Oil path control valve and valve timing change device

Abstract

To provide an oil path control valve capable of simplifying a structure and reducing its cost, weight, and size, and capable of easily positioning and fixing a filter member.SOLUTION: An oil path control valve comprises: a sleeve 30 that has an internal path 31 extending in a direction of an axial line S and through which hydraulic oil passes, an annular groove 33 formed on an outer periphery, and an opening 34 that penetrates radially in a region of the annular groove and through which the hydraulic oil passes; a valve body 40 slidably housed in the internal path and opening and closing the opening; a band-shaped filter member 70 wrapped around the annular groove in an annular shape and fixed; and drive elements 50, 60 that drive the valve body. The sleeve 30 includes a protrusion 35 protruding from a bottom surface 33a and a side surface 33b of the annular groove at a position outside the opening in the region of the annular groove. The filter member 70 includes a cutout part 75 engaged with the protrusion at a side part in a width direction when fixed to the annular groove, a filtration part 76 facing the opening, and a joint part JP where the two end side regions overlap with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil passage control valve that opens and closes an oil passage of a hydraulic fluid to control the oil passage, and more particularly to an oil passage control valve and a valve timing changing device applied when changing the opening and closing timing (valve timing) of an intake valve or an exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional oil passage control valve, there is known a hydraulic control valve including a cylindrical valve body having a plurality of annular grooves, openings provided in the annular grooves, and a restricting portion provided in a region outside the openings of the annular grooves, a spool valve slidably disposed in the valve body to open and close the openings, and a filter having a mask portion covering the mesh portion and the restricting portion and fitted and fixed in the annular groove of the valve body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In this hydraulic control valve, the restricting portion of the valve body is formed as a substantially rectangular convex portion, and the mask portion of the filter is formed as a concave portion or a concave groove formed so as to cover the convex portion of the valve body from the outside. Then, by covering the concave portion or the concave groove of the filter so as to cover the convex portion of the valve body, the filter is positioned in the circumferential direction of the annular groove with respect to the valve body and is fitted into the annular groove. As described above, since the mask portion of the filter is formed as a concave portion or a concave groove, the molding or processing of the mask portion of the filter is complicated, leading to an increase in the cost of the filter. Further, when the mask portion forms a concave groove, there is a possibility that the mask portion spreads when a band-shaped filter is pulled from both sides and wound around the annular groove, and cannot surely engage with the convex portion as the restricting portion, and the filter cannot be positioned at a predetermined position.

[0004] In addition, as another oil passage control valve, there is known a valve device including a cylindrical sleeve having a plurality of annular grooves, an opening provided in the annular groove, and a locked portion provided in a region deviated from the opening of the annular groove, a valve body slidably disposed in the sleeve to open and close the opening, and a filter member formed in a C shape using an elastic metal plate and having a locking portion locked to the locked portion of the sleeve, the filter member being fitted and fixed to the annular groove of the sleeve so as to expand against an elastic force (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0005] In this valve device, the locked portion of the sleeve is formed as a concave groove that is hollowed out in the axial direction of the sleeve from the annular groove, and the locking portion of the filter member is formed as an extension piece that extends laterally from the width of the annular groove. As described above, since the locking portion of the filter member is formed to extend from the side surface of a portion having an overall long shape, when the filter member is formed by punching from a metal plate such as spring steel, a waste area that is discarded by punching is generated, and a relatively thick metal plate is required to obtain a desired elastic force, which may lead to high costs for material and processing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an oil passage control valve and a valve timing change device that can achieve simplification of the structure, cost reduction, weight reduction, size reduction, etc., and can easily position and fix a filter member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The oil passage control valve of the present invention includes a sleeve having an internal passage extending in a predetermined axial direction and passing hydraulic oil, an annular groove formed on the outer periphery, and an opening penetrating in the radial direction in the region of the annular groove and passing hydraulic oil, a valve body slidably accommodated in the internal passage for opening and closing the opening, a strip-shaped filter member wound around and fixed to the annular groove in an annular shape, and a driving element for driving the valve body. The sleeve includes a protruding portion protruding from the bottom surface and side surface of the annular groove at a position deviated from the opening in the region of the annular groove. The filter member includes a notch portion locked to the protruding portion at a side portion in the width direction, a filtering portion facing the opening, and a joint portion where both end side regions are overlapped when fixed to the annular groove.

[0009] In the above oil passage control valve, the protruding portion may have a convex rectangular shape, and the notch portion may have a concave rectangular shape.

[0010] In the above oil passage control valve, the notch portion may include a first notch portion and a second notch portion formed symmetrically with respect to the center line in the longitudinal direction of the filter member at both side portions in the width direction of the filter member.

[0011] In the above oil passage control valve, the annular groove may include an annular cutout portion recessed from the bottom surface in a boundary region between the bottom surface with which the filter member is in close contact and side surfaces standing upright in the radial direction from both sides of the bottom surface.

[0012] In the above oil passage control valve, the sleeve includes a plurality of ports arranged in the circumferential direction in the annular groove and having an opening width narrower than the width of the annular groove for defining the opening, and a plurality of partition portions separating the plurality of ports. The plurality of partition portions include a first partition portion where the protruding portion is located in the circumferential direction of the annular groove, and a second partition portion overlapping with the joint portion of the filter member in the circumferential direction of the annular groove.

[0013] In the above oil passage control valve, among the plurality of partition walls, except for the second partition wall, a communication groove that communicates two adjacent ports among the plurality of ports may be included between the bottom surface of the annular groove and the inner peripheral surface of the filter member.

[0014] In the above oil passage control valve, the filter member may be configured to be formed to have the same length up to both ends in the longitudinal direction around the notch portion, and the second partition wall may be formed at a position facing the first partition wall in the radial direction of the annular groove.

[0015] In the above oil passage control valve, a configuration may be adopted in which the joint portion of the filter member is welded.

[0016] In the above oil passage control valve, a configuration may be adopted in which the filtering portion of the filter member includes a plurality of filtering holes, and the plate thickness of the filter member is smaller than the diameter of the filtering holes.

[0017] In the above oil passage control valve, the drive element may include a biasing spring that biases the valve body to the rest position, and an electromagnetic actuator that applies a driving force to position the valve body at the operating position against the biasing force of the biasing spring.

[0018] In the above oil passage control valve, the annular groove includes a first annular groove, a second annular groove disposed adjacent to one side of the first annular groove in the axial direction, and a third annular groove disposed adjacent to the other side of the first annular groove in the axial direction. The opening includes a first opening formed in the first annular groove, a second opening formed in the second annular groove, and a third opening formed in the third annular groove. A configuration may be adopted in which the filter member is wound and fixed around the first annular groove, the second annular groove, and the third annular groove, respectively.

[0019] In the above oil passage control valve, the first opening includes a plurality of ports for supplying hydraulic oil into the sleeve, the second opening includes a plurality of ports communicating with the first hydraulic chamber of the application object, and the third opening includes a plurality of ports communicating with the second hydraulic chamber of the application object. A configuration may be adopted.

[0020] In the above oil passage control valve, the sleeve may adopt a configuration including discharge openings respectively formed in regions on the opposite side of the first opening with respect to the second opening and on the opposite side of the first opening with respect to the third opening in the axial direction so as to discharge the working oil.

[0021] In the above oil passage control valve, the valve body may adopt a configuration including a first valve portion that opens and closes the oil passage between the first opening and the second opening and a second valve portion that opens and closes the oil passage between the first opening and the third opening.

[0022] In the above oil passage control valve, the sleeve may adopt a configuration that is formed to be fitted into a member that defines an oil passage through which the engine's working oil passes.

[0023] The valve timing changing device of the present invention is an engine valve timing changing device that changes the opening and closing timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve driven by a camshaft, and includes a housing rotor that rotates on the axis of the camshaft, a vane rotor that cooperates with the housing rotor to define a retard chamber and an advance chamber and rotates on the axis, and an oil passage control valve that opens and closes an oil passage for supplying or discharging the working oil to and from the retard chamber and the advance chamber. As the oil passage control valve, any of the oil passage control valves having the above configuration is adopted.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] According to the oil passage control valve having the above configuration, simplification of the structure, cost reduction, weight reduction, miniaturization, etc. can be achieved, and an oil passage control valve that can easily position and fix a filter member and a valve timing changing device using the same can be obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

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Figure 23

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. An oil passage control valve according to an embodiment is applied to a valve timing changing device of an engine as an application object.

[0027] The engine E is an internal combustion engine and, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a main body 1 as a member that defines an oil passage such as a cylinder block and a cylinder head, an oil pan 2 that stores hydraulic oil, an oil pump 3 that circulates the hydraulic oil, camshafts 4 on the intake side and the exhaust side, intake valves and exhaust valves (not shown) that are opened and closed by the camshafts 4, a valve timing changing device M that changes the opening and closing timing of the intake valves or the exhaust valves, an oil passage control valve V, and the like. The main body 1 includes a fitting hole 1a into which the oil passage control valve V is fitted, a supply oil passage 1b, a discharge oil passage 1c, a retard oil passage 1d, and an advance oil passage 1e. The camshaft 4 is supported by the cylinder head so as to rotate around the axis L (in the direction of arrow CR) and drives the intake valve or the exhaust valve to open and close. In addition, the camshaft 4 includes a cylindrical portion 4a, a retard oil passage 4b and an advance oil passage 4c for supplying and discharging hydraulic oil, and a female screw portion 4d into which a fastening bolt B is screwed.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1, 20, and 22, the valve timing changing device M includes a vane rotor 10 that rotates integrally on the same axis L as the camshaft 4, and a housing rotor 20 that houses the vane rotor 10 and is relatively rotatable on the axis L. The vane rotor 10 includes a cylindrical hub portion 11, a plurality (here, three) of vane portions 12, a through hole 13, and a plurality (here, three) of retard oil passages 14. The housing rotor 20 has a two-part structure including a substantially disk-shaped first housing rotor 21 and a bottomed cylindrical second housing rotor 22, and is fastened to each other by screws. The first housing rotor 21 includes a sprocket 21a, an inner peripheral surface 21b that is rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion 4a of the camshaft 4, and a plurality (here, three) of advance oil passages 21c formed in a groove shape on the surface where the vane rotor 10 is in close contact. The second housing rotor 22 includes an opening 22a and a plurality (here, three) of shoe portions 22b.

[0029] The housing rotor 20 accommodates the vane rotor 10 so as to be relatively rotatable within a predetermined angular range. And the accommodation chamber is formed so as to be divided by the vane portion 12 of the vane rotor 10 into a retard chamber RC as a first hydraulic chamber and an advance chamber AC as a second hydraulic chamber. The housing rotor 20 is interlocked with the rotation of the crankshaft via a chain or the like, the hydraulic oil in the retard chamber RC and the advance chamber AC is adjusted by the oil passage control valve V, and the rotational driving force of the crankshaft is transmitted to the camshaft 4 via the vane rotor 10.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the oil passage control valve V is attached to the main body 1 of the engine E. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the oil passage control valve V includes a substantially cylindrical sleeve 30 extending in the axial direction of the axis S, a valve body 40 extending in the axial direction of the axis S, an electromagnetic actuator 50 as a driving element, a biasing spring 60, three filter members 70, and a seal member Sr.

[0031] The sleeve 30 is formed by die-casting using an aluminum material or the like. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, the sleeve 30 includes an internal passage 31, an outer peripheral surface 32, three annular grooves 33, openings 34 and protrusions 35 formed in the regions of the three annular grooves 33, small-diameter portions 36, 37 having a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral surface 32, receiving portions 38 and flange portions 39 at both ends in the axial direction of the axis S.

[0032] The internal passage 31 functions as an oil passage for passing hydraulic oil, and includes an inner peripheral surface 31a formed by machining as a cylindrical surface centered on the axis S, and an inner peripheral surface 31b having a larger inner diameter than the inner peripheral surface 31a. The inner peripheral surface 31a slidably receives the valve body 40 in the axial direction of the axis S. The inner peripheral surface 31b is formed by die-casting in the regions of the three annular grooves 33, the small-diameter portions 36, 37, the region on the receiving portion 38 side, and the region on the flange portion 39 side, respectively. The outer peripheral surface 32 is formed by machining as a cylindrical surface centered on the axis S, and is adapted to be fitted into the fitting hole 1a of the main body 1 of the engine E. An annular seal groove 32a for fitting the seal member Sr is formed on the outer peripheral surface 32 closer to the flange portion 39 side.

[0033] The three annular grooves 33 have the same shape, are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the axial direction of the axis S, and have a substantially rectangular shape defined by a bottom surface 33a and side surfaces 33b that stand upright in the radial direction from both sides of the bottom surface 33a in a cross-section including the axis S. Incidentally, the bottom surface 33a is formed as a cylindrical surface with a predetermined outer diameter centered on the axis S, and the side surface 33b is formed as an annular flat surface that stands upright in the radial direction from both sides of the bottom surface 33a in the axial direction of the axis S. Further, in the annular groove 33, an annular cutout portion 33c that is recessed more than the bottom surface 33a is formed in the boundary region between the bottom surface 33a and the side surface 33b. Here, among the three annular grooves 33, the annular groove 33 located at the center in the axial direction of the axis S corresponds to the first annular groove G1, the annular groove 33 arranged on one side of the first annular groove G1 in the axial direction of the axis S corresponds to the second annular groove G2, and the annular groove 33 arranged on the other side of the first annular groove G1 in the axial direction of the axis S corresponds to the third annular groove G3.

[0034] The opening 34 is formed so as to penetrate in the radial direction and allow the working oil to pass through in the region of the three annular grooves 33. Here, the opening 34 is formed by a plurality (here, four) of ports 34b that are arranged with a plurality of partition portions 34a sandwiched in the circumferential direction of the annular groove 33 and have an opening width D that is narrower than the width W in the axial direction of the axis S of the annular groove 33.

[0035] The plurality of partition portions 34a include a first partition portion 34a1 where the protruding portion 35 is located in the circumferential direction of the annular groove 33, a second partition portion 34a2 that overlaps with the joint portion JP of the filter member 70 in the circumferential direction of the annular groove 33, and third and fourth partition portions 34a3 and 34a4 that are located between the first partition portion 34a1 and the second partition portion 34a2 in the circumferential direction of the annular groove 33. Here, the second partition portion 34a2 is formed at a position facing the first partition portion 34a1 in the radial direction of the annular groove 33, that is, at a position 180 degrees away from the first partition portion 34a1 around the axis S.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 16, the first partition portion 34a1 is formed to include a narrow communication groove 34c that communicates adjacent ports 34b with each other between the bottom surface 33a of the annular groove 33 and the inner peripheral surface 70a of the filter member 70. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 16, the second partition portion 34a2 is formed to include an outer peripheral surface flush with the bottom surface 33a so that the bottom surface 33a of the annular groove 33 and the joint portion JP of the filter member 70 are in close contact with each other. As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 16, the third partition portion 34a3 and the fourth partition portion 34a4 are formed to include a wide communication groove 34d that communicates adjacent ports 34b with each other between the bottom surface 33a of the annular groove 33 and the inner peripheral surface 70a of the filter member 70.

[0037] That is, a plurality of partition portions (the first partition portion 34a1, the third partition portion 34a3, the fourth partition portion 34a4), excluding the second partition portion 34a2, include communication grooves 34c and 34d that communicate adjacent ports 34b among the plurality of ports 34b with each other between the bottom surface 33a of the annular groove 33 and the inner peripheral surface 70a of the filter member 70.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9, the plurality of ports 34b (here, four) are each formed to have a substantially rectangular opening and are arranged at substantially equal intervals around the axis S. The plurality of ports 34b formed in the first annular groove G1 correspond to the first opening O1 for supplying hydraulic oil into the sleeve 30, the plurality of ports 34b formed in the second annular groove G2 correspond to the second opening O2 that communicates with the retard angle chamber RC as the first hydraulic chamber of the object to be applied (valve timing change device M), and the plurality of ports 34b formed in the third annular groove G3 correspond to the third opening O3 that communicates with the advance angle chamber AC as the second hydraulic chamber of the object to be applied (valve timing change device M).

[0039] In other words, the opening 34 includes a first opening O1 formed in the first annular groove G1, a second opening O2 formed in the second annular groove G2, and a third opening O3 formed in the third annular groove G3. The first opening O1 includes a plurality of ports 34b for supplying hydraulic oil into the sleeve 30. The second opening O2 includes a plurality of ports 34b communicating with the first hydraulic chamber (retarded angle chamber RC) of the object to which it is applied. The third opening O3 includes a plurality of ports 34b communicating with the second hydraulic chamber (advanced angle chamber AC) of the object to which it is applied.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 6, 8 to 10, the protrusion 35 is formed so as to protrude from the bottom surface 33a and the side surface 33b of the annular groove 33 at a position outside the opening 34 within the region of the three annular grooves 33. The protrusion 35 has an overall convex rectangular shape and has a concave curved surface R 31 in the connection region with the side surface 33b, and a convex curved surface R 32 is formed in the tip region away from the side surface 33b in the direction of the axis S. The protrusion 35 serves to lock the notch 75 of the filter member 70 that is wound and fixed annularly around the annular groove 33, and position the filter member 70 in the circumferential direction of the annular groove 33.

[0041] The small-diameter portion 36 is formed in the region between the annular groove 33 (second annular groove G2) and the annular seal groove 32a in the direction of the axis S, and has an outer peripheral surface 36a with a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral surface 32 and a discharge opening 36b that opens in the region of the outer peripheral surface 36a. The outer peripheral surface 36a has the same outer diameter as the bottom surface 33a of the three annular grooves 33. The discharge opening 36b is formed by four ports that penetrate in the radial direction to allow the hydraulic oil to pass through and form a substantially rectangular opening arranged at substantially equal intervals around the axis S. That is, the discharge opening 36b is formed on the opposite side of the first opening G1 (first annular groove G1) with the second opening G2 (second annular groove G2) interposed therebetween in the direction of the axis S, and serves to discharge the hydraulic oil that has flowed into the internal passage 31 from the second opening G2 to the outside of the sleeve 30.

[0042] The small-diameter portion 37 is formed in the region between the annular groove 33 (the third annular groove G3) and the receiving portion 38 in the axial direction of the axis S, and includes an outer peripheral surface 37a having a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral surface 32 and a discharge opening 37b that opens in the region of the outer peripheral surface 37a. The outer peripheral surface 37a has the same outer diameter as the bottom surface 33a of the three annular grooves 33. The discharge opening 37b penetrates in the radial direction to allow the working oil to pass through, and is formed by four ports that form a substantially rectangular opening arranged at substantially equal intervals around the axis S. That is, the discharge opening 37b is formed on the opposite side of the first opening G1 (the first annular groove G1) across the third opening G3 (the third annular groove G3) in the axial direction of the axis S, and serves to discharge the working oil that has flowed into the internal passage 31 from the third opening G3 to the outside of the sleeve 30.

[0043] The receiving portion 38 is formed in a disk shape at one end in the axial direction of the axis S, and is formed to receive one end of the biasing spring 60 housed inside the sleeve 30. Further, the receiving portion 38 is provided with a circular hole 38a for pressure adjustment of the valve body 40 on the axis S. Thereby, the valve body 40 can move smoothly between the rest position and the operating position.

[0044] The flange portion 39 is for connecting the electromagnetic actuator 50, and is formed in an annular shape at the other end in the axial direction of the axis S. The flange portion 39 is integrally fixed to the electromagnetic actuator 50 by caulking the cylindrical member 56 of the electromagnetic actuator 50.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 19, and 21, the valve body 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape that extends in the axial direction of the axis S so as to be slidably inserted into the inner peripheral surface 31a of the sleeve 30, and includes a first valve portion 41, a second valve portion 42, a small-diameter portion 43, a guided portion 44, a contact portion 45, a spring housing portion 46, an internal passage 47, and an opening 48.

[0046] The first valve part 41 is formed to define a cylindrical surface centered on the axis S, slides on the inner peripheral surface 31a of the sleeve 30, and opens and closes the oil passage between the first opening G1 and the second opening G2. Further, the first valve part 41 also functions as a guided part guided in the direction of the axis S by the inner peripheral surface 31a of the sleeve 30. The second valve part 42 is formed in the same shape as the first valve part 41, slides on the inner peripheral surface 31a of the sleeve 30, and opens and closes the oil passage between the first opening G1 and the third opening G3. Further, the second valve part 42 also functions as a guided part guided in the direction of the axis S by the inner peripheral surface 31a of the sleeve 30.

[0047] The small-diameter part 43 has a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameters of the first valve part 41 and the second valve part 42, and is formed so as to define an oil passage for hydraulic oil between the inner peripheral surfaces 31a and 31b of the sleeve 30. The guided part 44 is formed so as to define a cylindrical surface having the same outer diameter as the outer diameters of the first valve part 41 and the second valve part 42 so as to be guided in the direction of the axis S by the inner peripheral surface 31a of the sleeve 30. The contact part 45 is formed as a flat surface at the end in the direction of the axis S, and the drive shaft 58b of the electromagnetic actuator 50 is engaged therewith so that a driving force is exerted against the biasing force of the biasing spring 60. The spring housing part 46 has a receiving part 46a for receiving the other end of the biasing spring 60, and accommodates the biasing spring 60 in a telescopic manner in the direction of the axis S. The internal passage 47 and the opening 48 serve to adjust the pressure in the spaces located on both end sides of the valve body 40 when the valve body 40 reciprocates in the direction of the axis S, and to smooth the movement of the valve body 40.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the electromagnetic actuator 50 includes a first stator 51 and a second stator 52 that form a magnetic circuit, a bobbin 53, an exciting coil 54, a resin cover member 55 that embeds the bobbin 53 and the coil 54 and has a connector 55a, a cylindrical member 56 and a flat plate member 57 that form a magnetic circuit, a mover 58, a mounting bracket 59 fixed to the cylindrical member 56, and annular seal members Sr1, Sr2, Sr3.

[0049] The cylindrical member 56 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis S by machining such as cutting and rolling using an iron plate made of soft iron or the like. Then, the cylindrical member 56 is caulked to fix the flange portion 39 of the sleeve 30 to the flat plate member 57. The mover 58 is composed of a plunger 58a and a drive shaft 58b fixed to the plunger 58a. The plunger 58a functions as a magnetic path through which magnetic lines of force pass and also functions as a movable iron core that moves in the direction of the axis S when the coil 54 is energized. The drive shaft 58b abuts against the contact portion 45 of the valve body 40 to exert a driving force, and is formed in a long cylindrical shape in the direction of the axis S using a non-magnetic material such as stainless steel, for example.

[0050] When the coil 54 of the electromagnetic actuator 50 is energized, the mover 58 (drive shaft 58b) moves in the direction of the axis S against the biasing force of the biasing spring 60, moving the valve body 40 toward the operating position. When the energization of the coil 54 is cut off, the valve body 40 returns to the rest position together with the biasing force of the biasing spring 60.

[0051] The biasing spring 60 is a compression-type coil spring, is housed in the internal passage 31 of the sleeve 30, and is assembled such that one end abuts against the receiving portion 38 of the sleeve 30 and the other end abuts against the receiving portion 46a of the spring receiving portion 46 of the valve body 40. As shown in FIG. 19, the biasing spring 60 exerts a biasing force that biases the valve body 40 toward the rest position where the first valve portion 41 opens the oil passage between the first opening G1 and the second opening G2, that is, toward the drive shaft 58b of the electromagnetic actuator 50.

[0052] The filter member 70 is formed by punching a thin stainless steel plate with a plate thickness T and performing an etching process. Before assembly, as shown in FIG. 11, the filter member 70 has a strip shape with a length dimension of 2Lf in the longitudinal direction LD and a width dimension of Wf in the width direction WD, and includes one side portion 71, the other side portion 72, one end side region 73, the other end side region 74, a notch portion 75, and a filtering portion 76. Here, the width dimension Wf of the filter member 70 is set to be slightly smaller than the width W in the axial direction S of the annular groove 33 of the sleeve 30 and sufficiently larger than the opening width D of the port 34b. Further, the length dimension 2Lf of the filter member 70 is set to be larger than the outer peripheral length of the bottom surface 33a forming the cylindrical surface of the annular groove 33 so that the one end side region 73 and the other end side region 74 overlap and a joint portion JP is formed when wound around the annular groove 33.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 12, the one end side region 73 and the other end side region 74 form a joint portion JP in a state of being wound annularly around the annular groove 33 of the sleeve 30 and fixed by welding Wd. The notch portion 75 is engaged with the protruding portion 35 of the sleeve 30, and as shown in FIG. 11, the first notch portion 75a and the second notch portion 75b are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line CL in the longitudinal direction LD on one side portion 71 and the other side portion 72, that is, both side portions in the width direction WD. Further, the notch portion 75 is formed at the center of the filter member 70 in the longitudinal direction LD. That is, the filter member 70 is formed to have the same length Lf up to both ends in the longitudinal direction LD with the notch portion 75 as the center. Here, the notch portion 75 (the first notch portion 75a and the second notch portion 75b) is formed in a concave rectangular shape so that the protruding portion 35 having a convex rectangular shape of the sleeve 30 fits, and a convex curved portion R 71 and a concave curved portion R 72 are formed in the corner region. The radius of curvature of the convex curved portion R 71 is formed to be larger than the radius of curvature of the concave curved surface R 31 of the protruding portion 35, as shown in FIG. 15. Thereby, the notch portion 75 is smoothly engaged with the protruding portion 35.

[0054] The filtering section 76 is disposed on both sides of the notch section 75 in the longitudinal direction LD, has a substantially rectangular contour, and is formed as an assembly of a plurality of filtering holes 76a. As shown in FIG. 14, the filtering holes 76a of the filtering section 76 are formed as circular holes having a diameter φd by an etching process. Further, the substantially rectangular contour of the filtering section 76 is formed to be equal to or slightly larger than the width dimension of the opening 34 (port 34b) formed in the annular groove 33. Note that the diameter φd of the filtering holes 76a is larger than the plate thickness T of the filter member 70, and here, it is formed to be about twice the plate thickness T (φd = 2T). For example, when the plate thickness T of the stainless steel plate forming the filter member 70 is 0.1 mm, the diameter φd of the filtering holes 76a can be 0.2 mm.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 15, when the filter member 70 having the above configuration is wound around and fixed to the annular groove 33 of the sleeve 30 in an annular shape, one of the first notch section 75a and the second notch section 75b is assembled so as to be locked to the protruding section 35. That is, since the notch section 75 includes two notch sections (the first notch section 75a and the second notch section 75b) formed symmetrically with respect to the center line CL, when the filter member 70 is wound, it can be assembled even if the front and back are reversed or the left and right in the axial direction S are reversed, and the assembly work can be performed smoothly.

[0056] Further, in a state where the filter member 70 is wound around and fixed to the annular groove 33 in an annular shape, as shown in FIG. 16, between the first partition wall section 34a1, the third partition wall section 34a3, and the fourth partition wall section 34a4 and the inner peripheral surface 70a of the filter member 70, excluding the second partition wall section 34a2, groove passages 34c and 34d for communicating adjacent ports 34b are formed. Thereby, the passage area when the hydraulic oil flows through the filter member 70 can be increased, and the flow resistance can be reduced.

[0057] On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the second partition portion 34a2 is formed flush with the bottom surface 33a of the annular groove 33 so that the joint portion JP of the filter member 70 is in close contact therewith. Therefore, when welding (for example, laser welding) while overlapping and pressing the one-end side region 73 and the other-end side region 74, the pressing force can be received, and the welding operation can be surely performed.

[0058] Further, in a state where the filter member 70 is wound around the annular groove 33 in an annular shape and fixed, as shown in FIG. 17, one side portion 71 and the other side portion 72 of the filter member 70 face an annular cutout portion 33c formed in a boundary region between the bottom surface 33a and the side surface 33b of the annular groove 33. If the boundary region is formed so as to form a curved surface (corner R) that bulges more than the bottom surface 33a, when the filter member 70 is wound while being biased in the axial direction S, there is a possibility that it will ride on the curved surface of the boundary region and will not be in close contact with the bottom surface 33a. Here, since the boundary region is formed as the annular cutout portion 33c rather than the bottom surface 33a, the filter member 70 can be brought into close contact with the bottom surface 33a, and the sealing property of the region other than the filtration portion 76 can be ensured.

[0059] Further, in a state where the filter member 70 is wound around the annular groove 33 in an annular shape and fixed, as shown in FIG. 18, in a region near the joint portion JP where the one-end side region 73 and the other-end side region 74 are overlapped and joined, a gap C that gradually becomes smaller from the plate thickness T of the filter member 70 is generated between the inner peripheral surface 70a of the filter member 70 and the bottom surface 33a of the annular groove 33. Here, since the plate thickness T is smaller than the diameter φd of the filtration holes 76a of the filter member 70, the gap C is smaller than the diameter φd of the filtration holes 76a. Therefore, even if the gap C is generated, it is possible to prevent contaminants to be filtered from entering through the gap C.

[0060] The seal member Sr is a rubber O-ring, which is fitted into the annular seal groove 32a of the sleeve 30 to seal between the main body 1 of the engine E and the sleeve 30.

[0061] Next, the operation of the valve timing changing device M using the oil passage control valve V having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22. First, in a state where the engine E is stopped, the oil passage control valve V is in a resting state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19, the valve body 40 is biased in one direction by the biasing force of the biasing spring 60, and the first valve portion 41 is in an open valve state in which the oil passage between the first opening O1 (port 34b) and the second opening O2 (port 34b) is opened, and the second valve portion 42 is in a closed valve state in which the oil passage between the first opening O1 (port 34b) and the third opening O3 (port 34b) is closed. At this time, the retard chamber RC is in a state where hydraulic oil is supplied, and the advance chamber AC is in a state where hydraulic oil is discharged.

[0062] Also, in a state where the engine E is stopped, the valve timing is held at a retard position (here, the most retarded position) as shown in FIG. 20. Here, in a state where the engine E is stopped, the valve timing may be held at the retard position by a lock mechanism (not shown). In addition, when the engine E shifts from a state where the valve timing is in the intermediate position to the advance position during the operation of the engine E to a stopped state, the valve timing automatically returns to the retard position due to the fluctuating torque and frictional torque transmitted from the camshaft 4.

[0063] When the engine E is started, hydraulic oil is supplied via the oil pump 3. For example, in the medium-high load mode of the engine E, the electromagnetic actuator 50 is driven, and the valve body 40 is moved in a direction to compress the biasing spring 60 by the drive shaft 58b. Then, as shown in FIG. 21, the first valve portion 41 is in a closed valve state in which the oil passage between the first opening O1 (port 34b) and the second opening O2 (port 34b) is closed, and the second valve portion 42 is in an open valve state in which the oil passage between the first opening O1 (port 34b) and the third opening O3 (port 34b) is opened. Therefore, the hydraulic oil supplied through the first opening O1 (port 34b) is guided to the advance angle chamber AC through the third opening O3 (port 34b) and the advance angle oil passages 1e, 4c, 21c. On the other hand, the hydraulic oil in the retard angle chamber RC is guided to the discharge opening 36b through the retard angle oil passages 14, 4b, 1d and the second opening O2 (port 34b), and is returned to the oil pan 2 through the discharge oil passage 1c. At this time, the valve timing of the engine E is held at the advance angle position (here, the most advanced angle position) as shown in FIG. 22.

[0064] According to the oil passage control valve V having the above-described configuration, a sleeve 30 having an internal passage 31 extending in the direction of a predetermined axis S and allowing hydraulic oil to pass therethrough, an annular groove 33 formed on the outer periphery, and an opening 34 penetrating in the radial direction in the region of the annular groove 33 and allowing hydraulic oil to pass therethrough, a valve body 40 slidably accommodated in the internal passage 31 and opening and closing the opening 34, a band-shaped filter member 70 wound around and fixed to the annular groove 33 in an annular shape, and a drive element (electromagnetic actuator 50 and biasing spring 60) for driving the valve body 40. The sleeve 30 includes a protruding portion 35 protruding from the bottom surface 33a and the side surface 33b of the annular groove 33 at a position deviated from the opening 34 in the region of the annular groove 33. The filter member 70 includes a notch portion 75 locked to the protruding portion 35 at a side portion in the width direction WD, a filtering portion 76 facing the opening 34, and a joint portion JP in which both end regions are overlapped in a state of being fixed to the annular groove 33. Therefore, simplification of the structure, cost reduction, weight reduction, miniaturization, etc. can be achieved, and the filter member 70 can be easily positioned and fixed.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the sleeve 30 provided with the discharge openings 36b, 37b penetrating in the radial direction is shown as the sleeve, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 23, the discharge openings 36b, 37b may be abolished in the sleeve 30, and the discharge openings 49a, 49b communicating with the internal passage 47 may be adopted in the valve body 40.

[0066] In the above embodiment, a protruding portion 35 having a convex rectangular shape is adopted as the protruding portion of the sleeve 30, and a concave rectangular notch portion 75 is adopted as the notch portion of the filter member 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other forms may be adopted as long as they protrude from the bottom surface and side surface of the annular groove, and a form in which the notch portion is locked to the form of the protruding portion may be adopted as the notch portion.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the first notch portion 75a and the second notch portion 75b formed symmetrically with respect to the center line CL are shown as the notch portions formed on the side portion of the filter member 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a filter member having one notch portion formed on the side portion may be adopted.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the filter member 70 formed to have the same length Lf up to both ends in the longitudinal direction LD with the notch portion 75 as the center is shown as the filter member. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a filter member having a notch portion at a position offset in the longitudinal direction LD from the center may be adopted, and a configuration in which the second partition portion is arranged at a position where the joint portions of the one end side region and the other end side region overlap may be adopted.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the valve timing change device to which the oil passage control valve V is applied is shown as the valve timing change device M including three vane portions 12, three shoe portions 22b, three retard oil passages 14, and three advance oil passages 21c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be applied to a valve timing change device including four vane portions, four shoe portions, four retard oil passages, and four advance oil passages.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the oil passage control valve V fitted into the fitting hole 1a of the main body 1 of the engine E is shown as the oil passage control valve. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be formed as an oil passage control fitted into the fitting hole of a fastening bolt that fastens the vane rotor included in the valve timing change device to the camshaft.

[0071] In the oil passage control valve V according to the above-described embodiment, the electromagnetic actuator 50 and the biasing spring 60 are shown as drive elements, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a drive element that deforms according to the temperature of the hydraulic oil to exert a driving force, for example, a shape memory alloy, a thermo element incorporating paraffin wax, a bimetal, etc. may be employed.

[0072] As described above, according to the oil passage control valve and the valve timing change device of the present invention, simplification of the structure, cost reduction, weight reduction, size reduction, etc. can be achieved, and since the filter member can be easily positioned and fixed, it can be applied not only to the engine mounted on a vehicle or the like, but also to the engine mounted on other vehicles such as motorcycles, and further, the oil passage control valve of the present invention is useful not only for the valve timing change device, but also for devices that control other oil passages.

Explanation of Signs

[0073] E Engine 1 Main body (member) 1a Fitting hole 1b Supply oil passage 1c Discharge oil passage 1d Retarded angle oil passage 1e Advanced angle oil passage 2 Oil pan 3 Oil pump 4 Camshaft L Axis of camshaft M Valve timing change device (object of application) 10 Vane rotor 20 Housing rotor RC Retarded angle chamber (first hydraulic chamber) AC Advanced angle chamber (second hydraulic chamber) V Oil passage control valve S Axis 30 Sleeve 31 Internal passage 32 Outer peripheral surface 33 Annular groove W Width of annular groove G1 First annular groove G2 Second annular groove G3 Third annular groove 33a Bottom surface 33b Side surface 33c Annular cutout 34 Opening O1 First opening O2 Second opening O3 Third opening 34a Partition part 34a1 First partition part 34a2 Second partition part 34a3 Third partition part 34a4 Fourth partition part 34b Multiple ports 34c, 34d Communication groove 35 Protrusion 36, 37 Small-diameter part 36b, 37b Discharge opening 38 Receiving part 39 Flange part 40 Valve body 41 First valve part 42 Second valve part 50 Electromagnetic actuator (driving element) 58b Driving shaft 60 Biasing spring (driving element) 70 Filter member T Thickness of the filter member WD Width direction LD Longitudinal direction CL Center line 71 One side part 72 The other side part 73 One end side region 74 The other end side region 75 Notch part 75a First notch part 75b Second notch part 76 Filtering part 76a Filtering hole φd Diameter of the filtering hole JP Joint part

Claims

1. A sleeve having an internal passage extending in a predetermined axial direction and through which hydraulic oil passes, an annular groove formed on the outer periphery, and an opening that penetrates in the radial direction in the region of the annular groove and through which hydraulic oil passes; A valve body slidably accommodated in the internal passage to open and close the opening; A strip-shaped filter member wound around and fixed to the annular groove in an annular shape; A drive element for driving the valve body, and comprising: The sleeve includes a protruding portion protruding from the bottom surface and side surface of the annular groove at a position outside the opening in the region of the annular groove; The filter member includes a notch portion locked to the protruding portion at a side portion in the width direction, a filtering portion facing the opening, and a joint portion where both end regions are overlapped, in a state of being fixed to the annular groove; An oil passage control valve, characterized in that.

2. The protruding portion has a convex rectangular shape; The notch portion has a concave rectangular shape, The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The notch portion includes a first notch portion and a second notch portion formed symmetrically with respect to the center line in the longitudinal direction of the filter member at both side portions in the width direction of the filter member; The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that.

4. The annular groove includes an annular cutout portion recessed from the bottom surface at a boundary region between the bottom surface in close contact with the filter member and side surfaces standing upright in the radial direction from both sides of the bottom surface; The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that.

5. The sleeve includes a plurality of ports arranged in the circumferential direction in the annular groove and having an opening width narrower than the width of the annular groove to define the opening, and a plurality of partition walls separating the plurality of ports; The plurality of partition walls include a first partition wall at which the protruding portion is located in the circumferential direction of the annular groove, and a second partition wall overlapping with the joint portion of the filter member in the circumferential direction of the annular groove; The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that.

6. Except for the second partition wall, the plurality of partition walls include communication grooves that communicate two adjacent ports among the plurality of ports between the bottom surface of the annular groove and the inner peripheral surface of the filter member; The oil passage control valve according to claim 5, characterized in that.

7. The filter member is formed to have the same length from the notch portion to both ends in the longitudinal direction; The second partition wall is formed at a position facing the first partition wall in the radial direction of the annular groove. The oil passage control valve according to claim 5, characterized in that

8. The joint of the filter member is welded. The oil passage control valve according to claim 5, characterized in that

9. The filtering part of the filter member includes a plurality of filtering holes, The plate thickness of the filter member is smaller than the diameter of the filtering holes. The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that

10. The drive element includes a biasing spring that biases the valve body to a rest position, and an electromagnetic actuator that exerts a driving force to position the valve body to an operating position against the biasing force of the biasing spring. The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that

11. The annular groove includes a first annular groove, a second annular groove disposed adjacent to one side of the first annular groove in the axial direction, and a third annular groove disposed adjacent to the other side of the first annular groove in the axial direction. The opening includes a first opening formed in the first annular groove, a second opening formed in the second annular groove, and a third opening formed in the third annular groove. The filter member is wound and fixed around the first annular groove, the second annular groove, and the third annular groove respectively. The oil passage control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that

12. The first opening includes a plurality of ports for supplying hydraulic oil into the sleeve. The second opening includes a plurality of ports communicating with a first hydraulic chamber of an object to be applied. The third opening includes a plurality of ports communicating with a second hydraulic chamber of the object to be applied. The oil passage control valve according to claim 11, characterized in that

13. The sleeve includes discharge openings formed in regions on opposite sides of the first opening across the second opening and on opposite sides of the first opening across the third opening in the axial direction to discharge hydraulic oil. The oil passage control valve according to claim 11, characterized in that

14. The valve body includes a first valve portion that opens and closes an oil passage between the first opening and the second opening, and a second valve portion that opens and closes an oil passage between the first opening and the third opening. The oil passage control valve according to claim 11, characterized in that

15. The sleeve is formed to be fitted into a member that defines an oil passage through which the hydraulic oil of the engine passes. The oil passage control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that

16. An engine valve timing changing device for changing the opening and closing timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve driven by a camshaft, a housing rotor that rotates on the axis of the camshaft, a vane rotor that cooperates with the housing rotor to define a retard chamber and an advance chamber and rotates on the axis, including an oil passage control valve for opening and closing an oil passage for supplying or discharging hydraulic oil to and from the retard chamber and the advance chamber, wherein the oil passage control valve is the oil passage control valve according to claim 15, characterized by the valve timing changing device.

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