Hydraulic camshaft adjusting device with spherical section-like lock

Abstract

A hydraulic camshaft adjustment device (1) of the vane type, with a stator (2) and a rotor (3) arranged concentrically and rotatably inside the stator is provided. A locking device (6) for preventing a rotation between the rotor (3) and the stator (2) is arranged between these two components (2, 3) such that a locking element (7) of the locking device (6) creates an interlocking fit that blocks the rotation, the locking element (7) being designed in the nature of a plate.

Claims

1. A vane hydraulic camshaft adjusting device, comprising: a stator; a rotor situated concentrically as well as rotatably in the stator and having a front side; and a locking device being situated between the rotor and the stator for the purpose of preventing a rotation between the rotor and the stator in such a way that a locking element of the locking device produces a form-locked fit blocking the rotation, the locking element being a plate on the front side.

2. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 1 wherein the plate has two sides connected to each other via an outer contour, the outer contour being provided with a concave, convex, smooth or fluted design.

3. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 2 wherein the locking element has an ellipsoidal section or a spherical section.

4. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 1 wherein the locking element is inserted into a blind hole by interposing a spring element, the blind hole being provided on the front side of the rotor.

5. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 4 wherein the spring element is a sheet metal strip.

6. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 4 wherein the blind hole accommodating the spring element is introduced into the rotor or into a receiving bushing, the receiving bushing being separate from the rotor and connected to the rotor in an operating state.

7. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 4 wherein the blind hole has a spring element receiving section on a base, the spring element being at least partially supported in the spring element receiving section.

8. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 7 wherein the spring element receiving base is an indentation.

9. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 1 wherein the locking element engages with a recess on a stator-fixed component in a rotation-inhibiting manner, or engages with a recess in the front side of the rotor in a rotation-inhibiting manner.

10. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 9 wherein the stator-fixed component is a cover.

11. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 10 further comprising a further locking element for implementing a center-locking mechanism with the locking element.

12. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 11 wherein the locking element and a spring element are each situated in a hole in such a way that the spring element axially moves at least one part of the locking element assigned thereto in such a way that a rotation of the rotor is prevented in both rotational directions.

13. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 9, wherein the spring element is configured for urging the plate from a position inside the rotor into a position at least partially outside the rotor and into the recess of the stator-fixed component to block the rotation between the rotor and the stator.

14. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 13, wherein the plate has a first side and a second side connected via an outer contour, the locking device being configured such that a part of the outer contour remaining inside the rotor and another part of the outer contour protruding into the recess of the stator-fixed component to block the rotation between the rotor and the stator.

15. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a second locking device present on the front side of the rotor or on the other front side of the rotor.

16. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plate has a first side and a second side connected via an outer contour, the locking device being configured such that the first side is at least partially within the rotor and the second side is at least partially outside the rotor when the locking element blocks the rotation between the rotor and the stator.

17. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 16, wherein the locking device is configured such that the outer contour is partially inside the rotor and partially outside of the rotor when the locking element blocks the rotation between the rotor and the stator.

18. The camshaft adjusting device as recited in claim 1, wherein the locking device is configured such that the plate protrudes past the front side when the plate blocks the rotation between the rotor and the stator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention is also explained in greater detail with the aid of a drawing in which different exemplary embodiments are illustrated.

(2) FIG. 1 shops a top view of several parts of a hydraulic camshaft adjusting device according to the present invention, among other things, a view of the rotor installed in a stator;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along line II of the components illustrated in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view along line III of the components illustrated in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a view from above, without a cover, of the hydraulic camshaft adjusting device from FIG. 1, including an additionally inserted spring element and a locking element situated thereupon in a recess of the rotor designed as a blind hole;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a sectional view along line V of the components from FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a sectional view along line VI of the components from FIG. 4;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a perspective representation of only the rotor in the exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 4;

(9) FIG. 8 shows an enlarged representation in a longitudinal sectional view of a cover which is connected to the rotor in the area of its front side, including a ramp-like recess provided therein for engaging with the locking element;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a perspective representation of only the cover, viewed from the sides of the rotor;

(11) FIG. 10 shows a representation of only the locking element, which is designed as a spherical section;

(12) FIG. 11 shows a side view of the locking element from FIG. 11;

(13) FIG. 12 shows the unlocked state in a sectional view of one section of the hydraulic camshaft adjusting device;

(14) FIG. 13 shows the locked state of the hydraulic camshaft adjusting device in a type of representation comparable to FIG. 12;

(15) FIG. 14 shows a second specific embodiment of a hydraulic camshaft adjusting device in a manner comparable to FIG. 1, namely without a cover;

(16) FIG. 15 shows a sectional view along line XV of the components from FIG. 14;

(17) FIG. 16 shows a sectional view along line XVI of the components from FIG. 14;

(18) FIG. 17 shows the components from FIG. 14, but with inserted spring elements and locking elements;

(19) FIG. 18 shows a sectional view along line XVIII from FIG. 17;

(20) FIG. 19 shows a sectional view along line XIX of the components from FIG. 17;

(21) FIG. 20 shows a representation of a hydraulic camshaft adjuster provided with a cover, including two locking devices;

(22) FIG. 21 shows a sectional view along line XXI of the components from FIG. 20;

(23) FIG. 22 shows a sectional view along line XXII from FIG. 20;

(24) FIG. 23 shows a view from above of a third specific embodiment of a hydraulic camshaft adjusting device, including two locking devices which are situated on both front sides of the rotor; and

(25) FIG. 24 shows a sectional view along line XIV of the components from FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(26) The figures are only of a schematic nature and are used only for the sake of understanding the present invention. Identical elements are provided with identical reference numerals.

(27) Several components of a first specific embodiment of a hydraulic camshaft adjusting device 1 are illustrated in FIG. 1. Camshaft adjusting device 1 is of the vane type and includes a stator 2, within which a rotor 3 is provided, which has radially protruding vanes 4, which engage with vane cells 5 formed between stator 2 and rotor 3.

(28) With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, let it be mentioned that camshaft adjusting device 1 also has a locking device 6, which includes at least one locking element 7 and a spring element 8 designed as a spring. (Spring element 8 is also referred to below as spring 8.) Locking element 7 and spring 8 are inserted into a recess 9 in rotor 3, which is designed as a blind hole. Spring 8 is designed separately from rotor 3, i.e., as a component which is separate from rotor 3.

(29) In the embodiment illustrated, recess 9 is furthermore directly introduced/incorporated, for example drilled into, rotor 3. Alternatively, recess 9 may, however, also be introduced into a receiving bushing which is designed separately from rotor 3, this receiving bushing, in turn, being captively inserted, e.g., in a form-locked manner, into a hole in rotor 3 during operation.

(30) In the embodiment illustrated, a spring element receiving section for accommodating spring element 8 is also present in recess 9, which is designed, in particular, for absorbing the pretensioning forces applied by spring element 8. In the specific embodiment which is the subject matter of the present invention, the spring element accommodating section is designed as a cuboid indentation 10 projecting into the rotor interior. Alternatively, spring 8 may, however, also be integrally connected to the section of rotor 3/recess 9 which forms the blind hole. For example, spring 8 may be designed as a resilient sheet metal strip which protrudes from the base/bottom of the blind hole, one end of spring 8 then being integrally designed with the bottom/base of recess 9.

(31) The spatial extension of stator 2 and rotor 3 is apparent in the overall view in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(32) As is clear, in particular, in conjunction with FIGS. 4 through 6, locking element 7 is designed as a plate/plate-like spherical section 11, which is supported on rotor 3 via spring 8, spherical section 11 being insertable into the extension of indentation 10 facing away from the blind hole base, i.e., fitting into recess 9. When spherical section 11 is inserted all the way into recess 9, i.e., when it fully compresses spring 8, the planar surface of spherical section 11 facing away from the blind hole base is oriented flush with a front side 12 of rotor 3.

(33) The cross-shaped arrangement of vanes 4 on the outside of rotor 3 is indicated in FIG. 7.

(34) A cover 13, which may be fastened to the stator, also has a recess 14, with which locking element 7, i.e., spherical section 11, is able to engage. Recess 14 is provided with a ramp-shaped base 15 of recess 14 of cover 13.

(35) As is apparent in FIG. 9, in a top view, recess 14 has a kind of horseshoe-shaped or U-shaped outer contour, ramp/chamfer 16 formed by the base merging steplessly with a planar surface 17 of cover 13.

(36) A singular representation of locking element 7 is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, which is designed in the manner of a spherical section 11. A convex outer contour 19 is present between two front surfaces 18 (of an arbitrary, preferably planar, design), which are the sides of a plate. The convex outer contour follows a spherical shape, a rounding or chamfer 20 being provided in the transition to front surfaces 18. Alternatively to the spherical shape, i.e., as a spherical rounding, the outer contour may, however, also have other shapes. The outer contour may thus also have any other elliptical/convex shape; however, it may also have a concave, smooth/planar/straight or a fluted design/course.

(37) The unlocked state and the locked state of rotor 3 on cover 13 are illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13.

(38) Another specific embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 14 through 22, which uses two locking devices 6. In particular, FIGS. 17 through 19 and FIGS. 20 through 22 are informative in this case.

(39) While the second specific embodiment is illustrated without a cover in FIGS. 14 through 16, this cover 13 is illustrated in FIGS. 20 through 22. Locking elements 7 are illustrated in FIGS. 17 through 19 (without a cover) and are not shown in the illustrations from FIGS. 14 through 16.

(40) In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 23 and 24, two locking devices 6 are installed and each engage with a cover 13, one cover 13 being situated on a front side of rotor 3, and the other cover being situated on the other front side.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(41) 1 camshaft adjusting device 2 stator 3 rotor 4 vane 5 vane cell 6 locking device 7 locking element 8 spring element/spring 9 recess 10 indentation 11 spherical section 12 front side 13 cover 14 recess in the cover 15 base of the recess in the cover 16 ramp/chamfer 17 planar surface 18 front surface of the spherical section 19 outer contour 20 rounding