Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoji Kanada

Osamu Komazawa

Kazumi Ogawa

Shigemitsu Suzuki

Hiroshi Kubo

Hiroki Mukaide

Naoto Toma

Kazuhiko Maeda

Takeshi Hashizume

A valve opening/closing timing control apparatus includes a phase displacing mechanism for displacing relative phase between a drive-side rotational member and a driven-side rotational member rotatable in unison with a cam shaft, a locking mechanism capable of locking the relative phase to an intermediate locking phase suitable for starting and releasing this lock by a work fluid when needed and an urging mechanism configured to provide an urging function for urging the phase displacing mechanism toward an advancing side in a restricted range between an intermediate restricting phase located more on the retarding side than the intermediate locking phase and a most retarding phase.

Valve opening/closing timing control apparatus

A variable valve timing control device includes a driving side rotational member () synchronously rotating with a crankshaft, a driven side rotational member () positioned coaxially with the driving side rotational member, and synchronously rotating with a camshaft, a fluid pressure chamber (), formed in at least one of the driving side rotational member and the driven side rotational member, for generating a biasing force for changing a relative rotational phase between the driving side rotational member and the driven side rotational member by hydraulic fluid supplied into or discharged from the fluid pressure chamber, a lock mechanism () movable between a lock position for preventing a relative rotation between the driving side rotational member and the driven side rotational member and a lock release position for allowing the relative rotation, a lock release pressure chamber () for generating a biasing force to move the lock mechanism () to the lock release position by supply of the hydraulic fluid, a phase control device () for controlling a rate of the relative rotational phase change by controlling supply or discharge of hydraulic fluid into or out of the fluid pressure chamber, and a lock control device () for controlling supply or discharge of hydraulic fluid into or out of the lock release pressure chamber, wherein the phase control device restricts an upper limit of the rate of the relative rotational phase change when the lock control device supplies hydraulic fluid to the lock release pressure chamber.

Variable valve timing control device

A valve timing control apparatus for controlling an opening and closing timing of a valve of an internal combustion engine includes a driving side rotational member synchronously rotated with a crankshaft, a driven side rotational member provided coaxially with the driving side rotational member and synchronously rotated with a camshaft, a fluid pressure chamber being separated into an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a phase control apparatus for displacing a relative rotational phase between the driving side rotational member and the driven side rotational member, a locking mechanism having a movable member, a judging device for judging a supply condition of the operation fluid relative to the fluid pressure chamber, and a control device for controlling a rotational speed of the crankshaft.

Valve timing control apparatus for internal combustion engine

In a valve timing control apparatus, a relative rotational phase between a drive rotational member rotated with a crankshaft and a driven rotational member rotated with a camshaft is controlled by a relative rotational phase-controlling mechanism utilizing a fluid pressure in a fluid pressure chamber divided by a vane. The relative rotational phase can be restrained by a locking mechanism at an intermediate phase between most advanced and most retarded angle phases. As a minimum set torque applied by a biasing mechanism to the drive rotational member relative to the driven rotational member, a larger minimum torque required for change from the most retarded angle phase to the intermediate phase during cranking, at a temperature before warming up while fluid pressure is discharged, or at a minimum temperature for relative rotational phase control while a fluid pressure remains, is selected.

Valve timing control apparatus and method for setting minimum torque

A variable valve timing control device includes a drive member rotatable in synchronization with a crankshaft, a rotatable driven member connected to a camshaft arranged co-axially with the drive member, a hydraulic chamber formed at one of the drive member and the driven member, a vane dividing the hydraulic chamber into an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a relative rotation phase controlling mechanism which controls a relative rotation phase between the drive member and the driven member between a most retarded angle phase in which a volume of the advanced angle chamber is a maximum and a most advanced angle phase in which a volume of the retarded angle chamber is a maximum by supplying or discharging operation fluid to and/or from the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber, a lock mechanism which restricts relative rotation between the drive member and the driven member, when the relative rotation phase is a predetermined lock phase between the most advanced angle phase and the most retarded angle phase, a control mechanism performing an intermediate phase operation upon input of a signal indicating engine stop to position the relative rotation phase intermediate between the most advanced angle phase and the most retarded angle phase by operating the relative rotation phase controlling mechanism, and performing a drain operation to drain the operation fluid from both the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber after performing the intermediate phase operation.

Valve timing control device

A variable valve timing control apparatus includes a relative rotation control mechanism and a fluid pressure passage. The relative rotation control mechanism restrains a relative rotation between a rotor and a housing at an intermediate phase position between the most advanced angle phase position and the most retarded angle phase position. The fluid pressure passage includes a first fluid path for supplying the fluid to the relative rotation control mechanism and for draining the fluid therefrom and a second fluid path for supplying the fluid to an advance angle chamber and a retard angle chamber and for draining the fluid therefrom. The first fluid path is defined independently of the second fluid path.

Variable valve timing control apparatus

A variable valve timing system includes a first controlling mechanism through which operation fluid is supplied to and discharged from an advanced angle chamber to restrict the relative rotation to an advanced angle side at the lock phase, and a second controlling mechanism through which operation fluid is supplied to and discharged from a retarded angle chamber to restrict the relative rotation to a retarded angle side at the lock phase. The variable valve timing system further includes passages which function as a throttle at the lock phase to connect the advanced angle chamber with the first controlling mechanism and the retarded angle chamber with the second controlling mechanism.

Variable valve timing system

A variable valve timing system includes a hydraulic pressure circuit for controlling an operation fluid supply/discharge of the relative rotation controlling mechanism and for controlling an operation fluid supply/discharge of each of the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber. The hydraulic pressure circuit, upon initiation of the internal combustion engine, discharges the operation fluid from the relative rotation controlling mechanism and the advanced and retarded angle chambers until a pressure of the operation fluid reaches a controllable pressure value. The hydraulic pressure circuit, after the pressure of the operation fluid reaches the controllable pressure value, effecting filling of one of the advanced and retarded angle chambers which is at the superior side of in phase transfer response with operation fluid, subsequently effecting filling of the other of the advanced and retarded angle chambers, and being adapted to supply the operation fluid to the relative rotation controlling mechanism.

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Gamagori, Japan

Yoji Kanada