An electromechanical valve drive incorporating a nonlinear mechanical transformer

Abstract

In traditional internal combustion engines, a camshaft acts on the valve stems to open and close the valves. Valve timing is fixed relative to piston position. On the other hand, if a valve is flexibly controlled by a variable valve actuation (VVA) system, we can achieve significant improvements in fuel efficiency, engine performance, and emissions. One of the most advanced variable valve actuation systems is the VVA operated by an electromechanical actuator without a camshaft, the so-called bi-positional electromechanical valve drive (EMVD). Existing EMVDs characteristically use a spring to provide the required mechanical power for operating a valve. The use of a spring provides many benefits to the design of the system, but it also results in difficult design challenges. The large holding force against the spring at the ends of the stroke suggests the use of a normal-force electromagnetic actuator, which, from a servomechanical point of view, is considerably inferior to a shear-force actuator. Furthermore, the large holding force generates a large jerk at the beginning and the end of a stroke and makes it difficult to achieve soft valve landing. An innovative electromechanical valve drive (EMVD) design is proposed, which incorporates a nonlinear mechanical transformer and a shear-force actuator. This allows not only fast but also smooth valve motion, almost zero seating velocity, zero holding power, and improved control with acceptable electric power. This proposed concept is modeled, analyzed, simulated, designed, and implemented. Experimental results show the beneficial features of the promising proposed concept.