Rocker arm for a valve train of an internal combustion engine, and method for the non-cutting production of an arm from steel sheet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11225884-B2
Application number	US-201816767609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 4, 2017
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

A rocker arm has two side walls and two webs which run transversely with respect to the side wall. The webs connect the side walls to one another on end-side sections, wherein a valve stem support is configured on one of the webs, and a spherical cap is configured on the other web. A cam roller is arranged in a roller pocket which is delimited by the webs and the side walls. The cam roller is mounted rotatably on a roller axle which is fixed in the side walls. Projections are arranged within the roller pocket such that they are spaced apart from the respective web to guide the cam roller. The projections extend from the side walls in the direction of the cam roller to form guide surfaces which interact with end surfaces of the cam roller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rocker arm for a valve train of an internal combustion engine, the rocker arm comprising:
an arm body produced by forming a steel sheet, the arm body having a U-shaped cross-section configured to open toward an engine valve stem, the arm body having:
two side walls connected together at end portions via webs extending transversely to the two side walls,
a valve stem support formed on one of the webs,
a pivot formed on another of the webs, and
a roller pocket delimited by the webs and the two side walls, the roller pocket configured to receive a cam roller rotatably mounted on a roller axle fixed to the two side walls, the roller pocket having:
a first opening,
a second opening,
a first protrusion extending transversely within the roller pocket from one of the two side walls, and
a second protrusion extending transversely within the roller pocket from a remaining one of the two side walls, and
the first and second protrusions separating the first and second openings such that a first end of each of the first and second protrusions is adjoined to the first opening and a second end of each of the first and second protrusions is adjoined to the second opening, the first and second protrusions forming a third opening defined by a first transverse distance, the first transverse distance less than: i) a second transverse distance of the first opening, and ii) a third transverse distance of the second opening, and
each of the first and second protrusions having a guide face configured to limit axial movement of the cam roller within the roller pocket.

2. The rocker arm of claim 1 , wherein the roller pocket is formed within a middle region of the arm body.

3. The rocker arm of claim 1 , wherein the third opening is adjoined to the first and second openings.

4. The rocker arm of claim 1 , wherein the third opening is arranged between the first opening and the second opening relative to a longitudinal direction of the roller pocket.

5. A method for forming a rocker arm body from steel sheet for a valve train of a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
punching a plate from a steel sheet,
punching at least two openings from the plate, the at least two openings: i) defining a bone-shaped outer contour with a longitudinal extent and a transverse extent, ii) forming a roller pocket configured to receive a cam roller, and iii) defining at least one connecting web configured to separate the at least two openings, the at least one connecting web extending in the transverse extent of the bone-shaped outer contour,
forming the plate to a U-shape, the U-shape defining:
a middle region having the roller pocket,
two side walls, and
two webs, the two webs and the two side walls delimiting the roller pocket, and

detaching the at least one connecting web to form at least one protrusion, the at least one protrusion extending transversely relative to the roller pocket and configured to engage an end face of the cam roller.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one connecting web is detached in a punching process.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein a spherical cap is produced via a forming process, the spherical cap configured as a pivot point in one of the two webs, and the one of the two webs directly adjoins the roller pocket.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions configured to extend towards each other.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one protrusion extends from an upper edge of at least one of the two side walls.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein each of the two side walls includes a bore, each bore configured to receive a roller axle configured for mounting the cam roller.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein the two side walls are connected to each other via the at least one connecting web.

12. A rocker arm for a valve train of an internal combustion engine, the rocker arm comprising:
an arm body produced by forming a steel sheet and having a U-shaped cross-section configured to open toward a valve stem, the arm body having:
two side walls connected together at end portions of the arm body via webs running transversely to the side walls,
a valve stem support formed on one of the webs,
a pivot formed on another of the webs, and
a roller pocket delimited by the webs and the two side walls, the roller pocket configured to receive a cam roller rotatably mounted on a roller axle fixed on the two side walls, the roller pocket having:
a first opening,
a second opening, and
two transversely extending protrusions forming a third opening, the two transversely extending protrusions separating the first opening from the second opening, each of the two transversely extending protrusions having a first end adjoined to the first opening, and a second end adjoined to the second opening, and each of the two transversely extending protrusions forming a guide face configured to engage a respective end face of the cam roller, and
the two transversely extending protrusions are spaced apart a first transverse distance within the roller pocket, and the first transverse distance is less than: i) a second transverse distance of the first opening, and ii) a third transverse distance of the second opening.

13. The rocker arm of claim 12 , wherein the roller pocket is formed within a middle region of the arm body.

14. The rocker arm of claim 12 , wherein the pivot is configured with a splash bore to provide lubricant to the cam roller.

15. The rocker arm of claim 12 , wherein the third opening is arranged between the first opening and the second opening relative to a longitudinal direction of the roller pocket.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Haxhiu Arben
• Lambert Martin
• Schewe Michael
• Kühnel Bernhard
• Thoelking Matthias

Classifications

• F01L1/46

  Component parts, details, or accessories, not provided for in preceding subgroups · CPC title

• F01L2303/00

  Manufacturing of components used in valve arrangements · CPC title

• F01L2810/02

  Lubrication · CPC title

• F01L2305/02

  Mounting of rollers · CPC title

• B21D53/84

  other parts for engines, e.g. connecting-rods · CPC title