Patent Grant
10450902
The present invention relates, generally, to engine valvetrain systems and, more specifically, to a finger follower assembly for use in a valvetrain of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.
Conventional engine valvetrain systems known in the art typically include one or more camshafts in rotational communication with a crankshaft supported in a block, one or more intake and exhaust valves supported in a cylinder head, and one or more intermediate members for translating radial movement from lobes of the camshaft into linear movement of the valves. The valves are used to regulate the flow of gasses in and out of cylinders of the block. To that end, the valves each have a head and a stem extending therefrom. The valve head is configured to periodically seal against the cylinder head. To this end, a compression spring is typically supported in the cylinder head, is disposed about the valve stem, and is operatively attached to the valve stem via a spring retainer. The valve stem is typically supported by a valve guide that is also operatively attached to the cylinder head, whereby the valve stem extends through the valve guide and travels therealong in response to engagement from the intermediate member.
As the camshaft rotates, the intermediate member translates force from the lobes into linear movement of the valve between different positions. The two most conventional valve positions are commonly referred to as “valve open” and “valve closed”. In the valve closed position, potential energy from the loaded spring holds the valve head sealed against the cylinder head. In the valve opened position, the intermediate member translates linear movement to compress the spring, thereby un-sealing the valve head from the cylinder head so as to allow gasses to flow into (or, out of) the cylinder of the block.
During engine operation, and particularly at high engine rotational speeds, close tolerance must me maintained between the camshaft lobe, the intermediate member, and the valve stem. Excessive tolerance results in detrimental engine performance as well as increased friction and wear of the various valvetrain components, which leads to significantly decreased engine life. In order to maintain proper tolerances, in modern “overhead cam” valvetrain systems, the intermediate member is typically realized by a lash adjuster and a finger follower (sometimes referred to in the art as a “rocker arm finger follower”). The lash adjuster is typically supported in the cylinder head at a location spaced from the valve stem, with a lobe of the camshaft disposed above (“overhead of”) the lash adjuster and the valve stem. Conventional lash adjusters utilize hydraulic oil pressure from the engine to maintain certain tolerances between the valve stem and the camshaft lobe under varying engine operating conditions, such as engine rotational speed or operating temperature. Thus, in operation, force from the camshaft lobe is translated through the finger follower to the lash adjuster and the valve stem. To that end, the finger follower has a body which extends between and engages the lash adjuster and the valve stem, and also includes a bearing that engages the camshaft lobe. The bearing is typically supported by a shaft fixed to the body of the finger follower. The bearing rotates on the shaft, follows the profile of the lobe of the camshaft, and translates force to the finger follower, via the shaft, so as to open the valve in response to rotation of and engagement with the camshaft lobe.
It will be appreciated that maintaining proper alignment between the rotational axis of the camshaft and the rotational axis of the bearing of the finger follower ensures smooth engagement between the bearing of the finger follower and the lobe of the camshaft in operation. While effecting and maintaining proper alignment is desirable for engine valvetrain systems, in some applications it is not readily achievable and/or practical. Thus, a certain amount of misalignment between valvetrain components is not uncommon in the art. Nevertheless, misalignment between the camshaft lobe and the bearing of the finger follower typically results in undesirable wear, increased noise, increased component stress and/or load, decreased component life, and the like to the various components of the valvetrain.
Similarly, it will be appreciated that proper alignment of the body of the finger follower with respect to the components of the valvetrain supported in the cylinder head, such as the lash adjuster and the valve, ensures proper operation of the finger follower in operation. Here too, misalignment between the body of the finger follower and the lash adjuster and/or valve typically results in undesirable wear, increased noise, increased component stress and/or load, decreased component life, and the like to the various components of the valvetrain.
Each of the components of an engine valvetrain system of the type described above must cooperate to effectively translate movement from the camshaft so as to operate the valves properly at a variety of engine rotational speeds and operating temperatures and, at the same time, maintain correct valvetrain tolerances. In addition, each of the components must be designed not only to facilitate improved performance and efficiency, but also so as to reduce the cost and complexity of manufacturing and assembling the valvetrain system, as well as reduce wear in operation. While engine valvetrain systems known in the related art have generally performed well for their intended purpose, there remains a need in the art for an engine valvetrain system that has superior operational characteristics, and, at the same time, reduces the cost and complexity of manufacturing the components of the system.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages in the related art in a finger follower assembly for use in an internal combustion engine valvetrain. The valvetrain is provided with a valve, a lash adjuster, and a camshaft having a lobe. The finger follower assembly includes a shaft and a bearing rotatably supported by the shaft for engaging the lobe of the camshaft. The finger follower assembly also includes a body having a pad for engaging the valve, a socket spaced longitudinally from the pad for engaging the lash adjuster, a pair of walls spaced laterally from each other and disposed between the pad and the socket, and a slot formed in each of the walls for supporting the shaft. The slots each have a respective pair of eccentric arc-shaped bearing surfaces arranged to allow the shaft to rotate within the slots and to move along the slots so as to facilitate alignment of the bearing with respect to engagement with the lobe of the camshaft independent of alignment of the pad with respect to engagement with the valve and of alignment of the socket with respect to engagement with the lash adjuster.
In this way, the present invention significantly reduces the complexity and packaging size of the valvetrain system and its associated components. Moreover, the present invention reduces the cost of manufacturing valvetrain systems that have superior operational characteristics, such as improved engine performance, control, lubrication, efficiency, as well as reduced vibration, noise generation, engine wear, and packaging size.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood after reading the subsequent description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, where like numerals are used to designate like structure, a portion of an internal combustion engine is illustrated at 20 in
Reciprocal motion of the piston 32 generates rotational torque that is subsequently translated by the crankshaft 26 to the camshaft 28 which, in turn, cooperates with a valvetrain, generally indicated at 36, to control the flow and timing of intake and exhaust gasses between the cylinder head 24, the cylinders 30, and the outside environment. Specifically, the camshaft 28 controls what is commonly referred to in the art as “valve events,” whereby the camshaft 28 effectively actuates valves 38 supported in the cylinder head 24 at specific time intervals with respect to the rotational position of the crankshaft 26, so as to effect a complete thermodynamic cycle of the engine 20. To that end, the valves 38 each have a head 40 and a stem 42 extending therefrom (see
With continued reference to
Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize the valvetrain 36 described herein as what is commonly referred to as an “overhead cam” configuration, whereby rotation of the camshaft 28 is translated to the finger follower assembly 54 which, in turn, engages and directs force to the valve 38 and the lash adjuster 52. While the engine 20 illustrated in
As noted above, the present invention is directed toward a finger follower assembly 54 for use in the engine 20 valvetrain 36. More specifically, the finger follower assembly 54 cooperates with the valve 38, the lobe 50 of the camshaft 28, and the lash adjuster 52. As will be appreciated from the subsequent description below, the finger follower assembly 54 can be configured in a number of different ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. Moreover, while the finger follower assembly 54 described herein and illustrated throughout the drawings is configured for use with engine 20 valvetrains 36, the present invention could be used in connection with a number of different types of systems which employ cam-actuated valves.
Referring now to
As noted above, the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention is described herein and illustrated throughout the drawings as forming part of an overhead-cam style valvetrain 36 of an engine 20. However, as will be appreciated from the subsequent description below, the advantages afforded by the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention can be readily implemented so as to benefit any suitable valvetrain 36 in which the camshaft 28 lobe 50 engages the bearing 58 of the finger follower assembly 54 to translate rotation of the lobe 50 into movement of the valve 38. By way of non-limiting example, while the valvetrain 36 described herein is configured such that the finger follower assembly 54 engages a hydraulic lash adjuster 52 via the socket 64, the “lash adjuster” could be realized by a rigid component or structural feature (for example, a “solid lifter”). Moreover, the advantages of the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention could also be implemented into a cam-roller-follower used in connection with a “cam-in-block” engine valvetrain with a pushrod and tappet interposed between the rocker arm and the camshaft (not shown, but generally known in the related art). Thus, it will be appreciated that terms-of-the-art such as “lash adjuster,” “finger follower,” and the like as used herein are intended to be non-limiting. Put differently, the present invention affords significant opportunities for use in a number of different systems where an intermediate member (for example, a rocker arm or finger follower) employs rollers or bearings to effect translation of camshaft lobe rotation into valve movement.
As is shown best in
Referring now to
In the representative embodiment illustrated herein, and as is best shown in
As noted above and as is described in detail below, the shaft 56 is supported for rotation within and movement along the slots 70 of the body 60. In the representative embodiment illustrated herein, the slots 70 are formed as apertures defined in and extending through each of the walls 66 of the body 60 (see
Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the shaft 56 and/or the retainers 90 could be formed, configured, or realized in any suitable way sufficient to restrict lateral movement without preventing rotation and translation, as noted above, without departing from the scope of the present invention. By way of non-limiting example, it is conceivable that the retainers could be realized as circlips, snap-rings, or other suitable types of fasteners arranged adjacent to the shaft ends 86, 88 of the shaft 56 (not shown, but generally known in the related art). Similarly, it is conceivable that the retainers 90 could be implemented to allow the shaft 56 to be shaped so the shaft ends 86, 88 do not necessarily protrude beyond the walls 66 of the body 60, such as with retainers 90 formed along or otherwise operatively attached to the shaft 56 on opposing lateral sides of the bearing 56, such as within the valley 68 adjacent to the walls 66 (not shown). Furthermore, while the representative embodiment of the finger follower assembly 54 illustrated herein employs slots 70 formed through the walls 66 of the body 60, it will be appreciated that the slots 70 could be formed, configured, or otherwise arranged in a number of different ways sufficient to support the shaft 56 for rotation and translation, as noted above, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In the representative embodiment illustrated throughout the drawings, the body 60 of the finger follower assembly 54 is formed as a unitary, one-piece component. More specifically, the body 60 is manufactured from a single piece of sheet steel that is stamped, bent, formed, and the like to define and arrange the walls 66, the pad 62, the socket 64, the slots 70, and the valley 68. However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the body 60 can be formed in a number of different ways, and from any suitable number of components, so as to facilitate the rotation and translation of the shaft 56 noted above, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the body 60 also includes a pair of pad braces 92 arranged adjacent to and spaced on opposing lateral sides of the pad 62. Here, the pad braces 92 help align the finger follower assembly 54 to the valve 38, such as during installation of the finger follower assembly 54 into the cylinder head 24. Similarly, the socket 64 has a curved pocket 94 for accommodating and aligning with a portion of the lash adjuster 52 (not shown in detail, but generally known in the art). However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the pad 62 and/or the socket 64 could be configured in any suitable way without departing from the scope of the present invention. Here too in this embodiment, the body 60 is provided with a lubrication arrangement, generally indicated at 96, formed adjacent to the curved pocket 94 of the socket 64 and arranged to direct lubricating fluid supplied to the lash adjuster 52 towards the shaft 56, the bearing 58, the pad 62, and/or other parts of the valvetrain 36. However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the body 60 could be configured in a number of different ways without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Referring now to
In
Because the cylinder head 24 necessarily defines the specific arrangement, orientation, and alignment of and between the lobe 50 of the camshaft 28, the valve 38, and the lash adjuster 52, it will be appreciated that misalignment of any one of the components of the valvetrain 36 can cause increased friction and heat generation which may result in disadvantageous component wear, excessive noise, decreased component life, and the like. Such misalignment can be exacerbated by the realties of manufacturing, including design parameters and tolerances, tolerance stack up, component-to-component manufacturing variation, as well as the use of different manufacturing locations, machines, tooling, suppliers, vendors, material sources, and the like. By way of illustrative example, it is conceivable that the cylinder head 24 could be manufactured in such a way that the camshaft 28 could rotate about a misaligned axis with respect to an intended rotational axis defined based on the arrangement of the valve 38 and the lash adjuster 52. In this situation, conventional finger followers would necessarily tend to align with the lobe 50 of the camshaft 28, which causes reactive axial forces to act on the camshaft 28 and which also causes misalignment between the valve 38 and pad and/or the lash adjuster 52 and socket. In another illustrative example, in a conventional finger follower assembly, such as where the shaft is fixed to the body, it may be prohibitively cumbersome and/or expensive to properly align the shaft and the body to ensure proper alignment of the bearing with respect to the body.
Either of the illustrative examples set forth above could result in increased friction and heat generation leading to excessive wear of the various components of the valvetrain 36, which may result in unacceptable engine 20 noise and decreased component life. On the other hand, the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention affords substantially improved performance in situations like those described above resulting from misalignment of one or more valvetrain 36 components in use. Specifically, as noted above, the eccentric arc-shaped bearing surfaces 72, 74 of the slots 70 formed in the body 60 of the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention are arranged to allow the shaft 56 to rotate within the slots 70 and also to move along the slots 70 so as to facilitate alignment of the bearing 58 with respect to engagement with the lobe 50 of the camshaft 28 independent of alignment of the pad 62 of the body 60 with respect to engagement with the valve 38 and of alignment of the socket 64 of the body 60 with respect to engagement with the lash adjuster 52. Thus, the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention affords significantly improved wear resistance, component life, and reduction to friction, heat generation, and noise while, at the same time, allowing the finger follower assembly 54 to be manufactured in a simple, cost-effective manner.
Referring now to
As noted above, the first arc-shaped bearing surface 72 and the second arc-shaped bearing surface 74 of the slots 70 are eccentric. Here, in one embodiment, each of the slots 70 further include a pair of transition bearing surfaces 98, 100 arranged longitudinally between and merging with the pair of arc-shaped bearing surfaces 72, 74. Put differently, each slot 70 has a first transition bearing surface 98 and a second transition bearing surface 100. Here, the transition bearing surfaces 98, 100 are generally parallel to each other. However, as will be appreciated from the subsequent description below, the slots 70 could have any suitable shape, profile, or configuration sufficient to include two eccentric arc-shaped bearing surfaces 72, 74 without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In the representative embodiment of the finger follower assembly 54 illustrated herein, each of the arc-shaped bearing surfaces 72, 74 has a constant radius of curvature 102, and the radius of curvature 102 of each arc-shaped bearing surface 72, 74 is the same (see FIGS. 13-14). However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that that the slots 70 could include arc-shaped bearing surfaces 72, 74 having differently configured curvatures, constant or otherwise, equivalent to each other or not, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, while both slots 70 formed in the body 60 are identical to each other and are aligned with each other, it will be appreciated that the slots 70 could each have different profiles, shapes, and/or arrangements and could be aligned in any suitable way sufficient to allow the shaft 56 to rotate and translate along the slots 70 as noted above, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the slots 70 each have a slot width 104 defined longitudinally between the arc-shaped bearing surfaces 72, 74 (see
As is depicted in
Referring now to
In this way, the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention significantly reduces the cost and complexity of manufacturing and assembling the valvetrain 36 and associated components. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the configuration of the slots 70 formed in the body 60 of the finger follower assembly 54 allows the shaft 56 to rotate and translate along the slots 70 so as to effect advantageous alignment of the components of the valvetrain 36 by ensuring proper engagement between the bearing 58 and the lobe 50 of the camshaft 28 independent of the engagement of the pad 62 with the valve 38 and the engagement of the socket 64 with the lash adjuster 52. Thus, skew occurring in operation is compensated for which might otherwise be caused by misalignment of one or more components of the valvetrain 36, or which might otherwise be present in a conventional finger follower assembly itself. As such, the finger follower assembly 54 of the present invention significantly reduces the cost and complexity of manufacturing and assembling the valvetrain 36. Further, it will be appreciated that the present invention affords opportunities for superior engine 20 operational characteristics, such as improved performance, component life and longevity, efficiency, weight, load and stress capability, and packaging orientation.
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.
The present application claims priority to and all the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/429,142, filed on Dec. 2, 2016, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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