Patent ID: 7942119

Claim:
A variable valve mechanism that varies amounts of opening and closing of a valve, the variable valve mechanism comprising: a rotating cam; a rocker arm including: an input member that is provided with an input roller that contacts the rotating cam; and an output member that contacts the valve, the rocker arm being disposed between the valve and the rotating cam so as to be able to rock; two lash adjusters that are disposed such that they are separated in the width direction of the rocker arm and that support the rocker arm so that the rocker arm can rock, each upper end portion of the lash adjusters having a hemispherical shape; a hydraulic passage including: an internal oil passage that is provided in an interior of at least one of the lash adjusters; and an arm oil passage that is provided in an interior of the rocker arm and that is connected from the internal oil passage; a switching mechanism that uses a hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic passage to perform a switching between a linked state, in which the input member and the output member are linked such that the input member and the output member cannot be displaced in relation to one another, and a released state, in which the link between the input member and the output member is released such that the input member and the output member can be displaced in relation to one another, the switching varying the amounts of the opening and the closing of the valve; and a support shaft, an axis line of the support shaft passing through spherical centers of the hemispherical shape of the upper end portions of the lash adjusters, wherein the switching mechanism comprises: a first pin being provided within a first pinhole provided in an interior of the output member; a second pin being provided within a second pinhole of the output member opposite that of the first pinhole; a pin-spring being provided between a side face of the second pinhole and the second pin, said pin-spring being configured to bias the second pin away from the side face; and a linking pin provided within an input roller through-hole defined within the input roller, said linking pin being configured to be in contact with the first pin at a first end of the linking pin and the second pin at a second end of the linking pin.