Patent ID: 8899199

Claim:
A camshaft phaser for use with an internal combustion engine for controllably varying the phase relationship between a crankshaft and a camshaft in said internal combustion engine, said camshaft phaser comprising: a stator having a plurality of lobes and connectable to said crankshaft of said internal combustion engine to provide a fixed ratio of rotation between said stator and said crankshaft; a rotor disposed within said stator, said rotor having a plurality of vanes interspersed with said lobes such that said rotor is rotatable within said stator about a camshaft axis and defining alternating advance chambers and retard chambers, wherein said advance chambers receive pressurized oil in order to change the phase relationship between said crankshaft and said camshaft in an advance direction and said retard chambers receive said pressurized oil in order to change the phase relationship between said camshaft and said crankshaft in a retard direction; and a lock pin slidably disposed along a lock pin axis within one of said rotor and said stator for selective engagement with a first lock pin seat for preventing a change in phase relationship between said rotor and said stator at a first predetermined aligned position of said rotor relative to said stator and for selective engagement with a second lock pin seat for preventing a change in phase relationship between said rotor and said stator at a second predetermined aligned position of said rotor relative to said stator; wherein said lock pin has a lock pin width measured in a circumferential direction relative to said camshaft axis that is less than a lock pin length measured perpendicular to said lock pin width and to said lock pin axis.