Applicant claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Application No. 10 2006 026 017.1 filed Jun. 1, 2006.
The invention relates to a device for at least one cylinder of an internal combustion engine according to the preamble of Claim 1.
To be able to further reduce the energy consumption by motor vehicles, the possibility of shutting down one or more cylinders in internal combustion engines having a large number of cylinders during partial load operation of the vehicle, e.g., when driving downhill, is being considered. Shutting down one or more cylinders results in a significant reduction in fuel consumption because when the cylinders that have been deactivated follow passively, they consume much less fuel than the cylinders that have not been deactivated. Devices for shutting down individual cylinders are known from a large number of publications, the most proximate of which are mentioned briefly below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,356 discloses a device for disabling cylinders, whereby the device is connected to a rocker lever that is in turn operatively connected to a valve lifter rod and an intake valve of the respective cylinder via both of its arms. In active cylinder operation, the rocker lever executes an oscillating tilting movement about a pivot axle which is situated in the area of the connection to the cylinder head and thus opens and/or closes the intake valve of the cylinder. When the respective cylinder is disabled, the device allows lifting of the rocker lever from the cylinder head and thereby a displacement of the pivot axle in the direction of the connection of the rocker lever to the intake valve of the respective cylinder. The device for disabling the cylinder is essentially arranged above the rocker lever, which therefore increases the overall height. The device is actuated by perforated plates that work mechanically.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,449 describes a device for de-activating at least one cylinder of an internal combustion engine which is arranged partially above the rocker lever and also in a valve lifter rod which follows the cam. The device described here is hydraulically actuated, which necessitates a hydraulic pump.
In general, the overall height of the internal combustion engine is increased by an arrangement of the device for deactivation of a cylinder above the rocker lever, whereas when the device is arranged in the valve lifter rod, the moving mass increases when the cylinder is activated as well as when the cylinder is deactivated.
Additional devices for cylinder deactivation are known, for example, from several United States patents, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,219, U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,738, U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,494, U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,488, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,229, U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,935 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,353.
The invention relates to the problem of providing an embodiment for a device of the generic type which is characterized in particular by a low overall height, simple input of the energy required to activate it and by retaining the moving component masses in the activated state, i.e., in the connected state of the controlled cylinder.
This problem is solved by the subject of the independent Claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.
This invention is based on the general idea of arranging a generic device for deactivation of at least one cylinder of an internal combustion engine essentially between the rocker lever and the cylinder head and designing the device so that it comprises a guide element fixedly connected to the cylinder head and a pivot axle element arranged displaceably on the guide element for pivotable mounting of the rocker lever. In addition, the inventive device includes a spring stretched between two abutments, whereby the first abutment is fixedly connected to the guide element and the second abutment is fixedly connected to the pivot axle and thereby prestresses the pivot axle element in the direction of a locking position. The inventive device is thus arranged in a space-saving manner between the rocker lever and the cylinder head, which minimizes the installation space, so that the overall height of the internal combustion engine can be reduced in comparison with an arrangement of the device above the rocker lever. In addition, the inventive device is arranged fixedly on the cylinder head so that a locking mechanism that operates hydraulically, for example, can be supplied with power and/or activated via hydraulic lines running in the cylinder head. This eliminates hydraulic lines on moving components of the device so as to yield an essential structural advantage. Furthermore, the cost of the inventive device can be reduced significantly by omitting external hydraulic lines on moving parts of the device, which therefore yields competitive advantages. In addition, the basic design of the internal combustion engine, e.g., the casting mold of the engine housing, need not be altered because the inventive device is not integrated but can be added optionally. This yields mainly more extensive possible uses for existing engine concepts.
A hydraulic supply for a locking element is expediently provided in an insert in which the pivot lever element is displaceably mounted, in a housing surrounding the former and in a cylinder head. This locking element is mounted in the insert across the axis of the guide element and is aligned so that it engages in an opening of the pivot lever element when actuated. The hydraulic lines integrated into the insert and/or into the housing and the cylinder head cause them not to be exposed to any external wear in contrast with freely installed lines and the lines are also accommodated in a space-saving manner in the cylinder head and/or inside the device of at least one cylinder. Such hydraulic supply means, e.g., hydraulic channels can be produced with the cylinder head or they may already exist so that a decision need be made only at the time of production or assembly of the combustion engine as to whether or not an inventive device is arranged on the cylinder head. The same cylinder heads may be used in both cases, thereby making it possible to reduce the variety of parts and also achieving cost advantages in comparison with the competition.
In an advantageous embodiment of the inventive approach, the locking element can be operated hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically. As described in the preceding section, the hydraulic lines supplying hydraulic medium to the locking element may be integrated into the device itself and/or into the cylinder head, whereas an electric or pneumatic actuator drive may be integrated either into the device, e.g., the insert or the cylinder head in the same way in the case of an electrically or pneumatically operable locking element. In both cases the actuating device for the locking element is integrated into the cylinder head and/or into the device in a space-saving and wear-resistant manner.
Advantageous exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in greater detail below.
They each show schematically,
According to
In general, the device 1 is designed so that when the respective cylinder is deactivated, lifting of the rocker lever 2 from the cylinder head 5 and thereby a shifting of the pivot lever 10 in the direction of the connection of the rocker lever 2 to the intake/exhaust valve 6 of the respective cylinder are made possible so that when the cylinder is deactivated, the rocker lever 2 is pivoted about the pivot axle 10′ and therefore opening of the valve 6 is suppressed.
According to this invention, the device 1 is now essentially arranged beneath the rocker lever 2, i.e., between the rocker lever 2 and the cylinder head 9, which reduces the overall height in comparison with an arrangement above the rocker lever and thereby reduces the total installed space required by the internal combustion engine.
On the basis of
The guide element 11 is arranged coaxially inside the sliding element 17 and/or the pivot axle element 12, whereby the pivot axle element 12 is designed to be axially displaceable over its sleeve-shaped sliding element 17 with respect to the guide element 11.
In addition, a guide pin 21 is provided, arranged across the axis of the guide element 11 in an insert 22 and engaging in the axial slot 20 of the sliding element 17 that is open at the end and guides it. If
As mentioned initially, the device 1 is designed for shutting down at least one cylinder of an internal combustion engine, whereby it is also conceivable for two devices 1 to be combined in one device module 24.
According to
The locking element 19 is actuated by a switch mechanism 26, preferably hydraulically, but electric or pneumatic actuation is also conceivable. Such electric or pneumatic actuation may be accomplished by a coil and/or a magnet or a pneumatic cylinder, as illustrated in
In comparison with the cylinder deactivation operations known from the state of the art, the inventive device 1 offers the great advantage that it is not necessary to move an increased mass in activated cylinder operation, so higher rotational speeds can be achieved and fuel consumption can be reduced at the same time. In addition, a smaller overall height can be achieved due to the device 1 arranged between the rocker lever 2 and the cylinder head 9, which is also a great advantage owing to the restricted engine space conditions. Furthermore, the inventive device 1 can be designed and/or made available in a device module 24 such that even traditional internal combustion engines can be retrofitted with the inventive device 1 and/or the inventive device module 24. It is of course possible to deactivate either just one cylinder by means of the inventive device or to deactivate several cylinders with several such devices 1 in case of need.
All the features depicted in the description and in the following claims may be essential to the invention either alone or combined in any desired form.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2006 026 017 | Jun 2006 | DE | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070277756 A1 | Dec 2007 | US |