This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0130415 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 13, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a variable valve apparatus.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A typical combustion chamber of an automotive engine is provided with an intake valve for supplying an air/fuel mixture and an exhaust valve for expelling burned gas. The intake and exhaust valves are opened and closed by a valve lift apparatus connected to a crankshaft.
A cylinder deactivation (CDA) apparatus deactivates some of the intake/exhaust valves under certain conditions. A conventional cylinder deactivation apparatus uses a double cam and a variable tappet, which are complicated to manufacture and expensive.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
A variable valve apparatus includes a swing arm that includes a first body that pivots in response to rotation of an input cam, and a second body hingedly connected to the first body at a first connection. A connecting portion connects and disconnects the bodies at a second connection, in response to hydraulic pressure supplied thereto. When hydraulic pressure is not supplied to the connecting portion, the second body is connected to the first body and pivots along with the first body to open a valve.
The first connection may include a connecting pin connecting the first body with the second body, and a stopper that prevents the second body from tilting more than a certain amount with respect to the first body. The connecting portion may include a connecting pin selectively connecting the bodies, and a return spring supplying restoring force to the connecting pin.
The apparatus may further include a hydraulic pressure supplying portion that supplies the hydraulic pressure to the connecting portion. The hydraulic pressure supplying portion may include a hydraulic lash adjuster supporting the swing arm, and a hydraulic line disposed at the first body. The hydraulic line may fluidly connect a first hole in the first body, for receiving hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic lash adjuster, to a second hole in the first body, for supplying hydraulic pressure to the second connecting unit.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
A connecting portion 300, as shown in
The connecting portion 300 includes a first connecting unit 310 constantly connecting the first body 210 and the second body 220, and a second connecting unit 320 receiving hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pressure supplying portion and selectively connecting the first body 210 with the second body 220.
The first connecting unit 310 includes a first connecting pin 311 connecting the first body 210 with the second body 220 and a stopper 312 preventing the second body 220 from pivoting with respect to the first body 210 more than a set angle.
The second connecting unit 320 includes a second connecting pin 321 selectively connecting the first body 210 and the second body 220 according to receiving hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pressure supplying portion, and a return spring 322 supplying restoring force to the second connecting pin 321.
The hydraulic pressure supplying portion includes a hydraulic lash adjuster 500 (
The first body hydraulic line 410 includes a first hole 411 in a side of the first body 210 for receiving hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic lash adjuster 500, and a second hole 422 in the side of the first body 210 for supplying hydraulic pressure to the second connecting unit 320. The first body hydraulic line 410 wraps around the side of the first body 210 and connects the first hole 411 and the second hole 422.
Referring to
Hydraulic pressure is not supplied to the second connecting pin 321 in the general mode. Thus, as shown in
Hydraulic pressure is supplied to the second connecting pin 321 in the CDA mode. As shown in
Then, a rotation of the input cam 100 pushes the swing arm 200, and the valve 600 is opened by the first body 210 and the second body 220.
While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
10-2007-0130415 | Dec 2007 | KR | national |