JP5493525B2 - Variable valve operating device for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a variable mechanism that changes the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism that fixes the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, The present invention relates to a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that includes a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the variable mechanism and the fixed mechanism, and a control unit that controls the variable mechanism, the fixed mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism.

  As the variable valve operating device, one that fixes a valve timing to an intermediate angle suitable for starting when the engine is started is known. In such a variable valve operating system, a fixing mechanism is usually driven when the engine is stopped to fix the valve timing to an intermediate angle so that it is prepared for the next engine start. In the variable valve operating apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the valve timing is maintained at the intermediate angle at the next start by performing the advance angle control that advances the angle more than the intermediate angle when the engine stops. Like to do.

  Here, the hydraulic mechanism includes a first hydraulic control valve that controls the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the variable mechanism, and a second hydraulic control valve that controls the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed mechanism. The first hydraulic control valve changes the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism for the variable mechanism to the advanced angle supply / discharge state when the operation mode is the advance angle mode. The second hydraulic control valve maintains the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism for the fixed mechanism in the fixed supply / discharge state when the operation mode is the fixed mode.

JP 2002-213262 A

By the way, as a configuration of a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that includes a variable mechanism, a fixing mechanism, and a hydraulic mechanism, a mechanism that changes a valve timing and fixes it to an intermediate angle by a single hydraulic control valve has been studied. As a configuration of the hydraulic control valve in this case, one having the following four operation modes can be cited.
(Mode A1) A mode in which the hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber, the hydraulic oil is discharged from the retard chamber, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state for the fixed chamber is maintained in the fixed supply / discharge state.
(Mode A2) A mode in which the hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber, the hydraulic oil is discharged from the retard chamber, and the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed chamber is maintained in the release supply / discharge state.
(Mode A3) Stops supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber and discharging hydraulic oil from the advance chamber, and stops supplying hydraulic oil to the retard chamber and discharging hydraulic oil from the retard chamber. And the mode which maintains the supply-and-discharge state of the hydraulic oil about a fixed chamber in a cancellation | release supply / discharge state.
(Mode A4) A mode in which the hydraulic oil is discharged from the advance chamber, the hydraulic oil is supplied to the retard chamber, and the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed chamber is maintained in the release / discharge state.

  Here, in the internal combustion engine having the hydraulic control valve having the above-described configuration, when the engine stall occurs in a state where the variable valve timing mechanism is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle, the variable valve timing mechanism is fixed to the intermediate angle. In order to do this, it is necessary to change the valve timing to the retard side rather than the intermediate angle and then select mode A1.

  For this reason, as the hydraulic pressure drops during the period when the valve timing is changed, appropriate driving of the variable valve system is not maintained, and the rotation of the crankshaft stops without fixing the valve timing by the fixing mechanism. Sometimes. In this case, since the engine start may be started after the valve timing is at, for example, the most retarded angle, the frequency at which the engine startability deteriorates naturally increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that can reduce the frequency at which the engine is started while the engine startability is lowered. There is.

In the following, means for achieving the above object and its effects are described.
(1) The invention according to claim 1 is a variable mechanism that changes a valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, and a specific intermediate position in which the valve timing is between a most advanced angle and a most retarded angle. A fixing mechanism for fixing to a corner, a hydraulic mechanism for changing the supply and discharge state of hydraulic oil to and from the variable mechanism, and a control means for controlling the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism, and the valve timing is The operating state of the variable mechanism when advanced is the advanced operating state, the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed to the intermediate angle is the fixed operating state, and the hydraulic mechanism is The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, the variable mechanism is maintained in the advance angle operation state, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixed mechanism is set to a fixed supply / discharge state. The variable valve device for an internal combustion engine set is to maintain the fixing mechanism to the locked operation state, before Symbol control means, based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, i.e. the valve timing is the intermediate based on the stall there and the internal combustion engine to the advance side of the corner is determined that the generated, set Teisu feed and discharge state of the hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanism to said variable mechanism in the advanced angle supply and discharge state The gist is that it is.

(2) The invention according to claim 2 is a variable mechanism for changing a valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, and a specific intermediate position in which the valve timing is between a most advanced angle and a most retarded angle. A fixing mechanism for fixing to a corner, a hydraulic mechanism for changing the supply and discharge state of hydraulic oil to and from the variable mechanism, and a control means for controlling the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism, and the valve timing is The operating state of the variable mechanism when advanced is the advanced operating state, the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed to the intermediate angle is the fixed operating state, and the hydraulic mechanism is The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, the variable mechanism is maintained in the advance angle operation state, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixed mechanism is set to a fixed supply / discharge state. In the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine configured to maintain the fixing mechanism in the fixed operation state, the control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, the valve timing is the intermediate angle. The hydraulic fluid supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state based on the determination that the engine rotational speed is smaller than the determination value. It is the gist.
(3) The invention according to claim 3 is a variable mechanism for changing a valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, and a specific intermediate position in which the valve timing is between a most advanced angle and a most retarded angle. A fixing mechanism for fixing to a corner, a hydraulic mechanism for changing the supply and discharge state of hydraulic oil to and from the variable mechanism, and a control means for controlling the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism, and the valve timing is The operating state of the variable mechanism when retarded is set as a retarded operating state, and the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle is set as a fixed operating state. In the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that sets the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixed mechanism to the fixed supply / discharge state and maintains the fixed mechanism in the fixed operation state, the control means includes: Based on the establishment of a predetermined regulation condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the intermediate angle and that the internal combustion engine has stalled, the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism is The retarding operation state is prohibited from being set as the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the mechanism that prohibits the retarding operation state from being set as the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state. It is a summary.
(4) The invention according to claim 4 is the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the variable valve operating apparatus is configured such that the valve timing is the intermediate angle and the intermediate angle. And further comprising a restriction mechanism that performs a retard angle restriction that restricts a change to the retard angle side from a restriction angle that is between the most retarded angle, and the hydraulic mechanism is configured so that the retard angle restriction is effective. The operation state of the restriction mechanism is set as a restriction operation state, and the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid to the restriction mechanism is set to the restriction supply / discharge state, and the operation state of the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restriction operation state, The control means sets the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism to the variable mechanism to the advance angle supply / discharge state based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition, and the hydraulic mechanism of the hydraulic mechanism to the restriction mechanism. Check the supply / discharge status of hydraulic oil. Is summarized in that is to set the supply and discharge conditions.
According to the present invention, the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restriction supply / discharge state with the above-described aspect, so that the valve timing is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle. When the internal combustion engine stalls under the state, for example , when the engine rotational speed is smaller than the determination value due to the stall of the internal combustion engine, the retard angle regulation by the regulation mechanism becomes effective. As a result, when the internal combustion engine stalls or when the engine rotational speed is smaller than the judgment value , an attempt is made to fix the intermediate angle by the fixing mechanism, and this is not realized in the next engine. Compared with the case of starting, the valve timing at the time of starting the engine is maintained at the advance side in the present invention. That is, the frequency with which the engine is started in a state where the engine startability is lowered can be reduced.

(5) The invention according to claim 5 is a variable mechanism that changes a valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, and a specific intermediate position in which the valve timing is between a most advanced angle and a most retarded angle. A fixing mechanism for fixing to a corner, a hydraulic mechanism for changing the supply and discharge state of hydraulic oil to and from the variable mechanism, and a control means for controlling the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism, and the valve timing is The operating state of the variable mechanism when advanced is the advanced operating state, the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed to the intermediate angle is the fixed operating state, and the hydraulic mechanism is The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, the variable mechanism is maintained in the advance angle operation state, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixed mechanism is set to a fixed supply / discharge state. In the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which is set to maintain the fixed mechanism in the fixed operation state, the variable valve operating apparatus has a restriction angle at which the valve timing is on the advance side with respect to the most retarded angle. The hydraulic mechanism further includes a regulating mechanism that regulates the retarding angle to regulate the change to the retarding angle side, and the hydraulic mechanism regulates an operation state of the regulating mechanism when the retarding angle regulation is effective. As a state, the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixed mechanism is set to a restricted supply / discharge state, and the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restricted operation state, and the control means is based on establishment of a predetermined restriction condition. That is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the more advanced side than the regulation angle and that the internal combustion engine has stalled, the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism It is summarized in that a set on the advance supply and discharge state, in which and to set the supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanisms for the regulating mechanism in the regulating supply and discharge state.

  According to the present invention, the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restriction supply / discharge state with the above-described aspect, so that the valve timing is on the more advanced side than the restriction angle. When the internal combustion engine is stalled under the state, the retard angle regulation by the regulation mechanism becomes effective. As a result, when the internal combustion engine is stalled, an attempt is made to fix to the intermediate angle by the fixing mechanism, and the engine of the present invention is compared to the case where the next engine start is started without finally realizing this. The valve timing at the start is maintained at the advance side. That is, the frequency with which the engine is started in a state where the engine startability is lowered can be reduced.

(6) The invention according to claim 6 is a variable mechanism for changing a valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, and a specific intermediate position in which the valve timing is between a most advanced angle and a most retarded angle. A fixing mechanism for fixing to a corner, a hydraulic mechanism for changing the supply and discharge state of hydraulic oil to and from the variable mechanism, and a control means for controlling the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism, and the valve timing is The operating state of the variable mechanism when advanced is the advanced operating state, the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed to the intermediate angle is the fixed operating state, and the hydraulic mechanism is The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, the variable mechanism is maintained in the advance angle operation state, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixed mechanism is set to a fixed supply / discharge state. In the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which is set to maintain the fixed mechanism in the fixed operation state, the variable valve operating apparatus has a restriction angle at which the valve timing is on the advance side with respect to the most retarded angle. The hydraulic mechanism further includes a regulating mechanism that regulates the retarding angle to regulate the change to the retarding angle side, and the hydraulic mechanism regulates an operation state of the regulating mechanism when the retarding angle regulation is effective. As a state, the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixed mechanism is set to a restricted supply / discharge state, and the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restricted operation state, and the control means is based on establishment of a predetermined restriction condition. That is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the more advanced side than the regulation angle and the engine rotation speed is smaller than the determination value, the supply and discharge of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism The status is set to the advance supply and discharge state, and summarized in that in which and setting the supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanisms for the regulating mechanism in the regulating supply and discharge state.

  According to the present invention, since the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid to the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restriction supply / discharge state as described above, the valve timing is more advanced than the restriction angle. Thus, for example, when the engine rotational speed is smaller than the determination value due to the stall of the internal combustion engine, the retard angle regulation by the regulation mechanism becomes effective. As a result, compared with the case where the fixing mechanism is used to fix the intermediate angle to the next engine start without finally realizing this, the present invention is more suitable for the valve at the time of engine start. The timing is maintained at the advance side. That is, the frequency with which the engine is started in a state where the engine startability is lowered can be reduced.

(7) The invention according to claim 7 is a variable mechanism for changing a valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, and a specific intermediate position in which the valve timing is between a most advanced angle and a most retarded angle. A fixing mechanism for fixing to a corner, a hydraulic mechanism for changing the supply and discharge state of hydraulic oil to and from the variable mechanism, and a control means for controlling the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism, and the valve timing is The operating state of the variable mechanism when retarded is set as a retarded operating state, and the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle is set as a fixed operating state. In a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that sets the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixed mechanism to the fixed supply / discharge state and maintains the fixed mechanism in the fixed operation state, the variable valve apparatus Is further provided with a restriction mechanism that performs a retard angle restriction that restricts the valve timing from changing to a retard angle side rather than a restriction angle that is on the more advanced angle side than the most retarded angle. The operation state of the restriction mechanism when the retard restriction is effective is set as the restriction operation state, and the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid to the fixed mechanism is set to the restriction supply / discharge state, and the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restriction operation state. The control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the restriction angle and that the internal combustion engine has stalled. Thus, the gist of the invention is that the retarding operation state is prohibited from being set as the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism.

  According to the present invention, since the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid to the restriction mechanism is maintained in the restriction supply / discharge state as described above, the valve timing is more advanced than the restriction angle. Therefore, when the internal combustion engine stalls, the retard angle regulation by the regulation mechanism becomes effective. As a result, compared with the case where the fixing mechanism is used to fix the intermediate angle to the next engine start without finally realizing this, the present invention is more suitable for the valve at the time of engine start. The timing is maintained at the advance side. That is, the frequency with which the engine is started in a state where the engine startability is lowered can be reduced.

(8) According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of the fourth to seventh aspects, the hydraulic mechanism is configured so that the valve timing is advanced when the valve timing is advanced. The operation state of the variable mechanism is set to an advance operation state, the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, and the variable mechanism is maintained in the advance operation state. The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the fixing mechanism is set to the release / discharge state, and the fixing operation state of the fixing mechanism is canceled, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state for the variable mechanism is controlled. A hydraulic control valve; and a second hydraulic control valve that controls a supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the restriction mechanism, and the first hydraulic control valve has an operation mode in an advance angle mode. The hydraulic mechanism for the variable mechanism The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state is maintained in the advance angle supply / discharge state, and the second hydraulic control valve is configured to supply the hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the restriction mechanism when the operation mode is in the restriction mode. Maintaining the supply / discharge state in the restricted supply / discharge state, the control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the advance angle mode based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition; The gist is that the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve is set to the restriction mode.

(9) The invention according to claim 9 is the variable valve operating apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 8 , wherein the first hydraulic control valve includes an advance chamber and a retard chamber of the variable mechanism, and the fixing mechanism. As an operation mode for setting the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil to and from each of the fixed chambers, the hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber and discharged from the retard chamber, and the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber is discharged. A mode A1 in which the supply / discharge state is maintained in the fixed supply / discharge state, and the operation oil is supplied to the advance chamber, discharged from the retard chamber, and the supply / discharge state of the operation oil in the fixed chamber. The mode A2 for maintaining the released supply / discharge state, the supply of hydraulic oil to the advance chamber and the discharge of hydraulic oil from the advance chamber are stopped and the supply of hydraulic oil to the retard chamber and the delay are stopped. Stops the discharge of hydraulic oil from the corner chamber and supplies hydraulic oil to the fixed chamber. Mode A3 in which the state is maintained in the release supply / discharge state, the operation oil is discharged from the advance chamber, the operation oil is supplied to the retard chamber, and the supply / discharge state of the operation oil in the fixed chamber is released. Mode A4 for maintaining the supply / discharge state, and the control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve as the advance angle mode based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition. And the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve is set to the restriction mode.

  According to the present invention, when the mode A1 is selected, the valve timing can be advanced while maintaining the fixed operation state. When the mode A2 is selected, the valve timing can be advanced while maintaining the fixed operation state. When mode A3 is selected, the valve timing can be kept constant while maintaining the fixed operation state. When mode A4 is selected, the valve timing can be retarded while maintaining the fixed operation state.

(10) The invention according to claim 10 is the variable valve operating apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 9 , wherein the first hydraulic control valve includes an advance chamber and a retard chamber of the variable mechanism, and the fixing mechanism. As an operation mode for setting the supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil to and from each of the fixed chambers, a smaller amount of hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber than when the mode A1 is selected, and the retard chamber is used to supply the hydraulic oil. A mode B1 that discharges a smaller amount of hydraulic oil than when mode A1 is selected and maintains the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the fixed supply / discharge state is further provided, and the control means includes: Based on the establishment of the predetermined regulation condition, the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve is set to the mode A1 or the mode B1 as the advance angle mode, and the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve is set to the Set to restricted mode It is summarized in that a shall.

  According to the present invention, when the mode B1 is selected, the valve timing can be advanced more slowly than the mode A1 while maintaining the fixed operation state.

(11) The invention according to claim 11 is the variable valve operating apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 10 , wherein the control means is configured to control the first hydraulic pressure control when an intermediate angle fixing request is set during engine operation. The gist is to set the operation mode of the valve to the mode B1 and to set the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode A1 when the predetermined restriction condition is satisfied.

(12) According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the eighth aspect , the first hydraulic control valve includes an advance chamber and a retard chamber of the variable mechanism, and the fixing mechanism. As an operation mode for setting the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil to and from each of the fixed chambers, the hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber and discharged from the retard chamber, and the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber is discharged. Mode A2 in which the supply / discharge state is maintained in the released supply / discharge state, the supply of hydraulic oil to the advance chamber and the discharge of hydraulic oil from the advance chamber are stopped, and the hydraulic oil is supplied to the retard chamber Mode A3 for stopping supply and discharge of hydraulic oil from the retard chamber and maintaining the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state for the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state, and discharging hydraulic oil from the advance chamber The hydraulic oil is supplied to the retard chamber and the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber A mode A4 to maintain the supply and discharge state to the releasing supply and discharge state, prior to supply against KiSusumu angle chamber a small amount of hydraulic fluid than during the selection of the mode A2, and from the retarded angle chamber of the mode A2 And a mode B1 that discharges a smaller amount of hydraulic oil than at the time of selection and maintains the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the fixed supply / discharge state. Based on the establishment of the regulation condition, the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve is set to the mode B1 as the advance angle mode, and the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve is set to the regulation mode. There is a summary.

  According to the present invention, when the mode A2 is selected, the valve timing can be advanced while maintaining the fixed operation state. When mode A3 is selected, the valve timing can be kept constant while maintaining the fixed operation state. When mode A4 is selected, the valve timing can be retarded while maintaining the fixed operation state. When the mode B1 is selected, the valve timing can be advanced more slowly than the mode A2 while maintaining the fixed operation state.

(13) The invention according to claim 13 is the variable valve operating apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 12 , wherein the first hydraulic control valve includes an advance chamber and a retard chamber of the variable mechanism, and the fixing mechanism. As an operation mode for setting the supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil to and from each of the fixed chambers, the same amount of hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber as when the mode B1 is selected, and the retard chamber is used to supply the hydraulic oil. The control means discharges the same amount of hydraulic oil as when mode A2 is selected, maintains the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state for the fixed chamber in the fixed supply / discharge state, and further includes the mode B2. Sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode B1 or the mode B2 as the advance angle mode based on the establishment of the predetermined regulation condition, and the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve Is set to the restriction mode It is summarized in that a shall.

  According to the present invention, when the mode B2 is selected, the valve timing can be advanced more slowly than the mode A2 and faster than the mode B1 while maintaining the fixed operation state.

(14) The invention according to claim 14 is the variable valve operating apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 13 , wherein the control means is configured to control the first hydraulic pressure control when an intermediate angle fixing request is set during engine operation. The gist is to set the operation mode of the valve to the mode B1 and to set the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode B2 when the predetermined restriction condition is satisfied.

(15) The invention according to claim 15 is the variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 4 to 14 , wherein the hydraulic mechanism is configured to move the valve timing when the valve timing is advanced. The operation state of the variable mechanism is set to an advance angle operation state, the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the variable mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, and the variable mechanism is maintained in the advance angle operation state. The means sets the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism to the advance angle supply / discharge state based on the establishment of the predetermined regulation condition, and sets the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the restriction mechanism. When the supply / discharge state is set to the regulated supply / discharge state, the setting of the advance / discharge state and the regulated supply / discharge state is maintained when the internal combustion engine is started thereafter.

(16) The invention according to claim 16 is the variable valve operating apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 4 to 15 , wherein the variable mechanism is rotated by a force transmitted from a crankshaft. A rotating body and an output rotating body that rotates together with the camshaft of the engine valve by a force transmitted from the input rotating body, and the fixing mechanism includes the input rotating body and the output rotating body. A fixed body that is provided on a protruding rotating body that is one of the bodies and operates between a state protruding from the rotating body and a state accommodated in the rotating body; And a fixed chamber to which the hydraulic oil is supplied, and based on the fact that the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state for the fixed chamber by the hydraulic mechanism is the fixed supply / discharge state, Protrusion rotation The fixing operation state in which a force in the direction of projecting from the projecting body is applied to the stationary body is maintained, and the stationary body projecting from the projecting rotating body includes the input rotating body and the output rotation. The valve timing is fixed to the intermediate angle by being fitted into the restriction hole of the engagement rotating body which is the other body, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the fixed chamber by the hydraulic mechanism is released and supplied. Based on being in the exhaust state, the fixed body is released from the restriction hole and pulled into the projecting rotating body to release the fixation to the intermediate angle of the valve timing. A restricting body that is provided on the protruding rotating body of the input rotating body and the output rotating body and operates between a state protruding from the rotating body and a state accommodated in the rotating body; and the protruding circuit A restriction chamber that is provided on a body and is supplied with hydraulic oil from the hydraulic mechanism, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic chamber to the restriction chamber is determined by the restriction supply / discharge state. Based on the state, the regulation operation state in which a force in the direction of projecting from the projecting rotating body is applied to the regulating body is maintained, and the projecting from the projecting rotating body is maintained. The restriction body performs the retardation restriction by being fitted into a restriction groove of the engagement rotator which is the other of the input rotator and the output rotator, and Based on the fact that the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil becomes the permitted supply / discharge state, the retarder is released from the restricting groove and pulled into the projecting rotating body, thereby releasing the retard restriction. As a summary Yes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of an internal combustion engine equipped with the apparatus according to a first embodiment of a variable valve device for an internal combustion engine of the present invention. About the valve timing variable mechanism of the embodiment, (a) is a plan view showing the planar structure, (b) is a sectional view showing a sectional structure along the DA-DA line, and (c) is a sectional view along the DB-DB line. Sectional drawing which shows a structure. The schematic diagram which shows the hydraulic pressure supply path | route about the valve timing variable mechanism of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the sectional structure of the housing and the vane rotor along the DB-DB line in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the sectional structure of the housing and the vane rotor along the DB-DB line in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows typically the cross-section when the operation mode is in mode A1 about the oil control valve of the embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows typically the cross-section when the operation mode is in mode A2 about the oil control valve of the embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows typically the cross-section when the operation mode exists in mode A3 about the oil control valve of the embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows typically the cross-section when the operation mode is mode A4 about the oil control valve of the embodiment. The table which shows the relationship between the operation mode and the lubricating oil supply / discharge state with respect to a valve timing variable mechanism about the oil control valve of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about the "intermediate lock process" performed by the electronic control apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the sectional structure of the housing and the vane rotor along the DB-DB line in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the sectional structure of the housing and the vane rotor along the DB-DB line in FIG. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about "the process at the time of an emergency stop" performed by the electronic controller of the embodiment. The table which shows the relationship between the operation mode of an oil control valve, and the lubricating oil supply / discharge state with respect to a valve timing variable mechanism about 2nd Embodiment which actualized the variable valve operating apparatus of the internal combustion engine of this invention. The table which shows the relationship between the operation mode of an oil control valve, and the lubricating oil supply / discharge state with respect to a valve timing variable mechanism about 3rd Embodiment which actualized the variable valve operating apparatus of the internal combustion engine of this invention.

1 to 14, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that changes the valve timing of an intake valve will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the internal combustion engine 1 includes an engine body 10 that rotates a crankshaft 16 through combustion of a mixture of intake air and fuel, a hydraulic mechanism 60 that supplies lubricating oil to the engine body 10, and There is provided a control device 100 that comprehensively controls various devices including the device.

  A combustion chamber 14 for burning the air-fuel mixture is formed in the cylinder block 11 of the engine body 10. The linear motion of the piston 15 accompanying the combustion of the air-fuel mixture is converted into the rotational motion of the crankshaft 16. A cylinder head 13 on which valve-operated parts are arranged is attached to the upper part of the cylinder block 11.

  The cylinder head 13 includes an intake valve 21 that opens and closes the combustion chamber 14 with respect to the intake passage, an intake camshaft 22 that drives the valve in the valve opening direction, an exhaust valve 23 that opens and closes the combustion chamber 14 with respect to the exhaust passage, and A variable valve operating apparatus 3 that includes an exhaust camshaft 24 that drives the valve in the valve opening direction, a valve timing variable mechanism 30 and a hydraulic mechanism, and changes the valve timing of the intake valve 21 (hereinafter referred to as “valve timing INVT”). And are provided.

  An oil pan 12 for storing lubricating oil supplied to each part of the internal combustion engine 1 is attached to the lower part of the cylinder block 11. The lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 12 is supplied to each supply site including the variable valve timing mechanism 30 via the hydraulic mechanism 60. Then, the lubricating oil discharged from the variable mechanism 30 is returned again to the oil pan 12 via the hydraulic mechanism 60.

  The control device 100 includes various sensors that monitor engine operating conditions, that is, various sensors including a crank position sensor 102 and a cam position sensor 103, and an electronic control device that controls the operation of each device based on outputs from these sensors. 101 is provided. The crank position sensor 102 is provided in the vicinity of the crankshaft 16 and outputs a signal corresponding to the engine rotational speed NE. The cam position sensor 103 is provided in the vicinity of the intake camshaft 22 and outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the shaft 22.

  The electronic control device 101 performs various controls such as valve timing control for adjusting the valve timing INVT. In the valve timing control, a target value for the valve timing INVT is set based on the engine operating state (engine load and engine speed NE). Then, the valve timing variable mechanism 30 is controlled via the hydraulic mechanism 60 so that the valve timing INVT calculated based on the outputs of the crank position sensor 102 and the cam position sensor 103 matches the target value.

  The configuration of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 2A shows a planar structure of the variable mechanism 30 with the cover 34 shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C removed from the housing body 32. FIG. In the same figure, an arrow RA indicates the rotation direction of the camshaft 22 and the sprocket 33 (hereinafter referred to as “rotation direction RA”).

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is synchronized with the housing rotor 31 that rotates in synchronization with the crankshaft 16 and the end of the intake camshaft 22 to be synchronized with the shaft 16. And the rotating vane rotor 35.

  The housing rotor 31 is connected to the crankshaft 16 through a timing chain (not shown), and rotates in synchronization with the shaft 16. The housing rotor 31 is assembled inside the sprocket 33 to be integrated therewith. The housing body 32 is rotated in a manner, and the cover 34 is attached to the body 32.

The vane rotor 35 is disposed in a space within the housing main body 32 and is accommodated in a space formed by the main body 32 and the cover 34.
The housing main body 32 is provided with three partition walls 31A that protrude toward the vane rotor 35 in the radial direction. The vane rotor 35 is provided with three vanes 36 that project toward the housing body 32 and divide the three vane storage chambers 37 between the partition walls 31A into an advance chamber 38 and a retard chamber 39, respectively.

  The advance chamber 38 is located behind the vane 36 in the rotation direction RA of the intake camshaft 22 in one vane storage chamber 37, and is used for lubricating oil for the valve timing variable mechanism 30 by the hydraulic mechanism 60. The volume changes according to the supply / discharge state. The retarding chamber 39 is positioned in front of the vane 36 in the rotational direction RA of the intake camshaft 22 in one vane accommodating chamber 37, and the valve timing variable mechanism by the hydraulic mechanism 60 is the same as the advance chamber 38. The volume changes according to the lubricating oil supply / discharge state of 30.

  The variable valve timing mechanism 30 changes the valve timing INVT by changing the relative rotational phase of the vane rotor 35 with respect to the housing rotor 31 (hereinafter referred to as “rotational phase P”) based on the above configuration. The change of the valve timing INVT by the variable mechanism 30 is specifically performed as follows.

  When the vane rotor 35 rotates with respect to the housing rotor 31 in the advance side, that is, in the rotational direction RA of the intake camshaft 22 by supplying the lubricant oil to the advance chamber 38 and discharging the lubricant oil from the retard chamber 39, the valve The timing INVT changes to the advance side. When the vane rotor 35 rotates to the advance side with respect to the housing rotor 31, that is, when the rotation phase P of the vane rotor 35 is at the most forward phase in the rotation direction RA (hereinafter, “most advanced angle phase PMAX”). The valve timing INVT is set to the most advanced timing (hereinafter, “most advanced angle INVTmax”). As the most advanced angle phase PMAX, a position where the vane 36 abuts against the partition wall 31A on the retard chamber 39 side or a position where the vane 36 is near the partition wall 31A on the retard chamber 39 side is set.

  By discharging the lubricating oil from the advance chamber 38 and supplying the lubricating oil to the retard chamber 39, the vane rotor 35 rotates with respect to the housing rotor 31 on the retard side, that is, on the rear side in the rotational direction RA of the intake camshaft 22. The valve timing INVT changes to the retard side. When the vane rotor 35 rotates to the retard side with respect to the control limit with respect to the housing rotor 31, that is, the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is the most rearward phase in the rotational direction RA (hereinafter referred to as "most retarded phase PMIN"). ), The valve timing INVT is set to the most retarded timing (hereinafter, “most retarded INVTmin”). As the most retarded phase PMIN, a position where the vane 36 abuts against the partition wall 31A on the advance chamber 38 side or a position where the vane 36 is near the partition wall 31A on the advance chamber 38 side is set.

  By blocking the flow of the lubricating oil between each of the advance chamber 38 and the retard chamber 39 and the hydraulic mechanism 60, that is, the lubricant oil is held in each of the advance chamber 38 and the retard chamber 39. Thus, when the relative rotation between the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 is disabled, the valve timing INVT is maintained at that timing.

  The variable valve timing mechanism 30 includes an intermediate lock mechanism 40 that fixes the valve timing INVT to a specific timing (hereinafter, “intermediate angle INVTmdl”) between the most advanced angle INVTmax and the most retarded angle INVTmin, and the valve timing INVT. Is provided with a retarding angle regulating mechanism 50 that regulates the range of change in a range from a specific timing (hereinafter, “regulating angle INVTlim”) between the most retarded angle INVTmin and the intermediate angle INVTmdl to the most advanced angle INVTmax. . As the intermediate angle INVTmdl, a valve timing INVT suitable for engine start is set. That is, the restriction mechanism 50 performs the retard restriction that restricts the valve timing INVT from changing to the retard side of the restriction angle INVTlim between the intermediate angle INVTmdl and the most retarded angle INVTmin. Therefore, when comparing the case where the valve timing INVT is set to the intermediate angle INVTmdl and the case where the valve timing INVT is set to the retarded angle side at the time of starting the engine, the former ensures higher startability. Will come to be.

  The intermediate lock mechanism 40 operates based on the supply of lubricating oil from the hydraulic mechanism 60, and regulates the rotation of the vane rotor 35 relative to the housing rotor 31 regardless of the hydraulic pressure in the advance chamber 38 and the retard chamber 39. When the rotational phase P is at a rotational phase corresponding to the intermediate angle INVTmdl (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate angle phase PMDL”), the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 are fixed to each other to hold the valve timing at the intermediate angle INVTmdl. .

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the lock pin 42 provided on the vane 36 and moving with respect to the vane 36, and the lubricating oil is supplied to the vane 36 by the hydraulic mechanism 60. A lock chamber 44 to be discharged, a lock spring 43 which is also provided in the vane 36 and pushes the lock pin 42 in one direction, and a lock hole 41 provided in the housing rotor 31 are configured. The housing rotor 31 is formed with a lock groove 41A (see FIG. 4) along the circumferential locus of the lock pin 42 from the lock hole 41 to a predetermined position on the retard side. The depth of the lock groove 41 </ b> A is set smaller than the depth of the lock hole 41.

  Based on the relationship between the force of the lubricating oil in the lock chamber 44 and the force of the lock spring 43, the lock pin 42 protrudes from the vane 36 (hereinafter referred to as “protrusion direction Z <b> 2”) and the direction retracted into the vane 36 (hereinafter referred to as “removal direction Z <b> 2”). "Accommodating direction Z1"). The hydraulic pressure in the lock chamber 44 acts on the lock pin 42 in the accommodating direction Z1. The force of the lock spring 43 acts on the lock pin 42 in the protruding direction Z2. Hereinafter, with respect to the position of the lock pin 42 with respect to the vane 36, the position protruding from the vane 36 and fitted into the lock hole 41 is referred to as “lock pin protruding position L <b> 2”, and the position accommodated in the vane 36 is referred to as “lock pin accommodation. Position L1 ”.

Here, the operation of the intermediate lock mechanism 40 will be described below.
When the lubricating oil is discharged from the lock chamber 44 by the hydraulic mechanism 60 and the lock chamber 44 is not filled with the lubricating oil, the force in the protruding direction Z2 by the lock spring 43 exceeds the force in the accommodation direction Z1 by the lubricating oil in the lock chamber 44. become. Thereby, the force which operates this to the lock pin 42 to the protrusion direction Z2 comes to act. The force in the projecting direction Z2 with respect to the lock pin 42 in a state where the rotational phase P is at the intermediate angle phase PMDL, that is, in a state where the circumferential positions of the lock pin 42 and the lock hole 41 coincide with each other. , The lock pin 42 protrudes from the vane 36 and is fitted into the lock hole 41. As a result, the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 are fixed to each other through the engagement between the lock pin 42 and the lock hole 41, so that the rotational phase P is held at the intermediate angle phase PMDL.

  On the other hand, when the lubricating oil is supplied to the lock chamber 44 by the hydraulic mechanism 60 and the lock chamber 44 is filled with the lubricating oil, the force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 by the lubricant in the lock chamber 44 is the protruding direction by the lock spring 43. It exceeds the power of Z2. As a result, a force that moves the lock pin 42 in the accommodation direction Z1 acts on the lock pin 42. When the force in the accommodation direction Z1 acts on the lock pin 42 with the lock pin 42 fitted in the lock hole 41, the lock pin 42 is detached from the lock hole 41 and accommodated in the vane 36. Is done. Thereby, the fixing of the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 is released, and relative rotation thereof is allowed.

  Further, with reference to a state in which a force in the projecting direction Z2 acts on the lock pin 42 and the lock pin 42 is at a position on the retard side with respect to the end on the retard side of the lock hole 41, the vane rotor 35 is started from this state. Is driven to the advance side with respect to the housing rotor 31, the lock pin 42 operates as follows. That is, when the lock pin 42 moves to the advance side rather than the retard side end of the lock groove 41A as the vane rotor 35 advances, the tip of the pin 42 protrudes toward the lock groove 41A. In this state, when the vane rotor 35 further advances, the lock pin 42 moves toward the advance side in the lock groove 41 </ b> A, and when the vane rotor 35 reaches the lock hole 41, the lock pin 42 is fitted into the hole 41.

With reference to FIG.2 (c), the detail of the structure of the retard angle control mechanism 50 is demonstrated.
The retard restriction mechanism 50 operates based on the supply of lubricating oil from the lubricating device, and the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is advanced from the rotational phase corresponding to the restriction angle INVTlim (hereinafter, “regulation angle phase PLIM”). When the rotational phase P reaches the regulation angle phase PLIM in accordance with the rotation of the vane rotor 35 toward the retard angle side, the rotation of the vane rotor 35 toward the retard angle side is regulated. That is, when the vane rotor 35 is in the regulation angle phase PLIM, the valve timing INVT is regulated from changing to the retard side with respect to the regulation angle INVTlim.

  Specifically, the retard restriction mechanism 50 is provided with a restriction pin 52 provided on the vane 36, a restriction chamber 54 provided on the vane 36 and supplied with lubricating oil by the hydraulic mechanism 60, and provided on the vane 36. A restriction spring 53 that pushes the pin 52 in one direction, and a retard restriction groove 51 formed in the housing rotor 31 corresponding to the range from the restriction angle phase PLIM to the most advanced angle phase PMAX.

  The restriction pin 52 operates between the protruding direction Y2 and the accommodation direction Y1 based on the relationship between the force of the lubricating oil in the restriction chamber 54 and the force of the restriction spring 53. The oil pressure in the restriction chamber 54 acts on the restriction pin 52 in the accommodation direction Y1, and the force of the restriction spring 53 acts on the restriction pin 52 in the protruding direction Y2. Hereinafter, with respect to the position of the restriction pin 52 with respect to the vane 36, the position protruding from the vane 36 and fitted in the retard angle restriction groove 51 is referred to as “protrusion position K2 of the restriction pin 52”, and the position accommodated in the vane 36 is “restriction”. The accommodation position K1 of the pin 52 ".

  The retard restriction groove 51 is formed in the housing rotor 31 in a manner along the circumferential locus of the restriction pin 52 from a position corresponding to the restriction angle phase PLIM to a position corresponding to the most advanced angle phase PMAX.

Here, the operation of the retard restriction mechanism 50 will be described below.
When the lubricating oil is discharged from the regulating chamber 54 by the hydraulic mechanism 60 and the regulating chamber 54 is not filled with the lubricating oil, the force in the protruding direction Y2 by the regulating spring 53 exceeds the force in the housing direction Y1 by the lubricating oil in the regulating chamber 54. become. As a result, a force is generated on the restriction pin 52 to move the restriction pin 52 in the protruding direction Y2. In this state, the rotational phase P is in the range from the regulation angle phase PLIM to the most advanced angle phase PMAX, that is, the circumferential positions of the regulation pin 52 and the retard angle regulation groove 51 coincide. Under the state, when a force in the protruding direction Y <b> 2 acts on the restriction pin 52, the restriction pin 52 protrudes from the vane 36 and is fitted into the retard restriction groove 51. As a result, the relative rotation range of the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 is restricted through contact between the restriction pin 52 and the retard angle restriction groove 51, so that the rotation phase P is a range from the restriction angle phase PLIM to the most advanced angle phase PMAX. Retained. That is, the hydraulic mechanism 60 sets the lubrication oil supply / discharge state with respect to the retardation restriction mechanism 50 to the discharge state of the lubricant oil from the restriction chamber 54 as the restriction supply / discharge state, so that the operation state of the retardation restriction mechanism 50 is set. Is maintained in the regulated operation state, and the retard angle regulation is made effective.

  On the other hand, when lubricating oil is supplied to the restriction chamber 54 by the hydraulic mechanism 60 and the restriction chamber 54 is filled with the lubricating oil, the force in the accommodation direction Y1 by the lubricating oil in the restriction chamber 54 is the force in the protruding direction Y2 by the restriction spring 53. It will be over. As a result, a force is generated on the restriction pin 52 so as to move the restriction pin 52 in the accommodation direction Y1. Then, when the force in the accommodation direction Y1 acts on the restriction pin 52 with the restriction pin 52 fitted in the retard restriction groove 51, that is, with the restriction pin 52 in the protruding position K2. The regulation pin 52 is separated from the retard angle regulation groove 51 and accommodated in the vane 36. As a result, the restriction between the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 due to the engagement between the restriction pin 52 and the retard restriction groove 51 is released, and the rotation of the vane rotor 35 relative to the housing rotor 31 is allowed.

  With reference to FIG. 3, a lubricating oil flow structure between the variable valve timing mechanism 30 and the hydraulic mechanism 60 will be described. In addition, the figure has shown typically the structure of the oil path between these apparatuses.

  Lubricating oil stored in the oil pan 12 is pumped up to the oil pump 61 through a suction oil passage 71 as a part of the oil passage 70. The lubricating oil discharged from the oil pump 61 is supplied to each part including the variable valve timing mechanism 30.

  The oil passage 70 includes the suction oil passage 71 that connects the oil pan 12 and the oil pump 61, the first supply oil passage 72 that connects the oil pump 61 and the oil control valve 63, the oil control valve 63, and the oil pan. 12, a first discharge oil passage 73 connecting the oil control valve 63, an advance oil passage 74 connecting the oil control valve 63 and the advance chamber 38, and a retard oil passage connecting the oil control valve 63 and the retard chamber 39. 75, a lock oil passage 76 that connects the oil control valve 63 and the lock chamber 44, a second supply oil passage 77 that connects the oil pump 61 and the switching valve 62, and a switching valve 62 and the oil pan 12. The second discharge oil passage 78 and the restriction oil passage 79 connecting the switching valve 62 and the restriction chamber 54 are configured.

  The oil control valve 63 switches the connection between the first supply oil passage 72 and the first discharge oil passage 73, the advance oil passage 74, the retard oil passage 75, and the lock oil passage 76. The supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil with respect to the retard chamber 39 and the lock chamber 44 is changed. The switching valve 62 changes the supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil with respect to the restriction chamber 54 by switching the connection state of the second supply oil passage 77 and the second discharge oil passage 78 and the restriction oil passage 79.

  A control mode of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, for the sake of convenience, the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is different from the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 2 in order to clarify the relationship between the operation states of the intermediate lock mechanism 40 and the retard restriction mechanism 50. The structure of is schematically illustrated.

  In the valve timing control, when the valve timing INVT is changed between the most advanced angle INVTmax and the most retarded angle INVTmin, that is, the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is determined from the most advanced angle phase PMAX shown in FIG. When the time is changed up to the most retarded angle phase PMIN shown in 4 (b), the lock pin 42 is maintained at the accommodation position L1.

  Even when the valve timing INVT is at the intermediate angle INVTmdl, that is, when the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is at the intermediate angle phase PMDL shown in FIG. As long as the lock pin 42 is accommodated in the vane 36, as shown in FIG. 4C, the rotational phase P is not fixed to the intermediate angle phase PMDL. When the force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 as the lubricating oil is discharged from the lock chamber 44, the lock pin 42 is driven by the force of the lock spring 43 as shown in FIG. Protrudes from the vane 36 and is fitted into the lock hole 41, whereby the vane rotor 35 is held at the intermediate angle phase PMDL.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, even when the valve timing INVT is at the regulation angle INVTlim, that is, when the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is at the regulation angle phase PLIM, lubrication to the regulation chamber 54 is performed. As long as the regulation pin 52 is accommodated in the vane 36 as the oil is supplied, the rotation of the vane rotor 35 to the retard angle side from the regulation angle phase PLIM is regulated as shown in FIG. There is no. When the force in the protruding direction Y2 is applied to the restriction pin 52 as the lubricating oil is discharged from the restriction chamber 54, the restriction pin 52 is driven by the force of the restriction spring 53 as shown in FIG. Protrudes from the vane 36 and is fitted into the retard restriction groove 51, thereby restricting the rotation of the vane rotor 35 toward the retard side with respect to the restriction angle phase PLIM.

  As described above, when the regulation pin 52 is in contact with the retard side end of the retard regulation groove 51, the rotation of the vane rotor 35 to the further retard side is regulated. In other words, the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is maintained at the restriction angle phase PLIM that is retarded by a predetermined amount from the intermediate angle phase PMDL (FIG. 5C). The predetermined amount, which is the difference between the restriction angle phase PLIM and the intermediate angle phase PMDL, is a request for fixing the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl in a state where the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is at the restriction angle phase PLIM. Is set to a size that can respond promptly to the request.

  The structure of the oil control valve 63 and its operation mode will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 show cross-sectional structures along the axial direction of the oil control valve 63, and show cross-sectional structures when in different operation modes. Moreover, the arrow in each figure shows the flow of lubricating oil.

  The oil control valve 63 includes a single housing 80 provided with a plurality of ports, and a single spool 90 provided in the housing 80. When the spool 90 moves relative to the housing 80, the communication state between the plurality of ports is switched to change the supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil to the advance chamber 38, the retard chamber 39, and the lock chamber 44.

  The housing 80 includes a first supply port 85 and a second supply port 86 connected to the first supply oil passage 72, a first discharge port 87 and a second discharge port 88 connected to the first discharge oil passage 73, An advance port 82 connected to the advance oil passage 74, a retard port 83 connected to the retard oil passage 75, and a lock port 84 connected to the lock 76 oil passage are provided. An intermediate communication path 81 for connecting the second discharge port 88 and the lock port 84 is provided inside the wall portion of the housing 80 between the second supply port 86 and the second discharge port 88.

  The spool 90 includes a first partition 91 corresponding to the advance port 82, a second partition 92 corresponding to the retard port 83, a third partition 93, a fourth partition 94, and a fifth partition corresponding to the lock port 84. 95 is provided. Each of the ports 82 to 84 on the variable valve timing mechanism 30 side and each of the ports 85 to 88 on the first supply oil passage 72 and the first discharge oil passage 73 side have the following relationship. .

  That is, the advance port 82 communicates with only one of the first supply port 85 and the first discharge port 87. The retard port 83 communicates with only one of the first supply port 85 and the second discharge port 88. Further, the lock port 84 communicates with only one of the second supply port 86 and the second discharge port 88.

  In the oil control valve 63 having such a structure, the operation mode can be set to any one of the modes A1 to A4 according to the position of the spool 90 in the axial direction with respect to the housing 80.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the position of the spool 90 with respect to the housing 80 is in the first position, and the operation mode is in mode A1, the communication state of each port is maintained as follows. That is, the advance port 82 communicates with the first supply port 85 and is blocked by the first partition 91 from the first discharge port 87. Further, the retard port 83 communicates with the second discharge port 88 and is blocked by the second partition wall 92 from the first supply port 85. Further, the lock port 84 communicates with the second discharge port 88 through the intermediate communication path 81 and is blocked by the fifth partition wall 95 from the second supply port 86.

  In mode A1, since the ports are in communication with each other, the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 flows in the order of the first supply oil passage 72, the first supply port 85, the advance port 82, and the advance oil passage 74. Then, it is supplied to the advance chamber 38. Further, the lubricating oil in the retarding chamber 39 flows in the order of the retarding oil passage 75, the retarding port 83, the second discharge port 88, and the first discharge oil passage 73 and is returned to the oil pan 12. Further, the lubricating oil in the lock chamber 44 flows in the order of the lock oil passage 76, the lock port 84, the intermediate communication passage 81, the second discharge port 88, and the first discharge oil passage 73, and is returned to the oil pan 12.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the position of the spool 90 with respect to the housing 80 is in the second position, and the operation mode is in mode A2, the communication state of each port is maintained as follows. That is, the advance port 82 communicates with the first supply port 85 and is blocked by the first partition 91 from the first discharge port 87. Further, the retard port 83 communicates with the second discharge port 88 and is blocked by the second partition wall 92 from the first supply port 85. Further, the lock port 84 communicates with the second supply port 86 and is blocked by the third partition wall 93 from the second discharge port 88.

  In mode A2, since the ports are in communication with each other, the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 flows in the order of the first supply oil passage 72, the first supply port 85, the advance port 82, and the advance oil passage 74. Then, it is supplied to the advance chamber 38. Further, the lubricating oil in the retarding chamber 39 flows in the order of the retarding oil passage 75, the retarding port 83, the second discharge port 88, and the first discharge oil passage 73 and is returned to the oil pan 12. Further, the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 flows in the order of the first supply oil passage 72, the second supply port 86, the lock port 84, and the lock oil passage 76 and is supplied to the lock chamber 44.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the position of the spool 90 with respect to the housing 80 is in the third position, and the operation mode is in mode A3, the communication state of each port is maintained as follows. That is, the advance port 82 is blocked from the first supply port 85 by the first partition wall 91 and from the first discharge port 87 by the first partition wall 91. Further, the retard port 83 is blocked from the first supply port 85 by the second partition wall 92 and is blocked from the second discharge port 88 by the second partition wall 92. Further, the lock port 84 communicates with the second supply port 86 and is blocked by the fourth partition wall 94 between the intermediate communication path 81 and the second discharge port 88.

  In mode A3, since the ports are in communication with each other, the flow of the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 to the advance chamber 38 through the oil control valve 63 and the oil control valve 63 from the advance chamber 38 are switched. Any flow of the lubricating oil to the oil pan 12 is blocked. The flow of the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 to the retarding chamber 39 via the oil control valve 63 and the flow of the lubricating oil from the retarding chamber 39 to the oil pan 12 via the oil control valve 63 are any. Is also blocked. On the other hand, the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 is supplied to the lock chamber 44 through the first supply oil passage 72, the second supply port 86, the lock port 84, and the lock oil passage 76 in this order.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the position of the spool 90 with respect to the housing 80 is in the fourth position, and the operation mode is in mode A4, the communication state of each port is maintained as follows. That is, the advance port 82 communicates with the first discharge port 87 and is blocked by the first partition wall 91 from the first supply port 85. Further, the retard port 83 communicates with the first supply port 85 and is blocked by the second partition wall 92 from the second discharge port 88. Further, the lock port 84 communicates with the second supply port 86, and the intermediate communication path 81 and the second discharge port 88 are blocked by the third partition wall 93.

  In mode A4, since the ports are in communication with each other, the lubricating oil in the advance chamber 38 flows in the order of the advance oil passage 74, the advance port 82, the first discharge port 87, and the first discharge oil passage 73. Then, the oil is returned to the oil pan 12. Further, the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 flows in the order of the first supply oil passage 72, the first supply port 85, the retard port 83, and the retard oil passage 75 and is supplied to the retard chamber 39. Further, the lubricating oil from the oil pump 61 flows in the order of the first supply oil passage 72, the second supply port 86, the lock port 84, and the lock oil passage 76 and is supplied to the lock chamber 44.

  FIG. 10 shows the relationship between each operation mode of the oil control valve 63 and the lubricating oil supply / discharge state with respect to the advance chamber 38, the retard chamber 39, and the lock chamber 44 (FIG. 10A), and each operation mode and valve timing. A summary of the relationship between the variable mechanism 30 (denoted as VVT in the drawing) and the operation mode of the lock pin 42 (FIG. 10B) is shown. Regarding the notation regarding the lock pin 42 in FIG. 10B, “protrusion” means that the force in the protrusion direction Z <b> 2 acts on the lock pin 42 in the vane 36, and the lock pin 42 protrudes from the vane 36. And both states.

As shown in FIG. 10C, the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 is switched as follows based on the engine operating state.
Mode A1 is selected as the operation mode at the time of engine start, normal engine stop, engine emergency stop, or idle operation. During normal engine operation, one of modes A2 to A4 is selected as the operation mode. Note that the normal engine stop indicates the operation stop operation of the internal combustion engine 1 performed based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off, and the engine emergency stop is performed without the operation based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off. The operation stop operation of the internal combustion engine 1 is shown.

Here, the control mode of the intermediate lock mechanism 40 will be described.
In the internal combustion engine 1 including the intermediate lock mechanism 40 and the retard angle restriction mechanism 50, a request for fixing the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl is set based on the engine operating state or the like (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate lock request”). When there is the same request, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40. Specifically, the intermediate lock request is set and the intermediate lock mechanism 40 is controlled based on the settings shown in the following (X) to (Z).

  (X) In order to ensure good engine startability through control of the variable valve timing mechanism 30, it is necessary that the valve timing INVT is already held at the intermediate angle INVTmdl when the start operation of the internal combustion engine 1 is started. Required.

  Therefore, in the internal combustion engine 1, an intermediate lock request is set when an engine stop request based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off is detected, and the intermediate lock request is started before the engine stop operation based on the engine stop request is started. The mechanism 40 fixes the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl. Then, after the fixing of the valve timing INVT by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 is completed, the engine operation is stopped based on the engine stop request. As a result, the valve timing INVT is already maintained at the intermediate angle INVTmdl by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 at the next engine start, so that the internal combustion engine 1 can be started with good startability. .

  (Y) When the engine operation state shifts from the normal operation state to the idle operation state, there is a high possibility that an engine stop request will occur later. Therefore, when the engine operation state shifts to the idle operation state, an intermediate lock request is set and valve timing is set during idle operation. Fix INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl. Thereby, the frequency of performing control for fixing the valve timing INVT when the engine is stopped is reduced.

  Therefore, in the internal combustion engine 1, an intermediate lock request is set when the engine is idling, and the valve timing INVT is fixed to the intermediate angle INVTmdl by the intermediate lock mechanism 40. Then, after the fixing of the valve timing INVT by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 is completed, when the engine stop request is set, the engine stop operation is performed based on the request. On the other hand, when a request for shifting from the idle operation state to the normal engine operation state occurs, the intermediate lock request is canceled based on the request, and the fixing of the valve timing INVT by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 is released.

  (Z) Even when an engine emergency stop such as an engine stall occurs, there is a period of time until the rotation of the internal combustion engine 1 is completely stopped. During this period, the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is It can be driven by the hydraulic mechanism 60. In other words, the next engine startability can be ensured by trying to fix the valve timing INVT by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 even when the engine emergency stop occurs. However, in this case, since the engine rotation is in a transient state, the valve timing INVT is in a state where the period during which the hydraulic mechanism 60 can drive the valve timing variable mechanism 30 is limited. Is quickly changed to the intermediate angle INVTmdl.

  On the other hand, the oil control valve 63 is not set with an operation mode for causing the lock pin 42 to protrude while retarding the valve timing INVT. Therefore, in order to respond to the intermediate lock request in a state where the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, it is necessary to change the valve timing INVT once to the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl. . For this reason, immediately after the occurrence of the engine emergency stop in which the period for appropriately controlling the valve timing variable mechanism 30 is limited as described above, the valve timing INVT is when the valve timing INVT is on the advanced side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl. When the intermediate lock is to be executed, it is assumed that the driving of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 stops in the process.

  Therefore, in the internal combustion engine 1, when the engine emergency stop occurs, an intermediate lock request is set only when the valve timing INVT at that time is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, and the valve timing INVT by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 is set. Attempts to fix to the intermediate angle INVTmdl.

Next, the control mode of the retard restriction mechanism 50 will be described.
The restriction pin 52 of the retard restriction mechanism 50 is maintained in the protruding state based on the fact that the valve timing INVT is on the more advanced side than the restriction angle INVTlim. Further, when the target value of the valve timing INVT is set on the retard side with respect to the regulation angle INVTlim in a state where the regulation pin 52 is projected, the valve pin is accommodated in the vane 36 based on this. That is, when the target value includes the regulation angle INVTlim and is on the more advanced side than this, the protruding state is maintained.

  With reference to FIG. 11, the “intermediate lock process” for controlling the operation of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 at the time of normal engine stop will be described in detail. An example of the operation mode of the vane rotor 35 and the intermediate lock mechanism 40 based on the processing will be described with reference to FIG. This process is executed by the electronic control unit 101 during engine operation. After reaching the end step, the same process is repeated in order from step S11 as long as the engine is operating. 12 and 13, as in FIGS. 4 and 5, for the sake of convenience, the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 2 is used in order to clarify the relationship between the operation states of the intermediate lock mechanism 40 and the retard restriction mechanism 50. The structure of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is schematically shown in a different manner.

  In this process, first, in step S11, it is determined whether or not an intermediate lock request is set. Here, the intermediate lock request is set or canceled in the following manner in the control separately executed by the electronic control unit 101. That is, when it is determined that there is an engine start request, an engine stop request, and an idle operation request, an intermediate lock request is set based on the request. When it is determined that there is a request for changing the valve timing INVT, the intermediate lock request is canceled based on this.

  When it is determined by the determination process in step S11 that the intermediate lock request is not set, the determination process is performed again after a predetermined control period has elapsed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the intermediate lock request is set, it is determined in the next step S12 whether or not the rotational phase P is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle phase PMDL. That is, it is determined whether or not the valve timing INVT obtained from the outputs of the crank position sensor 102 and the cam position sensor 103 is behind the intermediate angle INVTmdl. Then, the intermediate lock is executed in one of the following modes (A) and (B) depending on whether or not the valve timing INVT is on the more advanced side than the intermediate angle INVTmdl.

  (A) When it is determined that the valve timing INVT is advanced from the intermediate angle INVTmdl, that is, the rotational phase P is not advanced from the intermediate angle phase PMDL, for example, the rotational timing P is at the rotational phase shown in FIG. At this time, the process of step S13 and step S14 is omitted, and the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 is switched to mode A1. As a result, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 and the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39, the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side with respect to the housing, and the force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42. Will be added to try to move in the same direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, when moving to the advance side from the lock groove 41A, the tip end portion of the lock pin 42 is fitted into the lock groove 41A. At this time, since the target value is an intermediate angle INVTmdl exceeding the regulation angle INVTlim, a force in the protruding direction is applied to the regulation pin 52 by switching the switching valve 62.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), when the angle is further advanced and reaches the regulation angle phase PLIM, the regulation pin 52 projects from the accommodation position K1 based on the fact that the switching valve 62 exceeds the regulation angle phase PLIM. It will be in the state where it moves to position K2 and the rotation phase P is retarded from the regulation angle phase PLIM.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 12 (d), the angle is further advanced, and when the intermediate angle phase PMDL is reached, the lock pin 42 is fitted into the lock hole 41 and moves to the protruding position L2 and this state is maintained. The rotational phase P is fixed to the intermediate angle phase PMDL by being fitted into the lock hole 41.

  (B) When it is determined that the valve timing INVT is on the advance side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl, that is, the rotation phase P is on the advance side of the intermediate angle phase PMDL, that is, for example, the rotation phase P shown in FIG. In step S13 and step S14, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S13, by switching the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 to mode A4, the vane rotor 35 is driven to the retard side, and the lock pin 42 is maintained in the accommodation position L1. As a result, when the vane rotor 35 is in the rotational phase illustrated in FIG. 13A before the execution of the process of step S15, the rotational phase of the vane rotor 35 is the same as that shown in FIG. As illustrated in (b), the rotational phase P that exceeds the intermediate angle phase PMDL by a predetermined value and does not exceed the regulation angle phase PLIM is moved to the retard side as a target value. Here, since the regulation pin 52 is maintained at the protruding position K2 based on the fact that the target value is not retarded from the regulation angle phase PLIM, the rotational phase P exceeds the regulation angle phase PLIM and exceeds the retard angle side. Be regulated. Accordingly, the rotation phase P does not move to the retard side beyond the regulation angle phase PLIM.

  When it is determined in step S14 that the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle phase PMDL, that is, when it is determined that the valve timing INVT is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, In step S15, the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 is switched to mode A1.

  As a result, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 and the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39, and the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side with respect to the housing as shown in FIG. 13C. A force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 and tries to move in the same direction. Based on the fact that the positions of the lock pin 42 and the lock groove 41A in the circumferential direction coincide with each other, the end of the lock pin 42 is fitted into the lock groove 41A.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 13 (d), the angle is further advanced and when the intermediate angle phase PMDL is reached, the lock pin 42 is fitted into the lock hole 41 and moves to the protruding position L2 and this state is maintained. The rotational phase P is fixed to the intermediate angle phase PMDL by being fitted into the lock hole 41.

  Then, in step S16 after the intermediate lock is performed by the processing procedure (A) or (B), it is determined whether or not the intermediate lock request has been released. When it is determined that the intermediate lock request is set, the determination process is performed again after a predetermined calculation cycle has elapsed. Thus, after the lock pin 42 is fitted in the lock hole 41, the mode A1 of the oil control valve 63 is maintained as long as the intermediate lock request is continuously set, so that the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side. The force is continuously applied by the lubricating oil in the advance chamber 38. That is, the lock pin 42 is maintained in a state where the side surface is pressed against the wall surface forming the lock hole 41.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the intermediate lock request has been released, this process ends. Thereafter, the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 is switched to the mode A3, whereby the lock pin 42 is pulled out from the lock hole 41. When there is a request for advancement of the valve timing INVT, mode A2 is selected, when there is a request for holding the valve timing INVT, mode A3 is selected, and when there is a request for retarding the valve timing INVT, mode A4 is selected. .

  When the intermediate lock request is not set and the rotational phase P is changed between the most advanced angle phase PMAX shown in FIG. 12A and the most retarded angle phase PMIN shown in FIG. The lock pin 42 is maintained in the state accommodated in the vane 36. Further, even when the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is at the intermediate angle phase PMDL, as long as the lock pin 42 is accommodated in the vane 36 in accordance with the supply of the lubricating oil to the lock chamber 44 and is in the accommodated position L1. The rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is not fixed to the intermediate angle phase PMDL.

  On the other hand, when the rotational phase P is at the intermediate angle phase PMDL and the lubricating oil is discharged from the lock chamber 44 and the force in the protruding direction Z2 acts on the lock pin 42, it is shown in FIG. Thus, the lock pin 42 protrudes from the vane 36 and is fitted into the lock hole 41, and is held at the protruding position L2, whereby the vane rotor 35 is held at the intermediate angle phase PMDL.

  As described above, when the valve timing INVT is to be advanced from the intermediate angle INVTmdl immediately after the occurrence of the engine emergency stop, when the intermediate timing of the valve timing INVT is to be executed, the valve timing is It is also assumed that the driving of the variable mechanism 30 stops. For example, when the drive of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is stopped in a state in which the valve timing INVT is changed to the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl due to the intermediate lock, the next engine start is the value of the valve timing INVT. In this case, the engine startability is lowered. That is, the engine startability is lowered due to an attempt to intermediately lock the valve timing INVT after an emergency stop.

  Therefore, in the internal combustion engine 1, when the valve timing INVT is on the more advanced side than the intermediate angle INVTmdl when the engine emergency stop occurs, the valve timing INVT is advanced. That is, it is prohibited to retard the valve timing INVT during a period in which the variable valve timing mechanism 30 can be controlled. As a result, as compared with the case where the intermediate timing of the valve timing INVT is attempted as described above, the internal combustion engine 1 increases the frequency at which the valve timing INVT is more advanced at the next engine start. Thus, a decrease in engine startability is suitably suppressed.

  With reference to FIG. 14, the processing procedure of “emergency stop process” for controlling the operation of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 at the time of engine emergency stop will be described in detail. The “emergency stop process” is executed by the electronic control unit 101.

  In step S21, it is determined whether or not the internal combustion engine 1 has stalled. In step S22, it is determined whether or not the valve timing INVT when the stall is detected is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl.

  The determination as to whether or not a stall has occurred is performed as follows. That is, based on the fact that at least one of the conditions that the engine rotational speed NE is smaller than a predetermined determination value and the decrease speed of the engine rotational speed NE is larger than a predetermined determination value is satisfied. It is determined that the internal combustion engine 1 has stalled.

In the process, as a result of the determination, any one of the following processes (A) to (C) is performed.
(A) When it is determined that the stall of the internal combustion engine 1 has not occurred, the determination process of step S21 is performed again after a predetermined calculation cycle has elapsed. That is, when the stall has not occurred, the execution of the processing after step S22 is suspended.

  (B) When it is determined that the internal combustion engine 1 has stalled and the valve timing INVT is determined to be behind the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the intermediate lock mechanism 40 fixes the valve timing INVT in step S23. Start the operation. In the next step S24, it is determined whether or not a condition for ending the operation for fixing is satisfied. Details of the processing of each of the above steps are shown below.

  In step S23, the mode A1 is selected as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. As a result, the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side, and a force in the protruding direction Z <b> 2 is applied to the lock pin 42. When the lock pin 42 moves to a position corresponding to the lock hole 41 as the vane rotor 35 advances, the lock pin 42 is inserted into the lock hole 41 and the rotational phase P is fixed to the intermediate angle phase PMDL.

  In step S24, it is determined whether or not the valve timing INVT is fixed to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, and whether or not the elapsed time since the stall of the internal combustion engine 1 has reached a predetermined time is determined. And the process ends based on the satisfaction of any of the conditions. After the elapsed time from the stall exceeds a predetermined time, the valve timing INVT may be fixed to the intermediate angle INVTmdl even if the operation of the variable mechanism 30 is continued due to a decrease in the hydraulic pressure of the valve timing variable mechanism 30. Is considered low. For this reason, in the intermediate locking process, the control of the hydraulic mechanism 60 is stopped when the elapsed time from the stall reaches a predetermined time.

  (C) When it is determined that the internal combustion engine 1 has stalled and it is determined that the valve timing INVT is on the advance side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl, an operation for advancing the valve timing INVT is executed in step S25. Then, the process ends. Details of the processing of the above steps are shown below.

  In step S25, the mode A1 is selected as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. As a result, the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side, and a force in the protruding direction Z <b> 2 is applied to the lock pin 42. Then, the force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 in a state in which the rotational phase P of the vane rotor 35 is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle phase PMDL, that is, on the advance side with respect to the regulation angle phase PLIM. Thus, the pin 52 is maintained in a state of being fitted into the retard restriction groove 51. For this reason, even if the vane rotor 35 is rotated to the retard side after the engine is stopped, the valve timing INVT is not retarded from the regulation angle INVTlim.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The variable valve operating apparatus 3 of the present embodiment is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, the valve timing INVT is on the advance side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl and the internal combustion engine 1 has stalled. Based on the determination, the supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil of the hydraulic mechanism 60 with respect to the variable mechanism 30 is set to the advanced angle supply / discharge state, and the supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil of the hydraulic mechanism 60 with respect to the retard angle restriction mechanism 50 is restricted. The supply / discharge state is set. That is, the mode A1 is selected and the regulation pin 52 is projected. Therefore, when the internal combustion engine 1 is stalled in a state in which the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the retard restriction by the retard restriction mechanism 50 is effective. As a result, when the internal combustion engine 1 is stalled, the intermediate lock mechanism 40 attempts to perform an intermediate lock, and finally the engine is started without being realized. The valve timing INVT at the time of starting is maintained at the advance side. That is, the frequency with which the engine is started in a state where the engine startability is lowered can be reduced.

  (2) In this embodiment, when the internal combustion engine 1 is stalled, if the valve timing INVT is on the retard side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the mode A1 is selected to advance the valve timing INVT and the lock pin 42 The middle lock is attempted with the protruding state. When the valve timing INVT is more advanced than the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the mode A1 is selected to advance the valve timing INVT and the lock pin 42 is in a protruding state. Therefore, when the valve timing INVT when the stall occurs is on the retard side, the intermediate lock is performed, and when the valve timing INVT is on the advance side, the retard restriction is performed even if the intermediate lock cannot be performed. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the frequency at which the engine is started in a state where the engine startability is deteriorated, regardless of whether the valve timing INVT is retarded or advanced from the intermediate angle INVTmdl.

  (3) In this embodiment, when the internal combustion engine 1 is stalled, the mode A1 is selected and the valve timing INVT is advanced even if the valve timing INVT is on the advance side or the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl. The lock pin 42 is in a protruding state while being squared. That is, the engine is stopped with the lock pin 42 protruding. Therefore, when a state occurs in which the rotational phase P changes to the intermediate angle phase PMDL including the mechanical vibration of the mechanism during the period from engine stop to restart, the protruding operation state of the lock pin 42 is maintained. Based on this, an intermediate lock is executed. For this reason, the frequency at which the engine is started in a state where the frequency of the intermediate lock is increased and the engine startability is lowered can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 15, a second embodiment that embodies a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention will be described focusing on changes from the first embodiment. Note that the description of the configuration common to the first embodiment is omitted as appropriate.

  In the first embodiment, the modes A1 to A4 are set as the operation modes of the oil control valve 63. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as an operation mode of the oil control valve 63, a mode B1 in which the lubricant is supplied to the advance chamber 38, the lubricant is discharged from the retard chamber 39, and the lubricant is discharged from the lock chamber 44. Has been added. In this mode B1, the flow area of the communication path formed by the advance port and the supply port when the mode B1 is selected is compared with the flow area of the communication path when the mode A1 is selected. small. In addition, the flow area of the communication path formed by the retard port and the discharge port when mode B1 is selected is smaller than the flow area of the communication path when mode A1 is selected. That is, when the mode B1 is selected, a force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 and the angle is advanced at a lower speed than in the mode A1.

  FIG. 15 shows a summary of the relationship between the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 and the variable valve timing mechanism 30 and the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in this embodiment, and the operation mode setting mode based on the engine operating state. 15B, “VVT” indicates that the valve timing variable mechanism 30 is applied, and “protrusion” indicates that the force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 by the hydraulic pressure of the lock chamber 44. Further, “accommodation” indicates a state in which the force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 acts on the lock pin 42 by the force of the lock spring 43.

  When in mode B1, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 at a lower flow rate than in mode A1, and the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39 at a lower flow rate than in mode A1, and Lubricating oil is discharged from the lock chamber 44. As a result, the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is driven in the advance direction at a lower speed than in the mode A1, and a force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42.

  When in mode A1, the lubricant is supplied to the advance chamber 38, the lubricant is discharged from the retard chamber 39, and the lubricant is discharged from the lock chamber 44, whereby the valve timing variable mechanism 30 is advanced. And a force in the protruding direction Z <b> 2 is applied to the lock pin 42.

  In the mode A2, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38, the lubricating oil in the retard chamber 39 is discharged, and the lubricating oil is supplied to the lock chamber 44, whereby the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is moved in the advance direction. While being driven, a force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 is applied to the lock pin 42.

  When in the mode A3, the lubricating oil in the advance chamber 38 is held, the lubricating oil in the retard chamber 39 is held, and the lubricating oil is supplied to the lock chamber 44, whereby the operating state of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is held. In addition, a force in the accommodating direction Z1 is applied to the lock pin 42.

  When in mode A4, the lubricant in the advance chamber 38 is discharged, the lubricant is supplied to the retard chamber 39, and the lubricant is supplied to the lock chamber 44, whereby the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is moved in the retard direction. While being driven, a force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 is applied to the lock pin 42.

As shown in FIG. 14C, the drive mode of the oil control valve 63 is switched as follows based on the engine operating state.
Mode B1 is selected as the operation mode at the time of engine start, normal engine stop, or idle operation. During normal engine operation, one of modes A2 to A4 is selected as the operation mode. At the time of engine emergency stop, the mode A1 is selected when the valve timing INVT is on the retard side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl, and the mode B1 is selected when it is on the advance side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl. Note that the normal engine stop indicates the operation stop operation of the internal combustion engine 1 performed based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off, and the engine emergency stop is performed without the operation based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off. The operation stop operation of the internal combustion engine 1 is shown.

Here, the control mode of the intermediate lock mechanism 40 will be described.
In the internal combustion engine 1 including the intermediate lock mechanism 40 and the retard restriction mechanism 50, an intermediate lock request is set based on the engine operating state and the like, and the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 when there is the same request. . Specifically, the intermediate lock request is set and the intermediate lock mechanism 40 is controlled based on the settings shown in (X) to (Z) in the first embodiment.

  By the way, in fixing the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl based on the modes (X) and (Y) in which the intermediate lock request is set, the drive speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 (the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35 When the relative rotation speed is excessively large, there is a concern that the lock pin 42 does not fit into the lock hole 41 and passes through the lock hole 41.

  In view of this point, the variable valve operating apparatus 3 of the present embodiment selects the mode B1 instead of selecting the mode A1 in the “intermediate lock process” (see FIG. 11, step S15) of the first embodiment. Yes. As a result, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in a state where the driving speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 in the advance angle direction is sufficiently small, so that the driving speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 described above is achieved. It is possible to accurately suppress the occurrence of problems caused by the problem.

  Furthermore, during an emergency stop of the engine, the period from the abnormality detection to the engine stop is limited. Therefore, it is required to fix the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl earlier than when the engine is normally stopped.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the occurrence of the emergency stop of the engine is confirmed, if the valve timing INVT is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the intermediate lock mechanism 40 tries to fix the valve timing INVT, and at this time The mode A1 is selected as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. That is, the same process as the selection of mode A1 in the “emergency stop process” (see FIG. 11, step S23) of the first embodiment is performed. As a result, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 and the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39, and the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side. At this time, the advance speed driven toward the advance side is higher than that in the mode B1.

  In this embodiment, when the occurrence of an emergency stop of the engine is confirmed, if the valve timing INVT is on the advance side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the mode B1 is selected instead of the selection of the mode A1 in step S25 in FIG. Like to do. As a result, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in a state where the drive speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 in the advance direction is low.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the above embodiment.
(4) When fixing the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl based on the setting of the intermediate lock request, when the driving speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 (relative rotational speed between the housing rotor 31 and the vane rotor 35) is excessively large, There is a concern that the lock pin 42 passes through the lock hole 41 without being fitted into the lock hole 41. Therefore, in view of this point, the variable valve apparatus 3 of the present embodiment selects the mode B1 when an intermediate lock request is set. As a result, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in a state where the driving speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 in the advance angle direction is sufficiently small, so that the driving speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 described above is achieved. It is possible to accurately suppress the occurrence of problems caused by the problem.

  (5) In this embodiment, when the occurrence of an emergency stop of the engine is confirmed and the valve timing INVT is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the intermediate lock mechanism 40 tries to fix the valve timing INVT. The mode B1 is selected as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. As a result, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in a state in which the drive speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 in the advance direction is higher than that in the mode A1, so that it is limited immediately after the emergency stop of the engine. The valve timing INVT can be suitably fixed to the intermediate angle INVTmdl even during the period.

(Third embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 16, a third embodiment that embodies the variable valve operating apparatus 3 for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention will be described focusing on changes from the second embodiment. Note that the description of the configuration common to the second embodiment is omitted as appropriate.

  In the second embodiment, the mode B1 and the modes A1 to A4 are set as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. On the other hand, in this embodiment, instead of mode A1, as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38, the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39, and the lubricating oil from the lock chamber 44. Mode B2 is added. In this mode B2, the flow area of the communication path formed by the advance port and the supply port when the mode B2 is selected is compared with the flow area of the communication path when the mode A2 is selected. small. The flow area of the communication path formed by the advance port and the supply port when mode B2 is selected is the same as the flow area of the communication path when mode B1 is selected. In addition, the flow area of the communication path formed by the retard port and the discharge port when mode B2 is selected is the same as the flow area of the communication path when mode A2 and mode B1 are selected. . That is, when the mode B2 is selected, a force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 and the angle is advanced at a speed lower than the mode A2 and higher than the mode B1.

  FIG. 16 shows a summary of the relationship between the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 and the variable valve timing mechanism 30 and the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in this embodiment, and the operation mode setting mode based on the engine operating state. 16B, “VVT” indicates that the valve timing variable mechanism 30 is applied, and “protrusion” indicates that the force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42 by the hydraulic pressure of the lock chamber 44. Further, “accommodation” indicates a state in which the force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 acts on the lock pin 42 by the force of the lock spring 43.

  When in mode B1, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 at a lower flow rate than in mode A2, and the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39 at a lower flow rate than in mode A2, and Lubricating oil is discharged from the lock chamber 44. As a result, the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is driven in the advance direction at a lower speed than in the mode A2 and at a lower speed than in the mode A3, and a force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42. The

  When in mode B2, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 at a smaller flow rate than in mode A2, and the lubricating oil in the retard chamber 39 is discharged at a flow rate equal to that in mode A2, and Lubricating oil is discharged from the lock chamber 44. As a result, the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is driven in the advance direction at a lower speed than in the mode A2 and higher than in the mode B1, and a force in the protruding direction Z2 is applied to the lock pin 42. The

  When in the mode A2, the lubricating oil in the advance chamber 38 is held, the lubricating oil in the retard chamber 39 is discharged, and the lubricating oil is supplied to the lock chamber 44, whereby the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is moved in the advance direction. While being driven, a force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 is applied to the lock pin 42.

  When in the mode A3, the lubricating oil in the advance chamber 38 is held, the lubricating oil in the retard chamber 39 is held, and the lubricating oil is supplied to the lock chamber 44, whereby the operating state of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is held. In addition, a force in the accommodating direction Z1 is applied to the lock pin 42.

  When in mode A4, the lubricant in the advance chamber 38 is discharged, the lubricant is supplied to the retard chamber 39, and the lubricant is supplied to the lock chamber 44, whereby the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is moved in the retard direction. While being driven, a force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 is applied to the lock pin 42.

As shown in FIG. 16C, the drive mode of the oil control valve 63 is switched as follows based on the engine operating state.
Mode B1 is selected as the operation mode at the time of engine start, normal engine stop, or idle operation. During normal engine operation, one of modes A2 to A4 is selected as the operation mode. At the time of engine emergency stop, mode B2 is selected when the valve timing INVT is on the retard side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl, and mode B1 is selected when it is on the advance side of the intermediate angle INVTmdl. Note that the normal engine stop indicates the operation stop operation of the internal combustion engine 1 performed based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off, and the engine emergency stop is performed without the operation based on the switching operation of the ignition switch from on to off. The operation stop operation of the internal combustion engine 1 is shown.

Here, the control mode of the intermediate lock mechanism 40 will be described.
In the internal combustion engine 1 including the intermediate lock mechanism 40 and the retard restriction mechanism 50, an intermediate lock request is set based on the engine operating state and the like, and the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 when there is the same request. . In the variable valve operating apparatus of the present embodiment, when there is an intermediate lock request, the mode B1 is selected as in the second embodiment. As a result, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 under a state where the drive speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 in the advance direction is sufficiently low.

  And at the time of an engine emergency stop, the period from abnormality detection to an engine stop is limited. Therefore, it is required to fix the valve timing INVT to the intermediate angle INVTmdl earlier than when the engine is normally stopped.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the occurrence of the emergency stop of the engine is confirmed, if the valve timing INVT is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the intermediate lock mechanism 40 tries to fix the valve timing INVT, and at this time The mode B2 is selected as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. As a result, the lubricating oil is supplied to the advance chamber 38 and the lubricating oil is discharged from the retard chamber 39, and the vane rotor 35 is driven to the advance side. At this time, the advance speed driven to the advance side is higher than that in mode B1 and lower than that in mode A2 (the same speed as mode A1 in the second embodiment).

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (4) of the above embodiment.
(6) In this embodiment, when the occurrence of an emergency stop of the engine is confirmed and the valve timing INVT is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, the intermediate lock mechanism 40 tries to fix the valve timing INVT. The mode B2 is selected as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. As a result, the valve timing INVT is fixed by the intermediate lock mechanism 40 in a state where the drive speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 in the advance angle direction is larger than the mode A2 and smaller than the mode B1. The valve timing INVT can be suitably fixed to the intermediate angle INVTmdl even during a limited period immediately after the stop.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be carried out, for example, in the following manner. The following modifications are not applied only to the above-described embodiment, and different modifications can be combined with each other.

  In the first embodiment, the mode A1 is selected at the start, but this may be a mode other than the mode A1. That is, the modes A <b> 2 to A <b> 4 that apply the force in the accommodation direction Z <b> 1 to the lock pin 42 are selected. At this time, since the lock pin 42 moves to the accommodation position L1, it is possible to save time for moving the lock pin 42 to the accommodation position L1 when a command to change the valve timing INVT is issued thereafter.

  In the second embodiment, the mode B1 is selected when the valve timing INVT is on the more advanced side than the intermediate angle INVTmdl during the emergency stop of the engine. However, the mode A1 may be selected.

In the second embodiment, the mode B1 is selected at the start, but the mode A1 may be selected.
In the second embodiment, the flow area of the advance port and supply port in mode B1 is made smaller than that in mode A2, and the flow area of the retard port and discharge port is made smaller than in mode A2. Therefore, the configuration of the oil control valve 63 is adopted in which the advance angle speed of the valve timing variable mechanism 30 in the mode B1 is smaller than that in the mode A2, but the configuration for realizing the function is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to change the distribution area or to close either the advance port or the retard port. That is, any configuration may be adopted as long as mode B2 can advance at a lower speed than mode A1. Note that this modified mode can be adopted instead of the preset mode B1, or can be further added as a mode different from the same mode.

  In the second embodiment, the mode B1 and the modes A1 to A4 are provided as the operation mode of the oil control valve 63. However, the mode A1 can be omitted. At this time, in the process of selecting the mode A1, the mode B1 can be selected instead of the mode A1.

  In the third embodiment, the mode B1 is selected when the valve timing INVT is on the more advanced side than the intermediate angle INVTmdl during the emergency stop of the engine. However, the mode B2 may be selected.

In the third embodiment, mode B1 is selected at start-up, but mode B2 may be selected.
In the third embodiment, the operation mode of the oil control valve 63 includes the mode B1, the mode B2, and the modes A2 to A4. However, the mode B1 can be omitted. At this time, in the process of selecting the mode B1, it is possible to select the mode B2 instead of the mode B1.

  In the third embodiment, the flow area of the advance port and the supply port in mode B1 is made smaller than that in the mode A2, and the flow area of the retard port and the discharge port is made smaller than that in mode A2. Accordingly, the advance angle speed of the valve timing variable mechanism 30 in the mode B1 is made smaller than that in the mode A2, and the flow area of the advance port and the supply port in the mode B2 is made smaller than that in the mode A2, so that the mode B1 time The oil valve control mechanism 63 is employed in which the advance speed of the variable valve timing mechanism 30 is smaller than that in mode A2 and the advance speed in mode B2 is smaller than that in mode A2 and greater than that in mode B1. The configuration for realizing the function is not limited to this. That is, any configuration may be adopted as long as the mode B1 can advance at a lower speed than the mode A2 and the mode B2 can advance at a higher speed than the mode B1 and advance at a lower speed than the mode A2. Note that this modified mode can be adopted instead of the preset mode B1 and mode B2, or can be further added as a mode different from the same mode.

  In the second and third embodiments, the mode B1 is selected at the start, but this may be any one of modes A2 to A4. That is, a mode in which a force in the accommodation direction Z1 is applied to the lock pin 42 is selected. At this time, since the lock pin 42 moves to the accommodation position L1, it is possible to save time for moving the lock pin 42 to the accommodation position L1 when a command to change the valve timing INVT is issued thereafter.

  In each of the above embodiments, the restriction pin 52 always protrudes as long as the target value of the valve timing INVT is on the advance side of the restriction angle INVTlim. However, the restriction pin 52 can be changed as follows. That is, it is possible to change the control so that the valve timing INVT is always accommodated regardless of the target value of the valve timing INVT and is maintained in the protruding state only during an emergency stop. In addition to the control that is always accommodated and protrudes only in an emergency, any of the control that protrudes at the time of engine start, the control that protrudes during idle operation, or the control that protrudes based on the establishment of a predetermined condition during engine operation These controls can be added in combination. Note that the predetermined condition in the control that protrudes during engine operation includes, for example, that the internal combustion engine 1 is in a high-load operation region.

  In each of the above embodiments, at least one of the conditions that the engine rotational speed NE is smaller than a preset determination value and that the reduction speed of the engine rotational speed NE is larger than a preset determination value is satisfied. Stall detection is performed based on the above, but the stall detection method is not limited to this, and any method can be adopted as long as it can detect the stall.

  In each of the above embodiments, the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl and the advanceable mode is selected based on the occurrence of the stall. However, the valve timing INVT is selected from the intermediate angle INVTmdl. If the engine is judged to be advanced and the engine rotational speed is smaller than the judgment value, that is, the engine can be advanced when there is a possibility that an emergency stop other than the normal stop due to the setting of ignition off or the like may occur. You may do it.

  In each of the above embodiments, the housing rotor 31 is retarded in a manner in which the rotational phase P extends from the position corresponding to the restriction angle phase PLIM to the position corresponding to the most advanced angle phase PMAX along the trajectory in the circumferential direction of the restriction pin 52. Although the structure in which the groove 51 is formed is adopted, the structure of the retard angle restricting groove 51 is not limited to this. That is, as the configuration of the retard angle restricting groove 51, any position may be used as long as it is in a range from a position on the advance side to a position corresponding to the most advance angle phase PMAX with respect to the position corresponding to the most retard angle phase PMIN. Can be changed.

  In each of the above embodiments, a configuration is adopted in which the restriction angle is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle, and when the stall is detected, the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl. (Mode A1 in the first and second embodiments, mode B2 in the second embodiment) is selected, but the configuration based on the relationship between the restriction angle and the intermediate angle, and the stall corresponding to these configurations Control at the time of detection is not limited to this. Below, the example of the combination about the control at the time of the relationship between a regulation angle and an intermediate angle and a stall generation | occurrence | production is shown.

  (A) In a configuration in which the regulation angle is on the retard side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, when stall is detected, a mode capable of advance is selected when the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the regulation angle.

  (B) In a configuration in which the regulation angle is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, when stall is detected, a mode capable of advance is selected when the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle.

  (C) In a configuration in which the restriction angle is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl, when a stall is detected and the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the restriction angle, a mode capable of advance is selected.

  (D) In a configuration in which the restriction angle and the intermediate angle INVTmdl coincide with each other, when a stall is detected, if the valve timing INVT is on the advance side with respect to the intermediate angle INVTmdl and the restriction angle, a mode capable of advance is selected.

  In each of the above embodiments, when the stall is detected, the valve timing INVT can be advanced when the valve timing INVT is on the more advanced side than the intermediate angle INVTmdl (mode A1 in the first and second embodiments, the second embodiment) In the above, mode B2) is selected, but this can select a mode in which retardation is prohibited. That is, as long as the retarding of the valve timing INVT at that time can be prohibited, the restricting pin 52 is maintained at the protruding position K2, so that the retarding beyond the restricting angle INVTlim can be suppressed. Therefore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the mode A2 in which the advance angle is performed and the lock pin 42 is accommodated or the mode A3 in which the phase is maintained and the lock pin 42 is accommodated can be selected.

  In each of the above embodiments, the oil control valve 63 that controls the supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil to the advance chamber 38, the retard chamber, and the lock chamber 44, and the switching valve that controls the supply / discharge state of the lubricant to the restriction chamber 54 However, the structure of the lubricating device is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to provide a hydraulic mechanism 60 that controls the supply / discharge state of the lubricating oil with respect to the advance chamber 38, the retard chamber 39, the lock chamber 44, and the restriction chamber 54 by a single oil control valve.

  In each of the above embodiments, when the hydraulic pressure of the regulation chamber 54 with respect to the regulation pin 52 is released, the regulation pin 52 is maintained in a state in which the regulation pin 52 can protrude from the vane 36, but the regulation chamber 54 and the regulation spring 53 The relationship can be set to the opposite of the above embodiment. That is, it is possible to change to a configuration in which a force in the protruding direction Y2 is applied to the restriction pin by hydraulic pressure, and a force in the housing direction Y1 is applied to the restriction pin 52 by the force of the restriction spring.

  In each of the above embodiments, the lock groove 41A is provided in the intermediate lock mechanism 40, but the present invention can be applied even to a valve timing variable mechanism including an intermediate lock mechanism that does not have a lock groove.

  In each of the above embodiments, as the configuration of the intermediate lock mechanism 40, the vane rotor 35 is provided with the lock pin 42, the lock chamber 44, and the lock spring 43, and the housing rotor 31 is provided with the lock hole 41. The configuration of the locking mechanism is not limited to this. For example, the lock pin 42, the lock chamber 44, and the lock spring 43 may be provided in the housing rotor, and the lock hole 41 may be provided in the vane rotor.

  In each of the above embodiments, as the configuration of the retard angle regulating mechanism 50, a configuration in which the vane rotor 35 is provided with the regulating pin 52, the regulating chamber 54, and the regulating spring 53 and the housing rotor 31 is provided with the retard angle regulating groove 51 is adopted. However, the configuration of the retard restriction mechanism is not limited to this. For example, a restriction pin, a restriction chamber, and a restriction spring can be provided on the housing rotor, and a restriction groove can be provided on the vane rotor.

  In each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to the variable valve operating apparatus 3 including the valve timing variable mechanism 30 of the intake valve 21, but to the variable valve apparatus including the valve timing variable mechanism of the exhaust valve 23. In addition, the present invention can be applied in a manner according to the above embodiment.

  The configuration of the variable valve operating apparatus to which the present invention is applied including the configurations of the variable valve timing mechanism 30, the intermediate lock mechanism 40, the retard angle regulating mechanism 50, and the hydraulic mechanism 60 are limited to the contents exemplified in the above embodiment. It is not something that can be done. That is, a variable valve timing mechanism that changes the valve timing, an intermediate lock mechanism that performs an intermediate lock that fixes the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle, and a delay that restricts the valve timing from changing to the retard side relative to the restriction angle. It is possible to apply the present invention to any variable valve gear as long as it is equipped with an angle regulating mechanism and performs the advance and retard regulation of the valve timing at the same time. In that case, the effect according to the effect of the said embodiment can be show | played.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Internal combustion engine, 10 ... Engine main body, 11 ... Cylinder block, 12 ... Oil pan, 13 ... Cylinder head, 14 ... Combustion chamber, 15 ... Piston, 16 ... Crankshaft, 21 ... Intake valve, 22 ... Intake camshaft, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Exhaust valve, 24 ... Exhaust cam shaft, 3 ... Variable valve operating apparatus, 30 ... Variable valve timing mechanism, 31 ... Housing rotor (input rotary body, engagement rotary body), 31A ... Partition wall, 32 ... Housing main body, 33 ... Sprocket, 34 ... Cover, 35 ... Vane rotor (output rotator, projecting rotator), 36 ... Vane, 37 ... Vane storage chamber, 38 ... Advance chamber, 39 ... Delay chamber, 40 ... Intermediate lock mechanism (fixed) Mechanism), 41 ... lock hole, 41A ... lock groove, 42 ... lock pin (fixed body), 43 ... lock spring, 44 ... lock chamber (fixed chamber), 50 ... retard angle regulation Structure (regulating mechanism), 51 ... retard angle regulating groove, 52 ... regulating pin (regulator), 53 ... regulating spring, 54 ... regulating chamber, 60 ... hydraulic mechanism, 61 ... oil pump, 62 ... switching valve, 63 ... oil Control valve, 70 ... oil passage, 71 ... suction oil passage, 72 ... first supply oil passage, 73 ... first discharge oil passage, 74 ... advance oil passage, 75 ... retard oil passage, 76 ... lock oil passage, 77 ... second supply oil passage, 78 ... second discharge oil passage, 79 ... regulation oil passage, 80 ... housing, 81 ... intermediate communication passage, 82 ... advance port, 83 ... retard port, 84 ... lock port, 85 ... 1st supply port, 86 ... 2nd supply port, 87 ... 1st discharge port, 88 ... 2nd discharge port, 90 ... Spool, 91 ... 1st partition, 92 ... 2nd partition, 93 ... 3rd partition, 94 ... 4th partition, 95 ... 5th partition, 100 ... Control device (control means), 101 ... Child controller, 102 ... crank position sensor, 103 ... cam position sensor.

Claims (16)

A variable mechanism for changing the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism for fixing the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, and these variable mechanisms and An operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is advanced, comprising: a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixing mechanism; and a control unit that controls the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism. , And the hydraulic mechanism is advanced to the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism, with the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle as the fixed operating state. Setting the supply / discharge state to maintain the variable mechanism in the advance operation state and setting the supply / discharge state of hydraulic fluid to the fixed mechanism to the fixed supply / discharge state The variable valve device for an internal combustion engine is to maintain a constant operating state,
The control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the intermediate angle and that the internal combustion engine has stalled. variable valve device for an internal combustion engine, wherein said a set Teisu shall supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil to the advanced angle supply and discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism against. A variable mechanism for changing the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism for fixing the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, and these variable mechanisms and An operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is advanced, comprising: a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixing mechanism; and a control unit that controls the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism. , And the hydraulic mechanism is advanced to the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism, with the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle as the fixed operating state. Setting the supply / discharge state to maintain the variable mechanism in the advance operation state and setting the supply / discharge state of hydraulic fluid to the fixed mechanism to the fixed supply / discharge state The variable valve device for an internal combustion engine is to maintain a constant operating state,
The control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined regulation condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the intermediate angle and the engine rotational speed is smaller than a determination value. variable valve device for an internal combustion engine, characterized in that the supply and discharge state of the hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanism for mechanism is set Teisu shall the advance supply and discharge state. A variable mechanism for changing the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism for fixing the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, and these variable mechanisms and An operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is retarded, comprising a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixing mechanism, and a control mechanism that controls the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism. Is the retarded operation state, the operation state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle is the fixed operation state, and the hydraulic mechanism is configured to supply and discharge the hydraulic oil to and from the fixed mechanism. In a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that is set to an exhaust state and maintains the fixing mechanism in the fixed operation state ,
Before SL control means, based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, i.e. based on the fact that the valve timing is judged the located on the advance side than the intermediate angle and that the stalling of the internal combustion engine has occurred, the variable A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which prohibits setting of the retard operation state as a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to a mechanism.   The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
  The variable valve operating apparatus further includes a restriction mechanism that performs a retard angle restriction that restricts the valve timing from changing to a retard angle side from a restriction angle between the intermediate angle and the most retarded angle. Yes,
  The hydraulic mechanism sets the operation state of the restriction mechanism when the retardation restriction is effective as a restriction operation state, and sets a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the restriction mechanism to a restriction supply / discharge state. Maintaining the operating state in the regulated operating state;
  The control means sets the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism to the variable mechanism to the advance angle supply / discharge state based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition, and the hydraulic mechanism of the hydraulic mechanism to the restriction mechanism. The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state is set to the regulated supply / discharge state.
  A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine. A variable mechanism for changing the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism for fixing the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, and these variable mechanisms and An operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is advanced, comprising: a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixing mechanism; and a control unit that controls the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism. , And the hydraulic mechanism is advanced to the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism, with the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle as the fixed operating state. Setting the supply / discharge state to maintain the variable mechanism in the advance operation state and setting the supply / discharge state of hydraulic fluid to the fixed mechanism to the fixed supply / discharge state The variable valve device for an internal combustion engine is to maintain a constant operating state,
The variable valve operating apparatus further includes a restriction mechanism that performs a retard restriction that restricts the valve timing from changing to a retard angle rather than a restrict angle that is more advanced than the most retarded angle.
The hydraulic mechanism sets the operation state of the restriction mechanism when the retardation restriction is effective as a restriction operation state, and sets the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the restriction mechanism to a restriction supply / discharge state. Maintaining the regulated operation state;
The control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the restriction angle and that the internal combustion engine has stalled. The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism to the restriction mechanism is set to the restricted supply / discharge state. A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine characterized by the above. A variable mechanism for changing the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism for fixing the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, and these variable mechanisms and An operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is advanced, comprising: a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixing mechanism; and a control unit that controls the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism. , And the hydraulic mechanism is advanced to the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state with respect to the variable mechanism, with the operating state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle as the fixed operating state. Setting the supply / discharge state to maintain the variable mechanism in the advance operation state and setting the supply / discharge state of hydraulic fluid to the fixed mechanism to the fixed supply / discharge state The variable valve device for an internal combustion engine is to maintain a constant operating state,
The variable valve operating apparatus further includes a restriction mechanism that performs a retard restriction that restricts the valve timing from changing to a retard angle rather than a restrict angle that is more advanced than the most retarded angle.
The hydraulic mechanism sets the operation state of the restriction mechanism when the retardation restriction is effective as a restriction operation state, and sets the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the fixed mechanism to the restriction supply / discharge state. Maintaining the regulated operation state;
The control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the restriction angle and the engine rotational speed is smaller than a determination value. The hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism to the mechanism is set to the advance angle supply / discharge state, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism to the restriction mechanism is set to the restriction supply / discharge state. A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine. A variable mechanism for changing the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve as an engine valve, a fixing mechanism for fixing the valve timing to a specific intermediate angle between the most advanced angle and the most retarded angle, and these variable mechanisms and An operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is retarded , comprising a hydraulic mechanism that changes a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to / from the fixing mechanism, and a control mechanism that controls the variable mechanism, the fixing mechanism, and the hydraulic mechanism. Is the retarded operation state, the operation state of the fixing mechanism when the valve timing is fixed at the intermediate angle is the fixed operation state, and the hydraulic mechanism is configured to supply and discharge the hydraulic oil to and from the fixed mechanism. In a variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine that is set to an exhaust state and maintains the fixing mechanism in the fixed operation state,
The variable valve operating apparatus further includes a restriction mechanism that performs a retard restriction that restricts the valve timing from changing to a retard angle rather than a restrict angle that is more advanced than the most retarded angle.
The hydraulic mechanism sets the operation state of the restriction mechanism when the retardation restriction is effective as a restriction operation state, and sets the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the restriction mechanism to a restriction supply / discharge state. Maintaining the regulated operation state;
The control means is based on the establishment of a predetermined restriction condition, that is, based on the determination that the valve timing is on the advance side of the restriction angle and that the internal combustion engine has stalled. A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which prohibits setting of the retard operation state as a supply / discharge state of hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the engine. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 4 to 7 ,
The hydraulic mechanism sets the operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is advanced to an advanced operating state, and sets the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state to the variable mechanism to the advanced supply / discharge state. Maintaining the mechanism in the advance operation state, and setting the supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to the fixed mechanism to the release / discharge state to release the fixed operation state of the fixing mechanism, A first hydraulic control valve that controls a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil for the variable mechanism, and a second hydraulic control valve that controls a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil for the restriction mechanism,
The first hydraulic control valve maintains the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic mechanism for the variable mechanism in the advance angle supply / discharge state when the operation mode is the advance angle mode.
The second hydraulic control valve is configured to maintain a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil of the hydraulic mechanism for the restriction mechanism in the restriction supply / discharge state when the operation mode is a restriction mode.
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the advance angle mode and sets the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve to the restriction mode based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition. What is claimed is: 1. A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising: The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 8 ,
The first hydraulic control valve is an operation mode for setting a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to each of the advance and retard chambers of the variable mechanism and the fixed chamber of the fixing mechanism.
A mode A1 for supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber, discharging hydraulic oil from the retard chamber, and maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed chamber in the fixed supply / discharge state;
A mode A2 for supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber, discharging hydraulic oil from the retard chamber, and maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state;
Stop supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber and discharging hydraulic oil from the advance chamber, stop supplying hydraulic oil to the retard chamber and discharging hydraulic oil from the retard chamber, and Mode A3 for maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state;
A mode A4 for discharging the hydraulic oil from the advance chamber, supplying the hydraulic oil to the retard chamber, and maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state; ,
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode A1 as the advance angle mode based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition, and sets the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve. A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, characterized in that the control mode is set. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 9 ,
The first hydraulic control valve is an operation mode for setting a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to each of the advance and retard chambers of the variable mechanism and the fixed chamber of the fixing mechanism.
A smaller amount of hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber than when the mode A1 is selected, and a smaller amount of hydraulic oil is discharged from the retard chamber than when the mode A1 is selected. A mode B1 for maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed supply / discharge state;
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode A1 or the mode B1 as the advance angle mode based on the establishment of the predetermined regulation condition, and the second hydraulic control valve An operation mode of the internal combustion engine is set to the restriction mode. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 10 ,
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode B1 when an intermediate angle fixing request is set during engine operation, and the first hydraulic control valve when the predetermined restriction condition is satisfied. An operation mode of the internal combustion engine is set to the mode A1. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 8 ,
The first hydraulic control valve is an operation mode for setting a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to each of the advance and retard chambers of the variable mechanism and the fixed chamber of the fixing mechanism.
A mode A2 for supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber, discharging hydraulic oil from the retard chamber, and maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state;
Stop supplying hydraulic oil to the advance chamber and discharging hydraulic oil from the advance chamber, stop supplying hydraulic oil to the retard chamber and discharging hydraulic oil from the retard chamber, and Mode A3 for maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state;
Mode A4 for discharging hydraulic oil from the advance chamber and supplying hydraulic oil to the retard chamber and maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil for the fixed chamber in the release supply / discharge state;
A smaller amount of hydraulic oil is supplied to the advance chamber than when the mode A2 is selected, and a smaller amount of hydraulic oil is discharged from the retard chamber than when the mode A2 is selected. And a mode B1 for maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed supply / discharge state,
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode B1 as the advance angle mode and sets the operation mode of the second hydraulic control valve based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition. A variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine, characterized in that the control mode is set. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 12 ,
The first hydraulic control valve is an operation mode for setting a supply / discharge state of hydraulic oil to each of the advance and retard chambers of the variable mechanism and the fixed chamber of the fixing mechanism.
The same amount of hydraulic oil as that when the mode B1 is selected is supplied to the advance chamber, the same amount of hydraulic oil as that when the mode A2 is selected is discharged from the retard chamber, and the fixed chamber Further comprising a mode B2 for maintaining the supply / discharge state of the hydraulic oil in the fixed supply / discharge state,
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode B1 or the mode B2 as the advance angle mode based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition, and the second hydraulic control valve An operation mode of the internal combustion engine is set to the restriction mode. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to claim 13 ,
The control means sets the operation mode of the first hydraulic control valve to the mode B1 when an intermediate angle fixing request is set during engine operation, and the first hydraulic control valve when the predetermined restriction condition is satisfied. An operation mode of the internal combustion engine is set to the mode B2. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 4 to 14 ,
The hydraulic mechanism sets the operating state of the variable mechanism when the valve timing is advanced to an advanced operating state, and sets the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state to the variable mechanism to the advanced supply / discharge state. Maintaining the mechanism in the advance operation state,
The control means sets the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state of the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the variable mechanism to the advance angle supply / discharge state based on the establishment of the predetermined restriction condition, and operates the hydraulic mechanism with respect to the restriction mechanism. When the oil supply / discharge state is set to the regulated supply / discharge state, the advance angle supply / discharge state and the regulated supply / discharge state are maintained when the internal combustion engine is started thereafter. Variable valve gear. The variable valve operating apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 4 to 15 ,
The variable mechanism includes an input rotating body that rotates by a force transmitted from a crankshaft, and an output rotating body that rotates together with the camshaft of the engine valve by a force transmitted from the input rotating body. And
The fixing mechanism is provided on a protruding rotating body which is one of the input rotating body and the output rotating body, and operates between a state protruding from the rotating body and a state accommodated in the rotating body; A fixed chamber that is provided on the projecting rotating body and that is supplied with hydraulic oil from the hydraulic mechanism, wherein the hydraulic oil is supplied to and discharged from the fixed chamber. Based on the fixed supply / discharge state, the fixed operation state in which the force in the direction of protruding from the protruding rotating body is applied to the fixed body is maintained, and the protruding rotation The fixed body protruding from the body is fitted into a restriction hole of an engaging rotating body which is the other of the input rotating body and the output rotating body, thereby fixing the valve timing to the intermediate angle, Mechanism Based on the fact that the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state for the fixed chamber becomes the release / discharge state, the fixed body is separated from the restriction hole and pulled into the projecting rotating body, so that the middle of the valve timing It is to release the fixing to the corner,
The restricting mechanism is provided on the protruding rotating body of the input rotating body and the output rotating body, and operates between a state protruding from the rotating body and a state accommodated in the rotating body, and A restriction chamber that is provided on the projecting rotating body and that is supplied with hydraulic oil from the hydraulic mechanism, and the hydraulic oil supply / discharge state in the restriction chamber by the hydraulic mechanism is the restriction Based on the supply / discharge state, the regulation operation state in which a force in the direction of projecting from the projecting rotating body is applied to the regulating body is maintained, and from the projecting rotating body, The restricting body is controlled by the projecting restricting body being fitted into a restricting groove of the engaging rotating body which is the other of the input rotating body and the output rotating body, and the restricting chamber by the hydraulic mechanism. About Based on the fact that the oil supply / discharge state becomes the permitted supply / discharge state, the retarder is released from the restricting groove and pulled into the projecting rotating body to release the retardation control. A variable valve operating device for an internal combustion engine characterized by the above.

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