Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Otics Corporation

Odai Tekko Kabushiki Kaisha

Tetsuo Kondo

Yukio Okamura

Yasutaka Fukumoto

Yasuhiro Ishikawa

Junichi Kato

Yonetsugu Umemoto

Hiroshi Shirasawa

Muneya Ogo

Kazumasa Kinoshita

Yoshimi Suzuki

Hidetomi Nagai

An internal combustion engine includes a turbocharger, a variable valve gear, an A/F sensor in an exhaust passage, A/F feedback control means, and scavenge A/F control means. The variable valve gear drives intake and exhaust valves, and can drive with a valve open characteristic with valve overlap. The A/F feedback control means performs feedback correction of a fuel injection amount based on an A/F sensor output, and acquires a learning value of information relating to A/F control from a feedback correction amount. The scavenge A/F control means carries out A/F control by a value learned during an operation of the engine with non-scavenge valve open characteristic, when the variable valve gear is operated with the scavenge valve open characteristic. The scavenge valve open characteristic has a valve overlap amount of such a degree that blow-by of intake air occurs in an intake stroke during a turbocharger operation.

Internal combustion engine

A ball joint generates play when wear of a ball sheet reaches a predetermined allowable amount so that the end of service life of the ball joint can be recognized by a simple inspection. A spherical portion of a ball stud is interposed between an upper sheet and a lower sheet. The upper sheet is displaced toward the lower sheet when the upper sheet or the lower sheet has been worn due to sliding of the spherical portion. The displacement of the upper sheet is restricted so that the upper sheet is supported at a predetermined position relative to the lower sheet.

Ball joint having extended service life

A ball joint is disclosed having a socket, a ball received by the socket and a stud extending outwardly from the ball. A ball seat member is received in the socket and has a soft portion with an inner spherical surface which covers the portion of the ball at the side opposite to the stud. The soft portion is axially compressed by a cap closing an opening in the socket opposite to the stud, while expanding radially outward to be penetrated by linear projections formed in a hard portion of the ball seat member. Further, a gap remains between the soft portion after it has expanded radially outwardly and the inner cylindrical surface of the hard portion of the ball seat member so that the soft portion of the ball seat member contacts the hard portion of the ball seat member only at the linear projections.

Ball joint

Growing community of inventors

Nishio, Japan

Tetsuo Kondo