Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Suncall Corporation

Akio Kidooka

Shuichi Ezaki

Yoshiro Kamo

Yoshikazu Jikuhara

Manabu Tateno

Takashi Nishikiori

Masatoshi Sugiura

Yuu Yokoyama

Toshiyuki Yano

Yoshiaki Miyazato

Akira Hori

Hirotaka Sunada

Motohiro Tsuzuki

Shinobu Shimasaki

Katsuichi Miyasaka

Ryuji Kishihara

Keiju Tomoda

Naoya Wada

Keiichiro Teratoko

A gear drive mechanism is provided with a gear drive pin provided at the second gear, a first movable member and second movable member configured to be able to move to the gear drive pin side, a first guide groove formed at the first movable member and engaged with the gear drive pin when making the eccentric member rotate toward a low compression ratio position, and a second guide groove formed at the second movable member and engaging with the gear drive pin when making the eccentric member rotate toward the high compression ratio position and wherein the mechanism makes the gear drive pin moving relative to a counterweight move along the first guide groove and the second guide groove so as to make the second gear rotate.

Variable compression ratio mechanism

A variable length connecting rod includes a connecting rod body, an eccentric member, a switching mechanism and a stopping mechanism. The eccentric member is provided at a small diameter end of the connecting rod body. The eccentric member rotates such that an effective length of the variable length connecting rod is varied. The switching mechanism includes a hydraulic piston connected to the eccentric member. The eccentric member reaches a first position when the switching mechanism is in a first state. The eccentric member reaches a second position when the switching mechanism is in a second state. The stopping mechanism includes a stopping member that abuts against or engages with the eccentric member or the hydraulic piston such that the eccentric member is maintained at an intermediate position between the first position and the second position.

Variable length connecting rod and variable compression ratio internal combustion engine

The internal combustion engine comprises: operating members and operating by a predetermined pressure or more of oil pressure; a hydraulic oil path supplying hydraulic oil to the operating members through crank journals; a lubricating oil path supplying lubricating oil to crankpins through the crank journals; a hydraulic control valve linearly controlling an oil pressure supplied to the operating members due to change of that opening degree; and a control device. The control device controls the opening degree of the hydraulic control valve so that when operating the operating members, the predetermined pressure or more of oil pressure is supplied to the operating members, and controls the opening degree of the hydraulic control valve so that when not operating the operating members, less than the predetermined pressure of oil pressure is supplied to the operating members.

Internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine includes: a head cover covering a cylinder head; and a variable valve actuation mechanism. The variable valve actuation mechanism includes: a cam placed inside the head cover and rotating with a camshaft extending in a rotation axis direction; and an intermediate arm placed inside the head cover and sandwiched between the cam and a rocker arm. A pair of side through-holes, which are provided for a support rod supporting the intermediate arm to pass through, are formed in side portions of the head cover so as to face each other along the rotation axis direction.

Internal combustion engine and method of assembling thereof

A variable length connecting rod comprises a connecting rod body, an eccentric member, a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic piston, a check valve, a switching mechanism and a hydraulic mechanism. The check valve permits a flow of hydraulic oil from a primary side of the check valve to a secondary side of the check valve and prohibits the flow from the secondary side to the primary side. The switching mechanism comprises a single switching pin. The connecting rod body is formed with first to fourth oil paths. The switching pin is switched between a first position making the first oil path communicate with the fourth oil path and making the second oil path communicate with the third oil path, and a second position making the first oil path communicate with the third oil path and making the second oil path communicate with the fourth oil path.

A variable length connecting rod includes a connecting rod body, an eccentric member, a first piston mechanism, a second piston mechanism and a flow-direction switching mechanism. The eccentric member, the first piston member, the second piston member and the flow-direction switching mechanism are provided in the connecting rod body. The first piston mechanism and the second piston mechanism are configured to pivot the eccentric member. The connecting rod body has a control oil passage that communicates with a first opening of the connecting rod and the flow-direction switching mechanism. The flow-direction switching mechanism is switched between the first state and the second state by switching pins. The switching pins are disposed in the connecting rod body such that directions in which the switching pins are operated are angled with respect to a plane perpendicular to an axis of the first opening.

A variable length connecting rod which can change the effective length comprises a connecting rod body, an eccentric member which is attached at the small end to the connecting rod body to be able to swivel and which changes the effective length of a variable length connecting rod when swiveled, one piston mechanism which has one hydraulic cylinder which is provided in the connecting rod body and one hydraulic piston which slides in the hydraulic cylinder, a direction switching mechanism which switches between supply and discharge of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder, and a hydraulic fluid supply source which supplies the hydraulic cylinder with hydraulic fluid. The piston mechanism is configured so that the eccentric member swivels in one direction if hydraulic fluid is supplied to the hydraulic cylinder and so that the eccentric member swivels in the other direction if hydraulic fluid is discharged from the hydraulic cylinder.

At least a first movable coil part of a plurality of movable coil parts that is in the innermost place in the radial direction does not come into contact with both the fixed coil part, which is radially adjacent inwardly, and a second movable coil part, which is radially adjacent outwardly, at the same place in the circumferential direction while coming into contact with only one of the fixed coil part and the second movable coil part in a plurality of places that are circumferentially displaced, when the spiral spring is in an elasticity retaining state reached from a free length state by elastic deformation in the diameter-reducing direction.

Spiral spring

Provided is a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine that can suppress blowback of in-cylinder residual gas to an intake passage when reverting from a fuel-cut operation accompanied by valve stopping control of an intake valve while suppressing an oil ascent during execution of the fuel-cut operation, and a control apparatus for a vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine. When executing a fuel-cut operation accompanied by intake valve stopping control, advancement control of the opening/closing timing of an exhaust valve () is executed. If the advancement control is being executed in a case where a request to revert from the fuel-cut operation has been detected, an advance amount of the opening/closing timing of the exhaust valve () is retarded so as to become less than or equal to a predetermined value.

Control apparatus for internal combustion engine and control apparatus for vehicle equipped with internal combustion engine

Provided is a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which can switch, based on an actuation of a single actuator, operating characteristics of valves for a plurality of cylinders collectively and smoothly using a rigid member, while suppressing an increase in wear of a guide rail and reducing the number of delay mechanisms. A changeover mechanism to switch operating characteristics of valves for each cylinder of first and second cylinder groups is provided. The changeover mechanism includes link shafts as a rigid member which is displaced when being engaged with a helical guide rail as a result of the actuation of an electromagnetic solenoid. The changeover mechanism includes a delay mechanism, which delays the displacement of the second link shaft in a cylinder in which the valves are lifting when the electromagnetic solenoid is actuated, at some point in the link shafts between the first cylinder group and the second cylinder group.

Variable valve operating apparatus for internal combustion engine

To provide a vehicle provided with a valve-stop-mechanism-equipped internal combustion engine capable of ensuring a negative pressure in a brake booster while preventing with reliability fresh air from flowing into a catalyst during a valve stop control. An internal combustion engine provided with a valve stop mechanism capable of changing the operational state of an intake valve between a valve operating state and a valve closed/stopped state is provided. A brake booster is provided capable of assisting operation of a brake pedal of the vehicle. Exhaust side negative pressure passages are provided as communication passages that are configured to be in communication with each branch pipe section of an exhaust manifold in a period in which a negative pressure is generated in the case where the intake valve is in the valve closed/stopped state while an exhaust valve is allowed to open and close. The remaining end of the second exhaust side negative pressure passage is connected to the brake booster.

Vehicle provided with valve-stop-mechanism-equipped internal combustion engine

The present invention makes it possible to favorably change valve-opening characteristics of a valve using a simplified configuration without leading to an increase in the number of components and also without causing an increase of friction due to sliding, in a valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine in which the valve-opening characteristics of the valve are variable. A changeover mechanism for switching the connection/disconnection of rocker arms disposed between cams and a valve is provided. When a slide pin reaches a displacement end in the retreating direction of changeover pin, the biasing force of a return spring acting on changeover pins is received by an engaging part between a notch part provided in the slide pin and a lock pin in a state separated from a camshaft.

Valve operating apparatus for internal combustion engine

Provided is a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which can favorably improve the mounting environment of an actuator in the aspect of achieving the improvement of coolability and the reduction of stress. The apparatus includes a guide rail which is provided in the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical part respectively fixed to a camshaft; a projection part which is disposed so as to be engageable and disengageable with the guide rail; and an actuator which is disposed so as to oppose the cylindrical part and can protrude the projection part toward the guide rail. At least a part of the actuator is disposed so as to fit in a oval-shaped region which is virtually obtained by linking a base circle of a main cam and a base circle of a main cam seen from the axial direction of the camshaft in a state in which the projection part is not protruded toward the guide rail.

A valve drive system comprises a power transmitting mechanism () that converts rotary motion of an electric motor () into opening and closing motion of an intake valve () provided in a cylinder () of an internal combustion engine () to transmit power from the electric motor () to the valve () via a cam (); and a rotational angle restricting mechanism () that is provided in a motion transmission path that extends from the electric motor () to the cam () and restricts rotation of the cam () within a predetermined angular range that is set so that a piston () of the engine () and the intake valve () do not interfere with each other. The rotational angle restricting mechanism () comprises a flange () that rotates as a unit with a camshaft () and forms a slotted groove hole () thereon; and a stopper pin () that is inserted into and retracted from the groove hole ().

Growing community of inventors

Ashigarakami-gun, Japan

Akio Kidooka