Patent ID: 7290510

Claim:
A valve timing adjusting apparatus comprising: a housing operatively connected to and rotated together with a crankshaft of an engine, and having multiple accommodating chambers formed in a rotational direction at predetermined angular intervals; a vane rotor operatively connected to and rotating a cam shaft of the engine, the vane rotor having multiple vanes respectively accommodated in the accommodating chambers of the housing, each of the vanes dividing each of the accommodating chamber into a retarding fluid chamber and an advancing fluid chamber, and the vane rotor being relatively rotated by fluid pressure in the retarding fluid chamber and/or the advancing fluid chamber in a retarding or advancing direction with respect to the housing; a retarding fluid path and an advancing fluid path respectively provided in the housing, each of which is operatively and selectively connected to a fluid pressure source; branched passage portions provided in the housing for connecting the retarding fluid path with the retarding fluid chambers, for supplying pressurized working fluid from the fluid pressure source to the retarding fluid chambers when the retarding fluid path is connected to the fluid pressure source; branched passage portions provided in the housing for connecting the advancing fluid path with the advancing fluid chambers for supplying pressurized working fluid from the fluid pressure source to the advancing fluid chambers when the advancing fluid path is connected to the fluid pressure source; a lock member movably provided in the vane rotor for locking and un-locking the vane rotor to the housing, the lock member being driven to move by fluid pressure of working fluid supplied to a first fluid chamber, which is one of the retarding and advancing fluid chambers; and a check valve provided in one of the branched passage portions connected to a second fluid chamber, which is one of the retarding and advancing fluid chambers other than the first fluid chamber, wherein the check valve allows the fluid flow from the fluid pressure source to the second fluid chamber, but prohibits the fluid flow from the second fluid chamber to the fluid pressure source.