A thermal valve actuator

Abstract

The present invention discloses a thermal valve actuator, comprising a shell and a switch valve. An operating component and a driving component are arranged in the shell. The operating component comprises an operating wheel, a first sliding member and a second sliding member. The driving component comprises a first wax motor and a second wax motor. When the first wax motor is powered on and started, the first sliding member is driven to move, and the operating wheel is driven to rotate forward to open the switch valve; when the second wax motor is powered on and started, the second sliding member is driven to move, and the operating wheel is driven to rotate reversely to close the switch valve. The first wax motor and the second wax motor are started alternately and reciprocally to realize the opening and closing operations of the switch valve. The advantage of such a design is that after the switch valve is opened or closed, the switch valve can maintain the start or close state for a long time without the participation of the first wax motor and the second wax motor, thereby avoiding the first wax motor or the second wax motor being in a powered-on heating state for a long time. The overall structure is simple, the product consumes little power and has a long service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of actuators, and in particular to a thermal valve actuator. Background Art

[0002] The actuator is an essential and important part of the automatic control system. Its function is to receive the control signal sent by the controller, change the size of the controlled medium, and thus maintain the controlled variable at the required value or within a certain range. The actuator can be divided into three categories according to its energy form: pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric.

[0003] Chinese patent document CN108426076A discloses an electric actuator for a ball valve, comprising a shell, a spring is arranged on the left side of the inner cavity of the shell, a rack is installed on the right side of the spring, a temperature sensing element is arranged on the right side of the rack, a PTC heating sheet is sleeved on the outer wall of the temperature sensing element, an electric wire is connected to the PTC heating sheet, a gear is meshedly connected to the rear surface of the rack, a handle is arranged on the top of the shell, a transmission member is installed on the bottom of the handle, the bottom of the transmission member is installed in the inner cavity of the gear, the bottom of the shell is connected to the valve body through a flower cap, and the bottom of the rack is connected to the valve seat in the inner cavity of the valve body through a transmission rod.

[0004] However, this type of ball valve electric actuator has the following problems in actual use:

[0005] 1. When the PTC heating plate is energized, the temperature sensing element is heated to make it stretch and push against the rack. The rack moves to squeeze the spring and drives the gear to rotate. The gear drives the transmission rod to rotate and open the ball valve. When the PTC heating plate is powered off, the spring pushes the rack to reset and close the ball valve. This structural setting requires that the PTC heating plate be energized for a long time when the ball valve is opened, so as to ensure that the temperature sensing element will continue to be heated and stretch to push against the rack. At the same time, when the temperature sensing element is working, it must push the rack to squeeze the spring and overcome the rotational torque of the ball valve, so that a high-power PTC heating plate is needed to increase the output driving force of the product, resulting in high power consumption when the product is working and high user cost. In addition, the PTC heating plate is powered on for a long time, and the loss rate is high, resulting in a short product life. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the problem that the ball valve electric driver in the prior art needs to maintain the heating state of the PTC heating plate for a long time when opening the valve, resulting in high power consumption and short service life of the product, thereby providing a thermal valve actuator that is simple to open the valve, does not require long-term wax motor addition, has low product power consumption and long service life.

[0007] The present invention provides a thermal valve actuator, comprising a housing, and an operating rod extending through the housing and connected to a switch valve, wherein the operating rod is used to control the opening and closing of the switch valve, and the housing is further provided with:

[0008] An operating assembly, comprising an operating wheel sleeved on the operating rod in a linked manner, and a first sliding member and a second sliding member symmetrically arranged on both sides of the operating wheel about the center of the operating wheel, wherein the first sliding member and the second sliding member form a linkage cooperation for moving in opposite directions in the housing through the operating wheel, and the operating wheel rotates forward or reversely under the drive of the first sliding member or the second sliding member;

[0009] The driving assembly includes a first wax motor connected to the first sliding member, and a second wax motor connected to the second sliding member. The first wax motor and the second wax motor are alternately in a power-on starting state. The first sliding member moves unidirectionally under the drive of the first wax motor and drives the operating wheel to rotate forward, thereby driving the operating rod to control the opening of the switch valve; the second sliding member moves unidirectionally under the drive of the second wax motor and drives the operating wheel to rotate reversely, thereby driving the operating rod to control the closing of the switch valve.

[0010] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the first wax motor and the second wax motor respectively have two driving rods for driving the first sliding member and the second sliding member to perform unidirectional movement. The first wax motor and the second wax motor are arranged parallel to each other in the shell, and the first sliding member and the second sliding member respectively perform reverse parallel movement along the axial direction of the driving rod.

[0011] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the first sliding member and the second sliding member are connected to the two driving rods through a transmission structure, and the transmission structure includes: a first transmission rod arranged between the driving rod of the first wax motor and the first sliding member, and a second transmission rod arranged between the driving rod of the second wax motor and the second sliding member, and an elastic member is arranged between the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod, and when the first wax motor or the second wax motor is in a power-off and stopped state, the elastic member applies an elastic force to the first transmission rod or the second transmission rod to drive the driving rod to perform a reset movement.

[0012] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the shell includes a first installation cavity for accommodating the operating component, and a second installation cavity for accommodating the driving component and the transmission structure, and a partition plate arranged between the first installation cavity and the second installation cavity, the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod extend along the axial direction of the driving rod and pass through the first installation cavity and the second installation cavity, and the partition plate is respectively provided with two through holes for the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod to pass through.

[0013] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the elastic member is a torsion spring arranged between the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod, and the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod are respectively provided with two limiting grooves opening toward the first sliding member and the second sliding member, and the two torsion spring feet of the torsion spring extend and are respectively clamped in the two limiting grooves.

[0014] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, an installation groove is provided in the shell and is located between the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod. A positioning column is provided at the center of the installation groove. The torsion spring is sleeved on the positioning column. The torsion spring is driven by the first transmission rod or the second transmission rod to rotate around the positioning column in the installation groove by a certain angle.

[0015] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the elastic member is a first spring and a second spring respectively mounted on the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod, and an annular boss is respectively provided on the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod, and the two ends of the first spring and the second spring respectively abut against the annular boss and the partition.

[0016] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the operating wheel is a gear sleeved on the operating rod, the first sliding member and the second sliding member are rack structures meshing with the gear, and the first sliding member and the first transmission rod, as well as the second sliding member and the second transmission rod are respectively connected along the axial direction of the driving rod.

[0017] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, guide structures for guiding the movement directions of the first sliding member and the second sliding member are respectively provided between the first sliding member and the shell, and the guide structure includes a guide groove arranged in the first mounting cavity along the movement direction of the first sliding member or the second sliding member, and a guide ridge corresponding to the guide groove and arranged on the first sliding member or the second sliding member respectively, and when the first sliding member or the second sliding member moves, the guide ridge slides along the guide groove.

[0018] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, the driving assembly further comprises a control circuit board for controlling the first wax motor and the second wax motor to start or stop being powered on, and the control circuit board is fixed to the outside of the housing by bolts.

[0019] In the above-mentioned thermal valve actuator, a protective shell is provided on the outside of the shell to wrap the shell and the control circuit board, and an operating handle connected to one end of the operating rod is provided on the protective shell.

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0021] 1. The thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention has a first wax motor and a second wax motor that are alternately powered on and started. When the first wax motor is powered on and started, it drives the first sliding member to move in a direction away from the first wax motor and drives the operating wheel to rotate forward. When the operating lever rotates forward with the operating wheel, it controls the opening of the switch valve. At the same time, the operating wheel drives the second sliding member to move in a direction close to the second wax motor during the forward rotation, so as to prepare for the subsequent closing movement of the switch valve. When the second wax motor is powered on and started, it drives the second sliding member to move in a direction away from the second wax motor and drives the operating wheel to rotate in the reverse direction. When the operating lever rotates reversely with the operating wheel, it controls the closing of the switch valve. At the same time, the operating wheel drives the The first sliding member moves toward the direction approaching the first wax motor, and works back and forth alternately to realize the electric opening and closing operation of the switch valve. The advantage of such a design is that the opening and closing of the switch valve is realized by switching the power-on state of the first wax motor and the second wax motor. After the switch valve is opened or closed, it can maintain the start or closed state for a long time without the participation of the first wax motor and the second wax motor. That is, as long as the first wax motor and the second wax motor are energized for a certain period of time, the power can be cut off when the switch valve is opened or closed, thereby avoiding the first wax motor or the second wax motor being in a powered-on heating state for a long time, resulting in high power consumption of the product. The overall structure is simple, the product consumes little power, and has a long service life.

[0022] 2. The advantage of using a wax motor in the thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention is that the wax motor does not have the working noise of a traditional motor during operation, and the wax motor drives the driving rod to extend out of the motor housing through internal thermal expansion and contraction. During the extension process, it does not have the traditional motor rotor rotation wear problem, and the product has a long service life.

[0023] 3. The thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention transmits the motion force between the two drive rods and the first sliding member and the second sliding member by arranging the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod to ensure that the thrust applied by the first wax motor and the second wax motor through the driving rod can reliably act on the first sliding member and the second sliding member, and by arranging an elastic member between the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod, when the first wax motor or the second wax motor is powered off and stops working, the first transmission rod or the second transmission rod drives the driving rod to reset and move under the elastic force of the elastic member, while the first sliding member and the second sliding member are still connected with the operating wheel to keep the switch valve open or closed, so that the two driving rods are separated from the first sliding member and the second sliding member respectively and realize automatic reset.

[0024] 4. In the thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention, when the elastic member is a torsion spring, its two torsion spring legs are respectively clamped in the limiting grooves of the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod, that is, when the switch valve is opened, the first transmission rod will squeeze one of the torsion spring legs to cause the torsion spring to deform under force, and the other torsion spring leg will apply a biasing force toward the second transmission rod on the second transmission rod, so that the second transmission rod squeezes the driving rod of the second wax motor to drive it to perform a reset action, ensuring that when one end of the torsion spring is compressed, it will apply a biasing force toward the first wax motor or the second wax motor to the first transmission rod or the second transmission rod through the other end, the structure is simple and the transmission coordination is reliable.

[0025] 5. The thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention provides an installation position for the torsion spring by setting the installation groove, and uses the positioning column to provide a fulcrum for the rotation of the torsion spring, thereby ensuring that the torsion spring will not separate from the installation groove during the process of rotation under force, thereby ensuring that the biasing force generated by the torsion spring can reliably act on the first transmission rod or the second transmission rod.

[0026] 6. The thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention, the operating wheel is a gear sleeved on the operating rod, the first sliding member and the second sliding member are rack structures meshing with the gear, and through the transmission cooperation of the gear and the rack structure, the linear motion of the wax motor that is heated and pushes the rack structure is converted into the rotational motion of the gear, so as to drive the operating rod at the center of the gear to rotate to open or close the switch valve.

[0027] 7. The thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention has a protective shell on the outside of the shell that wraps it and the control circuit board, and an operating handle connected to one end of the operating rod is provided on the protective shell. When the switch valve is manually opened or closed, since the first wax motor and the second wax motor are both in a power-off stop state, that is, when the operating handle drives the operating rod to rotate, there will be no interference with the first wax motor or the second wax motor, the rotation resistance is small, and the operation is convenient and reliable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the thermal valve actuator provided by the present invention installed on a switch valve;

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the thermal valve actuator shown with the protective housing and operating handle hidden;

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A top view of the interior of the housing is shown;

[0032] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the hidden parts of the shell shown;

[0033] Figure 5 for Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of the first transmission rod and the second transmission rod shown;

[0034] Figure 6 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the second option of the thermal valve actuator is shown;

[0035] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A top view of the interior of the housing is shown;

[0036] Description of reference numerals:

[0037] 1-housing; 11-first installation cavity; 12-second installation cavity; 13-partition plate; 14-through hole; 15-installation groove; 16-positioning column; 17-guide slide groove; 18-protective shell; 19-operating handle;

[0038] 2- switch valve; 21- operating lever;

[0039] 3-operating assembly; 31-operating wheel; 32-first sliding member; 33-second sliding member; 34-guide convex strip;

[0040] 4-driving assembly; 41-first wax motor; 42-second wax motor; 43-driving rod; 44-control circuit board;

[0041] 5-transmission structure; 51-first transmission rod; 52-second transmission rod; 53-torsion spring; 54-limiting groove; 55-first spring; 56-second spring; 57-annular boss. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 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.

[0043] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0044] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0045] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] The present embodiment is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0048] The present invention provides Figure 1-7 A thermal valve actuator shown in the figure comprises a housing 1, and an operating rod 21 passing through the housing 1 and connected to a switch valve 2, wherein the operating rod 21 is used to control the opening and closing of the switch valve 2, and the housing 1 is further provided with:

[0049] The operating assembly 3 includes an operating wheel 31 sleeved on the operating rod 21, and a first sliding member 32 and a second sliding member 33 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the operating wheel 31 about the center of the operating wheel 31. The first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 form a linkage cooperation for moving in opposite directions in the housing 1 through the operating wheel 31. The operating wheel 31 rotates forward or reversely under the drive of the first sliding member 32 or the second sliding member 33;

[0050] The driving assembly 4 includes a first wax motor 41 connected to the first sliding member 32, and a second wax motor 42 connected to the second sliding member 33. The first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 are alternately in a power-on starting state, that is, when the first wax motor 41 is powered on and started, the second wax motor 42 is in a power-off stopping state, and when the second wax motor 42 is powered on and started, the first wax motor 41 is in a power-off stopping state. The first sliding member 32 moves unidirectionally under the drive of the first wax motor 41 and drives the operating wheel 31 to rotate forward, thereby driving the operating rod 21 to control the opening of the switch valve 2; the second sliding member 33 moves unidirectionally under the drive of the second wax motor 42 and drives the operating wheel 31 to rotate reversely, thereby driving the operating rod 21 to control the closing of the switch valve 2.

[0051] The above implementation is the core technical solution of this embodiment. Since the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 are powered on and started alternately, when the first wax motor 41 is powered on and started, it drives the first sliding member 32 to move in the direction away from the first wax motor 41, and drives the operating wheel 31 to rotate forward. When the operating rod 21 rotates forward with the operating wheel 31, it controls the opening of the switch valve 2. At the same time, the operating wheel 31 will drive the second sliding member 33 to move in the direction close to the second wax motor 42 during the forward rotation, so as to prepare for the subsequent closing movement of the switch valve 2. When the second wax motor 42 is powered on and started, it drives the second sliding member 33 to move in the direction away from the second wax motor 42, and drives the operating wheel 31 to rotate in the reverse direction. When the operating rod 21 rotates in the reverse direction with the operating wheel 31, it controls the closing of the switch valve 2. At the same time, the operating wheel 31 rotates in the reverse direction. During the rotation process, the first sliding member 32 will be driven to move toward the direction close to the first wax motor 41, and the operation will be repeated and alternating, thereby realizing the electric opening and closing operation of the switch valve 2. The advantage of such a design is that the opening and closing of the switch valve 2 is achieved by switching the power-on state of the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42. After the switch valve 2 is opened or closed, it can maintain the open or closed state for a long time without the participation of the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42. That is, as long as the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 are energized for a certain period of time, it is ensured that the power can be cut off when the switch valve 2 is opened or closed, thereby avoiding the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42 being in a powered-on heating state for a long time, resulting in the problem of high power consumption of the product. The overall structure is simple, the product consumes little power, and has a long service life.

[0052] As a specific structural setting, the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 include a PTC heating sheet arranged at the bottom of the motor housing, a temperature-sensitive material arranged inside the motor housing, and a driving rod 43 inserted into the temperature-sensitive material. When the PTC heating sheet is energized, the temperature-sensitive material will expand due to heat, thereby squeezing the driving rod 43 to make it extend out of the motor housing, thereby driving the first sliding member 32 or the second sliding member 33 to perform unidirectional movement. The first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 are arranged side by side on one side of the housing 1, and the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 are arranged parallel to the movement direction of the driving rod 43 on the other side of the housing 1, and the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 are driven by the driving rod 43 to perform reverse parallel movement along their axial directions. The advantage of using a wax motor for a thermal valve actuator is that the wax motor does not have the working noise of a traditional motor during operation, and the wax motor drives the driving rod 43 to extend out of the motor housing through internal thermal expansion and contraction. During the extension process, there is no traditional motor rotor rotation wear problem, and the product has a long service life.

[0053] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 6 The first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 are connected to the two driving rods 43 through a transmission structure 5, and the transmission structure 5 includes: a first transmission rod 51 arranged between the driving rod 43 of the first wax motor 41 and the first sliding member 32, and a second transmission rod 52 arranged between the driving rod 43 of the second wax motor 42 and the second sliding member 33, an elastic member is arranged between the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52, and the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52 are arranged to transmit the motion resultant force between the two driving rods 43 and the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33, so as to ensure that the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 are moved by the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52. The thrust applied by the driving rod 43 can reliably act on the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33, and by arranging an elastic member between the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52, when the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42 is powered off and stops working, the first transmission rod 51 or the second transmission rod 52 drives the driving rod 43 to reset and move under the elastic force of the elastic member, while the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 are still connected to the operating wheel 31 and are in a position to keep the switch valve 2 open or closed, so that the two driving rods 43 are separated from the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 respectively and automatically reset.

[0054] It is further provided that the shell 1 includes a first installation cavity 11 for accommodating the operating component 3, and a second installation cavity 12 for accommodating the driving component 4 and the transmission structure 5, and a partition plate 13 arranged between the first installation cavity 11 and the second installation cavity 12, and the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52 are extended along the axial direction of the driving rod 43 and penetrated between the first installation cavity 11 and the second installation cavity 12, and the partition plate 13 is respectively provided with two through holes 14 for the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52 to pass through, and the through holes 14 are used to realize the quick installation and positioning of the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52, and guide the moving directions of the two.

[0055] As a specific structural arrangement, the elastic member is a torsion spring 53 arranged between the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52. Figure 5 As shown, the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52 are respectively provided with a limiting groove 54 opening toward the first sliding member 32 or the second sliding member 33, and the two torsion spring 53 legs of the torsion spring 53 extend and clamp in the two limiting grooves 54 respectively, and a protruding block is provided in the limiting groove 54, and the two torsion spring 53 legs are correspondingly provided with a bending portion hooked with the protruding block, so as to ensure that the two torsion spring 53 legs will not easily escape from the limiting groove 54, and by setting the opening direction of the limiting groove 54, when the switch valve 2 is opened, the first transmission rod 51 will squeeze one of the torsion spring 53 legs to deform the torsion spring 53, and the other torsion spring 53 leg will apply a biasing force toward the second transmission rod 52 on the second transmission rod 52, so that the second transmission rod 52 squeezes the driving rod 43 of the second wax motor 42 to drive it to perform a reset action, ensuring that when one end of the torsion spring 53 is compressed, it will push the first transmission rod 51 or The second transmission rod 52 applies a biasing force toward the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42, has a simple structure and reliable transmission cooperation. It is further provided that a mounting groove 15 is provided in the housing 1 between the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52 to provide an installation position for the torsion spring 53. A positioning column 16 is provided at the center of the mounting groove 15, and the torsion spring 53 is sleeved on the positioning column 16. The torsion spring 53 is driven by the first transmission rod 51 or the second transmission rod 52 to rotate a certain angle in the mounting groove 15 around the positioning column 16. By providing the positioning column 16, it can be ensured that the torsion spring 53 can be quickly positioned and installed, and a fulcrum can be provided for the rotation of the torsion spring 53, thereby ensuring that the torsion spring 53 will not separate from the torsion spring 53 mounting groove 15 during the process of rotation under force, so that the biasing force generated by the torsion spring 53 can reliably act on the first transmission rod 51 or the second transmission rod 52.

[0056] As a replaceable embodiment of the above embodiment, the elastic member is a first spring 55 and a second spring 56 respectively mounted on the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52, and an annular boss 57 is respectively provided on the first transmission rod 51 and the second transmission rod 52, and the two ends of the first spring 55 and the second spring 56 are respectively abutted against the annular boss 57 and the partition 13, and the annular boss 57 will change the distance between the partition 13 when the first transmission rod 51 or the second transmission rod 52 moves, thereby squeezing the first spring 55 or the second spring 56 to deform it, and when the first spring 55 or the second spring 56 is elastically reset, the elastic force drives the first transmission rod 51 or the second transmission rod 52 to drive the driving rod 43 of the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42 to reset and move.

[0057] like Figure 3 and Figure 7 As shown, the operating wheel 31 is a gear sleeved on the operating rod 21, and the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 are rack structures meshing with the gear. Through the transmission cooperation of the gear and the rack structure, the linear motion of the wax motor that pushes the rack structure when heated is converted into the rotational motion of the gear, so as to drive the operating rod 21 at the center of the gear to rotate, thereby realizing the opening or closing of the switch valve 2. The first sliding member 32 and the first transmission rod 51, as well as the second sliding member 33 and the second transmission rod 52 are respectively connected along the axial direction of the driving rod 43, with a simple structure and convenient installation.

[0058] In order to guide the movement direction of the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33 in the shell 1, a guide structure is respectively provided between the two and the shell 1, and the guide structure includes a guide groove 17 arranged in the first mounting cavity 11 along the movement direction of the first sliding member 32 or the second sliding member 33, and a guide ridge 34 corresponding to the guide groove 17 and arranged on the first sliding member 32 or the second sliding member 33. Since the guide groove 17 is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the inner wall of the first mounting cavity 11, and the guide ridge 34 is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33, when the first sliding member 32 or the second sliding member 33 moves, the guide ridges 34 on the upper and lower sides slide along the guide grooves 17 on the upper and lower sides respectively, thereby increasing the sliding reliability of the first sliding member 32 and the second sliding member 33, avoiding the problem of sliding deflection, and maintaining reliable transmission cooperation between the two and the operating wheel 31.

[0059] As a specific structural setting, the driving component 4 also includes a control circuit board 44 for controlling the power-on start or power-off stop of the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42. The control circuit board 44 is fixed to the outside of the shell 1 by bolts. When the open or closed switch is pressed externally, a signal is sent to the control circuit board 44. The control circuit board 44 energizes the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42 according to the actual signal, and after a certain period of power-on, that is, after the switch valve 2 is fully opened or closed, the power is turned off to shut down the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42, thereby reducing the power consumption of the product and increasing the service life of the product.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, the outside of the shell 1 is provided with a protective shell 18 that wraps it and the control circuit board 44, which plays a role in waterproofing and dustproofing. The protective shell 18 is provided with an operating handle 19 connected to one end of the operating rod 21. When the switch valve 2 is manually operated to open or close, since the first wax motor 41 and the second wax motor 42 are both in a power-off stop state, that is, when the operating handle 19 drives the operating rod 21 to rotate, it will not interfere with the first wax motor 41 or the second wax motor 42, the rotation resistance is small, and the operation is convenient and reliable.

[0061] The working process of the thermal valve actuator of the present invention to open the switch valve 2 is described in detail below:

[0062] When it is necessary to open the switch valve 2, an opening signal is first input to the control circuit board 44 from the outside. After receiving the opening signal, the control circuit board 44 energizes the first wax motor 41. The first wax motor 41 pushes the first transmission rod 51 and the first sliding member 32 to move through the driving rod 43, and the first sliding member 32 drives the operating wheel 31 to rotate forward to open the switch valve 2. At this time, the first sliding member 32 and the operating wheel 31 cooperate with the gear structure to keep the switch valve 2 in the open state. After the switch valve 2 is opened, the control circuit board 44 no longer supplies power to the first wax motor 41. After the first wax motor 41 is powered off, the elastic member elastically resets and drives the first transmission rod 51 to squeeze the driving rod 43, so that the driving rod 43 is reset, thereby separating the first wax motor 41 from the first sliding member 32, facilitating the subsequent manual or automatic closing of the switch valve 2 and reducing the closing resistance.

[0063] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clear explanation, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived from these are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal valve actuator, comprising a housing (1), and an operating rod (21) extending through the housing (1) and connected to a switch valve (2), wherein the operating rod (21) is used to control the opening and closing of the switch valve (2), and is characterized in that: The housing (1) is further provided with: An operating assembly (3) comprising an operating wheel (31) sleeved on the operating rod (21) in a linked manner, and a first sliding member (32) and a second sliding member (33) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the operating wheel (31) about the center of the operating wheel (31), wherein the first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33) form a linked cooperation for moving in opposite directions in the housing (1) through the operating wheel (31), and the operating wheel (31) rotates forward or reversely under the drive of the first sliding member (32) or the second sliding member (33); The driving assembly (4) comprises a first wax motor (41) connected to the first sliding member (32), and a second wax motor (42) connected to the second sliding member (33), wherein the first wax motor (41) and the second wax motor (42) are alternately in a powered-on starting state, wherein the first sliding member (32) moves unidirectionally under the drive of the first wax motor (41) and drives the operating wheel (31) to rotate in the forward direction, thereby driving the operating rod (21) to control the opening of the switch valve (2); the second sliding member (33) moves unidirectionally under the drive of the second wax motor (42) and drives the operating wheel (31) to rotate in the reverse direction, thereby driving the operating rod (21) to control the closing of the switch valve (2); The first wax motor (41) and the second wax motor (42) respectively have two driving rods (43) for driving the first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33) to move in one direction. The first wax motor (41) and the second wax motor (42) are arranged in parallel and opposite to each other in the housing (1). The first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33) respectively move in opposite directions and in parallel along the axial direction of the driving rods (43). The first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33) are connected to the two driving rods (43) via a transmission structure (5), wherein the transmission structure (5) comprises: a first transmission rod (51) arranged between the driving rod (43) of the first wax motor (41) and the first sliding member (32), and a second transmission rod (52) arranged between the driving rod (43) of the second wax motor (42) and the second sliding member (33), wherein an elastic member is arranged between the first transmission rod (51) and the second transmission rod (52), and when the first wax motor (41) or the second wax motor (42) is in a power-off stop state, the elastic member applies an elastic force to the first transmission rod (51) or the second transmission rod (52) to drive the driving rod (43) to perform a reset movement.

2. The thermal valve actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing (1) comprises a first mounting cavity (11) for accommodating the operating assembly (3), a second mounting cavity (12) for accommodating the driving assembly (4), and a partition plate (13) arranged between the first mounting cavity (11) and the second mounting cavity (12); the first transmission rod (51) and the second transmission rod (52) extend along the axial direction of the driving rod (43) and penetrate between the first mounting cavity (11) and the second mounting cavity (12); and the partition plate (13) is provided with two through holes (14) for the first transmission rod (51) and the second transmission rod (52) to pass through.

3. The thermal valve actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic member is a torsion spring (53) arranged between the first transmission rod (51) and the second transmission rod (52); the first transmission rod (51) and the second transmission rod (52) are respectively provided with two limiting grooves (54) opening toward the first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33); two torsion spring legs of the torsion spring (53) respectively extend and abut against the two limiting grooves (54).

4. The thermal valve actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The housing (1) is provided with a mounting groove (15) located between the first transmission rod (51) and the second transmission rod (52); a positioning column (16) is provided at the center of the mounting groove (15); the torsion spring (53) is sleeved on the positioning column (16); the torsion spring (53) is driven by the first transmission rod (51) or the second transmission rod (52) to rotate around the positioning column (16) within the mounting groove (15) to a certain angle.

5. The thermal valve actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The operating wheel (31) is a gear sleeved on the operating rod (21); the first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33) are rack structures meshing with the gear; the first sliding member (32) and the first transmission rod (51), as well as the second sliding member (33) and the second transmission rod (52), are respectively connected along the axial direction of the driving rod (43).

6. The thermal valve actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The housing (1) comprises a first mounting cavity (11) for accommodating the operating assembly (3); a guide structure for guiding the movement direction of the first sliding member (32) and the second sliding member (33) is provided between the housing (1); the guide structure comprises a guide groove (17) provided in the first mounting cavity (11) along the movement direction of the first sliding member (32) or the second sliding member (33); and a guide ridge (34) provided on the first sliding member (32) or the second sliding member (33) corresponding to the guide groove (17); when the first sliding member (32) or the second sliding member (33) moves, the guide ridge (34) slides along the guide groove (17).

7. The thermal valve actuator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The driving assembly (4) further comprises a control circuit board (44) for controlling the first wax motor (41) and the second wax motor (42) to start or stop when powered on; the control circuit board (44) is fixed to the outside of the housing (1) by bolts.

8. The thermal valve actuator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The housing (1) is provided with a protective shell (18) on the outside thereof and enveloping the housing (1) and the control circuit board (44); the protective shell (18) is provided with an operating handle (19) connected to one end of the operating rod (21).

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