Claims
- 1. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a crankshaft, said crankshaft being rotatable about a first axis;
- a camshaft (126), said camshaft (126) being rotatable about a second axis, said second axis being parallel to said first axis, said camshaft (126) being subject to torque reversals during the rotation thereof;
- a vane (160), said vane (160) having circumferentially spaced apart lobes (160a, 160b), said vane (160) being attached to said camshaft (126), said vane (160) being rotatable with said camshaft (126) and being non-oscillatable with respect to said camshaft (126);
- a housing (129), said housing (129) being rotatable with said camshaft (126) and being oscillatable with respect to said camshaft (126), said housing (129) having first and second circumferentially spaced apart recesses (131, 132), each of said first and second recesses (131, 132) receiving one of said first and second lobes (160a, 160b) and permitting oscillating movement of said one of said first and second lobes (160a, 160b) therein, said first and second recesses (131, 132) being divided into first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and second direction chambers (131b, 132a) by said first and second lobes (160a, 160b), respectively, said first and second direction chambers (131a, 132a, 131b, 132b) of said first and second recesses (131, 132) each being capable of sustaining hydraulic pressure due to engine oil contained in said engine;
- a spool valve (192) for selectively providing engine oil to said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a);
- a first check valve (408a) for providing unidirectional engine oil flow from said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and a second check valve (407a) for providing unidirectional engine oil flow from said second direction chambers (131b, 132a);
- means for transmitting rotary movement to said housing (129); and,
- means reactive to said engine oil pressure from an oil pump for varying the position of said housing (129) relative to said camshaft (126).
- 2. An engine according to claim 1 wherein said means reactive to engine oil pressure comprises control means for permitting said housing (129) to move in a first direction relative to said camshaft (126) in response to engine oil flow, and for preventing said housing (129) from moving in a second direction relative to said camshaft (126) in response to engine oil flow.
- 3. An engine according to claim 2 wherein said control means comprises means for transferring said engine oil into one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of each of said first and second recesses (131, 132), said control means further comprising means for simultaneously transferring engine oil out of the other of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of each of said first and second recesses (131, 132).
- 4. An engine according to claim 3 wherein said control means is capable of being reversed to transfer engine oil out of said one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of said each of said first and second recesses (131, 132) and to transfer engine oil into said other of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b ) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of each of said first and second recesses (131, 132), said engine further comprising:
- an engine control unit (108), said engine control unit (108) responsive to at least one engine operating condition for selectively reversing the operation of said control means.
- 5. An engine according to claim 4 wherein said engine further comprises:
- at least one conduit means (130a) for transferring said engine oil from a portion of said engine to said control means; and,
- at least one conduit means (130a) for transferring said engine oil from said control means to said portion of said engine.
- 6. An engine according to claim 5 further comprising passage means connecting said one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of one of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) with the other of one of said first section chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of the other of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) to permit engine oil flow between one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a ) of one of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) and the other of one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a ) of the other of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132).
- 7. An engine according to claim 1 wherein said spool valve comprises:
- a spool (300), said spool (300) being reciprocatable within said spool valve body (198) and having a plurality of spaced apart lands (300a, 300b, 300c);
- first conduit means (101) extending from one of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) to said spool valve body (198), one of said plurality of lands (300a, 300b, 300c) selectively blocking and permitting flow through said first conduit means (101);
- second conduit means (102) extending from the other of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) to said spool valve body (198), another of said plurality of lands (300a, 300b, 300c) selectively blocking and permitting flow through said second conduit means (102).
- 8. An engine according to claim 7 wherein at least one of said plurality of lands (300a, 300b, 300c) of said spool (300) contains a passage (320) extending therethrough, said passage (320) providing communication for the flow of engine oil through said spool (300) to said recesses (131, 132) of said housing (129), said passage (320) having check valve means for preventing flow of engine oil from said recesses (131, 132) through said spool.
- 9. An engine according to claim 8 wherein said housing (129) is rotatable only to a first extreme angular position in said first direction relative to said camshaft (126) and a second extreme angular position in said second direction relative to said camshaft (126).
- 10. An engine according to claim 9 wherein torque pulses are present in said camshaft (126), said torque pulses being of such magnitude whereby causing said housing (129) to rotate relative to said camshaft (126).
- 11. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a crankshaft, said crankshaft being rotatable about a first axis;
- a camshaft (126), said camshaft (126) being rotatable about a second axis, said second axis being parallel to said first axis, said camshaft (126) being subject to torque reversals during the rotation thereof;
- a vane (160), said vane (160) having circumferentially spaced apart lobes (160a, 160b), said vane (160) being attached to said camshaft (126), said vane (160) being rotatable with said camshaft (126) and being non-oscillatable with respect to said camshaft (126);
- a housing (129), said housing (129) being rotatable with said camshaft (126) and being oscillatable with respect to said camshaft (126), said housing (129) having first and second circumferentially spaced apart recesses (131, 132), each of said first and second recesses (131, 132) receiving one of said first and second lobes (160a, 160b) and permitting oscillating movement of said one of said first and second lobes (160a, 160b) therein, said first and second recesses (131, 132) being divided into first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and second direction chambers (131b, 132a) by said first and second lobes (160a, 160b), respectively, said first and second direction chambers (131a, 132a, 131b, 132b) of said first and second recesses (131, 132) each being capable of sustaining hydraulic pressure due to engine oil contained in said engine;
- means for transmitting rotary movement to said housing (129);
- a first check valve (408a) for providing unidirectional engine oil flow from said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and a second check valve (407a) for providing unidirectional engine oil flow from said second direction chambers (131b, 132a);
- means reactive to said engine oil pressure from an oil pump for varying the position of said housing (129) relative to said camshaft (126), said reactive means comprising control means for permitting said housing (129) to move in a first direction relative to said camshaft (126) in response to engine oil flow, and for preventing said housing (129) from moving in a second direction relative to said camshaft (126) in response to engine oil flow, said control means comprising means for transferring said engine oil into one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of each of said first and second recesses (131, 132), said control means further comprising means for simultaneously transferring engine oil out of the other of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of each of said first and second recesses (131, 132), wherein said control means is capable of being reversed to transfer engine oil out of said one of said first direction chambers (131a, 132b) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of said each of said first and second recesses (131, 132) and to transfer engine oil into said other of said first direction chambers (131b, 132a) and said second direction chambers (131b, 132a) of each of said first and second recesses (131, 132), said control means still further comprising a spool valve body (198), a spool (300), said spool (300) being reciprocatable within said spool valve body (198) and having a plurality of spaced apart lands (300a, 300b, 300c), first conduit means (101) extending from one of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) to said spool valve body (198), one of said plurality of lands (300a, 300b, 300c) selectively blocking and permitting flow through said first conduit means (101), second conduit means (102) extending from the other of said first recess (131) and said second recess (132) to said spool valve body (198), another of said plurality of lands (300a, 300b, 300c) selectively blocking and permitting flow through said second conduit means (102);
- an engine control unit (108), said engine control unit (108) responsive to at least one engine operating condition for selectively reversing the operation of said control means; and,
- third conduit means (130a) for transferring said engine oil from a portion of said engine to said control means and for transferring said engine oil from said control means back to said portion of said engine.
- 12. An engine according to claim 11 wherein at least one of said plurality of lands (300a, 300b, 300c) of said spool (300) contains a passage (320) extending therethrough, said passage (320) providing communication for the flow of engine oil through said spool (300) to said recesses (131, 132) of said housing (129), said passage (320) having a check valve means for preventing flow of engine oil from said recesses (131, 132) through said spool.
- 13. An engine according to claim 12 wherein said housing (129) is rotatable only to a first extreme angular position in said first direction relative to said camshaft (126) and a second extreme angular position in said second direction relative to said camshaft (126).
- 14. An engine according to claim 13 wherein torque pulses are present in said camshaft (126), said torque pulses being of such magnitude wherein causing said housing (129) to rotate relative to said camshaft (126).
CROSS REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATION
This patent application is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/306,787 filed Sep. 15, 1994, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
388244 |
Sep 1990 |
EPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
306787 |
Sep 1994 |
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