Rotary piston adjuster having a torsion spring

Abstract

A rotary piston adjuster for an internal combustion engine that includes an outer rotor which can be drive-connected to a crankshaft, an inner rotor which can be connected to a camshaft, and a torsion spring which is connected to the outer and inner rotors. The rotors can be adjusted rotationally about a common rotational axis, and a rotary angle position of the inner rotor with respect to the outer rotor can be adjusted by means of a hydraulic actuating mechanism. The torsion spring is connected by way of a hook-shaped first end section to a first connecting element which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner rotor. A pair of first supporting elements are connected to the inner rotor for supporting the torsion spring, which first supporting elements are arranged at an angular spacing in a range from 90° to 270° from the first connecting element.

1 . A rotary piston adjuster for an internal combustion engine, which rotary piston adjuster comprises the following:
 an outer rotor which can be drive-connected to a crankshaft;   an inner rotor which can be connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a camshaft, the outer and inner rotors being mounted such that they can be adjusted rotationally about a common rotational axis, and it being possible for a rotary angle position of the inner rotor with respect to the outer rotor to be adjusted by means of a hydraulic actuating mechanism which comprises at least one pair of pressure chambers which act counter to one another;   a torsion spring which is rotationally coupled to the outer and inner rotors in such a way that the inner rotor is prestressed in an adjusting direction with respect to the outer rotor, the torsion spring being connected by way of a hook-shaped first end section to a first connecting element which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner rotor; and   at least two first supporting elements which are connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner rotor for supporting the torsion spring, which first supporting elements are arranged at an angular spacing in the angular range from 90° to 270° from the first connecting element.   
   
   
       2 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a first supporting element is arranged at least approximately at an angular spacing of 180° from the first connecting element. 
   
   
       3 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the number of first supporting elements is two. 
   
   
       4 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 3 , wherein one of the first supporting elements is at least approximately half as great an angular spacing from the first connecting element as the other first supporting element. 
   
   
       5 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 3 , wherein one of the first supporting elements is at an angular spacing of greater than 180° from the first connecting element. 
   
   
       6 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the first supporting elements are at an at least approximately identical radial spacing from the common rotational axis as the first connecting element. 
   
   
       7 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the torsion spring is connected by way of a hook-shaped second end section to a second connecting element which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the outer rotor. 
   
   
       8 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 7 , further comprising at least one second supporting element which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the outer rotor for supporting the torsion spring. 
   
   
       9 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 8 , wherein the at least one second supporting element is at an at least approximately identical radial spacing from the common rotational axis as the second connecting element. 
   
   
       10 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the hook-shaped first end section of the torsion spring is bent away at a bending angle of at most 90° in relation to an extending direction of a spring section which immediately adjoins the first end section. 
   
   
       11 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the torsion spring is configured in the form of a helical spring. 
   
   
       12 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the torsion spring is arranged on a side of a side plate which faces away from the inner rotor, in order to close the at least one pair of pressure chambers in an axially pressure-tight manner. 
   
   
       13 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the connecting elements are configured in pin form. 
   
   
       14 . The rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting elements are configured in pin form. 
   
   
       15 . An internal combustion engine having at least one rotary piston adjuster as defined in  claim 1 .