Nissan Motor Company Limited

Hitachi, Ltd.

Yusuke Takagi

Yoshiaki Tanaka

Ryosuke Hiyoshi

Katsutoshi Nakamura

Yoshio Kojima

Kenji Mitani

Yoshihiko Yamada

Nobuo Hamano

Kuniyoshi Tsubouchi

Tamotsu Todo

Tsutomu Okusawa

Masaki Toriumi

Yuuzou Akasaka

Shigeki Shindou

Yoichi Yoshinaga

Tsunehiko Takakusagi

Kazuo Moriguti

An actuator mounting structure of a variable compression ratio internal combustion engine includes: a variable compression ratio mechanism arranged to vary an engine compression ratio in accordance with a rotational position of a control shaft; an actuator arranged to drivingly rotate the control shaft, the actuator being fixed on an actuator mounting portion provided to a side wall of a main body of the engine by using a plurality of fixing bolts, and a rigidity improvement section arranged to improve a mounting rigidity of the actuator to the actuator mounting portion, and which is provided within an inter-bolt distance between two bolts of the plurality of the fixing bolts, which are located on the both sides in a direction of a crank shaft.

Actuator mounting structure for internal-combustion engine having variable compression ratio

There are provided a variable compression-ratio mechanism () capable of varying an engine compression ratio in accordance with a rotational position of a control shaft (); a speed reducer () configured to reduce in speed a rotational power of an actuator and transmit the speed-reduced rotational power to the control shaft (); and a speed-reducer accommodating case () accommodating the speed reducer (). An input shaft of the speed reducer () which is connected to the actuator has a shaft center line extending along a horizontal direction, and at least a part of the input shaft is kept under a lubricating oil retained in the speed-reducer accommodating case (). The input shaft of the speed reducer () is swung by a predetermined swing angle to avoid inadequate lubrication of the input shaft of the speed reducer (), during an operating state where the engine compression ratio is maintained constant.

Control device and control method for variable compression ratio internal combustion engines

It is an object to increase the reliability and durability by minimizing mixing/entry of foreign matter (contaminants) into a speed reducer. The speed reducer is provided for reducing rotation of an actuator of a variable compression ratio mechanism and for transmitting the reduced rotation to a control shaft of the variable compression ratio mechanism. The actuator and the speed reducer are attached to a sidewall of an engine main body with a housing therebetween. An oil filter, which removes contaminants from within lubricating oil, is attached to the housing with an oil-passage-forming body therebetween. A portion of the lubricating oil supplied from the oil filter immediately after having been filter-purified is supplied via a bypass oil passage, formed in the oil-passage-forming body and the housing, into a speed-reducer accommodation chamber of the housing.

Variable compression ratio internal combustion engine

A multi-link internal combustion engine generally includes a cylinder block, an oil pan mounted to the undersurface of the cylinder block to define a crank chamber, the oil pan being formed with a shallow bottom portion and a deep bottom portion for storing oil. The multi-link internal combustion engine further includes a multi-link, piston-crank mechanism disposed in the crank chamber, a pivotal link member of the piston-crank mechanism pivotal about a pivotal fulcrum located on the side of oil pan; and an oil guide wall provided on the shallow bottom portion in the crank chamber for guiding the oil displaced due to the movement of the pivotal link member to the side of deep bottom portion.

Multi-link internal combustion engine

A variable compression ratio internal combustion engine basically has a main engine body and a variable compression ratio mechanism. A housing is attached to an outside wall of the main engine body to support an actuator. The variable compression ratio mechanism varies an engine compression ratio according to a rotational position of a first control shaft by the actuator. A second control shaft links the actuator to the first control shaft. A bearing includes a pair of split bearing bodies that rotatably holds and supports the second control shaft on the housing. The split bearing body that is farther from the main engine body has higher in rigidity than the housing. The bearing is fixed to the side wall of the main engine body by fixing bolts that pass through both of the split bearing bodies and thread into the side wall of the main engine body.

A variable valve timing mechanism comprises a drive shaft including a rocker arm, a control shaft, a stopper, a first spring member and a second spring member. The rocker arm opens and closes at least one of an intake/exhaust valve in response to rotation of the drive shaft. The control shaft changes a position of the rocker arm to continuously change valve lift characteristics of the intake/exhaust valve in response to rotation of the control shaft by driving a control shaft actuator. The stopper regulates an operating range of rotation of the control shaft between upper and lower limits. The first and second spring members urge the control shaft towards the upper and lower limits, respectively. The first and second spring members return the control shaft to a balance position between the upper limit position and the lower limit position when the internal combustion engine stops.

Variable valve timing mechanism for internal combustion engine

A VA apparatus includes a rocker arm coaxially swingably supported on a support shaft. The rocker arm is swung by torque transmitted from an engine to operate an engine valve and includes a first arm to which torque is transmitted and a second arm for operating the engine valve. The first and second arms, which are separate and distinct from each other, are swingable relative to each other. Bolts are provided to fix the first and second arms in a predetermined relative angle position.

Valve actuation apparatus for internal combustion engine and method of adjusting lift thereof

A variable valve operating system for a two-bank engine includes a variable valve-lift and working-angle control mechanism changing at least one of a valve lift and a working angle of each of engine valves arranged in each of cylinder banks, and two variable valve timing control mechanisms provided for each of the banks for changing valve timings independently of each other. A control unit responds a failure in one of the variable valve timing control mechanisms for failsafe purposes. The control unit includes a failsafe section capable of executing a failsafe operating mode in which at least one of the valve lift and the working angle of each of engine valves is increasingly compensated for by the variable valve-lift and working-angle control mechanism, when the one variable valve timing control mechanism is failed.

Variable valve operating system for internal combustion engine

Method of opening and closing a fluid passage comprises the steps of freezing fluid in the fluid passage by first cooling the fluid to a temperature below the freezing point of the fluid to close the fluid passage and after the fluid passage is closed, raising the temperature of the fluid close (or just below) to the freezing point of the fluid, whereby the fluid passage is maintained in a closed state with a small power supply and the responsiveness in opening the fluid passage is enhanced.

Shut off apparatus for a fluid passage, method for controlling the same,

An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid is arranged such that a liquid channel is closed by causing a controller to control one heat absorbing and generating part of a cooling/heating element to execute heat absorption and cooling a heat transmitting element to solidify the liquid in the channel. The apparatus is also arrangement such that the channel is opened first by causing the controller to control the same heat absorbing and generating part to execute heat generation and heating the heat transmitting element to melt the liquid solidified in the channel. A method of controlling the opening and closing of a channel according to the invention includes the steps of: solidifying a liquid in a channel by cooling it from the outside to close the channel; and opening the channel thus closed by melting the liquid solidified in the channel by the application of heat.

Apparatus for and method of controlling the opening and closing of

This invention relates to a method of measuring the shape of an object in a non-contacting manner. The method comprises the steps of providing reference points on the object, the coordinates of which are known in an object coordinate system for expressing the shape of the object; applying a light spot on the reference points while moving a light spot detecting sensor to determine the coordinate values in a measuring coordinate system; determining the relative positional relation between the two coordinate systems by using coordinate values thus determined and the coordinate values in the object coordinate system; measuring points on the object to measure the shape of the object; and comparing the coordinate values, relating to shape of the object and determined in the measuring coordinate system, with reference values which are design values modulated with the relative positional value and converted into coordinate values in the measuring coordinate system in an arithmetic control unit, whereby a manufacturing error of said object is measured.

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Hadano, Japan

Yusuke Takagi