The invention relates to a hydraulic camshaft adjuster and to a method of assembling the same for a camshaft of an internal combustion engine, comprising an inner body, which is connected to the camshaft in a rotationally fixed manner and has outwardly extending blades and an outer body, which is mounted rotatably relative to the camshaft and has blades extending inwardly between the outwardly extending blades so as to form at least one hydraulic medium chamber between two opposite cover plates, a driving connection from a crankshaft to the outer body, and with a locking device which locks the inner body in relation to the outer body with at least one bolt, which is movably disposed in the inner body for engagement in a locking cavity in one of the two covers, which are connected to the outer body.
In order to reduce the fuel consumption and the emissions and to increase power and torque, spark-ignition engines are generally equipped with camshaft adjusters. The latter change the phase position of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft. Currently, hydraulic blade-type adjusters with working chambers are generally used. The adjustment is undertaken by the controlled admission of oil from the engine circuit via a control valve into the chambers formed between adjacent blades. The control valve is operated by an electromagnetic control device.
DE 102 53 496 A1 discloses a camshaft adjuster of the generic type and is intended for adjusting the angle of rotation of the camshaft in relation to a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. The camshaft adjuster has an outer body which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a drive wheel and an inner body which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the camshaft, the outer body having at least one hydraulic chamber and the inner body having at least one rotor blade which divides the hydraulic chamber into two working chambers. The rotor blade can be moved hydraulically between a late stop and an early stop by means of a controlled oil pressure. One of the stops forms the base position in which the blade can be locked by means of a spring-loaded locking pin which can be released hydraulically and which is moved into a locking groove or bore for locking purposes. The locking pin prevents an undesired movement of the camshaft adjuster if no oil pressure is present. These locking pins have a locking play in the locking grooves caused by the sum of the tolerances, some play being necessary for reliable functioning of the lock. The locking play should be large enough such that reliable locking and release operation can be obtained, but small enough to avoid the generation of noise. The generation of noise results from the undamped striking contact of a rotor blade and early stop or late stop, on the one hand, and the locking pin entering the locking groove, on the other hand. The aim of obtaining a quiet engine and a reliably operating lock can generally only be achieved by means of an exacting tolerance of the locking play. However, this exacting tolerance not only has technological limits for adjusting the locking play but moreover monitoring this adjusting operation by continuously measuring the locking play is very costly.
It is the principle object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic camshaft adjuster and a method for assembling the same in such a manner that reliable assembling of the camshaft adjuster with minimal locking play and without an adjusting process is possible.
In a hydraulic camshaft adjuster for a camshaft of an internal combustion engine and a method of assembling the camshaft adjuster, with an inner body, which is connected to the camshaft in a rotationally fixed manner and has outwardly extending blades and an outer body which is mounted rotatably with respect to the camshaft and has inwardly projecting blades which form, together with the outwardly extending blades, at least one hydraulic medium chamber between two covers connected to the outer body which is operatively connected to a crankshaft of an engine so as to be driven thereby, and a locking device for locking the inner body in relation to the outer body by at least one bolt which is mounted in the inner body so as to extend into a locking cavity in one of the two covers, the camshaft adjuster has a base stop, and the locking cavity has an assembly stop providing for reliable assembly of the camshaft adjuster with minimal locking play and without the need for an adjusting procedure.
A substantial advantage of the camshaft adjuster according to the invention is that an adjusting device for adjusting the locking play between the bolt and the locking cavity is not necessary for the assembly of the camshaft adjuster. Even minimal locking plays can be reliably provided. The shape of the cavity depends on the result to be achieved. The shape may be a bore for simple manufacture. The shape of the cavity may also be designed in such a manner that the stop edges of the base stop and installation stop point radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the camshaft adjuster in order, in the case of larger radial tolerances, to provide the same locking plays. The shape of the cavity may be designed in such a manner that both stop edges are parallel to each other and possibly also parallel to a virtual line extending radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the camshaft adjuster in order to permit the use a simple gauge test for quality assurance.
The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of two exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:
For the sake of simplicity, the same reference numbers are used for corresponding components in the figures. Furthermore, for identical components, only one element in each case is indicated as an example.
FIGS. 1 to 10 show a hydraulic camshaft adjuster 1 for adjusting a camshaft (not illustrated) in relation to a crankshaft (likewise not illustrated) of an internal combustion engine. According to
According to
In order to be able to transmit the driving torque of the crankshaft to the camshaft, the inner body 2 of the camshaft adjuster 1 is connected, as already mentioned, in a rotationally fixed manner to the camshaft. The driving torque is introduced by the outer body 3 into the camshaft adjuster 1 and is transmitted via the working chambers 12a, 12b to the inner body 2. The phase position between outer body 3 of the camshaft adjuster 1 and camshaft can be adjusted by varying the hydraulic medium filling of the working chambers 12a and 12b. A control valve (not illustrated here) controls the hydraulic medium supply to the camshaft adjuster 1 and therefore the phase position or the changing thereof.
The camshaft adjuster has a locking mechanism which can be acted upon hydraulically and comprises bolt 13 and compression spring 14. The locking mechanism provides for a fixed connection between inner body 2 and outer body 3 by axial movement of the bolt 13. The bolt hole which is preferably arranged in a blade 9.1 of the inner body 2 and into which the bolt 13 is introduced together with the spring 14 is denoted by the numeral 15. The spring 14 being supported, in the case of a bolt hole 15 designed as a blind hole bore, on one side on the bottom of the bolt hole 15 and on the other side on the end side of the bolt 13. In the case where a bolt hole 15 is designed as a continuous bore closed by a cover, the spring 14 is supported, on the one hand, on the cover and, on the other hand, on the bolt 13. According to FIGS. 3 to 7, the drive wheel 4, which is in the form of a cover, has a cavity 16 in which the bolt 13 engages in the locked state. The cavity 16 is formed in one of the two covers 4, 5 depending in each case on the configuration of the locking device, the cavity 16 either being fastened as a separate part to the cover 4, 5 or being molded into the cover 4, 5, i.e. being formed integrally with the cover 4, 5. According to
FIGS. 1 to 6 show the assembly of the hydraulic camshaft adjuster 1. The view from above according to
According to
The view from below according to
According to
In the case of this locking device, the maximum possible locking play S is primarily formed by the clearance width W in the cavity 16a minus the diameter D of the bolt 13. Shape and position tolerances of the components and the centering accuracy also have an effect on the locking play. The installation stop 19 is designed in such a manner that, during installation, the inner body 2 is rotated with the locking bolt 13 onto the installation stop 19 and at the same time the inner body 2 and the outer body 3 are disposed at the common stop, the base stop 17. This ensures that, from this position, the locking play S is predominantly formed only by the distance between the two stops 17 and 19.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2004 022 097.2 | May 2004 | DE | national |
This is a Continuation-in-Part Application of pending international patent application PCT/EP2005/004624 filed Apr. 29, 2005 and claiming the priority of German patent application 10 2004 022 097.2 filed May 5, 2004.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP05/04624 | Apr 2005 | US |
Child | 11592730 | Nov 2006 | US |