CN103147818B

CN103147818B - Drive device with variable valve lift, engine and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN103147818B
Application number: CN201310065235.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘胜强; 林文; 张春辉; 刘涛; 赵国东; 辛宇
Original assignee: Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-02-28
Filing date: 2013-02-28
Publication date: 2015-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2033-02-28
Also published as: CN103147818A

Abstract

The invention discloses a drive device with variable valve lift. The drive device comprises a valve mechanism, a tappet mechanism arranged at the top of the valve mechanism, a cam shaft mechanism arranged above the valve mechanism and provided with a cam, a rocker arm mechanism arranged between the tappet mechanism and the cam shaft mechanism and driven by the cam to swing around the rocker arm rotation axis of the rocker arm mechanism, and an actuating mechanism used for driving the rocker arm mechanism to rotate around the adjusting rotation axis of the actuating mechanism to continuously and variably adjust the lift of the valve mechanism. According to the drive device with the variable valve lift, the gas distribution requirements of an engine under various working conditions such as high-speed high-load working condition, low-speed low-load working condition and the like can be satisfactorily met, the pumping loss is reduced, the valve lift is continuous and variable at the same time, the power performance and the fuel economy of the engine are greatly improved, and the discharge amount of harmful gases such as HC, CO, CO2, NOx and the like is reduced.

Description

Variable valve lift driving device, engine and vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of automobile construction, and more particularly, to a variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine, and an engine and a vehicle including the same.

Background

With the increasing environmental and energy problems, the internal combustion engine is the most widely used power machine in the world at present, and is irreplaceable in a short time, so how to make the internal combustion engine cleaner and more economical is the goal of the efforts of various automobile manufacturers in the world in recent years.

The traditional gasoline engine enables the engine to output different powers and torques by changing the air inflow amount of the throttle valve, under the working condition of small load, the opening degree of the throttle valve is small, the air inflow amount of the engine is small, and large vacuum can be generated behind the throttle valve, so that the pumping loss is large, and the influence of the pumping loss on the low speed of the engine is large.

Moreover, the valve timing of the traditional engine is generally determined by local optimization of the engine performance based on a certain fixed working condition range, is fixed in the working process and only reciprocates in an opening-closing cycle, and the valve motion law is completely determined by the cam profile.

Although some engines adopting the variable valve lift technology appear in the prior art, the variable valve lift structure is complex and complicated to control, most of the variable valve lift structure is two-stage, the continuous variable of the valve lift cannot be realized, and the practicability is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving at least one of the problems of the prior art. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine, which has a simple structure, is stable and reliable, and can achieve continuously variable adjustment of the lift of a valve mechanism.

The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to the present invention includes: a valve train; the tappet mechanism is arranged at the top of the valve mechanism; a camshaft mechanism provided above the valve mechanism, the camshaft mechanism having a cam; the rocker arm mechanism is arranged between the tappet mechanism and the camshaft mechanism and driven by the cam to swing around a rocker arm rotation axis of the rocker arm mechanism; and an actuating mechanism for driving the rocker mechanism to rotate about an adjustment axis of rotation of the actuating mechanism to continuously variably adjust the lift of the valve mechanism.

According to the variable valve lift driving device for the engine, the requirements of the engine on gas distribution under high-speed large-load working condition and low-speed small-load working condition are well met, the pumping loss is reduced, and meanwhile, the continuous valve lift is realizedIt is variable, greatly improves the dynamic property and fuel economy of the engine, reduces HC, CO and CO₂And emission of harmful gases such as NOx.

In addition, according to the variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine of the present invention, the following additional technical features may be further provided:

according to one embodiment of the invention the rocker mechanism forms a profile cooperating with the tappet mechanism and configured to obtain a desired valve lift for driving the tappet mechanism in a linear reciprocating movement.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the rocker mechanism comprises:

a frame, wherein the profile is formed on the frame; and

a rocker roller rotatably provided on a portion of the frame corresponding to the camshaft mechanism.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the profile comprises a first section of curved surface, a second section of curved surface and a third section of curved surface,

wherein the second section of curved surface is connected between the first section of curved surface and the third section of curved surface, and the first section of curved surface is closer to the camshaft mechanism than the third section of curved surface,

the first section of curved surface is an arc-shaped surface, the rotation axis of the rocker arm is superposed with the central axis corresponding to the first section of curved surface,

the distances between the second section of curved surface and the third section of curved surface and the rotation axis of the rocker arm gradually increase along the direction from the first section of curved surface to the third section of curved surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second section of curved surface is in smooth transition with the first section of curved surface and the third section of curved surface respectively.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the frame is provided with a reinforcing structure on two opposite lateral side surfaces, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the top of the tappet mechanism is configured with a pivotable tappet roller for rolling contact with the rocker mechanism, and the central axis of the tappet roller coincides with the adjustment rotation axis in the event of zero valve mechanism lift.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the tappet mechanism comprises:

the oil pump comprises a mounting part, a pump body and a pump body, wherein a mounting space is defined in the mounting part, the top and the bottom of the mounting space are both open, and a mounting part oil inlet channel and a mounting part oil outlet channel are formed in the mounting part;

the plunger is movably arranged in the mounting space along the linear reciprocating motion direction of the valve mechanism, the bottom of the plunger extends out of the bottom of the mounting space so as to be suitable for being abutted against the top of the valve mechanism, a plunger cavity with an open top is formed in the plunger, a plunger oil inlet channel and a plunger oil outlet channel are formed in the plunger, the plunger oil inlet channel is respectively communicated with the plunger cavity and the mounting part oil inlet channel, and the plunger oil outlet channel is respectively communicated with the plunger cavity and the mounting part oil outlet channel;

a sealing member mounted on the mounting part and closing a top of the mounting space, a bottom surface of the sealing member being spaced a first predetermined distance from a top surface of the plunger;

the elastic piece is arranged in the plunger cavity, and two ends of the elastic piece respectively and elastically abut against the bottom surface of the plunger cavity and the bottom surface of the sealing piece; and

the tappet roller is pivotally arranged at the top of the mounting part.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lifter further includes two fixing plate portions provided in parallel and opposite at the top of the mounting portion, and the lifter roller is pivotably interposed between the two fixing plate portions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lifter further includes two stopper pieces provided between the two lateral sides of the lifter roller and the two fixing plate portions, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the stop tab is configured substantially annularly and has a radial dimension greater than a radial dimension of the tappet roller.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the plunger further comprises a limit boss which is arranged in the installation space and is adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the plunger,

and a flange is arranged on the peripheral surface of the plunger, and when the plunger moves downwards in the mounting space for a second preset distance, the bottom surface of the flange is stopped against the top surface of the limiting boss.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the actuation means comprises:

the driving part comprises a driving shaft and a driving gear sleeved on the driving shaft; and

the driven part comprises a driven shaft and a pivoting shaft, the driven shaft is connected with the pivoting shaft, any two of the driving shaft, the driven shaft and the pivoting shaft are parallel to each other, the driven shaft is rotatably fixed on a cylinder cover of an engine, a driven gear meshed with the driving gear is arranged on the driven shaft, and the driven shaft is provided with a driven gear meshed with the driving gear, wherein

The central axis of the driven shaft coincides with the adjustment rotation axis, the pivot shaft is suitable for being connected with the rocker arm mechanism, and the central axis of the pivot shaft coincides with the rocker arm rotation axis.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the driven shaft is sleeved with a driven shaft bearing at each of two ends of the driven shaft, and the driven shaft bearings are suitable for being fixed on the cylinder covers.

According to one embodiment of the invention, an oil storage hole is formed in the driven shaft bearing,

the driven shaft is provided with a driven shaft oil passage, and the driven shaft oil passage is separably communicated with the oil storage hole when the driven shaft rotates.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the driven gear is a generally sector gear.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the pivot shaft comprises two sections spaced from each other and respectively connected to the driven shaft.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the camshaft mechanism further comprises a return spring, the return spring is sleeved on the pivot shaft, and one end of the return spring is buckled on the rocker arm mechanism so as to elastically stop the rocker arm mechanism against the camshaft mechanism.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the actuation means comprises:

a housing having an inner circumferential surface provided with a plurality of spaced housing bosses extending radially toward a center of the housing; and

the rotor is rotatably arranged in the shell, the central axis of the rotor is coincided with the adjusting rotation axis, a plurality of rotor bosses are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor, and the rotor bosses are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor

A space between any adjacent two of the housing bosses is defined by the rotor boss disposed therebetween as a first oil chamber and a second oil chamber which are isolated and sealed from each other, wherein the first oil chamber is located on a downstream side of the second oil chamber in the clockwise direction,

the rotor is limited with a first oil duct and a second oil duct, one end of the first oil duct is communicated with the first oil cavity, and one end of the second oil duct is communicated with the second oil cavity;

and one end of the eccentric shaft is fixed on the rotor, the other end of the eccentric shaft extends outwards from the shell, and the central axis of the eccentric shaft is superposed with the rotation axis of the rocker arm and is parallel to the adjustment rotation axis.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a spring structure is disposed on a surface of each rotor boss farther from the adjustment rotation axis, and the spring structure is tightly fitted to an inner circumferential surface of the housing.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the eccentric shaft rotates within a predetermined angular range.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing includes a casing having one side opened to form a casing opening, and an end cover mounted on the casing and closing the casing opening, the casing having a circular arc shaped stopper groove formed around the adjustment rotation axis, wherein the other end of the eccentric shaft extends outward through the circular arc shaped stopper groove.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprising: and the positioning assembly is arranged on one of the rotor bosses and used for positioning the end cover and the rotor during assembly.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the positioning assembly comprises:

the limiting sleeve is embedded in an accommodating hole formed in the rotor boss;

the limiting screw penetrates through the limiting sleeve, one end of the limiting screw abuts against a limiting hole in the inner surface of the end cover, a hydraulic oil guiding groove is formed in the inner surface of the end cover, and the hydraulic oil guiding groove is communicated with one of the first oil cavity and the second oil cavity and the limiting hole respectively; and

the limiting elastic piece is arranged in the limiting sleeve and is elastically arranged between the other end of the limiting screw and the bottom surface of the accommodating hole.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprising: and the first oil passage and the second oil passage are connected with an oil pump of the engine through the communication valve.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a variable valve lift driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a front view of a variable valve lift driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a side view of a variable valve lift driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a rocker arm mechanism according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the rocker mechanism assembled with the lifter mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a lifter mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a tappet mechanism and a valve train assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of portion A circled in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a tappet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a lifter roller according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an actuation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a perspective view of the variable valve lift driving apparatus having the actuating mechanism shown in fig. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the driven portion of the actuating mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the driven portion shown in FIG. 13 assembled with a rocker arm mechanism, a lifter mechanism, a valve train mechanism and a camshaft mechanism;

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of an actuation mechanism according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the actuation mechanism shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the actuator mechanism shown in FIG. 15, as assembled;

FIG. 18 is a front view of the actuation mechanism shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of a housing of the actuation mechanism shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the housing shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 19;

FIGS. 22-23 are schematic views of a lifter mechanism in cooperation with a zero-lift profile of a rocker mechanism;

FIGS. 24-25 are schematic views of a lifter mechanism in cooperation with a low lift profile of a rocker mechanism;

fig. 26-27 are schematic views of a lifter mechanism in cooperation with a high lift profile of a rocker mechanism.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative and intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like, indicate orientations and positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be considered as limiting the present invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, "above" or "below" a first feature means that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact with each other via another feature therebetween. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

The engine body group is a bracket of the engine, and is a base body for assembling a crank connecting rod mechanism, a valve actuating mechanism and various systems. The engine body group mainly comprises an engine block, an engine head gasket, an oil pan and the like, wherein the oil pan is generally arranged at the bottom of the engine block, the engine head is arranged at the top of the engine block, and the engine head gasket is arranged between the top surface of the engine block and the bottom surface of the engine head and used for sealing a gap between the engine block and the engine head.

The cylinder cover, the top of the piston and the cylinder form a combustion chamber, the top of the combustion chamber is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, and the valve mechanism penetrates through the cylinder cover and seals the air inlet and the air outlet. For the existing general engines, a two-in two-out valve mechanism is mostly adopted, and a few valve mechanisms adopt one-in one-out or three-in two-out valve mechanisms.

For the same engine, there are generally many different operating conditions, such as low-speed and low-load operating conditions, high-speed and high-load operating conditions, and when the engine is in the low-speed and low-load operating conditions, the output of power and torque of the engine is relatively low, so that the air entering the combustion chamber can be relatively less, and when the engine is in the high-speed and high-load operating conditions, the output of power and torque of the engine is relatively high, so that more air is needed to enter the combustion chamber to combust with more fuel.

The variable valve lift driving device 1000 can realize continuous variable of the valve lift, particularly the lift of the intake valve, so that the valve lift can be intelligently adjusted according to different working conditions of the engine, the air and fuel in a combustion chamber are fully combusted, and the power performance and the fuel economy of the engine are improved.

A variable valve lift driving apparatus 1000 for an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 1 to 27.

The variable valve lift driving apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a valve mechanism 600, a lifter mechanism 200, a camshaft mechanism 500, a rocker arm mechanism 100, and actuating mechanisms 300, 400.

Where the valve mechanism 600 is known in the art and well known to those skilled in the art, for example, the valve mechanism 600 may include a valve head and a valve stem, and the valve mechanism 600 may move up and down in a valve guide along a center line of the valve mechanism 600 to open or close an intake port or an exhaust port of a combustion chamber, and for these components, which may be arranged in the same manner as in the prior art, will not be described in detail herein.

Referring to fig. 6 to 10, the lifter mechanism 200 is provided at the top of the valve mechanism 600 to drive the valve mechanism 600 to reciprocate linearly up and down along the center line of the valve mechanism 600.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, a camshaft mechanism 500 is provided above a valve mechanism 600, and the camshaft mechanism 500 includes a camshaft 503 and a cam 505 fitted around the camshaft 503. The camshaft mechanism 500 may be driven by the crankshaft of the engine, and the camshaft mechanism 500 and the crankshaft may be gear driven, chain driven, or belt driven.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the rocker mechanism 100 is provided between the lifter mechanism 200 and the camshaft mechanism 500 and the rocker mechanism 100 is driven by the cam 505 to swing about the rocker rotation axis of the rocker mechanism 100 (i.e., the center axis of the eccentric shaft 451 and the pivot shaft 357).

As shown in fig. 11 to 21, the actuating mechanism 300, 400 is used to drive the rocker arm mechanism 100 to rotate about the adjustment rotational axis of the actuating mechanism 300, 400 (i.e., the central axis of the rotor 421 and the driven shaft 353) to continuously variably adjust the lift of the valve mechanism 600.

In the description of the present invention, the valve train 600 is used as an intake valve as an example unless otherwise specified. Of course, it is understood that the valve mechanism 600 may also be an exhaust valve, i.e., the variable valve lift driving apparatus 1000 may also be used to adjust the lift of the exhaust valve.

According to the variable valve lift driving device 1000 provided by the embodiment of the invention, the requirements of the engine on gas distribution under the high-speed large-load working condition and the low-speed small-load working condition are well met, the pumping loss is reduced, meanwhile, the continuous variable of the valve lift is realized, the dynamic property and the fuel economy of the engine are greatly improved, and HC, CO and CO are reduced₂And emission of harmful gases such as NOx.

A rocker mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 21.

As shown in fig. 4, the swing arm mechanism 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 101 and a swing arm roller 111. Therein, referring to fig. 4, the frame 101 is configured with a profile 103, the profile 103 being adapted to cooperate with the tappet mechanism 200, e.g. the profile 103 is in contact engagement with a tappet roller 209 at the top of the tappet mechanism 200 (as shown in fig. 9).

The profile 103 is configured to achieve a desired valve lift, for example, the profile 103 may be pre-calculated to be linear according to different operating conditions of the engine, such that when the engine is operated under a certain operating condition, the profile 103 has a linear portion adapted to drive the lifter mechanism 200 most suitably under the certain operating condition, thereby making the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 suitable, ensuring a sufficient and suitable amount of air entering the combustion chamber for sufficient combustion with fuel, and improving the power output and fuel economy of the engine. The specific construction of the mould surface 103 will be described in detail below and will not be described in detail here.

As shown in fig. 4, the rocker roller 111 is rotatably provided on a portion of the frame 101 corresponding to the camshaft mechanism 500. For example, in the example of fig. 4, the rocker roller 111 is rotatably disposed on the top portion of the frame 101, the rocker roller 111 may be rotatably disposed on the frame 101 through a pin 112 penetrating the frame 101, the pin 112 and a pin hole on the frame 101 may be in an interference fit, and a bearing may be disposed between the pin 112 and the rocker roller 111 for reducing friction therebetween during relative rotation.

According to the rocker arm mechanism 100, the rocker arm profile 103 can be configured to be suitable for obtaining a required valve lift according to design requirements, for example, the profile 103 is configured to have a zero-lift profile, a small-lift profile and a large-lift profile, so that the part of the profile 103 matched with the tappet mechanism 200 can be adjusted according to different working conditions of an engine, the valve lift is changed, an ideal lift amount is obtained, and the power performance and the fuel economy of the engine are improved.

Moreover, the rocker arm mechanism 100 is provided with the rocker arm roller 111 matched with the camshaft mechanism 500, so that the friction between the rocker arm roller and the camshaft mechanism during movement can be greatly reduced, the service life is prolonged, and the use cost and the working noise are reduced.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 4, the mold surface 103 comprises a first section of curved surface 105, a second section of curved surface 107 and a third section of curved surface 109, wherein the second section of curved surface 107 is connected between the first section of curved surface 105 and the third section of curved surface 109, and the first section of curved surface 105 is closer to the camshaft mechanism 500 than the third section of curved surface 109.

For example, as shown in fig. 4, the first curved surface section 105 may be formed on the rear side of the bottom of the frame 101, the third curved surface section 109 may be formed on the front side of the bottom of the frame 101, and the second curved surface section 107 may be connected between the first curved surface section 105 and the third curved surface section 109.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first curved surface section 105 is a circular arc surface, and the rotation axis of the rocker arm coincides with the central axis corresponding to the first curved surface section 105. In other words, the lift of the valve mechanism 600 is zero when the first-stage curved surface 105 is engaged with the lifter mechanism 200, i.e., the valve mechanism 600 closes the intake port of the combustion chamber. It is understood that the first curved segment 105 can be understood as a zero lift profile. Therefore, the purpose of intelligent cylinder deactivation of the engine is achieved.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the distances between the second section of curved surface 107 and the third section of curved surface 109 and the rotation axis of the rocker arm gradually increase in a direction from the first section of curved surface 105 toward the third section of curved surface 109. In other words, the lift of the valve mechanism 600 when the second curved surface 107 is engaged with the lifter mechanism 200 is smaller than the lift of the valve mechanism 600 when the third curved surface 109 is engaged with the lifter mechanism 200. That is, the second-stage curved surface 107 may be understood as a small-lift curved surface, and the third-stage curved surface 109 may be understood as a large-lift curved surface.

Therefore, when the second curved surface 107 drives the tappet mechanism 200, the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 is small, and the tappet mechanism 200 can be suitable for the low-speed and low-load working condition of the engine, and when the engine is in the high-speed and high-load working condition, the tappet mechanism 200 can be driven by the third curved surface 109.

For example, the profile part of the rocker arm mechanism 100 matched with the tappet mechanism 200 can be controlled by the ECU according to different working conditions of the engine, so that the valve lift is in the optimal range, the engine can obtain enough and appropriate air inflow, the engine can be fully combusted with fuel, and the power and the fuel economy of the engine are improved.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second curved section 107 is smoothly transitioned with the first curved section 105 and the third curved section 109, respectively. For example, the second curved surface segment 107 may transition with the first curved surface segment 105 through a circular arc surface segment, and the central axis of the circular arc surface segment may coincide with the rotation axis of the rocker arm mechanism 100. Similarly, the second curved surface 107 and the third curved surface 109 may be transited by an arc-shaped surface, or may be transited by another curved surface.

As shown in fig. 4, the frame 101 is provided with reinforcing structures 113 on the opposite lateral side surfaces, respectively, in other words, the reinforcing structures 113 are provided on both surfaces in the thickness direction of the frame 101.

For example, the reinforcing structure 113 may be configured as a concave stiffener. Through setting up additional strengthening 113 such as the strengthening rib of indent formula, can improve the rigidity and the intensity of frame 101 greatly, especially show the promotion to frame 101 marginal portion rigidity and intensity, can prevent like this that rocker mechanism 100 during operation frame 101 edge from breaking, improved rocker mechanism 100's whole life-span, reduce use cost.

Further, the recessed ribs may be disposed adjacent to the edges of the frame 101 to better increase the rigidity and strength at the edges of the frame 101.

The concave beads may be integrally formed on the respective lateral side surfaces, respectively, and the beads on the opposite lateral side surfaces correspond to each other. In other words, the reinforcing ribs may be integrally formed with the respective surfaces, and the two reinforcing ribs correspond to each other in the thickness direction of the frame 101. This can further improve the rigidity and strength of the frame 101, and thus the rigidity and strength of the entire swing arm mechanism 100 can be improved.

Of course, it is to be understood that the reinforcing structure 113 of the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can configure the reinforcing structure 113 according to one embodiment of the present invention into a desired shape based on the disclosure of the present specification, as long as the reinforcing structure 113 can improve the rigidity and strength of the frame 101, particularly the edge portion of the frame 101.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the frame 101 may be made of powder metallurgy, which may ensure that the frame 101 has the advantages of high temperature resistance, wear resistance, high rigidity, etc., thereby greatly increasing the overall lifetime of the rocker mechanism 100 and ensuring the reliable operation of the rocker mechanism 100.

As shown in fig. 1 and 4, the frame 101 is provided with a position-limiting groove 115, and the position-limiting groove 115 is configured to be suitable for positioning one end of the elastic limiting member. Specifically, the elastic limiting member may be a return spring 363, the return spring 363 may be sleeved on the swing shaft (i.e. the eccentric shaft 451 and the pivot shaft 357) of the rocker mechanism 100, and a free end of the return spring 363 may be clamped in the limiting groove 115 to elastically stop the rocker mechanism 100 against the camshaft mechanism 500, so as to ensure that the rocker roller 111 at the top of the rocker mechanism 100 is in zero clearance fit with the cam 505 of the camshaft mechanism 500. As shown in fig. 4, one end of the limiting groove 115 may be communicated with the recessed reinforcing rib.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, a portion of the frame 101 adjacent to the camshaft mechanism 500 is configured to include two positioning plates 117 disposed in parallel and opposite to each other, and the rocker roller 111 is rotatably interposed between the two positioning plates 117 so as to restrict the movement of the rocker mechanism 100 relative to the camshaft mechanism 500 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rocker arm.

In general, the rocker mechanism 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may have the following advantages:

1) the concave reinforcing ribs increase the strength of the rocker arm mechanism 100, and the working reliability of the system is improved;

2) the rocker roller 111 may reduce friction when the rocker mechanism 100 and the camshaft mechanism 500 move relative to each other;

3) the valve profile has the advantages that the valve profile has the zero-lift profile, the small-lift profile and the large-lift profile, the fullness of the valve profile can be increased, and the engine can obtain the optimal air intake matching under different working conditions.

The lifter mechanism 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 21.

The tappet mechanism 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a mounting portion 201, a plunger 203, a seal 205, an elastic member 207, and a tappet roller 209.

Wherein, a mounting space is defined in the mounting part 201, the top of the mounting space is opened to form a top opening, and the bottom of the mounting part 201 is also opened to form a bottom opening. A mount oil inlet passage 211 and a mount oil outlet passage 213 are formed in the mount 201. The mounting oil inlet passage 211 may be in communication with an oil passage in the engine head corresponding to the mounting oil inlet passage 211. Similarly, the mounting portion oil outlet passage 213 may communicate with an oil passage in the cylinder head corresponding to the mounting portion oil outlet passage 213.

The mounting oil inlet passage 211 may be radially disposed, and one end thereof may penetrate through an outer circumferential surface of the mounting part 201 and the other end thereof may penetrate through an inner circumferential surface of the mounting part 201 at the top opening portion.

Similarly, the mounting oil outlet channel 213 may be radially disposed, and one end thereof may penetrate through the outer circumferential surface of the mounting part 201 and the other end thereof may penetrate through the inner circumferential surface of the mounting part 201 at the top opening portion, and the mounting oil inlet channel 211 may be formed at an angle of about 90 ° to the mounting oil outlet channel 213.

Referring to fig. 6 to 8, the plunger 203 is movably provided in the installation space in the linear reciprocating direction of the valve mechanism 600, and specifically, the plunger 203 is movable up and down in the installation space in the direction of the center line of the valve mechanism 600 within a certain range.

The bottom of the plunger 203 protrudes from the bottom of the mounting space to be adapted to abut against the top of the valve mechanism 600, the bottom of the plunger 203 may be flat, and the top of the valve mechanism 600 may be correspondingly formed to be flat, so that the plunger 203 is in surface-to-surface contact with the valve mechanism 600 to better drive the valve mechanism 600 by the plunger 203.

Of course, it is understood that the bottom surface of the plunger 203 and the top surface of the valve train 600 may be formed in other suitable shapes, for example, the bottom surface of the plunger 203 may be a downward convex arc surface, and the top surface of the valve train 600 may be correspondingly formed as a concave arc surface.

Referring to fig. 6-8, the plunger 203 has an open-topped plunger cavity 215 therein, and the plunger cavity 215 may be a generally cylindrical cavity. And, a plunger oil inlet channel 217 and a plunger oil outlet channel 219 are formed in the plunger 203, and both the plunger oil inlet channel 217 and the plunger oil outlet channel 219 can be arranged along the radial direction and form an included angle of approximately 90 degrees. The plunger oil inlet passage 217 communicates with the plunger chamber 215 and the mounting oil inlet passage 211, respectively, and the plunger oil outlet passage 219 communicates with the plunger chamber 215 and the mounting oil outlet passage 213, respectively.

Therefore, hydraulic oil in corresponding oil passage channels in the cylinder cover can be injected into the plunger cavity 215 through the mounting oil inlet channel 211 and the plunger oil inlet channel 217 in sequence, and certain oil pressure is kept exerted on the plunger 203. The hydraulic oil can flow out of the plunger oil outlet passage 219 and the mounting portion oil outlet passage 213 in this order after the hydraulic oil in the plunger chamber 215 is filled.

Referring to fig. 6 and 8, a sealing member 205 is installed on the mounting portion 201 and closes the top of the mounting space, for example, the sealing member 205 may be provided at and seal the top opening of the mounting space to prevent hydraulic oil from flowing out through a gap between the sealing member 205 and the mounting portion 201. The bottom surface of the seal 205 is spaced apart from the top surface of the plunger 203 by a first predetermined distance to allow a certain amount of movement for the plunger 203 to move up and down with respect to the mounting space (in the direction along the center line of the valve mechanism 600).

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the elastic member 207 is disposed in the plunger chamber 215, and both ends of the elastic member 207 elastically abut between the bottom surface of the plunger chamber 215 and the bottom surface of the sealing member 205, respectively. In other words, the resilient member 207 is disposed between the plunger cavity 215 and the sealing member 205, and is in a normal compressed state. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member 207 may be a spring.

Thus, the elastic member 207 can apply an elastic force to the plunger 203 downward along the center line of the valve mechanism 600, and since the plunger chamber 215 is filled with hydraulic oil, the hydraulic oil can also apply a pressure to the plunger 203 downward along the center line of the valve mechanism 600, and the pressure and the elastic force of the elastic member 207 act on the plunger 203, so that the bottom surface of the plunger 203 is always in contact with the top of the valve mechanism 600.

Moreover, the contact mode is an elastic mode, namely, the valve mechanism 600 can not be automatically closed according to the change of the relative initial position of the valve mechanism 600, and the problem that the valve mechanism 600 cannot well seal the air inlet of the combustion chamber due to the abrasion of the valve mechanism 600 after the engine is used for a long time is solved, so that the air inlet efficiency can be improved, and the air inlet of the combustion chamber can be better sealed when the valve mechanism 600 is in a zero lift range.

As shown in fig. 9, a tappet roller 209 is pivotably provided at the top of the mounting portion 201, the tappet roller 209 being adapted to fit the profile 103 of the rocker mechanism 100.

According to the tappet mechanism 200 provided by the embodiment of the invention, the tappet roller 209 is suitable for being matched with the rocker arm mechanism 100, so that the tappet mechanism can be better matched with the molded surface 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100, the abrasion of the rocker arm mechanism 100 and the tappet roller 209 is reduced, and the service life is prolonged.

Meanwhile, the oil pressure of the hydraulic oil and the elastic force of the elastic piece 207 act on the plunger 203 together, so that the matching mode of the plunger 203 and the valve mechanism 600 is changed into a springback type, and then the valve mechanism 600 can be replenished according to the change of the initial position of the valve mechanism 600, and the valve mechanism 600 is ensured to be in constant contact with the plunger 203.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 6, the lifter mechanism 200 further includes two fixing plate portions 221, the two fixing plate portions 221 being disposed in parallel and opposite on top of the mounting portion 201, and the lifter roller 209 being pivotably interposed between the two fixing plate portions 221.

The fixing plate portions 221 may be formed integrally with the mounting portion 201, and the thickness of the bottom portion of each fixing plate portion 221 may be greater than the thickness of the top portion of the fixing plate portion 221, so that it is possible to ensure sufficient fixing strength between the fixing plate portion 221 and the mounting portion 201, and to avoid breakage of the fixing plate portion 221 after the engine is operated for a long time.

Referring to fig. 6, 9 and 10, the tappet roller 209 is pivotably interposed between the two fixing plate portions 221 by a pin 223 passing through the two fixing plate portions 221, and a driving bearing 210 is provided between the tappet roller 209 and the pin 223. Specifically, the pin shaft 223 may be in interference fit with pin shaft holes on the two fixing plate portions 221, and the driving bearing 210 is sleeved outside the pin shaft 223 and located between an outer circumferential surface of the pin shaft 223 and an inner circumferential surface of the tappet roller 209, for reducing friction when the tappet roller 209 rolls.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in another embodiment of the present invention, the tappet roller 209 is pivotably interposed between the two fixing plate portions 221 by a pin shaft 223 passing through the two fixing plate portions 221 and the tappet roller 209 is integrally formed with the pin shaft 223. That is, in this embodiment, the pin 223 is formed integrally with the tappet roller 209, and a bearing may be provided between the pin 223 and the fixing plate portion 221 to reduce friction when the tappet roller 209 rolls.

As shown in fig. 6, 9 and 10, the lifter mechanism 200 includes two stopper pieces 225, and the two stopper pieces 225 are respectively provided between two lateral side surfaces of the lifter roller 209 and two fixing plate portions 221, it being understood that the lateral direction is the thickness direction of the lifter roller 209. One of the two stopper pieces 225 is provided between one side surface of the tappet roller 209 in the thickness direction and the fixing plate portion 221 on the side, and the remaining one stopper piece 225 is provided between the other side surface of the tappet roller 209 in the thickness direction and the fixing plate portion 221 on the side.

By providing the stopper piece 225, the degree of freedom of the tappet roller 209 can be restricted in the axial direction of the tappet roller 209 (i.e., the direction in which the rotation axis is adjusted) better, and the axial movement of the tappet roller 209 is prevented.

Further, the spacing pieces 225 are configured in a generally annular shape, for example, in the example of fig. 6, the spacing pieces 225 are each formed in a circular shape. Also, the radial dimension of the substantially annular stopper piece 225 is larger than the radial dimension of the tappet roller 209, that is, in the example of fig. 5 and 6, the outer diameter of the annular stopper piece 225 is larger than the outer diameter of the tappet roller 209.

With this design, it is better to cooperate with the bottom of the rocker mechanism 100 to limit the movement of the rocker mechanism 100 in a direction parallel to the adjustment rotation axis, for example, the bottom of the rocker mechanism 100 may be formed with a protrusion 102, the profile 103 of the rocker mechanism 100 is formed on the bottom surface of the protrusion 102, and the distance between the two limiting pieces 225 may be approximately equal to the width of the protrusion 102, so as to limit the axial movement of the protrusion 102 and the rocker mechanism 100 as a whole, ensure that the profile 103 of the rocker mechanism 100 is closely fitted with the lifter roller 209 at any time, and avoid the profile 103 from being misaligned with the lifter roller 209.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments of the present invention, the shape of the stopper piece 225 is not limited to a substantially circular shape, and may be formed in a rectangular shape or other shapes, for example, as long as the stopper piece 225 has a portion protruding upward from the lifter roller 209 so that the bottom portion of the rocker arm mechanism 100, such as the boss 102, may be confined between the protruding portions of the two stopper pieces 225.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the lifter mechanism 200 further includes a limit boss 227, the limit boss 227 being provided in the installation space adjacent to the outer circumferential surface of the plunger 203. A flange 229 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the plunger 203 and when the plunger 203 moves downward a second predetermined distance in the mounting space, that is, when the plunger 203 moves downward a second predetermined distance along the center line of the valve mechanism 600 relative to the mounting space, the bottom surface of the flange 229 abuts against the top surface of the limit projection 227, that is, when the flange 229 is supported above the limit projection 227, thereby preventing the plunger 203 from falling out entirely from the bottom of the mounting space due to too violent movement of the valve mechanism 600 or failure of movement of the valve mechanism 600.

In short, when the valve train is in the initial position, the top surface of the plunger 203 is spaced from the bottom surface of the seal 205 by a first predetermined distance, and the bottom surface of the flange 229 is spaced from the top surface of the stopper boss 227 by a second predetermined distance, which are the movement margins of the plunger 203 in the direction of the center line of the valve train 600 with respect to the installation space.

Therefore, under the action of the oil pressure of the elastic piece 207 and hydraulic oil, the valve mechanism 600 can not be used according to the change of the initial position, the problem that the valve mechanism 600 cannot well seal the air inlet of the combustion chamber due to abrasion of the valve mechanism 600 or expansion of the valve mechanism 600 during working after the engine is used for a long time is solved, and the arrangement of the limiting boss 227 can also avoid the phenomenon that the plunger 203 integrally falls out from the bottom of the installation space due to movement failure of the valve mechanism 600.

As shown in fig. 8, the top surface of the flange 229 is preferably flush with the top surface of the plunger 203, and the limit projection 227 is preferably formed in a circular ring shape.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the first predetermined distance is 1-2mm, in other words, when the valve mechanism 600 is in the initial position, the top surface of the plunger 203 is spaced 1-2mm from the bottom surface of the seal 205, and because of the small distance between the top surface of the plunger 203 and the bottom surface of the seal 205, and because of the physical properties of the hydraulic oil, the hydraulic oil is substantially prevented from flowing out of the plunger 203 from the gap after filling the plunger cavity 215 and applying a downward pressure to the plunger 203.

In some embodiments of the invention, the second predetermined distance is 1-2 mm. In other words, when the valve train 600 is in the initial position, the bottom surface of the flange 229 is spaced 1-2mm from the top surface of the limit projection 227.

As shown in fig. 6, the seal 205 is configured as a plug adapted to be threadably coupled to the mounting portion 201, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The outer peripheral surface of the plug can be provided with external threads, and the top opening of the installation space can be correspondingly provided with internal threads, so that the plug can be firmly fixed on the installation part 201 through thread fit, the top of the installation space can be better sealed, and the plug can also be used as a support seat for the plunger 203 and the elastic piece 207 such as a spring.

In general, the tappet structure 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may have the following advantages:

1) the structure is simple, the mechanical friction can be reduced, the oil consumption is further reduced, the implementation is easy, and the implementation cost is low;

2) the top of the valve mechanism 600 is always contacted with the outer bottom surface of the plunger 203, so that the working stability of the system is improved;

3) the fuel consumption of the engine is effectively reduced, and the NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) characteristic of the engine is improved;

4) the method is favorable for increasing turbulence in a cylinder, improving the combustion speed and increasing the low-speed torque of the engine, and can obviously improve the air inflow by using a larger valve lift at a high rotating speed so as to improve the output power at the high rotating speed.

An actuation mechanism 300 according to one embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to fig. 1-21.

As shown in fig. 11-14, an actuation mechanism 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a driving portion 301 and a driven portion 351. The driving part 301 comprises a driving shaft 303 and a driving gear 305 sleeved on the driving shaft 303, the driving gear 305 and the driving shaft 303 can be respectively and independently processed, and then the driving gear 305 can be fixed with the driving shaft 303 through a key groove structure. Of course, the pinion gear 305 and the pinion shaft 303 may be integrally formed.

As shown in fig. 11 and 13, the driven portion 351 includes a driven shaft 353 and a pivot shaft 357, the driven shaft 353 is connected to the pivot shaft 357 and any two of the driving shaft 303, the driven shaft 353, and the pivot shaft 357 are parallel to each other. In other words, the driving shaft 303, the driven shaft 353, and the pivot shaft 357 are parallel two by two, and the pivot shaft 357 is connected to the driven shaft 353.

The driven shaft 353 is rotatably fixed to a cylinder head of the engine, for example, in one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 11 and 13, driven shaft bearings 359 are respectively sleeved on both ends of the driven shaft 353, the driven shaft bearings 359 are adapted to be fixed to the cylinder head, that is, the driven shaft bearings 359 may be directly fixed to the cylinder head, and the driven shaft 353 is rotatably provided in the driven shaft bearings 359 at both ends thereof.

As shown in fig. 11, the driven shaft 353 is provided with a driven gear 355, and the driven gear 355 is engaged with the driving gear 305, so that the driving shaft 303 drives the driving gear 305 to rotate, the driving gear 305 drives the driven gear 355 engaged therewith, and the driven gear 355 further drives the driven shaft 353 to rotate around the adjustment rotation axis.

Wherein the center axis of the driven shaft 353 coincides with the adjustment rotation axis, that is, the center axis of the driven shaft 353, that is, the adjustment rotation axis of the actuator 300 coincides with the rotation axis of the lifter roller 209 when the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 is zero.

As shown in fig. 12-14, the pivot shaft 357 is adapted to be connected to the rocker mechanism 100 and the central axis of the pivot shaft 357 coincides with the rocker rotation axis. For example, the rocker mechanism 100 is swingably fitted around the outside of the pivot shaft 357, and the rocker mechanism 100 is swingable around the central axis of the pivot shaft 357 by the driving of the cam shaft mechanism 500.

Thus, when the position of the matching between the profile 103 of the rocker arm mechanism 100 and the lifter roller 209 is changed to adjust the lift of the valve mechanism 600, the driving gear 305 can drive the driven gear 355 and the driven shaft 353 to rotate around the adjustment rotation axis, and since the driven shaft 353 is not movable relative to the cylinder head but only rotatable, the pivot shaft 357 connected with the driven shaft 353 can rotate around the adjustment rotation axis, so that the rocker arm mechanism 100 fixedly sleeved on the pivot shaft 357 also rotates around the adjustment rotation axis, and the position of the matching between the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 and the lifter roller 209 is changed, thereby adjusting the lift of the valve mechanism 600.

Furthermore, the driven shaft 353 rotates at different angles, the position at which the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 engages with the tappet roller 209 is also different, and different rotation angles of the driven shaft 353 can be realized by the meshed driving gear 305 and driven gear 355, and thus the lift of the valve train 600 can be continuously changed.

The actuating mechanism 300 according to the embodiment of the invention has a compact structure, facilitates the arrangement of cylinder covers, meanwhile, the actuating mechanism 300 has lighter overall weight, effectively reduces the overall weight of an engine, can reduce the fuel consumption of a vehicle to a certain extent, is simple and reliable in gear transmission, has better stability and durability, reduces the failure rate of the actuating mechanism 300, can improve the overall service life of the actuating mechanism 300, and reduces the use cost.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an oil storage hole may be formed in the driven shaft bearing 359, and a driven shaft oil passage, which is detachably communicated with the oil storage hole when the driven shaft 353 rotates, is provided on the driven shaft 353. Specifically, an oil storage hole is formed in the driven shaft bearing 359, the oil storage hole can be used for storing lubricating oil, a driven shaft oil passage is arranged on the driven shaft 353, one end of the driven shaft oil passage is communicated with the oil storage hole when the driven shaft 353 is located at the initial position, and the other end of the driven shaft oil passage can be communicated with a corresponding oil passage in the cylinder cover.

Therefore, when the driven shaft 353 is located at the initial position, lubricating oil of a corresponding oil path in the cylinder cover can flow into the oil storage hole through the driven shaft oil passage, after the driven shaft 353 rotates, the oil storage hole is separated from one end of the driven shaft oil passage, the lubricating oil in the oil storage hole can be used for lubricating the driven shaft 353, friction of the driven shaft 353 relative to the driven shaft bearing 359 during rotation is reduced, and transmission efficiency is improved.

The initial position of the driven shaft 353 may be a position where the driven shaft 353 is located when the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 is zero, and when the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 needs to be adjusted, the driven shaft 353 rotates away from the initial position.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 11, the pivot shaft 357 is provided with a pivot shaft limiting structure 361, and the pivot shaft limiting structure 361 is configured and adapted to limit the movement of the rocker mechanism 100 relative to the pivot shaft 357 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rocker, that is, the pivot shaft limiting structure 361 is used for limiting the movement of the rocker mechanism 100 relative to the pivot shaft 357 in the axial direction, thereby ensuring that the rocker mechanism 100 can be better matched with the camshaft mechanism 500 and the tappet mechanism 200.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the driving gear 305 and the driven gear 355 are plural and respectively correspond to each other. For example, in the example of fig. 11-14, the drive gear 305 and the driven gear 355 are both two. It will be appreciated that the actuator mechanism 300 in this example is suitable for use on cylinders having dual valvetrains, such as dual intake valves. Of course, the drive gear 305 and driven gear 355 may correspond in one or three pairs for an engine having one or three intake valves per cylinder.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 11, the pivot shaft 357 comprises two segments (i.e. 357a, 357b in fig. 11) spaced apart from each other and respectively connected to the driven shaft 353, in other words, in this embodiment, the pivot shaft 357 is divided into two segments, each segment is respectively connected to the driven shaft 353, so that the driven portion 353 is stressed more uniformly by cooperating with the two pairs of meshed driving gears 305 and driven gears 355, and the stability and durability of the actuating mechanism 300 are greatly improved.

Moreover, the adoption of the disconnected pivot shaft 357 can also effectively reduce the overall mass of the actuating mechanism 300, thereby ensuring that the actuating mechanism 300 is lighter and more flexible, improving the abrasion condition and facilitating the arrangement of a cylinder cover. It will be appreciated that the actuating mechanism 300 with the breakaway pivot shaft 357 in this embodiment is suitable for engines having two valvetrains, e.g., two intake valves, per cylinder.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in another embodiment of the present invention, the pivot shaft 357 may be integrally manufactured as one piece, i.e., continuously in the middle instead of being broken as in the above-described embodiment.

In order to improve the overall strength of the driven portion 351 and simplify the manufacturing process, the driven shaft 353, the pivot shaft 357, and the driven gear 355 may be integrally formed. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the driven shaft 353, the pivot shaft 357 and the driven gear 355 may be separately manufactured and then the pivot shaft 357 and the driven gear 355 may be assembled to the driven shaft 353, respectively.

As shown in fig. 11, 12 and 14, the actuating mechanism 300 further includes a return spring 363, the return spring 363 may be sleeved on the pivot shaft 357, and one end of the return spring 363 is snapped on the rocker mechanism 100 to elastically stop the rocker mechanism against the camshaft mechanism 500.

Through setting up return spring 363 to can guarantee rocker arm mechanism 100 and camshaft mechanism 500 zero clearance fit, more specifically say, through return spring 363's elasticity, can make rocker arm roller 111 at rocker arm mechanism 100 top and camshaft mechanism 500 cam 505 zero clearance fit, thereby improved holistic stability, avoid rocker arm mechanism 100 and camshaft mechanism 500 clearance in the in-process of relative motion to appear, influence engine normal operating.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driven gear 355 is a generally sector gear, as shown in FIG. 13. Thus, with the use of a generally sector gear, on the one hand, an effective limitation of the rotation of the rocker mechanism 100 about the adjustment rotation axis can be achieved, and on the other hand, the overall mass of the actuating mechanism 300 is also reduced.

In the first aspect, specifically, the driven shaft 353 rotates within a certain angle range to achieve different contact engagement positions between the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker mechanism 100 and the tappet roller 209, and if the driven shaft 353 rotates outside the angle range, the profile 103 of the rocker mechanism 100 may disengage from the tappet roller 209, which may cause the rocker mechanism 100 to rotate excessively.

Thus, the use of the substantially sector gear prevents the gear 305 from disengaging from the substantially sector gear after the gear 305 disengages from the teeth at the two ends of the substantially sector gear, and the gear 305 will not rotate if it is still rotating in the previous direction of rotation.

In view of the second aspect, and in particular, the use of such a substantially sector gear reduces the mass of the actuator 300 to some extent, which makes the actuator 300 more lightweight and flexible, greatly improves the wear of the actuator 300, and facilitates the arrangement of the cylinder head.

The actuating mechanism 300 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may have the following advantages:

1) the structure is simple, the arrangement of a cylinder cover is easy, and the cost is low;

2) the whole weight of the transmission structure is lighter, the whole weight of the actuating mechanism 300 is effectively reduced, and the fuel consumption is reduced;

3) a good lubricating effect is achieved between the driven shaft bearing 359 and the driven shaft 353, and mechanical friction and noise are effectively reduced;

4) the whole driving mode is simple and firm, and the stability and the durability are good.

An actuation mechanism 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 1-21.

The actuating mechanism 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 401, a rotor 421 and an eccentric shaft 451.

The housing 401 may be formed as a generally cylindrical housing 401, and the housing 401 may be fixed to one side of the cylinder head. As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the inner circumferential surface of the housing 401 is provided with a plurality of housing bosses 403 spaced apart from each other, the housing bosses 403 extend radially toward the center of the housing 401, in other words, each housing boss 403 extends toward the adjustment rotation axis along the radial direction of the housing 401, and the plurality of housing bosses 403 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the rotor 421 is rotatably provided in the housing 401 such that the center axis of the rotor 421 coincides with the adjustment rotation axis, and a plurality of rotor bosses 423 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 421. In other words, the rotor 421 is rotatably provided in the housing 401 about the center axis of the rotor 421, which is the adjustment rotation axis of the actuator mechanism 400 that coincides with the rotation axis of the lifter roller 209 when the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 is zero.

A space between any adjacent two of the housing bosses 403 is defined as a first oil chamber 405 and a second oil chamber 407 isolated and sealed from each other by one rotor boss 423 disposed therebetween, wherein the first oil chamber 405 is located on a downstream side of the second oil chamber 407 in the clockwise direction (direction B in fig. 16).

For example, as shown in fig. 16, a side surface of each housing boss 403 closer to the adjustment rotation axis is closely fitted to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 421, so that the above-described space is defined between the adjacent two housing bosses 403, the housing 401, and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 421.

A rotor boss 423 is arranged between any two adjacent housing bosses 403, and one surface of the rotor boss 423, which is farther from the adjustment rotation axis, can be tightly fitted with the inner circumferential surface of the housing 401, so as to separate the space between the two housing bosses 403 into two independent and closed first and second oil chambers 405 and 407,

the first oil chamber 405 is located on the downstream side of the second oil chamber 407 in the clockwise direction (the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 in the same space), so that the plurality of housing bosses 403 and the plurality of rotor bosses 423 may define a plurality of first oil chambers 405 and a plurality of second oil chambers 407 alternately distributed in the circumferential direction.

For example, taking four housing bosses 403 and four rotor bosses 423 as an example, the four housing bosses 403 and the four rotor bosses 423 may define therebetween four first oil chambers 405 and four second oil chambers 407 in total, the four first oil chambers 405 and the four second oil chambers 407 being staggered in the circumferential direction.

A first oil passage and a second oil passage are defined in the rotor 421, one end of the first oil passage is communicated with the first oil chamber 405, and the other end of the first oil passage is adapted to be connected to an oil pump of the engine. Similarly, one end of the second oil passage communicates with the second oil chamber 407, and the other end of the second oil passage is also adapted to be connected to an oil pump of the engine. It should be noted that "connected" is to be understood in a broad sense, that is, the second ends of the first oil passage and the second oil passage may be indirectly connected to the oil pump via an intermediate medium.

The first oil passage may include a plurality of sub-oil passages, which are the same in number as the first oil chamber 405 and each of which has one end communicating with the first oil chamber 405. Likewise, the second oil passage may also include a plurality of sub-oil passages, which are the same in number as the second oil chamber 407 and each of which has one end communicating with the second oil chamber 407.

Referring to fig. 15-17, eccentric shaft 451 has one end fixed to rotor 421 and the other end extending outward from the inside of housing 401, and the central axis of eccentric shaft 451 coincides with and is parallel to the rotational axis of the rocker arm. The rocker arm mechanism 100 is pivotally mounted on the outer surface of the eccentric shaft 451 such that the rocker arm mechanism 100 is driven by the camshaft mechanism 500 to pivot about the central axis of the eccentric shaft 451, i.e., the rocker arm rotation axis.

The operating principle of the actuating mechanism 400 is: the hydraulic oil can be supplied to the plurality of first oil chambers 405 from the first oil passage, and the hydraulic oil in the plurality of second oil chambers 407 can flow out from the second oil passage, so that the oil pressure of each first oil chamber 405 is higher than the oil pressure of the corresponding second oil chamber 407, under the action of the pressure difference, the rotor 421 can rotate relative to the housing 401, and because the housing 401 is fixed, the rotor 421 can rotate around the adjustment rotation axis in the housing 401, and during the rotation of the rotor 421, the volume of the first oil chamber 405 becomes larger, the volume of the second oil chamber 407 becomes smaller, and finally, after the oil pressures in the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 are balanced, the rotor 421 does not rotate relative to the housing 401.

Of course, the hydraulic oil may flow from the second oil passage to the plurality of second oil chambers 407, and the hydraulic oil in the plurality of first oil chambers 405 may flow from the first oil passage, in which case the rotation direction of the rotor 421 is opposite to that described above.

For example, in the example of fig. 1, when oil enters the first oil chamber 405 and oil exits the second oil chamber 407, the rotor 421 rotates clockwise. Similarly, when the first oil chamber 405 is out of oil and the second oil chamber 407 is in oil, the rotor 421 rotates counterclockwise.

In short, the actuating mechanism 400 pushes the rotor 421 to rotate by the oil pressure difference between the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407, so as to adjust the valve lift.

In addition, it should be noted that, taking the clockwise rotation of the rotor 421 as an example, the oil inlet amount of the plurality of first oil chambers 405 and the oil outlet amount of the plurality of second oil chambers 407 may be controlled by the ECU, for example, the ECU may determine the operating condition of the engine according to the parameters such as the rotating speed, the power, and the load when the engine operates, and then adaptively control the total amount of the hydraulic oil supplied to the plurality of first oil chambers 405 according to the obtained operating condition of the engine, and simultaneously control the total amount of the hydraulic oil discharged from the plurality of second oil chambers 407, so that after the rotor 421 rotates clockwise by a certain angle under the action of the pressure difference, the oil pressures in the two oil chambers are equal due to the volume change of the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407, and the rotor 421 does not rotate any more, thereby. It will be appreciated that the equilibrium position of the rotor 421 after it has been rotated through a certain angle is the desired adjustment position. In addition, it should be noted that the amount of hydraulic oil entering each first oil chamber 405 is preferably the same, and the amount of hydraulic oil leaking out of each second oil chamber 407 is also preferably the same.

The working process of the counterclockwise rotation of the rotor 421 is just opposite to the clockwise rotation, that is, the first oil chamber 405 is filled with oil, and the second oil chamber 407 is filled with oil, and the specific process and principle thereof are similar to the clockwise rotation of the rotor 421, please refer to the above description, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

According to the actuating mechanism 400 of the embodiment of the invention, the rocker arm mechanism 100 is adjusted by hydraulic control, so that the lift of the valve mechanism 600 can be continuously adjusted, the adjustment is accurate, the precision is high, the reliability is good, the cost is low, the implementation is easy, and meanwhile, the low-speed delay loss can be greatly reduced, so that the low-speed torque of the engine is improved.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a spring structure 427 is disposed on a surface of each rotor boss 423 farther from the adjustment rotation axis, and the spring structure 427 is closely fitted to the inner circumferential surface of the housing 401, that is, in this embodiment, the end surface of the rotor boss 423 is not in direct contact with the inner circumferential surface of the housing 401, but is closely fitted to the inner circumferential surface of the housing 401 through the spring structure 427.

Specifically, the one-side surface of each rotor boss 423 is provided with a groove, which may be formed as a substantially linear groove. The spring structure 427 includes a spring and a bump, one end of the spring is fixed on one side of the bump and the other end of the spring is adapted to elastically press against the groove, for example, against the bottom surface of the groove, so that the other side of the bump is pressed against the inner surface of the housing 401.

Therefore, the other side surface of the bump can be ensured to be tightly attached to the inner circumferential surface of the shell 401, so that the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 are better isolated, and the friction between the rotor boss 423 and the inner circumferential surface of the shell 401 can be effectively reduced by adopting the elastic sheet structure 427.

To avoid over-rotation of the rocker mechanism 100 as a whole, which would cause the profile 103 of the rocker mechanism 100 to disengage from the tappet roller 209, the eccentric shaft 451 is preferably rotated within a predetermined angular range.

For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 15 to 21, the housing 401 includes a housing 409 and an end cover 411, one side of the housing 409 is opened to form a housing opening, the end cover 411 is mounted on the housing 409 and closes the housing opening, a circular arc shaped limiting groove 413 around the adjustment rotation axis is formed on the housing 409, wherein the other end of the eccentric shaft 451 extends outward through the circular arc shaped limiting groove 413.

Thus, by the limiting function of the circular arc-shaped limiting groove 413, the rocker mechanism 100 is prevented from being disengaged from the tappet roller 209 when the eccentric shaft 451 drives the rocker mechanism 100 around the adjustment rotation axis, and the working stability of the system is greatly improved.

The end cap 411 and the housing 409 may be fastened by a snap structure and then fastened by a plurality of bolts, for example, the bolts may penetrate the housing 401 and the housing boss 403 from the bottom surface of the housing 401 and then fastened to the end cap 411.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 15 and 21, the actuating mechanism 400 further includes a positioning assembly 461, wherein the positioning assembly 461 is disposed on one of the rotor bosses 423 for positioning the end cap 411 and the rotor 421 during assembly, so as to prevent the rotor 421 from freely rotating relative to the housing 401, which may affect the initial installation position, and thus the actuating mechanism 400 may not properly drive the rocker arm structure 100.

As shown in fig. 1, the positioning assembly 461 may include a position-limiting sleeve 463, a position-limiting screw 465 and a position-limiting elastic member 467. The position limiting sleeve 463 may be inserted into a receiving hole 424 formed in the rotor boss 423, that is, the rotor boss 423 may have a receiving hole 424 formed therein, the receiving hole 424 being open to one side of the end cap 411, and the position limiting sleeve 463 may be disposed in the receiving hole 424 and entirely hidden in the hole.

As shown in fig. 16, 17 and 21, a limit screw 465 is inserted through the limit sleeve 463 with one end, for example, the tail end, being stopped in the limit hole 412 on the inner surface of the end cover 411, wherein a hydraulic oil guide groove 414 is formed on the inner surface of the end cover 411, one end of the hydraulic oil guide groove 414 is communicated with one of the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407, and the other end is communicated with the limit hole 412. The hydraulic oil guide groove 414 may be a groove-shaped guide groove formed on the inner surface of the end cover 411.

The stopper elastic member 467 is provided inside the stopper sleeve 463, and the stopper elastic member 467 is elastically provided between the other end, e.g., the head end, of the stopper screw 465 and the bottom surface of the accommodation hole 424. The radial dimension of the head end of the limit screw 465 is greater than the radial dimension of the tail end of the limit screw 465, so that the limit screw 465 is prevented from integrally penetrating out of the limit sleeve 463.

Therefore, when the end cover 411 is mounted on the housing 409, since the limiting elastic member 467 is in a compressed state, it applies an elastic force to the other end, e.g. the head end, of the limiting screw 465, and under the action of the elastic force, one end, e.g. the tail end, of the limiting screw 465 can be located in the limiting hole 412, so that the positioning action of the end cover 411 on the rotor 421 is realized, and the rotor 421 is prevented from freely rotating relative to the housing 401, which affects the assembly.

When the actuating mechanism 400 works, the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 are filled with hydraulic oil, the hydraulic oil flows into the limiting hole 412 through the hydraulic oil guide groove 414, the oil pressure in the limiting hole 412 is continuously increased along with the continuous entering of the hydraulic oil, and when the oil pressure is increased to a certain degree, the tail end of the limiting screw 465 is pushed to exit from the limiting hole 412, so that the positioning effect of the end cover 411 on the rotor 421 is released, and the rotor 421 can rotate in the housing 401 at the moment. Optionally, in the example of fig. 15, the restraining spring 467 is a spring.

In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 15 to 17, the actuating mechanism 400 further includes a communication valve 471, and the first oil passage and the second oil passage are both connected to an oil pump of the engine through the communication valve 471, so that the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 can receive hydraulic oil fed from the oil pump, or the hydraulic oil in the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 can flow back to the oil pump.

As shown in fig. 15 to 17, one end of the communication valve 471 penetrates through the end cover 411 and is fixed in the rotor 421, and a sealing ring is arranged between the communication valve 471 and the end cover 411, so that hydraulic oil is prevented from flowing out from a gap between the communication valve 471 and the end cover 411, and the accuracy of the actuating mechanism 400 in driving the rocker arm mechanism 100 to adjust the lift of the valve mechanism 600 is not affected.

It should be noted that the communication valve 471 is connected to an oil pump of the engine in a broad sense, for example, the communication valve 471 may be connected to a corresponding hydraulic oil circuit in the cylinder head, and the hydraulic oil circuit in the cylinder head may be directly connected to the oil pump.

It is understood that the communication valve 471 has a first oil passage that communicates with the first oil passage, respectively, and a second oil passage that communicates with the second oil passage, respectively.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the number of the housing bosses 403 and the rotor bosses 423 are the same, for example, four housing bosses 403 and four rotor bosses 423 are provided, and are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction, that is, any two adjacent housing bosses 403 or rotor bosses 423 are spaced apart by about 90 °.

The operation principle and process of the actuating mechanism 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below by taking four rotor bosses 423 and four housing bosses 403 as examples.

The clockwise rotation of the rotor 421 is described first.

The oil pump can supply hydraulic oil to the communication valve 471 through a corresponding hydraulic oil loop in the cylinder head, and the hydraulic oil distributes the portion of hydraulic oil to the four first oil chambers 405 through the four first oil passages on average through the first oil passages in the communication valve 471.

Meanwhile, part of the hydraulic oil in the four second oil chambers 407 is discharged through the four corresponding second oil passages and the communication valve 471, and the part of the discharged hydraulic oil can flow back to the oil pump from the corresponding hydraulic oil loop in the cylinder head.

Thus, the hydraulic oil in each first oil chamber 405 is increased and the hydraulic oil in each second oil chamber 407 is decreased, thereby creating a pressure difference, and the hydraulic oil pushes the rotor 421 to rotate clockwise due to the pressure difference of the hydraulic oil because the housing 401 is stationary.

In the process that the rotor 421 rotates clockwise, the volume of the first oil chamber 405 becomes larger, the oil pressure gradually decreases, the volume of the second oil chamber 407 becomes smaller, the oil pressure gradually increases, and when the oil pressures in the first oil chamber 405 and the second oil chamber 407 reach balance again, the rotor 421 stops rotating, and the position is the adjusted position.

During this time, the eccentric shaft 451 moves the rocker arm mechanism 100 around the adjustment rotation axis by the rotor 421, so as to change the matching position of the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 and the tappet roller 209, thereby realizing the change of the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600.

Secondly, when the rotor 421 rotates counterclockwise, the hydraulic oil in the four first oil chambers 405 is discharged, and the oil is fed in the four second oil chambers 407, so that the rotor 421 rotates counterclockwise under the pushing of the hydraulic oil, and the principle is the same as that of the above clockwise rotation, and the operation process is not described in detail here.

It can be understood that when the engine changes from a low speed, low load condition to a high speed, high load condition, the combustion chamber needs to be filled with more air to fully combust with more fuel to improve the power output of the engine, and the lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 needs to be adjusted correspondingly higher, that is, the matching position of the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 and the tappet roller 209 needs to be changed.

This change in the engagement position is achieved by the rocker mechanism 100 being rotated through a corresponding angle about the adjustment rotation axis so that the high lift curve, i.e., the third section curve 109, of the rocker mechanism 100 engages the lifter roller 209.

The rocker arm mechanism 100 can be driven by the actuating mechanism 400 to rotate through a required adjustment angle, that is, a certain amount of hydraulic oil in the plurality of second oil chambers 407 can be discharged simultaneously by supplying a certain amount of hydraulic oil into the plurality of first oil chambers 405 (of course, the plurality of first oil chambers 405 can be drained and the plurality of second oil chambers 407 can be filled with oil), so that the rotor 421 drives the eccentric shaft 451 to drive the rocker arm mechanism 100 to rotate through a required adjustment angle, and finally a required lift amount of the valve mechanism 600 is obtained.

In general, an actuation mechanism 400 according to one embodiment of the invention may have the following advantages:

1) the air flow loss of the air valve can be effectively reduced;

2) the low-speed delay loss can be effectively reduced, so that the low-speed torque of the engine is improved;

3) the actuating mechanism 400 is simple and accurate to control, high in reliability, low in cost and easy to implement.

The operation of the variable valve lift driving apparatus 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to fig. 22 to 27.

Referring first to fig. 22-23, the first curved surface 105 of the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 in these two figures is engaged with the tappet roller 209, and when the camshaft mechanism 500 drives the rocker arm mechanism 100 to swing around the rocker arm rotation axis, the lift of the valve mechanism 600 is zero, i.e. the valve mechanism seals the intake port of the combustion chamber, and the intelligent cylinder deactivation is realized.

Referring next to fig. 24-25, the second curved surface 107 of the bottom profile 103 of the rocker arm mechanism 100 in these two figures is engaged with the lifter roller 209, and when the camshaft mechanism 500 drives the rocker arm mechanism 100 to swing around the rocker arm rotation axis, the lift of the valve mechanism 600 is small, which is suitable for the low-speed and low-load conditions of the engine.

Finally, referring to fig. 26-27, the third curved surface 109 of the profile 103 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 in these two figures is engaged with the tappet roller 209, and when the camshaft mechanism 500 drives the rocker arm mechanism 100 to swing around the rocker arm rotation axis, the lift of the valve mechanism 600 is large, which is suitable for the high-speed and high-load conditions of the engine.

It is understood that when the actuating mechanism 300, 400 drives the rocker arm mechanism 100 to swing around the rocker arm rotation axis, any position on the second section curved surface 107 and the third section curved surface 109 at the bottom of the rocker arm mechanism 100 can be contacted and matched with the tappet roller 209, and when the matching position is changed, the valve lift is correspondingly changed, so that the continuous adjustment of the valve lift is realized.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an illustrative embodiment," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples" or the like mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

While embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine, characterized by comprising:

a valve train;

the tappet mechanism is arranged at the top of the valve mechanism;

a camshaft mechanism provided above the valve mechanism, the camshaft mechanism having a cam;

the rocker arm mechanism is arranged between the tappet mechanism and the camshaft mechanism and driven by the cam to swing around a rocker arm rotation axis of the rocker arm mechanism; and

an actuating mechanism for driving the rocker mechanism to rotate about an adjustment axis of rotation of the actuating mechanism to continuously variably adjust the lift of the valve mechanism; wherein,

the top of the tappet mechanism is configured with a pivotable tappet roller for rolling contact with the rocker mechanism, and the central axis of the tappet roller coincides with the adjustment rotation axis in the case of zero valve train lift.

2. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 1, wherein the rocker mechanism forms a profile that cooperates with the lifter mechanism and is configured to obtain a desired valve lift, the rocker mechanism being used to drive the lifter mechanism in a linear reciprocating motion.

3. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 2, wherein the rocker arm mechanism includes:

a frame, wherein the profile is formed on the frame; and

4. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 3, wherein the profile includes a first curved section, a second curved section, and a third curved section,

5. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 4, wherein the second-stage curved surface is smoothly transitioned with the first-stage curved surface and the third-stage curved surface, respectively.

6. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 3, wherein the frame is provided with reinforcing structures on opposite lateral side surfaces, respectively.

7. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 1, wherein the tappet mechanism includes:

the tappet roller is pivotally arranged at the top of the mounting part.

8. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 7, wherein the tappet mechanism further includes two fixing plate portions that are disposed in parallel and opposite at a top portion of the mounting portion, the tappet roller being pivotably interposed between the two fixing plate portions.

9. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 8, wherein the tappet mechanism further includes two stopper pieces provided between the two lateral sides of the tappet roller and the two fixing plate portions, respectively.

10. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 9, wherein the stopper piece is configured in a substantially annular shape, and a radial dimension of the stopper piece is larger than a radial dimension of the lifter roller.

11. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 7, wherein the tappet mechanism further includes a limit boss provided in the mounting space and adjacent to an outer circumferential surface of the plunger,

12. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism includes:

13. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 12, wherein driven shaft bearings are respectively sleeved at both ends of the driven shaft, the driven shaft bearings being adapted to be fixed to the cylinder head.

14. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 13, wherein an oil storage hole is formed in the driven shaft bearing,

15. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 12, wherein the driven gear is a substantially sector gear.

16. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 12, wherein the pivot shaft includes two segments spaced apart from each other and respectively connected to the driven shaft.

17. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 12, wherein the actuating mechanism further comprises a return spring that is fitted over the pivot shaft and one end of which is snapped onto the rocker mechanism to elastically stop the rocker mechanism against the camshaft mechanism.

18. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism includes:

19. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 18, wherein a leaf spring structure is provided on a side surface of each of the rotor bosses farther from the adjustment rotation axis, the leaf spring structure being in close fit with an inner circumferential surface of the housing.

20. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for engine according to claim 18, wherein the eccentric shaft rotates within a predetermined angular range.

21. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 20, wherein the housing includes a casing having one side opened to form a casing opening, and an end cap mounted on the casing and closing the casing opening, the end cap having a circular arc shaped stopper groove formed thereon around the adjustment rotation axis, wherein the other end of the eccentric shaft extends outwardly through the circular arc shaped stopper groove.

22. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 21, wherein the actuating mechanism further includes: and the positioning assembly is arranged on one of the rotor bosses and used for positioning the end cover and the rotor during assembly.

23. The variable valve lift drive apparatus for an engine according to claim 22, wherein said positioning assembly includes:

24. The variable valve lift driving apparatus for an engine according to claim 21, wherein the actuating mechanism further includes: and the first oil passage and the second oil passage are connected with an oil pump of the engine through the communication valve.

25. An engine comprising the variable valve lift driving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A vehicle comprising an engine as claimed in claim 25.