Switching element for a valve train of an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012874-B2
Application number	US-202318103525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2023
Priority date	Feb 1, 2022
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a switching element comprising an external part and an internal part, which is axially displaceable in a bore of the external part. At least one radially displaceable locking element is disposed within at least one receptacle of the internal part and includes a flattened portion on a radially outwardly directed end. At least one recess of the external part can be acted upon by a control pressure and the at least one locking element can thereby be radially displaced from the locking position into a release position. At least in a respective locking position, a chamber delimited by the at least one locking element is spatially separated from the at least one recess of the external part by a respective locking section. At least one bypass is designed, which indirectly fluidly connects the at least one recess of the external part and a respective chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A switching element for a valve train of an internal combustion engine, the switching element comprising:
an external part;
an internal part configured to be: i) axially displaced in a bore of the external part and, ii) displaced relative to the external part into a coupling position in which at least one radially extending receptacle of the internal part overlaps with at least one radially extending recess of the external part, the internal part having a circumferential groove arranged on an outer jacket, the circumferential groove configured to intersect the at least one radially extending receptacle; and
at least one locking element slidably guided within the at least one radially extending receptacle, the at least one locking element having a flattened portion on a radially outwardly directed end, and anti-rotation of the at least one locking element relative to the at least one radially extending receptacle is provided via the circumferential groove; and
a locking section defined on the flattened portion of the at least one locking element, the locking section engaging in the at least one radially extending recess of the external part in a locking position of the at least one locking element and in the coupling position of the internal part and the external part; and
the at least one radially extending recess of the external part is configured to be acted upon by a control pressure and the at least one locking element is configured to be radially displaced from the locking position to a release position, in which the at least one locking element is displaced radially inwardly via the control pressure into the at least one radially extending receptacle; and
at least in the locking position of the at least one locking element, a chamber delimited by the at least one locking element is spatially separated from the at least one radially extending recess of the external part by the locking section; and
when the locking section is in axial contact with the external part in the locking position, at least one bypass is configured to indirectly fluidly connect the at least one radially extending recess of the external part and the chamber; and
the at least one bypass is formed by a cut-out having:
a first end arranged on the at least one radially extending receptacle at a first radial position relative to a longitudinal center axis of the internal part; and
a second end arranged on the at least one radially extending receptacle at a second radial position relative to the longitudinal center axis of the internal part, the second radial position different than the first radial position, and

wherein the cut-out is arranged axially between the circumferential groove and an upper end of the internal part relative to the longitudinal center axis of the internal part.

2. The switching element according to claim 1 , wherein the first end of the cut-out is configured to widen the at least one radially extending receptacle at least in a mouth region thereof onto the outer jacket of the internal part, the cut-out forming a passage from the at least one radially extending recess of the external part, past the at least one locking element, and into the chamber.

3. The switching element according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one bypass is configured to deliver the control pressure to the chamber, the control pressure configured to move the at least one locking element from the locking position to the release position.

4. The switching element according to claim 1 , wherein the first end of the cut-out penetrates the outer jacket.

5. The switching element according to claim 1 , wherein the cut-out extends linearly between the first and second ends.

6. A switching element for a valve train of an internal combustion engine, the switching element comprising:
an external part;
an internal part, configured to be: i) axially displaced in a bore of the external part and, ii) -displaced relative to the external part into a coupling position in which at least one radially extending receptacle of the internal part overlaps with at least one radially extending recess of the external part; and
at least one locking element slidably guided within the at least one radially extending receptacle, the at least one locking element having a flattened portion on a radially outwardly directed end; and
a locking section defined on the flattened portion of the at least one locking element, the locking section engaging in the at least one radially extending recess of the external part in a locking position of the at least one locking element and in the coupling position of the internal part and the external part; and
the at least one radially extending recess of the external part is configured to be acted upon by a control pressure and the at least one locking element is configured to be radially displaced from the locking position to a release position, in which the at least one locking element is displaced radially inwardly via the control pressure into the at least one radially extending receptacle; and
at least in the locking position of the at least one locking element, a chamber delimited by the at least one locking element is spatially separated from the at least one radially extending recess of the external part by the locking section; and
when the locking section is in axial contact with the external part in the locking position, at least one bypass is arranged to indirectly fluidly connect the at least one radially extending recess of the external part to the chamber at least until the chamber is fluidly connected directly to the at least one radially extending recess during a course of displacement of the at least one locking element; and
the at least one bypass is formed by a cut-out arranged on or within the at least one locking element.

7. The switching element according to claim 6 , wherein the cut-out is arranged on a contact surface of the flattened portion of the at least one locking element, the contact surface axially engaged with the external part when the locking section is in axial contact with the external part in the locking position.

8. The switching element according to claim 6 , wherein the cut-out is formed tangentially on a cylindrical guide surface on which the at least one locking element is slidably guided within the at least one radially extending receptacle of the internal part, and the cut-out is separate from the flattened portion and extends from the flattened portion so that hydraulic fluid flows from the at least one radially extending recess to the cut-out and then from the cut-out to the chamber formed by the flattened portion.

9. The switching element according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one bypass is formed by at least one bore extending within the at least one locking element and which opens into the chamber.

10. The switching element according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one bore extends within the at least one locking element from a front face of the locking section or from a cylindrical guide surface on which the at least one locking element is slidably guided within the at least one radially extending receptacle of the internal part.

11. The switching element according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one bore in the at least one locking element comprises a plurality of bores which intersect within the at least one locking element.

12. The switching element of claim 6 , wherein the cut-out comprises a bore extending within the at least one locking element, and the bore of the at least one locking element is covered by the at least one radially extending receptacle in the release position of the at least one locking

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Schnell Oliver
• Neumann Michael
• Sailer Peter
• Himsel Frank
• Roith Johannes

Classifications

• F01L1/46

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

• F01L1/2422

  by means or a hydraulic adjusting device located between the push rod and rocker arm · CPC title

• F01L1/2405

  by means of a hydraulic adjusting device located between the cylinder head and rocker arm · CPC title

• F01L2013/0052

  with cams provided on an axially slidable sleeve · 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