Valve timing control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488077-B2
Application number	US-201514791581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A valve timing control apparatus includes a check valve, a filter, and a filter holding body. The check valve is placed between a camshaft and a vane rotor. The filter is placed between the camshaft and the check valve. The filter holding body includes a plurality of metal plates, which are stacked one after another. Two metal plates, which serve as enlarged space forming plates, are placed adjacent to the filter on one side of the filter where the camshaft is placed while each of the two metal plates includes enlarged through holes. A metal plate, which serves as an enlarged space forming plate, is placed adjacent to the filter on another side of the filter and includes enlarged through holes. A flow passage cross-sectional area of each enlarged through hole is larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of a supply oil passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve timing control apparatus that is placed in a drive force transmission path, which transmits a drive force from a drive shaft of an internal combustion engine to a driven shaft, to adjust valve timing of a valve that is opened and closed by the driven shaft, wherein one of the drive shaft and the driven shaft serves as a first shaft while another one of the drive shaft and the driven shaft serves as a second shaft, and an oil passage, which opens in an end surface of the second shaft, serves as an external oil passage, the valve timing control apparatus comprising:
a housing that is rotatable together with the first shaft;
a vane rotor that is placed along an extension of an axis of the second shaft and is rotatable together with the second shaft, wherein the vane rotor forms a vane, which partitions an inside space of the housing into an advancing chamber and a retarding chamber, and the vane rotor includes:
an advancing oil passage, which is communicated with the advancing chamber;
a retarding oil passage, which is communicated with the retarding chamber; and
a supply oil passage, which opens on a side where the second shaft is placed, wherein the supply oil passage is communicatable with the external oil passage;

an oil passage change valve that is placed in a center portion of the vane rotor and includes:
an advancing port, which is communicated with the advancing oil passage;
a retarding port, which is communicated with the retarding oil passage; and
a supply port, which is communicated with the supply oil passage, wherein the oil passage change valve connects between the supply port and the advancing port at a time of rotating the vane rotor toward an advancing side relative to the housing and connects between the supply port and the retarding port at a time of rotating the vane rotor toward a retarding side relative to the housing;

a check valve that is provided between the second shaft and the vane rotor or is provided in an inside of the vane rotor, wherein the check valve enables flow of hydraulic oil from the external oil passage to the supply oil passage and blocks flow of the hydraulic oil from the supply oil passage to the external oil passage;
a filter that is placed between the second shaft and the check valve and filters a foreign object contained in the hydraulic oil that flows from the external oil passage to the supply oil passage; and
a filter holding body that is a laminated body, which is placed between the second shaft and the vane rotor and includes a plurality of metal plates that are stacked one after another in an axial direction of the vane rotor while the filter is clamped between corresponding two of the plurality of metal plates, wherein the filter holding body includes a connection oil passage that connects between the external oil passage and the supply oil passage, wherein:
the plurality of metal plates includes:
a first-side enlarged space forming plate that is placed adjacent to the filter on one side of the filter where the second shaft is placed, wherein the first-side enlarged space forming plate includes a first-side enlarged through hole, which forms a part of the connection oil passage, and a flow passage cross-sectional area of the first-side enlarged through hole is larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of the supply oil passage; and
a second-side enlarged space forming plate that is placed adjacent to the filter on another side of the filter where the vane rotor is placed, wherein the second-side enlarged space forming plate includes a second-side enlarged through hole, which forms a part of the connection oil passage, and a flow passage cross-sectional area of the second-side enlarged through hole is larger than the flow passage cross-sectional area of the supply oil passage.

2. The valve timing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter is a sheet, which is made of metal and includes a plurality of minute holes that are communicated with the first-side enlarged through hole and the second-side enlarged through hole.

3. The valve timing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
a configuration of the first-side enlarged space forming plate and a configuration of the second-side enlarged space forming plate are identical to each other;
the first-side enlarged space forming plate is one of a plurality of first-side enlarged space forming plates placed on the one side of the filter where the second shaft is placed; and
the second-side enlarged space forming plate is a single second-side enlarged space forming plate placed on the another side of the filter where the vane rotor is placed.

4. The valve timing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the check valve is a reed valve that includes a valve element, which opens and closes the connection oil passage; and
the check valve is held and secured between the filter holding body and the vane rotor or is held and secured between two of the plurality of metal plates of the filter holding body.

5. The valve timing control apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
the plurality of metal plates includes a valve seat forming plate that is placed adjacent to the check valve on a side of the check valve where second shaft is placed;
the valve seat forming plate forms a valve seat, against which the valve element is seatable; and
the valve seat forming plate includes at least one relief hole that opens around the valve seat to limit contact of an outer peripheral edge portion of the valve element with the valve seat forming plate when the valve element is seated against the valve seat.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Tomonori
• Hayashi Masashi
• Hattori Isao

Classifications

• F01L2001/3443

  Solenoid driven oil control valves · CPC title

• F03C2/30

  having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F03C2/02, F03C2/08, F03C2/22, F03C2/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members · CPC title

• F01L2001/34479

  Sealing of phaser devices · CPC title

• F01L2001/34469

  Lock movement parallel to camshaft axis · CPC title

• F04C15/066

  of the non-return type · CPC title