Camshaft having an axially guided sliding element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10202877-B2
Application number	US-201515524353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A camshaft may include a shaft as well as a sliding element that is disposed on the shaft such that the sliding element is axially displaceable along a shaft axis. The shaft may comprise an external tooth for transmitting torque between the shaft and the sliding element. The external tooth may engage a mating tooth geometry formed in a passage of the sliding element. The sliding element on its axial end faces may comprise bearing collars that with the shaft form radial supporting bearings of the sliding element on the shaft. Further, the shaft may comprise cylindrical bearing portions for forming the radial supporting bearings, wherein the bearing portions can be configured with a diameter that is smaller than a diameter circumscribed by tips of the mating tooth geometry that protrude into the passage of the sliding element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camshaft comprising:
a sliding element with axial end faces, wherein the sliding element comprises on each of the axial end faces a bearing collar; and
a shaft that receives the sliding element such that the sliding element is axially displaceable along a shaft axis, the shaft comprising an external tooth for transmitting torque between the shaft and the sliding element, wherein the external tooth engages a mating tooth geometry formed in a passage of the sliding element, wherein the bearing collars with the shaft form radial supporting bearings of the sliding element on the shaft, the shaft further comprising cylindrical bearing portions that form the radial supporting bearings, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical bearing portions is smaller than a diameter circumscribed by tips of the mating tooth geometry that protrude into the passage.

2. The camshaft of claim 1 wherein the mating tooth geometry comprises a hollow cylindrical portion with a tooth notch, wherein the external tooth of the shaft engages the tooth notch of the hollow cylindrical portion.

3. The camshaft of claim 2 wherein the bearing collars of the sliding element comprise a bearing internal diameter that is smaller than an internal diameter of the hollow cylindrical portion.

4. The camshaft of claim 2 wherein the cylindrical bearing portions of the shaft have an external diameter that is smaller than an internal diameter of the hollow cylindrical portion in the sliding element.

5. The camshaft of claim 1 wherein at least one of the bearing collars comprises a mounting notch, wherein the external tooth of the shaft is guided through the mounting notch as the sliding element is guided onto the shaft.

6. The camshaft of claim 5 wherein the mating tooth geometry comprises a hollow cylindrical portion with a tooth notch, wherein the external tooth of the shaft engages the tooth notch of the hollow cylindrical portion, wherein the tooth notch and the mounting notch are at mutually identical circumferential positions in the sliding element and are aligned with one another in a direction of the shaft axis.

7. The camshaft of claim 1 wherein a length of the external tooth as measured along the shaft axis is less than a distance between the bearing collars of the sliding element.

8. The camshaft of claim 1 further comprising at least two latch grooves disposed in the passage of the sliding element between one of the bearing collars and the mating tooth geometry, wherein a latching element that is received on the shaft is configured to latch into the at least two latch grooves.

9. The camshaft of claim 1 wherein an external diameter of a portion of the shaft where the external teeth is disposed is equivalent to an external diameter of the bearing portions.

10. The camshaft of claim 1 wherein the sliding element comprises a carrier tube, wherein the bearing collars are formed on the axial end faces of the carrier tube.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Presta Tecct Ag

Inventors

• Junge Volker

Classifications

• F01L1/053

  overhead type · CPC title

• F01L2001/0473

  Composite camshafts, e.g. with cams or cam sleeve being able to move relative to the inner camshaft or a cam adjusting rod · CPC title

• F01L13/0036

  the valves being driven by two or more cams with different shape, size or timing or a single cam profiled in axial and radial direction · CPC title

• F01L2001/0476

  Camshaft bearings · CPC title

• F01L1/047 Primary

  Camshafts · CPC title