Oil control valve

摘要

An oil control valve has a housing and a spool valve that is arranged in the housing and is movable in the axial direction. The movement range of the spool valve includes a first area and a second area. In the first area, a port that is connected to a lock mechanism opens to prevent the movement of a variable valve timing mechanism through drainage of oil from the lock mechanism. In the second area, oil is supplied and drained to and from the variable valve timing mechanism through a passage inside the spool valve. The first area exists at a position separated from the second area in the movement range.

主权项

1. An oil control valve comprising a spool valve that is arranged in a housing and movable in an axial direction of the oil control valve, wherein
a plurality of ports connected to a variable valve timing mechanism and a lock mechanism are formed in the housing, the oil control valve is adapted to perform: supply/drainage of oil to and from the variable valve timing mechanism to hydraulically operate the variable valve timing mechanism by adjusting a position of the spool valve in the axial direction to selectively open and close the ports with a valve body of the spool valve; and supply/drainage of oil to and from the lock mechanism to carry out a prohibiting operation for prohibiting the operation of the variable valve timing mechanism and a permitting operation for permitting the operation of the variable valve timing mechanism, the variable valve timing mechanism has a movable member that divides an interior of a case into a phase-advancing hydraulic chamber and a phase-retarding hydraulic chamber, the variable valve timing mechanism is adapted to operate the movable member by supplying oil to one of the phase-advancing and phase-retarding hydraulic chambers and draining oil from the other one of the phase-advancing and phase-retarding hydraulic chambers, thereby changing a rotational phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft, a passage in which the oil flows is formed in the spool valve, and the valve body of the spool valve and the ports of the housing are formed such that: a movement range of the spool valve includes a first range, in which the spool valve opens those of the ports connected to the lock mechanism to perform the prohibiting operation by draining oil from the lock mechanism, and a second range in which the spool valve performs the supply/drainage of oil to and from the variable valve timing mechanism through the passage; in the second range, the oil is supplied to the phase-advancing hydraulic chamber, and the oil in the phase-retarding hydraulic chamber is drained; the first range is spaced from the second range in the movement range, the first range and the second range are spaced apart at a predetermined interval; and in the predetermined interval, the oil is supplied to the phase-advancing hydraulic chamber, and the oil in the phase-retarding hydraulic chamber is not drained.