A phaser which has an offset or remote pilot valve added to the hydraulic circuit to manage a hydraulic detent switching function, in order to provide a mid-position lock for cold starts of the engine, either during cranking or prior to complete engine shutdown. The mid-position locking of the phaser positions the cam at an optimum position for cold restarts of the engine.

A valve timing controller includes: a driving-side rotating body rotating in synchronization with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine; a driven-side rotating body disposed coaxially with a rotation axis of the driving-side rotating body and rotating integrally with a valve opening and closing camshaft; advancing and retarding chambers formed between the driving-side and driven-side rotating bodies; a control valve unit controlling supply and discharge of a fluid to and from the advancing and retarding chambers; and a check valve unit disposed upstream of the control valve unit in a supply flow passage. A pressure space is provided between the control valve and check valve units, the control valve unit has a flow passage structure, and the check valve unit includes a supply flow passage and a return check valve.

A friction shim is configured to generate a frictional force between a first shim contact surface of the friction shim and a shaft end surface of a driven shaft and a frictional force between a second shim contact surface of the friction shim and an opposing surface of a second rotatable body after installation of a valve timing regulator to the driven shaft. A contact member has a first member contact surface configured to contact the shaft end surface. The contact member is installed to the second rotatable body such that the first member contact surface contacts the shaft end surface before occurrence of contact of the first shim contact surface to the shaft end surface at a time of installing the valve timing regulator to the driven shaft.

A rotor is provided for a camshaft phaser. The rotor includes a plurality of vanes, a locking pin aperture, a vent passage connected to an end of the locking pin aperture, and an axial face configured to connect with a camshaft. The axial face defines a timing protrusion that is aligned with the vent passage or the locking pin aperture, and configured to be received by the camshaft.

A camshaft phaser is provided that includes a stator, a rotor having a plurality of vanes that form fluid chambers with the stator, and a timing wheel attached to the rotor. The rotor includes an axial fastening interface with an annular groove for receiving an annular protrusion of the timing wheel.

A lock pin for a VCT device that has a locked position, locking a housing assembly relative to a rotor assembly of the variable cam timing device, and an unlocked position. The lock pin has a body comprising a first diameter with a first area, a second diameter with a second area, and a chamber formed between the first area of the first diameter and the second area of the second diameter for receiving fluid, the first area being greater than the second area. When fluid is applied to the chamber through the variable cam timing phaser, a difference between first area and the second area defining the chamber creates a force imbalance, such that the oil pressure applied to the chamber of the body assists in maintaining the Sock pin in the locked position.

A retard supply check valve is installed in a retard supply passage and is located on a side of a hydraulic oil controller where a hydraulic oil supply source is placed. The retard supply check valve enables only a flow of hydraulic oil from the hydraulic oil supply source toward a retard chamber. An advance supply check valve is installed in an advance supply passage and is located on the side of the hydraulic oil controller where the hydraulic oil supply source is placed. The advance supply check valve enables only a flow of the hydraulic oil from the hydraulic oil supply source toward an advance chamber.

An ECU (101) causes lock pin-release hydraulic pressure to be applied to an advance-side lock pin-release oil passage (5a) to disengage an advance-side lock pin (6) from an advance-side engagement groove (9), thereby making a rotor (1) rotatable in an advance direction, and forming a clearance communicating with a retard-side lock pin-release oil passage (5c), between the advance-side engagement groove (9) and the advance-side lock pin (6). Next, the ECU (101) causes hydraulic pressure to be applied to advancing hydraulic chambers (16) to rotate the rotor (1), and causes the lock pin-release hydraulic pressure to be applied through the clearance and through the retard-side lock pin-release oil passage (5c) to a retard-side engagement groove (10) to disengage a retard-side lock pin (7).

A camshaft phaser is provided that includes a stator, a rotor having a plurality of vanes that form fluid chambers with the stator, and a timing wheel attached to the rotor via a spline joint arranged between the rotor and timing wheel. The spline joint is configured to prevent axial and radial movement of the timing wheel relative to the rotor.

A press-fit member having a cylindrical shape is press-fit into a through hole formed in a vane. An advance-side lock pin and a retard-side lock pin are provided coaxially with each other inside the press-fit member. In the outer circumferential surface of the press-fit member, an advance-side lock pin-release oil passage for applying lock pin-release hydraulic pressure to an advance-side engagement groove and a retard-side lock pin-release oil passage for applying the lock pin-release hydraulic pressure, applied to the advance-side engagement groove, to a retard-side engagement groove are formed.