Patent Application
20110192366
This is a Continuation-In-Part application of pending international patent application PCT/EP2009/006570 filed Sep. 10, 2009 and claiming the priority of German patent application 10 2008 051 386.5 filed Oct. 11, 2008.
The invention relates to a phase adjustment device, in particular a valve drive train phase adjustment device for adjusting the valve opening timing of an internal combustion engine with respect to the engine drive shaft.
A valve train phase adjustment device, with a phase adjusting unit comprising a housing part, a drive means and an output means which is phase-adjustable with respect to the drive means and with a control actuator connecting unit which is provided for disposing a base unit of a control actuator unit at least partially in the housing part, wherein the phase adjusting unit comprises a valve unit which is designed to be controlled by means of the control actuator unit and which comprises a valve housing in the form of a mounting screw by means of which the output means of the phase adjusting unit is non-rotatably connected to a drive shaft, is known from DE 198 17 319 A1.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a phase adjustment device of a particularly compact design.
In a phase adjustment device, in particular a valve train phase adjustment device, with a phase adjusting unit comprising a housing part, an input drive and an output drive which is phase-adjustable with respect to input drive and with a control actuator for controlling a base unit extending partially into the housing part, wherein the phase adjusting unit comprises a valve unit actuatable by the control actuator and having a valve housing in the form of a mounting screw by means of which the output drive is connected for rotation with a drive shaft, the valve housing is provided at its free end with a contoured recess for receiving a tightening tool, which has a corresponding outer contour for the transmission of tightening torques and also accommodating part of a valve spool.
With the design according to the invention, an arrangement is provided for the valve spool which is particularly advantageous in terms of space requirements. The space required between the phase adjusting unit and the control actuator unit can be reduced, so that the phase adjustment device is of a particularly compact design. The contoured recess is preferably designed as a TORX. The term “control actuator unit” should in this context in particular be understood to describe an actuator unit for the control of the phase adjusting unit. The term “actuator unit” refers to a unit by means of which a control variable, for example an adjustment distance, can be controlled in dependence on a control signal of a control unit. The term “base unit” should in particular be understood to describe a unit comprising parts of the control actuator unit which can be arranged to be stationary, in particular a unit with a control actuator housing and/or with a control actuator stator. The stationary base unit is preferably provided to drive a movable part of the control actuator unit, such as a control actuator armature or an actuating pin.
It is further proposed that the housing part is non-rotatably connected to the drive means and/or to the output means. In this way, the housing part can simply be attached to the phase adjusting unit.
It is further proposed that the housing part has a recess which is provided for the accommodation of a base unit of the control actuator unit. In this way, the base unit can simply be disposed within the housing part.
The valve unit advantageously comprises a valve spool controlled by means of the adjustment actuator unit.
It is further proposed that the phase adjustment device has a cover unit which is designed to close the phase adjusting unit and which has at least one opening provided for the accommodation of the valve operating unit. In this way, a location for the phase adjusting unit, in particular for the valve operating unit of the phase adjusting device, can be provided by particularly simple means.
It is advantageous if the valve unit comprises a central valve which at least partially connects the output means to a drive shaft. In this way, additional fastening means, such as a mounting screw, can be omitted, resulting in a mounting of the drive shaft which allows a compact design of the phase adjustment device.
The phase adjustment device further may comprise a control actuator housing which is at least partially accommodated in the housing part in an assembled state. In this way, an axial space requirement of the phase adjustment device can be reduced. The control actuator housing is advantageously arranged to be stationary and assigned to the base unit of the control actuator unit.
The phase adjustment device may furthermore comprise an electromagnetic control actuator which is at least partially accommodated in the housing part in an assembled state providing for a compact structure.
The phase adjustment device further may comprise a control actuator housing which is at least partially accommodated in the housing part in an assembled state. In this way, an axial space requirement of the phase adjustment device can be reduced in an advantageous manner. In this context, it is in particular proposed that the control actuator stator is assigned to the base unit of the control actuator unit.
The phase adjustment device further advantageously comprises an electromagnetic control actuator which is at least partially accommodated in the housing part in an assembled state. This results in a particularly compact structure.
In a further development of the invention, the housing part is at least partially provided for an additional phase adjusting unit. In this way, the additional phase adjusting unit can also be protected in an advantageous manner. By means of a further phase adjusting unit, it is possible to provide an additional adjusting force for the adjustment of the phase position, which reduces the susceptibility of the phase adjustment device to faults.
The phase adjustment device advantageously comprises at least one mechanical phase adjusting means which is at least partially accommodated in the housing part. In this way, a particularly fault-resistant phase adjusting unit can be provided using the phase adjusting means. The term “mechanical phase adjusting means” describes an adjusting means wherein an adjusting force is provided without resort to a hydraulic, electric and/or magnetic actuator.
The phase adjusting means advantageously comprises a spring means. In this way, a particularly simple mechanical phase adjusting means can be implemented.
The mechanical phase adjusting means is preferably designed to accommodate at least a part of the base unit. In this way, an available space can be used advantageously, so that the axial space requirement in particular can be kept small.
The phase adjusting unit may include a coupling means which is provided for coupling the base unit of the control actuator unit rotatably to the phase adjusting unit. In this way, the base unit of the control actuator unit can be arranged stationarily by particularly simple means, resulting in a particularly simple attachment of the control actuator unit to a control unit.
The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The phase adjusting unit 10 comprises a vane-type adjuster 34. The phase adjusting unit 10 further comprises a valve unit 18 by means of which the phase adjusting unit 10 is controlled. The vane-type adjuster 34 has pressure chambers 35 of which a part is designed for an adjustment in a first adjustment direction and a part is designed for an adjustment in a second adjustment direction. Each of the pressure chambers 35 is bounded by the drive means 12 in one sub-region and by the output means 13 in the other. In the axial direction, the pressure chambers 35 are bounded by a cover unit 19. The pressure chambers 35 of the vane-type adjuster 34 can be connected to an operating fluid source not shown in detail via the valve unit 18. The phase position is adjusted by the selective application of an operating fluid pressure to the pressure chambers 35.
The valve unit 18 comprises a central valve 21. The valve unit 18 is non-rotatably coupled to the output unit 13. A valve housing 36 of the valve unit 18 is in the form of a mounting screw by means of which the output means 13 of the phase adjusting unit 10 is non-rotatably connected to the drive shaft 22. In order to transmit a tightening torque to the valve housing 36, one end of the valve housing 36 is designed as a contoured recess 23 into which a complementary tightening tool can be inserted. The contoured recess 23 is represented by a TORX. A valve spool 24 for the control of the valve unit 18 is partially accommodated within the contoured recess 23. The valve spool 24 is axially movable and, in dependence on a switching position, connects operating fluid channels to one another by means of which the pressure chambers 35 are connected to the operating fluid source or to one another.
The cover unit 19 is disc-shaped and has a central opening 20. The central valve 21 of the valve unit 18 is partially accommodated in the opening 20. In sub-regions, the central valve 21 and the opening 20 have identical diameters. By means of the opening 20, a bearing unit is formed whereby the valve unit 18 is supported in the cover unit 19. The bearing unit is represented by a plain bearing arrangement.
To actuate the valve unit 18, the phase adjustment device comprises a control actuator unit 16. The control actuator unit 16 is disposed on a side of the valve unit 18 which is remote from the drive shaft 22. By means of the control actuator unit 16, the valve spool 24 can be displaced in a first axial direction. To displace the valve spool 24 in a second axial direction, the valve unit 18 comprises a spring means 38 which provides a spring force which opposes an actuator force of the control actuator unit 16.
The control actuator unit 16 comprises a stationary base unit 15. The base unit 15 comprises a control actuator housing 25 and parts of an electromagnetic control actuator 26. Parts of the control actuator 26 are disposed in the control actuator housing 25. The control actuator housing 25 can be arranged to be stationary by means of a connecting structure 39. The connecting structure 39 is provided for connecting the control actuator housing 25 to the internal combustion engine.
The control actuator 26 comprises a control actuator stator 27 which is permanently connected to the control actuator housing 25. The control actuator stator 27 comprises an electric coil for the generation of an electric field. The control actuator 26 further comprises a control actuator armature 28 which is disposed within the control actuator stator 27. The control actuator armature 28 comprises a permanent magnet. By means of the coil of the control actuator stator 27, the axially acting actuator force for the actuation of the valve unit 18 can be generated on the permanent magnets of the control actuator armature 28. This axial actuator force which can be generated by means of the control actuator 26 is directed towards the valve unit 18. The control actuator stator 27 is assigned to the base unit 15.
The control actuator armature 28 is provided for axial displacement only. A bearing unit by means of which the control actuator armature 28 supported in an axially displaceable manner inhibits a rotary movement of the control actuator armature 28. The control actuator armature 28 and the valve spool 24 which is non-rotatably connected to the output means 13 of the phase adjusting unit 10 are rotatably coupled to each other by means of an actuating pin 40 and a coupling means 32. The coupling means 32 transmits the actuator force of the control actuator 26 to the valve spool 24 of the valve unit 18.
The coupling means 32 is represented by a ball arranged between two surfaces. The first surface is joined to the valve spool 24. It is designed as a flat surface. The second surface is joined to the actuating pin 40 connected to the control actuator unit 16. The second surface has a recess in which the ball is accommodated. The depth of the recess is less than the diameter of the ball. A contact surface between the ball and the adjoining surfaces is minimal, whereby a coupling is implemented for an axial movement combined with a simultaneous uncoupling for a rotary movement.
The control actuator unit 16 is connected to the phase adjusting unit 10 by means of a control actuator connecting unit 14. The phase adjusting unit 10 comprises a housing 41 which is non-rotatably connected to the drive means 12 of the phase adjusting unit 10. The housing 41 is formed by means of a housing part 11 and the cover unit 19. The cover unit 19 is non-rotatably connected to the drive means 12. Via the cover unit 19, the housing part 11 is non-rotatably connected to the drive means 12. The housing part 11 is substantially cylindrical and bounds the housing 41 in the radial direction. The cover unit 19 completes the housing 41 towards the phase adjusting unit 10. Towards the control actuator unit 16, the housing 41 is open. The housing 41 protects the valve unit 18 in particular.
By means of the control actuator connecting unit 14, a part of the base unit 15 of the control actuator unit 16 can be accommodated in the housing 41. For this purpose, the housing part 11 has a central recess 17 which can accommodate a part of the base unit 15 or in which the part of the base unit 15 is located in the assembled state. In the assembled state, the housing 11 or the housing 41 and the base unit 15 of the control actuator unit 16 are arranged to overlap axially. In the radial direction, the housing 11 and the base unit 15 are arranged at a distance from each other.
In the assembled state, the control actuator housing 25 of the base unit 15 is partially accommodated in the recess 17 of the housing part 11. The actuating pin 40 of the control actuator unit 16 also projects into the recess 17 of the housing part 11. The major part of the coupling means 32 is located within the recess 17. The control actuator stator 27 of the base unit 15 is likewise partially accommodated in the recess 17. In at least one operating state, in which it is extended, the control actuator armature 28 is accommodated within the recess 17. A cross-sectional surface which is oriented perpendicular to an actuating direction of the control actuator unit 16 includes the control actuator housing 25 and the control actuator armature 28 of the base unit 15, the coupling means 32 and the housing part 11.
The phase adjustment device further comprises an additional phase adjusting unit 29 within the housing part 11. The additional phase adjusting unit 29 comprises a mechanical phase adjusting means 30 which can generate a relative torque between the drive means 12 and the output means 13 in order to adjust the phase position between the drive means 12 and the output means 13. By means of the phase adjusting means 30, a phase adjustment by the phase adjusting unit 10 is supported in one adjustment direction.
The phase adjusting means 30 comprises a spring means 31. The spring means 31 is designed as a spiral spring. The spring means 31 is housed in a radial space between the housing part 11 and the base unit 15. The base unit 15, the housing part 11 and the spring means 31 are nested into one another.
If the phase position is adjusted in the first adjustment direction by means of the hydraulic phase adjusting unit 10, the spring means 31 of the additional phase adjusting unit 29 is loaded. The spring means 31 produces an adjusting force for an adjustment of the phase position in the second adjustment direction, which is opposed to the first adjustment direction.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2008 051 386.5 | Oct 2008 | DE | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2009/006570 | Apr 2010 | US |
| Child | 13066159 | US |
