Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Eiji Isobe

Takayuki Inohara

Shigeru Kamio

Yoshihito Moriya

Takashi Inoue

Akihiko Takenaka

Koichi Shimizu

Shinsuke Ido

Noboru Takagi

Yuji Inoue

Zenichiro Mashiki

Haruyuki Urushihata

Takahiko Tsutsumi

Koki Ueno

Shigeru Yoshiyama

Yasumichi Inoue

Hideto Watanabe

Jiro Kondo

Takeshi Miyagawa

Kinya Takahashi

Taei Sugiura

Takashi Yamaguchi

Yoshimitsu Yokouchi

Akira Hori

Isao Hattori

Shigeyuki Kusano

Shuji Mizutani

Tomonobu Ikuma

Akira Shimadu

In a valve timing adjusting device, a vane rotor includes a second supply oil passage connectable to a first supply oil passage of a second shaft. A check valve is provided between the vane rotor and the second shaft, and permits a flow from the first supply oil passage toward the second supply oil passage and prevents a flow from the second supply oil passage toward the first supply oil passage. A fixing unit is provided between the check valve and the second shaft, and fixes the check valve between the fixing unit and the vane rotor. The fixing unit includes a third supply oil passage which connects the first supply oil passage and the second supply oil passage. A filter is provided for the fixing unit and can capture foreign substances flowing through the third supply oil passage.

Valve timing adjusting device

A shift-by-wire shift switching device and shift switching method that switch a shift range of an automatic transmission using an electric motor. The shift switching device includes a controller that determines whether a fault has occurred in a current supply line of each phase of the electric motor on a phase-by-phase basis, executes an open-loop control of the electric motor using only the phases in which it has been determined that a fault has not occurred, and determines whether a fault has occurred in the current supply line by detecting an activation state of the electric motor when the open-loop control of the electric motor is executed. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether a fault in the motor is a short-circuit fault or a break fault, without addition of a part such as a short-circuit detection sensor.

Shift switching device and shift switching method

At an initial drive operation after turning on of an electric power source, an ECU sequentially changes each current exciting phase among multiple phases through one complete cycle at a predetermined time schedule, so that a rotational position of a rotor and the corresponding exciting phase coincide with each other at some timing during the initial drive operation, and thereby the rotor is rotated. The ECU counts the A-phase signal and the B-phase signal during the rotation of the rotor in the initial drive operation and learns a relationship among a count value of the A-phase signal and the B-phase signal, a rotational position of the rotor and each exciting one of the plurality of phases at an end of the initial drive operation. When the ECU determines that a result of the learning is erroneous, the ECU re-executes the learning by re-executing the initial drive operation.

Motor control apparatus

A P-range side delimiting position of a movable range of a range change mechanism is learned by rotating a motor to a corresponding rotational position, which corresponds to the P-range side delimiting position. A climb correction amount is set for a learning value of the P-range side delimiting position to correct the learning value of the P-range side delimiting position in view of presence of a relatively small angle of rotation of the motor beyond the corresponding rotational position, which corresponds to the P-range side delimiting position. The climb correction amount is set according to motor temperature information, which is one of a temperature of the motor and a temperature that relates to the temperature of the motor.

A controlling device includes a range switch mechanism, range switch operating means, operation frequency monitoring means, and heat generation limit controlling means. The range switch mechanism is adapted to change a shift range using a motor. Through the range switch operating means, an occupant inputs a required shift range. The motor is controlled in accordance with the required shift range such that the shift range is changed into the required shift range. The operation frequency monitoring means monitors an operation frequency of the range switch operating means. The heat generation limit controlling means switches a control of the motor to a heat generation limit control when the operation frequency of the range switch operating means exceeds a predetermined frequency.

Controlling device for range switch mechanism

In a guide groove of a guide rotator of a valve timing control apparatus, a stopper surface is planar and is positioned in an end of the guide groove. The stopper surface is engageable with a cylindrical outer peripheral surface of a movable body, which is received in the guide groove, to stop the movable body. An arcuate outer connection surface connects between the stopper surface and an outer guide surface and has a radius of curvature, which is smaller than that of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the movable body. An arcuate inner connection surface connects between the stopper surface and an inner guide surface and has a radius of curvature, which is smaller than that of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the movable body.

Valve timing control apparatus

In a valve timing controller, the guide-groove biases the moving element in a direction in which the moving element slides with respect to a radial line connecting a center of the guide-rotational element and the moving element, when the guide-rotational element relatively rotates with respect to the first rotational element. The direction in which the moving elements are pushed and the direction in which the moving elements moves are substantially identical to each other.

Valve timing controller

A valve timing controller includes a guide rotation member provided with a guide groove, a bearing rotation member radially supporting the guide rotation member, and a plurality of movable bodies sliding in the guide groove in accordance with a rotation of the guide rotation member. A plurality of link mechanisms connects the bearing rotation member with each one of movable bodies respectively, and rotates the bearing rotation member in accordance with a movement of the movable bodies. The valve timing of at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve is adjusted in accordance with a rotation of the bearing rotation body. A clearance gap is provided between the guide rotation member and the bearing rotation member in order to permit a relative radial movement of the guide rotation member with respect to the bearing rotation member.

In the case where an intake valve has its phase in a first region between a most retarded angle and CA(), the rotational speed of relative rotation between an output shaft of an electric motor and a sprocket is reduced at a reduction gear ratio R() to change the phase of the intake valve. In the case where the intake valve has its phase in a second region between CA() and a most advanced angle, the rotational speed of relative rotation is reduced at a reduction gear ratio R() to change the phase of the intake valve. As long as the rotational direction of relative rotation is the same, the phase of the intake valve is changed in the same direction for both of the first region between the most retarded angle and CA() and the second region between CA() and the most advanced angle.

Variable valve timing apparatus

A valve timing controller is provided with a first rotary element that rotates in response to a crankshaft, a second rotary element that rotates in response to a camshaft. Multiple link mechanisms are arranged adjacently in the rotational direction of the first rotary element to change a relative rotation phase between the first and second rotary elements. The link mechanism in each group is constituted by combining the first link linked to the first rotary element by a revolute pair with the second link linked to the second rotary element and the first link. The second link of the link mechanism in each group retains the first link of each of the link mechanisms in the same group and the other group in the rotational axis direction of the first rotary element between the second link and the first rotary element.

A valve timing controller includes a first rotating element and a second rotating element. The controller further includes a link mechanism part including arm members for coupling the first and second rotating elements. The controller also includes a gear part including a first gear and a second gear to convert outside rotating torque to control torque for motion of the arm members due to coupling of and relative motion of the first and second gears. Additionally, the controller includes a separation member disposed between the gear part and the link mechanism part for separating a thrust gap of the gear part and a thrust gap of the link mechanism part.

Valve timing controller with separating member

A valve timing controller is disclosed that includes first and second rotating elements, and a phase changing mechanism including arm members coupling the first and second rotating elements. The valve timing controller also includes a cam plate and a stopper to restrict rotation of the cam plate. A concave part where the stopper and the cam plate contact. Also, a damper chamber is defined between the concave part and one of the stopper and the cam plate.

Valve timing controller with a stopper

In a valve timing adjusting apparatus, an outer peripheral surface of each projection of an internal gear, which is received in a corresponding engaging hole of a guide rotator, may have reduced surface sections, which are radially inwardly reduced toward a radial center of the projection along a radial line of the internal gear that passes through the radial center of the projection to have a reduced radial size in comparison to a radial size of the rest of the outer peripheral surface of the projection. Alternatively, an inner peripheral surface of each engaging hole may have recessed surface sections, which are radially recessed from the rest of the inner peripheral surface of the engaging hole along a radial line of the guide rotator that passes through a center of the inner peripheral surface of the engaging hole.

Valve timing adjusting apparatus

A valve timing controller is provided with a first rotary element that rotates in response to the movement of a crankshaft, a second rotary element that rotates in response to the movement of a camshaft. A link mechanism changes a relative rotation phase between the first and second rotary elements. The first and second rotary elements include introduction passages that introduce a lubricating fluid in the first rotary element. In the link mechanism, shafts are fitted in the links. The links relatively rotate with respect to the shaft, and include conveying passages to communicate with the introduction passages and convey the lubricating fluid from the introduction passages to the circumference of the shaft.

An electromagnetic spool valve includes a spool valve, an electromagnetic actuator, and a bracket. The spool valve includes a cylindrical sleeve and a spool. The cylindrical sleeve includes an input/output ports for fluid to flow through. The spool is axially slidable in the sleeve. The electromagnetic actuator is fixed to the spool valve for axially driving the spool. The bracket is welded to the electromagnetic actuator. The spool valve is disposed in a fixing member and is fixed thereto by a tightening member tightening the bracket welded to the yoke to the fixing member. Either the bracket or the electromagnetic actuator includes a stopper contact portion for contacting a part of the other to prevent the electromagnetic spool valve from being removed from the sleeve insertion hole.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Eiji Isobe