Actuator and electronic water valve

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of encoder technology, and in particular disclose an actuator and an electronic water valve, wherein the actuator includes a housing, an output shaft, a driving mechanism, and an encoder. The output shaft is rotatably arranged in the housing. The driving mechanism is connected to the output shaft, and the driving mechanism can drive the output shaft to rotate relative to the housing. The encoder is arranged in the housing, and the encoder is used to sense the rotation angle of the output shaft. Through the above structure, when the driving mechanism drives the output shaft to rotate, the encoder senses the rotation angle of the output shaft in real time, which can improve the accuracy of the actuator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of encoders, and in particular to an actuator and an electronic water valve. Background Art

[0002] Electronic water valves are mainly used in the thermal management circuit of heating equipment. Their function is to switch the flow direction of the medium or to adjust the ratio in the cooling system. Specifically, through LIN / CAN communication, the controller controls the position of the actuator, which further facilitates the motor to drive the valve core of the water valve to rotate, thereby controlling the flow direction and flow of the fluid in the water valve.

[0003] The inventor of the present application discovered in the process of realizing the present application that: currently, the actuator includes: a motor, a gear set, a potentiometer and a signal processing unit. The motor is connected to the gear set, one end of the potentiometer is in contact with the shaft of the gear set, and the signal processing unit is used to collect the voltage or current signal of the potentiometer to obtain the current angle of the shaft of the gear set. When the potentiometer is used in the actuator, it needs to keep in contact with the shaft of the gear set, which is easy to cause wear on the potentiometer and affect the accuracy of the actuator. Utility Model Content

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an actuator and an electronic water valve, which can improve the accuracy problem of current actuators.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted by the present application is: an actuator is provided, the actuator comprising a housing, an output shaft, a driving mechanism and an encoder. The output shaft is rotatably arranged in the housing. The driving mechanism is connected to the output shaft, and the driving mechanism can drive the output shaft to rotate relative to the housing. The encoder is arranged in the housing, and the encoder is used to sense the rotation angle of the output shaft.

[0006] Optionally, the encoder comprises a magnetic ring and a sensing element, wherein the magnetic ring is connected to the output shaft, and the sensing element is fixed in the housing. The output shaft can drive the magnetic ring to rotate synchronously, and the sensing element is used to sense the rotation angle of the magnetic ring.

[0007] Optionally, the actuator further includes a circuit board, the circuit board is fixed in the housing, and the sensing element is fixed to the circuit board.

[0008] Optionally, the circuit board is provided with a processing unit, which is electrically connected to the sensing element; and / or the circuit board is provided with a driving unit, which is electrically connected to the driving mechanism; and / or the circuit board is provided with a communication unit, which is used to be electrically connected to an external module.

[0009] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor and a transmission assembly, the driving motor and the transmission assembly are respectively arranged in the shell, and the driving motor is connected to the transmission assembly, the transmission assembly is connected to the output shaft, and the driving motor can drive the output shaft to rotate through the transmission assembly.

[0010] Optionally, the transmission assembly includes a worm and a multi-stage gear, the worm is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor, and the multi-stage gear is meshed with the worm and connected to the output shaft.

[0011] Optionally, the housing is provided with an opening. One end of the output shaft connected to the driving mechanism is arranged in the housing, and the other end of the output shaft passes through the opening and extends to the outside of the housing.

[0012] Optionally, the actuator further comprises a sealing member, wherein the sealing member is disposed at an opening of the housing, and the sealing member abuts against the housing and the output shaft respectively.

[0013] Optionally, the shell includes a first shell and a second shell, the first shell and the second shell are detachably connected, the first shell and the second shell together enclose a receiving cavity, the driving mechanism and the encoder are respectively installed in the receiving cavity, and the output shaft is at least partially received in the receiving cavity.

[0014] To solve the above technical problem, another technical solution adopted by the present application is: to provide an electronic water valve. The electronic water valve comprises a valve body assembly and the above actuator. The valve body assembly is connected to the output shaft of the actuator.

[0015] The beneficial effect of the embodiment of the present application is as follows: Different from the prior art, the embodiment of the present application provides an actuator, which includes a housing, an output shaft, a driving mechanism and an encoder. The output shaft is rotatably arranged in the housing. The driving mechanism is connected to the output shaft, and the driving mechanism can drive the output shaft to rotate relative to the housing. The encoder is arranged in the housing, and the encoder is used to sense the rotation angle of the output shaft. Through the above structure, when the driving mechanism drives the output shaft to rotate, the encoder senses the rotation angle of the output shaft in real time, which can improve the accuracy of the actuator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of an electronic water valve provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 One embodiment of the present application provides Figure 1 A-side cross-sectional view;

[0019] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional diagram of an actuator provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 is an exploded view of an actuator provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a partial exploded view of an actuator provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 One embodiment of the present application provides Figure 3 B-side cross-section.

[0023] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0024]

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, the present application is described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or there can be one or more centered elements therebetween. When an element is described as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or there can be one or more centered elements therebetween. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in this specification and in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0028] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2The present application provides an electronic water valve 1, which includes a valve body assembly 2000 and an actuator 1000. The valve body assembly 2000 is connected to the output shaft of the actuator 1000, and the valve body assembly 2000 includes a valve body 2100 and a valve core 2200. The valve core 2200 is rotatably mounted on the valve body 2100, and the valve core 2200 is connected to the output shaft 1200 of the actuator 1000. The actuator 1000 is used to drive the valve core 2200 to rotate relative to the valve body 2100. The actuator 1000 is used to drive the valve core 2200 to rotate, thereby changing the positional relationship between the valve core 2200 and other channels of the valve body assembly 2000, thereby changing the flow rate or flow direction of the fluid in the valve body assembly 2000.

[0029] For the aforementioned actuator 1000, see Figures 2 to 4 The actuator 1000 provided in the present application includes a housing 1100, an output shaft 1200, a driving mechanism 1300 and an encoder 1400. The output shaft 1200 is rotatably arranged in the housing 1100. The driving mechanism 1300 is arranged in the housing 1100, and the driving mechanism 1300 is connected to the output shaft 1200, and the driving mechanism 1300 can drive the output shaft 1200 to rotate. The encoder 1400 is arranged in the housing 1100, and the encoder 1400 is used to sense the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200. By setting the encoder 1400 that can sense the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 in a non-contact manner, the sensing element of the encoder 1400 can obtain the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 without contacting the output shaft 1200, thereby reducing the wear on the encoder 1400 and improving the accuracy of the actuator 1000.

[0030] For the above encoder 1400, see Figure 4 and Figure 5 The encoder 1400 includes a magnetic ring 1410 and a sensing element 1420. The magnetic ring 1410 is connected to the output shaft 1200, and the sensing element 1420 is fixed in the housing 1100. The output shaft 1200 can drive the magnetic ring 1410 to rotate synchronously, and the sensing element 1420 is used to sense the rotation angle of the magnetic ring 1210. The sensing element 1420 includes a magnetic sensitive element 1420a or an angle chip 1420b.

[0031] like Figure 4As shown, when the sensing element 1420 is a magnetic sensitive element 1420a, the number of the magnetic sensitive elements 1420a is at least two, at least two magnetic sensitive elements 1420a are installed in the housing 1100, and at least two magnetic sensitive elements 1420a are arranged around the magnetic ring 1410, at least two magnetic sensitive elements 1420a are arranged at equal intervals, and each magnetic sensitive element 1420a is at an equal distance from the magnetic ring 1410, so as to obtain the electrical signal of the magnetic ring 1410 and reduce the error. The magnetic sensitive element 1420a refers to a sensitive element whose characteristic parameters change significantly with the change of the magnetic quantity of the magnetic ring 1410, such as a Hall element. Optionally, the magnetic ring 1410 includes a single-pole magnetic ring, a multi-pole magnetic ring, a multi-code channel magnetic ring, etc., and a multi-code channel magnetic ring and a multi-pole magnetic ring are used to facilitate the collection of electrical signals, and accordingly, other solution methods are used for calculation. Through the above structure, when the driving mechanism 1300 drives the output shaft 1200 to rotate, the magnetic ring 1410 rotates with the output shaft 1200, and at least two magnetic sensors 1420a collect information of the magnetic ring 1410. In the embodiment of the present application, three magnetic sensors 1420a are used as an example for illustration.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown, when the sensing element 1420 is an angle chip 1420b, the angle chip 1420b is installed in the housing 1100, and the angle chip 1420b is arranged on the outer periphery of the magnetic ring 1410. The angle chip 1420b does not contact the above-mentioned magnetic ring 1410 and / or the output shaft 1200. The angle chip 1420b obtains the angle information of the output shaft 1200 by sensing the magnetic field direction and size of the magnetic ring 1410.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5, the actuator 1000 further includes a circuit board 1500, the circuit board 1500 is fixed in the housing 1100, and the sensing element 1420 is fixed to the circuit board 1500. That is, the circuit board 1500 can be used as a mounting base for the sensing element 1420, thereby providing support for the sensing element 1420, so as to ensure the installation stability of each sensing element 1420, and the angle between each sensing element 1420 is fixed, so as to improve the accuracy of the sensing element 1420 collecting the electrical signal of the magnetic ring 1410, and directly installing it on the circuit board 1500 can reduce the setting of cables and improve the integration of the actuator 1000. Specifically, the circuit board 1500 is provided with a through hole 1540, the magnetic ring 1410 is passed through the through hole 1540, and the magnetic ring 1410 can rotate in the through hole 1540, and the sensing element 1420 and the processing unit 1510 are both fixed to the circuit board 1500. By setting the through hole 1540, on the one hand, a gap can be created between the sensing element 1420 and the magnetic ring 1410, thereby reducing the contact between the sensing element 1420, the magnetic ring 1410 and the output shaft 1200, thereby reducing the loss and increasing the life of the actuator 1000; on the other hand, the output shaft 1200 can be rotated without affecting the stability of the sensing element 1420, thereby reducing the influence of the structural shaking of the actuator 1000 on the sensing element 1420 collecting information from the magnetic ring 1410.

[0034] For the above circuit board 1500, see Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the circuit board 1500 is provided with a processing unit 1510, and the processing unit 1510 is electrically connected to the sensing element 1420; and / or the circuit board 1500 is provided with a driving unit 1520, and the driving unit 1520 is electrically connected to the driving mechanism 1300; and / or the circuit board 1500 is provided with a communication unit 1530, and the communication unit 1530 is used to be electrically connected to an external module. The processing unit 1510 is connected to the sensing element 1420 respectively, and the processing unit 1510 is used to drive the magnetic ring 1410 to rotate when the output shaft 1200 drives the magnetic ring 1410 to rotate, collect the electrical signal of the sensing element 1420, and determine the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 according to the electrical signal. Optionally, the processing unit 1510 includes a single chip microcomputer or other electrical signal processing module.

[0035] Specifically, when the sensing element 1420 includes a plurality of magnetic sensitive elements 1420a, the plurality of magnetic sensitive elements 1420a are respectively fixed to the circuit board 1500 and arranged around the through hole 1540, and the plurality of magnetic sensitive elements 1420a are also respectively electrically connected to the processing unit 1510. The processing unit 1510 collects electrical signals from the three magnetic sensitive elements 1420a, and determines the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 according to the electrical signals, including: the processing unit 1510 is used to perform coordinate transformation on the electrical signals of the three magnetic sensitive elements 1420a to obtain two sine and cosine voltage signals, and calculate the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 according to the two sine and cosine voltage signals in combination with a preset inverse tangent algorithm. The communication unit 1530 is used to communicate with the upper control device of the actuator 1000, and the driving unit 1520 is used to drive the transmission mechanism 1320 to move. The processing unit 1510 collects electrical signals from the three magnetic sensitive elements 1420a and determines the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 based on the electrical signals, so that the magnetic sensitive elements 1420a can feed back electrical signals to the processing unit 1510 without contacting the magnetic ring 1410, thereby reducing the wear on the encoder 1400, improving the accuracy of the actuator 1000, and extending the service life of the actuator 1000.

[0036] When the sensing element 1420 includes an angle chip 1420b, the angle chip 1420b is mounted on the circuit board 1500 and arranged near the periphery of the through hole 1540, and the angle chip 1420b is electrically connected to the processing unit 1510. The angle chip 1420b senses the direction and magnitude of the magnetic field of the magnetic ring 1410, outputs an electrical signal to the processing unit 1510, and the processing unit 1510 obtains the angle information of the output shaft 1200 after calculation. The angle chip 1420b and the magnetic ring 1410 are non-contact sensing, thereby reducing the wear of the encoder 1400, thereby ensuring the accuracy and service life of the actuator 1000.

[0037] For the above-mentioned drive mechanism 1300, see Figure 2 and Figure 4 The driving mechanism 1300 includes a driving motor 1310 and a transmission assembly 1320, which are respectively disposed in the housing 1100, and the driving motor 1310 is connected to the transmission assembly 1320, and the transmission assembly 1320 is connected to the output shaft 1200, and the driving motor 1310 can drive the output shaft 1200 to rotate through the transmission assembly 1320. Optionally, the transmission assembly 1320 can be a sprocket, a gear set, or a belt transmission structure with a tooth groove, etc.

[0038] For further information, see Figure 2 and Figure 4, the transmission assembly 1320 includes a worm 1321 and a multi-stage gear 1322, the worm 1321 is connected to the output shaft 1200 of the drive motor 1310, and the multi-stage gear 1322 is meshed with the worm 1321 and connected to the output shaft 1200. It can be understood that the axis direction of the worm 1320 driven by the drive motor 1310 is perpendicular to the axis direction of any one of the multi-stage gears 1322, thereby reducing the height of the actuator 1000 in the axis direction of the multi-stage gear 1322, and reducing space occupation. And the setting of the multi-stage gear 1322 can improve the driving efficiency of the drive motor 1310. It can be understood that in some other embodiments, the magnetic sensor 1420a can also be set at the connection between any multi-stage gear 1322 and the output shaft 1200, so as to further obtain the angle information of the output shaft 1200 through the reduction ratio between the gears 1331. Optionally, the multi-stage gear 1322 includes four gears and four output shafts 1200 , and one gear is installed on one output shaft 1200 .

[0039] For the housing 1100, see Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the housing 1100 is provided with an opening 1110. One end of the output shaft 1200 connected to the driving mechanism 1300 is arranged in the housing 1100, and the other end of the output shaft 1200 extends to the outside of the housing 1100 through the opening 1110. One end of the output shaft 1200 is connected to the multi-stage gear 1322, and the other end extends to the outside of the housing 1100. As for the output shaft 1200, the end of the output shaft 1200 extending from the opening 1110 to the housing 1100 is provided with a connecting groove 1210, and the connecting groove 1210 is used for connecting other components to the actuator 1000. Optionally, the connecting groove 1210 adopts a spline groove. It is worth mentioning that the spline groove is a circumferential fixation for rotating parts, which mainly plays the role of transmitting torque and torque, and can be processed by slotting, broaching, planing, milling and wire cutting. It can be understood that the output shaft 1200 is connected to the aforementioned valve core 2200, thereby driving the valve core 2200 to rotate.

[0040] For further information, see Figure 2 and Figure 4The housing 1100 includes a first housing 1120 and a second housing 1130, the first housing 1120 and the second housing 1130 are detachably connected, the first housing 1120 and the second housing 1130 are enclosed together to form a receiving chamber 1140, the driving mechanism 1300 and the encoder 1400 are respectively installed in the receiving chamber 1140, and the output shaft 1200 is at least partially received in the receiving chamber 1140. Among them, the first housing 1120 is provided with a mounting groove 1121, the opening 1110 is provided in the second housing 1130, one end of the output shaft 1200 is rotatably connected to the mounting groove 1121, and the other end of the output shaft 1200 at least partially extends out of the opening 1110. It can be understood that a sealing arrangement is provided between the first housing 1120 and the second housing 1130, so as to further prevent dust or liquid from entering the receiving chamber 1140 and affecting the function of the processing unit 1510. Optionally, a plurality of reinforcing ribs are disposed around the opening 1110 on a side of the second shell 1130 away from the receiving cavity 1140 , so as to improve the rotation stability of the output shaft 1200 .

[0041] In the embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 The actuator 1000 further includes a seal 1600, which is disposed at the opening 1110 of the housing 1100, and the seal 1600 abuts against the housing 1100 and the output shaft 1200, respectively. Specifically, the second housing 1130 is further provided with a seal groove 1131, which is disposed around the opening 1110, and the output shaft 1200 passes through the seal groove 1131. The seal 1600 is received in the seal groove 1131, and the seal 1600 is disposed between the output shaft 1200 and the groove wall of the seal groove 1131. By providing the seal 1600, the seal receiving chamber 1140 is separated from the external environment. Furthermore, the second shell 1130 is further provided with a mounting frame 1132 , and the first shell 1120 is further provided with a limiting portion 1122 . When the first shell 1120 and the second shell 1130 are buckled together, the mounting frame 1132 and the limiting portion 1122 jointly clamp and fix the driving motor 1310 .

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, different from the prior art, the embodiment of the present application provides an actuator 1000, which includes a housing 1100, an output shaft 1200, a driving mechanism 1300 and an encoder 1400. The output shaft 1200 is rotatably arranged in the housing 1100. The driving mechanism 1300 is arranged in the housing 1100, and the driving mechanism 1300 is connected to the output shaft 1200, and the driving mechanism 1300 can drive the output shaft 1200 to rotate. The encoder 1400 is arranged in the housing 1100, and the encoder 1400 is used to sense the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200. By setting the encoder 1400 that can sense the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200, when the driving mechanism 1300 drives the output shaft 1200 to rotate, the encoder 1400 senses the rotation angle of the output shaft 1200 in real time, and the accuracy of the actuator 1000 can be improved.

[0043] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application also provides an electronic water valve 1, which includes a valve body assembly 2000 and an actuator 1000. The structures and functions of the valve body assembly 2000 and the actuator 1000 are the same as those described above and will not be described in detail herein.

[0044] It should be noted that the preferred embodiments of the present application are given in the specification and drawings of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in the specification. These embodiments are not used as additional limitations on the content of the present application. The purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive. In addition, the above-mentioned technical features continue to be combined with each other to form various embodiments not listed above, which are all regarded as the scope of the description of the present application; further, for ordinary technicians in this field, they can be improved or transformed according to the above description, and all these improvements and transformations should belong to the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present application.

Claims

1. An actuator, characterized in that: include: case; An output shaft, rotatably disposed on the housing; A driving mechanism connected to the output shaft, wherein the driving mechanism can drive the output shaft to rotate relative to the housing; An encoder is disposed in the housing and is used to sense the rotation angle of the output shaft.

2. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The encoder comprises a magnetic ring and a sensing element, wherein the magnetic ring is connected to the output shaft, and the sensing element is fixed in the housing; The output shaft can drive the magnetic ring to rotate synchronously, and the sensing element is used to sense the rotation angle of the magnetic ring.

3. The actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The actuator further includes a circuit board, which is fixed in the housing, and the sensing element is fixed to the circuit board.

4. The actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The circuit board is provided with a processing unit, and the processing unit is electrically connected to the sensing element; and / or The circuit board is provided with a driving unit, and the driving unit is electrically connected to the driving mechanism; and / or The circuit board is provided with a communication unit, and the communication unit is used for electrically connecting with an external module.

5. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a driving motor and a transmission assembly, wherein the driving motor and the transmission assembly are respectively arranged in the housing, and the driving motor is connected to the transmission assembly, and the transmission assembly is connected to the output shaft, and the driving motor can drive the output shaft to rotate through the transmission assembly.

6. The actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmission assembly includes a worm and a multi-stage gear, the worm is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor, and the multi-stage gear is meshed with the worm and connected to the output shaft.

7. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing is provided with an opening; One end of the output shaft connected to the driving mechanism is disposed in the housing, and the other end of the output shaft passes through the opening and extends to the outside of the housing.

8. The actuator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The actuator further includes a sealing member, which is disposed at an opening of the housing and abuts against the housing and the output shaft respectively.

9. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The shell includes a first shell and a second shell, the first shell and the second shell are detachably connected, the first shell and the second shell together enclose a receiving cavity, the driving mechanism and the encoder are respectively installed in the receiving cavity, and the output shaft is at least partially received in the receiving cavity.

10. An electronic water valve, characterized in that: It comprises a valve body assembly and an actuator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the valve body assembly is connected to an output shaft of the actuator.

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