a single blade 64
a sliding hole 66 is formed along the camshaft axial direction, a lock pin 67 is slidably provided in the sliding hole 66, and a sliding hole is formed in the inner end face of the timing sprocket 60. A locking hole 68 continuous with 66 is formed. Further, the lock pin 67 is provided with a locking hole 68 by a spring force of a coil spring 69 elastically mounted on the outer end side.
Of the sliding hole 66 at the rear end thereof and a hydraulic pressure supplied to a pressure receiving chamber 70 provided at the rear end of the sliding hole 66.
8 to release the engagement.

The front cover 63 is formed with an air hole 72 facing the back pressure chamber 71 at the rear end of the lock pin 67. The air hole 72 allows the inside of the back pressure chamber 71 and the front cover 63 to be formed. The back pressure chamber 7
By allowing the inflow and the outflow of air into the inside 1, free movement of the lock pin 67 is ensured.
The air hole 72 is closed when the lock pin 67 is pressed by the supply hydraulic pressure in the pressure receiving chamber 70 so that the annular rear end face 67 a is in close contact with the inner end face 63 a of the front cover 63 as shown in the figure. ing.

[0007]

However, in the conventional valve timing control device, the air holes 72 are not provided.
Although the free movement of the lock pin 67 in the front-rear direction by the hydraulic pressure and the spring pressure can be ensured by the hydraulic pressure and the spring pressure, the lock hole 67 pressed against the inner end face 63 a of the front cover 63 by the supply hydraulic pressure of the pressure receiving chamber 66 as described above. Is closed (sealed) by the annular rear end surface 67a, so that the oil leaking from the pressure receiving chamber 70 to the back pressure chamber 71 immediately before or after the rear end surface 67a is closed and the rear end surface 67a and the inner end surface. There is a possibility that the air will be discharged from the air holes 72 to the outside through the space between the air holes 63a.

As a result, the oil leaked from the air hole 72 to the outside flows along the outer surface of the front cover 63 to the outer peripheral side of the timing sprocket 60 and adheres. Therefore, when the timing sprocket 60 is used as in this conventional example, lubrication between the timing chain and the timing chain is provided. , A transmission of the driving force from the crankshaft to the camshaft may be deteriorated, and control accuracy of the valve timing may be reduced.

Furthermore, the timing belt is liable to be deteriorated due to the adhering oil, which causes various technical problems such as a decrease in durability.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been devised in view of the technical problem of the conventional example, and the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a rotating body which is rotationally driven by a crankshaft of an engine; A cam shaft rotatable relative to the rotating body;
A vane fixed to an end of the camshaft and slidably rotating within a housing of a rotating body, a lid closing one end opening of the housing, and a plurality of inwardly protrudingly provided on an inner peripheral surface of the housing. The partition portion, the retard side hydraulic chamber and the advance side hydraulic chamber defined between the partition portion and both side surfaces of the vane,
A hydraulic circuit for supplying and discharging hydraulic pressure to the two hydraulic chambers to rotate the vane forward and reverse, and a lock pin which is pivoted by a relative pressure between the hydraulic pressure supplied through the hydraulic circuit and the spring force of the spring member. A lock mechanism that locks or unlocks the relative rotation between the rotating body and the vane by sliding in a direction, wherein the lock pin has an inner axial direction, from one end to the other end. In which a through-hole penetrating through is formed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the lock mechanism includes a sliding hole formed in an inner axial direction of the vane and an engaging groove formed continuously with the sliding hole on one side wall of the rotating body.
A lock pin that slides in the sliding hole so that a tip portion protrudes and retracts into the engagement groove and locks or unlocks; and a lock pin is elastically mounted on the rear end side of the lock pin to lock the lock pin in the locking direction. A pressure receiving chamber formed on the outer peripheral side of the lock pin and configured to move the lock pin in the unlocking direction against the spring force of the spring member by the hydraulic pressure supplied to the inside of the lock member. Features.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that an oil sump groove is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the lock pin and the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the oil reservoir groove is formed on an outer peripheral surface of a lock pin.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the volume of the first space formed on the rear end side of the lock pin when the front end of the lock pin engages with the engagement groove and locks the lock pin, and The volume of the second space formed on the tip side of the lock pin when the tip of the lock pin is released from the engagement groove and unlocked is set to be substantially the same.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the rotating body is a timing pulley around which a timing belt made of a synthetic resin is wound.

According to the present invention, when the lock pin moves in the front-rear direction, the air existing in the chamber on the movement direction side of the lock pin flows into the chamber on the opposite side of the movement through the through hole.
The movement of the lock pin is secured by hydraulic pressure and spring pressure without being hindered by the air existing in the front and rear end chambers. Therefore, it is not necessary to form an air hole as in the conventional example, so that leakage of oil to the outside is reliably prevented.

[0017]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention, which is applied to an intake valve side.

That is, a timing pulley 1 which is a rotary member driven by a crankshaft (not shown) of an engine via a timing belt made of synthetic resin, and a cam provided rotatably with respect to the timing pulley 1 A shaft 2, a vane 3 fixed to an end of the camshaft 2 and rotatably accommodated in the timing pulley 1, a hydraulic circuit 4 for rotating the vane 3 forward and reverse by hydraulic pressure, the timing pulley 1 and the vane A lock mechanism 1 for locking relative rotation with respect to 3 at a predetermined position or releasing the lock
0.

As shown in FIG. 3, the timing pulley 1 has a rotating member 5 having teeth 5a on its outer periphery with which a timing belt meshes, and a timing pulley 1 is disposed in front of the rotating member 5 to rotate the vane 3 freely. The housed housing 6, a disk-shaped front cover 7 serving as a lid for closing a front end opening of the housing 6, and a cover for closing a rear end opening of the housing 6 which is disposed between the housing 6 and the rotating member 5. The rotating member 5, the housing 6, the front cover 7, and the rear cover 8 are integrally connected by four small-diameter bolts 9 in the axial direction.

The rotary member 5 has a substantially annular shape, and four female screw holes 5b into which small-diameter bolts 9 are screwed are formed in the front-rear direction at equal intervals of about 90 ° in the circumferential direction. A stepped diameter fitting hole 11 into which a passage-forming sleeve 25 to be described later is fitted is formed through the inner central position. Further, a disc-shaped fitting groove 12 into which the rear cover 8 is fitted is formed in the front end face.

The housing 6 has a cylindrical shape with open front and rear ends, and four partition walls 13 are protruded from the inner peripheral surface at 90 ° in the circumferential direction. The partition 13 has a trapezoidal cross section, and is provided along the axial direction of the housing 6. Both ends are flush with both ends of the housing 6. Four bolt insertion holes 14 through which the small-diameter bolts 9 are inserted are formed to penetrate in the axial direction. Further, a U-shaped sealing member 15 and a leaf spring 16 for pressing the sealing member 15 inward are fitted and held in a holding groove 13a formed by cutting out along the axial direction at the center position of the inner end face of each partition 13. Have been.

Further, the front cover 7 has a relatively large-diameter bolt insertion hole 17 formed in the center thereof, and four bolt holes 18 at positions corresponding to the respective bolt insertion holes 14 of the housing 6. Has been drilled.

Further, the rear cover 8 has a disk portion 8a fitted and held in the fitting groove 12 of the rotating member 5 on the rear end surface, and a small-diameter annular portion 2 of the sleeve 25 at the center.
An insertion hole 8c into which 5a is inserted is formed, and four bolt holes 19 are also formed at positions corresponding to the bolt insertion holes 14.

The camshaft 2 comprises a cylinder head 2
2 is rotatably supported via a cam bearing 23 at an upper end thereof, and a cam (not shown) for opening an intake valve via a valve lifter is integrally provided at a predetermined position on an outer peripheral surface. The flange portion 24 is provided integrally.

The vane 3 is integrally formed of a sintered alloy material, and has a fixing bolt 26 inserted from the axial direction through the sleeve 25 whose front and rear portions are fitted into the flange portion 24 and the fitting hole 11, respectively. An annular base 27 fixed to the front end of the camshaft 2 and having a bolt insertion hole 27a in the center thereof through which the fixing bolt 26 is inserted, and integrally formed at a 90 ° circumferential position on the outer peripheral surface of the base 27. And four blades 28 provided at the same time.

Each of the blades 28 has a rectangular shape, is arranged between the partition walls 13, and has a housing groove 29 which is notched in the axial direction at the center of each outer peripheral surface.
A U-shaped seal member 30 slidably in contact with the inner peripheral surface 6a and a leaf spring 31 for pressing the seal member 30 outward are fitted and held respectively. Further, four advance-side hydraulic chambers 32 and four retard-side hydraulic chambers 33 are formed between both sides of each blade section 28 and both side surfaces of each partition section 13, respectively.

The lock mechanism 10 includes an engagement groove 20 formed at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral side of the fitting groove 12 of the rotating member 5.
And an engagement hole 21 formed at a predetermined position of the rear cover 8 corresponding to the engagement groove 20 and having a tapered inner peripheral surface.
A sliding hole 35 formed substantially at the center of the one blade portion 28 corresponding to the engagement hole 21 so as to penetrate along the inner axial direction, and inside the sliding hole 35 of the one blade portion 28. A lock pin 34 slidably provided on the lock pin 34, a coil spring 39, which is a spring member elastically mounted on the rear end side of the lock pin 34, and a pressure receiving member formed between the lock pin 34 and the sliding hole 35. And a chamber 40.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the lock pin 34 has a medium-diameter main body 34a at the center and an engaging portion 34b formed in a substantially tapered conical shape at the tip end of the main body 34a.
And a large-diameter stopper 34c formed on the rear end side of the main body 34a.
Are biased in the direction of the engagement hole 21 by the spring force of the coil spring 39 elastically mounted between the bottom surface of the internal concave groove 34d and the inner end surface of the front cover 7, and the main body 34a It slides in the direction of coming out of the engagement hole 21 by the oil pressure in the pressure receiving chamber 40 formed between the outer peripheral surface between the first and second stoppers 34c and the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole 35. The pressure receiving chamber 40 is
The blade 28 communicates with the retard hydraulic chamber 33 through a through hole 36 formed in a side portion thereof. The engaging portion 34b of the lock pin 34 is adapted to be engaged in the engaging hole 21 at the rotation position of the vane 3 on the maximum retard side.

When the two members 34b and 21 are engaged, one of the four blades 28 is brought into contact with the partition 13 opposite thereto, and the other blade 28 is brought into contact with the other blade 28. The relative positional relationship between the lock pin 34 and the engaging hole 21 is set so that the opposing partition walls 13 are separated from each other with a small gap s.
Here, the minute gap s is determined by the average torque, the sliding friction, and the size of the blade portion 28. Therefore, sticking between the other blades 28 and the partition 13 is prevented, and the responsiveness during rotation can be improved. In addition, it is also possible to set all of the four blades 28 in the separated state.

Further, the lock pin 34 is
A straight through hole 50 is formed in the direction of the internal axis of a. The through hole 50 has one end opening 50a formed to face the first space portion 51 in which the stopper portion 34c slides, and the other end opening 50b formed to face the second space portion 52 on the engagement groove 20 side. ing. The first space 51 has a predetermined volume V including the concave groove 34 d, while the second space 52 has an engagement groove 20, an engagement hole 21, and a sliding hole continuous with the engagement hole 21. 35a, and the entire volume V thereof is set substantially equal to the volume V of the first space portion 51.

Further, the main body 34a of the lock pin 34
A plurality of annular oil reservoir grooves 53 are formed at substantially equal intervals in the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface, so that hydraulic oil leaked from the pressure receiving chamber 40 is stored here.

The pressure receiving chamber 40 communicates with the retard hydraulic chamber 33 through the through hole 36, and the lock pin 34 is subjected to the spring force of the coil spring 39 by the hydraulic pressure introduced from the retard hydraulic chamber 33. In the left direction in the drawing, that is, the engaging portion 34
b is operated in the retreating direction to escape from the locking hole 21.

On the other hand, the coil spring 39 is set in accordance with the relationship between the positive and negative alternating torque generated in the camshaft 2 and the vane 3 during operation of the engine and the hydraulic pressure supplied to the pressure receiving chamber 40. . In other words, the spring force of the coil spring 39 is set such that a hydraulic pressure higher than the average value of the maximum peak value of the positive fluctuation torque and the maximum peak value of the negative fluctuation torque acts on the pressure receiving chamber 40, that is, the positive or negative value from the average value. The spring force is set such that the spring force compresses and deforms only when a hydraulic pressure equal to a torque value within the range up to the negative maximum peak value is applied.

The hydraulic circuit 4 includes a first hydraulic passage 41 for supplying and discharging hydraulic pressure to the advance hydraulic chamber 32 and a hydraulic pressure to the retard hydraulic chamber 33 as shown in FIGS. There are two hydraulic passages, a second hydraulic passage 42 for supply and discharge, and a supply passage 43 and a drain passage 44 in both hydraulic passages 41 and 42.
And are respectively connected through electromagnetic switching valves 45 for passage switching. An oil pump 47 for pumping oil in an oil pan 46 is provided in the supply passage 43, while a downstream end of the drain passage 44 communicates with the oil pan 46.

The first hydraulic passage 41 has a first hydraulic passage 41 formed inside the cylinder head 22 and inside the axis of the camshaft 2.
A passage portion 41a, a first oil passage 41b branched and formed in the head portion 26a through the inner axial direction of the fixing bolt 26 and communicating with the first passage portion 41a, and a small-diameter outer peripheral surface of the head portion 26a and a vane. An oil chamber 41 formed between the inner peripheral surface of the bolt insertion hole 27a in the base 27 of the third oil passage 41 and communicating with the first oil passage 41b.
c and four branch passages 41 d which are formed substantially radially in the base portion 27 of the vane 3 and communicate with the oil chamber 41 c and each advance side hydraulic chamber 32.

On the other hand, the second hydraulic passage 42 has a second passage portion 42a formed in the cylinder head 22 and one side of the camshaft 2 and a substantially L-shaped bent portion inside the sleeve 25. To communicate with the second passage portion 42a.
An oil passage 42b and four oil passage grooves 4 formed at the outer peripheral side edge of the fitting hole 11 of the rotating member 5 and communicating with the second oil passage 42b.
2c and four oil holes 42d formed at approximately 90 ° in the circumferential direction of the rear cover 8 and communicating each oil passage groove 42c and the retard hydraulic chamber 33.

The electromagnetic switching valve 45 is a four-port two-position type, and an internal valve body controls relative switching between the hydraulic passages 41 and 42, the supply passage 43 and the drain passage 44. And the switching operation is performed by a control signal from the controller 48.
The controller 48 detects the current operation state by a signal from a crank angle sensor for detecting the engine speed and an air flow meter for detecting the intake air amount, and also controls the timing pulley 1 and the cam by the signals from the crank angle and cam angle sensors. The relative rotation position with respect to the shaft 2 is detected.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, at the time of engine start and idling operation, the electromagnetic switching valve 48 to which a control signal is output from the controller 48 makes the supply passage 43 communicate with the second hydraulic passage 42 and also connects the drain passage 44 with the first hydraulic passage 41. Let it. For this reason, the hydraulic pressure pumped from the oil pump 47 is supplied to the retard hydraulic chamber 33 through the second hydraulic passage 42 (the oil passage groove 42 c → the oil hole 42 d), while it is supplied to the advance hydraulic chamber 32. As in the case when the engine is stopped, the hydraulic pressure is not supplied and the low pressure state is maintained.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the vane 3 is in a state where each blade 28 abuts one side surface of each partition 13 on the advance hydraulic chamber 32 side. Therefore, the relative rotation position between the timing pulley 1 and the camshaft 2 is held on one side (retarded side), and the opening / closing timing of the intake valve is controlled on the retarded side. As a result, the combustion efficiency is improved by using the inertial intake air, thereby stabilizing the engine speed and improving the fuel efficiency.

On the other hand, the hydraulic pressure in the retard-side hydraulic chamber 33 in this operating state is still relatively low, not sufficiently high, so that the vane 3 is held at the position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the pin 34 engages with the engaging portion 34 a in the engaging hole 21 of the rear plate 8 because the spring force of the coil spring 39 overcomes the hydraulic pressure supplied from the through hole 36 to the pressure receiving chamber 40. Maintain the combined state. Therefore, the vane 3 is stably and reliably held at the position on the retard side, so that the fluctuation of the hydraulic pressure in the retard hydraulic chamber 33 and the generation of the oscillation vibration due to the positive and negative fluctuation torque generated on the camshaft 2 are prevented. The vane 3 and the partition 13
Collision noise can be prevented.

When the vehicle starts running and shifts to a predetermined low rotation and low load range, the electromagnetic switching valve 45 maintains the current operating state, and when the hydraulic pressure in the retard side hydraulic chamber 33 increases,
Similarly, the hydraulic pressure in the pressure receiving chamber 40 also increases, and the lock pin 3
4 retreats against the spring force while compressively deforming the coil spring 39, and the engaging portion 34a comes out of the engaging hole 21 to release the engagement. For this reason, the vane 3 is allowed to rotate freely, but is stably held at the position shown in FIG. 2 because the hydraulic pressure in the retard hydraulic chamber 33 is high.

Thereafter, when the engine shifts to the middle rotation and middle load range, the electromagnetic switching valve 45 is operated by a control signal from the controller 48 to make the supply passage 43 communicate with the first hydraulic passage 41 while the drain passage 44 communicates with the drain passage 44. The second hydraulic passage 42 is communicated. Accordingly, the oil pressure in the retard hydraulic chamber 33 is returned to the oil pan 46 from the drain passage 44 through the second hydraulic passage 42 and the pressure in the retard hydraulic chamber 33 becomes low, while the hydraulic pressure in the retard hydraulic chamber 33 becomes low. The hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic chamber 32 is changed to the first oil passage 41a.
→ 41b → supplied via the branch path 41d and becomes high pressure. For this reason, the vane 3 rotates clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 2 and rotates to the maximum position so that each blade 28 abuts on the other side of each partition 13 on the opposite side (the retard side hydraulic chamber side). .

Incidentally, at the time of switching from the retard side to the advance side, although the hydraulic pressure of the retard hydraulic chamber 33 is discharged and becomes low, the hydraulic chamber of the retard hydraulic chamber 33 rotates with the rotation of the vane 3. Since the oil pressure in the cylinder 33 is pressed and the oil pressure is relatively high, the inside of the pressure receiving chamber 40 is also maintained at a high oil pressure. Therefore, as shown in FIG. Is held at the retracted position against the pressure. Therefore, the vane 3 rotates quickly in the direction of the retard hydraulic chamber 33 without restricting free rotation.

Therefore, the timing pulley 1 and the camshaft 2 relatively rotate to the other side to control the opening / closing timing of the intake valve to the advanced side. Thereby, the pump loss of the engine is reduced and the output can be improved.

Further, when the engine shifts to the high engine speed and high load range, the electromagnetic switching valve 45 is operated to supply the supply passage 43 and the second hydraulic passage 42, and the drain passage 44 and the first hydraulic passage 41 in the same manner as in the idling operation. The vane 3 is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 2 to make the timing pulley 1 low pressure in the advance side hydraulic chamber 32 and high pressure in the retard side hydraulic chamber 33. And the camshaft 2 are relatively rotated to one side to control the opening / closing timing of the intake valve to the retard side.
As a result, the output can be improved by improving the intake charging efficiency.

When the engine is stopped, the vane 3 rotates in the direction of the advance-side hydraulic chamber 32 to go into the state shown in FIG.
b engages with the engagement hole 21 by the spring force of the coil spring 39. Also, even if the engine is stopped without going through an idling operation or the like, the fluctuating torque generated in the camshaft 2 causes the vane 3 to rotate in the direction of the advance side hydraulic chamber 32, and the lock pin 34 21.

The lock pin 34 is slid to the left as shown in FIG. 4 (at the time of unlocking) and from this position to the right as shown in FIG. 5 (at the time of locking). Since the air in the first space 51 and the second space 52 and the hydraulic oil leaked and accumulated inside the first space 51 and the second space 52 rapidly flow through the through holes 50 between the spaces 51 and 52, the respective spaces 5
Sliding in the left-right direction due to compression of air or oil in the first and the second 52 is not hindered, and quick slidability can always be ensured. In particular, since the volumes of the two space portions 51 and 52 are set to be substantially the same, all of the air that has been displaced and flowed from one can be accommodated in the other space portion.
Slidability is improved.

As a result, unlike the conventional example, it is not necessary to form an air hole in the front cover 7 and the first and second spaces 51 and 52 and the sliding hole 35 can be sealed. Become. Therefore, the hydraulic oil leaked from the pressure receiving chamber 40 into the first and second spaces 51 and 52 is prevented from leaking to the outside, so that the adhesion of the oil to the timing belt is reliably prevented. As a result, deterioration and slippage of the timing belt due to oil are prevented.

Further, the hydraulic oil leaked from the pressure receiving chamber 40 is stored in the plurality of oil sump grooves 53 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 34a of the lock pin 34. Lubricity between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole 35 is improved, and the slidability of the lock pin 34 can be further improved. In addition, since the labyrinth packing effect is obtained by the plurality of oil sump grooves 53, it is possible to prevent the oil from flowing from the pressure receiving chamber 40 into the second space 52, whereby the oil from the second space 52 to the outside can be prevented. Leaks can also be prevented. Further, since the oil reservoir groove 53 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 34a, the forming operation becomes easier than when the oil reservoir groove 53 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole 35.

The hydraulic chambers 32 and 33 are supplied and discharged with appropriate hydraulic pressure in accordance with the operating state of the engine, so that the vanes 3
In a desired intermediate position.

Further, according to this embodiment, each hydraulic chamber 3
The opening / closing timing of the intake valve can be variably controlled by the supply / discharge control of the hydraulic pressure to the intake valves 2 and 33, and the spring force of the coil spring 39 of the lock mechanism is set to a unique set value as described above. Vibration of the vane 3 due to the fluctuating torque is suppressed, and the generation of vibration tapping noise with the partition 13 is prevented, and the durability of the vane 3 and the like is improved.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. For example, the hydraulic pressure supplied to the pressure receiving chamber 40 of the lock mechanism is not supplied from the retard hydraulic pressure chamber 33, but a hydraulic circuit independent of these is provided. It is also possible to use it. Also,
The through-hole 50 can be formed not in a straight line but in a deformed curved line such as a wavy shape or a stepped shape.

[0053]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the lock pin slides in the front-rear direction, the air and oil in the first and second spaces are displaced and flow through the through holes. Therefore, smooth and free sliding is always ensured by the hydraulic pressure of the pressure receiving chamber and the spring pressure of the spring member without hindering the sliding of the lock pin due to air or the like in each of the space portions. Therefore, it is not necessary to form an air hole communicating with the outside in the front cover as in the conventional example, and the inside of each space can be sealed, so that leakage of oil from each space to the outside is reliably prevented. Is done.

As a result, oil is prevented from adhering to the timing belt, so that it is possible to prevent a reduction in drive transmission performance and a reduction in valve timing control accuracy, as well as to prevent the timing belt from deteriorating and improve durability. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the lubricating performance of the lock pin is improved by the oil in the oil sump groove, and the slidability of the lock pin can be further improved, and the oil can be further improved. The inflow of oil from the pressure receiving chamber to the second space such as the engagement hole is regulated by the labyrinth packing effect of the pool groove, so that leakage of oil from inside the second space to the outside can be reliably prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the oil reservoir groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lock pin, the molding operation is facilitated.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the volumes of the two space portions are set to be substantially the same, all of the air flowing and displacing through the through holes can be accommodated in the respective space portions. Therefore, the slidability of the lock pin is not hindered, and the lock pin can be slid quickly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a locked state of a lock mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an unlocked state of the lock mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional valve timing control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Timing pulley (rotary body) 2 ... Camshaft 3 ... Vane 4 ... Hydraulic circuit 6 ... Housing 7 ... Front cover 10 ... Lock mechanism 13 ... Partition wall 21 ... Engagement hole 27 ... Base 28 ... Blade 32 ... Advance angle Side hydraulic chamber 33 ... retard angle side hydraulic chamber 34 ... lock pin 35 ... sliding hole 39 ... coil spring (spring member) 40 ... pressure receiving chamber 50 ... through hole 51, 52 ... first and second space portions 53 ... oil reservoir Groove

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A rotating body driven by a crankshaft of an engine, a camshaft rotatable relative to the rotating body, and a camshaft fixed to an end of the camshaft for sliding rotation in a housing of the rotating body. A vane to be closed, a lid closing one end opening of the housing, a plurality of partitions protruding inwardly from an inner peripheral surface of the housing, and a partition between the partition and both side surfaces of the vane. A hydraulic circuit for supplying and discharging hydraulic pressure relatively to the hydraulic chambers for rotating the vanes forward and reverse, and a hydraulic pressure supplied via the hydraulic circuit. And a lock mechanism for locking or unlocking the relative rotation between the rotating body and the vane by sliding the lock pin in the axial direction with a relative pressure of the spring force of the spring member, One end of the lock pin in the inner axial direction The valve timing control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, characterized in that the formation of the through-hole penetrating over the other end side from. 2. The sliding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism includes a sliding hole formed in an inner axial direction of the vane and an engaging groove formed continuously with the sliding hole on one side wall of the rotating body. A lock pin that moves to move the tip into and out of the engagement groove to lock or unlock, and a spring member that is elastically mounted on the rear end side of the lock pin and urges the lock pin in the locking direction; 2. A pressure receiving chamber formed on an outer peripheral side of the lock pin and configured to move the lock pin in a lock release direction against a spring force of a spring member by hydraulic pressure supplied to the inside of the lock pin. Valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine. 3. The valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2, wherein an oil sump groove is formed between an outer peripheral surface of the lock pin and an inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole. 4. The valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 3, wherein the oil sump groove is formed on an outer peripheral surface of a lock pin. 5. The volume of the first space formed on the rear end side of the lock pin when the front end of the lock pin engages with the engagement groove and locks, and the front end of the lock pin is engaged. The internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the volume of the second space formed on the tip side of the lock pin when the lock is released from the groove is set to be substantially the same. Valve timing control device. 6. The valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body is a timing pulley around which a timing belt made of a synthetic resin is wound. .