A wind-powered control valve and method

Abstract

This invention provides a wind-powered control valve and method, relating to the field of valve technology. The wind-powered control valve includes an air chamber, a main air duct, a valve plate, a cylinder, an elastic element, a throttle valve, a check valve, a connecting pipe, and a transmission mechanism. This invention employs a purely pneumatic mechanical structure, requiring no external power supply or electronic components, and exhibits strong environmental adaptability. Through the cooperation of the check valve and the throttle valve, asymmetric control is achieved: rapid upward exhaust and damped downward intake by the piston. When wind pressure increases, the valve closes rapidly; when wind pressure decreases instantaneously, the valve opens slowly, effectively avoiding frequent valve oscillations caused by wind pressure fluctuations, significantly improving system stability and service life. Simultaneously, the elastic element utilizes preset elastic force to form an action threshold, avoiding ineffective responses under low wind pressure and achieving adaptive adjustment of the valve opening, resulting in high control precision and reliable response. This invention is applicable to fluid control in fields such as wind power generation, building ventilation, industrial cooling, and pipeline pressure relief.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of valve technology, and more specifically to a wind power control valve and method. Background Technology

[0002] In fields involving fluid control, such as wind power generation, building ventilation, industrial cooling, and pipeline depressurization, it is often necessary to adjust valve openings based on real-time changes in wind speed or pressure to achieve efficient equipment operation and safety protection. Currently, common wind power control valves are implemented in the following ways: One type is a purely mechanical valve, whose typical structure relies on wind pressure acting directly on a baffle or blade, passively adjusting the opening by overcoming spring force or its own weight. Although this type of structure is simple and requires no external energy, it lacks damping and hysteresis mechanisms, resulting in lower control accuracy. It is also prone to oscillations in turbulent wind conditions and may suffer damage to mechanical components due to inertial impacts when wind pressure changes drastically.

[0003] Another type is the electric actuator, which is a valve regulation system driven by a wind speed sensor, controller, and motor. This method offers precise control and rapid response, enabling complex control logic. However, its system composition is complex and its cost is high. Furthermore, the reliability and lifespan of electronic components such as sensors and controllers face severe challenges in harsh environments such as thunderstorms, high humidity, low temperatures, and strong corrosion, making it difficult to meet the requirements for long-term maintenance-free operation.

[0004] In addition, some existing technologies employ purely pneumatic control schemes that attempt to control valves using pneumatic logic elements. However, these schemes often lack effective "hold and delay" mechanisms, causing the valves to be overly sensitive to air pressure fluctuations. When air pressure drops instantaneously, the valves actuate frequently, affecting not only the stability of the controlled system but also accelerating the mechanical wear of the valves and transmission mechanisms.

[0005] In summary, there is an urgent need for a wind control valve that can overcome the aforementioned shortcomings. This valve should combine the environmental adaptability of a purely pneumatic system with the adaptive adjustment capabilities of an electric system. In particular, it should address the issues of stable response and opening maintenance in changing wind fields to achieve adaptive, highly reliable wind control that requires no external power supply. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wind power control valve and method to solve the problems of frequent operation, poor stability, and insufficient reliability of existing wind power control valves in harsh environments.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A wind-controlled valve, comprising: air chamber; The main air duct is connected in series with the air chamber; The valve plate is rotatably connected inside the main air duct. The valve plate can rotate to different angles relative to the main air duct so that the main air duct can be in different opening positions. A cylinder with a piston slidingly fitted inside; an annular cover is provided at the upper end of the cylinder, and the upper end of the piston passes through the annular cover and slidesly fits the annular cover. The elastic element is located inside the cylinder and is connected to the annular cover and the piston respectively; The throttle valve has its inlet end connected to the outside and its outlet end connected to the space inside the cylinder between the inner side of the annular cover and the piston. A one-way valve, whose inlet end connects to the space inside the cylinder between the piston and the inner side of the annular cover, and whose outlet end connects to the outside. The connecting pipe connects the lower end of the cylinder and the air chamber at its two ends, respectively. The transmission mechanism is connected to the upper end of the piston at one end and to the valve plate at the other end.

[0008] Furthermore, the transmission mechanism includes an adjusting shaft, an adjusting gear, a drive shaft, a support frame, a drive gear, a transmission disc, and a connecting rod; The adjusting shaft is rotatably connected to the main air duct, the valve plate is mounted on the adjusting shaft, and one end of the adjusting shaft is connected to the adjusting gear; The drive shaft is rotatably connected to the support frame, and one end of the drive shaft is connected to the drive gear, which meshes with the adjusting gear. The transmission disc is connected to the drive shaft at its middle position; One end of the connecting rod is hinged to the edge of the transmission disc, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged to the upper end of the piston.

[0009] Furthermore, the support frame is configured as a housing, with the cylinder, connecting rod, and transmission disc located inside the housing.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a cover, with the drive gear and adjustment gear located inside the cover.

[0011] Furthermore, the throttle valve is configured as an adjustable throttle valve.

[0012] Furthermore, the piston includes a large piston head and a small piston head arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The large piston head slides against the inner wall of the cylinder, and the small piston head slides against an annular cover.

[0013] Furthermore, one end of the elastic element is connected to the annular cover, and the other end of the elastic element is connected to the piston head.

[0014] Furthermore, several elastic elements are provided, and these elastic elements are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the cylinder.

[0015] Furthermore, a flange is provided at the end of the main air duct.

[0016] A method for operating a wind-powered control valve, using the aforementioned wind-powered control valve, the method comprising the following steps: S1. In the initial state, when there is no air in the main air duct or the air pressure is lower than the set threshold, the piston in the cylinder is in the initial position under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element, and the valve plate makes the main air duct at the maximum opening. S2. When the air pressure in the main air duct is greater than the set threshold and gradually increases, the airflow enters the lower end of the cylinder through the air chamber and connecting pipe, pushing the piston to overcome the elastic force of the elastic element and move upward. When the piston moves upward, the gas in the space between the inner side of the annular cover and the piston in the cylinder is quickly discharged to the outside through the one-way valve, so that the piston responds quickly. The piston drives the valve plate to rotate through the transmission mechanism, so that the opening of the main air duct is reduced. S3. When the air pressure in the main air duct decreases again, the air pressure in the air chamber, connecting pipe and lower end of the cylinder drops, and the piston tends to move downward under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element. At this time, the outside gas can only slowly enter the space between the inside of the annular cover and the piston in the cylinder through the throttle valve, so that the speed of the piston moving downward is limited by the damping of the throttle valve and slowed down. The piston drives the valve plate to rotate slowly through the transmission mechanism, so as to gradually increase the opening of the main air duct until the piston returns to the initial position or reaches a new equilibrium position under the action of the changed air pressure, thereby avoiding frequent oscillation of the valve plate due to the instantaneous drop in air pressure.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the wind power control valve and method of the present invention have achieved the following significant technical effects: 1. This invention adopts a pure pneumatic mechanical structure, which does not require external power supply, electronic sensors, controllers and other components. It relies entirely on wind pressure changes to drive the cylinder piston movement and adjusts the valve opening through the transmission mechanism. It has strong environmental adaptability and can operate stably for a long time in harsh environments such as thunderstorms, high humidity, low temperature and strong corrosion, meeting the requirements for maintenance-free use.

[0018] 2. This invention achieves asymmetric control by using a throttle valve and a check valve in combination, resulting in rapid upward response and delayed downward damping of the piston. When the air pressure increases, the check valve quickly exhausts air, causing the valve to close slightly in time; when the air pressure drops instantaneously, the throttle valve restricts the intake flow, delaying the piston reset and valve opening speed, effectively avoiding frequent valve oscillations and repeated actions caused by air pressure fluctuations, and significantly improving system stability and valve lifespan.

[0019] 3. This invention utilizes the preset elastic force provided by the elastic element to form a wind pressure action threshold. The valve only starts to operate when the wind pressure exceeds the set threshold, avoiding invalid response under low wind pressure. At the same time, the valve opening can be adaptively adjusted through the force balance between the piston and the elastic element, resulting in high control accuracy and reliable response. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wind power control valve in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front view of the wind power control valve structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Sectional view of AA; Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle; Figure 5 This is a side view of the wind power control valve structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 for Figure 5 CC section view; Figure 7 for Figure 5 DD section view; Figure 8 for Figure 7 A magnified view of a section at point E in the middle; Figure 9 for Figure 7 A magnified view of a section at point F in the middle; Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the piston in an embodiment of the present invention; in, 11. Air chamber; 12. Main air duct; 13. Flange; 2. Valve plate; 3. Cylinder; 31. Piston; 311. Piston big head; 312. Piston small head; 313. Second sealing ring; 32. Annular cover; 321. First sealing ring; 4. Elastic element; 51. Throttle valve; 52. Check valve; 6. Connecting pipe; 71. Adjusting shaft; 72. Adjusting gear; 73. Drive shaft; 74. Support frame; 75. Drive gear; 76. Transmission disc; 77. Connecting rod; 78. Cover. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Certain embodiments of the invention will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and some, but not all, of these embodiments will be shown. In fact, various embodiments of the invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to enable the invention to meet applicable legal requirements.

[0022] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "inner," "outer," "upper," "lower," "front," and "rear," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0023] In this embodiment of the invention, a wind power control valve and method are provided. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 1 to 10 As shown.

[0024] A wind-powered control valve includes an air chamber 11, a main air duct 12, a valve plate 2, a cylinder 3, an elastic element 4, a throttle valve 51, a one-way valve 52, a connecting pipe 6, and a transmission mechanism.

[0025] The main air duct 12 is connected to the opposite ends of the air chamber 11, and the main air duct 12 and the air chamber 11 are arranged in series. The airflow enters the air chamber 11 from one end of the main air duct 12 and flows out from the other end of the main air duct 12. A flange 13 is provided at the end of the main air duct 12 to connect the main air duct 12 to the air duct system duct through the flange 13.

[0026] The valve plate 2 is rotatably connected to the main air duct 12 at the other end. The valve plate 2 rotates to different angles relative to the main air duct 12 so that the main air duct 12 is at different opening degrees. When the valve plate 2 rotates to coincide with the cross-sectional plane of the main air duct 12, the opening degree of the main air duct 12 is zero. When the valve plate 2 rotates to be parallel to the axis of the main air duct 12, the main air duct 12 is at its maximum opening degree.

[0027] A piston 31 is slidably fitted inside the cylinder 3. An annular cover 32 is provided at the upper end of the cylinder 3. The upper end of the piston 31 passes through the annular cover 32 and is slidably fitted with the annular cover 32. A first sealing ring 321 is provided on the annular inner wall of the annular cover 32. The first sealing ring 321 contacts the upper end of the piston 31 to achieve a dynamic seal between the annular inner wall of the annular cover 32 and the upper end of the piston 31.

[0028] The elastic element 4 is located inside the cylinder 3 and is connected to the annular cover 32 and the piston 31 respectively. Specifically, one end of the elastic element 4 is connected to the annular cover 32, and the other end of the elastic element 4 is connected to the piston head 311. The elastic element 4 is set as a spring, and there are three springs, which are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the cylinder 3.

[0029] A throttle valve 51 is mounted on the annular cover 32. The inlet end of the throttle valve 51 is connected to the outside, and the outlet end of the throttle valve 51 is connected to the space inside the cylinder 3 between the annular cover 32 and the piston 31. The throttle valve 51 is an adjustable throttle valve to regulate the flow rate through it.

[0030] The inlet end of the one-way valve 52 is connected to the space inside the cylinder 3 and between the inner side of the annular cover 32 and the piston 31, while the outlet end of the one-way valve 52 is connected to the outside.

[0031] The two ends of the connecting pipe 6 are connected to the lower end of the cylinder 3 and the air chamber 11, respectively.

[0032] One end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the upper end of the piston 31, and the other end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the valve plate 2.

[0033] The transmission mechanism includes an adjusting shaft 71, an adjusting gear 72, a drive shaft 73, a support frame 74, a drive gear 75, a transmission disc 76, and a connecting rod 77. The adjusting shaft 71 is rotatably connected to the main air duct 12 via bearings. A valve plate 2 is mounted on the adjusting shaft 71, and one end of the adjusting shaft 71 is connected to the adjusting gear 72. The drive shaft 73 is rotatably connected to the support frame 74 via bearings. One end of the drive shaft 73 is connected to the drive gear 75, which meshes with the adjusting gear 72. The transmission disc 76 is connected to the drive shaft 73 at its center. One end of the connecting rod 77 is hinged to the edge of the transmission disc 76, and the other end of the connecting rod 77 is hinged to the upper end of the piston 31.

[0034] The support frame 74 is configured as a housing, with the cylinder 3, connecting rod 77, and transmission disc 76 located inside the housing to prevent damage from impacts. The drive gear 75 and adjusting gear 72 are located inside the cover 78 to prevent damage from impacts.

[0035] The piston 31 includes a large piston head 311 and a small piston head 312 arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The large piston head 311 slides against the inner wall of the cylinder 3, and the small piston head 312 slides against the annular cover 32. A second sealing ring 313 is provided on the circumferential side of the large piston head 311, and the second sealing ring 313 contacts the inner wall of the cylinder 3 to achieve a dynamic seal between the large piston head 311 and the inner wall of the cylinder 3. During the sliding engagement of the small piston head 312 with the annular cover 32, a first sealing ring 321 contacts the small piston head 312 to achieve a dynamic seal between the annular inner wall of the annular cover 32 and the small piston head 312.

[0036] A method for operating a wind-controlled valve, using the wind-controlled valve described in this embodiment, includes the following steps: S1. In the initial state, when there is no air in the main air duct 12 or the air pressure in the main air duct 12 is lower than the set threshold, the piston 31 in the cylinder 3 is in the initial position (i.e., the lowest position) under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element 4, and the valve plate 2 makes the main air duct 12 at the maximum opening.

[0037] Specifically, at this time, the piston 31 drives the connecting rod 77, transmission disc 76, drive shaft 73, and drive gear 75 in sequence through its upper end, which in turn drives the adjusting gear 72 to rotate. The adjusting gear 72 drives the adjusting shaft 71 to rotate, ultimately causing the valve plate 2 to rotate to an angle parallel to the axis of the main air duct 12. In this state, the main air duct 12 is at its maximum opening, ensuring that the system has maximum ventilation capacity under low air pressure or no airflow conditions.

[0038] S2. When the air pressure in the main air duct 12 is greater than the set threshold and gradually increases, the airflow enters the lower end of the cylinder 3 through the air chamber 11 and the connecting pipe 6, pushing the piston 31 to move upward against the elastic force of the elastic element 4. When the piston 31 moves upward, the gas in the space between the inner side of the annular cover 32 and the piston 31 in the cylinder 3 is quickly discharged to the outside through the one-way valve 52, so that the piston 31 responds quickly. The piston 31 drives the valve plate 2 to rotate through the transmission mechanism, so that the opening of the main air duct 12 is reduced.

[0039] Specifically, when the air pressure in the main air duct 12 exceeds the set threshold and continues to gradually increase, the high-pressure airflow in the air chamber 11 enters the lower end of the cylinder 3 (i.e., the cavity below the piston large head 311) through the connecting pipe 6. As the air pressure at the lower end of the cylinder 3 increases, the airflow pushes the piston 31 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic element 4 and move upward. During the rapid upward movement of the piston 31, the volume of the space (i.e., the upper cavity) between the inner side of the annular cover 32 and the piston 31 (specifically the piston small head 312) in the cylinder 3 gradually decreases. The gas in this space is compressed and then quickly discharged to the outside atmosphere through the one-way valve 52. Because the one-way valve 52 has a one-way conduction characteristic, the exhaust resistance is extremely small, which enables the piston 31 to respond quickly to changes in air pressure and avoids the back pressure generated by the compression of the gas in the upper cavity from hindering the movement of the piston 31. As the piston 31 moves upward, it drives the drive gear 75 to rotate through the connecting rod 77, transmission disc 76 and drive shaft 73 of the transmission mechanism. The drive gear 75 drives the adjusting gear 72 and adjusting shaft 71 to rotate, thereby driving the valve plate 2 to rotate in the direction of the cross-sectional plane of the main air duct 12, so that the opening of the main air duct 12 gradually decreases, thereby limiting the airflow and preventing the air pressure from being too high.

[0040] S3. When the air pressure in the main air duct 12 decreases from a high value, the air pressure in the air chamber 11, the connecting pipe 6, and the lower end of the cylinder 3 decreases accordingly. The upward thrust of the lower end of the cylinder 3 on the piston 31 decreases, and the piston 31 tends to move downward under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element 4. When the piston 31 is about to move downward, the outside gas can only slowly enter the space (i.e., the upper cavity) between the inside of the annular cover 32 and the piston 31 in the cylinder 3 through the throttle valve 51, so that the downward speed of the piston 31 is slowed down by the damping limitation of the throttle valve 51. Because the throttle valve 51 has a significant damping limitation effect on the intake flow rate, the outside gas can only slowly supplement the upper cavity with a small flow rate, thereby slowing down the downward speed of the piston 31.

[0041] The piston 31 drives the valve plate 2 to rotate slowly through the transmission mechanism, so as to gradually increase the opening of the main air duct 12 until the piston 31 returns to the initial position or reaches a new equilibrium position under the action of the changed wind pressure, thereby avoiding frequent oscillation of the valve plate 2 due to the instantaneous decrease of wind pressure.

[0042] Specifically, piston 31 moves downward at a slow, damped speed under the push of elastic element 4, and drives valve plate 2 to slowly rotate in the opposite direction through the transmission mechanism, thereby gradually increasing the opening of main air duct 12. Piston 31 continues to move downward until it returns to its initial position (at which point main air duct 12 returns to its maximum opening), or reaches a new force balance position based on the changed wind pressure (i.e., the elastic force of elastic element 4 is balanced with the thrust of wind pressure at the lower end of cylinder 3 on piston 31). The damping and delaying effect of throttle valve 51 on the downward speed of piston 31 effectively avoids the problem of frequent reciprocating rotation of valve plate 2 and system oscillation instability caused by instantaneous fluctuations or rapid decreases in wind pressure.

[0043] The present invention has now been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art should have a clear understanding of the wind power control valve and method of the present invention. Of course, the specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wind-powered control valve, characterized in that, include: air chamber; The main air duct is connected in series with the air chamber; The valve plate is rotatably connected inside the main air duct. The valve plate can rotate to different angles relative to the main air duct so that the main air duct can be in different opening positions. A cylinder with a piston slidingly fitted inside; an annular cover is provided at the upper end of the cylinder, and the upper end of the piston passes through the annular cover and slidesly fits the annular cover. The elastic element is located inside the cylinder and is connected to the annular cover and the piston respectively; The throttle valve has its inlet end connected to the outside and its outlet end connected to the space inside the cylinder between the inner side of the annular cover and the piston. A one-way valve, whose inlet end connects to the space inside the cylinder between the piston and the inner side of the annular cover, and whose outlet end connects to the outside. The connecting pipe connects the lower end of the cylinder and the air chamber at its two ends, respectively. The transmission mechanism is connected to the upper end of the piston at one end and to the valve plate at the other end.

2. The wind power control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism includes an adjusting shaft, an adjusting gear, a drive shaft, a support frame, a drive gear, a transmission disc, and a connecting rod. The adjusting shaft is rotatably connected to the main air duct, the valve plate is mounted on the adjusting shaft, and one end of the adjusting shaft is connected to the adjusting gear; The drive shaft is rotatably connected to the support frame, and one end of the drive shaft is connected to the drive gear, which meshes with the adjusting gear. The transmission disc is connected to the drive shaft at its middle position; One end of the connecting rod is hinged to the edge of the transmission disc, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged to the upper end of the piston.

3. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support frame is configured as a housing, with the cylinder, connecting rod, and transmission disc located inside the housing.

4. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a cover, with the drive gear and adjustment gear located inside the cover.

5. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The throttle valve is configured as an adjustable throttle valve.

6. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piston includes a large piston head and a small piston head arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The large piston head slides against the inner wall of the cylinder, and the small piston head slides against the annular cover.

7. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, One end of the elastic element is connected to the annular cover, and the other end of the elastic element is connected to the piston head.

8. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 7, characterized in that, Several elastic elements are provided, and these elastic elements are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the cylinder.

9. A wind-powered control valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, A flange is installed at the end of the main air duct.

10. A method for operating a wind-controlled valve, using the wind-controlled valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: S1. In the initial state, when there is no air in the main air duct or the air pressure is lower than the set threshold, the piston in the cylinder is in the initial position under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element, and the valve plate makes the main air duct at the maximum opening. S2. When the air pressure in the main air duct is greater than the set threshold and gradually increases, the airflow enters the lower end of the cylinder through the air chamber and connecting pipe, pushing the piston to overcome the elastic force of the elastic element and move upward. When the piston moves upward, the gas in the space between the inner side of the annular cover and the piston in the cylinder is quickly discharged to the outside through the one-way valve, so that the piston responds quickly. The piston drives the valve plate to rotate through the transmission mechanism, so that the opening of the main air duct is reduced. S3. When the air pressure in the main air duct decreases again, the air pressure in the air chamber, connecting pipe and lower end of the cylinder drops, and the piston tends to move downward under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element. At this time, the outside gas can only slowly enter the space between the inside of the annular cover and the piston in the cylinder through the throttle valve, so that the speed of the piston moving downward is limited by the damping of the throttle valve and slowed down. The piston drives the valve plate to rotate slowly through the transmission mechanism, so as to gradually increase the opening of the main air duct until the piston returns to the initial position or reaches a new equilibrium position under the action of the changed air pressure, thereby avoiding frequent oscillation of the valve plate due to the instantaneous drop in air pressure.

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