A Novel Electromechanical Solution for Cam-Switching in High Performance Internal Combustion Engines

The variation of the valve lift is a fairly common strategy currently adopted in several in-service internal combustion engines to optimize their performance depending on the operating conditions of the vehicle. The most critical aspect to consider during the conceptual design phase of a cam switch system is the extremely narrow window of opportunity to perform the cam change, which duration is defined by the time during which the corresponding valve lift is null. To meet this requirement and ensure safe, repeatable movements, a novel architecture based on the combination of a new electromechanical actuator and its dedicated control system is presented. The architecture is at first introduced with reference to the numerous examples available in the literature, and hence mathematically described. The dynamic model of the system derived from the presented equation is then used to study the performance of the presented solution and define its control strategy. Results are finally presented and discussed.