Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
119 words
A valve operating mechanism for operating a pair of valves of an internal combustion engine, comprising: a camshaft having a first low-speed cam, a second low-speed cam, and a high-speed cam, said first and second low-speed cams being disposed one on each side of said high speed cam; a rocker shaft; first, second, and third rocker arms pivotally mounted on said rocker shaft and held in sliding contact with said first low-speed cam, said second low-speed cam, and said high-speed cam, respectively, for operating the valves according to the cam profiles of said cams; and means for selectively interconnecting and disconnecting the first, second, and third rocker arms whereby said rocker arms may pivot either in unison or individually.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
119 words
A valve operating mechanism for operating a pair of valves of an internal combustion engine, comprising: a camshaft having a first low-speed cam, a second low-speed cam, and a high-speed cam, said first and second low-speed cams being disposed one on each side of said high speed cam; a rocker shaft; first, second, and third rocker arms pivotally mounted on said rocker shaft and held in sliding contact with said first low-speed cam, said second low-speed cam, and said high-speed cam, respectively, for operating the valves according to the cam profiles of said cams; and means for selectively interconnecting and disconnecting the first, second, and third rocker arms whereby said rocker arms may pivot either in unison or individually.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
A valve operating mechanism according to claim 1, including lifter means for normally urging said third rocker arm resiliently into sliding contact with said high-speed cam.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A valve operating mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said first and second rocker arms have ends for operating said valves.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
157 words
A valve operating mechanism according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said interconnecting and disconnecting means comprises a selective coupling including a first guide bore defined in said first rocker arm, a second guide bore defined in said second rocker arm in registration with said first guide bore, a third guide bore defined in said third rocker arm, a first piston slidably fitted in said first guide bore, a second piston slidably fitted in said third guide bore, a spring disposed in said second guide bore for normally urging said first and second pistons into said first and third guide bores, respectively, whereby said rocker arms are disconnected, and means for applying hydraulic pressure to said first piston to move the first and second pistons to respective positions between said first and third guide bores and said third and second guide bores, respectively, against the resiliency of said spring so as to interconnect said rocker arms.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A valve operating mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 4 wherein said low-speed cams have the same cam profiles.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A valve operating mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 4 wherein said low-speed cams have different cam profiles.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A valve operating mechanism according to claim 6 wherein one of said low-speed cams has a profile of a base circle of the other said lowspeed cam and said high-speed cam.