Valve actuator

Abstract

The utility model discloses a valve actuator which comprises a shell, a control switch, a controller and a transmission assembly. The shell comprises a bottom shell and an upper cover which are detachably connected; an on button and an off button on the control switch are respectively contacted with an on position and an off position on the controller; the transmission assembly comprises a power supply, a motor and a gear set; the power source is electrically connected with the motor, the controller and the motor, the output end of the motor is connected with the input end of the gear set, and an output shaft of the gear set is used for being fixedly connected with the input end of the valve. An arc-shaped limiting groove is formed in the position, corresponding to the gear set, of the bottom shell, the central angle of the arc-shaped limiting groove is 90 degrees, a sliding block is fixedly arranged at the position, facing the arc-shaped limiting groove, of the gear set, and the sliding block is arranged in the arc-shaped limiting groove in a sliding mode. Automatic opening and closing of the valve can be achieved, the opening degree of the valve is limited to range from 0 degree to 90 degrees, the valve cannot be damaged, and operation efficiency is high; the automatic control valve is suitable for industry, agriculture or daily life and is used for automatically controlling opening and closing of the valve.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of valves, in particular to a valve actuator. Background Art

[0002] Valves play an important role in water supply networks. For example, in agricultural irrigation, multiple valve switches are usually set up remotely. If traditional valves are installed, the valve handle needs to be manually turned to open and close the flow, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient.

[0003] Utility model patent publication number CN203348686U discloses a valve driver comprising a driver housing, a valve block housed within the housing, a quick-switching solenoid valve, a feedback shaft, a transmission gear, a potentiometer, and a feedback circuit board. Both the driver housing and the valve block are provided with interlocking air holes. The quick-switching solenoid valve is integrated into the valve block and cooperates with the air holes in the valve block to control the valve opening under the control of a programmable logic controller (PLC). One end of the feedback shaft extends from the driver housing and is connected to a valve accessory to transmit valve opening information. The other end of the feedback shaft is connected to a potentiometer via a transmission gear, allowing the potentiometer to provide feedback on the valve opening. The potentiometer is connected to a feedback circuit board, which converts the resistance value of the valve opening information fed back by the potentiometer into a current signal, which is then transmitted to the PLC, implementing PLC closed-loop feedback control. The valve driver and PLC work together to achieve process control of the valve, resolving the inefficiency of traditional valves caused by the manual operation of the valve handle.

[0004] However, the opening and closing angle of the valve is generally 0°-90°. The valve controller in the above patent controls the opening of the valve through PLC. Once the PLC control fails, the valve opening angle may exceed 90°, thereby damaging the valve. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a valve actuator to limit the degree of valve opening and prevent the opening angle from exceeding 90°.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solutions adopted by the present utility model are as follows:

[0007] A valve actuator comprises a housing, a control switch arranged on the housing, and a controller and a transmission assembly arranged in the housing;

[0008] The housing comprises a bottom shell and an upper cover which are detachably connected;

[0009] The control switch is provided with an on and off button, which are respectively in contact with the on and off positions on the controller;

[0010] The transmission assembly includes a power supply, a motor, and a gear set. The power supply and the motor, the power supply and the controller, and the motor and the controller are all electrically connected. The output end of the motor is connected to the input end of the gear set. A through hole is provided on the bottom shell. The output shaft of the gear set extends into the through hole for fixed connection with the valve input end.

[0011] An arc-shaped limiting groove is provided on the bottom shell at a position corresponding to the gear set, and the central angle of the arc-shaped limiting groove is 90°. A slider is fixed at the position of the gear set facing the arc-shaped limiting groove, and the slider is slidably provided in the arc-shaped limiting groove.

[0012] As a definition of the present invention: the gear set includes a first gear and a second gear that are meshed with each other for transmission. The first gear is sleeved on the output end of the motor. A transmission shaft is sleeved on the inner diameter of the second gear. The transmission shaft is the output shaft of the gear set. The transmission shaft extends into the through hole for fixed connection with the valve input end. A pointer is fixed on the end of the transmission shaft away from the bottom shell, and a notch is provided on the upper cover at the position corresponding to the pointer.

[0013] As a further limitation of the present invention: a blocking piece is embedded in the notch, and the blocking piece is made of a transparent material.

[0014] As another limitation of the present invention: it also includes a control terminal for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the valve, and a signal transmission component is provided on the controller. The control terminal transmits the valve opening and closing information to the signal transmission component using wireless communication technology, and the controller controls the motor to start or close after receiving the signal.

[0015] As a further limitation of the present invention: a potentiometer for detecting the valve opening is connected to the output shaft of the gear set, the handle of the potentiometer is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the gear set, and the potentiometer is electrically connected to the controller; the potentiometer detects the rotation angle of the gear set and feeds back a voltage signal to the controller, and the signal transmission component transmits the signal to the control terminal, thereby realizing secondary control of the valve switch by the control terminal.

[0016] As another limitation of the present invention: a support plate for supporting the control switch is fixedly provided on the inner side of the upper cover, and connection holes are provided on the support plate at positions corresponding to the on and off buttons. The on and off buttons pass through the connection holes and contact the on and off positions on the controller respectively.

[0017] As a further limitation of the present invention: the housing is made of plastic.

[0018] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0019] The utility model includes a housing, a control switch arranged on the housing, and a controller and a transmission assembly arranged in the housing; the transmission assembly includes a power supply, a motor and a gear set, the power supply is used to supply power to the motor and the controller, the motor and the controller are electrically connected, and the output shaft of the gear set is used to be fixedly connected to the input end of the valve. The on and off buttons provided on the control switch are respectively in contact with the on and off positions on the controller. When in use, the on and off buttons are pressed, and the on and off buttons are in contact with the on and off positions on the controller, and the controller controls the motor to start or stop, thereby causing the gear set to rotate or stop rotating, thereby realizing automatic opening and closing of the valve;

[0020] An arc-shaped limit groove is provided on the bottom shell corresponding to the position of the gear set. The central angle of the arc-shaped limit groove is 90°. A slider is fixed to the position of the gear set facing the arc-shaped limit groove. The slider slides in the arc-shaped limit groove. The slider and the arc-shaped limit groove cooperate to limit the rotation angle of the gear set to 0°-90°, and it will not exceed 90°, preventing damage to the valve.

[0021] This embodiment also includes a control terminal, which can also control the rotation angle of the gear set between 0° and 90°. However, when the control terminal fails, the structure of the arc-shaped limit groove can limit the rotation angle of the gear set so that the opening angle of the valve does not exceed 90°. The control terminal and the arc-shaped limit groove can achieve dual control of the valve opening angle.

[0022] In summary, the utility model can realize automatic opening and closing of the valve and limit the valve opening to 0°-90° without damaging the valve and with high operating efficiency; the utility model is suitable for industry, agriculture or daily life for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the valve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the utility model from another perspective;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model (the upper cover is not shown);

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model (the upper cover, control switch, and baffle are not shown);

[0028] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the partition, motor, gear set and bottom shell in the embodiment of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the first gear and the second gear in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0030] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified schematic diagram of part A;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the bottom shell, through hole, and transmission shaft in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of the control switch, controller, and support plate in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0033] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the support plate in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0034] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the upper cover and the support plate in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0035] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the application structure of an embodiment of the utility model.

[0036] In the figure: 1- bottom shell, 2- upper cover, 3- control switch, 4- controller, 5- power supply, 6- motor, 7- through hole, 8- valve, 9- arc limit groove, 10- slider, 11- first gear, 12- second gear, 13- transmission shaft, 14- pointer, 15- notch, 16- baffle, 17- potentiometer, 18- support plate, 19- connecting hole, 20- center shaft, 21- coupling, 22- partition, 23- bracket, 24- connecting block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation to the present invention.

[0038] like Figures 1 to 12 As shown, this embodiment includes a housing, a control switch 3 mounted on the housing, and a controller 4 and transmission assembly mounted within the housing. The control switch 3 is provided with on and off buttons, which respectively contact the on and off positions on the controller 4. Pressing the on and off buttons activates the transmission assembly, thereby opening and closing the valve.

[0039] The housing is made of plastic, which makes the overall weight of this embodiment lighter and the cost lower. Figure 1 As shown, the housing includes a bottom shell 1 and an upper cover 2, which are detachably connected by screws.

[0040] like Figure 3As shown, the transmission assembly includes a power supply 5, a motor 6, and a gear set. The power supply 5 is electrically connected to the motor 6, the controller 4, and the motor 6. The power supply 5 is used to supply power to the motor 6 and the controller 4. In this embodiment, a battery can be placed in the power supply 5, which can be replaced when the battery is exhausted. Alternatively, a lithium battery can be placed in the power supply 5, which can be removed and recharged when the battery is exhausted. Since the electrical connections between the power supply 5 and the motor 6, the power supply 5 and the controller 4, and the motor 6 and the controller 4 are conventional, they will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0041] like Figure 5 、 6 7, the gear set includes a first gear 11 and a second gear 12 that are meshed and driven. The first gear 11 is the input end of the gear set. The first gear 11 is sleeved on the output end of the motor 6. The inner diameter of the second gear 12 is sleeved with a transmission shaft 13. Figure 8 The transmission shaft 13 is the output shaft of the gear set. A through hole 7 is provided on the bottom shell 1. The transmission shaft 13 extends into the through hole 7 for fixed connection with the valve input end. Figure 2 The valve input here refers to the end of the valve stem that extends from the valve body. Specifically, the drive shaft 13 is fixedly connected to the valve stem, allowing the drive shaft 13 and the valve stem to rotate together relative to the valve body. During operation, motor 6 rotates, driving first gear 11 and second gear 12 to open and close the valve.

[0042] like Figure 5 、 6 As shown in FIG. 7 , an arc-shaped limiting groove 9 is provided on the bottom shell 1 at a position corresponding to the gear set. Specifically, the arc-shaped limiting groove 9 is provided around the through hole 7 on the bottom shell 1. The central angle of the arc-shaped limiting groove 9 is 90°. A slider 10 is fixedly provided at the position of the gear set facing the arc-shaped limiting groove 9. Figure 8 As shown, a slider 10 is fixed to the bottom of the second gear 12, and the slider 10 is slidably arranged in the arc-shaped limiting groove 9. The arc-shaped limiting groove 9 limits the rotation angle of the second gear 12 to 0°-90°, and will not exceed 90° to prevent damage to the valve.

[0043] In order to observe the degree of opening and closing of the valve, a pointer 14 is fixed on the end of the transmission shaft 13 away from the bottom shell 1. Here, the end of the transmission shaft 13 away from the bottom shell 1 refers to the position where the transmission shaft 13 is located above the second gear 12. Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, a central shaft 20 is fixed on the transmission shaft 13. The central shaft 20 is located above the second gear 12. A coupling 21 is fixed on the central shaft 20, and the pointer 14 is fixed on the coupling 21. When the second gear 12 rotates, the pointer 14 will deflect accordingly. A notch 15 is provided on the upper cover 2 at the position corresponding to the pointer 14, see Figure 1In this embodiment, the slot 15 is a strip-shaped slot, but it can also be set as a circular slot or other shapes. A baffle 16 is embedded in the slot 15, and the baffle 16 is made of a transparent material. In this embodiment, the baffle 16 is made of transparent plastic, but other materials can also be selected, such as glass, which can facilitate observation of the deflection degree of the pointer 14.

[0044] This embodiment can also choose to remotely control the opening of the valve. Specifically, this embodiment also includes a control terminal for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the valve. The control terminal here is a control computer in the prior art, and can also be a mobile phone. A signal transmission component is provided on the controller 4. The control terminal transmits the valve opening and closing information to the signal transmission component using wireless communication technology. After receiving the signal, the controller 4 controls the motor 6 to start or shut down. In this embodiment, the signal transmission component adopts the lora module in the prior art. Since the controller 4, the lora module, and the wireless communication technology all adopt the prior art, the working principle of this embodiment will not be described in detail. It should be noted that the control terminal can also control the rotation angle of the gear set between 0° and 90°. However, if the control terminal fails, the structure of the arc-shaped limit groove 9 can further limit the rotation angle of the gear set so that the opening angle of the valve 8 will not exceed 90°. The control terminal and the arc-shaped limit groove 9 can achieve dual control of the opening angle of the valve 8.

[0045] Further, such as Figure 3 、 4 As shown, a potentiometer 17 for detecting the valve opening is connected to the output shaft of the gear set. In this embodiment, the potentiometer 17 is arranged above the coupling 21. In this embodiment, a partition 22 is provided between the controller 4 and the gear set. The coupling 21 passes through the partition 22. A bracket 23 is fixedly provided on the partition 22 at a position corresponding to the coupling 21. The potentiometer 17 is fixedly provided on the bracket 23. The turning handle of the potentiometer 17 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the gear set, that is, the turning handle of the potentiometer 17 passes through the bracket 23 and is fixedly connected to the coupling 21. The potentiometer 17 adopts the existing technology. Regarding its structure and detection principle, this embodiment will not describe it in detail. It should be noted that Figure 5 The middle partition 22 is located below the motor 6 and above the second gear 12 . In order to clearly see the structure of the second gear 12 , the partition 22 is exploded to the top of the motor 6 .

[0046] The potentiometer 17 is electrically connected to the controller 4. The potentiometer 17 is used to detect the rotation angle of the second gear 12 in the gear set, thereby detecting the degree of valve opening and closing, and feeding back a voltage signal to the controller 4. The signal transmission component transmits the signal to the control terminal, enabling the control terminal to control the valve opening and closing. In other words, if the rotation angle of the second gear 12 is less than 90°, the valve is not fully open, and accordingly, the deflection angle of the pointer 14 is also less than 90°. When the potentiometer 17 detects that the deflection angle of the pointer 14 is less than 90°, it feeds back a voltage signal to the controller 4. The signal is then wirelessly transmitted to the control terminal via the LoRa module. The control terminal then controls the motor 6 to start again until the valve opens 90°, achieving secondary control of the valve opening and closing.

[0047] In order to improve this embodiment, a support plate 18 for supporting the control switch 3 is fixedly provided on the inner side of the upper cover 2. Figure 9-11 As shown, support plate 18 is provided with connection holes 19 at positions corresponding to the on and off buttons. In this embodiment, there are two connection holes 19, one for each on and off button. Each on and off button passes through a connection hole 19 and contacts the on and off positions on controller 4. During use, pressing the on or off button causes the on or off button to contact controller 4. This is prior art and will not be described in detail in this embodiment. Control switch 3 is provided to protect the on and off positions on controller 4 and provide waterproofing. Support plate 18 is provided to prevent control switch 3 from sinking under upper cover 2 after repeated pressing.

[0048] When using this embodiment, if Figure 2 、 12 As shown, this embodiment is installed on the valve 8. In this embodiment, a connecting block 24 is fixed to the bottom end of the bottom shell 1. The connecting block 24 and the connecting piece on the valve 8 are fixed by bolts. At the same time, the valve stem on the valve 8 is clamped to the inner diameter of the transmission shaft 13.

[0049] There are two ways to automatically control the opening and closing of the valve 8. First, operate the on / off button on the control switch 3, and control the motor 6, the first gear 11, and the second gear 12 through the controller 4 to realize the opening and closing of the valve 8; second, operate a control terminal such as a computer or a mobile phone, and use wireless communication technology to transmit the opening and closing valve information to the lora module. After receiving the signal, the controller 4 controls the motor 6 to start or stop.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the cooperation between the slider 10 and the arc-shaped limiting groove 9 limits the rotation angle of the second gear 12 to 0°-90°, and will not exceed 90°, thereby preventing damage to the valve 8.

[0051] It should be noted that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art may still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments or replace some of the technical features therein with equivalents. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A valve actuator, characterized in that: It includes a housing, a control switch arranged on the housing, and a controller and a transmission assembly arranged in the housing; The housing comprises a detachably connected bottom shell and an upper cover; The control switch is provided with an on and off button, which are respectively in contact with the on and off positions on the controller; The transmission assembly includes a power supply, a motor, and a gear set. The power supply and the motor, the power supply and the controller, and the motor and the controller are all electrically connected. The output end of the motor is connected to the input end of the gear set. A through hole is provided on the bottom shell. The output shaft of the gear set extends into the through hole for fixed connection with the valve input end. An arc-shaped limiting groove is provided on the bottom shell at a position corresponding to the gear set, and the central angle of the arc-shaped limiting groove is 90°. A slider is fixed at the position of the gear set facing the arc-shaped limiting groove, and the slider is slidably provided in the arc-shaped limiting groove.

2. A valve actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear set includes a first gear and a second gear that are meshed with each other. The first gear is sleeved on the output end of the motor. A transmission shaft is sleeved on the inner diameter of the second gear. The transmission shaft is the output shaft of the gear set. The transmission shaft extends into the through hole for fixed connection with the valve input end. A pointer is fixed on the end of the transmission shaft away from the bottom shell, and a notch is provided on the upper cover at the position corresponding to the pointer.

3. A valve actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: A blocking piece is embedded in the notch and is made of a transparent material.

4. A valve actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a control terminal for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the valve. A signal transmission component is provided on the controller. The control terminal transmits the valve opening and closing information to the signal transmission component using wireless communication technology. After receiving the signal, the controller controls the motor to start or close.

5. A valve actuator according to claim 4, characterized in that: A potentiometer for detecting the valve opening is connected to the output shaft of the gear group. The handle of the potentiometer is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the gear group, and the potentiometer is electrically connected to the controller. The potentiometer detects the rotation angle of the gear group and feeds back a voltage signal to the controller. The signal transmission component transmits the signal to the control terminal, realizing secondary control of the valve switch by the control terminal.

6. A valve actuator according to any one of claims 1-3 and 5, characterized in that: A support plate for supporting the control switch is fixed on the inner side of the upper cover. Connection holes are set on the support plate at positions corresponding to the on and off buttons. The on and off buttons pass through the connection holes and contact the on and off positions on the controller respectively.

7. A valve actuator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The housing is made of plastic.

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