Flow-controllable water-saving valve

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of valve control, and discloses a flow-controllable water-saving valve which comprises a control module used for receiving crop water demand data, soil humidity data and environmental parameters, calculating irrigation demands according to the data and generating control signals to adjust irrigation time, frequency and flow; the executing mechanism is connected with the control module and used for adjusting opening and closing of the valve according to the control signal; the sensor assembly is used for collecting real-time data of an irrigation area and sending the real-time data to the control module; the valve assembly comprises a valve element capable of adjusting flow and a flow adjusting device, and the flow adjusting device adjusts the opening and closing degree of the valve element according to instructions of the executing mechanism. By adjusting the irrigation time and the unit time flow, the soil moisture penetration depth can be accurately controlled, too deep or too shallow growth of root systems is prevented, root system distribution is optimized, the water absorption and drought resistance of crops are improved, meanwhile, excessive irrigation or deep layer leakage can be avoided, and water resource waste is remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of valve control, in particular to a flow-controllable water-saving valve. Background Art

[0002] At present, the common methods of agricultural irrigation include flooding, pouring, drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. During irrigation, the irrigation operation is carried out by manually opening or closing valves, which increases the labor burden of workers and wastes time and is inefficient.

[0003] Therefore, in order to optimize this phenomenon, existing valve control devices, such as Chinese patent CN213463292U, disclose a control device for intelligent valve irrigation, which realizes automatic irrigation of farmland, can effectively reduce the labor and labor burden of workers, and can save time and effort during irrigation, be more precise, save water, electricity and fertilizer, and avoid waste of resources;

[0004] Another example is Chinese patent CN116420595B, which discloses an IoT intelligent valve control system. The control system monitors the light intensity and water temperature, humidity and temperature data of the solar panels and transmits them to the control box. The control box controls the opening angle of the valve, effectively preventing the valve from opening when the external light intensity is high and the temperature is high, causing damage to crops.

[0005] The above existing valve control devices or systems can achieve the purpose of controlling the irrigation time and irrigation timing by automatically controlling the valve switch, thereby ensuring the irrigation of crops while avoiding the waste of water resources;

[0006] However, the above valve opening control method cannot control the irrigation time according to the growth stage of the crop when the irrigation amount is constant, thereby affecting the growth and development of the crop root system, causing the roots to grow too deep and inhibit the lateral development of the roots, or the roots are overly concentrated in the surface soil and reduce the drought resistance, ultimately affecting the crop yield. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a flow-controllable water-saving valve to solve at least one technical problem existing in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a flow-controllable water-saving valve, comprising:

[0009] A control module is used to receive crop water demand data, soil moisture data and environmental parameters, calculate irrigation demand based on these data, and generate control signals to adjust irrigation time, frequency and flow;

[0010] An actuator, connected to the control module, for adjusting the opening and closing of the valve according to a control signal;

[0011] A sensor component for collecting real-time data of the irrigation area and sending it to the control module;

[0012] The valve assembly comprises a flow-adjustable valve core and a flow-adjusting device. The flow-adjusting device adjusts the opening and closing degree of the valve core according to the instruction of the actuator, so as to adjust the irrigation flow of the valve.

[0013] Preferably, the control module includes a dynamic parameter adjustment unit, which can adjust the opening and closing time and opening degree of the valve in real time based on the water demand curve of the crop growth stage and soil moisture data.

[0014] Preferably, the sensor assembly includes a soil moisture sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, which are used to respectively detect the soil moisture content in the irrigation area and infer the surface water evaporation rate under ambient temperature conditions, and the control module optimizes irrigation decisions based on the sensor data.

[0015] Preferably, the actuator comprises a servo motor, which can adjust the opening of the valve according to the real-time signal of the control module so that the irrigation amount matches the water demand of the crop.

[0016] Preferably, the flow regulating device comprises a mounting shell fixed on the top of the valve, the valve stem of the valve passes through the mounting shell and is rotatably connected to the penetration of the mounting shell, the valve stem is connected to the valve core in the valve, a worm sleeve is fixed to the outer wall of the valve stem located in the mounting shell, a fixed inner core is fixed to the inner wall of the mounting shell, a worm sleeve is sleeved on the outer wall of the fixed inner core, and the worm sleeve is meshed with a worm wheel, a gradual thread with a gradually increasing pitch is provided on the outer wall of the fixed inner core, and a protrusion slidably mounted in the gradual thread is fixed to the inner wall of the worm sleeve:

[0017] The worm sleeve is also coaxially fixed with a thick gear, and a driving gear driven to rotate by a servo motor is also installed in the mounting shell, and the driving gear and the thick gear are always kept in a meshing state.

[0018] Preferably, the flow regulating device further comprises a flow meter installed in the valve body, which is used for real-time monitoring of the water flow output by the valve and feeding back the flow data to the control module.

[0019] Preferably, the sensor assembly also includes a soil salt sensor and a light intensity sensor. The soil salt sensor measures the salt concentration in the soil through conductivity to evaluate whether irrigation is needed for adjustment. The light intensity sensor is used to monitor and judge the sunlight intensity to send real-time data to the control module to adjust the irrigation timing and water volume.

[0020] Preferably, the control module further comprises a data storage and communication module for recording historical irrigation data and supporting adjustment of irrigation strategies via a remote network.

[0021] Preferably, the flow regulating device further comprises an anti-clogging component, and the anti-clogging component comprises a filter element arranged at the inlet of the valve for removing and filtering impurities in the water.

[0022] Preferably, the control module optimizes valve opening and closing parameters based on a machine learning algorithm, and can adjust irrigation time and water volume according to historical data and sensor feedback.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. The present invention utilizes sensor components to collect data such as soil moisture, ambient temperature and humidity, and light intensity in real time, and optimizes irrigation time and flow rate in combination with a dynamic parameter adjustment unit to achieve precise irrigation control based on the crop growth stage. In addition, by adjusting the irrigation time and flow rate per unit time, the soil moisture penetration depth can be precisely controlled to prevent the roots from growing too deep or too shallow, optimize the root distribution, and enhance the crop's ability to absorb water and resist drought. At the same time, it can avoid excessive irrigation or deep seepage, significantly reducing water resource waste.

[0025] 2. The present invention realizes the gradual change of the valve start and stop speed through the design of the gradual thread, reduces the impact of water flow on the valve core, prolongs the service life of the equipment, and improves the stability of flow regulation. The worm gear structure is combined with the gradual thread design to make the flow regulation process smoother, improve the regulation accuracy, and ensure that the irrigation amount matches the water demand. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a control block diagram of valve opening and flow control of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a front view schematic diagram of the valve of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the valve of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional three-dimensional structure of the internal structure of the installation shell of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 It is an enlarged stereoscopic view of the fixed inner core and the gradual thread thereon of the present invention.

[0031] In the figure: 1. Sensor assembly; 2. Control module; 3. Dynamic parameter adjustment unit; 4. Actuator; 5. Valve assembly; 6. Flow regulating device; 7. Data storage and communication module; 8. Anti-clogging assembly; 9. Flow meter; 10. Mounting shell; 11. Valve stem; 12. Worm gear; 13. Fixed inner core; 14. Worm casing; 15. Thick gear; 16. Drive gear; 17. Gradient thread. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] Embodiment 1:

[0034] See also Figure 1 The present invention provides a technical solution: a flow-controllable water-saving valve, comprising:

[0035] Control module 2, for receiving crop water demand data, soil moisture data and environmental parameters, and calculating irrigation demand based on these data, and generating control signals to adjust irrigation time, frequency and flow;

[0036] The actuator 4 is connected to the control module 2 and is used to adjust the opening and closing of the valve according to the control signal;

[0037] The sensor component 1 is used to collect real-time data of the irrigation area and send it to the control module 2;

[0038] The valve assembly 5 includes a flow-adjustable valve core and a flow regulating device 6. The flow regulating device 6 adjusts the opening and closing degree of the valve core according to the instruction of the actuator 4, so as to adjust the irrigation flow of the valve.

[0039] The control module 2 includes a dynamic parameter adjustment unit 3, which can adjust the opening and closing time and opening degree of the valve in real time based on the water demand curve of the crop growth stage and the soil moisture data.

[0040] The sensor assembly 1 includes a soil moisture sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, which are used to detect the soil moisture content in the irrigation area and infer the surface water evaporation rate under ambient temperature conditions respectively. The control module 2 optimizes the irrigation decision based on the sensor data.

[0041] The sensor assembly 1 also includes a soil salt sensor and a light intensity sensor. The soil salt sensor measures the salt concentration in the soil through conductivity to evaluate whether irrigation is needed for adjustment. The light intensity sensor is used to monitor and judge the intensity of sunlight to send real-time data to the control module to adjust the timing and amount of irrigation.

[0042] The control module 2 also includes a data storage and communication module 7 for recording historical irrigation data and supporting adjustment of irrigation strategies through a remote network.

[0043] Control module 2 optimizes valve opening and closing parameters based on machine learning algorithms and can adjust irrigation time and water volume according to historical data and sensor feedback.

[0044] The sensor assembly 1 also includes a soil salt sensor and a light intensity sensor. The soil salt sensor measures the salt concentration in the soil through conductivity to evaluate whether irrigation is needed for adjustment. The light intensity sensor is used to monitor and judge the intensity of sunlight to send real-time data to the control module to adjust the timing and amount of irrigation.

[0045] The control module 2 also includes a data storage and communication module 7 for recording historical irrigation data and supporting adjustment of irrigation strategies through a remote network.

[0046] Control module 2 optimizes valve opening and closing parameters based on machine learning algorithms and can adjust irrigation time and water volume according to historical data and sensor feedback.

[0047] During use, the water-saving valve realizes precise irrigation control based on crop water demand through the combination of control module 2, actuator 4, sensor assembly 1 and valve assembly 5. The control module 2 receives crop growth stage data (such as water demand curves of germination stage, seedling stage, vegetative growth stage, reproductive growth stage, flowering stage and maturity stage), soil moisture data and environmental parameters (such as temperature and light intensity) through an integrated computing unit, calculates the target irrigation amount, and the dynamic parameter adjustment unit 3 adjusts the opening and closing time and opening degree of the valve in real time based on the water demand curve of the crop growth stage and the soil moisture data to ensure the accuracy and scientificity of irrigation decisions. The control module 2 generates a control signal to control the flow regulating device 6 to adjust the opening and closing degree of the valve core, which is used to adjust the irrigation flow, irrigation time and frequency of the valve.

[0048] The valve system has the ability to control irrigation time and water volume per unit time. By controlling the time interval of each irrigation and the flow output per unit time, the water penetration rate in the soil can be accurately adjusted, thereby affecting the penetration depth of soil moisture. The application of this regulation mechanism can prevent excessive root growth or too deep rooting during the growth of crops. By limiting the penetration depth of irrigation water, the crop roots can be prevented from excessively expanding into deep soil layers, thereby reducing water waste and maintaining the crop roots in a suitable soil layer. At the same time, it can prevent the roots from being too shallow. By adjusting the water volume per unit time, the moisture retention time in the soil surface can be controlled to avoid the roots being too concentrated in the surface soil, thereby reducing the crop's resistance to drought.

[0049] The specific method is as follows: when the control module 2 receives the insufficient soil moisture signal collected by the sensor component 1, the control module 2 starts the actuator 4 to adjust the valve opening and irrigation time. For example, in a drought environment, the control module 2 will increase the irrigation time but control the water volume per unit time so that the water can gradually penetrate to a medium depth, thereby evenly distributing the water in the main soil layer where the roots are distributed. On the contrary, when the soil moisture is high, the system will shorten the irrigation time and reduce the flow rate to prevent excessive penetration.

[0050] In this way, the root growth environment can be optimized. By precisely controlling the water penetration depth, water can be concentrated in the soil layer where the crop root growth is optimal, thereby improving the crop's water absorption capacity and nutrient utilization rate, and improving drought resistance. The roots are controlled so that they neither take root too deeply (to avoid high water consumption) nor concentrate on the surface (to enhance the ability to obtain water under drought conditions), thereby enhancing the overall stress resistance of the crop.

[0051] It is also worth mentioning that it can save water resources and avoid water waste caused by excessively deep penetration, especially in light or sandy soils. This function effectively reduces water loss caused by deep seepage.

[0052] In addition, the guidance of root growth by the irrigation method can avoid root nutrient absorption disorders. If the roots are too deep or concentrated on the surface, it may lead to insufficient nutrient supply or too single supply. By controlling the penetration depth, the balanced distribution of roots in different soil layers can be ensured. At the same time, it can also reduce the risk of soil compaction. Excessive irrigation on the surface can easily lead to soil compaction. Moderate penetration can avoid long-term water accumulation on the surface, which can help maintain the looseness and air permeability of the soil structure and maintain normal growth conditions for crops.

[0053] In actual use, this water-saving valve is suitable for large-scale irrigation of farmland and fine planting in greenhouses. For example, for fruit crops that require deep irrigation, deep penetration can be achieved by setting a higher flow rate per unit time; and for shallow-rooted vegetable crops, moisture control of the surface soil can be achieved by setting a short time and low flow rate.

[0054] After each irrigation, the data storage and communication module 7 will record the historical data of each irrigation, including irrigation time, flow, environmental conditions and soil moisture change curve. These data are synchronized with the remote server or user-end device through the communication module. Before the next irrigation, the irrigation parameters can be adjusted by accessing the historical data. For example, the number of irrigations can be reduced according to the rainfall records of the past week, so as to facilitate the adjustment of the irrigation strategy at any time.

[0055] Embodiment 2:

[0056] Based on the first embodiment, a further implementation method for valve flow regulation control is provided. Figure 2-5 ;

[0057] The actuator 4 includes a servo motor, which can adjust the opening of the valve according to the real-time signal of the control module 2 so that the irrigation amount matches the water demand of the crop.

[0058] The flow regulating device 6 includes a mounting shell 10 fixed on the top of the valve, a valve stem 11 of the valve penetrates the mounting shell 10 and is rotatably connected to the penetration of the mounting shell 10, the valve stem 11 is connected to the valve core in the valve, a worm sleeve 14 is fixed to the outer wall of the valve stem 11 located in the mounting shell 10, a fixed inner core 13 is fixed to the inner wall of the mounting shell 10, a worm sleeve 14 is sleeved on the outer wall of the fixed inner core 13, and the worm sleeve 14 is meshed with the worm wheel 12, a gradual thread 17 with a gradually increasing pitch is provided on the outer wall of the fixed inner core 13, and a protrusion slidably installed in the gradual thread 17 is fixed to the inner wall of the worm sleeve 14:

[0059] A thick gear 15 is coaxially fixed to the worm sleeve 14 , and a driving gear 16 driven to rotate by a servo motor is also installed in the mounting shell 10 , and the driving gear 16 and the thick gear 15 are always in meshing state.

[0060] The flow regulating device 6 also includes a flow meter 9 installed in the valve body, which is used to monitor the water flow output by the valve in real time and feed back the flow data to the control module 2.

[0061] The flow regulating device 6 also includes an anti-clogging component 8, which includes a filter element arranged at the valve inlet for removing and filtering impurities in the water.

[0062] In the above process of regulating the flow of the valve, in order to reduce the impact damage to the equipment and the power grid, the valve needs to be able to change the adjustment speed during the start and stop process to achieve flexible start and stop of the valve. The specific implementation method is as follows:

[0063] After receiving the control signal, the actuator 4 controls the servo motor to rotate, thereby driving the worm sleeve 14 to rotate through the meshing relationship between the driving gear 16 and the thick gear 15, and then driving the worm wheel 12 to rotate, and then the worm wheel 12 drives the valve stem 11 to rotate, and the valve stem 11 drives the valve core connected thereto to rotate to complete the control process of the valve flow. In the process of the worm sleeve 14 driving the worm wheel 12 to rotate, the worm sleeve 14 will rotate relative to the fixed inner core 13. Due to the mutual cooperation between the protrusion on the inner wall of the worm sleeve 14 and the gradient thread 17 on the outer wall of the fixed inner core 13, the worm sleeve 14 will rotate along the axis during the rotation process. The worm gear 12 is adjusted to slide, so that the rotation speed of the worm gear 12 is jointly determined by the rotation of the worm sleeve 14 and the axial movement of the worm sleeve 14. Since the rotation speed of the worm sleeve 14 is constant, and the pitch of the gradual thread 17 is gradually increasing, the movement speed of the worm sleeve 14 will have a gradual process, which is reflected in the worm gear 12 that the rotation speed of the worm gear 12 will gradually increase or decrease, so that the speed of the valve stem 11 and the valve core will be gradually changing during the rotation adjustment, for example, it will gradually increase when opening and gradually decrease when closing, so that the sudden change of the impact of the water flow on the valve core can be reduced, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the impact damage to the equipment.

[0064] The design of the anti-clogging component 8 can ensure the smooth flow of irrigation water, and is particularly suitable for water sources containing a lot of sediment. It can be composed of a multi-layer filter device, including a coarse filter and a fine filter layer, which filter large particles of impurities and fine sediment respectively. It can also be equipped with an automatic cleaning device, such as a rotating brush or a backwashing system, to regularly clean the residue on the surface of the filter to ensure the smoothness of the valve;

[0065] Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that both the gradual change of the worm wheel 12 and the transmission between the worm gear structure can slow down the rotation adjustment speed of the valve stem 11 and the valve core, so that the flow rate can be adjusted more accurately and stably.

[0066] The thick gear 15 is arranged so that it can always maintain a meshing relationship with the driving gear 16 when adjusted along the axial direction, thereby ensuring the opening and closing of the valve.

[0067] The standard parts used in this embodiment can be purchased directly from the market, and the non-standard structural components recorded in the specification and the drawings can also be directly processed according to the existing technical common sense. At the same time, the connection method of each component adopts the mature conventional means in the prior art, and the machinery, parts and equipment all adopt the conventional models in the prior art, so no specific description will be given here.

[0068] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A flow-controllable water-saving valve, characterized in that: include: A control module (2) is used to receive crop water demand data, soil moisture data and environmental parameters, calculate irrigation demand based on these data, and generate control signals to adjust irrigation time, frequency and flow rate; An actuator (4) is connected to the control module (2) and is used to adjust the opening and closing of the valve according to a control signal; A sensor assembly (1) for collecting real-time data of an irrigation area and sending the data to a control module (2); The valve assembly (5) comprises a flow-adjustable valve core and a flow-adjusting device (6), wherein the flow-adjusting device (6) adjusts the degree of opening and closing of the valve core according to the instruction of the actuator (4), so as to adjust the irrigation flow of the valve.

2. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module (2) comprises a dynamic parameter adjustment unit (3) which can adjust the opening and closing time and opening degree of the valve in real time based on the water demand curve of the crop growth stage and soil moisture data.

3. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor assembly (1) comprises a soil moisture sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, which are used to respectively detect the soil moisture content in the irrigation area and infer the surface water transpiration rate under ambient temperature conditions. The control module (2) optimizes irrigation decisions based on the sensor data.

4. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator (4) comprises a servo motor, which can adjust the opening of the valve according to the real-time signal of the control module (2) so as to match the irrigation amount with the water demand of the crop.

5. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The flow regulating device (6) comprises a mounting shell (10) fixed on the top of the valve, a valve stem (11) of the valve passes through the mounting shell (10) and is rotatably connected to the through-hole of the mounting shell (10), the valve stem (11) is connected to a valve core in the valve, a worm sleeve (14) is fixed to the outer wall of the valve stem (11) located in the mounting shell (10), a fixed inner core (13) is fixed to the inner wall of the mounting shell (10), a worm sleeve (14) is sleeved on the outer wall of the fixed inner core (13), and the worm sleeve (14) is meshed with a worm wheel (12), a gradual thread (17) with a gradually increasing pitch is provided on the outer wall of the fixed inner core (13), and a protrusion slidably mounted in the gradual thread (17) is fixed to the inner wall of the worm sleeve (14): The worm sleeve (14) is also coaxially fixed with a thick gear (15), and a driving gear (16) driven to rotate by a servo motor is also installed in the mounting shell (10), and the driving gear (16) and the thick gear (15) are always kept in a meshing state.

6. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flow regulating device (6) also includes a flow meter (9) installed in the valve body, which is used to monitor the water flow output by the valve in real time and feed back the flow data to the control module (2).

7. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor assembly (1) also includes a soil salt sensor and a light intensity sensor. The soil salt sensor measures the salt concentration in the soil through electrical conductivity to assess whether irrigation is required for adjustment. The light intensity sensor is used to monitor and determine the intensity of sunlight so as to send real-time data to the control module to adjust the timing and amount of irrigation.

8. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module (2) also includes a data storage and communication module (7) for recording historical irrigation data and supporting adjustment of irrigation strategies via a remote network.

9. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flow regulating device (6) further comprises an anti-clogging component (8), wherein the anti-clogging component (8) comprises a filter element arranged at the inlet of the valve and used for removing and filtering impurities in the water.

10. The flow-controllable water-saving valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The control module (2) optimizes valve opening and closing parameters based on a machine learning algorithm and is capable of adjusting irrigation time and water volume according to historical data and sensor feedback.

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