Variable Valve Timing By Means of a Hydraulic Actuation

A novel design for hydraulic actuation of the valves of internal combustion engines is presented. The main purpose of this design is to enable computer control of the engine valves opening and closing timing. The outstanding characteristics of the system are its simplicity and expected energy efficiency. The dynamic behavior and the synchronization accuracy are analyzed with the help of computer simulations. The results indicate that the proposed design is a feasible way of achieving computer-controlled synchronization of the timing of internal combustion engine valves. The synchronization accuracy and energy consumption obtained are comparable to conventional mechanical systems.