Solenoid valve driving device

Details Solenoid valve driving device Solenoid valve driving device

2000-03-21

2001-04-24

Lo, Weilun (Department: 3748)

Internal-combustion engines

Poppet valve operating mechanism

Electrical system

C251S129010, C251S129150

Reexamination Certificate

active

06220210

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a driving device for a solenoid valve having a valve element to be driven by an electromagnetic force, and more particularly to such a solenoid valve driving device for two adjacent solenoid valves.
It is known that an intake valve and an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine are configured by solenoid valves each having a valve element to be driven by an electromagnetic force. To minimize the power required to drive such an electromagnetically driven intake valve or exhaust valve, increasing the sectional area of a magnetic circuit in a driving device for driving the solenoid valve is effective. However, such an increase in the sectional area causes an increase in size of the driving device. For example, in the case that two intake valves and two exhaust valves are provided in one cylinder, a mounting space for the driving device is lacking. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 9-256826 has proposed a solution for this problem such that the contact surfaces of two adjacent driving devices are made flat to thereby reduce the distance between the two adjacent driving devices, thus allowing the driving devices to be mounted at an upper portion of an internal combustion engine.
In the case of operating two adjacent intake valves, for example, the two adjacent intake valves are normally operated at the same timing, so that it is assumed that magnetic fluxes generated in the two adjacent driving devices may interfere with each other. However, this point is not considered at all in the above publication. Thus, there is still room for improvement in the device according to the above publication from the viewpoints of further reduction in size of each driving device and further reduction in power consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a solenoid valve driving device which can sufficiently ensure magnetic attraction forces of solenoids of adjacent solenoid valves and can achieve size reduction and power saving.
According to the present invention, there is provided In a solenoid valve driving device having at least two solenoid valves arranged In adjacent relationship, the improvement wherein the directions of magnetic fluxes generated in solenoids of two adjacent ones of said at least two solenoid valves upon energization thereof are opposite to each other.
With this configuration, the directions of magnetic fluxes generated in the solenoids of the two adjacent solenoid valves upon energization thereof are opposite to each other. Accordingly, the two solenoids have a common magnetic circuit to result in an increase in magnetic flux. As a result, when the two solenoids are energized at substantially the same timing, a magnetic attraction force of each solenoid can be increased. Accordingly, the sectional area of a magnetic circuit for obtaining a required magnetic attraction force can be reduced to thereby achieve a reduction in size of the device, and the power for obtaining a required magnetic attraction force can be reduced to thereby achieve power saving.
Preferably, each of said at least two solenoid valves is an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine, and is provided on the upper side of a combustion chamber of said internal combustion engine.
In the case that at least two intake valves are provided in one cylinder of an internal combustion engine, the at least two intake valves are opened or closed always at substantially the same timing. Similarly, in the case that at least two exhaust valves are provided in one cylinder of an internal combustion engine, the at least two exhaust valves are opened or closed always at substantially the same timing. Accordingly, by applying each solenoid valve to an intake valve or an exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine, the abovementioned effects of the present invention become more remarkable. Furthermore, this configuration is very effective in locating intake valves and exhaust valves in a limited space at an upper portion of an internal combustion engine.
Preferably, the solenoids of the adjacent solenoid valves are configured so as to partially share magnetic circuits, that is, the outer yokes of the adjacent two solenoids are in contact with each other through a flat contact surface.
Other objects and features of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and appended claims when taken with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4779582 (1988-10-01), Lequesne
patent: 5669341 (1997-09-01), Ushirono et al.
patent: 9-256826 (1997-09-01), None

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