阅读说明：本技术 用于液压间隙调节器油流量的系统和方法 (System and method for hydraulic lash adjuster oil flow ) 是由 F·赫吉 R·S·弗比 J·D·弗鲁哈蒂 于 2021-05-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了“用于液压间隙调节器油流量的系统和方法”。提供了用于车辆发动机的液压间隙调节器的油流的方法和系统。在一个示例中,发动机气缸组包括多个可停用液压间隙调节器和多个不可停用液压间隙调节器。第一线性供油通道和第二线性供油通道形成在气缸组内并且在没有弯折或弯曲的情况下线性地延伸穿过气缸组到达可停用和不可停用液压间隙调节器,所述可停用和不可停用液压间隙调节器具有相同长度。(The present disclosure provides "systems and methods for hydraulic lash adjuster oil flow". Methods and systems for oil flow for a hydraulic lash adjuster of a vehicle engine are provided. In one example, an engine cylinder bank includes a plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters and a plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters. The first and second linear oil supply passages are formed in the cylinder block and extend linearly through the cylinder block without bending or bowing to deactivatable and non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters having the same length.)

1. A system, comprising:

an engine comprising a cylinder bank having a plurality of deactivatable inner cylinders and a plurality of outer cylinders;

a cylinder head that covers the cylinder block;

a first linear oil supply passage formed in the cylinder head and arranged parallel to a crankshaft of the engine;

a plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters (hlAs) disposed along a linear flow path of the first linear oil supply passage and configured to receive engine oil directly from the first linear oil supply passage so as to control deactivation of the plurality of deactivatable internal cylinders; and

a plurality of non-deactivatable HLAs arranged along the linear flow path.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each deactivatable HLA receives the engine oil via a deactivation inlet.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second linear oil supply channel fluidly coupled to each deactivatable HLA and each non-deactivatable HLA of the plurality of non-deactivatable HLAs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each deactivatable HLA and each non-deactivatable HLA includes a lash adjustment inlet fluidly coupled to the second linear oil supply passage.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second linear oil supply passage is arranged parallel to the first linear oil supply passage.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein a length of the first linear oil supply passage from a first side of the cylinder group to a second side of the cylinder group is equal to a length of the second linear oil supply passage from the first side to the second side.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein each deactivatable HLA is disposed within a respective socket of a first plurality of sockets formed within the cylinder head such that each socket of the first plurality of sockets is fluidly coupled to the first and second linear oil supply passages.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each deactivatable HLA is disposed within a respective socket of a second plurality of sockets formed within the cylinder head such that each socket of the second plurality of sockets is fluidly coupled to the first and second linear oil supply passages, and wherein each socket of the first plurality of sockets has the same length as each socket of the second plurality of sockets.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first linear oil supply passage is formed without bends or curves.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first linear oil supply passage extends in a straight line between a first side of the cylinder group and a second side of the cylinder group, and wherein a first outer cylinder of the plurality of outer cylinders is disposed at the first side and a second outer cylinder of the plurality of outer cylinders is disposed at the second side.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein a length of each deactivatable HLA is equal to a length of each non-deactivatable HLA.

12. A method, comprising:

flowing oil through an engine comprising a plurality of cylinders capped by cylinder heads via:

a first oil supply passage extending linearly through the cylinder head between a first side of the cylinder head and a second side of the cylinder head; and

a second oil supply passage extending in a straight line through the cylinder head between the first side of the cylinder head and the second side of the cylinder head;

and

flowing the oil to:

a plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters within the cylinder head and in a flow path of the first oil supply passage; and

a plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters within the cylinder head and in the flow paths of the first and second oil supply passages.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising flowing the oil around a plurality of intake passages and a plurality of exhaust passages formed in the cylinder head via the first oil supply passage extending around the plurality of intake passages and the plurality of exhaust passages without bending or curving.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each hydraulic lash adjuster has an equal length.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first oil supply passage is arranged parallel to the second oil supply passage such that the plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters and the plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters are arranged along a central axis of the first oil supply passage and a central axis of the second oil supply passage.

Technical Field

The present description relates generally to methods and systems for oil flow for a hydraulic lash adjuster of a vehicle engine.

Background

Vehicle engines typically include Hydraulic Lash Adjusters (HLA), wherein each hydraulic lash adjuster is configured to reduce lash or lash between a corresponding rocker arm of the engine and a cam of a camshaft. Oil provided to each HLA via an oil passage of the engine may lubricate components of each HLA, where the pressure of the oil engages each HLA with a corresponding rocker arm. Further, some engines include one or more deactivatable cylinders, and an HLA configured to engage a rocker arm driven valve of a deactivatable cylinder may be referred to as a deactivatable HLA. Each deactivatable HLA may include a component configured to isolate movement of the coupled rocker arm from a corresponding slave valve of the deactivatable cylinder during conditions in which pressurized oil is provided at an inlet of the deactivatable HLA through a second oil passage of the engine. By selectively providing pressurized oil at each deactivatable HLA inlet, the deactivatable cylinders may be modulated between an activated condition in which the valves of the deactivatable cylinders are opened and closed by the rocker arms and a deactivated condition in which the valves of the deactivatable cylinders are maintained in a closed position and are not modulated by the rocker arms.

However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such systems. As one example, configuring the oil passages to connect to various HLAs may be difficult and/or more expensive due to the relative arrangement of other engine components (such as intake and exhaust valves). In addition, because the deactivatable HLA includes various other components relative to the non-deactivatable HLA to enable deactivation of the cylinder valve, the components of the deactivatable HLA and the non-deactivatable HLA may have different relative arrangements, which may increase the difficulty of connecting the HLA to the oil gallery due to the oil gallery being drilled and/or cast in a complex configuration to align with the HLA.

Disclosure of Invention

In one example, the above-mentioned problem may be solved by a system comprising: an engine comprising a cylinder bank having a plurality of deactivatable inner cylinders and a plurality of outer cylinders; a cylinder head that covers the cylinder block; a linear oil supply passage formed in the cylinder head and arranged parallel to a crankshaft of the engine; a plurality of deactivatable Hydraulic Lash Adjusters (HLA) disposed along a linear flow path of the linear oil supply passage and configured to receive engine oil directly from the linear oil supply passage to control deactivation of the plurality of deactivatable internal cylinders; and a plurality of non-deactivatable HLAs disposed along the linear flow path and configured to receive the engine oil directly from the linear oil supply passage. In this way, the linear oil supply passage may be more easily connected to the HLA, and production time and/or cost of the engine may be reduced.

As one example, the linear oil supply passage may be drilled and/or otherwise machined into the cylinder head in a straight linear direction. The length of each of the HLA that can be disabled may be the same as the length of each of the HLA that cannot be disabled such that the linear oil supply channel is aligned with each of the HLA. As a result, the linear oil supply passage can be connected to a plurality of deactivatable and non-deactivatable HLAs without the need for complex bending and/or angling of the linear oil supply passage, and the production convenience of the system can be improved.

It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an engine system including multiple intake and exhaust valves.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an engine system including two cylinder banks, each including a linear oil passage connected to a hydraulic lash adjuster.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a deactivatable and non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjuster coupled with a rocker arm of an engine system.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the hydraulic lash adjuster of FIG. 3 positioned in and connected to a linear oil passage of a cylinder head of the engine system.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the linear oil gallery and lash adjuster socket of the first cylinder group of the cylinder head of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates another perspective view of the linear oil gallery and lash adjuster socket of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the linear oil gallery and lash adjuster socket of the second cylinder bank of the cylinder head of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 illustrates another perspective view of the linear oil gallery and lash adjuster socket of FIG. 7.

Fig. 9 illustrates the deactivatable and non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters of fig. 3-4 adjacent to a conventional hydraulic lash adjuster.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for supplying oil to a hydraulic lash adjuster of an engine via a linear oil supply passage.

Fig. 3-9 are shown to scale, but other relative dimensions may be used if desired.

Detailed Description

The following description relates to systems and methods for oil flow for a hydraulic lash adjuster of a vehicle engine. An engine such as the engine shown in FIG. 1 may include a plurality of hydraulic lash adjusters, such as the hydraulic lash adjuster shown in FIG. 2. Each hydraulic lash adjuster is coupled to a respective rocker arm, such as the rocker arm shown in fig. 3. The hydraulic lash adjusters are located within corresponding sockets formed in a cylinder head of the engine, as shown in fig. 4, and the sockets are fluidly coupled to linear oil passages extending through the cylinder head, as shown in fig. 5-8. The engine may include a first set of linear oil passages disposed at a first cylinder group, as shown in fig. 5 to 6, and a second set of linear oil passages disposed at an opposite second cylinder group, as shown in fig. 7 to 8. The plurality of hydraulic lash adjusters includes deactivatable and non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters, the size of the non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters being the same as the size of the deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters, as shown in fig. 9. By configuring the non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters to be the same size as the deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters, the deactivatable and non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters are positioned within the socket of the cylinder head in alignment with the linear oil gallery. In this way, the linear oil passage may be formed without bends or bends through the cylinder head to deliver oil to the deactivatable and non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 10. As a result, the production cost of the engine may be reduced and/or the convenience of engine maintenance may be improved.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an example of a cylinder 14 (which may be referred to as a combustion chamber) of an internal combustion engine 10 is shown included in a vehicle 5. Engine 10 may be controlled at least partially by a control system including controller 12 and by input from a vehicle operator 130 via an input device 132. In this example, the input device 132 includes an accelerator pedal and a pedal position sensor 134 for generating a proportional pedal position signal PP. The cylinder 14 of the engine 10 may include a cylinder wall 136 capped by a cylinder head 159. The cylinder head 159 includes a plurality of passages formed by an inner surface of the cylinder head 159 and configured to flow hydraulic fluid (e.g., engine oil) to various components of the engine 10 (e.g., a hydraulic lash adjuster as described further below). The cylinder 14 includes a piston 138 located therein. Piston 138 may be coupled to crankshaft 140 such that reciprocating motion of the piston is converted into rotational motion of the crankshaft. Crankshaft 140 may be coupled to at least one drive wheel of vehicle 5 via a transmission system. Further, a starter motor (not shown) may be coupled to crankshaft 140 via a flywheel to enable a starting operation of engine 10.

Cylinder 14 may receive intake air via a series of intake passages 142, 144, and 146. Intake passage 146 may communicate with other cylinders of engine 10 in addition to cylinder 14. In some examples, one or more of the intake passages may include a boosting device, such as a turbocharger or a supercharger. For example, FIG. 1 shows engine 10 configured with a turbocharger including a compressor 174 disposed between intake passages 142 and 144 and an exhaust turbine 176 disposed along exhaust passage 148. Where the boosting device is configured as a turbocharger, compressor 174 may be at least partially powered by exhaust turbine 176 via shaft 180. However, in other examples, such as where engine 10 is provided with a supercharger, exhaust turbine 176 may optionally be omitted, where compressor 174 may be powered by mechanical input from the motor or engine 10. A throttle 162 including a throttle plate 164 may be disposed along an intake passage of the engine for varying the flow rate and/or pressure of intake air provided to the engine cylinders. For example, throttle 162 may be located downstream of compressor 174, as shown in FIG. 1, or alternatively, may be located upstream of compressor 174.

Exhaust passage 148 may receive exhaust gases from other cylinders of engine 10 in addition to cylinder 14. Exhaust gas sensor 128 is shown coupled to exhaust passage 148 upstream of emission control device 178. For example, sensor 128 may be selected from a variety of suitable sensors to provide an indication of exhaust gas air/fuel ratio, such as a linear oxygen sensor or UEGO (universal or wide-range exhaust gas oxygen), a two-state oxygen sensor or EGO (as depicted), a HEGO (heated EGO), a NOx, HC, or CO sensor. Emission control device 178 may be a Three Way Catalyst (TWC), NOx trap, various other emission control devices, or combinations thereof.

Each cylinder of engine 10 includes one or more intake valves and one or more exhaust valves. For example, cylinder 14 is shown to include at least one intake poppet valve 150 and at least one exhaust poppet valve 156 located at an upper region of cylinder 14 (e.g., disposed within cylinder head 159). In some examples, each cylinder of engine 10 (including cylinder 14) may include at least two intake poppet valves and at least two exhaust poppet valves located at an upper region of the cylinder.

Intake valve 150 may be controlled by controller 12 through cam actuation via cam actuation system 151. Similarly, exhaust valve 156 may be controlled by controller 12 via cam actuation system 153. Cam actuation systems 151 and 153 may each include one or more cams (e.g., intake cam 165 and exhaust cam 167, respectively) and may utilize one or more of Cam Profile Switching (CPS), Variable Cam Timing (VCT), Variable Valve Timing (VVT), and/or Variable Valve Lift (VVL) systems, which may be operated by controller 12 to vary valve operation. Operation of intake valve 150 and exhaust valve 156 may be determined by valve position sensors (not shown) and/or camshaft position sensors 155 and 157, respectively. In an alternative embodiment, one of the intake and exhaust valves may be controlled by electric valve actuation. For example, cylinder 14 may alternatively include an intake valve controlled via electric valve actuation and an exhaust valve controlled via cam actuation including a CPS system and/or a VCT system. In still other embodiments, the intake and exhaust valves may be controlled by a shared valve actuator or actuation system, the shared valve actuator configured to actuate both the intake and exhaust valves.

The intake and exhaust valves may each be coupled to a respective valve actuation assembly configured to control movement (e.g., opening and closing) of the intake and exhaust valves. Specifically, intake valve 150 is shown coupled to valve drive assembly 161, and exhaust valve 156 is shown coupled to valve drive assembly 163. Each of the valve drive assemblies includes a respective Hydraulic Lash Adjuster (HLA) and a respective rocker arm disposed between the HLA and a corresponding driven valve (e.g., an intake valve or an exhaust valve). The HLA is configured to reduce a clearance or gap between the rocker arm and the cam of the camshaft. For example, the valve actuation assembly 161 includes an intake HLA configured to reduce lash between the rocker arm of the valve actuation assembly 161 and the intake cam 165, and the valve actuation assembly 163 includes an exhaust HLA configured to reduce lash between the rocker arm of the valve actuation assembly 163 and the exhaust cam 167.

In some examples, the cylinder 14 may be a deactivatable cylinder and the HLA of the valve drive assembly 161 and the valve drive assembly 163 may be a deactivatable HLA. For example, the valve drive assembly 161 may include a deactivatable HLA configured to selectively disable opening and closing of the intake valve 150 in response to a flow of pressurized oil provided at a deactivatable HLA inlet (which may be referred to as a deactivated inlet) via oil passages within the cylinder head 159. By disabling opening and closing of intake valve 150 via the deactivatable HLA, combustion of fuel and air within cylinder 14 may be disabled (e.g., to temporarily reduce torque output and/or fuel consumption of the engine). The flow of pressurized oil to the HLA-deactivatable inlet may be controlled by controller 12 via one or more oil flow valves (e.g., solenoid valves) that control the flow of oil within oil passages connected to the HLA-deactivatable inlet.

The controller may transmit an electrical signal to the oil flow valve to adjust the oil flow valve to the fully closed position, the fully open position, or a plurality of positions between the fully closed position and the fully open position. In one example, the intake valve 150 may be actuated by the valve actuation assembly 161 (e.g., opened and closed by pivoting a rocker arm of the valve actuation assembly 161) during conditions in which pressurized oil is provided to the de-activatable HLA inlet of the valve actuation assembly 161 by adjusting an oil flow valve to a fully open position. During conditions in which pressurized oil is not provided to the HLA-deactivatable inlet of valve actuation assembly 161 (e.g., by adjusting the oil flow valve to a fully closed position), the opening and closing of intake valve 150 may be disabled. Although operation of intake valve 150 is described herein as an example, exhaust valve 156 may be operated in a similar manner (e.g., adjusting operation of exhaust valve 156 via valve actuation assembly 163).

Although valve actuation assembly 161 and intake valve 150 are described above as examples, valve actuation assembly 163 and exhaust valve 156 may include similar configurations (e.g., valve actuation assembly 163 may include a deactivatable HLA configured to disable opening and closing of exhaust valve 156). In other examples, cylinder 14 may be a deactivatable cylinder, and the HLAs of valve drive assembly 161 and valve drive assembly 163 are non-deactivatable HLAs that are not configured to disable opening and closing of the respective driven valves. In addition, engine 10 is configured to include deactivatable cylinders and non-deactivatable cylinders. Similar to the examples described below (e.g., with reference to fig. 2-8), engine 10 may be configured as a V8 engine including two cylinder banks, each cylinder bank including four cylinders (e.g., similar to cylinder 14) and having one or more of the cylinders configured as deactivatable cylinders, similar to the examples described above.

Cylinder 14 may have a compression ratio, which is the ratio of the volume when piston 138 is at bottom center to top center. In one example, the compression ratio is in the range of 9:1 to 10: 1. However, in some examples where different fuels are used, the compression ratio may be increased. This may occur, for example, when higher octane fuels or fuels with higher latent enthalpy of vaporization are used. If direct injection is used, the compression ratio may also be increased due to the effect of direct injection on engine knock.

In some examples, each cylinder of engine 10 may include a spark plug 192 for initiating combustion. Ignition system 190 can provide an ignition spark to cylinder 14 via spark plug 192 in response to spark advance signal SA from controller 12, under select operating modes. However, in some embodiments, spark plug 192 may be omitted, such as where engine 10 may initiate combustion by auto-ignition or by fuel injection, as is the case with some diesel engines.

In some examples, each cylinder of engine 10 may be configured with one or more fuel injectors for providing fuel thereto. As a non-limiting example, cylinder 14 is shown to include two fuel injectors 166 and 170. Fuel injectors 166 and 170 may be configured to deliver fuel received from fuel system 8. The fuel system 8 may include one or more fuel tanks, fuel pumps, and/or fuel rails. Fuel injector 166 is shown coupled directly to cylinder 14 for injecting fuel directly therein in proportion to the pulse width of signal FPW-1 received from controller 12 via electronic driver 168. In this manner, fuel injector 166 provides what is known as direct injection (hereinafter "DI") of fuel into combustion cylinder 14. Although FIG. 1 shows injector 166 positioned to one side of cylinder 14, the injector may alternatively be located above the top of the piston, such as near the location of spark plug 192. Such a location may increase mixing and combustion when operating an engine using an alcohol-based fuel due to the lower volatility of some alcohol-based fuels. Alternatively, the injector may be located above and near the top of the intake valve to increase mixing. Fuel may be delivered to fuel injector 166 from a fuel tank of fuel system 8 via a high pressure fuel pump and fuel rail. Further, the fuel tank may have a pressure sensor that provides a signal to controller 12.

Fuel injector 170 is shown disposed in intake passage 146 rather than in cylinder 14 in a configuration that provides so-called port injection of fuel (hereinafter "PFI") into the intake port upstream of cylinder 14. Fuel injector 170 may inject fuel received from fuel system 8 in proportion to the pulse width of signal FPW-2 received from controller 12 via electronic driver 171. Note that a single driver 168 or 171 may be used for both fuel injection systems, or, as depicted, multiple drivers may be used, such as driver 168 for fuel injector 166 and driver 171 for fuel injector 170.

In an alternative example, each of fuel injectors 166 and 170 may be configured as a direct fuel injector for injecting fuel directly into cylinder 14. In yet another example, each of fuel injectors 166 and 170 may be configured as a port fuel injector for injecting fuel upstream of intake valve 150. In other examples, cylinder 14 may include only a single fuel injector configured to receive different fuels from the fuel system in different relative amounts as a fuel mixture, and further configured to inject this fuel mixture directly into the cylinder as a direct fuel injector or upstream of the intake valve as a port fuel injector. Thus, it should be understood that the fuel system described herein should not be limited by the particular fuel injector configuration described herein by way of example.

During a single cycle (e.g., combustion cycle) of the cylinder, fuel may be delivered to the cylinder through both injectors. For example, each injector may deliver a portion of the total fuel injection combusted in cylinder 14. Further, the distribution and/or relative amount of fuel delivered from each injector may vary with operating conditions, such as engine load, knock, and exhaust temperature, such as described below. Port injected fuel may be delivered during an open intake valve event, a closed intake valve event (e.g., substantially before the intake stroke), and during open and closed intake valve operation. Similarly, for example, directly injected fuel may be delivered during the intake stroke as well as partially during the previous exhaust stroke, during the intake stroke, and partially during the compression stroke. Thus, even for a single combustion event, the injected fuel may be injected from the port injector and the direct injector at different timings. Further, multiple injections of delivered fuel may be performed per cycle for a single combustion event. Multiple injections may be performed during a compression stroke, an intake stroke, or any suitable combination thereof.

Fuel injectors 166 and 170 may have different characteristics. These different characteristics include size differences, for example, one injector may have a larger orifice than the other. Other differences include, but are not limited to, different spray angles, different operating temperatures, different targeting, different injection timing, different spray characteristics, different locations, and the like. Further, depending on the distribution ratio of the injected fuel among injectors 170 and 166, different effects may be achieved.

The fuel tanks in fuel system 8 may hold fuels of different fuel types, such as fuels having different fuel qualities and different fuel compositions. The differences may include different alcohol content, different water content, different octane number, different heat of vaporization, different fuel blends, and/or combinations thereof, and the like. One example of fuels with different heats of vaporization may include gasoline with a lower heat of vaporization as a first fuel type and ethanol with a higher heat of vaporization as a second fuel type. In another example, an engine may use gasoline as the first fuel type and an alcohol-containing fuel blend, such as E85 (which is approximately 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) or M85 (which is approximately 85% methanol and 15% gasoline), as the second fuel type. Other possible substances include water, methanol, mixtures of alcohol and water, mixtures of water and methanol, mixtures of alcohols, and the like.

In yet another example, the two fuels may be alcohol blends with varying alcohol compositions, where the first fuel type may be a gasoline alcohol blend with a lower concentration of alcohol, such as E10 (which is about 10% ethanol), and the second fuel type may be a gasoline alcohol blend with a higher concentration of alcohol, such as E85 (which is about 85% ethanol). Additionally, the first and second fuels may differ in other fuel qualities, such as differences in temperature, viscosity, octane number, and the like. Additionally, the fuel properties of one or both fuel tanks may change frequently, for example, due to daily changes caused by refueling of the fuel tanks.

The controller 12 is shown in fig. 1 as a microcomputer that includes: microprocessor unit 106, input/output ports 108, an electronic storage medium for executable programs and calibration values (shown in this particular example as a non-transitory read only memory chip 110 for storing executable instructions), a random access memory 112, a keep alive memory 114, and a data bus. In addition to those signals previously discussed, controller 12 may receive various signals from sensors coupled to engine 10, including: a measurement of intake Mass Air Flow (MAF) from mass air flow sensor 122; engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) from temperature sensor 116 coupled to cooling sleeve 118; a surface ignition pickup signal (PIP) from Hall effect sensor 120 (or other type) coupled to crankshaft 140; a Throttle Position (TP) from a throttle position sensor; and an absolute manifold pressure signal (MAP) from sensor 124. An engine speed signal (RPM) may be generated by controller 12 from signal PIP. Manifold pressure signal MAP from a manifold pressure sensor may be used to provide an indication of vacuum or pressure in the intake manifold. Controller 12 may infer the engine temperature based on the engine coolant temperature.

Controller 12 receives signals from the various sensors of FIG. 1 and employs the various actuators of FIG. 1 to adjust engine operation based on the received signals and instructions stored on a memory of the controller. For example, in a configuration in which cylinder 14 is a deactivatable cylinder, adjusting intake valve 150 from an activated condition in which intake valve 150 is opened and closed by valve drive assembly 161 to a deactivated condition in which intake valve 150 is not opened and closed by valve drive assembly 161 may include increasing a flow of pressurized oil to an inlet of the deactivatable HLA of valve drive assembly 161 (e.g., a deactivated inlet). For example (as described above), the controller 12 may transmit an electrical signal to one or more oil control valves configured to control a flow of pressurized oil to the HLA-deactivatable inlet via oil passages of the cylinder head 159 so as to move the oil control valves to an open position to provide pressurized oil at the HLA-deactivatable inlet.

As described above, FIG. 1 shows only one cylinder in a multi-cylinder engine. Thus, each cylinder may similarly include its own set of intake/exhaust valves, hydraulic lash adjusters, rocker arms, one or more fuel injectors, spark plugs, and the like. Further, each of these cylinders may include some or all of the various components described and depicted by fig. 1 with reference to cylinder 14.

In some examples, the vehicle 5 may be a hybrid vehicle having multiple torque sources available to one or more wheels 55. In other examples, the vehicle 5 is a conventional vehicle having only an engine or an electric vehicle having only an electric machine. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 5 includes an engine 10 and a motor 52. The electric machine 52 may be a motor or a motor/generator. When the one or more clutches are engaged, crankshaft 140 of engine 10 and motor 52 are connected to wheels 55 via transmission 54. In the depicted example, the first clutch 56 is disposed between the crankshaft 140 and the motor 52, while the second clutch 57 is disposed between the motor 52 and the transmission 54. Controller 12 may send a signal to an actuator of each clutch (e.g., first clutch 56 and/or second clutch 57) to engage or disengage the clutch to connect or disconnect crankshaft 140 with motor 52 and components connected thereto, and/or to connect or disconnect motor 52 with transmission 54 and components connected thereto. The transmission 54 may be a gearbox, a planetary gear system, or another type of transmission. The powertrain may be configured in various ways, including being configured as a parallel, series, or series-parallel hybrid vehicle.

The electric machine 52 receives power from the traction battery 58 to provide torque to the wheels 55. The electric machine 52 may also operate as a generator to provide electrical power to charge the battery 58, for example, during braking operations.

Referring to FIG. 2, an engine 200 is shown. The engine 200 may be similar to or identical to the engine 10 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Further, the engine 200 includes several components that may be similar or identical to the components described above with reference to fig. 1. For example, engine 200 includes a cylinder, which may be similar or identical to cylinder 14 described above.

The engine 200 is configured as a V8 engine including two cylinder banks, each of which is arranged at opposite sides of the engine 200. Specifically, engine 200 includes a first cylinder group 210 disposed at a first side 216 of engine 200 and a second cylinder group 212 disposed at an opposite second side 218 of engine 200. The first cylinder group 210 includes four cylinders arranged in an inline configuration, and the second cylinder group 212 is arranged in parallel with the first cylinder group 210 and includes four cylinders arranged in an inline configuration. Specifically, the first cylinder group 210 includes a first outer cylinder 220, a second outer cylinder 222, a first inner cylinder 224, and a second inner cylinder 226, while the second cylinder group 212 includes a third outer cylinder 228, a fourth outer cylinder 230, a third inner cylinder 232, and a fourth inner cylinder 234. The first outer cylinder 220 is disposed at a first side 236 of the first cylinder group 210, while the second outer cylinder 222 is disposed at an opposite second side 238 of the first cylinder group 210. The third outer cylinder 228 is disposed at a first side 240 of the second cylinder group 212, while the fourth outer cylinder 230 is disposed at an opposite second side 242 of the second cylinder group 212. One or more of the cylinders of the first cylinder group 210 may be configured to be deactivatable (e.g., similar to the example described above with reference to fig. 1), and one or more of the cylinders of the second cylinder group 212 may be configured to be deactivatable. In the example shown, the shaded pattern indicates deactivated cylinders, while cylinders not shown shaded are not deactivated.

The engine 200 also includes a plurality of Hydraulic Lash Adjusters (HLAs) arranged at each cylinder group. Specifically, the first cylinder group 210 includes a deactivatable HLA 244 (indicated with a shaded pattern) and a non-deactivatable HLA 246, while the second cylinder group 212 includes a deactivatable HLA 248 and a non-deactivatable HLA 250. The deactivatable HLA 244 of the first cylinder group 210 may control deactivation of the first inner cylinder 224 and the second inner cylinder 226, while the deactivatable HLA 248 of the second cylinder group 212 may control deactivation of the third outer cylinder 228 and the fourth outer cylinder 230.

Each of the deactivatable HLA 244 and the non-deactivatable HLA 246 of the first cylinder group 210 is supplied (e.g., provides oil) by the first and second oil supply passages 202, 204. The first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 each extend through the first cylinder group 210 without bending or curving from a first side 236 of the first cylinder group 210 to an opposite second side 238 of the first cylinder group 210. In some examples, the first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 may have the same length (e.g., a length from a first side 236 of the first cylinder group 210 to a second side 238 of the first cylinder group 210). The first oil supply passage 202 is shown extending along and parallel to the axis 254, while the second oil supply passage 204 is shown extending along and parallel to the axis 252, 252. In some examples, the first oil feed passage 202 and the second oil feed passage 204 may be arranged parallel to each other.

The first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 are each coupled to a deactivatable HLA 244 and a non-deactivatable HLA 246 of the first cylinder group 210. Specifically, the first and second oil supply passages 202 and 204 are each fluidly coupled to a respective oil inlet (e.g., lash adjustment inlet and deactivation inlet) of the deactivatable HLA 244 without any intermediate oil passage, while the first oil supply passage 202 is fluidly coupled to a respective oil inlet of each of the non-deactivatable HLA 246 without any intermediate oil passage. In some examples, first oil supply passage 202 and/or second oil supply passage 204 may include a restrictor, plug, or the like configured to control the flow of oil to deactivatable HLA 244 and/or non-deactivatable HLA 246. For example, although first oil supply passage 202 is shown connected to each deactivatable HLA 244 and each non-deactivatable HLA 246, first oil supply passage 202 may include one or more plugs disposed therein to control (e.g., restrict, direct, etc.) the flow of oil through first oil supply passage 202.

The first oil supply passage 202 and the second oil supply passage 204 may each supply oil to the corresponding HLA without providing an intermediate passage between the first oil supply passage 202 and the corresponding HLA, and without providing an intermediate passage between the second oil supply passage 204 and the corresponding HLA. Further, no other oil consumers (oil consumers) are disposed along the entirety of the first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 from the first side 236 of the first cylinder group 210 to the second side 238 of the first cylinder group 210. Specifically, first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 are oil passages dedicated to providing engine oil to deactivatable HLA 244 and non-deactivatable HLA 246, and are maintained separate from (e.g., spaced apart from) the main oil gallery of engine 200 (e.g., only first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 pass oil to the corresponding HLA at first cylinder group 210). The main oil gallery is not directly coupled to either of HLA 244 can be disabled or HLA 246 cannot be disabled. The first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 are shown extending linearly through (e.g., straight through) the first cylinder group 210 and may receive oil via an engine block 214 of the engine 200. In some examples, the first oil supply passage 202 and the second oil supply passage 204 may each be formed within the first cylinder group 210 by drilling and/or other machining. Because the first and second oil supply passages 202, 204 extend through the first cylinder group 210 without bending or buckling, the cost and/or complexity of drilling and/or other machining may be reduced.

The third and fourth oil feed passages 206, 208 are each fluidly coupled directly to the deactivatable HLA 248 of the second cylinder bank 212 (e.g., coupled in fluid communication with the deactivatable HLA 248 without an intermediate passage separating the deactivatable HLA 248 from the third and fourth oil feed passages 206, 208). Specifically, the third oil feed channel 206 and the fourth oil feed channel 208 are each fluidly coupled to a respective oil inlet (e.g., lash adjustment inlet and deactivation inlet) of the deactivatable HLA 248 without any intermediate oil channels. However, the third oil feed passage 206 is not fluidly coupled to the non-deactivatable HLA 250 of the second cylinder group 212. Fourth oil feed channel 208 is fluidly coupled directly to a respective oil inlet of each non-deactivatable HLA 250 without any intermediate oil channels. While the fourth oil feed passage 208 extends linearly (e.g., straight) through the entire length of the second cylinder group 212, the third oil feed passage 206 extends only partially through the second cylinder group 212 and terminates within the interior of the second cylinder group 212. Each of the fourth oil supply passage 208 and the third oil supply passage 206 is connected to opposite sides (e.g., a first side 240 and a second side 242) of the second cylinder group 212. In some examples, the fourth oil supply passage 208 may have the same length as the first and second oil supply passages 202 and 204 described above. In this configuration, the third oil supply passage 206 does not supply the non-deactivatable HLA 250 associated with the third and fourth inner cylinders 232, 234.

Although fourth oil feed channel 208 is shown connected to each deactivatable HLA 248 and each non-deactivatable HLA 250, fourth oil feed channel 208 may include one or more plugs disposed therein to control (e.g., restrict, direct, etc.) the flow of oil through fourth oil feed channel 208 to one or more of deactivatable HLA 248 or non-deactivatable HLA 250.

The third oil supply passage 206 and the fourth oil supply passage 208 may each directly supply oil to the corresponding HLA without providing an intermediate passage between the third oil supply passage 206 and the corresponding HLA, and without providing an intermediate passage between the fourth oil supply passage 208 and the corresponding HLA. Further, no other oil consumers are arranged along the entirety of the third oil feed passage 206 and the fourth oil feed passage 208 from the first side 240 of the second cylinder group 212 to the second side 242 of the second cylinder group 212. Specifically, third and fourth oil feed passages 206, 208 are oil passages dedicated to providing engine oil to deactivatable HLA 248 and non-deactivatable HLA 250, and are maintained separate from (e.g., spaced apart from) the main oil gallery of engine 200 (e.g., only third and fourth oil feed passages 206, 208 pass oil to the corresponding HLA at second cylinder bank 212). The main oil gallery is not directly coupled to each of the deactivatable HLA 248 or the non-deactivatable HLA 250. In some examples, the third oil supply passage 206 and the fourth oil supply passage 208 may each be formed in the second cylinder group 212 by drilling and/or other machining. Because the third oil supply passage 206 and the fourth oil supply passage 208 extend through the second cylinder group 212 without bending or buckling, the cost and/or complexity of drilling and/or other machining may be reduced.

Additionally, similar to the example described further below, each of the deactivatable HLA 244 and non-deactivatable HLA 246 of the first cylinder group 210 are the same length, and each of the deactivatable HLA 248 and non-deactivatable HLA 250 of the second cylinder group 212 are the same length. By configuring the HLAs to have the same length, the various oil supply passages described above may be drilled and/or machined into the cylinder block without bends, curves, or other angled portions, and the complexity of forming oil supply passages for supplying oil to the various HLAs may be reduced. As a result, the cost of the engine can be reduced.

Although the first cylinder group 210 is shown as including only a first set of deactivatable HLA 244 and non-deactivatable HLA 246, it should be understood that the first cylinder group 210 may additionally include a second set of deactivatable HLA 244 and non-deactivatable HLA 246. Specifically, a first set of deactivatable HLA 244 and non-deactivatable HLA 246 may be configured to control operation of a first set of valves (e.g., intake valves) of cylinders of first cylinder group 210, while a second set of HLA (not shown) may be configured to control operation of a second set of valves (e.g., exhaust valves) of cylinders of first cylinder group 210. Similarly, although a single set of deactivatable HLA 248 and non-deactivatable HLA 250 are shown at the second cylinder group 212, the HLA shown may be configured to control operation of a first set of valves (e.g., exhaust valves) of the second cylinder group 212. Thus, the second cylinder group 212 may include a second set of deactivatable and non-deactivatable HLAs to control operation of a second set of valves (e.g., intake valves) of the second cylinder group 212.

Referring to fig. 3, a perspective view of a plurality of HLAs coupled to respective rocker arms configured to actuate valves of an engine is shown. The components shown in fig. 3 may be similar or identical to the components described above with reference to fig. 1-2. For example, fig. 3 shows a deactivatable HLA 300, which may be similar to or the same as the deactivatable HLA 248 shown in fig. 2 and described above. Fig. 3 additionally illustrates a non-deactivatable HLA 302, which may be similar or identical to the non-deactivatable HLA 250 illustrated in fig. 2 and described above. Further, the components shown in FIG. 3 are included in an engine that is similar to or identical to engine 10 shown in FIG. 1 and/or engine 200 shown in FIG. 2.

A deactivatable HLA 300 is shown coupled to a deactivatable rocker arm 304, and a non-deactivatable HLA 302 is shown coupled to a non-deactivatable rocker arm 306. The deactivatable rocker arm 304 is configured to actuate a valve (e.g., an intake valve or an exhaust valve) of a deactivatable cylinder (e.g., the third outer cylinder 228 or the fourth outer cylinder 230 shown in fig. 2 and described above), while the non-deactivatable rocker arm 306 is configured to actuate a valve of a non-deactivatable cylinder (e.g., the third inner cylinder 232 or the fourth inner cylinder 234 shown in fig. 2 and described above).

Similar to the examples described below, each of the deactivatable HLA 300 and the non-deactivatable HLA 302 are configured to have the same length. Further, each of the deactivatable HLA 300 and the non-deactivatable HLA 302 are aligned with each other along the same axis, such as axis 314 arranged along a bottom end 310 of each HLA and axis 312 arranged along a top end 308 of each HLA, the top end 308 being opposite the bottom end 310. Each rocker arm is shown coupled to a respective valve stem (e.g., valve stem 316).

Each of the above-described HLAs may include one or more inlets (e.g., lash adjustment inlets and/or deactivation inlets) configured to receive oil from an oil supply passage of the cylinder head, as described below with reference to fig. 4. For example, deactivatable HLA 300 is shown as including: a first inlet 318 (which may be referred to herein as a deactivated inlet) configured to receive oil from a first oil supply passage (e.g., for activation and deactivation of the deactivatable HLA 300); and a second inlet 320 (which may be referred to herein as a lash adjustment inlet) configured to receive oil from the second oil supply passage (e.g., to provide pressure to a piston disposed within the deactivatable HLA to press the deactivatable HLA into engagement with the corresponding rocker arm and reduce lash between the rocker arm and the valve driven by the rocker arm). The non-deactivatable HLAs 302 may each include a single inlet configured to receive oil from the second oil supply passage (e.g., for reducing lash, as described above).

Referring to fig. 4, the HLA described above with reference to fig. 3 is shown located within a cylinder head 400 (e.g., similar to cylinder head 159 described above with reference to fig. 1) of the engine. Each HLA is located in a respective socket formed in the interior of the cylinder head 400, such as socket 402 indicated by the dashed lines.

The cylinder head 400 includes a first oil supply passage 404 and a second oil supply passage 406. The first and second oil supply passages 404, 406 each extend in a linear direction (e.g., a straight direction) through the cylinder head 400 without kinking or bending, and are fluidly coupled directly to the deactivatable HLA 300. The first oil supply channel 404 additionally extends linearly (e.g., straight through) through the cylinder head 400 and is fluidly coupled directly to the non-deactivatable HLA 302 (e.g., coupled in fluid communication with the non-deactivatable HLA 302 without an intermediate channel separating the deactivatable HLA 302 from the first oil supply channel 404), while the second oil supply channel 406 terminates within the interior of the cylinder head 400 and is not fluidly coupled to the non-deactivatable HLA 302. The first oil supply passage 404 and the second oil supply passage 406 may extend parallel to each other, as indicated by a central axis 408 of the first oil supply passage 404 extending parallel to a central axis 410 of the second oil supply passage 406. Oil within the first oil supply passage 404 may flow linearly through the first oil supply passage 404 in a direction of the central axis 408 (e.g., along a linear flow path 413 parallel to or coaxial with the central axis 408), and oil within the second oil supply passage 406 may flow linearly through the second oil supply passage 406 in a direction of the central axis 410 (e.g., along a linear flow path 411 parallel to or coaxial with the central axis 410). Each of the deactivatable HLA 300 and the non-deactivatable HLA 302 intersects each of the central axis 408 and the central axis 410. As a result, each deactivatable HLA 300 is disposed along a linear flow path 413 for oil flowing through the first oil supply channel 404 and a linear flow path 411 for oil flowing through the second oil supply channel 406.

Referring to fig. 5-6, various views of a socket formed in the cylinder head 400 are shown. Specifically, fig. 5 illustrates a view of the socket and oil passage in solid form, without showing other components of the cylinder head 400, and fig. 6 illustrates the socket and oil passage disposed within the interior of the cylinder head 400 (e.g., forming a cavity or hollow within the cylinder head 400). The illustrated socket may be similar to the socket 402 shown in fig. 4 and described above.

Each socket is configured to receive a deactivatable or non-deactivatable HLA. Specifically, receptacle 500 is adapted to receive a deactivatable HLA, while receptacle 502 is adapted to receive a non-deactivatable HLA. As described above, the deactivatable HLA and the non-deactivatable HLA are configured to have the same length. As a result, the sockets 500 and 502 each have the same length. However, the socket 500 is fluidly coupled to both the first and second oil supply passages 404, 406, while the socket 502 is fluidly coupled to the first oil supply passage 404 and not fluidly coupled to the second oil supply passage 406. Each of sockets 500 may house a respective deactivatable HLA, such as the deactivatable HLA 300 shown in fig. 3 and described above, while each of sockets 502 may house a respective non-deactivatable HLA, such as the non-deactivatable HLA 302 shown in fig. 3 and described above. In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, socket 500 and socket 502 are formed within the interior of cylinder head 400, and FIG. 6 shows first cylinder group 600 capped by cylinder head 400. In one example, the first cylinder group 600 may be similar to or the same as the second cylinder group 212 shown in fig. 2 and described above. Specifically, first cylinder group 600 includes HLA-deactivatable sockets 500 disposed at opposite sides of first cylinder group 600 (e.g., outer cylinders corresponding to first cylinder group 600 as deactivatable cylinders, similar to third outer cylinder 228 and fourth outer cylinder 230 described above), and first cylinder group 600 includes HLA-non-deactivatable sockets 502 disposed at a central location of first cylinder group 600 (e.g., locations corresponding to non-deactivatable cylinders of first cylinder group 600 (similar to third inner cylinder 232 and fourth inner cylinder 234 described above).

Referring to fig. 7-8, different views of additional sockets formed in different cylinder banks capped by cylinder head 400 are shown. Specifically, fig. 7 shows a view of the socket and oil passage in solid form, without showing other components of the cylinder head 400, and fig. 8 shows the socket and oil passage disposed within the interior of the cylinder head 400 (e.g., forming a cavity or hollow within the cylinder head 400). The illustrated socket may be similar to the socket 402 shown in fig. 4 and described above.

Each socket is configured to receive a deactivatable or non-deactivatable HLA. Specifically, socket 700 is adapted to receive a deactivatable HLA, while socket 702 is adapted to receive a non-deactivatable HLA. As described above, the deactivatable HLA and the non-deactivatable HLA are configured to have the same length. As a result, outlets 700 and 702 each have the same length. Additionally, the sockets 700 and 702 may have the same length as the sockets 500 and 502 described above. However, socket 700 and socket 702 are each fluidly coupled to both first oil supply passage 704 and second oil supply passage 706. In one example, the first oil supply passage 704 may be similar to or the same as the second oil supply passage 204 described above with reference to fig. 2 (fig. 8 indicates a central axis 802 of the first oil supply passage 704), while the second oil supply passage 706 may be similar to or the same as the first oil supply passage 202 described above with reference to fig. 2 (fig. 8 indicates a central axis 804 of the second oil supply passage 706). Oil within the first oil supply passage 704 may flow linearly through the first oil supply passage 704 in a direction of the central axis 802 (e.g., along a linear flow path 803 parallel to or coaxial with the central axis 802), and oil within the second oil supply passage 706 may flow linearly through the second oil supply passage 706 in a direction of the central axis 804 (e.g., along a linear flow path 805 parallel to or coaxial with the central axis 804). As a result, each deactivatable HLA is disposed along a linear flow path 803 for oil flowing through the first oil supply passage 704 and a linear flow path 805 for oil flowing through the second oil supply passage 706.

Each of sockets 700 may house a respective disablement HLA (e.g., similar to the disablement HLA 300 shown in fig. 3 and described above), while each of sockets 702 may house a respective non-disablement HLA (e.g., similar to the non-disablement HLA 302 shown in fig. 3 and described above). In the configuration shown in fig. 8, the socket 700 and the socket 702 are formed within the interior of the cylinder head 400, and fig. 8 shows the second cylinder bank 800 capped by the cylinder head 400. In one example, second cylinder group 800 may be similar to or the same as first cylinder group 210 shown in fig. 2 and described above. Specifically, second cylinder group 800 includes HLA-deactivatable sockets 700 disposed on interior cylinders of second cylinder group 800 (e.g., interior cylinders corresponding to second cylinder group 800 as deactivatable cylinders, similar to first interior cylinder 224 and second interior cylinder 226 described above), and second cylinder group 800 includes HLA-deactivatable sockets 702 disposed at exterior locations of second cylinder group 800 (e.g., locations corresponding to non-deactivatable exterior cylinders of second cylinder group 800 (similar to first exterior cylinder 220 and second exterior cylinder 222 described above).

Referring to fig. 9, various HLAs are shown for comparison. In particular, fig. 9 shows a deactivatable HLA 900 according to the present disclosure, a non-deactivatable HLA 902 according to the present disclosure, and a conventional non-deactivatable HLA 904. The deactivatable HLA 900 may be similar to or the same as the deactivatable HLA described above, while the non-deactivatable HLA 902 may be similar to or the same as the non-deactivatable HLA described above.

The deactivatable HLA 900 includes a top end 906 and a bottom end 912, while the non-deactivatable HLA 902 includes a top end 908 and a bottom end 914. The length 918 of each of the deactivatable HLA 900 and the non-deactivatable HLA 902 has the same length amount, as shown by the length 918 extending between an axis 920 aligned with the top end 906 of the deactivatable HLA 900 and the top end 908 of the non-deactivatable HLA 902 and an axis 916 aligned with the bottom end 912 of the deactivatable HLA 900 and the bottom end 914 of the non-deactivatable HLA 902. However, the conventional non-deactivatable HLA 904 has a different length 922 relative to each of the deactivatable HLA 900 and the non-deactivatable HLA 902, as indicated by the length 922 extending between a top end 910 of the conventional non-deactivatable HLA 904 and an axis 926 aligned with a bottom end 924 of the conventional non-deactivatable HLA 904.

By configuring the deactivatable HLA 900 and the non-deactivatable HLA 902 to have the same length 918, the deactivatable HLA 900 and the non-deactivatable HLA 902 may be located within corresponding sockets of the cylinder head (e.g., the sockets described above with reference to fig. 3-8) in order to align the deactivatable HLA 900 and the non-deactivatable HLA 902 with respective oil supply passages of the cylinder head (e.g., the oil supply passages described above). For example, as indicated in fig. 9, the first oil inlet 930 (e.g., lash adjustment inlet) of the deactivatable HLA 900 may be arranged in alignment with the oil inlet 932 (e.g., lash adjustment inlet) of the non-deactivatable HLA 902 such that the axis 928 intersects each of the first oil inlet 930 and the oil inlet 932. In one example, the axis 928 may be a central axis of an oil supply passage, such as the oil supply passage 406 described above, and the oil supply passage may be connected to the HLA without buckling or bending. A second oil supply passage of the cylinder head, such as the oil supply passage 404 described above, may be configured to intersect the second oil supply port 934 (e.g., the deactivation oil port) of the deactivatable HLA 900 without bending or curving. In this configuration, the HLA may be more easily fluidly coupled to the oil supply passage (e.g., by reducing angled drilling, complex casting of the oil supply passage associated with production of the cylinder head, etc.). In some examples, the first oil inlet 930 may be configured as a deactivated inlet and the second oil inlet 934 may be configured as a lash adjustment inlet.

Referring to fig. 10, a method 1000 for controlling the flow of oil through the linear oil supply passages of a cylinder bank is shown. The linear oil supply passage described herein with reference to method 1000 may be similar or identical to the linear oil supply passages described above (e.g., second oil supply passage 204 shown in fig. 2, first oil supply passage 404 shown in fig. 4, first oil supply passage 704 shown in fig. 7-8, etc.). The cylinder groups may be similar or identical to the cylinder groups described above (e.g., the first cylinder group 210 or the second cylinder group 212 shown in fig. 2, the first cylinder group 600 shown in fig. 7, the second cylinder group 800 shown in fig. 8, etc.).

At 1002, the method includes flowing oil through linear oil supply passages disposed between opposite sides of a cylinder bank of the engine and parallel to a crankshaft of the engine. Flowing the oil through the linear oil supply passage includes flowing the oil along a linear path without kinks or bends. Specifically, the linear oil supply passage is not bent or curved within the cylinder group, and the linear oil supply passage guides oil along a linear path when the oil flows through the oil supply passage. As one example, the oil may flow along a central axis of a linear oil supply passage (e.g., the central axis 408 of the second oil supply passage 406 described above with reference to fig. 4, the central axis 802 of the first oil supply passage 704 described above with reference to fig. 8, etc.). Oil flows along a linear path between first and second opposing sides of a cylinder bank (e.g., first side 236 and second side 238 of first cylinder bank 210 described above with reference to fig. 2). A linear oil supply passage extends from a first side of the cylinder bank to a second side of the cylinder bank, and oil flows along a linear path from the first side to the second side (or vice versa).

The method continues from 1002 to 1004, where the method includes supplying oil directly from a linear oil supply passage to each of a deactivatable hydraulic lash adjuster and a non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjuster. The deactivatable HLA and the non-deactivatable HLA may be similar to or the same as the deactivatable HLA and the non-deactivatable HLA, respectively, described above (e.g., deactivatable HLA 244 and non-deactivatable HLA 246 shown in fig. 2, deactivatable HLA 248 and non-deactivatable HLA 250 shown in fig. 2, deactivatable HLA 300 and non-deactivatable HLA 302 shown in fig. 3, etc.). Oil may be supplied from the linear oil supply passage directly to the respective inlets of the deactivatable HLA and the respective inlets of the non-deactivatable HLA. As one example, each HLA may be coupled to a respective rocker arm configured to drive a valve of the engine (e.g., an intake or exhaust valve as described above), and the pressure of the oil may regulate operation of each HLA (e.g., regulate the position of a piston disposed within each HLA) to reduce lash or lash between the corresponding rocker arm and a respective cam of a camshaft of the engine.

The linear oil supply channel supplies oil to the deactivatable and non-deactivatable HLAs, and does not supply oil along the linear oil supply channel to any other consumers that are not HLA. In particular, the linear oil supply passage is configured to supply oil directly to the deactivatable HLA and the non-deactivatable HLA without any intermediate oil passage, and the linear oil supply passage does not supply oil to other components of the engine, although the linear oil supply passage may be configured to supply oil directly to additional deactivatable HLA and/or non-deactivatable HLA. For example, the linear oil supply passage, the deactivatable HLA, and the non-deactivatable HLA may be similar to or the same as the second oil supply passage 204, the deactivatable HLA 244 at the first inner cylinder 224, and the non-deactivatable HLA 246 at the first outer cylinder 220, respectively, shown in fig. 2 and described above. While the second oil supply passage 204 is additionally configured to supply oil to the deactivatable HLA at the second inner cylinder 226 and the non-deactivatable HLA at the second outer cylinder 222, the second oil supply passage 204 does not supply oil to other oil consumers of the engine and is maintained separate from (e.g., spaced from and not directly coupled to) the main oil gallery of the engine.

Fig. 3-9 illustrate exemplary configurations with relative positioning of various components. If shown as being in direct contact or directly coupled to each other, such elements may be referred to as being in direct contact or directly coupled, respectively, at least in one example. Similarly, elements shown as abutting or adjacent to one another may, at least in one example, abut or be adjacent to one another, respectively. By way of example, components that are in coplanar contact with each other may be referred to as coplanar contacts. As another example, in at least one example, elements that are positioned apart from one another may be referred to as such only if there is space between them and no other components. As yet another example, elements on two sides opposite each other or on left/right sides of each other that are shown above/below each other may be referred to as being so with respect to each other. Further, as shown, in at least one example, the topmost element or the topmost point of an element may be referred to as the "top" of the component, and the bottommost element or the bottommost point of an element may be referred to as the "bottom" of the component. As used herein, top/bottom, upper/lower, above/below may be with respect to a vertical axis of the figures and are used to describe the positioning of elements of the figures with respect to each other. Thus, in one example, an element shown as being above other elements is positioned vertically above the other elements. As yet another example, the shapes of elements depicted in the figures may be referred to as having those shapes (e.g., such as rounded, rectilinear, planar, curved, rounded, chamfered, angled, etc.). Further, in at least one example, elements shown as intersecting with one another may be referred to as intersecting elements or as intersecting with one another. Further, in one example, an element shown as being within another element or shown as being external to another element may be referred to as such.

In this way, by configuring the oil supply passage to extend linearly through the cylinder group as described above and by configuring the HLA to have the same length to be connected to various oil supply passages without bending or angling the oil supply passage, the production convenience of the engine can be improved and the production cost can be reduced.

A technical effect of configuring the HLAs to have the same length is to provide the HLAs with oil supplied via a linear oil supply passage formed in a cylinder head of the engine.

It should be noted that the exemplary control and estimation routines included herein may be used with various engine and/or vehicle system configurations. The control methods and programs disclosed herein may be stored as executable instructions in a non-transitory memory and executed by a control system including a controller in conjunction with various sensors, actuators, and other engine hardware. The specific routines described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies such as event-driven, interrupt-driven, multi-tasking, multi-threading, and the like. As such, various acts, operations, and/or functions illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of processing is not necessarily required to achieve the features and advantages of the example embodiments described herein, but is provided for ease of illustration and description. One or more of the illustrated acts, operations, and/or functions may be repeatedly performed depending on the particular strategy being used. Further, the described acts, operations, and/or functions may graphically represent code to be programmed into the non-transitory memory of the computer readable storage medium in the engine control system, with the described acts being implemented by execution of instructions in combination with the electronic controller in the system including the various engine hardware components.

It will be appreciated that the configurations and routines disclosed herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. For example, the above techniques may be applied to V-6, I-4, I-6, V-12, opposed 4, and other engine types. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like do not denote any order, position, quantity, or importance, but rather are used merely as labels to distinguish one element from another. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various systems and configurations, and other features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term "about" is to be construed as meaning ± 5% of the range, unless otherwise specified.

The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. These claims may refer to "an" element or "a first" element or the equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or through presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system having: an engine comprising a cylinder bank having a plurality of deactivatable inner cylinders and a plurality of outer cylinders; a cylinder head that covers the cylinder block; a first linear oil supply passage formed in the cylinder head and arranged parallel to a crankshaft of the engine; a plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters (hlAs) disposed along a linear flow path of the first linear oil supply passage and configured to receive engine oil directly from the first linear oil supply passage so as to control deactivation of the plurality of deactivatable internal cylinders; and a plurality of non-deactivatable HLAs arranged along the linear flow path.

According to one embodiment, each deactivatable HLA receives the engine oil via a deactivation inlet.

According to one embodiment, the invention also features a second linear oil supply passage fluidly coupled to each deactivatable HLA and each non-deactivatable HLA of the plurality of non-deactivatable HLAs.

According to one embodiment, each deactivatable HLA and each non-deactivatable HLA includes a gap-accommodating inlet that is fluidly coupled to the second linear oil supply passage.

According to one embodiment, the second linear oil supply channel is arranged parallel to the first linear oil supply channel.

According to one embodiment, the length of the first linear oil supply passage from a first side of the cylinder group to a second side of the cylinder group is equal to the length of the second linear oil supply passage from the first side to the second side.

According to one embodiment, each deactivatable HLA is disposed within a respective socket of a first plurality of sockets formed within the cylinder head such that each socket of the first plurality of sockets is fluidly coupled to the first and second linear oil supply passages.

According to one embodiment, each deactivatable HLA is disposed within a respective socket of a second plurality of sockets formed within the cylinder head such that each socket of the second plurality of sockets is fluidly coupled to the first and second linear oil supply passages, and wherein each socket of the first plurality of sockets has the same length as each socket of the second plurality of sockets.

According to one embodiment, the first linear oil supply passage is formed without bending or curving.

According to one embodiment, the first linear oil supply channel extends in a straight line between a first side of the cylinder group and a second side of the cylinder group, and wherein a first outer cylinder of the plurality of outer cylinders is arranged at the first side and a second outer cylinder of the plurality of outer cylinders is arranged at the second side.

According to one embodiment, the length of each deactivatable HLA is equal to the length of each non-deactivatable HLA.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system having: an engine comprising a plurality of cylinders capped by cylinder heads; a first oil supply passage extending linearly through the cylinder head between a first side of the cylinder head and a second side of the cylinder head; a second oil supply passage extending in a straight line through the cylinder head between the first side of the cylinder head and the second side of the cylinder head; a plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters within the cylinder head and in a flow path of the first oil supply passage; and a plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters within the cylinder head and in the flow paths of the first and second oil supply passages.

According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by a plurality of intake passages and a plurality of exhaust passages formed in the cylinder head, wherein the oil supply passage extends without bending or curving around the plurality of intake passages and the plurality of exhaust passages.

According to one embodiment, each hydraulic lash adjuster has an equal length.

According to one embodiment, the first oil supply channel is arranged parallel to the second oil supply channel such that the plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters and the plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters are arranged along a central axis of the first oil supply channel and a central axis of the second oil supply channel.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system having: an engine; a first cylinder group of the engine, the first cylinder group including a plurality of inner deactivatable cylinders arranged between a plurality of outer non-deactivatable cylinders disposed at opposite sides of the first cylinder group; a second cylinder group of the engine, the second cylinder group including a plurality of inner non-deactivatable cylinders arranged between a plurality of outer deactivatable cylinders disposed at opposite sides of the second cylinder group; and first and second oil supply passages each extending through the first cylinder group from the opposite side of the first cylinder group without bending or curving, the first and second oil supply passages intersecting a first plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters and a first plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic valve lash adjusters.

According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by: a third oil supply passage extending partially through the second cylinder group from a first one of the opposite sides of the second cylinder group without bending or curving, the third oil supply passage terminating within an interior of the second cylinder group; a fourth oil supply passage extending from the opposite side of the second cylinder group through the second cylinder group without bending or curving; a second plurality of deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters intersecting and being fed by the third and fourth oil feed passages; and a second plurality of non-deactivatable hydraulic lash adjusters intersecting the fourth oil supply passage but not the third oil supply passage and being fed by the fourth oil supply passage but not by the third oil supply passage.

According to one embodiment, each hydraulic lash adjuster has an equal length.