Internal combustion engine

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes a lift amount adjusting apparatus, a valve opening-closing timing control apparatus, a first assist portion, a second assist portion, and an engine control portion. The engine control portion performs a lift amount adjustment control controlling the lift amount adjusting portion to reduce a push force that the valve applies on the camshaft when the camshaft rotates in a case where the engine control portion receives start information of the internal combustion engine, controls the phase changing portion thereafter to change the relative rotational phase toward the advanced angle direction or toward the retarded angle direction on a basis of a predetermined condition, controls the lift amount adjusting portion thereafter to make the lift amount reach a predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined condition, and drives a starter motor of the internal combustion engine thereafter.

1 . An internal combustion engine, comprising:
 a lift amount adjusting apparatus driven by a lift amount adjusting portion and adjusting a lift amount of a valve at a combustion chamber when a camshaft for opening and closing the valve of the internal combustion engine rotates;   a valve opening-closing timing control apparatus including a driving-side rotating member synchronously rotating with a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, a driven-side rotating member coaxially positioned relative to the driving-side rotating member and integrally rotating with the camshaft, and a lock mechanism retaining a relative rotational phase between the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotating member at a predetermined lock phase, the valve opening-closing timing control apparatus driven by a phase changing portion and adjusting opening-closing timings of the valve by selectively changing the relative rotational phase between the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotating member toward an advanced angle direction or toward a retarded angle direction that is different from the advanced angle direction;   a first assist portion configured to adjust the lift amount adjusted by the lift amount adjusting portion while the internal combustion engine is in a stopped state;   a second assist portion configured to change the relative rotational phase changed by the phase changing portion while the internal combustion engine is in the stopped state; and   an engine control portion performing a lift amount adjustment control controlling the lift amount adjusting portion to reduce a push force that the valve applies on the camshaft when the camshaft rotates in a case where the engine control portion receives start information of the internal combustion engine, controlling the phase changing portion then to change the relative rotational phase toward the advanced angle direction or toward the retarded angle direction on a basis of a predetermined condition, controlling the lift amount adjusting portion then to make the lift amount reach a predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined condition, and driving a starter motor of the internal combustion engine after the engine control portion controls the lift amount adjusting portion to make the lift amount reach the predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined condition.   
     
     
         2 . The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor detecting temperature of the internal combustion engine; and   a rotational phase sensor detecting the relative rotational phase of the valve opening-closing timing control apparatus, wherein   the predetermined condition is temperature of the internal combustion engine, wherein   the lock mechanism is configured to retain the relative rotational phase between the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotating member at minimum of two different lock phases including an intermediate lock phase and a retarded angle side lock phase that is different from the intermediate lock phase, the intermediate lock phase being suitable for starting the internal combustion engine when the temperature of the internal combustion engine is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature and the retarded angle side lock phase being suitable for starting the internal combustion engine when the temperature of the internal combustion engine is higher than the predetermined temperature, wherein   the engine control portion controls the phase changing portion to define the relative rotational phase on the basis of detected results from the temperature sensor and the rotational phase sensor, controls the phase changing portion to change the relative rotational phase to be at the retarded angle side lock phase when the engine control portion determines that the temperature of the internal combustion engine is higher than the predetermined temperature and determines that the relative rotational phase is at the intermediate lock phase, and controls the phase changing portion to change the relative rotational phase to be at the intermediate lock phase when the engine control portion determines that the temperature of the internal combustion engine is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature and determines that the relative rotational phase is at the retarded angle side lock phase.   
     
     
         3 . The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the driven-side rotating member is internally accommodated by the driving-side rotating member to provide a fluid pressure chamber partitioned into an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber at a position between the driven-side rotating member and the driving-side rotating member, wherein   the phase changing portion changes the relative rotational phase toward the advanced angle direction by supplying a fluid to the advanced angle chamber and changes the relative rotational phase toward the retarded angle direction different from the advanced angle direction by supplying the fluid to the retarded angle chamber, wherein   the second assist portion is configured with an accumulator accumulating the fluid in a pressurized state or with an electric fluid pressure pump discharging the fluid by electric power.   
     
     
         4 . The internal combustion engine according to  claim 2 , wherein the retarded angle side lock phase is defined at a phase at most retarded angle and phases close to the most retarded angle.