Cam phasing assemblies with electromechanical locking control and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018371963-A1
Application number	US-201715631787-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Dec 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cam phasing control motor assembly, including: an electric motor with a hollow drive shaft; an actuating pin passing through the hollow drive shaft; an engagement feature; and a displacement assembly. For a camshaft locking mode: the displacement assembly displaces the actuating pin in a first axial direction to non-rotatably connect the engagement feature with a bolt non-rotatably connected to a camshaft; and the camshaft is arranged to non-rotatably connect to an input gear for a gearbox phasing unit, the input gear arranged to receive torque from an engine. For a phase adjusting mode: the displacement assembly displaces the actuating pin in a second axial direction, opposite the first axial direction, to disconnect the engagement feature from the bolt; and the camshaft is arranged to rotate with respect to the input gear.

First claim

1 . A cam phasing control motor assembly, comprising:
an electric motor with a hollow drive shaft; an actuating pin passing through the hollow drive shaft; an engagement feature; and, a displacement assembly, wherein:
for a camshaft locking mode:
the displacement assembly displaces the actuating pin in a first axial direction to non-rotatably connect the engagement feature with a bolt non-rotatably connected to a camshaft; and,
the camshaft is arranged to non-rotatably connect to an input gear for a gearbox phasing unit, the input gear arranged to receive torque from an engine; and,

for a phase adjusting mode:
the displacement assembly displaces the actuating pin in a second axial direction, opposite the first axial direction, to disconnect the engagement feature from the bolt; and,
the camshaft is arranged to rotate with respect to the input gear.

2 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the displacement assembly includes:
an actuator; and,
a resilient element;
for the camshaft locking mode, the actuator displaces the actuating pin and the engagement feature in the first axial direction; and, for the phase adjusting mode, the resilient element displaces the engagement feature and the actuating pin in the second axial direction.

3 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a connection element non-rotatably connected to the hollow drive shaft and arranged to non-rotatably connect to a component of the gearbox phasing unit, wherein for the phase adjusting mode, the electric motor rotates the connection element to control a circumferential position of the camshaft with respect to the input gear.

4 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 3 , wherein:
for the camshaft locking mode, the displacement assembly displaces the engagement feature in the first axial direction with respect to the connection element; and, for the phase adjusting mode, the displacement assembly displaces the engagement feature in the second axial direction with respect to the connection element.

5 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the engagement feature is located within the connection element.

6 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the engagement feature includes at least one radially outwardly extending protrusion; the bolt includes a recess with at least one radially outwardly extending slot; for the camshaft locking mode, the displacement assembly displaces the at least one radially outwardly extending protrusion into the at least one radially outwardly extending slot; and, for the phase adjusting mode, the displacement assembly axially off-sets the at least one radially outwardly extending protrusion from the at least one radially outwardly extending slot.

7 . A cam phasing control motor assembly, comprising:
an electric motor with a hollow drive shaft; a connection element non-rotatably connected to the hollow drive shaft and arranged to connect to a gearbox phasing unit, the gearbox phasing unit including an input gear arranged to receive torque from an engine; an actuating pin passing through the hollow drive shaft; an engagement feature non-rotatably connected to the connection element; a resilient element engaged with the engagement feature; and, an actuator, wherein:
for a camshaft locking mode, the actuator displaces the actuating pin and the engagement feature in a first axial direction to non-rotatably connect the engagement feature with a bolt non-rotatably connected to a camshaft; and,
for a phase adjusting mode, the resilient element displaces the engagement feature in a second axial direction, opposite the first axial direction, to enable relative rotation between the connection element and the bolt.

8 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 7 , wherein:
for the camshaft locking mode, the connection element is non-rotatably connected to the input gear; and, for the phase adjusting mode, the electric motor rotates the connection element to change a circumferential position of the camshaft with respect to the input gear.

9 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 7 , wherein for the camshaft locking mode, the input gear is non-rotatably connected to the camshaft.

10 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the engagement feature is located within the connection element.

11 . The cam phasing motor control assembly of claim 7 , wherein:
for the camshaft locking mode, the actuator axially displaces the engagement feature with respect to the connection element; and, for the phase adjusting mode, the resilient element axially displaces the engagement feature with respect to the connection element.

12 . A cam phasing control assembly, comprising:
a gearbox phasing unit including:
an input gear arranged to receive torque from an engine; and,
an output gear arranged to non-rotatably connect to a camshaft; and,
a cam phasing control motor assembly including:
an electric motor with a hollow drive shaft;
an actuating pin passing through the hollow drive shaft;
an engagement feature; and,
a displacement assembly, wherein:
for a camshaft locking mode, the displacement assembly displaces the actuating pin and the engagement feature in a first axial direction to non-rotatably connect the engagement feature with a bolt non-rotatably connected to a camshaft; and,
for a phase adjusting mode, the displacement assembly displaces the engagement feature in a second axial direction, opposite the first axial direction, to enable relative rotation between the camshaft and the input gear.

13 . The cam phasing control assembly of claim 12 , further comprising:
a connection element non-rotatably connected to the hollow drive shaft, wherein:
for the camshaft locking mode, the connection element, the input gear and the camshaft are non-rotatably connected; and,
for the phase adjusting mode, the electric motor rotates the connection element:
in a first circumferential direction to rotate the camshaft, with respect to the input gear, in the first circumferential direction; and,
in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction, to rotate the camshaft, with respect to the input gear, in the second circumferential direction.

14 . The cam phasing control assembly of claim 12 , further comprising:
a connection element non-rotatably connected to the hollow drive shaft, wherein the engagement feature is non-rotatably connected to the connection element.

15 . The cam phasing control assembly of claim 12 , further comprising:
a connection element non-rotatably connected to the hollow drive shaft, wherein:
the displacement assembly includes:
an actuator; and,
a resilient element;

for the camshaft locking mode, the actuator displaces the engagement feature in the first axial direction with respect to the connection element; and,
for the phase adjusting mode, the resilient element displaces the engagement feature in the second axial direction with respect to the connection element.

16 . A method of operating the cam phasing control motor assembly of claim 1 , comprising:
receiving, from the engine and with the input gear for the gearbox phasing unit, the torque in a first circumferential direction; for the phase adjusting mode:
displacing, with the displacement assembly, the engagement feature in the second axial direction;
disconnecting the engagement feature from the bolt; and,
rotating, with t

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Burke Steven
• MLINARIC Andrew

Classifications

• F01L2013/103

  Electric motors · CPC title

• F16D3/10

  Couplings with means for varying the angular relationship of two coaxial shafts during motion · CPC title

• F01L2250/04

  the camshaft being driven by belts · CPC title

• F01L2001/34469

  Lock movement parallel to camshaft axis · CPC title

• F01L1/34413

  using composite camshafts, e.g. with cams being able to move relative to the camshaft · CPC title