Patent Application
20210087950
This disclosure relates to a rocker arm assembly for an engine, and in particular, to a rocker arm assembly having a hydraulic lash adjuster.
Internal combustion engines typically utilize valve actuation systems to control the flow of fuel and air to one or more combustion chambers during operation. Valve actuation system may include a variety of components, such as for example, one or more rotating camshafts, cam followers, push rods, rocker arms, and other elements disposed in a valvetrain to transfer the motion from the camshaft to the valves. Lash adjustment features are typically provided on valve actuation systems to elimination lash, which is the mechanical clearance between valvetrain components.
One type of lash adjustment feature is a hydraulic lash adjuster (“HLA”). HLAs typically includes mechanical components that cooperate to expand under hydraulic pressure to eliminate lash during one portion of the valve cycle, typically when the valvetrain is under low load or unloaded, and then assume a hydraulically “locked” or incompressible state during another portion of the valve cycle, typically when the valvetrain is under high load.
In engines that have valve actuation systems that do not include HLAs, it may be desirable to retrofit the engine with a valve actuation system that incorporates HLAs. HLAs may be incorporated, for example, in the rocker arm design. U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,551, to Arai et al., for example, discloses a valve actuating device for an internal combustion engine having a cam and a valve stem that includes a hydraulic valve lifter slidably disposed in the end of a rocker arm, a hollow rocker arm shaft pivotally supporting the rocker arm, a first fluid supply passage formed in the rocker arm shaft, a second fluid supply passage formed in the rocker arm to supply the hydraulic valve lifter with oil.
Adopting HLAs into a valve actuation system of an engine that originally does not include HLAs, however, may require expensive components of the engine system, such as the camshaft and oil pump, to be replaced. For example, HLAs typically require high oil pressure at their input location to enable effective functioning of the HLA. Further, engine oil system pressure typically drops when HLAs are adopted in the valve actuation system. Thus, the current oil pump may be insufficient and may need to be replaced by a higher capacity pump.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure a rocker assembly for an internal combustion engine includes a rocker shaft and a rocker arm. The rocker shaft includes an outer surface, a longitudinally extending main oil passage, a first radial passage extending from the main oil passage to a first outlet at the outer surface, and a second radial passage extending from the main oil passage to a second outlet at the exterior surface. The rocker arm includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an inner cylindrical surface defining a bore that is positioned between the first end and the second end. The rocker shaft is received in the bore to pivotably mount the rocker arm onto the rocker shaft and the rocker arm includes a hydraulic lash adjuster mounted within the first end and a first oil passage having an inlet at the inner cylindrical surface and an outlet in fluid communication with the hydraulic lash adjuster. The inner cylindrical surface of the rocker arm is spaced apart from the outer surface of the rocker shaft by a radial clearance, and wherein the inlet to the first oil passage in the rocker arm and the first outlet of the first radial passage of the rocker shaft are in a loaded region of the radial clearance.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a valve actuation system for an internal combustion engine includes a camshaft rotatably mounted within the engine and a rocker arm having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, an inner cylindrical surface defining a bore that is positioned between the first end and the second end, a hydraulic lash adjuster mounted within the first end and a first oil passage having an inlet at the inner cylindrical surface and an outlet in fluid communication with the hydraulic lash adjuster, wherein the second end is configured to receive a driving force from the camshaft. The valve actuation system further includes one or more engine valves reciprocally mounted within the engine wherein the first end of the rocker arm is operatively coupled to the engine valves and a rocker shaft received in the bore to pivotably mount the rocker arm onto the rocker shaft. The rocker shaft has an outer surface, a longitudinally extending main oil passage, a first radial passage extending from the main oil passage to a first outlet at the outer surface, and a second radial passage extending from the main oil passage to a second outlet at the exterior surface. The inner cylindrical surface of the rocker arm is spaced apart from the outer surface of the rocker shaft by a radial clearance, and the inlet to the first oil passage in the rocker arm and the first outlet of the first radial passage of the rocker shaft are in a loaded region of the radial clearance.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of retrofitting hydraulic valve adjusters into a valve actuation system of an engine, wherein the engine includes a first set of rocker arms, a first set of rocker shafts, a first camshaft, and a first engine oil pump. Is disclosed. The method includes replacing the first set of rocker arms and the first set of rocker shafts with a set of retrofit rocker arms and a set of retrofit rocker shafts, while retaining the first camshaft and the first engine oil pump in the engine for use with the set of retrofit rocker arms and the set of retrofit rocker shafts. The rocker shaft includes an outer surface, a longitudinally extending main oil passage, a first radial passage extending from the main oil passage to a first outlet at the outer surface, and a second radial passage extending from the main oil passage to a second outlet at the exterior surface. The rocker arm includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an inner cylindrical surface defining a bore that is positioned between the first end and the second end. The rocker shaft is received in the bore to pivotably mount the rocker arm onto the rocker shaft and the rocker arm includes a hydraulic lash adjuster mounted within the first end and a first oil passage having an inlet at the inner cylindrical surface and an outlet in fluid communication with the hydraulic lash adjuster. The inner cylindrical surface of the rocker arm is spaced apart from the outer surface of the rocker shaft by a radial clearance, and wherein the inlet to the first oil passage in the rocker arm and the first outlet of the first radial passage of the rocker shaft are in a loaded region of the radial clearance.
Further features and advantages will be evident from the following illustrative embodiment which will now be described, purely by way of example and without limitation to the scope of the claims, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
While the present disclosure describes certain embodiments of a rocker arm assembly used in a valve actuation system for an internal combustion engine, the present disclosure is to be considered exemplary and is not intended to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. Also, certain elements or features of embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to a particular embodiment, but instead apply to all embodiments of the present disclosure.
As shown in
The hydraulic lash adjuster 26 can be any suitable hydraulic lash adjuster design. As is known in the art, the hydraulic lash adjuster 26 may include mechanical components (not shown) that cooperate to expand under hydraulic pressure to eliminate lash during one portion of the valve cycle, typically when the valvetrain is under low load or unloaded, and then assume a hydraulically “locked” or incompressible state during another portion of the valve cycle, typically when the valvetrain is under high load. In the illustrated embodiment, the rocker arm 14 includes an adjustment screw 38 configured to mechanically adjust the position of one or more components of the hydraulic lash adjuster 26.
The rocker arm 14 includes a second end 40 configured to receive a driving force from a cam lobe 42 on a camshaft 44 that is coupled with a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine. The second end 40 includes a roller 46 rotatably mounted within the second end 40. The roller 46 rollably engages the cam lobe 42 such that rotation of the camshaft 44 pivots the rocker arm 14 causing the engine valves 24 to open and close.
In the illustrated embodiment, the rocker shaft 16 is an elongated rod-like body 50 extending along a longitudinal axis A and having a cylindrical outer surface 52. The outer surface 52 includes a plurality of flat portions 54 having bolt holes 55 configured to receive mounting brackets and bolts (not shown) for bolting the rocker shaft 16 to a cylinder head (not shown) of the engine. Between the flat portions 54, the rocker shaft 16 is configured to pivotably mount one or more of the rocker arms 14. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the rocker shaft 16 includes a plurality of spaced apart first radial oil passages 58. As illustrated in
The rocker shaft 16 also includes a plurality of spaced apart second radial oil passages 62. As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the second radial oil passages 62 is coplanar with a corresponding first radial oil passage 58 and extends at an angle a relative to the corresponding first radial oil passage 58, as shown in
The rocker arm 14 is configured to route pressurized oil received from the main oil passage 56 of the rocker shaft 16 to the hydraulic lash adjuster 26 positioned in the first end 22 of the rocker arm 14 and to the roller 46 mounted in the second end 40 of the rocker arm 14. The bore 20 for mounting the rocker arm 14 onto the rocker shaft 16 is defined by a cylindrical inner side surface 68, as shown in
Referring to
The rocker arm 14 includes a second oil passage 80 the extends from a second inlet 82 on the inner side surface 68 to a cross oil passage 81 in the axle 48. The cross oil passage 81 feeds oil to an inner surface 84 of the roller 46 to supply a layer of oil between the roller 46 and the axle 48 to reduce friction and allow the roller to rotate. In other embodiments, however, the roller 46 could be configured with roller bearings or other friction reducing means.
The bushing 18 may be configured in a variety of ways. Any suitable journal bearing, such as for example, a conventional journal bearing, may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the bushing 18 includes an upper shell 92 and a lower shell 94 that form a cylindrical bearing having an outer surface 96 and an inner surface 98. The bushing 18 includes a first oil hole 100 extending from the inner side surface 68 to the outer surface 66. The first oil hole 100 is positioned at, or generally at, the intersection between the upper shell 92 and the lower shell 94. The first oil hole 100 in the illustrated embodiment includes a circular central portion 102 and a pair of radially-extending portions 104.
The bushing 18 includes a second oil hole 106 extending from the inner side surface 68 to the outer surface 66. The second oil hole 106 is configured similar to the first oil hole 100 and includes a circular central portion 108 and a pair of radially-extending portions 110. The first oil hole 100 and the second oil hole 106 are connected by a central oil groove 112 in the inner surface 98 of the lower shell 94. In one embodiment, the central oil groove 112 extends circumferentially around the bushing 18.
When the rocker assembly 10 is assembled, as shown in
While the exemplary embodiments of the rocker assembly 10 are illustrated as used in an overhead cam type engine, the rocker assemblies 10 may be used in other engine types, such as for example, pushrod-type engines. The rocker assembly 10 is configured with features that provide increased system oil pressure and reduced oil leakage as compared to conventional rocker assemblies. The increased oil system pressure and reduced oil leakage make the rocker assemblies particularly useful when used to retrofit the valve actuation system of an engine with hydraulic lash adjusters. Since HLAs typically require high oil pressure at their input location to enable effective functioning of the HLA and engine oil system pressure typically drops when HLAs are adopted in the valve actuation system, the increased oil system pressure and reduced oil leakage achieved by the rocker assemblies 10 according to the present disclosure, may allow adoption of HLAs in the valve actuation system without the need to install a larger capacity oil pump or replace the camshaft. The rocker assembly 10 is not limited to use in retrofit situations.
During operation, a circumferential gap, referred to as the radial clearance, exists between the inner surface 98 of the bushing 18 and the outer surface 52 of the rocker shaft 16. A layer of oil, fed from the main oil passage 56, is formed within the circumferential gap around the rocker shaft 16 to reduce friction between the pivoting rocker arm 14 and bushing 18 and the rocker shaft 16.
The forces applied to the valve actuation system, during operation, such as forces coming from the cam lobe 42, tend to bias the rocker arm 14 in a direction upward, as shown, generally, by the arrow D in
The rocker assembly 10 is configured such that the first outlet 60 of the first radial oil passage 58 is in the loaded region LR and the portion of the central oil groove 112 between the first outlet 60 of the first radial oil passage 58 and the first inlet 72 of the first oil passage 70 in the rocker arm 14 is entirely, or at least mostly, in the loaded region LR. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the first outlet 60, the first inlet 72 of the first oil passage 70, and the central oil groove 112 extending therebetween are all in the loaded region LR. As a result, the rocker arm assembly 10 takes advantage of the tight radial clearance of the loaded region LR by directing oil from the main oil passage 56 into the loaded region LR via the by positioning the first outlet 60 of the first radial oil passage 58, the first inlet 72 of the first oil passage 70, and the central oil groove 112 extending therebetween in the loaded region LR, oil leakage of oil directed to the first oil passage 70 is minimized, which helps not only preserve oil pressure but minimizes oil leakage and hence increases rocker shaft oil pressure.
In an exemplary embodiment, in an unloaded state, the radial clearance between the outer surface 52 of the rocker shaft 16 and the inner surface 98 of the bushing 18 (i.e., not including the surfaces forming the groove 112) are in the range of about 25 microns to about 40 microns, or about 32.5 microns. When loaded, the radial clearance in the loaded region may be less than 15 microns, or less than 10 microns. For example, the radial clearance at, or proximate, the first outlet 60 of the first radial oil passage 58 may be in the range of about zero microns to about 8 microns, or about 5 microns, and the radial clearance at the first inlet 72 of the first oil passage 70 maybe in the range of about 5 microns to about 10 microns. The radial clearance extending between the first outlet 60 and the first inlet 70 is less than the radial clearance at the first inlet 72.
In addition to the utilizing the loaded region LR, the second outlet 64 of the second radial oil passage 62 of the rocker shaft 16 opens into the first oil hole 100 and the first inlet 72 to the first oil passage 70 in the rocker arm 14. Therefore, oil flow from the main oil passage 56 of the rocker shaft 16 flows into the first oil passage 70 in an uninterrupted, or mostly uninterrupted radial direction. In other words, the oil from the second radial oil passage 62 does not flow circumferentially around the bushing 18, such as through the central oil groove 112, to reach the first inlet 72 of the first oil passage 70. As a result, there is no, or minimal, oil pressure loss when oil flows from the second radial oil passage 62 into the first oil passage 70.
The HLA, therefore, may receive oil from the main oil passage 56 via both the first radial oil passage 58 and central oil groove 112 through the loaded region LR and into the first oil passage 70 and, more directly, via the straight second radial oil passage 62 directly into the straight first oil passage 70. Thus, the rocker assembly according to the present disclosure is able to provide oil to the HLA at sufficient pressure to enable proper function of the HLA without increasing the capacity of the oil pump.
In this respect, an engine having a valve actuation system that does not include HLAs may be retrofitted with rocker assemblies according to the present disclosure. For example, the set of rocker arms, rocker shafts, and bushings of the non-HLA valve actuation system may be replaced with the disclosed rocker assemblies 10. Thus, the rocker arms 14, the rocker shafts 16, and the bushings 18 would serve as retrofit rocker arms, retrofit rocker shafts, and retrofit bushings. In some embodiments, the rocker arms 14, the rocker shafts 16, and the bushings 18 may form a retrofit kit. Due to the features of the rocker assemblies 10 that provide increased system oil pressure and reduced oil leakage, the engine can be retrofitted with HLAs without the need to replace the current camshaft on the engine or replacing the current oil pump with an oil pump with increase capacity.
While the present disclosure has been illustrated by the description of embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present disclosure, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details, the representative compositions or formulations, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of Applicant's general disclosure herein.
