Patent Application
20140182536
The present application relates to the mechanical field, specifically to the valve actuation field for vehicle engines, particularly to method and device for a reset rocker arm braking.
In an engine braking method, an exhaust valve is opened at a later stage of a compression stroke of an engine piston and closed at an earlier stage of an expansion stroke (generally before the normal opening of the exhaust valve). An example of an engine brake was disclosed by Cummins in the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,392 in 1965. In the brake system, a mechanical input is transmitted to an exhaust valve to be opened through a hydraulic circuit. The hydraulic circuit generally includes a brake piston reciprocating in a brake piston bore. The reciprocating motion comes from the mechanical input of the engine, such as the motion of the engine's fuel injection cam or the neighboring exhaust cam. The motion of the brake piston is transmitted through hydraulic fluid to a slave piston located in the hydraulic circuit, causing the slave piston to reciprocate in a slave piston bore. The slave piston acts, directly or indirectly, on the exhaust valve, thereby generating the valve event for the engine braking operation.
The engine brake device disclosed by Cummins is a bolt-on accessory that fits above the engine. In order to mount the engine brake, a spacer needs to be provided between the cylinder and the valve cover, thus the height, weight and cost of the engine are additionally increased. Obviously, the solution to the above problems is to integrate the components of the braking device into the existing components of the engine, such as into the rocker arm of the engine, thereby forming an integrated brake.
An integrated rocker-arm brake was disclosed by the Mack Truck Company of the United States in U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,792 in 1974. The brake piston of the brake system is positioned in a rocker-arm cylinder arranged at one end close to a push rod and is hydraulically locked in a protruding position, so as to transmit the motion of the cam to an exhaust valve (there is only one valve per cylinder in an early engine), thereby producing the engine braking operation. A conventional cam lobe and a braking cam lobe are integrated in the above cam. The brake control valve mechanism (a combination of a funnel-shaped plunger valve and a one-way ball valve) in the above brake system was widely used after its disclosure.
Another integrated rocker-arm brake was disclosed by the Jacobs Company (JVS) of the United States in U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,033 in 1974. The brake piston of the brake system is positioned in a rocker-arm cylinder arranged at one end close to a valve bridge and is movable between a non-braking position and a braking position. In the braking position, the brake piston is hydraulically locked in a protruding position, so as to transmit the motion of the cam to the valve bridge to open two exhaust valves (the engine has two valves per cylinder), thereby producing the engine braking operation. The braking system uses two separate oil passages, one for supplying oil to the brake, and the other being a conventional engine lubrication oil passage.
An integrated rocker-arm brake system for an overhead cam four-valve engine was disclosed by Sweden's Volvo Company in U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,385 in 1996, which is very similar in both structure and principle to the integrated rocker-arm brake disclosed by Jacobs Company (JVS) in U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,033 in 1974. The hydraulic brake piston is positioned in a rocker-arm cylinder arranged at one end close to the valve bride, and is movable between a non-braking position and a braking position and forms a gap in the engine valve system. Oil with a certain pressure is supplied to the brake piston by a pressure control valve to fill the gap in the rocker arm so as to form a hydraulic linkage. The engine braking system adopted the combined structure having a funnel-shaped plunger valve and a one-way ball valve, and added an overload pressure relief mechanism and an oil supply device for providing dual oil pressures via a single oil passage, wherein a low oil pressure (below the engine lubricating oil pressure) is used for the engine lubrication, and a high oil pressure (equal to the engine lubricating oil pressure) is used for the engine brake. During engine braking, the brake piston pushes the valve bridge to open the two exhaust valves simultaneously for braking operation.
Another integrated rocker-arm brake was disclosed by the Mack Truck Company of the United States in U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,143 in 2001, which is quite different from the technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,792 in 1974. First of all, an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cam lobe was added to the integrated cam formed with the conventional cam lobe and the braking cam lobe, which facilitates improving the braking power. Secondly, the engine with a single valve per cylinder is changed into an engine with dual valves per cylinder, and a valve bridge (an air valve bridge or a cross arm) was added. Further, the brake piston in the rocker-arm piston bore is moved from the push rod side to the valve bridge side, and is located above the exhaust valve (an inner valve) next to the rocker-arm shaft. During braking, the brake piston opens one exhaust valve via a braking-push-rod or by a direct action on the valve bridge. However, since only one valve is opened for braking, the valve bridge is in an inclined state and an asymmetric load will be generated on the valve bridge and the rocker arm. Furthermore, the braking valve (the inner valve) lift profile is greater than the non-braking valve (an outer valve) or the conventional valve lift profile (larger opening and later closing).
An integrated rocker-arm brake system having a valve lift reset mechanism was disclosed by Cummins Engine Company in U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,730 in 2001 to resolve the problems of the one-valve (the inner valve) braking, such as the asymmetric load and the braking valve (the inner valve) lift profile being greater than the non-braking valve (the outer valve) or the conventional valve lift profile (larger opening and later closing). The valve lift reset mechanism resets or retracts the brake piston in the rocker arm before the braking valve reaches its peak valve lift, which allows the braking valve to return to the valve seat before the start of the main valve action, such that the valve bridge returns to the horizontal position, and the rocker arm can open the braking valve and the non-braking valve evenly, thereby eliminating any asymmetric load.
However, there are a lot of problems with resetting the engine braking system before the braking valve reaching its peak valve lift. Firstly, during engine braking, both the opening time and the lift magnitude of the braking valve are very short, thus the time for resetting is very limited. Secondly, the resetting occurs when the engine braking load is close to the maximum (i.e. the top dead center of the compression stroke), thereby causing the reset valve of the valve lift reset mechanism to bear a high oil pressure or a large load. Thus, the engine brake resetting timing is essential. If the resetting occurs too early, the loss of braking valve lift is too much (causing a lower valve lift and the valve to be closed too early), which may reduces the braking performance. If the resetting occurs too late, the braking valve can not be closed before the start of the main valve action, which may results in an asymmetric load.
Tests show that the integrated rocker-arm brake cannot work properly at high engine speeds, because the resetting time is too short, the resetting height is too small, and the load or pressure on the reset valve is very high.
An object of the present application is to provide a method for a reset rocker arm braking to solve the technical problems of the existing engine braking technologies, for example poor reliability and durability, an asymmetric braking load or unstable resetting, inconvenience in installation and adjustment, and increased height and weight of the engine.
The method for a reset rocker arm braking according to the present application includes a process of utilizing an exhaust valve actuator of an engine to open an exhaust valve, the engine including an engine brake control mechanism, the exhaust valve actuator including a cam and a rocker arm, the cam including an exhaust cam lobe and at least one brake cam lobe, the exhaust cam lobe being higher than the brake cam lobe, the rocker arm being provided with a brake oil supply passage, and the method for a reset rocker arm braking includes: arranging a brake piston bore opened downward at a lower side of one end of the rocker arm, slidably disposing a brake piston in the brake piston bore, the brake piston having an extended position and a retracted position in the brake piston bore, communicating the brake oil supply passage in the rocker arm with the brake piston bore, arranging a one-way oil supply valve between the brake piston bore and the brake oil supply passage or within the brake oil supply passage, the one-way oil supply valve having an oil supply direction from the brake oil supply passage to the brake piston bore, arranging an oil drain piston bore opened upwards at an upper side of the same end of the rocker arm, slidably disposing an oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore, arranging an oil drain passage between the oil drain piston bore and the brake piston bore, wherein the process of utilizing the exhaust valve actuator of the engine to open the exhaust valve includes the following steps: firstly, turning on the brake control mechanism, supplying oil to the oil drain piston bore and the brake piston bore simultaneously through the brake oil supply passage, placing the brake piston at the extended position and placing the oil drain piston at a position for closing the oil drain passage; then, utilizing the brake cam lobe of the cam to drive the rocker arm and the brake piston at the extended position to open at least one exhaust valve under the brake piston; and then utilizing a rising section of the exhaust cam lobe of the cam which is higher than the brake cam lobe to keep driving the rocker arm, and at the same time, utilizing a motion of the rocker arm to change a position of the oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore so as to open the drain oil passage to drain oil in the brake piston bore, moving the brake piston from the extended position to the retracted position, and skipping a part of the actuation onto the exhaust valve from a top portion of the exhaust cam lobe; finally, utilizing a descending section of the exhaust cam lobe of the cam to drive the rocker arm to rotate backwards, utilizing the backward motion of the rocker arm to change the position of the oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore so as to close the oil drain passage, and at the same time, supplying oil to the brake piston bore through the brake oil supply passage and the one-way oil supply valve, re-placing the brake piston at the extended position, and starting a new engine braking cycle.
The method further includes: arranging a reset stopper mechanism at an upper side of the rocker arm at the end where the oil drain piston bore is located, and the reset stopper mechanism being fixed on the engine and configured to limit a motion of the oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore.
The method further includes: utilizing a preload spring to maintain a gap in an exhaust valve drive chain formed by the retracted position and the extended position of the brake piston, and to eliminate any no-follow and impact within the exhaust valve drive chain.
Further, the process of utilizing the exhaust valve actuator of the engine to open the exhaust valve includes the following steps:
1) turning on the engine brake control mechanism,
2) supplying oil to the oil drain piston bore in the rocker arm through the brake oil supply passage,
3) placing the oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore at a position for closing the oil drain passage,
4) supplying oil to the brake piston bore in the rocker arm through the brake oil supply passage and the one-way oil supply valve,
5) placing the brake piston at the extended position in the brake piston bore to form a locked hydraulic linkage,
6) driving the rocker arm and the extended brake piston by the brake cam lobe of the cam to open at least one exhaust valve, and producing a brake valve lift,
7) moving the cam into the rising section of the exhaust cam lobe which is higher than the brake cam lobe, and continuing to drive the rocker arm, the extended brake piston and the exhaust valve,
8) moving the oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore from the position for closing the oil drain passage to a position for opening the oil drain passage so as to drain oil through the brake piston bore,
9) moving the brake piston in the brake piston bore from the extended position to the retracted position, and resetting and reducing an exhaust valve lift during an exhaust stroke of the engine,
10) descending the cam from the maximum lift of the exhaust cam lobe back to an inner base circle of the cam, and moving the rocker arm, the retracted brake piston and the exhaust valve backwards;
11) moving the oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore from the reset position back to the braking position, and re-closing the oil drain passage; and
12) returning to step 4) and starting a new engine braking cycle.
Further, the process of utilizing the exhaust valve actuator of the engine to open the exhaust valve further includes the following steps:
1) turning off the engine brake control mechanism,
2) stopping supplying oil to the oil drain piston bore and the brake piston bore in the rocker arm,
3) opening the oil drain passage by the oil drain piston to drain oil,
4) removing a hydraulic linkage between the brake piston and the rocker arm, and forming a gap,
5) rotating the cam upwards from an inner base circle,
6) keeping the exhaust valve stationary, and
7) rotating the cam into the rising section higher than the brake cam lobe, and driving the rocker arm to open the exhaust valve, and producing a conventional exhaust valve lift.
Further, the brake cam lobe includes a compression release cam lobe.
Further, the brake cam lobe includes an exhaust gas recirculation cam lobe.
The present application also provides a reset rocker arm brake device including a brake control mechanism, a brake actuation mechanism, an exhaust valve actuator and at least one exhaust valve, wherein the exhaust valve actuator includes a cam and a rocker arm, the cam includes an exhaust cam lobe and at least one brake cam lobe, and the exhaust cam lobe is higher than the brake cam lobe, and the brake control mechanism includes a control valve connected to a hydraulic pressure generating device, the brake actuation mechanism includes an oil supply mechanism, an oil drain mechanism and a brake piston, the brake piston has an extended position and a retracted position in a brake piston bore in the rocker arm, a lower end of the brake piston is connected to at least one exhaust valve, the oil supply mechanism includes a brake oil supply passage and a one-way oil supply valve, the control valve of the brake control mechanism is connected to an inlet of the brake oil supply passage, and an outlet of the brake oil supply passage is communicated with the brake piston bore, the one-way oil supply valve is arranged between the brake oil supply passage and the brake piston bore, or within the brake oil supply passage, the one-way oil supply valve has an oil supply direction from the brake oil supply passage to the brake piston bore, the oil drain mechanism includes an oil drain valve and an oil drain passage, the oil drain valve is communicated to the brake piston bore through the oil drain passage, and the opening and closing of the oil drain valve is controlled by a distance between the rocker arm and the engine.
Further, the brake actuation mechanism further includes a preload spring configured to maintain a gap in an engine exhaust valve drive chain formed by the retracted position and the extended position of the brake piston, so as to eliminate any no-follow and impact among members of the exhaust valve drive chain.
Further, the brake actuation mechanism further includes a position-limiting mechanism configured to limit a stroke of the brake piston in the brake piston bore.
Further, the oil drain valve includes an oil drain piston disposed in an oil drain piston bore in the rocker arm, the oil drain piston has a braking position and a reset position in the oil drain piston bore, the oil drain piston bore has a bottom portion communicated with the brake oil supply passage and a middle portion communicated with one end of a drain oil passage, and the other end of the oil drain passage is communicated with the brake piston bore; at the braking position, the oil drain piston closes the oil drain passage; and at the reset position, the oil drain piston opens the oil drain passage.
Alternatively, the oil drain valve includes an oil drain piston disposed in an oil drain piston bore in a valve lash adjusting screw, the oil drain piston has a braking position and an oil drain position in the oil drain piston bore, the valve lash adjusting screw further includes an oil drain passage having one end communicated with a bottom of the oil drain piston bore and the other end communicated with the brake piston bore; at the braking position, the oil drain piston is located at the bottom of the oil drain piston bore and the oil drain passage is closed; and at the reset position, the oil drain piston is located at a top of the oil drain piston bore and the oil drain passage is opened.
Further, the brake actuation mechanism further includes a reset stopper mechanism which is fixed on the engine above one end of the rocker arm having an oil drain piston bore and configured to limit a motion of an oil drain piston in the oil drain piston bore.
The working principle of the present application is described as follows. When engine braking is required, the brake control mechanism is turned on and the control valve supplies oil to the brake actuation mechanism. Engine oil with low pressure (i.e. the engine lubrication oil) flows into the brake piston bore through the oil supply passage and the one-way oil supply valve. The brake piston is at the extended position in the brake piston bore in the rocker arm, the oil drain piston is at the braking position in the oil drain piston bore of the rocker arm, and the oil drain passage between the brake piston bore and the oil drain piston bore is closed. The brake cam lobe of the cam moves upwards from the inner base circle to drive the rocker arm and the brake piston which is at the extended position and hydraulically locked in the brake piston bore so as to open the exhaust valve for braking.
When the exhaust cam lobe of the cam moves upward to a position higher than the brake cam lobe, the oil drain piston is moved from the braking position to the reset position in the oil drain piston bore in the rocker arm, thereby opening the oil drain passage between the brake piston bore and the oil drain piston bore to drain oil out of the brake piston bore. The brake piston is moved from the extended position to the retracted position, and the exhaust valve lift is reset and reduced to the conventional exhaust valve lift profile without the engine brake.
The present application has positive and significant effects over the prior art. The present application integrates the engine braking mechanism and the reset oil drain mechanism into the existing rocker arm of the engine, thereby simplifying the design, forming a compact structure, reducing the weight and height of the engine, increasing the engine braking power, and improving reliability and durability of the engine operation.
The exhaust valve actuator 200 includes a cam 230, a cam follower 235, a push rod 201 and a rocker arm 210. The exhaust valve actuator 200 and the exhaust valve mechanism 300 are collectively referred to an exhaust valve drive chain. The rocker arm 210 has a valve lash adjusting system on an end near the cam 230. A valve lash adjusting screw 110 is fixed on the rocker arm 210 via a lock nut 105. The rocker arm 210 is swingably mounted on a rocker arm shaft 205.
The exhaust valve 301 is held onto a valve seat 320 in an engine block 500 via a valve spring 310 to prevent gas (air during engine braking) from flowing between an engine cylinder and an exhaust duct 600. The exhaust valve actuator 200 transmits the mechanical motion of the cam 230 to the exhaust valve 301 through the rocker arm 210, so as to periodically open and close the exhaust valve 300.
The cam 230 integrates dual functions of conventional exhaust and braking of the engine. On its inner base circle 225, the cam 230 has an enlarged cam lobe 220 mainly used for the conventional exhaust operation of the engine. The enlarged cam lobe 220, also referred to as an integrated exhaust cam lobe, is larger than a conventional exhaust cam lobe (without engine braking) because the cam 230 also has small cam lobes 232 and 233 for engine braking. A bottom of the enlarged cam lobe 220 must have a transitional portion having about the same height as the small cam lobes 232 and 233 so as to skip the braking cam lobes 232 and 233 during the engine conventional operation (i.e. an ignition operation). A top portion of the enlarged cam lobe 220 is equivalent to the conventional exhaust cam lobe. The small cam lobe 232 is used for an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) during the braking, and the small cam lobe 233 is used for compression release during the braking. Cam lift profiles generated by the enlarged cam lobe 220 and the small cam lobes 232 and 233 of the cam 230 are described in detail in
The brake actuation mechanism 100 includes an oil supply mechanism, an oil drain mechanism and a brake piston 160.
The brake piston 160 is placed in a brake piston bore 190 in the rocker arm 210. The brake piston 160 has an extended position and a retracted position in the brake piston bore 190. A lower end of the brake piston 160 is connected to the exhaust valve 301 via an elephant foot pad 114. Of course, the brake piston 160 can also directly act on the exhaust valve 301. A preload spring 198 is placed between the brake piston 160 and the rocker arm 210. The preload spring 198 can be a coil spring or other forms of springs, and can be installed in different ways or at different locations, to achieve an object of maintaining a gap 234 in the exhaust valve drive chain generated by the brake piston 160 moving between the extended position and the retracted position, and eliminating any no-follow and impact between the components in the exhaust valve drive chain. The brake piston 160 is also provided with a stopping groove 137 which is combined with a stopping pin 142 in the rocker arm 210 to form a position-limiting mechanism so as to limit a stroke of the brake piston 160 in the brake piston bore 190.
The oil supply mechanism includes brake oil supply passages and a one-way oil supply valve 172. For simplicity, the engine lubrication oil passages in the rocker arm shaft 205 and in the rocker arm 210 are not shown. The brake oil-supply passages include an axial hole 211 and a radial hole 212 both arranged in the rocker arm shaft 205, a notch 213 and an oil passage 214 both arranged in the rocker arm 210. An outlet of the oil passage 214 is communicated with the brake piston bore 190. The one-way oil supply valve 172 is placed between the oil passage 214 and the brake piston bore 190, and has an oil supply direction from the oil passage 214 into the brake piston bore 190. A valve ball of the one-way oil supply valve 172 is biased on a valve seat via a spring 156. In practical application, the one-way oil supply valve 172 can be further provided with a spring seat or be mounted in different manners.
The oil drain mechanism includes an oil drain valve and an oil drain passage 219. The oil drain valve includes an oil drain piston 170 arranged in an oil drain piston bore 183 in the exhaust rocker arm 210. The oil drain piston 170 has three different positions in the oil drain piston bore 183: a non-braking position, a braking position and an oil drain position. The oil drain piston bore 183 has a bottom portion communicated with the oil passage 214, and a middle portion communicated with one end of the oil drain passage 219, and the other end of the oil drain passage 219 is communicated with the brake piston bore 190. In the non-braking position as shown in
The reset stopper mechanism 150 is located above the rocker arm 210 at a side having the oil drain piston bore 183, and includes a stopper support 125 fixed on the engine, an adjusting screw 1102 and a lock nut 1052. The reset stopper mechanism limits the motion of the oil drain piston 170 in the oil drain piston bore 183, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the oil drain valve. That is, the opening and closing of the oil drain valve is controlled by a distance between the rocker arm 210 and the engine or between the rocker arm 210 and the reset stopper mechanism fixed on the engine. The maximum stroke of the oil drain piston 170 in the oil drain piston bore 183 is controlled by a screw 179 mounted on the rocker arm 210. The screw 179 can also be replaced by a snap ring or other positioning parts. In addition, if desired, a spring can also be arranged on the oil drain piston 170.
When engine braking is required, the brake control mechanism 50 is turned on as shown in
When the small brake cam lobe 233 (i.e. the compression release cam lobe) on the cam 230 rises from the inner base circle 225, the rocker arm 210 rotates clockwise, driving downward the brake piston 160 which is hydraulically locked at the extended position in the brake piston bore 190 of the rocker arm 210, and opening the exhaust valve 301 below the brake piston 160. Although there is the gap 234 between the brake piston 160 and the rocker arm 210, a hydraulically locked linkage is generated between the brake piston 160 and the rocker arm 210 by the engine oil due to the one-way oil supply valve 172 and the closed oil drain passage 219, such that the motion of the small cam lobes 233 and 232 can be transmitted to the exhaust valve 301.
In the process of rotating clockwise driven by the cam 230, the rocker arm 210 is moved away from a contact position with the reset stopper mechanism 150 as shown in
In a case that the brake cam lobe of the cam 230 also includes a small cam lobe 232 for exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), the process for driving the exhaust valve 301 by the small cam lobe 232 is the same as the process for driving the exhaust valve 301 by the small cam lobe 233, which will not be described herein.
When the cam 230 rotates into a rising segment of the exhaust cam lobe 220 which is higher than the small cam lobe 233, the rocker arm 210 is separated from the reset stopper mechanism 150 with an enough distance, the oil drain piston 170 is moved upwards to the reset position in the oil drain piston bore 183, and an annular groove 180 on the oil drain piston 170 (as shown in
When the cam 230 rotates into a top portion of the exhaust cam lobe 220, the top surface 147 of the oil drain piston 170 (as shown in
When the cam 230 rotates over the highest position of the exhaust cam lobe 220 and descends back to the inner base circle 225, the rocker arm 210, the brake piston 160 retracted in the brake piston bore 190 and the exhaust valve 301 below the brake piston 160 are all moved backwards under the action of the valve spring 310. The oil drain piston 170 in the oil drain piston bore 183 is moved downwards from the reset position back to the braking position, thereby re-closing the oil drain passage 219. Engine oil is again supplied to the brake piston bore 190 through the one-way oil supply valve 172, the brake piston 160 in the brake piston bore 190 is moved from the retracted position back to the extended position, thereby starting a new cycle of engine braking.
When the engine brake is not required, the brake control mechanism 50 is turned off as shown in
When the small cam lobe 233 (i.e. the compression release cam lobe) of the cam 230 rises from the inner base circle 225, the rocker arm 210 rotates clockwise. However, due to the gap 234 between the brake piston 160 and the rocker arm 210, there is only relative motion between the rocker arm 210 and the brake piston 160, and the exhaust valve 301 remains stationary. That is, in the non-braking state as shown in
When the cam 230 rotates into the rising segment of the exhaust cam lobe 220 which is higher than the small cam lobe 233, the gap 234 between the brake piston 160 and the rocker arm 210 begins to disappear, and the rocker arm 210 will act directly on the brake piston 160 to open the exhaust valve 301. That is, in the non-braking state as shown in
As shown in
During the engine braking operation, the motions of the braking cam lobes (i.e. the small cam lobes 232 and 233) are transmitted to the exhaust valve 301 under the brake piston 160 (as shown in
When the integrated exhaust cam lobe 220 of the cam 230 rises from the inner base circle 225 (as shown in
Yet another difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the oil drain valve of the present embodiment is placed in the valve lash adjusting mechanism. The oil drain piston 170 is slidably disposed in the oil drain piston bore 183 in the adjusting screw 110, and an oil drain passage 197 is further arranged in the adjusting screw.
When engine braking is required, the brake control mechanism 50 is turned on as shown in
During the process of the rocker arm 210 rotating clockwise driven by the cam 230, the valve lash adjusting screw 110 on the rocker arm 210 is moved away from a contact position with the reset stopper mechanism 150 shown in
When the cam 230 rotates into the rising segment of the exhaust cam lobe 220 higher than the small cam lobe 233, the valve lash adjusting screw 110 on the rocker arm 210 is moved away from the reset stopper mechanism 150 far enough, and the oil drain piston 170 is moved upwards to the reset position in the oil drain piston bore 183 to open the oil drain passage 219, and the brake piston bore 190 drains oil through the oil drain passages 197 and 219. The brake piston 160 is moved upwards to eliminate the gap 234 between the adjusting screw 110 and the brake piston 160, such that the exhaust valve motion produced by the small cam lobe 233 is lost, and the valve lift of the exhaust valve 301 is reset and reduced to the conventional exhaust valve lift profile without the engine brake.
When the cam 230 rotates over the highest position of the exhaust cam lobe 220 and descends back to the inner base circle 225 of the cam, the rocker arm 210, the brake piston 160 retracted in the brake piston bore 190, and the exhaust valve 301 under the brake piston 160 are all moved backwards under the action of the valve spring 310. The oil drain piston 170 in the oil drain piston bore 183 is pushed back to the original position from the reset position, thereby re-closing the oil drain passage 219. Engine oil is again supplied to the brake piston bore 190 through the one-way oil supply valve 172, and the brake piston 160 is moved back to the extended position from the retracted position in the brake piston bore 190, thereby starting a new cycle of engine braking.
When the engine brake is not required, the brake control mechanism 50 is turned off as shown in
Except for opening the two exhaust valves simultaneously during braking, the working principle of the present embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, thus will not be described herein.
The above description discloses a new reset rocker arm brake device and a method thereof. The above-described embodiments should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present application, but rather as specific exemplifications representing the present application. Many other variations may be derived from the above embodiments. For example, the reset rocker arm brake device and the method thereof can be applied to both of an overhead cam engine and a push-rod engine, as well as a single-valve engine and a dual-valve engine. For the double-valve engine, the braking operation may be realized by opening only one valve or double valves.
Also, the one-way oil supply valve 172 may be in other forms, such as a butterfly valve. The one-way oil supply valve 172 can be placed at different locations, for example, in the brake piston 160 or in the oil supply passage. In addition, the reset stopper mechanism 150 may also in other forms. The oil drain valve may also have different structure and arrangement. Also, the brake piston 160 may be in other forms, such as an “H” form or a “T” form. The bottom of the brake piston 160 may be further arranged with a spring or be connected to an elephant foot pad 114.
In addition, the preload spring 198 may have various forms and arrangements, for example may be a coil spring, or a leaf spring, and can be placed between the rocker arm 210 and the engine, or between the rocker arm 210 and the exhaust valve 301, or between the rocker arm 210 and the valve bridge 400, or between the rocker arm 210 the push rod 201. Therefore, the scope of the present application should not be limited by the above-described specific examples, but is defined by the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201110129369.9 | May 2011 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2011/002187 | 12/26/2011 | WO | 00 | 2/13/2014 |
