초록 ▼

A fast acting valve actuator for actuating an intake or exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine of a type which is hydraulically powered and command triggered is disclosed and includes a cylinder with a power piston having a pair of opposed working surfaces or faces reciprocable within the cy

A fast acting valve actuator for actuating an intake or exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine of a type which is hydraulically powered and command triggered is disclosed and includes a cylinder with a power piston having a pair of opposed working surfaces or faces reciprocable within the cylinder along an axis between first and second extreme positions. A cylindrical control valve is located radially intermediate the reservoir and the cylinder, and is movable upon command to alternately supply high pressure fluid from a reservoir of high pressure hydraulic fluid to one face and then the other face of the power piston causing the piston to move from one extreme position to the other extreme position. The cylindrical control valve may be a shuttle valve which is reciprocable along the axis of the power piston between extreme positions with control valve motion along the axis in one direction being effective to supply high pressure fluid to move the piston in the opposite direction. Both the control valve and the piston are stable in both of their respective extreme positions and the control valve is spring biased toward a position intermediate the extreme positions. The latter portion of piston motion during one operation of the valve actuator is effective to cock this spring and bias the control valve preparatory to the next operation.

대표청구항 ▼

An electrically controlled hydraulically powered valve actuator comprising: a valve actuator housing; a power piston reciprocable within the housing along an axis; a bistable hydraulic fluid control valve reciprocable along said axis relative to both the housing and the piston between first and seco

An electrically controlled hydraulically powered valve actuator comprising: a valve actuator housing; a power piston reciprocable within the housing along an axis; a bistable hydraulic fluid control valve reciprocable along said axis relative to both the housing and the piston between first and second stable positions, movement of the control valve in one direction from one stable position to the other stable position providing hydraulic fluid to the power piston causing the power piston to move in a direction opposite said one direction; a low volume constant pressure source of high pressure fluid comprising a cylinder with a pair of spaced apart pistons spring biased toward one another; a remote high pressure source coupled to the space intermediate the pistons; and means including said bistable hydraulic fluid control valve for intermittently delivering high pressure fluid from the space intermediate the pistons whereby the pistons collapse toward one another due to the spring bias while maintaining the fluid pressure as fluid exits the space.