Apparatus for actuating intake and exhaust valves in internal combustion engine

Claim 1

An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder block containing a cylinder; a cylinder head mounted on said block; a main intake valve, a main exhaust valve, and at least one of an auxiliary intake valve and an auxiliary exhaust valve, said valves having stems extending through the cylinder head; a single common camshaft mounted for rotation on the cylinder head over the cylinder, said valve stems being disposed on alternate sides of the camshaft in a direction parallel to the camshaft; a separate universal joint support corresponding to each of said valves, each universal joint support being fixed to the cylinder head on the opposite side of the camshaft from the corresponding valve stem and including a socket at the upper end thereof; a rocker arm for each valve, each rocker arm having one end pivotally mounted on the corresponding universal joint support and having an opposite end engageable with the stem of the corresponding valve; a cam of said camshaft for each valve, each cam contacting the respective rocker arm intermediate the ends thereof for pivotally oscillating the rocker arm about the corresponding support; means for preventing rotation of each rocker arm on said corresponding universal joint support out of contact with the corresponding valve stem, said means comprising said other end of each rocker being bifurcated to extend closely along opposite sides of the free end of the valve stem; means for continuously biasing each rocker arm into contact with the free end of the associated valve stem, said biasing means comprising a keeper leaf spring formed from sheet spring stock, said leaf spring having an open U-shaped portion comprising a first curved section joining first and second arms having spaced apart outer free ends, a closed U-shaped portion comprising a second curved section joining third and fourth arms having spaced apart outer ends and a cross member joining the outer ends of the third and fourth arms, and an intermediate portion joining the first and second curved sections of the respective open and closed U-shaped portions, said intermediate portion being bent so that the outer ends of the first and second arms of the open U-shaped portion extend toward the ends of the third and fourth arms of the closed U-shaped portion in the unstressed condition, the first and second arms of the open U-shaped portion being engaged in a slot on said universal joint support, and the cross member of the closed U-shaped portion engaging and being stressed to bear downward on the top of the rocker arm at a location spaced from the pivot point at the one end of the rocker arm toward the other end thereof; and means for adjusting the rocker arm clearance, said adjusting means comprising an adjusting screw mounted in a threaded hole in the one end of the rocker arm, the adjusting screw having a ball head at one end engaging said socket in the corresponding universal joint support and a single cross-slot at the other end, and a locknut screwed on the other end of the adjusting screw and bearing against the top of the rocker arm, wherein said closed U-shaped portion of the keeper leaf spring extends around the one end of the rocker arm below the level of the locknut, whereby the keeper leaf spring does not interfere with lash adjustment of the rocker arm.