Patent ID: 6415753
Filing Date: 2002-07-09
Classification: F01L

Abstract:
A variable valve apparatus of an internal combustion engine that varies an open-close characteristic of an engine valve, the apparatus comprising:a camshaft that has a plurality of three-dimensional cams whose cam profile continuously changes in a direction of a camshaft axis and that is supported so as to be rotatable and slidable in the direction of the camshaft axis relative to a body of the internal combustion engine; a rotating mechanism that rotates the camshaft about the camshaft axis; a movement mechanism that moves the camshaft in the direction of the camshaft axis; a camshaft position marker provided in the camshaft; and a camshaft movement amount detector that is provided in the body of the internal combustion engine and that detects the camshaft position marker and detects an amount of movement of the camshaft in the direction of the camshaft axis, wherein the camshaft position marker and the camshaft movement amount detector are provided at a detection reference position, the detection reference position based on a camshaft reference position that is provided at a predetermined initial position in which movement of the camshaft toward the rotating mechanism along the camshaft axis is physically restrained by the rotating mechanism, the detection reference position being established to minimize or reduce deviations in a relative axial position of the camshaft position marker and the camshaft movement amount detector due to differences in thermal expansion rates of the camshaft and the body of the internal combustion engine where the camshaft movement amount detector is provided.