Patents Examined by Daniel Bernstein
  • Patent number: 8800516
    Abstract: A variable valve timing control apparatus includes a driving side rotation member synchronously rotating with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, a driven side rotation member including a rotation peripheral surface, an intermediate lock mechanism for locking a rotational phase of the driven side rotation member at an intermediate phase between a most retarded angle phase and a most advanced angle phase, and a fixed member fixed to the internal combustion engine and including a fixed peripheral surface facing the rotation peripheral surface of the driven side rotation member. Plural seal rings each formed in an annular shape are positioned between the rotation peripheral surface of the driven side rotation member and the fixed peripheral surface of the fixed member, the seal rings positioned spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Kobayashi, Kazunari Adachi
  • Patent number: 8794204
    Abstract: An engine assembly may include an engine structure, a camshaft rotationally supported within the engine structure and including a lobe, a first rocker arm, a valve lift mechanism, a valve, and a second rocker arm. The first rocker arm may include a first end rotationally coupled relative to the engine structure and a second end defining a cam engagement surface engaged with the lobe and a convex lift surface opposite the cam engagement surface. The valve lift mechanism may have a first end engaged with the lift surface of the first rocker arm. The second rocker arm may be supported relative to the engine structure and engaged with a second end of the valve lift mechanism and the valve to selectively open the valve based on displacement of the lift mechanism by the first rocker arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Alan W. Hayman, Eric C. Douse, Robert S. McAlpine
  • Patent number: 8770161
    Abstract: A valve lift device for a combustion engine, a camshaft (5), a first unit (16) with a first contact device (9) in contact with a guide surface on the camshaft (5), a motion-transmitting mechanism converting the lifting movement of the unit (16) to a lift of at least one valve (3) of the combustion engine. An adjusting device (20-22) allows linear movements of the first unit (16) and hence of the first contact device (9) in a plane which is perpendicular to the camshaft's rotational axis (5a) between at least a first position of contact (9a1) with the guide surface (6) and a second position of contact (9a2) with the guide surface (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Scania CV AB
    Inventor: Niclas Gunnarsson
  • Patent number: 8770160
    Abstract: There is provided an engine for a small vehicle where driven sprockets, around which a cam chain for transmitting power from a crankshaft is wound, are provided at one end of camshafts that form a part of a valve system provided with hydraulic valve-operation mode changing mechanisms; and a valve-moving hydraulic pressure control device, which controls hydraulic pressure applied to the valve-operation mode changing mechanisms, is provided in the engine body. In the engine, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in disposing the oil passage between the valve-operation mode changing mechanism and the valve-moving hydraulic pressure control device while avoiding the increase in the number of parts and assembly man-hours. A valve-moving hydraulic pressure control device is mounted on the side surface of the engine body on the side opposite to a cam chain in an axial direction of a camshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hayato Maehara, Yasushi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 8763572
    Abstract: The mechanically operable variable timing device for use with a rocker arm pivot point that is able to adjust the valve timing and lift on a valve stem by adjusting the pivot point of the rocker arm. The mechanically operated variable timing device includes a cam that rotates independent of engine RPM in order to adjust the pivot point of the rocker arm, which in turn adjusts the lift and valve timing of the engine at any RPM. The mechanically operated variable timing device places the cam above a plunger, which is positioned over the respective rocker arm. The plunger is biased upwardly via a spring positioned between the ball fulcrum of the rocker arm and a bottom portion of the plunger. A pivot shaft is threadably engaged to a threaded hole located on a top surface of the engine block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Inventor: Anthony Dike
  • Patent number: 8757136
    Abstract: A gas hob includes at least one gas burner, at least one pan support which is used to place a food container over a gas burner, and at least one operational control and/or display element which is arranged on the gas hob. The pan support includes at least one setback section that defines an operational area wherein the operational control and/or the display element is arranged in order to ensure that the operational control and/or the display element do not take up too much room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Rieser, Heiko Thielen, Gerd Wilsdorf
  • Patent number: 8757117
    Abstract: A valve drive for controlling gas exchange valves of an internal combustion engine. The valve drive has at least one valve camshaft that is supported within a cylinder head of the engine and that can be moved in rotation by a drive disk and an adjustment device, which has an adjustment motor and a gear train. The adjustment device provides for an axial movement and/or rotation of the valve camshaft relative to the drive disk in a specific manner upon actuation of the adjustment motor and by the intermediately connected gear train in order to vary in a specific manner an actuation of the gas exchange valves that occurs by cams of the valve camshaft. Also, the adjustment motor is placed predominantly or completely within a common chamber with the drive disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jens Schaefer, Sebastian Zwahr
  • Patent number: 8757114
    Abstract: A control valve for controlling pressure medium flows, including: a valve housing having a hollow construction and having at least one feed connection, at least two working connections, and at least one discharge connection; a control piston held displaceably inside the valve housing, through which, dependent on position, the feed connection can be connected via at least one pressure medium line to the one or to the other working connection, while the respectively other working connection is connected via at least one second pressure medium line to the discharge connection. The control piston has a piston cavity and the first pressure medium line includes a feed opening allocated to the feed connection and a discharge opening allocated to the working connections, with each of these openings opening into the piston cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jens Hoppe, Lars Buchmann
  • Patent number: 8752514
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydraulic valve for an oscillating motor adjuster that utilizes camshaft alternating torques by means of non-return valves for more rapid adjustment. The non-return valve that is not used for the respective rotation is additionally closed by means of the piston of the hydraulic valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Hilite Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Wolf-Dietmar Schulze, Andre Selke
  • Patent number: 8752518
    Abstract: A switchable device for supplying at least one consumer of an internal combustion engine with pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Mathias Boegershausen, Michael Busse, Eduard Golovatai-Schmidt, Andreas Strauss
  • Patent number: 8746208
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a combustion chamber, from which exhaust gas can be discharged by way of at least one exhaust valve. An engine braking device includes an hydraulic additional valve control unit is integrated into a connecting mechanism connecting the exhaust valve to a camshaft and holding the exhaust valve in a partially opened position when the engine brake is actuated. The connecting mechanism includes a rocker lever and an intermediate element between the rocker lever and the exhaust valve. The hydraulic additional valve control unit of the engine braking device has a first piston-cylinder unit for the temporary partial opening of one exhaust valve, and an hydraulic valve lash compensating mechanism has a second piston-cylinder unit for counteracting valve lash. The first piston-cylinder unit is arranged in or on the intermediate element. The second piston-cylinder unit is arranged in or on the rocker lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: MAN Truck & Bus AG
    Inventor: Heribert Möller
  • Patent number: 8746193
    Abstract: An engine includes a fluid pump configured to pressurize oil and a cylinder configured to combust a mixture of fuel and air therein. The engine also includes a valve arrangement configured to deliver air or fuel and air mixture to and exhaust post-combustion gases from the cylinder. The engine additionally includes fluidly connected first and second switching mechanisms, and an oil gallery fluidly connecting the fluid pump and the second switching mechanism. The engine additionally includes an oil squirter in fluid communication with the second switching mechanism and configured to spray the pressurized oil into the cylinder. The second switching mechanism is operated by the pressurized oil to selectively activate and deactivate operation of the valve arrangement. Moreover, the first switching mechanism is configured to alternately direct the pressurized oil to the second switching mechanism to deactivate the operation of the valve arrangement and to feed the oil squirter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Alan Edgar Bowler, Robert Lionel Jacques
  • Patent number: 8733304
    Abstract: In one example, a method is described for an engine with a hydraulically actuated phaser for adjusting cam timing. The phaser is controlled by a hydraulic spool valve, for example, having a de-energized position that results in hydraulic force urging the phaser to a base timing. When it is desired to operate the cam timing at base timing, rather then leave the spool valve in a de-energized position that can generate leakage, the spool valve is adjusted to near a null position to reduce the hydraulic pressure drop across the cam journal and thus reduce oil leakage. In this way, it is possible to maintain base timing, while also reducing leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Denis Crowe, Jamie Charles Hanshaw
  • Patent number: 8720399
    Abstract: In a valve timing control apparatus of an internal combustion engine, a first lock member is installed axially movably on either one of a housing and a vane member, a first lock recess section with which the first lock member is engaged when the vane member is relatively revolved at an intermediate phase position between most advance and retardation angle sides is installed on the other of the housing and the vane member, and a third lock recess section is installed at a retardation angle side in a circumferential direction of the housing with respect to the first lock recess section to limit a relative rotary position of the vane member at the most retardation angle side by an engagement of the first lock member with the third lock recess section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kato
  • Patent number: 8720398
    Abstract: A continuous variable valve lift apparatus may include an input cam disposed to an input shaft, a valve elastically supported by a valve spring, a rocker arm of which an end may be connected with the valve and the other end may be connected a rocker ratio change guide, which may be slidable along the length direction of the rocker arm and the rocker arm rotates around the rocker ratio change guide according to rotation of the input cam so as to open and close the valve, and a control portion selectively varies position of the rocker ratio change guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Sung Bong Park, Bosung Shin
  • Patent number: 8707918
    Abstract: A valve train of a combustion piston engine having an actuating device which comprises a phase shift gearbox with two inputs and an output for phase adjustment of a camshaft. The first input is connected with a crankshaft, the second input is connected with a controllable braking device and the output is rotationally fixed with the camshaft. The brake is an electromagnetically controlled friction brake which comprises an electromagnet and magnetic coil. A brake rotor is connected with the second input and can be biased, by the magnetic field of the electromagnet, against a friction surface. A permanent magnet is positioned axially adjacent the brake rotor such that, by its magnetic field, the brake rotor can be pressed against a fixed friction surface for the adjustment of a basic brake torque with the respective basic pressing force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Frank Richter, Reiner Keller, Markus Wannags, Ilja Imgrunt
  • Patent number: 8689754
    Abstract: An assembly for a valve drive of an internal combustion engine, which has a hydraulic support element and a cam follower connected by way of a clamp. The follower rests on one end via a cap on a spherical head of a pressure piston of the support element. The piston extends in a bore of a housing of the support element. The clamp flanks the cap with holding strips along the sides. The inner sides run in a guide zone on the outer shell of the piston. The housing has an opening for hydraulic fluid that can be conducted between the housing and the piston through at least one passage in the piston to a storage chamber. The guide zone on the piston is also designed as an anti-rotation mechanism therefore. The piston is installed in a defined manner and is torsionally oriented in relation to the cam follower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Christgen, Peter Sailer, Frank Himsel
  • Patent number: 8689747
    Abstract: A valve timing control device comprises a drive-side rotational member synchronously rotatable with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine; a driven-side rotational member mounted coaxially with the drive-side rotational member and synchronously rotatable with a camshaft for opening and closing a valve of the internal combustion engine; a fluid pressure chamber defined by the drive-side rotational member and the driven-side rotational member; a partition provided in at least one of the drive-side rotational member and the driven-side rotational member for dividing the fluid pressure chamber into a retarded angle chamber and an advanced angle chamber; a fluid feeding/discharging mechanism for controlling feed/discharge of working fluid relative to the fluid pressure chamber; a locking mechanism for restricting a relative rotational phase of the driven-side rotational member relative to the drive-side rotational member to a predetermined phase between a most retarded angle phase and a most advanced angle
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Kobayashi, Mitsuru Uozaki
  • Patent number: 8667939
    Abstract: In one form a rocker is disclosed coupled with a valve stem at one end and a cam follower at the other end. The rocker is operable to rotate about a fixed axis. In one form the cam follower includes a set of lower rollers operable to follow one cam lobe and an upper roller operable to follow another cam lobe. A leaf spring can be used to couple the cam follower with the rocker. A cam shaft can have a nested configuration including an inner shaft, an intermediate tube, and an outer tube. Cam lobes can be fastened to the cam shaft in one form by fastening through each of the inner shaft, intermediate tube, and outer tube, and in another form by attaching at least two devices inserted from either side of the cam shaft and that are not inserted at least through the inner shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Barnes, Adam C. Cecil
  • Patent number: 8667936
    Abstract: A valve control apparatus includes a drive shaft; a control shaft including a control shaft main body configured to be rotationally controlled according to a state of engine, and a control eccentric shaft located eccentrically relative to a rotation center of the control shaft main body; a rocker arm swingably supported by the control eccentric shaft and configured to convert a rotational motion of the drive shaft to a swinging motion; and a swing cam configured to open/close an engine valve according to the swinging motion of rocker arm. Both ends of the control eccentric shaft are formed with fixing holes extending in a radial direction of the control eccentric shaft. The control shaft main body is formed with insertion holes passing through the control shaft main body in a radial direction of the control shaft main body. The insertion holes respectively face the fixing holes. The control eccentric shaft is fixed to the control shaft main body by bolts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mikihiro Kajiura, Yoshihiko Yamada