Patent 7802547 was granted and assigned to Honda on September, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
To effectively arrange actuators for control by individually controlling an intake valve and an exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine which includes a variable valve operating device for controlling valve operating characteristics. An internal combustion engine includes a variable valve operating device having a valve characteristic variable mechanism for controlling valve operating characteristics of engine valves consisting of an intake valve and an exhaust valve. The valve characteristic variable mechanism includes electrically operated motors for changing operational timings and lift quantities of the above-mentioned engine valves. The electrically operated motors are arranged outside a valve operating chamber. At the same time, the electrically operated motors are arranged close to the throttle body on a cylinder intake side.