The present invention relates to a switching hydraulic fluid gallery used in connection with switchable finger followers or switchable hydraulic lash adjusters.
Internal combustion engines include cylinder heads in which hydraulic lash adjusters are typically arranged which have hydraulic fluid galleries that feed pressurized hydraulic fluid, typically at a pressure of at least 0.5 bar, to a port defined in a housing of the hydraulic lash adjuster. A plunger is arranged within a bore of the housing and supports an end of a finger follower on a support head thereof. The plunger is axially displaceable to perform the hydraulic lash adjustment. For engines with cylinder deactivation technology, optionally a switching function can be performed by the hydraulic lash adjuster to provide a zero lift opening of the associated valve. When the switching function is provided, the hydraulic lash adjuster is provided as two parts in the form of an inner and outer housing, which are locked together for normal operation, and when deactivation is desired, a switching port of the housing feeds hydraulic fluid from a switching hydraulic fluid gallery, typically at a pressure of at least 1 bar, into a chamber of a locking pin to unlock the inner housing from the outer housing so that the inner housing can reciprocate within the outer housing. This is shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 8,235,017.
It is also known to use switchable finger followers that have a first, hi-lift and a second, no or low-lift switching mode. Here, the switchable finger followers are activated or deactivated by pressurized hydraulic fluid that is fed via a feed path from the switching hydraulic fluid gallery, through the hydraulic lash adjuster, and to an actuator chamber in the switchable finger follower to actuate a switching function of the finger lever assembly between the first and second valve lift modes. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,007. Other known arrangements for supplying hydraulic fluid in switchable valve trains are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,035, U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,175, U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,288, and U.S. Pub. 2010/0037845.
One known issue with switching hydraulic fluid galleries is that there can be a lag time for actuation of the switching function, whether in the hydraulic lash adjuster or in a switchable finger follower, due to air bubbles in the hydraulic fluid in the switching hydraulic fluid gallery or the switching hydraulic fluid path to the actuator, which at a minimum delays the switching time, affecting engine performance.
One known solution to de-aerate hydraulic fluid in a switching hydraulic fluid gallery is to provide a throttled passage via a local flat on an outer surface of a hydraulic lash adjuster housing. See for example, U.S. Pub. 2016/0102585, which is owned by the assignee of the present application. It would be desirable to provide a simplified solution for de-aeration of hydraulic fluid in a switching hydraulic fluid gallery arrangement.
A switching hydraulic fluid gallery arrangement for a switchable valve arrangement including a simplified de-aeration feature is disclosed. The arrangement includes a cylinder head having a bore, a hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery that intersects the bore at a first intersection, and a switching hydraulic fluid gallery that intersects the bore at a second intersection offset from the first intersection. The arrangement includes a hydraulic lash adjuster assembly including a housing positioned in the bore of the cylinder head including a first, hydraulic lash adjuster fluid port on a radially outer wall in a first annular groove of the housing at the first intersection, and a second switching hydraulic fluid port on the radially outer wall in a second annular groove of the housing at the second intersection. The housing includes a top land positioned axially above the first annular groove, and a bottom land positioned axially below the second annular groove. The top land and the bottom land are cylindrical and each have a primary outer diameter (DP). The housing includes a middle land defined axially between the first annular groove and the second annular groove. The middle land is cylindrical and has an outer diameter (DR) that is reduced relative to the primary outer diameter (DP). This reduced outer diameter (DR) of the middle land provides a simplified arrangement for defining a restricted flow path between the hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery and the switching hydraulic fluid gallery to maintain hydraulic fluid in the switching hydraulic fluid gallery. A plunger is arranged within the housing that is axially displaceable therein. A switching control valve is connected to a pressurized fluid source, and the switching control valve is adapted to activate or deactivate the switchable valve arrangement. The switching control valve is movable from: (1) a first position, in which pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery flows to the first intersection, through the restricted flow path and through the switching hydraulic fluid gallery to a check valve such that pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery pressurizes the switching hydraulic fluid gallery and is released through the check valve, and (2) a second position, in which pressurized hydraulic fluid having a higher pressure sufficient for carrying out a switching function of the switchable valve arrangement is delivered by the switching hydraulic fluid gallery via the second intersection to the second port.
In another embodiment, the top land, the middle land, and bottom land all have the same outer diameter (DP′), and an annular groove is formed in the bore in a region of the middle land. The annular groove provides a restricted flow path between the first annular groove and the second annular groove. The annular groove has a radial depth (rR′) that provides the same function as the restricted flow path discussed above.
The foregoing Summary and the following detailed description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “front,” “rear,” “upper,” and “lower” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from the parts referenced in the drawings. “Axially” refers to a direction along the axis of a shaft or rotating part. A reference to a list of items that are cited as “at least one of a, b, or c” (where a, b, and c represent the items being listed) means any single one of the items a, b, or c, or combinations thereof. The terminology includes the words specifically noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.
Referring to
Referring to
As shown in
In another embodiment of the hydraulic lash adjuster 24′ and the housing 26′ shown in
The housing 26 can be formed as a deep drawn steel part which can be further machined, then hardened and ground to the final configuration. Alternatively, it can be a machined part. A plunger 38 with a support head 40 is arranged within the housing 26 and is axially displaceable therein. The plunger 38 provides a hydraulic lash adjustment function via pressurized hydraulic fluid P1, represented by an arrow in
Referring to
The switching control valve 42 is switchable to a second position, shown in
As shown in
The switchable valve arrangement 50 shown in
In the first position of the switching control valve 42, as shown in
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize from the present disclosure that the de-aeration arrangement 10, shown in
A method of de-aerating a switchable hydraulic fluid gallery 20 for a switchable valve arrangement 50 of an internal combustion engine is also provided. The method includes providing a switching hydraulic fluid gallery de-aeration arrangement 10 as described above and feeding pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery 16 to the first intersection 18, through the restricted flow path 36, and through the switching hydraulic fluid gallery 20 to the check valve 44 so that pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery 16 pressurizes the switching hydraulic fluid gallery 20 in the first position and air bubbles in the hydraulic fluid in the switching hydraulic fluid gallery 20 that would otherwise be trapped are carried to a tank connection prior to the switching control valve 42 being moved to the second position.
It is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes, only a few of which are exemplified in the detailed description, could be made without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. It is also to be appreciated that numerous embodiments incorporating only part of the preferred embodiment are possible which do not alter, with respect to those parts, the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. The present embodiment and optional configurations are therefore to be considered in all respects as exemplary and/or illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the application being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all alternate embodiments and changes to this embodiment which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of said claims are therefore to be embraced therein.
switching hydraulic fluid gallery de-aeration arrangement 10
cylinder head 12
bore 14
hydraulic lash adjuster fluid gallery 16
first intersection 18
switching hydraulic fluid gallery 20
second intersection 22
hydraulic lash adjuster assembly 24
housing 26
annular body 28
first, hydraulic lash adjuster fluid port 30
first annular groove 31
radially outer wall 32
top land 33
second, switching hydraulic fluid port 34
second annular groove 35
restricted flow path 36
bottom land 37
plunger 38
middle land 39
support head 40
switching control valve 42
check valve 44
switchable valve arrangement 50
stem 52
cam 54
switchable roller finger followers 56
annular groove 114