Valve timing control apparatus

Abstract

A guide passage is provided between a driving-side rotator and a driven-side rotator to supply lubricating fluid into an interior of the first rotator. A planetary gear is received in the driving-side rotator and is meshed with a gear portion of the driving-side rotator to make a planetary motion and thereby to change a relative phase between the driving-side rotator and the driven-side rotator. The guide passage guides the lubricating fluid toward a location on a radially outer side of the gear portion and the planetary gear and has a contaminant capturing space to accumulate contaminants contained in the lubricating fluid.

1 . A valve timing control apparatus that controls valve timing of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine, which is driven by a camshaft through transmission of a torque from a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine to open and close the at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve, the valve timing control apparatus comprising:
 a first rotator that is rotated synchronously with one of the crankshaft and the camshaft;   a second rotator that is received in the first rotator and is rotated synchronously with the other one of the crankshaft and the camshaft;   a guide passage that is provided in at least one of the first rotator and the second rotator to supply lubricating fluid, which is received from a lubricating fluid supply source of the internal combustion engine through the camshaft, into an interior of the first rotator;   at least one gear portion that is provided in at least one of the first rotator and the second rotator; and   a planetary gear that is received in the first rotator and is meshed with a corresponding one of the at least one gear portion to make a planetary motion and thereby to change a relative phase between the first rotator and the second rotator, wherein the guide passage guides the lubricating fluid toward a location on an outer side of the at least one gear portion and the planetary gear and has a space to accumulate contaminants contained in the lubricating fluid.   
   
   
       2 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the space is provided between a surface portion of the first rotator and a surface portion of the second rotator, which are placed adjacent to each other. 
   
   
       3 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the space is formed at least between an inner peripheral surface of the surface portion of the first rotator and an outer peripheral surface of the surface portion of the second rotator. 
   
   
       4 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of a recess and a protrusion is formed in at least one of the surface portion of the first rotator and the surface portion of the second rotator. 
   
   
       5 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the guide passage includes a guide hole arrangement that includes at least one communicating hole and opens on a radially inner side of the space at an end surface of the surface portion of at least one of the first rotator and the second rotator, which contacts the camshaft. 
   
   
       6 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the at least one communicating hole of the guide hole arrangement is formed as at least one throttling portion that has a reduced flow passage cross sectional area, which is smaller than a flow passage cross sectional area located on an upstream side of the throttling portion, to conduct the lubricating fluid in the guide passage. 
   
   
       7 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the guide passage guides the lubricating fluid from the location on the outer side of the at least one gear portion and the planetary gear toward an inner side of the at least one gear portion and the planetary gear on a downstream side of the space. 
   
   
       8 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first rotator is an assembled rotator that includes an engaging recess, which is connected with an engaging projection that radially projects from the second rotator;   the assembled rotator includes a fixing body and a supporting body, which are axially separable at the engaging recess;   the supporting body includes a support opening that opens at a dividing end surface of the supporting body, which contacts the fixing body, in the engaging recess and supports the engaging projection; and   the fixing body closes the support opening upon installation of the engaging projection in the support opening.   
   
   
       9 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the engaging projection is received in the engaging recess in a rotatable manner within a predetermined circumferential range to limit a variable range of the relative phase between the first rotator and the second rotator. 
   
   
       10 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the location on the outer side of the at least one gear portion and the planetary gear is placed radially outward of the at least one gear portion and the planetary gear. 
   
   
       11 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the space is defined between an inner peripheral surface of the first rotator and an outer peripheral surface of the second rotator; and   a plurality of protrusions radially inwardly protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the first rotator toward the outer peripheral surface of the second rotator in the space.   
   
   
       12 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions is configured into a generally cylindrical body. 
   
   
       13 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions is configured into a generally planar quadrangular prism body. 
   
   
       14 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein:
 the plurality of protrusions includes:
 a first row of protrusions, which are placed one after another at generally equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the first rotator; and 
 a second row of protrusions, which are placed one after another at generally equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the first rotator on a downstream side of the first row of protrusions. 
   
   
   
       15 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the protrusions of the second row are staggered relative to the protrusions of the first row. 
   
   
       16 . The valve timing control apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein a radial projecting amount of at least one of the plurality of protrusions is smaller than that of the rest of the plurality of protrusions.