Otics Corporation

Anden Co., Ltd.

Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Akira Sugiura

Fukuo Ishikawa

Takayuki Maezako

Koki Yamaguchi

Tomiyasu Hirano

Tamotsu Yamamoto

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Hiroyuki Ban

Naoki Hiramatsu

Shinji Oshita

Tetsuya Niwa

Kenichi Takayoshi

Katsutoshi Kitagawa

Nobutomo Takagi

Ippei Kawamoto

Kazunori Ozawa

Hirofumi Mokuya

Tomoki Miyoshi

Takeyoshi Hisada

Masahisa Makino

An overcurrent protection apparatus that protects, from overcurrent, a load circuit including an electric load and wiring electrically connected with each other is provided. The overcurrent protection apparatus includes: a semiconductor switching element that is configured to control energization to the load circuit; and a breaker that stops the semiconductor switching element upon detection of abnormality of overheat or overcurrent at the semiconductor switching element, the breaker having a latch operation mode of continuously stopping the semiconductor switching element even upon cancellation of abnormality detection, and a retry operation mode of canceling stoppage of the semiconductor switching element upon the cancellation of the abnormality detection. The breaker is configured to initially operate in the latch operation mode upon the abnormality detection, and then be switched to the retry operation mode after satisfaction of a predetermined condition.

Overcurrent protection apparatus

In a variable valve mechanism, during switching from a disconnected state to a connected state, the switch arm being displaced in a return direction comes in sliding contact with a pin end surface of the switch pin, and presses the pin end surface toward the disconnected position to push back the switch pin. At a sliding contact start time, the switch arm sliding contacts a portion of the pin end surface on a return direction side with respect to an idle-swing-side edge. At least during a period from a 10% position time to a sliding contact end time, a position of a pressed center relative to the pin end surface shifts toward the return direction side without stopping as the switch arm is displaced toward the return direction relative to a main arm, so that the sliding contact ends without stopping of the pressed center at a return-side edge.

Variable valve mechanism of internal combustion engine

A load drive apparatus includes: a first drive element that drives a first load; a second drive element that drives a second load; a control circuit that controls the first drive element and the second drive element; a power supply circuit that supplies electric power; and a failsafe circuit that includes an abnormality detection portion detecting whether an abnormality occurs in at least one of the control circuit and the power supply circuit, the failsafe circuit controlling the first drive element and the second drive element to drive the first load and the second load when the abnormality detection portion has detected that an abnormality occurs in at least one of the control circuit and the power supply circuit and also when the load drive apparatus receives at least one of a command directing a drive of the first load and a command directing a drive of the second load.

Load drive apparatus

A variable valve mechanism includes a rocker arm including a first input arm, a second input arm, and an output arm, and a switch device that switches an operating state to a first state by coupling only the first input arm to the output arm, and switches the operating state to a second state by coupling only the second input arm to the output arm. The switch device includes two pins that are displaceably placed in the rocker arm and contact each other at their end faces, and a displacement device that switches the operating state to the first state by displacing a contact portion between the two pins to between the output arm and the second input arm, and switches the operating state to the second state by displacing the contact portion between the two pins to between the output arm and the first input arm.

A variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine includes a camshaft having a general shaft part and a cam part arranged next to each other in an axial direction, an input arm that swings when pressed by the cam part, an output arm that is swingably mounted and that drives a valve when swinging, and a switch device that switches the variable valve mechanism between a coupled state where the input arm and the output arm are coupled to swing together and an uncoupled state. The output arm has a great height so that clearance between the output arm and the general shaft part is 3 mm or less when the variable valve mechanism is in the coupled state and the valve is closed. If the output arm bounces in the uncoupled state, the output arm comes into contact with the general shaft part through the clearance.

A variable valve mechanism includes an input arm that axially supports a roller pressed by a cam, via a roller pin, an output arm that drives a valve when swinging, a switch device that switches the variable valve mechanism between a coupled state where the both arms are coupled and an uncoupled state where the arms are uncoupled from each other, and a lost motion spring that biases the roller against the cam when in the uncoupled state. The lost motion spring includes an extended portion extending in an inter-arm clearance between the input arm and the output arm. An end of the roller pin projects from the input arm into the inter-arm clearance by such a length that the end is accommodated in the inter-arm clearance and that allows a spring retaining portion to be formed in the end. The spring retaining portion is formed in the end.

A variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine includes an outer arm, an inner arm, a switching device that switches between a coupled state and a non-coupled state, and a lost motion spring. The lost motion spring has an extending portion extending from the outside of the space to the inside of the space. The extending portion has a contact portion that is in contact with the inner arm in the space and being configured to swing in conjunction with swinging of the inner arm. A through-hole is formed in a vertically intermediate portion of the outer arm such that connecting portions are provided at vertically opposite sides of the through-hole, and a portion of the extending portion, a swinging amount of which is smaller than that of the contact portion, passes through the through-hole that allows the portion to swing therein.

The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine, which includes a rocker arm that is driven by a cam so as to swing to drive a valve, a switching pin that is attached to the rocker arm so as to be shifted between a first position and a second position, a shift device that shifts the switching pin from the first position to the second position, and a return spring that returns the switching pin. In the variable valve mechanism, a drive state of the valve is switched by shifting the switching pin, the rocker arm is formed to have such a dimension that one end of the switching pin is exposed while projecting outward from the rocker arm, and the return spring is externally fitted to the one end of the switching pin so as to be exposed outside the rocker arm.

An overcurrent protection circuit includes a load drive section driving a load, a wire coupled with the load and the load drive section, a current detection section detecting a load current value of an electric current that flows to the load, an addition and subtraction section determining an addition and subtraction value based on the load current value and transmitting an integration result of addition and subtraction, a comparison circuit comparing the integration result with a threshold value, and a control circuit controlling the load drive section based on the comparison result. The addition and subtraction section includes an addition value determination circuit that determines an addition value in the addition and subtraction value based on the load current value and a function expression or information indicating a relationship between the load current value and the addition value.

Overcurrent protection circuit

The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine which includes a main arm that is capable of swinging and that drives a valve when swinging, a first sub arm that is provided on one side in the lateral direction of the main arm and that swings when driven by a first cam, a second sub arm that is provided on the other side in the lateral direction of the main arm and that swings when driven by a second cam, and a switch device that performs switching between a first coupled state where only the first sub arm of the first and second sub arms is coupled to the main arm, and a second coupled state where only the second sub arm of the first and second sub arms is coupled to the main arm.

The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine, which includes a main arm having at a rear end thereof a supported portion that is continuously supported swingably by a support member without floating upward, a sub arm which has a tip end to which a roller contacting a cam is rotatably attached, in which a center of the roller is located rearward of the pressing portion and forward of a swing center of the supported portion, which has a rear end that is swingably supported with respect to the main arm by a support pin, and in which a center of the support pin is located rearward of the center of the roller and forward of the swing center of the supported portion, and a switch pin that is inserted in a central portion of the roller.

The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism for an internal combustion engine which includes an input arm, an output arm, a switching pin, and a displacing device. The displacing device includes a pressing device that presses the switching pin from any one of the coupling position and the non-coupling position to the other one of them, a return spring, and a stopper mechanism. The return spring is provided outside of the input arm and the output arm so as to act on one end of the switching pin, which is exposed from the input arm and the output arm. The stopper mechanism includes a displacement restricting groove that is provided on an outer periphery of the switching pin, and a lock member that is engaged with the displacement restricting groove and contacts one end of the displacement restricting groove when the switching pin is stopped at the non-coupling position.

Variable valve mechanism

The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism that varies amounts of opening and closing of a valve includes a rotating cam, a rocker arm, two lash adjusters, a hydraulic passage, and a switching mechanism. The rocker arm includes an input member and an output member. The two lash adjusters support the rocker arm so that the rocker arm can rock. The hydraulic passage includes an internal oil passage that is provided in an interior of at least one of the lash adjusters, and an arm oil passage that is provided in an interior of the rocker arm and that is connected from the internal oil passage. The switching mechanism uses a hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic passage to perform a switching between a linked state and a released state, and the switching varies the amounts of the opening and the closing of the valve.

The present invention provides a variable valve operating mechanism which includes two valve operating members for opening and closing two valves individually, a drive cam provided on a single camshaft, two swing arms for transmitting a power of the drive cam to the valve operating members individually by swinging about a different axis to the camshaft, and a variable device for modifying a displacement of the swing arm per rotation of the drive cam in accordance with an operating condition of an internal combustion engine. The variable device includes a single control shaft, an actuator for driving the control shaft, and a cam device that operates in conjunction with the control shaft to dissimilate the displacement of the two swing arms.

Variable valve operating mechanism

The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism which includes a rotating cam provided on a camshaft, a swing arm that contacts with the rotating cam to swing, a drive arm that drives a valve in conjunction with the swing arm, a variable arm that turns the drive arm around a swing axis of the swing arm, an actuator that drives the variable arm, and cam device that is provided between the swing arm and the drive arm. The variable arm is provided so as to be able to rotate relatively around the same axis as the swing arm, and the cam device changes the initial position of the drive arm with respect to the swing arm accompanying the turning of the drive arm.

Growing community of inventors

Nishio, Japan

Akira Sugiura