CONTROL VALVE FOR VALVE TIMING CONTROL DEVICE AND VALVE TIMING CONTROL DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

• US 20170022854A1
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: TAKADA, Yasuhide
• Granted Patent: US 10,145,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 1/047 Camshafts
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 1/3442 using hydraulic chambers with variable volume to transmit the rotating force
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 1/46 Component parts, details, or accessories, not provided for in preceding subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/34423 Details relating to the hydraulic feeding circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/3443 Solenoid driven oil control valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/34433 Location oil control valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/34453 Locking means between driving and driven members
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/34466 with multiple locking devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/34469 Lock movement parallel to camshaft axis
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2250/02 the camshaft being driven by chains

Abstract

Provided is a control valve capable of reducing the axial length of a device as much as possible, thereby improving its mountability. An electromagnetic selector valve is equipped with a valve body functioning as a cam bolt for connecting a vane rotor to one end of a camshaft, a sleeve fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the valve body, and a spool valve element axially slidably housed in the sleeve for switching between supply and discharge of working fluid to and from each of a phase-retard working chamber and a phase-advance working chamber. The valve body has a male screw part formed on an outer peripheral surface and screwed into a female screw part formed in a cam bolt hole. The position of formation of the male screw part and the position of the spool valve element are arranged to axially overlap with each other.

Claims

1. A control valve for a valve timing control device equipped with a driving rotary member adapted to receive a rotational force transmitted from a crankshaft and having an operating chamber formed therein, and a driven rotary member fixed to one axial end of a camshaft and rotatably housed in the driving rotary member so as to partition the operating chamber into a phase-advance working chamber and a phase-retard working chamber, and configured to relatively rotate to either a phase-advance side or a phase-retard side with respect to the driving rotary member by supply and discharge of working fluid for both of the working chambers, the control valve comprising:

a cylindrical valve body configured to axially fixedly connect the driven rotary member to the camshaft; and

a spool valve element axially slidably housed in the valve body and configured to perform switching between supply and discharge of the working fluid to and from each of the working chambers,

wherein the valve body has a fixed part formed on an outer peripheral surface of the valve body nearer to the driven rotary member rather than near an axial distal end of the valve body, the fixed part being fixed in a fixing hole axially formed in the one axial end of the camshaft, and

wherein the fixed part and the spool valve element are arranged to overlap with each other in an axial direction of the valve body.

2. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

an outside diameter of the axial distal end of the valve body is formed less than an outside diameter of the fixed part.

3. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 2, wherein:

the valve body is formed at the axial distal end with an introduction port into which working fluid from a discharge passage of an oil pump driven by an internal combustion engine is introduced.

4. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 3, wherein:

a sleeve, in which the spool valve element is axially slidably accommodated, is fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the valve body.

5. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the valve body comprising;

a phase-advance port for supply and discharge of working fluid for the phase-advance working chamber;

a phase-retard port for supply and discharge of working fluid for the phase-retard working chamber;

a lock port for supply and discharge of working fluid for a lock mechanism disposed between the phase-advance working chamber and the phase-retard working chamber and configured to release a locked state of the driving rotary member and the driven rotary member by a supplied hydraulic pressure; and

a drain port for draining working fluid from the phase-advance working chamber, the phase-retard working chamber, the lock mechanism to an exterior.

6. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 5, which further comprises:

a filter member for filtering working fluid introduced through the introduction port.

7. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 5, which further comprises:

a check valve disposed in the axial distal end of the valve body, for restricting a backflow of working fluid from within the valve body through the introduction port to the exterior.

8. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the sleeve is elastically supported axially in the valve body by an elastic member elastically interposed between an outer surface of a top end of the sleeve and an inner surface of the axial distal end of the valve body and a retaining member fixed at a position opposite to the axial distal end of the valve body and having a central through hole.

9. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the valve body comprising;

a phase-advance port for supply and discharge of working fluid for the phase-advance working chamber;

a phase-retard port for supply and discharge of working fluid for the phase-retard working chamber; and

a drain port for draining working fluid from the phase-advance working chamber, the phase-retard working chamber, the lock mechanism to an exterior.

10. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the fixed part is constructed by a male screw part, which is threadably engaged with a female screw part formed on an inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole of the camshaft.

11. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

a movement of the spool valve element is controlled by an actuator arranged at a position opposite to the axial distal end of the valve body.

12. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the spool valve element is configured to move in one direction within the valve body by a driving force of the actuator and to move in the other direction by a biasing member.

13. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the actuator and the spool valve element are kept in abutted-engagement with each other through a cylindrical plug attached to an axial end of the spool valve element.

14. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the actuator is constructed by a flat solenoid mechanism whose axial length is dimensioned less than an outside diameter.

15. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the biasing member is arranged on a side of the fixed part.

16. The control valve for the valve timing control device as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the biasing member is arranged on a side of the actuator.

17. A valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine comprising:

a driving rotary member adapted to receive a rotational force transmitted from a crankshaft and having an operating chamber formed therein;

a driven rotary member fixed to one axial end of a camshaft and rotatably housed in the driving rotary member so as to partition the operating chamber into a phase-advance working chamber and a phase-retard working chamber, and configured to relatively rotate to either a phase-advance side or a phase-retard side with respect to the driving rotary member by supply and discharge of working fluid for both of the working chambers; and

a control valve configured to perform supply-and-discharge control of the working fluid force-fed from an oil pump to and from each of the working chambers, the control valve comprising;

a cylindrical valve body having a fixed part formed on an outer peripheral surface of the valve body for fixing the driven rotary member to the camshaft;

a spool valve element axially slidably housed in the valve body and configured to perform switching between supply and discharge of the working fluid to and from each of the working chambers; and

an actuator configured to control a movement of the spool valve element,

wherein the fixed part and the spool valve element are arranged to overlap with each other in an axial direction of the valve body.

18. The valve timing control device for the internal combustion engine as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the valve body comprising;

an introduction port for introducing working fluid into the valve body through a discharge passage of an oil pump driven by an internal combustion engine;

a phase-advance port for supply and discharge of working fluid for the phase-advance working chamber;

a phase-retard port for supply and discharge of working fluid for the phase-retard working chamber;

a lock port for supply and discharge of working fluid for a lock mechanism disposed between the phase-advance working chamber chamber and the phase-retard working chamber and configured to release a locked state of the driving rotary member and the driven rotary member by a supplied hydraulic pressure; and

a drain port for draining working fluid from the phase-advance working chamber, the phase-retard working chamber, the lock mechanism to an exterior.