Engine timing system

Abstract

The invention discloses an engine timing system, and relates to the field of engine timing systems.The engine timing system comprises a crankshaft chain wheel, a timing chain and a cam shaft chain wheel, the crankshaft chain wheel drives the cam shaft chain wheel through the timing chain, and the engine timing system further comprises an engine shell, a guide plate, a force sensor and an abutting piece; the guide plate is provided with a contact surface in sliding contact with the timing chain; one end of the guide plate is rotationally mounted on the engine shell; the force sensor is mounted at the other end of the guide plate; the abutting piece is installed on the engine shell and provided with an abutting face. The force sensor abuts against the guide plate and the abutting face, and the abutting face and the guide plate are arranged in a spaced mode. When the guide plate guides and supports the timing chain through the contact face, the guide plate tends to move towards the abutting face of the abutting piece, the force sensor abuts against the guide plate and the abutting face of the abutting piece, force borne by the timing chain during work can be reversely pushed out, and then the service life of the timing chain is judged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of engine timing system technology, and in particular to an engine timing system employing a chain. Background Technology

[0002] In engine development, timing systems using chain systems account for approximately 90%. In related technologies, it is difficult to accurately assess the durability of the chain; durability testing is usually required to evaluate whether there are design flaws. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an engine timing system, which includes a crankshaft sprocket, a timing chain, and a camshaft sprocket, wherein the crankshaft sprocket drives the camshaft sprocket through the timing chain, and further includes: an engine housing; a guide plate having a contact surface that slides in contact with the timing chain, one end of the guide plate being rotatably mounted on the engine housing; a force sensor mounted on the other end of the guide plate; an abutment member mounted on the engine housing, the abutment member having an abutment surface; and the force sensor abutting against the guide plate and the abutment surface respectively, with the abutment surface and the guide plate spaced apart.

[0005] When the guide plate guides and supports the timing chain through the contact surface, the guide plate tends to move towards the contact surface of the abutment. The force sensor contacts the contact surfaces of the guide plate and the abutment respectively, and can deduce the force on the timing chain during operation, thereby determining the life of the timing chain.

[0006] Optionally, a fastening assembly is provided for connecting the guide plate and the abutment.

[0007] Optionally, the fastening assembly includes a connector that passes through the abutment and connects to the guide plate, and an elastic element is provided between the abutment and the connector, which causes the guide plate and the abutment to tend to move closer to each other.

[0008] Optionally, the elastic element is a spring, the connecting element is a bolt, the bolt is screwed to the guide plate, and the direction of the spring's rotation is opposite to the direction of the bolt's thread rotation.

[0009] Optionally, the guide plate includes a guide slide and a fixing member. The guide slide has a contact surface that slides in contact with the timing chain. The guide slide is fixedly installed on the fixing member. The fixing member has a first end and a second end arranged along its length direction. The first end of the fixing member is rotatably installed on the engine housing. The force sensor is installed on the second end of the fixing member. A bolt passes through the abutment and is screwed to the second end of the fixing member.

[0010] Optionally, the force sensor is a piezoelectric force sensor, and the fixing member includes a mounting groove, in which the piezoelectric force sensor is mounted, and the height of the piezoelectric force sensor is higher than the height of the mounting groove.

[0011] Optionally, the fastener includes a pin hole, and the first end of the fastener is rotatably mounted to the engine housing through the pin hole.

[0012] Optionally, the abutment includes bolt holes, through which the abutment is fixedly installed to the engine housing.

[0013] Alternatively, the fastener may be made of aluminum.

[0014] Optionally, the material of the guide is PA66.

[0015] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a partial schematic diagram of an engine timing system according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a guide plate according to an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure label: 1. Connector; 2. Contact surface; 3. Elastic element; 4. Abutment element; 5. Pin hole; 6. Guide slide element; 7. Fixing element; 8. Force sensor; 9. Bolt hole; 10. Guide plate; 11. Camshaft sprocket; 15. Crankshaft sprocket; 13. Timing chain. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the engine timing system includes a crankshaft sprocket 15, a timing chain 13, and a camshaft sprocket 11. The crankshaft sprocket 15 can drive the camshaft sprocket 11 via the chain. Compared with a timing belt, the timing chain 13 has higher power transmission, higher reliability and wear resistance, and can be maintenance-free for life. Therefore, the engine timing system usually uses the timing chain 13.

[0020] The engine timing system may also include a guide plate 10, which guides and supports the timing chain 13, thereby ensuring that the timing chain 13 maintains the correct trajectory and stable position during engine operation. On the one hand, the guide plate 10 can constrain the movement of the timing chain 13 through its specifically shaped contact surface 2, preventing the chain from deviating from the preset path and ensuring precise and reliable meshing between the chain and sprockets (such as camshaft sprocket 11 and crankshaft sprocket 15). On the other hand, the guide plate 10 can also support the chain, suppressing the noise generated by the chain due to high-speed engine operation, thereby reducing operating noise and improving smoothness.

[0021] The engine timing system may also include a tensioner (not shown in the figure) that maintains the timing chain 13 with appropriate tension. In addition, the guide plate 10 may cooperate with the tensioner to maintain the appropriate tension of the timing chain 13 and prevent tooth skipping, wear or transmission failure caused by the loosening of the timing chain 13.

[0022] However, after the timing chain 13 comes into continuous contact with the contact surface 2 of the guide plate 10, the contact surface 2 will deform under stress. When the deformed guide plate 10 guides and supports the timing chain 13, it may cause the timing chain 13 to become unstable, which may lead to noise, wear and other faults, and in severe cases, the chain may break.

[0023] Related technologies typically require durability testing to assess the lifespan of the timing chain 13, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. This application directly measures the force on the guide plate 10 to deduce the force on the timing chain 13 during operation, thereby determining the lifespan of the timing chain 13 and preventing damage to the timing chain 13 from affecting engine performance.

[0024] Therefore, this application discloses an engine timing system, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the engine timing system includes a crankshaft sprocket 15, a timing chain 13, and a camshaft sprocket 11. The crankshaft sprocket 15 can drive the camshaft sprocket 11 via the chain.

[0025] It also includes an engine housing (not shown in the figure), a guide plate 10, a force sensor 8, and an abutment member 4. The guide plate 10 has a contact surface 2 that slides in contact with the timing chain 13, and one end of the guide plate 10 is rotatably mounted to the engine housing. The force sensor 8 is mounted to the other end of the guide plate 10. The abutment member 4 is mounted to the engine housing and has an abutment surface. The force sensor 8 abuts against both the guide plate 10 and the abutment surface, and the abutment surface is spaced apart from the guide plate 10.

[0026] It is understood that the guide plate 10 has a contact surface 2 that slides in contact with the engine timing chain 13, and the contact surface 2 is generally arc-shaped. The guide plate 10 guides and supports the timing chain 13 through the sliding contact surface 2, thereby ensuring that the timing chain 13 maintains the correct trajectory and stable position during engine operation. One end of the guide plate 10 is rotatably mounted to the engine housing. For example, as... Figure 1 As shown, the guide plate 10 is arranged vertically, with its upper end rotatably mounted on the engine housing. A force sensor 8 is installed at the other end, the lower end, of the guide plate 10. The force sensor 8 abuts against both the guide plate 10 and the contact surface. When the guide plate 10 guides and supports the timing chain 13 through the contact surface 2, it tends to move towards the contact surface of the contact member 4. The force sensor 8, abutting against both the guide plate 10 and the contact surface of the contact member 4, can accurately deduce the force acting on the timing chain 13 during operation, thus determining the lifespan of the timing chain 13. For example, the values ​​of the force sensor 8 can be measured at different engine speeds and under different loads.

[0027] In one embodiment, the end of the guide plate 10 where the force sensor 8 is mounted can be a free end. Through the interaction between the timing chain 13, the guide plate 10 and the abutment member 4, the force sensor 8 can be made to abut against the abutment surfaces of the guide plate 10 and the abutment member 4 respectively.

[0028] In another embodiment, a fastening assembly may also be included for connecting the guide plate 10 and the abutment 4. That is, the other end of the guide plate 10 is connected to the abutment 4, ensuring that the force sensor 8 remains in contact with the abutment surfaces of the guide plate 10 and the abutment 4, thus ensuring the stability of the force sensor 8.

[0029] In one embodiment, the fastening assembly includes a connector 1 that passes through an abutment 4 and is connected to a guide plate 10. An elastic element 3 is also provided between the abutment 4 and the connector 1, which causes the guide plate 10 and the abutment 4 to tend to move closer to each other.

[0030] It is understood that the abutment 4 can be a block structure, and the abutment 4 is fixedly installed on the engine housing. The bottom surface of the abutment 4 can be the abutment surface that contacts the force sensor 8, and it can be a plane. The part of the guide plate 10 opposite to the abutment surface of the abutment 4 can also be set as a plane. The force sensor 8 can be a piezoelectric sensor, and the force sensor 8 can be set in the mounting groove provided on the guide plate 10, and the force sensor 8 is installed in the mounting groove and protrudes from the mounting groove, for example, 0.5-1mm higher. Then, the fastening assembly includes a connector 1, which passes through the abutment 4 and connects to the guide plate 10. For example, the connector 1 can be a bolt, so that the other end of the guide plate 10 can be connected to the abutment 4, so that the force sensor 8 is always in contact with the guide plate 10 and the abutment 4, ensuring the stability of the force sensor 8. Among them, an elastic element 3 is also provided between the abutment 4 and the connector 1, so that the guide plate 10 and the abutment 4 are not fixedly connected, but elastically connected, improving the accuracy of the force on the timing chain 13 when the force sensor 8 is pushed out during operation.

[0031] In one embodiment, the elastic element 3 is a spring, and the connecting element 1 is a bolt. The direction of the spring's rotation is opposite to the direction of the bolt's thread rotation, which can effectively prevent the bolt from loosening.

[0032] In one embodiment, the guide plate 10 includes a guide slide 6 and a fixing member 7. The guide slide 6 has a contact surface 2 that slides in contact with the timing chain 13. The guide slide 6 is fixedly installed on the fixing member 7. The fixing member 7 has a first end and a second end arranged along its length direction. The first end of the fixing member 7 is rotatably installed on the engine housing. The force sensor 8 is installed on the second end of the fixing member 7. A bolt passes through the abutment member 4 and is screwed to the second end of the fixing member 7.

[0033] Understandably, the guide slide 6 can be roughly an arc-shaped plate, and the arc-shaped surface of the arc-shaped plate can form a contact surface 2 that slides with the timing chain 13. The fixing part 7 is roughly a block-shaped part, and the bottom surface of the fixing part 7 can match the arc-shaped surface of the arc-shaped plate. In this way, the guide slide 6 can be fitted onto the fixing part 7, and then the guide slide 6 is fixedly installed on the fixing part 7 by multiple mounting lugs to improve the installation stability of the guide slide 6. After the guide slide 6 is installed on the fixing part 7, it is rotated and installed on the engine housing by the first end of the fixing part 7. In this way, the guide slide 6 and the fixing part 7 can rotate as a whole. The force sensor 8 is installed on the second end of the fixing part 7. The bolt passes through the abutment 4 and is screwed to the second end of the fixing part 7. An elastic element 3 is also provided between the abutment 4 and the bolt. In this way, the guide slide 6 and the fixing part 7 can move as a whole at the second end, and then interact with the abutment 4 and the force sensor 8, so that the force sensor 8 can deduce the force on the timing chain 13 during operation.

[0034] The second end of the fixing member 7 can be a flat surface with a mounting groove. The piezoelectric force sensor 8 is mounted in the mounting groove, and the height of the piezoelectric force sensor 8 is higher than the height of the mounting groove, for example, it can be 0.5-1mm higher than the flat surface. This arrangement allows the force sensor 8 to work reliably.

[0035] In addition, the guide plate 10 includes a guide slide 6 and a fixing part 7. That is, the guide plate 10 is set separately by the guide slide 6 and the fixing part 7, so that it is easy to replace the easily worn guide slide 6.

[0036] The material of the fastener 7 may include aluminum, such as an aluminum alloy sheet, which can improve the lightweighting of the engine timing system. The material of the guide slide 6 is PA66, which is a polyamide 66 polymer, formed by the condensation of adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine. It has high strength and rigidity, with a tensile strength in the range of 60-100 MPa, making it well-suited for wear-resistant parts of gears.

[0037] In one embodiment, the fastener 7 includes a pin hole 5, and the first end of the fastener 7 is rotatably mounted to the engine housing through the pin hole 5. For example, the engine housing is equipped with a locating pin, and the fastener 7 engages with the locating pin through the pin hole 5. There is a certain gap between the locating pin and the pin hole 5, for example, 0.01mm-0.1mm, so that the first end of the fastener 7 can be rotatably mounted to the engine housing through the pin hole 5.

[0038] In one embodiment, the abutment 4 includes a bolt hole 9 through which the abutment 4 is fixedly installed to the engine housing. For example, a bolt can be passed through the bolt hole 9 to fix the abutment 4 to the engine housing.

[0039] Thus, one end of the guide plate 10 of this application is mounted on the engine housing by a positioning pin, and the other end of the guide plate 10 is mounted on the engine housing by bolts. This can effectively fix the guide plate 10 to the engine housing, and the end of the guide plate 10 where the force sensor 8 is located can move slightly toward the abutment 4 under the action of the timing chain 13. This allows us to deduce the force on the timing chain 13 during operation.

[0040] In one embodiment, the guide slide 6 can be first assembled onto the fixing member 7, and then the pin hole 5 on the fixing member 7 can be aligned with the locating pin provided on the engine housing and pushed in. A bolt is passed through the bolt hole 9 of the abutment member 4 to fix the abutment member 4 to the engine housing. Then, a connecting member 1 with a spring sleeve is passed through the abutment member 4 and screwed onto the fixing member 7. Thus, one end of the guide plate 10 is connected by the locating pin, and the other end of the guide plate 10 is essentially threaded, thereby effectively fixing the guide plate 10 to the engine.

[0041] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0042] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0043] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An engine timing system, comprising a crankshaft sprocket (15), a timing chain (13), and a camshaft sprocket (11), wherein the crankshaft sprocket (15) drives the camshaft sprocket (11) via the timing chain (13), characterized in that, Also includes: Engine housing; Guide plate (10), the guide plate (10) has a contact surface (2) that slides in contact with the timing chain (13), and one end of the guide plate (10) is rotatably mounted on the engine housing; Force sensor (8), the force sensor (8) is installed at the other end of the guide plate (10); Abutting member (4), the abutting member (4) is installed on the engine housing, the abutting member (4) having an abutting surface; The force sensor (8) abuts against the guide plate (10) and the contact surface respectively, and the contact surface is spaced apart from the guide plate (10).

2. The engine timing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Fastening assembly for connecting the guide plate (10) and the abutment (4).

3. The engine timing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fastening assembly includes a connector (1) that passes through the abutment (4) and is connected to the guide plate (10). An elastic element (3) is also provided between the abutment (4) and the connector (1), which causes the guide plate (10) and the abutment (4) to tend to move closer to each other.

4. The engine timing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The elastic element (3) is a spring, the connecting element (1) is a bolt, the bolt is screwed to the guide plate (10), and the direction of rotation of the spring is opposite to the direction of rotation of the bolt thread.

5. The engine timing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The guide plate (10) includes a guide slide (6) and a fixing member (7). The guide slide (6) has a contact surface (2) that slides in contact with the timing chain (13). The guide slide (6) is fixedly installed on the fixing member (7). The fixing member (7) has a first end and a second end arranged along its length direction. The first end of the fixing member (7) is rotatably installed on the engine housing. The force sensor (8) is installed on the second end of the fixing member (7). The bolt passes through the abutment member (4) and is screwed to the second end of the fixing member (7).

6. The engine timing system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The force sensor (8) is a piezoelectric force sensor. The fixing member (7) includes a mounting groove. The piezoelectric force sensor (8) is installed in the mounting groove, and the height of the piezoelectric force sensor (8) is higher than the height of the mounting groove.

7. The engine timing system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fastener (7) includes a pin hole (5), and the first end of the fastener (7) is rotatably mounted to the engine housing through the pin hole (5).

8. The engine timing system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The abutment (4) includes bolt holes (9), and the abutment (4) is fixedly installed on the engine housing through the bolt holes (9).

9. The engine timing system according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that, The material of the fastener (7) includes aluminum.

10. The engine timing system according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that, The material of the guide slide (6) is PA66.

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