Patent ID: 7827946

Claim:
An engine valve lifter mechanism installed in a variable valve control device of an internal combustion engine, comprising: a drive shaft configured to be rotatably driven by a crankshaft of the engine and having a drive cam tightly mounted thereon; a swing cam being configured to swing and having a rounded cam surface; a valve lifter having a head part on which the rounded cam surface is swingably disposed for inducing an open/close operation of an engine valve, the head part having an oil hole pierced therethrough, the oil hole having an inlet end part exposed to an upper surface of the head part; a transmission mechanism configured to transmit movement of the drive cam to the swing cam while changing the form of the movement from rotation to swinging; and a control mechanism configured to variably change attitude of the transmission mechanism in accordance with an operation condition of the engine such that a valve lift characteristic of the engine valve is variably controlled, wherein the upper surface of the head part of the valve lifter has a predetermined turn back position at which the rounded cam surface of the swing cam contacts at a time when the swing cam changes its swing direction from a direction to increase an open degree of the engine valve to a direction to decrease the open degree of the engine valve while inducing a maximum lift of the engine valve, and, wherein the inlet end part of the oil hole is placed at a radially inside position of the upper surface of the head part with respect to the predetermined turn back position, the radially inside position being other than one of the positions where side edges of the rounded cam surface of the swing cam contact the upper surface of the head part.