초록 ▼

A valve timing control apparatus that continuously controls the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an engine. This apparatus includes a hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism, a hydraulic control valve and an electronic control unit for controlling the control valve. The varia

A valve timing control apparatus that continuously controls the valve timing of an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an engine. This apparatus includes a hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism, a hydraulic control valve and an electronic control unit for controlling the control valve. The variable valve timing mechanism alters the valve timing to change the valve overlap of the intake valve with respect to the exhaust valve. The hydraulic control valve controls the hydraulic pressure supplied to the variable valve timing mechanism. The real phase of the valve timing is coincided with a target phase that corresponds with the running conditions of the engine. When the real phase of the valve timing approaches the target phase, the hydraulic control valve is controlled to sustain the phase of that instant. The electronic control unit, which learns the control state of the valve-timing sustaining control, sets an initial learning value that reduces the valve overlap when the learning has started. A correction means is disallowed from computing a current specific value when the computed target value is within a predetermined range.

대표청구항 ▼

A valve timing control apparatus for an engine having an air intake passage for introducing air to a combustion chamber and an air exhausting passage for exhausting gas from the combustion chamber, said intake passage and said exhausting passage having an intake valve and an exhaust valve, respectiv

A valve timing control apparatus for an engine having an air intake passage for introducing air to a combustion chamber and an air exhausting passage for exhausting gas from the combustion chamber, said intake passage and said exhausting passage having an intake valve and an exhaust valve, respectively, the valves are alternately opened and closed with a valve timing according to rotation of a cam shaft, which rotates in synchronism with rotation of a crank shaft of the engine, wherein the valves are simultaneously opened during a period of valve overlap, and wherein the rotational phase of the cam shaft is arranged to be selectively advanced or retarded with respect to the rotational phase of the crank shaft to converge the valve timing to a target value so as to vary the period of the valve overlap within a range between a maximum value and a minimum value based on a current running condition of the engine, said apparatus comprising: adjusting means for continuously adjusting the valve timing of at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve, said adjusting means being driven by hydraulic pressure; supplying means for supplying the hydraulic pressure to said adjusting means, said supplying means including tuning means for tuning the hydraulic pressure; first detecting means for detecting the running condition of the engine; computing means for computing the target value based on said running condition; second detecting means for detecting the actual valve timing adjusted by the adjusting means; control means for controlling the supplying means to operate the adjusting means so as to converge the detected valve timing to the target value and vary the period of the valve overlap based on the running condition of the engine, wherein said control means controls the supplying means to sustain the valve timing when it is approximately coincided with the target value; determining means for determining an offset between the detected valve timing and the target value when the valve timing is sustained by said control means for a predetermined time period, said determining means including calculating means for calculating an offset value between the valve timing and the target value; correction means for correcting said target value with a current specific value for cancelling the offset value, said correction means being arranged to compute the current specific value based on said offset value; said computed target value being variable within a predetermined range between an upper limit and a lower limit; and disallowing means for disallowing said correction means to compute the current specific value when the computed target value is within said predetermined range.