Engine with variable valve lift

Abstract

The invention relates to an engine with a variable valve lift. The engine comprises a crankcase, a cylinder body, a cylinder head, a cylinder head cover, a cam shaft, a rocker arm shaft, an air inlet rocker arm set, an actuator and a control unit. The air inlet rocker arm set comprises a first rocker arm, a second rocker arm and a connecting mechanism used for connecting or separating the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm. The connecting mechanism comprises a push rod, a connecting pin and a return spring. The first rocker arm further comprises a first connecting end face, the second rocker arm further comprises a second connecting end face adjacent to the first connecting end face, the first connecting end face is provided with an inspection notch, and when the air inlet rocker arm set is in a separated state, one end face of the connecting pin is exposed out of the inspection notch when the air inlet rocker arm set is observed from the direction perpendicular to the rocker arm shaft. The distance from the bottom of the inspection notch to the first connecting end face is a notch depth, the distance from the bottom of the inspection notch to the end face of the connecting pin is an exposure distance, and the notch depth is larger than the exposure distance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an engine with a variable valve lift, in particular to an engine with a variable valve lift suitable for a power vehicle. Background Art

[0002] See also Figures 1 to 3 , which are respectively a top view of a cylinder head of an existing variable valve lift engine, a cross-sectional view of a cylinder head and a head cover, and a partial cross-sectional view of a cylinder head. The figure shows a cylinder head 96 of a variable valve lift engine of the prior art, such as the patent case of Taiwan Patent Publication No. I558909, in which a first rocker arm 936 is supported on a rocking shaft 933, a roller 9363 at one end of the first rocker arm 936 abuts against a camshaft 914, and an adjusting screw 9367 at the other end abuts against a valve 927 and is arranged to actuate the valve 927, and a second rocker arm 937 is supported on the rocking shaft 933 and arranged side by side with the first rocker arm 936 in the axial direction of the camshaft 914. The actuator 939 and the elastic member 944 respectively abut against the rod 9391 and the switching pin member 935, and the rod 9391 and the switching pin member 935 are moved along the axial direction of the camshaft 914 by the combined force of the actuator 939 and the elastic member 944, and the switching pin member 935 is configured to be movable to a first position (such as the first position) that connects the first rocker arm 936 and the second rocker arm 937. Figure 2 ), and making the first rocker arm 936 and the second rocker arm 937 be in a second position that is not connected (as shown in Figure 3 shown).

[0003] When the switching pin member 935 moves to the second position where the first rocker arm 936 and the second rocker arm 937 are not connected, the front end of the switching pin member 935 is not inserted into the through hole 9376 of the second rocker arm 937, and the front end of the switching pin member 935 is still in the through hole 9369 of the first rocker arm 936, and the front end of the switching pin member 935 is a distance D from the outlet of the through hole 9369 (such as Figure 3 ). In addition, the actuator 939 and the rod 9391 are provided on the head cover 97, the switching pin member 935 is provided on the first rocker arm 936, and the first rocker arm 936 and the second rocker arm 937 are provided in the cylinder head 96 and the rocking shaft 933.

[0004] However, the design and manufacturing errors of the above-mentioned parts are difficult to control, resulting in a large variation in the above-mentioned distance D. Since the action stroke of the actuator 939 is a certain value, when the above-mentioned distance D is larger, the first rocker arm 936 and the second rocker arm 937 are in the first position of the above-mentioned connection state, the connection length L of the switching pin member 935 and the through hole 9376 of the second rocker arm 937 is shorter (such as Figure 2When the coupling length L is too short, there may be problems such as coupling failure, disengagement, abnormal noise or wear. Although increasing the action stroke of the actuator 939 can improve the problem of the coupling length L being too short, this will also enlarge the actuator 939, which is disadvantageous.

[0005] For this reason, the inventor, in the spirit of active invention, has been eager to think of an engine with a variable valve head that can solve the above-mentioned problems. After several studies and experiments, he finally completed the present invention. Summary of the invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an engine with a variable valve lift. By providing an inspection notch on the first connecting end face of the first rocker arm, the position of the end face of the connecting pin relative to the inspection notch can be observed through the inspection notch. If the end face of the connecting pin is not exposed in the inspection notch, a longer push rod is replaced so that the end face of the connecting pin is exposed within the notch depth of the inspection notch. If the end face of the connecting pin protrudes outside the first connecting end face, a shorter push rod is replaced so that the end face of the connecting pin is within the notch depth of the inspection notch. Thus, the engine with a variable valve lift of the present invention can ensure that the connecting pin of the connecting mechanism can actually connect or separate the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm, effectively avoiding problems such as failure of the connecting mechanism to be separated, abnormal noise or wear due to design and manufacturing errors of parts.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the variable valve lift engine of the present invention includes a crankcase, a cylinder block, a cylinder head, a cylinder head cover, a camshaft, a rocker shaft, an intake rocker arm group, an actuator and a control unit. The cylinder block is arranged on the crankcase. The cylinder head includes an upper joint surface and a lower joint surface. The lower joint surface of the cylinder head is combined with the cylinder block, and the upper joint surface is combined with the cylinder head cover. The camshaft is pivoted on the cylinder head, and the rocker shaft is supported on the cylinder head. The intake rocker arm group includes a first rocker arm, a second rocker arm and a connecting mechanism. The first rocker arm and the second rocker arm are pivoted on the rocker arm shaft and rotated by the drive of the camshaft. The connecting mechanism can slide along the axial direction of the rocker arm shaft to connect or separate the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm. The connecting mechanism includes a push rod, a connecting pin and a return spring. The return spring provides a pre-force to urge the connecting pin to abut against the push rod. The push rod abuts between the actuator and the connecting pin. The actuator can provide or not provide a driving force to make the push rod push or not push the connecting pin, so as to connect or separate the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm. The control unit is electrically connected to the actuator to provide a signal to control the actuator.

[0008] The first rocker arm further includes a first connecting end face, and the second rocker arm further includes a second connecting end face adjacent to the first connecting end face. The first connecting end face has an inspection notch. When the intake rocker arm assembly is in a separated state, an end face of the connecting pin is exposed in the inspection notch when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rocker arm shaft. The distance from the bottom of the inspection notch to the first connecting end face is a notch depth, and the distance from the bottom of the inspection notch to the end face of the connecting pin is an exposure distance. The notch depth is greater than the exposure distance. That is, when the intake rocker arm assembly is in a separated state, the exposure distance cannot exceed the notch depth, otherwise the intake rocker arm assembly may fail to separate due to excessive exposure distance.

[0009] When the intake rocker arm assembly is in a separated state and the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm slide on the rocker arm shaft to be close to each other, the distance from the first connection end face to the second connection end face is a connection gap, and the depth of the gap is greater than the connection gap. That is, the connection gap cannot exceed the depth of the gap, otherwise the intake rocker arm assembly may have a connection gap that is too large and the connection length between the connecting pin and the second rocker arm is too short, resulting in a connection failure, separation, abnormal noise, or wear.

[0010] The connection gap may be zero, that is, when the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm slide on the rocker arm shaft to be in a completely close contact state, there may be no gap between the first connection end surface and the second connection end surface.

[0011] When the engine with variable valve lift is observed from a direction perpendicular to the rocker arm shaft, the inspection notch may be in an arc shape.

[0012] The push rod can be assembled on the cylinder head, and the connecting pin and the return spring can be assembled on the first rocker arm.

[0013] The actuator may be assembled on a cylinder head cover; the actuator may also be assembled on a cylinder head.

[0014] The cylinder head cover may also be provided with an inspection window facing the inspection notch for observing the position of the end face of the connecting pin relative to the inspection notch. Thus, personnel can directly determine whether the configuration of the parts is correct through the inspection window, thereby improving the convenience during assembly or maintenance.

[0015] The engine may further include an inspection window cover, and the cylinder head cover may further include a coupling seat surface, wherein the inspection window cover is coupled to the coupling seat surface and covers the inspection window to maintain the overall coverage of the cylinder head cover.

[0016] The above summary and the following detailed description are exemplary in nature and are intended to further illustrate the scope of the present invention. Other purposes and advantages of the present invention will be described in the subsequent specific implementations and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1The figure is a top view of a cylinder head of a conventional variable valve lift engine.

[0018] Figure 2 The figure is a cross-sectional view of a cylinder head and a head cover of a conventional variable valve lift engine.

[0019] Figure 3 The present invention is a partial cross-sectional view of a cylinder head of a conventional variable valve lift engine.

[0020] Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of an engine with a variable valve lift according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 An exploded view of an engine with a variable valve lift according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 A top view of an engine with a variable valve lift cut through a cylinder head cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of .

[0024] Fig. 8A A three-dimensional diagram of an intake rocker arm assembly of a cylinder head according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8B This is a stereoscopic view of the intake rocker arm assembly of a cylinder head according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention from another perspective.

[0026] Fig. 9 A cross-sectional view of an engine with a variable valve lift according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Fig.10 A top view of an engine with a variable valve lift according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Description of main component symbols:

[0029] 1 Engine

[0030] 2 Crankcase

[0031] 3 Cylinder Block

[0032] 4 Cylinder head

[0033] 41 Cylinder head cover

[0034] 410 Inspection Window

[0035] 412 Combined seat surface

[0036] 42 Upper joint surface

[0037] 43 Lower joint surface

[0038] 44 Camshaft

[0039] 45 Intake rocker arm assembly

[0040] 452 First rocker arm

[0041] 452a First connecting end face

[0042] 4520 Inspection gap

[0043] 453 Second rocker arm

[0044] 453a Second connection end face

[0045] 454 Linking mechanism

[0046] 4542a End face

[0047] 4541 Putter

[0048] 4542 Connecting pin

[0049] 4543 Return Spring

[0050] 47 Rocker shaft

[0051] 5 Inspection window cover

[0052] 7 Actuator

[0053] 914 Camshaft

[0054] 927 Valve

[0055] 933 Swing Axis

[0056] 935 Switch pin assembly

[0057] 936 First rocker arm

[0058] 9363 Roller

[0059] 9367 Adjusting screw

[0060] 9369 Through hole

[0061] 937 Second rocker arm

[0062] 9376 Through hole

[0063] 939 Actuator

[0064] 9391 rod

[0065] 944 Elastic member

[0066] 96 Cylinder head

[0067] 97 Skullcap

[0068] D Distance

[0069] D1 Notch Depth

[0070] D2 exposure distance

[0071] D3 Connection gap

[0072] L Binding length DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] See also Figures 4 to 6 , which are respectively a three-dimensional view of a variable valve lift engine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an exploded view of the variable valve lift engine, and a top view of the variable valve lift engine cut through the cylinder head cover. The figure shows a variable valve lift engine 1, which mainly includes a crankcase 2, a cylinder block 3, a cylinder head 4, a cylinder head cover 41, a camshaft 44 (such as Fig. 9 ), a rocker arm shaft 47, an intake rocker arm assembly 45, an actuator 7 and a control unit (not shown). The cylinder block 3 is arranged on the crankcase 2, and the cylinder head 4 includes an upper joint surface 42 and a lower joint surface 43. The lower joint surface 43 of the cylinder head 4 is combined with the cylinder block 3. The cylinder head cover 41 is combined with the upper joint surface 42. The camshaft 44 is pivotally arranged on the cylinder head 4, and the rocker arm shaft 47 is supported on the cylinder head 4.

[0074] The intake rocker arm assembly 45 includes a first rocker arm 452, a second rocker arm 453 and a connecting mechanism 454. The first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453 are pivotally mounted on the rocker arm shaft 47 and driven by the camshaft 44 to rotate. The connecting mechanism 454 can slide along the axial direction of the rocker arm shaft 47 to connect or separate the first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453. The connecting mechanism 454 includes a push rod 4541, a connecting pin 4542 and a return spring 4543. The push rod 4541 is assembled on the cylinder head 4, and the connecting pin 4542 and the return spring 4543 are assembled on the first rocker arm 452. The return spring 4543 provides a preload to urge the connecting pin 4542 to abut against the push rod 4541, and the push rod 4541 and the connecting pin 4542 can slide along the axial direction of the rocker arm shaft 47. The push rod 4541 is in contact with the actuator 7 and the connecting pin 4542. The actuator 7 is assembled on the cylinder head cover 41 in this embodiment, and can provide or not provide a driving force, so that the push rod 4541 pushes or does not push the connecting pin 4542, so as to connect or separate the first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453, but it is not limited thereto. The actuator 7 can also be assembled on the cylinder head 4 according to different structural configurations. The control unit (not shown) is electrically connected to the actuator 7 to provide a signal to control the actuator 7.

[0075] See also Figure 7 , Fig. 8A and Figure 8B, which are Figure 6 A partial enlarged view, an intake rocker arm assembly of a cylinder head of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and a stereoscopic view from another perspective. As shown in the figure, the first rocker arm 452 of the intake rocker arm assembly 45 includes a first connecting end face 452a, and the second rocker arm 453 includes a second connecting end face 453a adjacent to the first connecting end face 452a. The first connecting end face 452a has an inspection notch 4520. In this embodiment, the inspection notch 4520 is an arc shape when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rocker arm shaft 47, but it is not limited to this and can also be other appearance shapes.

[0076] Among them, when observed from the direction perpendicular to the rocker shaft 47, when the intake rocker arm assembly 45 is in the separated state, one end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 is exposed in the inspection notch 4520, the distance from the bottom of the inspection notch 4520 to the first connecting end face 452a is a notch depth D1, and the distance from the bottom of the inspection notch 4520 to the end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 is an exposed distance D2, and the notch depth D1 is greater than the exposed distance D2. That is, when the intake rocker arm assembly 45 is in the separated state, the exposed distance D2 cannot exceed the notch depth D1, otherwise the intake rocker arm assembly 45 will be suspected of separation failure due to the excessive exposure distance D2.

[0077] In addition, when the intake rocker arm assembly 45 is in a separated state and the first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453 slide on the rocker arm shaft 47 to be in close contact with each other, the distance from the first connection end face 452a to the second connection end face 453a is a connection gap D3, and the notch depth D1 is greater than the connection gap D3. That is, the connection gap D3 cannot exceed the notch depth D1, otherwise the intake rocker arm assembly 45 may have a connection failure due to the connection gap D3 being too large, and the connection length of the connection pin 4542 and the second rocker arm 453 is too short, resulting in separation, abnormal noise, or wear. However, the connection gap D3 may also be zero, and even when the first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453 slide on the rocker arm shaft 47 to be in a completely close contact state, there may be no gap between the first connection end face 452a and the second connection end face 453a.

[0078] See also Fig. 9 and Fig.10 , which are respectively a cross-sectional view and a top view of a variable valve lift engine of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the cylinder head cover 41 is further provided with an inspection window 410 facing the inspection notch 4520, and a coupling seat surface 412 for coupling with an inspection window cover 5 is provided on the periphery of the inspection notch 4520, and the inspection window cover 5 covers the inspection window 410 to maintain the overall covering property of the cylinder head cover 41.

[0079] With the above design, personnel can observe the position of the end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 relative to the inspection notch 4520 through the inspection window 410 facing the inspection notch 4520, and determine whether the part configuration is correct, thereby improving the convenience during assembly or maintenance. Among them, after the engine 1 is assembled, the actuator 7 has not yet provided driving force and the first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453 are in a separated state, and the inspection notch 4520 is observed from a direction perpendicular to the rocker arm shaft 47. If the end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 is not exposed in the inspection notch 4520, a longer push rod 4541 is replaced to make the end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 exposed within the notch depth D1 of the inspection notch 4520. If the end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 protrudes outside the first connecting end face 452a, a shorter push rod 4541 is replaced to make the end face 4542a of the connecting pin 4542 within the notch depth D1 of the inspection notch 4520. Therefore, the variable valve lift engine 1 of the present invention can ensure that the connecting pin 4542 of the connecting mechanism 454 can actually connect or separate the first rocker arm 452 and the second rocker arm 453, effectively avoiding problems such as failure of the connecting mechanism to separate, abnormal noise or wear due to design and manufacturing errors of parts.

[0080] The above embodiments are merely examples for the convenience of explanation. The scope of rights claimed by the present invention shall be based on the scope of protection claimed in the patent application documents, and is not limited to the above embodiments.

Claims

1. An engine with variable valve lift, characterized in that: Included are: a crankcase; a cylinder block disposed on the crankcase; A cylinder head, comprising an upper joint surface and a lower joint surface, wherein the cylinder head is joined to the cylinder body via the lower joint surface; a cylinder head cover, coupled to the upper coupling surface; a camshaft pivotally mounted on the cylinder head; a rocker shaft supported on the cylinder head; An intake rocker arm assembly, comprising a first rocker arm, a second rocker arm and a connecting mechanism, wherein the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm are pivotally mounted on the rocker arm shaft and driven by the camshaft to rotate, wherein the connecting mechanism can slide along the axial direction of the rocker arm shaft to connect or separate the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm, wherein the connecting mechanism comprises a push rod, a connecting pin and a return spring, wherein the return spring provides a preload to urge the connecting pin to abut against the push rod; an actuator, wherein the push rod abuts between the actuator and the connecting pin, and the actuator may provide or not provide a driving force to make the push rod push or not push the connecting pin, thereby causing the first rocker arm to be connected or separated from the second rocker arm; and a control unit, electrically connected to the actuator, for providing a signal to control the actuator; Among them, the first rocker arm also includes a first connecting end face, and the second rocker arm also includes a second connecting end face adjacent to the first connecting end face. The first connecting end face has an inspection notch. When observed from a direction perpendicular to the rocker arm shaft, when the intake rocker arm assembly is in a separated state, one end face of the connecting pin is exposed in the inspection notch. The distance from the bottom of the inspection notch to the first connecting end face is a notch depth, and the distance from the bottom of the inspection notch to the end face of the connecting pin is an exposure distance. The notch depth is greater than the exposure distance.

2. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the intake rocker arm assembly is in a separated state and the first rocker arm and the second rocker arm slide on the rocker arm shaft to be in a close contact with each other, the distance from the first connecting end face to the second connecting end face is a connecting gap, and the notch depth is greater than the connecting gap.

3. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The link gap is zero.

4. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rocker arm axis, the inspection notch is in the shape of an arc.

5. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The push rod is assembled on the cylinder head, and the connecting pin and the return spring are assembled on the first rocker arm.

6. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator assembly is arranged on the cylinder head cover.

7. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator assembly is arranged on the cylinder head.

8. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cylinder head cover is also provided with an inspection window facing the inspection notch for observing the position of the end face of the connecting pin relative to the inspection notch.

9. The variable valve lift engine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The engine further comprises an inspection window cover, and the cylinder head cover further comprises a combined seat surface. The inspection window cover is combined with the combined seat surface and covers the inspection window.

Images