Mechadyne Plc

Mechadyne International Limited

Other

Mahle Ventiltrieb Gmbh

Machadyne Plc

Ian Methley

Timothy Mark Lancefield

Nicholas James Lawrence

Richard Alwyn Owen

Kyle Webb

Martin Lechner

Hermann Hoffmann

Mark Walton

Jonathan Alexander Aspinall

Mark Andrew Richard Walton

David Arthur Bedborough

Edward Hughes

Timothy M Shipley Farm Lancefield

Nicholas Lawrence

A summation rocker system is disclosed for acting on the end of a stem of a poppet valve () in dependence upon the combined lifts of a first and a second cam profile defined by different cam lobes () of a concentric camshaft (). The system comprises a first rocker () mounted on a pivot shaft () and having a first follower () to contact the first cam profile and an end acting on the valve () to displace the valve () by an amount dependent upon the lift of the first cam profile, a rocker shaft () to be fixedly mounted on the engine, and a second rocker () pivotable about the rocker shaft (), the second rocker () having a second follower () to contact the second cam profile and acting to displace the pivot shaft () of the first rocker () in dependence of the lift of second cam profile. The rocker shaft () intersects a plane containing the axis of the pivot shaft () and the end of the first rocker () acting on the valve stem, and the first rocker () includes a cut-out () for receiving the rocker shaft (), which cut-out () is configured and dimensioned to prevent the rocker shaft () from interfering with movement of the first rocker ().

Variable valve lift system

A hybrid dual phaser assembly is disclosed for mounting to an engine camshaft to allow the timing of two sets of cam lobes to be phased independently of one another relative to a crankshaft of the engine. The phaser assembly comprises an electrically operated phaser having intermeshing gears for transmitting torque to the camshaft and a phase control input driven by an electric motor to be mounted coaxially with the camshaft, and a hydraulically operated phaser having vanes movable within arcuate cavities. The cavities of the hydraulically operated phaser are defined in part by an annular member that radially surrounds, and axially overlaps, a gear of the electrically operated phaser, which gear is separate from the annular member and forms radially inner boundary walls of the cavities.

Hybrid dual electric and hydraulically operated phaser

A valve system for an engine includes two cams each having a follower, a summation lever coupled to the followers, a lash adjuster, a valve actuating rocker pivotably coupled to the summation lever and resting on the lash adjuster, a control spring urging the summation lever to compress the lash adjuster, a stop limiting an expansion of the control spring, a bore, a plunger which moves in the bore, and an abutment surface. The control spring acts on the summation lever via the plunger. A plunger end engages with the summation lever. A point of contact between the plunger and the summation lever is displaced in a direction transverse to a plunger axis during a pivoting movement of the summation lever. A plunger shoulder is arranged a distance from the plunger end to contact the abutment surface to limit a plunger displacement in a direction compressing the lash adjuster.

Engine valve system

A variable valve actuating mechanism comprising a camshaft having two concentric cam lobes that may be rotated relative to one another a summation lever engaging with both cam lobes, a valve actuating rocker pivotally connected to the summation lever and engaging with a hydraulic lash adjuster at a first end and with a valve at a second end, and a shim surface movable with the pivot axis connecting the summation lever to the valve actuating rocker for limiting the expansion of the hydraulic lash adjuster to control clearance in the rocker system, wherein, in order to reduce friction, the shim surface abuts with a stationary stop surface that forms part of a camshaft support bearing.

Low friction shim surface

A spool valve for controlling a twin phaser for coupling a drive member to two driven members and to enable the phase of the two driven members to be varied independently includes a bore operably associated with the twin phaser, fluid channels opening into the bore, and a spool. The spool is received in and is moveable relative to the bore so as to selectively open and close the fluid channels in a predetermined manner, thereby providing a fluid communication between the spool and the twin phaser, and varying a phase of output members relative to an input member. The spool and the fluid channels are configured so that an axial displacement of the spool relative to the bore serves to control a phase of a first output member, and a rotation of the spool relative to the bore serves to control a phase of a second output member.

Spool valve

An assembly is disclosed which comprises an SCP camshaftand a phaser mounted at one end of the SCP camshaft. The phaser has a statordriven by an engine crankshaft and two output memberseach fast in rotation with a respective one of the inner shaftand the outer tubeof the SCP camshaft. Two timing featuresare provided for enabling respective sensors to determine the angular positions of the inner shaft and the outer tube of the SCP camshaft. In the invention, both timing featuresare located on the side of the statorremote from the camshaft

Camshaft and phaser assembly

An engine valve system comprises two cams () mounted coaxially, a summation rocker () coupled to followers () of both cams and movable in proportion to the instantaneous sum of the lifts of the respective cams, and a valve actuating rocker () pivotably coupled to the summation rocker () and operative to open an engine valve () in dependence upon the movement of the summation rocker (). In the invention, the actuating rocker () rests on a hydraulic lash adjuster (). A control spring () is provided to urge the summation rocker () in a direction to compress the hydraulic lash adjuster (). A stop () associated with the control spring () limits the movement of the summation rocker () towards the lash adjuster () so as to set the clearance in the valve system when the valve () is closed and the cam followers () are on the base circles of the two cams ().

A valve mechanism is disclosed for a cylinder of an internal combustion engine which comprises two gas exchange poppet valves mounted in a cylinder head, a bridgeacting on the two valves, a cam for actuating the two valves, a slidermovable by the cam and slidable relative to the bridge, and a hydraulically controlled locking system having a latched position in which the slider transmits the force of the cam to the bridgeto actuate the two valves and a released position in which the valves are deactivated and the slider slides freely relative to the bridge. In the invention, the slideris urged towards the cam by a springacting between the sliderand the cylinder head.

Valve mechanism for an internal combustion engine

A method is disclosed for assembling a valve operating system for opening and closing a poppet valve mounted on an engine cylinder head. The valve operating system comprises a camshafthaving two coaxial camsandfor operating the valvea summation levercoupled to followersof the two camsanda control springacting on the summation leverto urge one of the cam followersinto contact with the associated camand a valve actuating rockerpivotably connected to the summation leverand acting on the valveto open and close the valve in dependence upon the sum of the instantaneous lifts of the two camsandThe method comprises the steps of journaling the camshaftin a carriersecuring the cam summation leverto the carrierby means of the control springand securing the carrierto the engine cylinder head, the control springand the carrierserving to maintain the position of the cam summation leverduring assembly such that the valve actuating rockeris aligned correctly to engage with the valve

Assembly of a valve operating system incorporating a cam summation mechanism

A camshaft assembly is disclosed which comprises an inner shaft (), an outer tube () surrounding and rotatable relative to the inner shaft (), and two groups of cam lobes mounted on the outer tube, the first group of cam lobes being fast in rotation with the outer tube, and each cam () lobe () of the second group being rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the tube () and connected for rotation with the inner shaft () by means of one or more drive members () passing through circumferentially elongated slots in the outer tube. In the invention, each drive member comprises a () drive component () engaged with fixed alignment in the cam lobe () and a separate fastener () that is rotatable to clamp the drive component against a flat surface on the inner shaft (), each drive member () being constructed such that during the tightening of the fastener () no relative () sliding movement is required at the interface between the drive component () and the inner shaft ().

Single cam phaser camshaft

An internal combustion engine is described having a valve mechanism that comprises two camsmounted coaxially and a summation leverhaving cam followersin contact with both cams so as to move in proportion to the instantaneous sum of the lifts of the respective cams. A control springis provided to maintain contact between one cam profile and its respective follower(s), and a valve actuating rockerhaving a stationary pivot and rotatably connected to the summation lever serves to open the engine valvein dependence upon the movement of the summation lever, so as to enable the valve timing, valve lift and valve event duration to be adjusted by varying the phases of the two cams. In the invention, the summation lever is constructed in two partsthat can be selectively locked and unlocked to allow the valve lift to be deactivated and the motion of both parts is controlled by the control springwhen the two parts of the summation lever are unlocked from one another.

Variable valve actuating mechanism with lift deactivation

An improvement is disclosed for an engine valve system with variable lift and duration of the type that includes two cams mounted coaxially, a summation rocker coupled to cam followers in contact with both cams and movable in proportion to the instantaneous sum of the lifts of the respective cams, and a valve actuating rocker pivotably coupled to the summation rocker and serving to open an engine valve in dependence upon the movement of the summation rocker. In the invention, at least one of the couplings of the summation rocker with the cam followers and with the valve actuating rocker incorporates an adjustable eccentric which is rotatable to enable the clearance within the valve system to be set.

Engine valve system with variable lift and duration

An assembly is provided comprising an SCP camshaft () having an inner shaft () and an outer tube () and a hydraulically operated twin vane phaser () having two output members () coupled respectively for rotation with the inner shaft () and the outer tube () of the SCP camshaft (). Each of the output members () of the twin phaser is axially clamped to a respective one of the inner shaft () and the outer tube () of the SCP camshaft (). A support bearing () for the twin vane phaser (), having passageways () for supplying pressure medium to working chambers of the twin vane phaser (), is formed separately from the SCP camshaft ().

The invention relates to a camshaft assembly comprising an inner shaft, an outer tube rotatable relative to the inner shaft, and two groups of cams mounted on the outer tube, the first group of cams being fast in rotation with the outer tube, and the second group being rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the tube and being connected for rotation with the inner shaft by means of connecting members that pass through circumferentially elongated slots in the outer tube. In the invention, the outer tube surrounds the inner shaft with clearance and the members connecting different ones of the cams of the second group to the inner shaft are inclined relative to one another and act to locate the axis of the inner shaft relative to the outer tube.

Camshaft assembly

A mechanism for actuating a poppet valve () of an internal combustion engine, comprises two coaxially mounted cams (), cam followers () in contact with the respective cams () mounted on a common summation lever () which is movable in proportion to the instantaneous sum of the lifts of the two cams (), and a rocker () pivotably connected to the summation lever () and serving to open the engine valve (). The rocker is pivotable about a pivot () having a fixed preset position and a control spring () is provided between the summation lever () and a fixed point on the engine to urge the rocker () into contact with the tip of the valve () and the pivot () while the valve is closed.

Growing community of inventors

Witney, United Kingdom

Ian Methley