Switchable finger follower with combined lost motion spring and hydraulic lash adjuster clip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9416688-B2
Application number	US-201514612725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2015
Priority date	Feb 7, 2014
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A switchable roller finger follower including a combined lost motion spring and hydraulic lash adjuster clip is provided. The switchable roller finger follower includes at least one spring having two coiled spring portions. Each of the two coiled spring portions is wrapped around a respective spring holding pin formed on an inner elongated body. Each one of the at least two coiled spring portions includes a first leg and a second leg. The first legs each extend from a respective one of the two coiled spring portions to engage a spring pallet formed on an outer elongated body. The second legs each contact a bottom portion of the inner elongated body in proximity to a socket portion to act as a retainer for retaining a hydraulic lash adjuster to the inner elongated body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A switchable roller finger follower comprising:
an outer elongated body having a valve stem end, a lash adjuster end, two outer elongated body side walls connected by a pin each including a spring pallet, and an inner cavity located between the outer elongated body side walls;
an inner elongated body positioned in said inner cavity and having a first end pivotally attached to said outer elongated body at said valve stem end via the pin, and a second, hydraulic lash adjuster end, a socket portion defined at the second end on a bottom portion of the inner elongated body, a locking mechanism located at the second end of the inner elongated body adapted to be switchable from a first locked position in which locking pins extend outwardly from the inner elongated body to engage under the lash adjuster ends of the outer elongated body side walls, to a second unlocked position in which the locking pins move inwardly so that the outer elongated body is pivotable in relation to the inner elongated body about the pin, and two spring holding pins located on opposite sides of the inner elongated body at the second end; and
at least one spring that includes two coiled spring portions, each of the two coiled spring portions is wrapped around a respective one of the spring holding pins, and each one of the at least two coiled spring portions includes a first leg and a second leg, each of the first legs extends from a respective one of the two coiled spring portions to engage a respective one of the spring pallets, and each of the second legs contacts the bottom portion of the inner elongated body in proximity to the socket portion to act as a retainer for a hydraulic lash adjuster with the inner elongated body.

2. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 1 , wherein each spring pallet is located on a bottom portion of the outer elongated body.

3. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 1 , wherein the second legs of the two coiled spring portions are formed integrally with each other defining a common second leg.

4. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 3 , wherein the common second leg engages a spring catch protrusion formed on the inner elongated body.

5. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 4 , wherein the spring catch protrusion is formed on the second end of the inner elongated body.

6. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 4 , wherein the spring catch protrusion is formed on an inner surface of the inner elongated body.

7. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spring comprises two separate springs, and the second legs engage the bottom portion of the inner elongated body and extend in opposite longitudinal directions on opposite sides of the socket portion.

8. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spring comprises two separate springs, and the second legs engage the bottom portion of the inner elongated body and extend in opposite transverse directions on opposite sides of the socket portion.

9. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 1 , wherein the first legs extend across the inner cavity and engage a spring pallet located on an opposite side of the outer elongated body from the one of the at least two coiled spring portions from which the first leg extends.

10. A switchable roller finger follower comprising:
a primary lever including a valve stem end and a lash adjuster end including a socket portion defined on a bottom portion of the primary lever;
a secondary lever including a first end, a second end, and spring pallets, at least one of the first and second ends is pivotally attached to the primary lever via a pin;
a locking mechanism located at the lash adjuster end of the primary lever adapted to be switchable from a first locked position in which locking pins extend to engage the secondary lever, to a second unlocked position in which the locking pins move so that the secondary lever is pivotable in relation to the primary lever about the pin, and two spring holding pins located on opposite sides of the primary lever at the lash adjuster end of the primary lever;
at least one spring that includes two coiled spring portions, each of the two coiled spring portions is wrapped around a respective one of the spring holding pins, and each one of the at least two coiled spring portions includes a first leg and a second leg, each of the first legs extends from a respective one of the two coiled spring portions to engage a respective one of the spring pallets, and each of the second legs contacts the bottom portion of the primary lever in proximity to the socket portion to act as a retainer for a hydraulic lash adjuster with the primary lever.

11. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 10 , wherein the secondary lever includes a cam-support portion.

12. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 10 , wherein the primary lever includes two outer elongated body side walls that define an inner cavity, and the secondary lever is positioned in the inner cavity of the primary lever.

13. The switchable roller finger follower of claim 10 , wherein the secondary lever includes two outer elongated body side walls, and each of the two outer elongated body side walls includes one of the spring pallets.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Manther Debora

Classifications

• F01L13/0057

  by splittable or deformable cams · CPC title

• F01L2001/187

  Clips, e.g. for retaining rocker arm on pivot · CPC title

• F01L2305/00

  Valve arrangements comprising rollers · CPC title

• F01L2001/186

  Split rocking arms, e.g. rocker arms having two articulated parts and means for varying the relative position of these parts or for selectively connecting the parts to move in unison · CPC title

• F01L1/2405

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