Bearing frame or cylinder head cover of an internal combustion engine

Abstract

A bearing frame or a cylinder head cover for an internal combustion engine may include at least one camshaft mounted in tunnel bearings in at least two bearing openings arranged along a bearing channel and completely enclosing at least one of the camshaft and a radial bearing, and at least one axial shaft bearing ring arranged on the camshaft. The axial shaft bearing ring may have a ring groove which is open towards the bearing frame or towards the cylinder head cover. At least one engagement element may be arranged on the bearing frame or on the cylinder head cover, which engagement element may engage into the ring groove and forms an axial bearing for the camshaft.

Claims

1. A method for mounting an installed camshaft in a bearing frame or a cylinder head cover, comprising: holding the bearing frame or a cylinder head cover via a holding apparatus; gripping functional elements to be mounted and an axial shaft bearing ring via a gripper; arranging the functional elements with their through-openings coaxially with respect to bearing openings of the bearing frame or the cylinder head cover, which are arranged along a bearing channel; pushing the camshaft through the bearing openings and the through-openings of the functional elements and the axial shaft bearing ring; positioning an axial shaft bearing ring having a ring groove, which is open towards the bearing frame or towards the cylinder head cover, on the camshaft in such a way that the ring groove is aligned substantially in a radial direction with an opening on the bearing frame or on the cylinder head cover; arranging a sleeve in the opening on the bearing frame or on the cylinder head cover; receiving at least one engagement element in the sleeve; pushing the at least one engagement element into the ring groove of the axial shaft bearing ring on the camshaft.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the engagement element is a pin or a blade.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the engagement element is a sleeve, which forms an oil channel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein positioning the axial shaft bearing ring further includes orienting the camshaft in an axial direction orienting the camshaft in an axial direction of the camshaft in such a way that the ring groove is aligned in the radial direction with the opening on the bearing frame or on the cylinder head cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and will be described in greater detail in the following description, identical reference numerals relating to identical or similar or functionally identical components.

(2) In the drawings, in each case diagrammatically:

(3) FIG. 1 shows a view from below of a cylinder head cover according to the invention or a bearing frame according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 2 shows a sectional illustration along the sectional plane A-A from FIG. 1,

(5) FIG. 3 shows a detailed illustration of an engagement element which engages into the axial shaft bearing ring,

(6) FIG. 4 shows an illustration of the bearing frame or the cylinder head cover from above, and

(7) FIG. 5 shows an illustration as in FIG. 4, but obliquely from below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) In accordance with FIGS. 1 to 5, a bearing frame 1 according to the invention or a cylinder head cover 2 according to the invention of an internal combustion engine 3 has at least one camshaft 4 which is mounted therein (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2), the camshaft 4 being mounted in tunnel bearings in at least two bearing openings 5 which are arranged along a bearing channel. Here, the bearing openings 5 enclose the camshaft 4 completely. According to the invention, at least one axial shaft bearing ring 6 (cf., in particular, FIGS. 2 and 3) is then arranged on the camshaft 4, which axial shaft bearing ring 6 has a ring groove 7 which is open towards the bearing frame 1 or towards the cylinder head cover 2. At least one associated engagement element 8 is arranged on the bearing frame 1 or on the cylinder head cover 2, which engagement element 8 engages into the ring groove 7 and, as a result, forms an axial bearing 10 for the camshaft 4. By way of the axial bearing system according to the invention of the camshaft 4, the latter can be mounted not only reliably in the axial direction 9, but rather also mounting of an axial bearing 10 of this type is possible in a comparatively simple manner, since the camshaft 4 can first of all be moved in a usual way through the bearing openings 5 of the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2, until the ring groove 7 of the axial shaft bearing ring 6 is oriented flush in the radial direction with respect to the engagement element 8. Subsequently, the engagement element 8 can be plugged through the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 into the ring groove 7, and the axial bearing 10 can be mounted as a result.

(9) The engagement element 8 can be configured, for example, as a pin 11 or as a blade. In particular, the configuration of the engagement element 8 as a pin 11 affords the great advantage that a sleeve 12 which receives the pin 11 can additionally be arranged in the bearing frame 1 or in the cylinder head cover 2, which sleeve 12 reliably guides and fixes the pin 11. A sleeve 12 of this type can be appropriate in the case of a bearing frame 1 or a cylinder head cover 2 made from plastic, since creep deformations which possibly occur can be minimized as a result. If the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head 2 is configured from metal, for example from aluminium, a sleeve 12 of this type can also be dispensed with. Here, the configuration of the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 from plastic affords the great advantage that they can be configured to be not only light and therefore optimized in terms of weight, but rather also to be high quality and inexpensive. In the case of a configuration of the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 from aluminium, a weight-optimized overall design can likewise be achieved and, in addition, the sleeve 12 can be dispensed with, for example, since the cylinder head cover 2 which is configured from metal or the bearing frame 1 which is configured from metal provides sufficient support to the engagement element 8.

(10) In the case of a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, the engagement element 8 can have an oil channel 13, via which oil can be fed through the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 to the axial bearing 10. In this case, it is conceivable, for example, that the engagement element 8 is configured as a sleeve 12, as indicated in accordance with FIG. 4. In addition or as an alternative, it goes without saying that it is also conceivable that a lubrication of the ring groove 7 of the axial shaft bearing ring 6 takes place via the camshaft 4, an oil channel 13 (cf. FIG. 2) running in the camshaft 4 to this end, and an oil channel 13 which is arranged radially with respect thereto running in the camshaft 4 and in the axial shaft bearing ring 6. Here, the two embodiments of the oil lubrication of the axial bearing 10 make a friction reduction and, as a result, a particularly smooth bearing system possible.

(11) In the radial direction, the camshaft 4 can be mounted via at least one additional plain bearing 14, the radial mounting usually taking place in the bearing openings 5. The engagement element 8 and/or the axial shaft bearing ring 6 can be configured, for example, from a material which reduces the friction, or else can have a coating which reduces the friction, in order to assist a bearing system which is as smooth as possible.

(12) In general, an axial bearing system of the camshaft 4 which is simple to mount and is at the same time effective can be achieved by way of the bearing frame 1 according to the invention or the cylinder head cover 2 according to the invention, without axial bearing plates, in particular thrust washers, which have been necessary up to now being necessary.

(13) The present invention additionally relates to a method for mounting an assembled camshaft 4 in a bearing frame 1 or a cylinder head cover 2 in accordance with the preceding paragraphs, in the case of which method the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 is held by means of a holding apparatus (not shown), and functional elements 15 which are to be mounted, such as cams 16, and the axial shaft bearing ring 6 are gripped by means of a gripping device (likewise not shown) and are arranged with their through-openings 17 coaxially with respect to bearing openings 5 of the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 which are arranged along a bearing channel. The camshaft 4 is subsequently pushed through the bearing openings 5 of the bearing frame 1 or the cylinder head cover 2 and the through-openings 17 of the functional elements 15 and the axial shaft bearing ring 6, the axial shaft bearing ring 6 having a ring groove 7 which is open towards the bearing frame 1 or towards the cylinder head cover 2, and being positioned on the camshaft 4 in such a way that the ring groove 7 is aligned substantially in the radial direction with an opening 18 on the bearing frame 1 or on the cylinder head cover 2. At least one engagement element 8 is then pushed into the ring groove 7 through the opening 18 on the bearing frame 1 or on the cylinder head cover 2, and therefore forms an axial bearing 10 for the camshaft 4.

(14) In general, a pin 11 or a blade can be used as engagement element 8. In addition, a sleeve 12 which receives the engagement element 8 can be arranged in the opening 18 before the said engagement element 8. An oil channel 13 for lubricating the axial bearing 10 can also be formed by means of a sleeve 12. After the joining of the functional elements 15 and the axial shaft bearing ring 6, the assembled camshaft 4 is oriented in the axial direction thereof in such a way that the ring groove 7 is aligned in the radial direction with the opening 18 on the bearing frame 1 or on the cylinder head cover 2.

(15) It is advantageous in the case of the method according to the invention that the additional axial shaft bearing ring 6 outside the bearing openings 5 and the subsequent mounting of the engagement element 8, for example the pin 11 or the blade, open up the possibility of joining the camshaft 4 with an axial offset to the bearing frame 1 or to the cylinder head cover 2. As a result, additional space can be obtained which can be utilized for the gripping device (component supports, joining grippers), in order for it to be possible for the said gripping device to be of more robust configuration.