System and method for variable actuation of a valve of an internal-combustion engine, with a device for dampening pressure oscillations

Abstract

A system for variable actuation of an engine valve of an internal-combustion engine includes a master piston and a slave piston, driven by the master piston. A control valve controls a communication of a volume of a pressurized fluid with a lower pressure environment, which is connected to a fluid accumulator, and an electronic control unit controls the electrically operated control valve. A device for dampening pressure oscillations is connected to the volume of pressurized fluid and includes an additional volume adapted for receiving fluid from the volume of pressurized fluid only when, following upon oscillations of the pressure in the volume of pressurized fluid, the pressure exceeds a maximum threshold value, which is higher than a mean pressure value that is set up in the volume of pressurized fluid when the master piston drives the slave piston in normal operating conditions.

Claims

1. A system for variable actuation of an engine valve of an internal-combustion engine, comprising: a master piston driven directly or indirectly by a cam of a camshaft of the internal-combustion engine; a slave piston, which drives said engine valve and is hydraulically driven by said master piston, by means of a volume of pressurized fluid interposed between the master piston and the slave piston; an electrically operated control valve, which controls a communication of said volume of pressurized fluid with a lower pressure environment, said lower pressure environment being connected to a fluid accumulator; and an electronic control unit for controlling said electrically operated control valve on the basis of one or more parameters indicating the operating conditions of the engine and/or of the system for variable actuation of the engine valve, a device for dampening pressure oscillations in the volume of pressurized fluid connected to said volume of pressurized fluid, and said oscillation dampening device comprising an additional volume adapted for receiving fluid from said volume of pressurized fluid only when said pressure exceeds a maximum threshold value.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary chamber comprising said additional volume, said auxiliary chamber in communication with said volume of pressurized fluid and defined by a movement of a movable member against the action of a return spring, said spring having a load such that said movable member displaces against the action of the spring, thus creating said additional volume, only when the pressure in the volume of pressurized fluid exceeds the aforesaid maximum threshold value.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the communication of the aforesaid auxiliary chamber with the volume of pressurized fluid is a permanently opened communication.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said permanently opened communication includes a restricted passage.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of the oscillation dampening member, said body comprising a separate element.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of said slave piston.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of said master piston.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of said electrically operated control valve.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary chamber in communication with said volume of pressurized fluid and defined by a movement of a movable member, the position of the movable member being controlled by an electrically driven actuator, said electronic control unit being programmed for controlling said actuator so as to cause a displacement thereof which creates the aforesaid additional volume when the pressure in the volume of pressurized fluid exceeds said maximum threshold value.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the threshold pressure value that triggers the actuator is varied as a function of the operating conditions.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said electronic control unit controls the actuator of said oscillation dampening device in a closed-loop mode, on the basis of a signal from at least one pressure sensor adapted to detect the pressure in the volume of pressurized fluid.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said electronic control unit is programmed for controlling the actuator of the movable member of the oscillation dampening device in an open-loop mode, on the basis of stored maps, as a function of the operating conditions of the engine and/or of the system for variable actuation of the engine valve.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the communication of the aforesaid auxiliary chamber with the volume of pressurized fluid is a permanently opened communication.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of the oscillation dampening member, said body comprising a separate element.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of said slave piston.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of said master piston.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein said auxiliary chamber and said movable member are provided within the body of said electrically operated control valve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the ensuing description with reference to the annexed drawings, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine provided with a system for variable actuation of the intake valves according to the known art;

(3) FIG. 2 is a diagram of a system for variable actuation of the valves of an internal-combustion engine according to the known art;

(4) FIG. 3 is a further diagram of the system of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the known system represented schematically in FIGS. 2 and 3;

(6) FIG. 4 is a diagram similar to that of FIG. 3 that shows the basic principle of the system according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 4A shows the same embodiment of FIG. 3A, modified according to the present invention;

(8) FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views that show the member for dampening oscillations forming part of the solution of FIG. 4A, in two different operating conditions;

(9) FIGS. 6 and 7 are plots that show the substantial reduction and/or elimination of the pressure oscillations in the high-pressure volume, which can be obtained with the system according to the invention;

(10) FIG. 8 shows a variant of FIG. 4;

(11) FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a oscillation dampening device that can be used in the system of FIG. 8;

(12) FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the slave-piston assembly of the system of FIG. 8, which incorporates the oscillation dampening device of FIG. 9;

(13) FIG. 11 shows a further variant of the system of FIG. 4;

(14) FIG. 11A illustrates an embodiment of the member for dampening oscillations incorporated in the master piston of the system of FIG. 11;

(15) FIG. 12 shows a further variant of the system of FIG. 4; and

(16) FIG. 13 is a diagram of a further embodiment of the system according to the invention that uses a oscillation dampening device with controlled triggering.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(17) FIGS. 1-3 and 3A, which relate to the prior art, have already been described above. FIG. 4 of the annexed drawings is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 3 and regards the system for variable actuation of the valves of an internal-combustion engine according to the present invention. In FIG. 4, the parts corresponding to those of FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numbers. The main difference of the system according to the invention as illustrated in FIG. 4 as compared to the known system of FIG. 3 lies in the fact that the high-pressure volume C is connected to a device for damping pressure oscillations D. A recirculation line 800 connects the rear side of the device D with the low-pressure line 23, or with the accumulator 270, according to what will be illustrated in detail in what follows.

(18) FIGS. 4A, 5A, and 5B show a first example of embodiment of the system according to the invention, in which the dampening oscillation device D is constituted as autonomous member associated to the high-pressure volume C. One damper device D is provided for each cylinder of the engine. FIG. 4A shows the same perspective view as that of FIG. 3A, modified according to the teachings of the present invention. As will be seen, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4A, the device D is directly associated to a channel for communication between the chamber of the master piston and the solenoid valve 24, this channel forming part of the high-pressure volume C. The damper device D of this embodiment is illustrated in cross-sectional view and at an enlarged scale in FIGS. 5A, and 5B, in two different operating conditions. The device D of this embodiment is received in a corresponding seat formed in the pre-assembled unit 20 already described above, which carries all the elements of the system for variable actuation of the engine valves. As already mentioned there may be provided a separate unit 20 for each cylinder.

(19) With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example, the oscillation dampening deviceD of this embodiment comprises a cylindrical body D1 having an internal cylindrical cavity D2 slidably mounted within which is a movable member D3. A helical spring D4 is interposed axially between the movable member D3 and a bushing D5 received and blocked within the cylindrical cavity of the body D1 with interposition of seal rings D6. The helical spring D4 tends to maintain the movable member D3 in an end-of-travel position, in the direction of a chamber D7, which is defined within the cylindrical body D1 and communicates with a hole D8 of an end connector D9, designed to be set in hydraulic connection with the high-pressure volume C, as may be seen in FIG. 4A. The chamber D7 communicates with the hole D8 of the connector D9 via a restricted passage D10 of a predetermined diameter, formed in the bottom wall of a cup-shaped element D11 that is secured, by being driven into the cylindrical body D1 or with a threaded connection, against a bottom wall of the internal cavity D2 of the device, in which the aforesaid hole D8 gives out. In the example illustrated, the movable member D3 has a cup-shaped body with a bottom wall facing the chamber D7 and an internal cavity D31 that faces the spring D4 and is in communication with the low-pressure environment of the circuit through the internal cavity D51 of the bushing D5, the end portion of the internal cavity D2 of the body D1, and the recirculation line 800 (see FIG. 4). Once again in the case of the specific example illustrated, axially interposed between the spring D4 and the bushing D5 is a ring D12.

(20) As already mentioned, the oscillation dampening deviceD is prearranged in such a way that the chamber D7 is permanently in communication, via the restricted passage D10 and the hole D8 of the connector D9, with the high-pressure volume C associated to a cylinder of the engine.

(21) FIG. 5A shows the device D in the inactive resting condition, in which the spring D4 maintains the plunger D3 in an end-of-travel position, against an annular contrast portion formed in the internal cavity D2 of the body D1. In this condition, the volume internal to the device D that is in communication with the high-pressure volume of the system for actuation of the valves is substantially that of the chamber D7, defined within the cup-shaped element D10 and limited at the top by the movable member D3, held in its resting position (the lowest position, as viewed in the drawings). The volume internal to the device D further comprises the restricted hole D11 and the duct D8. This internal volume is always filled with fluid during normal operation of the system for variable actuation of the engine valves, being permanently in communication with the high-pressure volume C of the system.

(22) During operation of the system for variable actuation of the engine valves, in the case where the pressure of the fluid in the high-pressure volume C presents oscillations with peaks higher than a predetermined threshold value, markedly higher than the mean value of the pressure that is set up in the volume C during normal driving of the slave pistons 21 by the master piston 16, these pressure peaks manage to overcome the action of the spring D4, causing displacement of the movable member D3 against the spring D4 and consequent formation within the cavity D2 of the device D of an additional volume D7 formed between the annular contrast portion of the cavity D2 that defines the resting position of the movable member D3 and the surface of the movable member facing it. In other words, this additional volume basically corresponds to the portion of the internal cavity D2 that is left free by the movable member D3 when this moves away from the resting position illustrated in FIG. 5A so as to move into the operating position of FIG. 5B.

(23) The characteristics of the spring D4 and the loading of the spring in its resting position (which may also be varied using rings D12 of a different height) are predetermined in such a way that the pressure of fluid that is able of cause displacement of the movable member D3 is a threshold value notably higher than the mean pressure value that is set up in the high-pressure volume C when the master piston controls each slave piston 21 in normal operating conditions. Consequently, the damper device D enters into action only when the pressure in the volume C has anomalous oscillations and consequent pressure peaks above the threshold value.

(24) Moreover, sizing of the device D is chosen in such a way that the additional volume D7 that is created in the case of pressure peaks is the one necessary and sufficient for dampening the pressure oscillations and does not appreciably alter the desired stroke of the slave pistons 21 caused by the movement of the master piston.

(25) Purely by way of example, the additional volume D7 that is set up in the case of pressure peaks corresponds to approximately 1% of the total high-pressure volume C associated to each cylinder of the engine.

(26) In summary, the damper device according to the invention is able to increase the overall volume of the high-pressure environment whenever there arise pressure peaks, thus attenuating the pressure oscillations accordingly. Dampening of the oscillations produces the beneficial effect of reducing drastically or even eliminating altogether vibrations and noise of the system, with consequent advantage also as regards the service life of the components of the system. For operation of the system, it is necessary for the damper device D to see always the high-pressure volume C in which the pressure oscillation is to be attenuated.

(27) The embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B is characterized in that it entails an automatic triggering of the damper whenever the pressure exceeds the threshold value defined above, for which the spring D4 is provided.

(28) It is possible to pre-determine the increase in volume D7 that is necessary, knowing the amplitude of the pressure oscillations that are to be attenuated and sizing accordingly the diameter of the movable member and adopting a spring having the necessary stiffness.

(29) The restricted passage D10 has the function of filtering the pressure oscillations that are generated within the damper device D, preventing propagation thereof into the high-pressure volume C.

(30) A dynamic seal between the body D2 of the device and the movable member D3 may be obtained by means of an adequate control of the coupling clearance, thus allowing a minimum leakage of fluid towards the low-pressure environment through the recirculation line 800, or else by pre-arrangement of dynamic seals, made, for example, of plastic material, which are designed to prevent leakage. In any case, when the plunger is in its end-of-travel position in the direction of the spring D4, it comes into contact with an end surface of the bushing D5, closing communication with the hole D51.

(31) FIG. 6 shows by way of example the attenuation of the pressure oscillations that can be obtained with an oscillation dampening device D of the type illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

(32) In FIG. 6, the plot represented with a dashed line indicates the variation of pressure in the high-pressure volume C as a function of the crank angle in a system according to the known art, i.e., without the damper device.

(33) The plot of FIG. 6 shows an example of embodiment in LIVO mode in which the intake valve opens with a delay with respect to what would be obtained by the cam profile. In the case illustrated, the increase in pressure that causes opening of the intake valve is in fact at a crank angle of approximately 450, i.e., substantially at half of the descent of the engine piston from top dead centre (360) to bottom dead centre (540). As may be seen, in the operating step of actuation of the engine valve, in which the solenoid valve 24 is closed for pressurizing the volume C and enabling the master cylinder 16 to drive via the volume of pressurized oil displacement of each slave piston 21, the pressure presents rather significant oscillations around its mean value, with pressure peaks well above the aforesaid mean value.

(34) The plot represented with a solid line in FIG. 6 shows the corresponding variation of the pressure in the volume C in the case of a system provided with the oscillation dampening device of the type of FIGS. 5A and 5B. As may be seen, all other conditions being the same, the pressure oscillations in the volume C are markedly attenuated.

(35) FIG. 7 shows the frequency response regarding the variation of the pressure in the high-pressure volume, respectively in the case of the known system, without the oscillation dampening device (dashed line), and in the case of the system provided with a oscillation dampening device according to the invention. It may be noted that, in the example considered herein, at the lower frequencies there is a considerable reduction of the amplitude of the pressure oscillations.

(36) FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a variant of the system according to the invention, where the oscillation dampening device D is associated to one (or possibly to each) of the two slave pistons 21.

(37) FIGS. 9 and 10 refer to an example of embodiment of this variant. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scale of a slave piston 21, according to a known embodiment of the Multiair system, here modified for receiving the oscillation dampening device D. FIG. 9 shows the oscillation dampening device D just by itself.

(38) With reference to FIG. 10, the piston 21 has a body shaped like a cup turned upside down slidably mounted within a bushing 22 received in a fluid-tight way within a seat of its own in the body of the unit associated to each cylinder of the engine.

(39) The slave piston 21 is prearranged for driving the stem 8 of the respective valve 7 by interposition of a hydraulic tappet 400 (as already illustrated schematically in FIG. 2).

(40) The tappet 400 has an outer tappet element 400A set within a widened mouth of the bushing 22, on the outside of the cylindrical cavity 220 within which the slave piston 21 is slidably guided. The outer tappet element 400A is slidably mounted on the bottom end of an inner tappet element 400B. The inner tappet element 400B has a cylindrical body slidably mounted in the cavity 220 and a top end in contact with the bottom end (as viewed the drawing) of the piston 21. The inner tappet element 400B has an internal cavity that receives pressurized oil from the lubrication circuit of the engine through a channel 402 formed in the body of the unit 20, and through chambers 407 defined by circumferential grooves formed in the inner and outer surfaces of the bushing 22 and through radial holes 405, 406 formed in the wall of the bushing 22 and in the element 400B. The pressure of the oil within the element 400B is lower than the pressure that is set up in the high-pressure volume C when the master piston is in the active phase.

(41) From the internal cavity to the tappet element 400B, the oil can pass into the internal chamber 401 defined between the tappet elements 400A and 400B, through a non-return valve having a ball open/close element 403 recalled into the closing position by a spring 404.

(42) Adjacent to the top end of the bushing 22, defined around the bushing 22 is a circumferential chamber 221 which communicates, by means of a duct not illustrated, with the high-pressure volume C. The chamber 221 communicates also with radial holes 222 formed through the wall of the bushing 22.

(43) In the steps in which the top surface of the slave piston 21 is below the holes 222, as viewed in the drawing, the chamber 212 within the bushing 22 that faces the piston 21 is in communication with the pressurized volume through the holes 222 and the circumferential chamber 221. Consequently, during opening of the engine valve, the oil pushed by the master piston 16 can enter the chamber of the slave piston 21 and cause movement thereof, with consequent movement of opening of the engine valve, via the hydraulic tappet 400. During closing of the engine valve, the oil can return into the volume C passing through the same passages. However, in the final step of the movement of closing of the engine valve, i.e., when the piston 21 has occluded the holes 222, the movement of the valve is braked, owing to the fact that the oil leaving the internal cavity of the bushing 22 is forced to flow through one or more restricted passages (not visible in FIG. 10) made in the vicinity of the holes 222 in the bushing 22 (according to the principle known from the document EP-A-1 344 900 filed in the name of the present applicant).

(44) In the reverse phase of opening of the valve, during the initial part of the movement of opening of the valve, the oil coming from the pressurized volume C can flow only within a chamber 212 above of the piston 21 passing through a non-return valve 213 carried by a cap 215 mounted on the top end of the bushing 22. Once the top surface of the piston 21 has dropped below the level of the holes 222, the oil coming from the pressurized volume C can flow also, and above all, through the chamber 221 and the holes 222.

(45) The details regarding the slave piston 21 and the hydraulic-braking device are not in any case described herein any further in so far as they can be obtained in any one known way and do not fall, taken in themselves, within the scope of the invention.

(46) According to this embodiment of the invention, integrated within the known arrangement described with reference to FIG. 10 is a oscillation dampening device D, illustrated by itself at an enlarged scale in FIG. 9.

(47) With reference to FIG. 9, the cup-shaped body of the slave piston 21 is used also as body of the oscillation dampening device D. The cup-shaped body of the piston 21 has an internal cylindrical cavity 211 slidably mounted within which is the movable member D3 of the oscillation dampening device D, which also has a cup-shaped body. This movable member D3 is recalled into a resting position against the bottom wall of the cup-shaped body of the piston 21 by a helical spring D4 that is axially interposed between the bottom wall of the movable member D3 and the bottom wall of a further cup-shaped element D5 rigidly connected to the body of the piston 21. The two cup-shaped bodies of the elements D3 and D5 have their cavities facing one another in order to receive the spring D4 between them. The helical spring D4 rests against the bottom of the element D5 preferably via interposition of a spacer ring D12 (the thickness of which may be chosen as a function of the loading to be assigned to the spring, which determines the pressure that brings about triggering of the damper device) and tends to maintain the movable member D3 in the resting position.

(48) The chamber 212 defined within the piston 21 by the movable element D3 communicates with the high-pressure volume C via a restricted opening D10 formed in the bottom wall of the cup-shaped body of the piston 21. In the case of pressure peaks in the high-pressure volume C, which lead the pressure to exceed the aforesaid threshold value, the movable member D3 displaces against the action of the spring D4, thus creating an additional volume in the space left free within the cavity 211 by the movable member D3. This additional volume is, as has been said, in communication with the high-pressure volume C and consequently causes a simultaneous increase of the latter in such a way as to dampen the pressure oscillations, without on the other hand modifying in any appreciably way the travel imparted on the engine valve. This is obtained in so far as the characteristics of the spring, its loading, and the dimensions of the additional volume are predetermined in such a way as to produce only a dampening of the pressure peaks of the volume C, when the pressure therein exceeds the predetermined value.

(49) FIGS. 11 and 11A illustrate a further variant of the system according to the invention, in which the oscillation dampening device D is made and integrated in the body of the master piston 16. The master piston 16 has, in a way in itself known, an end portion 161 designed to receive, directly or indirectly, the thrust of an actuation cam, and an opposite end portion 162 facing the high-pressure volume C. In this case, the body of the master piston 16 has a tubular conformation, with an internal cavity 163 rigidly connected inside which is the body D1 of the oscillation dampening device D, which in this case is in the form of a cup-shaped element with an open mouth facing the end 162 that faces the high-pressure volume C. Slidably mounted within the body D1 is a movable member D3, which is also cup-shaped and has a bottom wall facing the high-pressure environment C. On the opposite side of its bottom wall the movable member D3 is subject to the thrust of a spring D4 that is interposed between the member D3 and a bottom wall D11 of the cup-shaped body D1. The bottom wall D11 has a central hole D12 that sets the chamber containing the spring D4 in communication with the internal cavity 163 of the body of the piston 16. The chamber 163 in turn communicates with the low-pressure environment of the circuit for supply of the oil through a hole 164 formed in the wall of the body of the master piston 16 and through the recirculation line 800 (FIG. 11). As an alternative, in the case where a dynamic seal constituted by rings made of plastic material set between the movable member D3 and the body D1 is used, the communication between the chamber and the low-pressure environment may be eliminated.

(50) During normal operation of the system, the master piston 16 moves under the action imparted by the cam, without the movable member D3 moving away from its resting position. However, in the case where in the high-pressure environment C there arise pressure peaks above a predetermined threshold value, the plunger D3 moves away from its resting position, overcoming the action of the spring D4 and leaving an additional volume inside the piston 16 free, which causes an attenuation of the pressure oscillations.

(51) As schematically illustrated in FIG. 12, the oscillation dampening device could also be associated to, and/or integrated in, the electrically operated control valve 24.

(52) All the embodiments described above envisage use of a device for dampening pressure oscillations that is designed to intervene automatically, whenever in the high-pressure volume C there arise pressure peaks above a predetermined threshold value.

(53) FIG. 13 illustrates a variant in which the device D is of a controlled type. In this case the device includes an electrically driven actuator DX (for example, a solenoid, or a piezoelectric actuator, or a magnetostrictive actuator) designed to cause a displacement of the movable member D3 that gives rise to a simultaneous increase of the high-pressure volume in order to dampen pressure oscillations that are set up in this volume.

(54) The scheme of FIG. 13 may be applied to any embodiment of the damper device D, for example to any of the embodiments of FIGS. 5A, 5B, 9, 10, 11A, and 12, by providing the aforesaid actuator DX in order to govern a controlled and desired movement of the movable member D3.

(55) The actuator DX is controlled by the electronic control unit 25 for example in a closed-loop mode, on the basis of the signal from one or more sensors P designed to detect the pressure in the high-pressure volume C, or else in an open-loop mode, on the basis of maps stored as a function of the different operating conditions of the system and/or of the engine.

(56) As already mentioned above, the advantage of a controlled device of the type illustrated in FIG. 13 lies in the fact that the threshold value triggering the actuator DX is not always the same as in self-triggering devices, but rather can be varied according to the operating conditions. The actuator DX may be of an ON/OFF type or else of a proportional type.

(57) Naturally, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the embodiments and the details of construction may vary widely with respect to what has described and illustrated herein purely by way of example, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.