Patent ID: 8505507
Filing Date: 2013-08-13
Classification: F01L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A flow rate control valve that is applied to an internal combustion engine equipped with a variable mechanism that operates a movable member in accordance with supply/discharge of a hydraulic fluid to make a valve opening/closing characteristic of an engine valve variable, the flow rate control valve being disposed across a plurality of oil passages through which the hydraulic fluid is supplied/discharged to/from the variable mechanism, the flow rate control valve comprising: a housing having an accommodation chamber in communication with the respective oil passages; and a spool accommodated in the accommodation chamber movably in a reciprocating manner in a direction along an axis of the accommodation chamber, and the flow rate control valve changing a supply/discharge mode of the hydraulic fluid in accordance with a position of the spool in the direction along the axis to control the valve opening/closing characteristic, wherein the housing is equipped with a bolt for fastening the movable member and a sleeve made of a material having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the bolt, the sleeve having the accommodation chamber and being inserted in an insertion portion provided in the bolt; the bolt is provided with a port through which the oil passages communicate with the insertion portion, and the sleeve is provided with a penetration portion penetrating the sleeve; and the housing is further provided with a phase adjustment portion that adjusts a phase of rotation of the sleeve with respect to the bolt to a phase in which the port coincides in position with the penetration portion by fitting an inner bottom portion of the insertion portion of the bolt to a tip end portion of the sleeve in an insertion direction, the phase adjustment portion holding the phase of rotation of the sleeve with respect to the bolt, at the phase in which the port coincides in position with the penetration portion.