An engine variable camshaft timing phaser (10) includes a sprocket (12) and a planetary gear assembly (14). The sprocket (12) receives rotational drive input from an engine crankshaft. The planetary gear assembly (14) includes two or more ring gears (26, 28), multiple planet gears (24), a sun gear (22), and a wrap spring (76). One of the ring gears (26, 28) receives rotational drive input from the sprocket (12) and one of the ring gears (26, 28) transmits rotational drive output to an engine camshaft. The sun gear (22) engages with the planet gears (24). The wrap spring (76) experiences expansion and contraction exertions to permit advancing and retarding engine valve opening and closing, and to prevent advancing and retarding engine valve opening and closing.

An oil drain structure of a valve timing adjusting device for an internal combustion engine is provided to adjust a valve timing of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve by a torque of a cam shaft and a pressure of a working fluid. The oil drain structure of the valve timing adjusting device includes a rotation preventing means to suppress a position change between a rotor and a housing by regulating a relative rotation of the rotor with respect to the housing.

Methods and systems are described for an engine with a cam torque actuated variable cam timing phaser. Phaser positioning control is improved by reducing inaccuracies resulting from inadvertent spool valve and/or phaser movement when the spool valve is commanded between regions. In addition, improved spool valve mapping is used to render phaser commands more consistent and robust.

The present disclosure provides a locking structure of a valve timing adjustment apparatus for an internal combustion engine, using torque from a camshaft and the pressure of working fluid. The locking structure includes an anti-rotation mechanism for inhibiting or preventing a position change between a rotor and a housing by preventing relative rotation of the rotor to the housing. The anti-rotation mechanism further includes: a plurality of locking grooves which are formed on the ratchet plate with different depths and connected to each other; and a locking pin member. In particular, the locking pin member has: a hollow outer pin elastically disposed in a fitting hole formed in vanes, an inner pin elastically disposed inside the outer pin, and a lifter ring coupled to the upper portion of the outer pin to slide on the inner side of the fitting hole.

The present disclosure provides a valve timing adjustment apparatus for an internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes an anti-rotation mechanism for inhibiting a position change between a rotor and a housing by inhibiting or preventing relative rotation of the rotor to the housing. The anti-rotation mechanism includes: a plurality of locking grooves formed on the ratchet plate with different depths and connected to each other; and a locking pin member having an outer pin elastically disposed in a fitting hole formed in one of the vanes, and an inner pin elastically disposed inside the outer pin. In particular, the inner pin locks the rotor to the housing when the outer pin and the inner pin are sequentially fitted in the locking grooves by torque from the camshaft.

A valve opening/closing timing control device is configured to be capable of appropriately setting a valve opening/closing timing within a short period of time from start-up of an internal combustion engine. An advancing chamber and a retarding chamber for relative phase control are formed between a driving rotating body that rotates synchronously with a drive shaft of an internal combustion engine and a driven rotating body that rotates integrally with a valve opening/closing camshaft, and a lock mechanism that locks the relative rotation phase at a locked phase is provided. During start-up of the internal combustion engine, a controller starts fluid-filling control for filling the advancing chamber and the retarding chamber with a fluid, and performs unlock control for releasing a locked state of the lock mechanism before filling of the fluid by the fluid-filling control is completed.

A method of controlling a continuously variable valve timing system, may include determining whether there is an error of a position of a cam, performing a passive control based on a value learned about a position of the cam during previous driving when it is determined that there is an error of the position of the cam, determining whether a motion of the continuously variable valve timing system is stopped while the passive control is performed based on the value learned about the position of the cam during the previous driving, learning the stopping position of the continuously variable valve timing system when it is determined that the motion of the continuously variable valve timing system is stopped, and learning a position for limp-home of the continuously variable valve timing system and then controlling the continuously variable valve timing system to the learned position for the limp-home.

A wedge clutch for a camshaft phaser is disclosed. The wedge clutch includes a stator including a pressure plate. The wedge clutch further includes a wedge plate including a notch. The notch includes a pulling surface. The wedge clutch further includes a rotor including a pin inside of a chamber. The pin is configured to rotate the wedge plate in a first circumferential direction relative to the rotor by sliding along the pulling surface as the pin extends out of the chamber to disengage the wedge clutch from the pressure plate.

A hydraulic camshaft adjuster for changing the control times of gas exchange valves of an internal combustion engine, designed as a vane cell camshaft adjuster. A control device inserted in the vane selectively opens and interrupts a flow connection between the working chambers. A locking device prevents relative motion between the rotor and the stator in that the rotor is fastened to the stator at a vane position. A switching valve, which has three working ports, a P port and a T port, can be moved into different control positions by an adjusting element,wherein in the control position, the P port communicates with the working chambers via the A port, the B port is blocked at the switching valve, and the T port communicates with the control device of the vanes via the C port. In a control position provided as a starting strategy for the switching valve the A port communicates with the P port and the working chambers, the B port communicates with the T port and the working chambers, and the C port communicates with the control device of the vanes and the T port.

A camshaft adjusting device, including a vane cell adjuster having a stator connectable to a crankshaft and a rotor, which is rotatably supported in the stator and connectable to a camshaft. Webs on the stator, divide an annular space between the stator and the rotor into pressure chambers, wherein the rotor has a rotor hub and vanes extending radially outward from the rotor hub, which vanes divide the pressure chambers into two groups of working chambers having a different acting direction, into each of which working chambers pressure medium flowing in or out in a pressure-medium circuit can be admitted, and a central locking device for locking the rotor in relation to the stator. The central locking device has two spring-loaded locking pins in an accommodating space, and lockable in a locking slot-secured to the stator and lock in the locking slot when the rotor rotates from the direction of an early or late stop position into the locking position from different directions, wherein the locking pin forms a valve device together with the particular accommodating space, wherein the locking pin is a step pin.