Cam journal lubricant supply mechanism for engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400643-B2
Application number	US-201715756853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

An oil supply path passes through members separate from a cylinder head ( 4 ) to supply a lubricant to bearings ( 73, 74 ) of camshaft journals. The oil supply path includes an oil supply passage ( 66 ) for the camshaft above the camshaft ( 19, 20 ), a connection passage ( 64 ) for the camshaft between the oil supply passage for the camshaft and an internal passage ( 61, 62 ) in the cylinder head ( 4 ), and branch oil passages ( 68 ) for the camshaft journals. Each branch oil passage branches off from the oil supply passage for the camshaft, and is connected to one of the bearings ( 73, 74 ) from above. Each of the branch passages includes a throttle ( 168 ) with a smaller cross-sectional flow area than the oil supply passage for the camshaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lubricant supply mechanism for camshaft journals of an engine including a camshaft, provided in a cylinder head and including the camshaft journals, and bearings, each rotatably supporting one of the camshaft journals of the camshaft, the mechanism comprising:
an oil supply path passing through members separate from and attached to the cylinder head to supply a lubricant discharged from an oil pump in the engine to the bearings, wherein
the oil supply path includes
an oil supply passage for the camshaft located above the camshaft and extending along an axis of the camshaft,
a connection passage for the camshaft located between the oil supply passage for the camshaft and an internal passage in the cylinder head, and supplying the lubricant having passed through the internal passage to the oil supply passage for the camshaft, and
branch oil passages for the camshaft journals, each branch oil passage branching off from the oil supply passage for the camshaft, connected to a respective bearing of the bearings from above, and supplying the lubricant to the respective bearing of the bearings,

each of the branch oil passages includes a throttle with a smaller cross-sectional flow area than the oil supply passage for the camshaft,
a cam piece is provided at at least one of two portions of the camshaft on two sides of each of the camshaft journals in a direction along the axis of the camshaft, and
an oil supply passage for the cam piece branches off from a portion of each of the branch oil passages located upstream of a downstream end of each of the branch oil passages and downstream of the throttle and extends along the axis of the camshaft toward the cam piece provided at at least one of two portions of the camshaft on two sides of the camshaft journal corresponding to the branch oil passage in the direction along the axis of the camshaft to supply the lubricant to the cam piece.

2. The lubricant supply mechanism of claim 1 , wherein
the camshaft further includes, at or near an axial end of the camshaft, a position regulating journal with a larger diameter than the camshaft journals to regulate an axial movement of the camshaft,
a branch passage for the position regulating journal branches off from the connection passage for the camshaft to supply the lubricant to a bearing of the position regulating journal rotatably supporting the position regulating journal, and
the branch passage for the position regulating journal branches off from the connection passage for the camshaft so as to be located in a position lower than an uppermost portion of the camshaft.

3. The lubricant supply mechanism of claim 2 , wherein
the branch passage for the position regulating journal branches off from a joint between the connection passage for the camshaft and the internal passage.

4. A lubricant supply mechanism for camshaft journals of an engine including a camshaft, provided in a cylinder head and including the camshaft journals, and bearings, each rotatably supporting one of the camshaft journals of the camshaft, the mechanism comprising:
an oil supply path passing through members separate from and attached to the cylinder head to supply a lubricant discharged from an oil pump in the engine to the bearings, wherein
the oil supply path includes
an oil supply passage for the camshaft located above the camshaft and extending along an axis of the camshaft,
a connection passage for the camshaft located between the oil supply passage for the camshaft and an internal passage in the cylinder head, and supplying the lubricant having passed through the internal passage to the oil supply passage for the camshaft, and
branch oil passages for the camshaft journals, each branch oil passage branching off from the oil supply passage for the camshaft, connected to a respective bearing of the bearings from above, and supplying the lubricant to the respective bearing of the bearings,

each of the branch oil passages includes a throttle with a smaller cross-sectional flow area than the oil supply passage for the camshaft,
the camshaft further includes, at or near an axial end of the camshaft, a position regulating journal with a larger diameter than the camshaft journals to regulate an axial movement of the camshaft,
a branch passage for the position regulating journal branches off from the connection passage for the camshaft to supply the lubricant to a bearing of the position regulating journal rotatably supporting the position regulating journal, and
the branch passage for the position regulating journal branches off from the connection passage for the camshaft so as to be located in a position lower than an uppermost portion of the camshaft.

5. The lubricant supply mechanism of claim 4 , wherein
the branch passage for the position regulating journal branches off from a joint between the connection passage for the camshaft and the internal passage.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Kashiwabara Takashi
• Yamamoto Tsuyoshi
• Nakahara Yasushi
• Shimizu Kouichi

Classifications

• F01L1/047

  Camshafts · CPC title

• F01M9/105

  using distribution conduits · 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

• F01M9/10

  Lubrication of valve gear or auxiliaries · CPC title

• F01L2810/02

  Lubrication · CPC title