System and method for improving performance of hydraulic actuating system
A system and method is disclosed for supplying hydraulic fluid to a lost motion system in an internal combustion engine. The system may comprise a reservoir; a gallery circuit connected to the reservoir, wherein the gallery circuit is adapted to be connected to the one or more lost motion systems; and a control valve adapted to provide selective hydraulic communication between the gallery circuit and the one or more lost motion systems.
This application relates to and claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/468,088, filed May 6, 2003 and entitled “Hydraulic Circuit to Improve Starting of Hydraulic Actuating System,” a copy of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to systems and methods of improving the performance of a hydraulic system. In particular, the present invention relates to a reservoir system and method using same that provides hydraulic fluid to a lost motion system disposed in an internal combustion engine and used to actuate engine valves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONValve actuation in an internal combustion engine is required in order for the engine to produce positive power, as well as to produce engine braking. During positive power, intake valves may be opened to admit fuel and air into a cylinder for combustion. The exhaust valves may be opened to allow combustion gas to escape from the cylinder.
During engine braking, the exhaust valves may be selectively opened to convert, at least temporarily, an internal combustion engine of compression-ignition type into an air compressor. This air compressor effect may be accomplished by cracking open one or more exhaust valves near piston top dead center position for compression-release type braking, or by maintaining one or more exhaust valves in a cracked open position for much or all of the piston motion for bleeder type braking. In doing so, the engine develops retarding horsepower to help slow the vehicle down. This can provide the operator increased control over the vehicle and substantially reduce wear on the service brakes of the vehicle. A properly designed and adjusted engine brake can develop retarding horsepower that is a substantial portion of the operating horsepower developed by the engine in positive power.
For both positive power and engine braking applications, the engine cylinder intake and exhaust valves may be opened and closed by fixed profile cams in the engine, and more specifically by one or more fixed lobes which may be an integral part of each of the cams. The use of fixed profile cams can make it difficult to adjust the timings and/or amounts of engine valve lift needed to optimize valve opening times and lift for various engine operating conditions, such as different engine speeds.
One method of adjusting valve timing and lift, given a fixed cam profile, has been to incorporate a “lost motion” device in the valve train linkage between the valve and the cam. Lost motion is the term applied to a class of technical solutions for modifying the valve motion proscribed by a cam profile with a variable length mechanical, hydraulic, or other linkage means. An example of a lost motion system 100 is shown in
The lost motion system 100 may be included in the valve train linkage, intermediate of the valve 300 to be opened and the cam 200 providing the maximum motion. Cam motion imparted to the master piston 110 may be transferred to the slave piston 120, and thus the engine valve 300, when the hydraulic passage 130 is full of fluid. In this manner, the engine valve 300 (e.g., exhaust or intake valve), may be actuated by the lost motion system only when hydraulic fluid is maintained in the hydraulic passage 130. Selective operation of the control valve 150 allows the lost motion system to subtract or lose part or all of the motion imparted by the cam to the master piston 110 by releasing fluid from the hydraulic passage 130.
Other examples of such systems are provided in U.S. patent application serial number Vorih et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,397 (Nov. 3, 1998), Hu, U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,828 (Oct. 3, 2000), and Hu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,841 (Oct. 28, 1997), which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application, and which are incorporated herein by reference.
Lost motion systems, while beneficial in many aspects, have also been subject to some drawbacks. The use of hydraulics may result in initial starting difficulties as the result of a lack of hydraulic fluid in the system. With respect to the lost motion system 100 shown in
If actuation of the engine valve 300 is required immediately during engine starting, as is often the case with variable valve actuation (WA) systems, this lack of hydraulic fluid can frustrate and prevent starting, or cause engine damage. It may be particularly difficult to charge the system 100 with hydraulic fluid when the fluid is cold and has a lower viscosity.
It is therefore an advantage of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention to improve upon charging a lost motion valve actuation system with hydraulic fluid.
Operation of the lost motion system 100 may also be interfered with by the presence of air in the hydraulic passage 130 connecting the master and slave pistons. Air is not a hydraulic fluid, but rather a compressible fluid. Air entrained in the hydraulic passage 130 can cause the hydraulic circuit to compress instead of transferring motion from the master piston 110 to the slave piston 120. This can result in loss of the cam motion even when it is desired that it not be lost.
It is therefore an advantage of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention to improve upon the venting of air from the hydraulic circuit connecting the master piston to the slave piston in a lost motion system.
Additional advantages of various embodiments of the invention are set forth, in part, in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description and/or from the practice of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONResponsive to the foregoing challenges, Applicant has developed an innovative reservoir system for supplying hydraulic fluid to a lost motion system in an internal combustion engine. In one embodiment, the system comprises: a reservoir; a gallery circuit connected to the reservoir, wherein the gallery circuit is adapted to be connected to one or more lost motion systems; and a control valve adapted to provide selective hydraulic communication between the gallery circuit and the one or more lost motion systems.
Applicant has further developed an innovative method of providing hydraulic fluid to a lost motion system during start up of an internal combustion engine. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: providing hydraulic fluid in a reservoir, the reservoir being disposed relative to the lost motion system to facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid to the lost motion system under the influence of gravity; blocking hydraulic communication between the reservoir and the lost motion system during application of at least an initial portion of an engine valve event motion to the lost motion system; and providing hydraulic communication between the reservoir and the lost motion system during application of at least a later portion of the engine valve event motion to the lost motion system.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSIn order to assist the understanding of this invention, reference will now be made to the appended drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like elements.
Reference will now be made in detail to a first embodiment of the present invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. With reference to
In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
An optional accumulator piston 160 may assist in maintaining low pressure fluid in the vicinity of the hydraulic passage 130 so that it may be drained and refilled rapidly. The optional accumulator piston 160 may be particularly useful when the lost motion system 100 is used to provide variable valve actuation. In the instances where variable valve actuation is provided, the control valve 150 may be a high-speed trigger valve. High-speed trigger valves may be capable of being opened and closed one or more times per engine cycle to enable locking and unlocking the master piston 110 from the slave piston 120 one or more times per engine cycle.
Hydraulic fluid may be supplied to the hydraulic passage 130 by the reservoir system 400. The reservoir system 400 may include a reservoir 410, a low pressure feed 420, an optional check valve 430, an inlet port 440, an air bleed opening 450, and a common gallery circuit 460. Hydraulic fluid, such as, for example, engine oil, may be provided from the low pressure feed 420 to the reservoir 410. The optional check valve 430 may prevent hydraulic fluid in the reservoir 410 from flowing back to the low pressure feed 420.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the reservoir system 400 may include an air bleed opening 450 near the top of the reservoir 410. The air bleed 450 may allow air entrained in the hydraulic fluid that enters the reservoir 410 from the low pressure feed 420 to exit the system before it enters the one or more lost motion systems 100. The air bleed opening 450 may be sized to allow small quantities of air to exit from the reservoir system 400 freely, while still offering restriction to the exit of hydraulic fluid, even at relatively high pressure. The air bleed 450 may also allow air to enter the reservoir 410 to make up for hydraulic fluid that is fed by the reservoir to the gallery circuit 460. This may prevent a vacuum effect from preventing hydraulic fluid from flowing out of the reservoir 410 under a relatively small gravitational force. Still further, the air bleed 450 may permit air that does become entrained in the hydraulic fluid of the lost motion systems 100 to bubble up and out of these systems over time.
The inlet port 440 may be located near the top of the reservoir 410. Placement of the inlet port 440 near the top of the reservoir 410 may enhance the ability of the reservoir system 400 to allow air entrained in the fluid provided by the low pressure feed 420 to exit through the air bleed 450.
The gallery circuit 460 may provide hydraulic fluid from the reservoir system 400 to each of the possible plurality of lost motion systems 100. The reservoir system 400 may be located at any point along the expanse of the gallery circuit 460. The upper level of hydraulic fluid in the reservoir 410 may be above the level of the hydraulic passages 130 so that gravity can facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid from the reservoir to the hydraulic passages.
It is appreciated that in alternative embodiments, more than one reservoir system could be provided to service the lost motion systems 100 included in the engine. In fact, each lost motion system 100 may benefit from incorporating a reservoir system 400 local to the lost motion system. These local reservoir systems 400 may be integrally incorporated into the housing of each lost motion system 100.
It is appreciated that the low pressure feed 420 need not connect directly to the reservoir 410. With reference to
In one embodiment, as shown in
With renewed reference to
As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the control valve 150 may be normally open, or normally closed. For illustrative purposes, as shown in
At the time that the engine is shut down, the reservoir 410 may contain a substantial amount of hydraulic fluid. At this time each of the control valves 150 open, thereby connecting the hydraulic passage 130 from the gallery circuit 460 and the reservoir 410, as shown in
At the time of engine start up, the hydraulic passage 130 may be so depleted of hydraulic fluid that displacement of the master piston 110 fails to result in sufficient displacement of the slave piston 120 to produce a desired actuation of engine valve 300. Hydraulic fluid may be supplied by the reservoir 410 to the hydraulic passage 130 at this time. The supply of fluid to the hydraulic passage 130 may begin by opening the control valve 150. By opening the control valve 150, fluid is permitted to flow from the reservoir 410, through the gallery circuit 460 to the hydraulic passage 130. The gallery circuit 460 may be located relative to the individual lost motion systems 100 so that gravity encourages the flow of fluid from the gallery circuit to the individual lost motion systems.
The flow of fluid into each of the hydraulic passages 130 may be further encouraged by the pumping action of the master piston 110 in conjunction with selective control of the control valve 150. As the master piston 110 pumps downward with each revolution of the cam 200, the control valve 150 may be open so that fluid may be drawn into the hydraulic passage 130 by the vacuum created by the master piston. As the master piston 110 pumps back upward under the influence of the main exhaust lobe on the cam 200, the control valve 150 may be maintained closed so that the master piston 110 does not drive fluid back out of the hydraulic passage 130. This cycle may be repeated until the passage 130 and accumulator 160 are refilled with fluid.
In addition, the high pressure generated in the master-slave circuit may force any air in the circuit out past the close clearance between the master piston 110 and the slave piston 120 and their respective bores. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
An example of the control valve timing that may be used to further enhance the refilling of the lost motion system 100 is provided in
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, as shown in
Claims
1. A system for supplying hydraulic fluid to one or more lost motion systems in an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a reservoir;
- a gallery circuit connected to said reservoir, wherein said gallery circuit is adapted to be connected to the one or more lost motion systems; and
- a control valve adapted to provide selective hydraulic communication between said gallery circuit and the one or more lost motion systems.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an air bleed opening provided in said reservoir.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said gallery circuit is disposed relative to the one or more lost motion systems to facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid from said gallery circuit to the one or more lost motion systems under the influence of gravity.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said reservoir is disposed relative to the one or more lost motion systems to facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid from said reservoir to the one or more lost motion systems under the influence of gravity.
5. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for selectively opening said control valve during an engine start up period.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a hydraulic fluid supply passage for supplying hydraulic fluid to the reservoir system.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein said fluid supply passage connects to an inlet port in said reservoir.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the inlet port is disposed proximate the top of said reservoir.
9. The system of claim 6, wherein said fluid supply passage connects to said gallery circuit.
10. The system of claim 6, a check valve disposed in said fluid supply passage.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the lost motion system comprises:
- a master piston;
- a slave piston; and
- a hydraulic passage operatively connecting said master piston to said slave piston.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein said master piston is disposed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction of said slave piston.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of said master piston and said slave piston is inverted.
14. The system of claim 11, further comprising an accumulator piston disposed proximate said hydraulic passage.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the level of hydraulic fluid in said reservoir is above the level of said hydraulic passage.
16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:
- a bypass passage providing hydraulic fluid bypass of said control valve; and
- a check valve disposed in said bypass passage.
17. A hydraulic actuating system in a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, said system comprising:
- a plurality of lost motion systems, wherein one lost motion system is provided for each cylinder in the multi-cylinder engine;
- a reservoir;
- a gallery circuit connected to said reservoir, wherein said gallery circuit is adapted to be connected to said plurality of lost motion systems; and
- a control valve adapted to provide selective hydraulic communication between said gallery circuit and said plurality of lost motion systems.
18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for selectively opening said control valve during an engine start up period.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein said gallery circuit is disposed relative to said lost motion systems to facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid from said gallery circuit to said lost motion systems under the influence of gravity.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein said reservoir is disposed relative to said lost motion systems to facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid from said reservoir to said lost motion systems under the influence of gravity.
21. A method of providing hydraulic fluid to a lost motion system during start up of an internal combustion engine, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing hydraulic fluid in a reservoir, the reservoir being disposed relative to the lost motion system to facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid to the lost motion system under the influence of gravity;
- blocking hydraulic communication between the reservoir and the lost motion system during application of at least an initial portion of an engine valve event motion to the lost motion system; and
- providing hydraulic communication between the reservoir and the lost motion system during application of at least a later portion of the engine valve event motion to the lost motion system.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the engine valve event comprises a main exhaust event.
23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of venting air from the reservoir through an air bleed opening provided in said reservoir.
Type: Application
Filed: May 6, 2004
Publication Date: Jan 6, 2005
Inventor: Richard Vanderpoel (Bloomfield, CT)
Application Number: 10/839,143