Patent ID: 7146949

Claim:
A valve control apparatus for a reciprocating piston machine having at least one cylinder, said cylinder being mounted in a cylinder housing, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement in said cylinder, a crankshaft, and a connecting rod connecting said piston to said crankshaft, a cylinder head including a first and a second intake valve for each of said cylinders for control of fluid flow into each of said cylinders, and one or more exhaust valves for each of said cylinders for control of fluid flow out of said cylinders, said first intake valve having an intake valve line of action, and said exhaust valves having an exhaust valve line of action, and a valve included angle between said intake valve line of action and said exhaust valve line of action, a first camshaft for opening all of said exhaust valves per cylinder and for opening said first intake valves per cylinder, said first camshaft having a first camshaft axis of rotation, and a second camshaft for opening said second intake valves per cylinder, a first drive means for driving said first camshaft, said first drive means being driven by said crankshaft, and a second drive means for driving said second camshaft, said second drive means includes a phase shifter for adjusting the phase relationship of said second camshaft to said first camshaft for adjusting the phase relationship of the first intake valve opening relative to the second intake valve opening, for controlling fluid flow into said reciprocating piston machine, wherein said first intake valve further includes a first intake rocker having a first intake rocker mount, said first intake rocker being driven by said first camshaft, said cylinder head further having one or more exhaust rockers, each of said exhaust rockers having an exhaust rocker mount for pivotal support of the rocker in the cylinder head, wherein said first camshaft axis of rotation is located within said valve included angle, thereby providing a short intake rocker and one or more short exhaust rockers, thereby providing low inertia intake and exhaust rockers having a low friction level and a high operational speed capability, and an adjustable phase between the first intake valve and the second intake valve for controlling fluid flow into said reciprocating piston machine.