Valve opening/closing timing control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10626762-B2
Application number	US-201716349485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2017
Priority date	Nov 18, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A valve opening/closing timing control device that sets a relative rotation phase between a driving-side rotating body and a driven-side rotating body using a driving force of an electric actuator is compactly configured. The device is provided with: a first bearing disposed between an inner periphery of the driven-side rotating body and an eccentric member; a second bearing disposed between the eccentric member and an input gear on a side of the first bearing away from a camshaft in a direction along a rotational axis; and a front plate fixed to the driving-side rotating body on a side of the second bearing away from the camshaft. An Oldham coupling is disposed on the side away from the camshaft of both the first bearing and the second bearing in the direction along the rotational axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve opening/closing timing control device, comprising:
a driving-side rotating body that rotates in synchronization with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine around a rotational axis;
a driven-side rotating body disposed inside of the driving-side rotating body on the same axis as the rotational axis, the driven-side rotating body rotating as a single body together with a valve opening/closing camshaft of the internal combustion engine; and
a phase adjustment mechanism that sets a relative rotation phase between the driving-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body using a driving force of an electric actuator;
wherein the phase adjustment mechanism is provided with an output gear provided in the driven-side rotating body on the same axis as the rotational axis, an input gear that rotates on an eccentric axis having an attitude parallel to the rotational axis, has fewer teeth than the output gear, and is disposed on the same axis as the eccentric axis, the input gear configured to couple to the driving-side rotating body through an Oldham coupling, and a cylindrically-shaped eccentric member that supports the input gear inside of the input gear so as to allow the input gear to rotate around the eccentric axis, the phase adjustment mechanism thereby changing a position where the output gear and the input gear engage with each other by causing the eccentric axis to revolve with rotation of the eccentric member due to driving force of the electric actuator, and
the valve opening/closing timing control device is provided with a first bearing disposed between an inner periphery of the driven-side rotating body and an outer periphery of the eccentric member, a second bearing disposed between the outer periphery of the eccentric member and the inner periphery of the input gear on a side of the first bearing away from the camshaft in a direction along the rotational axis, and a front plate fixed to the driving-side rotating body on a side of the second bearing away from the camshaft in the direction along the rotational axis, the Oldham coupling being disposed on the side away from the camshaft of both the first bearing and the second bearing in the direction along the rotational axis.

2. The valve opening/closing timing control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the Oldham coupling is disposed between the front plate and the second bearing, and
in the eccentric member, a lubricating oil groove that guides lubricating oil supplied to an internal space to the outside in the radial direction is formed inside relative to the front plate, at an end on the side away from the camshaft in the direction along the rotational axis.

3. The valve opening/closing timing control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the Oldham coupling is disposed between the front plate and the second bearing, and
a notch-like discharge channel that allows lubricating oil to flow through to the side of the outer periphery at the location where the Oldham coupling engages is formed in the driving-side rotating body.

4. The valve opening/closing timing control device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a first biasing member, causing biasing force to act on the input gear such that part of the input gear engages with part of the output gear, provided between the outer periphery side of the eccentric member and the inner periphery side of the second bearing;
wherein the Oldham coupling is disposed between the front plate and the second bearing, and
a second biasing member that biases the second bearing toward the first bearing is provided between the Oldham coupling and the second bearing.

5. The valve opening/closing timing control device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a first biasing member, causing biasing force to act on the input gear such that part of the input gear engages with part of the output gear, provided between the outer periphery side of the eccentric member and the inner periphery side of the second bearing;
wherein the Oldham coupling is disposed between the front plate and the second bearing, and
a spacer, which sets a distance of a gap in which the second bearing can move in the direction along the rotational axis to no more than a predetermined set value, is provided between the Oldham coupling and the second bearing.

Assignees

• Aisin Seiki

Inventors

• Miyachi Eiji
• Mukaide Hiroki

Classifications

• F01L1/352 Primary

  using bevel or epicyclic gear · CPC title

• F01L1/047

  Camshafts · CPC title

• F16H1/32

  in which the central axis of the gearing lies inside the periphery of an orbital gear · CPC title

• F01M9/108

  of auxiliaries · CPC title

• F16D3/04

  specially adapted to allow radial displacement, e.g. Oldham couplings · CPC title