Valve timing control apparatus for internal combustion engine and controller for valve timing control apparatus

Abstract

A valve timing control apparatus includes: an urging member to which a set load is provided to act, to the cam shaft, an urging force from one of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position toward the intermediate phase position; and a controller configured to sense, as the intermediate phase position, a position at which a relative rotational speed between the driving rotational member and the cam shaft is varied by the relative rotation of the cam shaft beyond a region in which the cam shaft is controlled by the set load of the urging member, when the cam shaft is controlled to be relatively rotated from the one of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position beyond the intermediate phase position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A controller for a valve timing control apparatus of an internal combustion engine, the valve timing control apparatus including a driving rotational member to which a rotational force is transmitted from a crank shaft, and a cam shaft arranged to be rotated relative to the driving rotational member in accordance with a state of the engine from a most retard angle position to a most advance angle position through an intermediate phase position which is set between the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position, and which is appropriate for a start of the engine, the cam shaft being relatively rotated by a first load from one of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position toward the intermediate phase position, and being relatively rotated by a second load from the other of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position toward the intermediate phase position, the first load being different from the second load, the controller comprising:
 the controller being configured to sense, as the intermediate phase position, a position at which a relative rotational speed between the driving rotational member and the cam shaft is varied by a difference between the first load and the second load of the relative rotation of the cam shaft, when the cam shaft is controlled to be relatively rotated from the one of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position beyond the intermediate phase position.   
     
     
         2 . A valve timing control apparatus of an internal combustion engine comprising:
 a driving rotational member to which a rotational force is transmitted from a crank shaft;   a cam shaft arranged to be rotated relative to the driving rotational member in accordance with a state of the engine from a most retard angle position to a most advance angle position through an intermediate phase position which is set between the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position, and which is appropriate for a start of the engine;   an urging member to which a set load is provided to act, to the cam shaft, an urging force from one of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position toward the intermediate phase position;   a crank angle sensor arranged to sense a rotational angle of the crank shaft;   a cam angle sensor arranged to sense a rotational angle of the cam shaft; and   a controller configured to sense, as the intermediate phase position, a position at which a relative rotational speed between the driving rotational member and the cam shaft is varied by the relative rotation of the cam shaft beyond a region in which the cam shaft is controlled by the set load of the urging member, when the cam shaft is controlled to be relatively rotated from the one of the most retard angle position and the most advance angle position at which the urging force of the urging member is acted, beyond the intermediate phase position.