Presented are variable compression ratio and independent compression and expansion engines, methods for making/operating such engines, and vehicles equipped with such engines. An engine assembly includes an engine block with a cylinder bore defining a combustion chamber, and a piston movable within the cylinder bore. A valve assembly, which is fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber, selectively introduces/evacuates fluid from the combustion chamber. A crankshaft is supported by the engine block and rotatable on a first axis. A multipoint linkage, which drivingly engages the piston to the crankshaft, rotates on a second axis offset from the first axis. A control shaft is supported by the engine block and rotates on a third axis offset from the first and second axes. The control shaft operable to selectively rotate the multipoint linkage on the second axis, and is operable to selectively unseat the valve assembly.

Various embodiments include a method for actuating a camshaft adjuster of an internal combustion engine, in which a current is generated in an electric motor of the camshaft adjuster comprising: measuring an instantaneous strength of the current; calculating a mean value of the measured strength of the current over a predefined elapsed time; measuring a temperature of the camshaft adjuster; comparing the mean value of the measured strength of the current to a threshold value obtained from a characteristic diagram stored in a memory based on the measured temperature and the predefined elapsed time; and reducing the current if the calculated mean value of the strength of the current is higher than the threshold value.

A variable camshaft timing system including a first camshaft phaser having an input that is configured to receive rotational force from a crankshaft and an output that is configured to link with a first camshaft of a concentric camshaft assembly to change the angular position of the first camshaft relative to a crankshaft; and a second camshaft phaser having an output that is configured to link with a second camshaft of the concentric camshaft assembly to change the angular position of the second camshaft relative to the crankshaft, wherein the first camshaft is concentrically positioned to the first camshaft and the first camshaft phaser is mechanically linked to the second camshaft phaser to communicate rotational force from the crankshaft to the second camshaft phaser through the first camshaft phaser and the mechanical link.

A bearing portion of a planetary rotatable body for providing bearing support in a thrust direction is defined as a planetary thrust bearing portion. A driving-side rotatable body or a driven-side rotatable body, which is configured to contact the planetary thrust bearing portion in the thrust direction, is defined as a specific rotatable body. A bearing portion of the specific rotatable body for providing bearing support in the thrust direction is defined as a specific thrust bearing portion. In a parallel state where the specific thrust bearing portion and the planetary thrust bearing portion are parallel to each other, the specific thrust bearing portion and the planetary thrust bearing portion contact with each other only on one of an eccentric side and a counter-eccentric side of the planetary rotatable body while the counter-eccentric side is opposite to the eccentric side.

A phase changing unit of the present invention changes the relative rotational phase of a first rotating body and a second rotating body, and includes: a rotating member to which an external drive shaft is connected and to which a rotational driving force is applied; and a relative rotation mechanism that generates a relative rotation between a first rotating body and a second rotating body by the rotation of the rotating member. The rotating member includes: an action part that is made of metal and acts on the relative rotation mechanism; a connection part which is made of resin and to which the drive shaft is connected; and a fragile part that is made of resin and functions to cut the transmission of a rotational force between the drive shaft and the rotating member when an excessive load has occurred.

A motor device includes a motor and a drive device. The motor includes a housing shaped in a bottomed cylinder shape, a stator and a rotor held by the housing, and a sensor magnet attached to a rotor surface on an upper surface of the rotor. The drive device includes a wiring board facing the sensor magnet, an electronic component mounted on the wiring board, a Hall element mounted on the wiring board to face the sensor magnet, and a sealing resin body sealing the wiring board. The sealing resin body includes, as a positioner for positioning the sealing resin body and the housing in a radial direction and in a circumferential direction centering on a motor shaft axis, an inlay wall surface and a fixing part.

An electrically-actuated camshaft phaser used in an internal combustion engine including a camshaft sprocket, configured to receive rotational input from a crankshaft, that includes a sprocket ring gear having a plurality of radially-inwardly facing gear teeth and a radially extending sprocket side; a camshaft plate that includes a camshaft ring gear having a plurality of radially-inwardly facing gear teeth and a radially extending camshaft side; a plurality of planetary gears having radially-outwardly facing gear teeth, each gear with a first radial gear face and a second radial gear face, wherein the planetary gears engage the sprocket ring gear, the camshaft ring gear, or both the sprocket ring gear and the camshaft ring gear; and one or more fluid escapement channels formed in at least one of the camshaft sprocket, the camshaft plate, the first radial gear face, or the second radial gear face.

A switchable lever arrangement is provided that includes at least one switchable lever and a rotary actuator. The at least one switchable lever includes an outer lever, an inner lever pivotably mounted to the outer lever, and a locking part that selectively locks the inner lever to the outer lever. The rotary actuator rotates about a rotational axis to actuate the locking part. The rotary actuator has a first locked position defined by a first effective actuation length, and a second unlocked position defined by a second effective actuation length, with the second actuation length different than the first actuation length.

A cam plate is coupled to a driven-side shaft and is rotatable relative to a housing. A gear is placed on a side of the cam plate, which is opposite to the driven-side shaft. The housing has a contact surface that is configured to contact a wall surface of the cam plate, which is located on one side in an axial direction of the housing. Among two external toothed portions, one external toothed portion is located on an opposite side of the contact surface, which is opposite to the gear in the axial direction. The cam plate has a bearing portion that is located on a side of the contact surface, which is opposite to the gear, and the bearing portion has an outer peripheral surface configured to receive a radial load applied from an inner peripheral surface of the housing in a radially inward direction.

An actuation apparatus for actuating a component of a switchable valve train device of an internal combustion engine includes: a support body for mounting on a cylinder head cover of the internal combustion engine; an actuation lever mounted to the support body for pivotal movement of the actuation lever between a first position for actuation of the component and a second position for allowing de-actuation of the component; and a biasing means for urging the actuation lever from the second position towards the first position. In use, the biasing means becomes biased when an actuation source causes the actuation lever to pivot to the second position. When the actuation source attempts to actuate the component when the component is non-actuatable, the biasing means causes the actuation lever to pivot from the second position to the first position, thereby to actuate the component when the component becomes actuatable again.