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US5609133A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Exhaust valve mechanism in an internal combustion engine

Assignee: Volvo AB
•
Filing: 1994-04-26
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Granted: 1997-03-11
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Expires: 2014-04-26
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Abstract

Abstract Exhaust valve mechanism with a rocker arm (1) having a hydraulic circuit with a hydraulically operated valve play absorbing piston element (7). The hydraulic circuit contains a piston pump (20, 21) housed in the rocker arm and which is driven by an ordinary cam lobe (4) on the engine cam shaft (5). The piston (21) of the piston pump has a cam follower (23) spaced at a predetermined cam angle distance (a) from the ordinary cam follower (3) of the rocker arm. The pump is in communication via a channel (24) and intermediate regulator valve (30) with the cylinder (6) of the valve play absorbing piston element. With the regulator valve, the piston element (7) can be shifted to open the exhaust valve during a latter portion compression stroke to achieve so-called compression braking.

Inventors

  • 👤 Nils-Olof Håkansson

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-05 13:03
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01L; F01L13/00; F01L13/06; F01L1/00; F01L1/12; F01L1/18; F01L1/181; F01L1/20; F01L1/22; F01L1/24; F01L1/2411

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 175 words
In an exhaust valve mechanism in an internal combustion engine, comprising at least one exhaust valve in each cylinder, a rocker arm, mounted on a rocker arm shaft, for each cylinder for operating the exhaust valve, a cam shaft with a cam lobe for each rocker arm, said cam lobe being in contact with a first follower at one end of the rocker arm, a valve play absorbing device arranged between an opposite end of the rocker arm and the exhaust valve, said valve play absorbing device comprising a piston element, which is housed in a first cylinder chamber disposed in said opposite rocker arm end, and a hydraulic circuit for supplying and draining hydraulic oil to and from said first cylinder chamber, the improvement wherein the hydraulic circuit comprises a hydraulic pump housed in the rocker arm and driven by the cam lobe, said hydraulic pump having a second cam follower arranged at a predetermined cam angle distance (a) from the first cam follower and communicating via a channel with the first cylinder chamber.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 175 words
In an exhaust valve mechanism in an internal combustion engine, comprising at least one exhaust valve in each cylinder, a rocker arm, mounted on a rocker arm shaft, for each cylinder for operating the exhaust valve, a cam shaft with a cam lobe for each rocker arm, said cam lobe being in contact with a first follower at one end of the rocker arm, a valve play absorbing device arranged between an opposite end of the rocker arm and the exhaust valve, said valve play absorbing device comprising a piston element, which is housed in a first cylinder chamber disposed in said opposite rocker arm end, and a hydraulic circuit for supplying and draining hydraulic oil to and from said first cylinder chamber, the improvement wherein the hydraulic circuit comprises a hydraulic pump housed in the rocker arm and driven by the cam lobe, said hydraulic pump having a second cam follower arranged at a predetermined cam angle distance (a) from the first cam follower and communicating via a channel with the first cylinder chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 33 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic pump is a pump piston, which is housed in a second cylinder chamber in the rocker arm, and which carries the second cam follower.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 27 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the pump piston has a smaller diameter and longer stroke than the piston element of the valve play absorbing device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 30 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the piston area of the pump piston is 30%-60% of the piston area of the piston element of the valve play absorbing device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 38 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the end surface of the pump piston facing the cam lobe is made with a depression in which the second cam follower in the form of a roller is rotatably mounted.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 53 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the second cam follower is arranged at said cam angle distance (a) before the first cam follower such that the pump piston will have reached its bottom position before the first cam follower reaches a starting point (b) of a cam curve of the cam lobe.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 24 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the second cam follower is disposed at an angular distance of 60°-90° from the first cam follower.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 53 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said channel communicates with a pressure accumulator, into which an equalizing volume of hydraulic oil is fed at the beginning of a piston stroke, so that a delay is created in the stroke of the valve play absorbing piston element relative to the piston pump stroke.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 68 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the piston element of the valve play absorbing device is operatively associated with an abutment, which limits the stroke of the piston element, and the hydraulic circuit comprises a relief valve through which the hydraulic oil can be drained from said first cylinder chamber when the pressure in the hydraulic circuit rises after the piston element has reached its end position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 55 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the rocker arm cooperates with a fixed support, which is arranged to limit the rocking movement of the rocker arm away from the exhaust valve and to absorb the force exerted by the cam lobe via the pump piston on the rocker arm during the pump piston stroke.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 25 words
Valve mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the rocker arm comprises a hydraulically operated regulator valve which drains the hydraulic circuit in its open position.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4261307A Cited
US4711210A Cited
SE466320B Cited
SE468132B Cited
US5036810A Cited
US5107803A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2000-03-10 2000-09-09 2001-03-11 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2004-03-10 2004-09-09 2005-03-11 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2008-03-10 2008-09-09 2009-03-11 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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