Abstract: A communicating hole, which communicates between a clearance space and the outside of a cover member, is formed in the cover member, and a seal cap is fitted to and retained in a distal-end opening of the communicating hole. The seal cap includes a cap main body having a ventilation through hole formed in an internal axial direction and an outer peripheral wall configured to engage with the communicating hole, a supporting portion fitted, from the outside, into a recessed groove formed in an outside end face of the cap main body, and a ventilation filter located on a bottom face of the recessed groove and retained and sandwiched between the cap main body and the supporting portion. Therefore, an internal pressure rise in the clearance space between the cover member and an electric motor can be effectively suppressed, and thus improved mountability and retainability can be obtained.

Abstract: A valve-timing control apparatus includes a motor housing formed with an accommodating space; a permanent magnet provided along an inner circumference of the accommodating space of the motor housing; a rotor configured to rotate relative to the permanent magnet; a transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a rotational force of the rotor to a cam shaft; a switching brush mounted on the motor housing and configured to switch an energization of coil; a power-feeding brush provided to one of the motor housing and a fixed member and configured to feed electric power to the switching brush; a slip ring provided to another of the motor housing and the fixed member and being in contact with the power-feeding brush; a pigtail harness connecting the power-feeding brush with a power-feeding terminal; and contact portions bending the pigtail harness at a plurality of spots of the pigtail harness by contact with the pigtail harness.

Abstract: A valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine includes: a driving rotation member; a driven rotation member fixed to a cam shaft; an electric motor; a speed reduction mechanism; a power feeding brush; and a power feeding plate which is provided to the driving rotation member, and which includes a slip ring on which the power feeding brush is abutted, the power feeding plate including a rigidity plate portion whose outer circumference portion is fixed to the driving rotation member, and a resin portion formed by molding an outer surface of the rigidity plate portion, and the rigidity plate portion including a holding hole which holds the power feeding brush through the resin portion, and being integrally formed with a reinforcement portion which is formed at a portion except for the holding hole, and which extends in a radially inward direction.

Abstract: A valve-timing control apparatus varies a relative phase between a cam shaft and a crankshaft by energizing an electric motor through a power-feeding brush provided to be in contact with a slip ring. The valve-timing control apparatus includes a retaining member slidably retaining the power-feeding brush; a connector provided in the retaining member and connected to a power source; a pigtail harness including one end portion connected with the power-feeding brush, and another end portion connected with a terminal of the connector through a fixing portion; and a guide portion provided in the retaining member and including an outer circumferential surface formed in an arc-shape. The pigtail harness bends along the outer circumferential surface of the guide portion. The another end portion extends substantially in a linear arrangement from the fixing portion to a bending portion at which the pigtail harness bends along the outer circumferential surface.

Abstract: A valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine includes: a driving rotation member; a driven rotation member fixed to a cam shaft; an electric motor; a speed reduction mechanism; a power feeding brush; and a power feeding plate which is provided to the driving rotation member, and which includes a slip ring on which the power feeding brush is abutted, the power feeding plate including a rigidity plate portion whose an outer circumference portion is fixed to the driving rotation member, and a resin portion formed by molding an outer surface of the rigidity plate portion, and the rigidity plate portion including a holding hole which holds the power feeding brush through the resin portion, and being integrally formed with a reinforcement portion which is formed at a portion except for the holding hole, and which extends in a radially inward direction.

Abstract: A device includes a timing sprocket configured to receive a rotational force from a crankshaft and includes an annular internal-teeth constituting portion having an inner circumferential portion formed with internal teeth; an eccentric shaft portion provided on a motor output shaft of an electric motor and formed in a cylindrical shape such that an outer circumferential surface of the eccentric shaft portion is eccentric relative to a rotational center of the eccentric shaft portion; and a plurality of rollers provided between the internal teeth and the eccentric shaft portion and having total number smaller than total number of the internal teeth. A laser hardening is performed from a tooth top and both tooth surfaces of each internal tooth to attain a high degree of hardness. On the other hand, a tooth bottom surface of each internal tooth is not treated with the laser hardening.

Abstract: A valve-timing control apparatus varies a relative phase between a cam shaft and a crankshaft by energizing an electric motor through a power-feeding brush provided to be in contact with a slip ring. The valve-timing control apparatus includes a retaining member slidably retaining the power-feeding brush; a connector provided in the retaining member and connected to a power source; a pigtail harness including one end portion connected with the power-feeding brush, and another end portion connected with a terminal of the connector through a fixing portion; and a guide portion provided in the retaining member and including an outer circumferential surface formed in an arc-shape. The pigtail harness bends along the outer circumferential surface of the guide portion. The another end portion extends substantially in a linear arrangement from the fixing portion to a bending portion at which the pigtail harness bends along the outer circumferential surface.

Abstract: A device includes a timing sprocket configured to receive a rotational force from a crankshaft and includes an annular internal-teeth constituting portion having an inner circumferential portion formed with internal teeth; an eccentric shaft portion provided on a motor output shaft of an electric motor and formed in a cylindrical shape such that an outer circumferential surface of the eccentric shaft portion is eccentric relative to a rotational center of the eccentric shaft portion; and a plurality of rollers provided between the internal teeth and the eccentric shaft portion and having total number smaller than total number of the internal teeth. A laser hardening is performed from a tooth top and both tooth surfaces of each internal tooth to attain a high degree of hardness. On the other hand, a tooth bottom surface of each internal tooth is not treated with the laser hardening.

Abstract: A variable valve operating apparatus including an electric motor including a motor housing with a permanent magnet, and a speed reducing mechanism having a casing, the motor housing and the casing of the speed reducing mechanism being coupled to each other by a plurality of bolts, wherein the motor housing includes a convex portion formed in a portion of the motor housing which is opposed to one axial end of the permanent magnet, the convex portion having a threaded hole into which a tip end portion of each bolt is screwed, and a projection formed on an axial end surface of the convex portion in alignment with the threaded hole in an axial direction of the threaded hole, and wherein the axial end surface of the convex portion is located further spaced from the one axial end of the permanent magnet than the projection.

Abstract: A valve-timing control apparatus includes a phase change mechanism configured to change a valve timing, a cover member provided near a front end side of the phase change mechanism; slip rings provided to one of a front end portion of the phase change mechanism and a facing surface of the cover member which faces the phase change mechanism; a pair of brushes provided to another of the front end portion of the phase change mechanism and the facing surface of the cover member to be axially slidable. One end portion the pigtail harness is connected with the corresponding brush. Another end portion of the pigtail harness is connected with a connector terminal under a deflected state, at a location radially shifted from an axis of the corresponding brush. The another end portions of the pair of pigtail harnesses are separated from each other by a partition wall.

Abstract: A valve timing control system for an internal combustion engine, comprises: an electric intake valve timing control apparatus to vary an intake valve timing with torque produced by an electric motor with electric power supplied through a power supply mechanism; and an electric exhaust valve timing control apparatus to vary an exhaust valve timing with torque produced by an electric motor with electric power supplied through a power supply mechanism. A heat generating portion in the power supply mechanism of the intake valve timing control apparatus is made of a heat resisting material whereas a heat generating portion in the power supply mechanism of the exhaust valve timing control apparatus is made of a material lower in heat resistance than the heat resisting material of the intake valve timing control apparatus.

Abstract: In a valve timing control system for an internal combustion engine, brushes and slip rings are disposed within a space formed between each of an intake air side and an exhaust side device main frames and each of intake air side and exhaust side cover members and partitioned by means of the respective seal members and the respective cover members are configured to enable radial directional position adjustments by a predetermined quantity and are fixed to the internal combustion engine in a state in which the radial directional position adjustments of the respective cover members have been made.

Abstract: In an electrically-driven valve timing control apparatus employing a housing and a cover member axially opposed to each other, a cylindrical-hollow motor output shaft is installed in the housing, and configured to rotate relative to the housing by electricity-feeding to the electric motor, and also configured such that lubricating oil is supplied into the motor output shaft. A plug is fitted to the inner periphery of an axial opening end of the motor output shaft for suppressing a leakage of lubricating oil from the motor output shaft to the outside. One of two opposing faces of the cover member and the plug is formed with a protruding portion configured to prevent the plug's slipping out of the axial opening end. A part of the inside face of the cover member, opposed to the plug, is formed integral with the protruding portion partially disposed within the axial opening end.

Abstract: In a variable valve actuation apparatus with a speed reducer between a timing sprocket and a camshaft for changing a phase of the camshaft relative to the sprocket, while reducing normal-rotation/reverse-rotation of an electric motor, the speed reducer includes an eccentric rotation member connected to an output shaft of the motor, an annular member connected to the sprocket, a plurality of rollers installed between an inner toothed portion of the annular member and an outer peripheral surface of the eccentric rotation member, and a cage connected to the camshaft for circumferentially partitioning the respective rollers, while permitting a radial displacement of each roller. Depending on a dimension of a clearance space between the eccentric rotation member and the annular member, a suitable one of a plurality of roller sets, each having a different outside diameter, is selected, and then the selected rollers are installed.

Abstract: In a valve timing control system of an internal combustion engine employing both an electric-motor-driven intake valve timing control device for changing intake valve timing and an electric-motor-driven exhaust valve timing control device for changing exhaust valve timing, the intake valve timing control device includes a less-friction roller speed reducer having a toothed gear and configured to transmit torque by repeated relocations of each of rollers rolling and relocating from one of two adjacent teeth of the toothed gear to the other. In contrast, the exhaust valve timing control device includes a planetary-gear speed reducer having a friction greater than a friction of the roller speed reducer and configured to transmit torque by meshed-engagement of toothed gears in mesh with each other.

Abstract: In a valve timing control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, a plurality of projection sections projected toward a cover member are integrally mounted on a bearing member configured to rotatably journalize a camshaft and a plurality of positioning pins are mounted across (or extended over) the cover member and the respective projection sections.

Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, including a drive rotation member, a follower rotation member, an electric motor serving to change a relative rotational phase of the drive rotation member and the follower rotation member, a torsion spring accommodated in an annular accommodation space having an axial closed end which is formed between an inner periphery of the drive rotation member and an outer periphery of the follower rotation member, and a stop plate fixed to the drive rotation member so as to cover a part of an axial open end of the annular accommodation space, the stop plate cooperating with the follower rotation member or a camshaft to restrict relative rotation of the drive rotation member and the follower rotation member within a predetermined angular range.

Abstract: A valve-timing control apparatus includes a drive rotating member; a driven rotating member fixed to a cam shaft; an electric motor configured to rotate the driven rotating member relative to the drive rotating member; a motor housing connected integrally with the drive rotating member; a cover member located to face a front portion of the housing; a tubular motor output shaft provided inside the housing to be rotatable relative to the housing; and a plug member fixed to an inner circumferential surface of a tip portion of the tubular motor output shaft and configured to inhibit lubricating oil supplied into the tubular motor output shaft from leaking to an external. The plug member includes a core member formed in a bottomed tubular shape and formed with a through-hole in its bottom portion, and an elastic body coating at least the through-hole and an outer circumferential surface of the core member.

Abstract: A valve-timing control apparatus includes a motor housing formed with an accommodating space; a permanent magnet provided along an inner circumference of the accommodating space of the motor housing; a rotor configured to rotate relative to the permanent magnet; a transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a rotational force of the rotor to a cam shaft; a switching brush mounted on the motor housing and configured to switch an energization of coil; a power-feeding brush provided to one of the motor housing and a fixed member and configured to feed electric power to the switching brush; a slip ring provided to another of the motor housing and the fixed member and being in contact with the power-feeding brush; a pigtail harness connecting the power-feeding brush with a power-feeding terminal; and contact portions bending the pigtail harness at a plurality of spots of the pigtail harness by contact with the pigtail harness.

Abstract: A variable valve operating apparatus including an electric motor including a motor housing with a permanent magnet, and a speed reducing mechanism having a casing, the motor housing and the casing of the speed reducing mechanism being coupled to each other by a plurality of bolts, wherein the motor housing includes a convex portion formed in a portion of the motor housing which is opposed to one axial end of the permanent magnet, the convex portion having a threaded hole into which a tip end portion of each bolt is screwed, and a projection formed on an axial end surface of the convex portion in alignment with the threaded hole in an axial direction of the threaded hole, and wherein the axial end surface of the convex portion is located further spaced from the one axial end of the permanent magnet than the projection.